As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of azure light appeared in his hand, and a scroll made of parchment shot toward Eva.
When Eva saw the scroll before her, she froze for a moment.
A flash of anger appeared in her eyes.
Although she had already expected that EkHard would use some form of contract to bind her.
She never imagined that it would be a Soul Enslavement Contract! This meant that by signing the contract, she would forever serve the Fish Human Race as a slave.
These damned beasts!
Eva gritted her teeth silently, her mind seething with fury. She almost wished she could turn around and walk away.
It seemed that EkHard saw through her thoughts.
He sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. “The entire Western Sea is now under Clinton’s control, and you have nowhere else to go.”
“Furthermore, I’ve just received news—Clinton and Via’s forces have sent people to the Sea of Mist.”
“If you don’t sign the contract, even if I don’t act, you won’t survive long enough to leave here.”
His threat was blatant.
Eva felt an icy chill spread throughout her body as she realized the depth of her situation. She suddenly regretted seeking refuge in the Sea of Mist with these merfolk.
Now, she had no other choice. It was either sign the slave contract or die.
Looking at the contract before her, Eva’s eyes flickered with struggle.
Becoming a slave to these creatures was no different from dying.
But in the end, her survival instinct overpowered her pride.
She hadn’t yet avenged herself on that vile Evelyn—how could she just die here so easily?
Grinding her teeth, Eva was about to reach for the contract when—
Boom!!!
The entire city suddenly shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck. Loud cries echoed through the streets.
EkHard furrowed his brows and looked up. Outside the city’s protective barrier, an enormous wave had appeared.
“My King, enemies are attacking Sea City!” a merfolk general rushed up, panic-stricken, delivering the news.
Eva’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air, her eyes widening in surprise.
Who would be so bold as to attack the Fish Human Race’s stronghold?
EkHard’s face twisted with fury as he stood up abruptly.
His killing intent radiated as he growled, “A bunch of fools, daring to cause chaos in my Sea City!”
“Everyone, listen up! Capture them alive! Not a single one is to be spared!”
The merfolk general, his face full of dread, stammered, “My King, we… we can’t fight them!”
“We can’t fight them?” EkHard blinked in disbelief.
The Sea of Mist was their domain—how could they possibly not defeat the invaders? Was it Clinton’s forces that had arrived?
He suspected what might be happening and was about to ask how many forces the enemy had.
At that moment, EkHard’s expression suddenly changed. He looked up at the defensive shield of Sea City, his eyes filled with surprise.
At the same time, countless merfolk in Sea City also looked up at the sky, their faces full of horror.
Above the gray sky, dark clouds had gathered at some point. Countless bolts of lightning, thick as arms, leaped and flickered within the clouds, dense as silver-colored giant pythons. A figure stood amidst this storm, like a god, radiating with thunder.
Thunder roared around him, sending dazzling light that illuminated the entire city below, as if it were daylight.
“Luca? How did he get here?!” Eva, her eyes wide in disbelief, finally saw the figure clearly through the blinding lightning. She couldn’t believe it was him. What surprised her even more was the aura he was emitting. Hadn’t he just been at the high rank? How had he grown this powerful so quickly?
“He’s still alive!” EkHard was also stunned. He never expected Luca to have escaped from the Sea Lord’s grasp.
Sensing the gaze upon him, Luca turned his eyes towards the palace, a faint smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.
Snapping his fingers, he called out, “Thanks again for all the hospitality from the Fish Human Race. Returning favors is a good virtue, so I’ve prepared a great gift for you all this time.”
As he spoke, endless lightning began to converge behind him, gathering at an alarming rate. Within the span of a blink, a thunderous dragon, nearly a thousand meters long, formed from the gathered lightning.
The sheer force of its presence made the scales of countless merfolk fly into the air. The blinding lightning was so intense that many dared not even look directly at it!
Wind and Thunder Domain!
“Roar!!!”
The massive silver dragon roared like a living creature, its deafening cry shaking the air. With immense force, it plummeted toward Sea City below!
Boom!!!
The thunder ripped through the night, its reverberations echoing across the sky.
The Superclass barrier, which could resist Star-level attacks, shattered with a thunderous crash under the astonished gazes of the onlookers.
At the same moment the barrier broke, countless merfolk in Sea City suddenly screamed in pain and rage.
Scales burst from their smooth skin, and a savage, crimson aura spread rapidly. The once peaceful city was immediately filled with countless monstrous forms.
Even EkHard’s body sprouted white scales, and his already towering figure expanded by a whole meter, reaching a terrifying ten meters.
Luca understood—these Mutated Mermen had been suppressing their inner beast-like instincts with a magic array.
But, at their core, they were still savage, flesh-eating monsters.
“Damned creatures, you’ll pay for this!” As their ugly forms emerged, EkHard’s fury exploded.
His dark gold vertical pupils fixed on Luca, and a murderous rage ignited in his eyes.
“You can try,” Luca said, showing no fear in the face of the Transcendent-level pressure. He casually waved his hand, and a massive silver lightning dragon surged forward with overwhelming power, charging straight at EkHard.
“Arrogant!” A cold gleam flickered in EkHard’s eyes as he suddenly summoned a trident made of crystal.
Blue water swirled through the air, coalescing into a massive, furious shark over a hundred meters long. It opened its enormous maw and lunged at the lightning dragon.
Boom!!!
The two collided mid-air, and the blue shark exploded with a deafening roar. Water rained down from the sky, while arcs of lightning crackled through the air.
The terrifying shockwave raged across the entire sky above Sea City. Merfolk who failed to evade the blast were instantly shredded to pieces.
“Impressive,” EkHard muttered, somewhat surprised that his attack had been blocked, but he didn’t give it much thought. He was about to taunt Luca when a sudden golden flash appeared before his eyes.
A grotesquely shaped giant spear cut through the air and crashed viciously into him.
Boom!
EkHard’s eyes widened. He felt an overwhelming force strike him, and before he could react, his body was sent flying like a cannonball. He smashed through several buildings in succession before crashing into the majestic palace, sending the indestructible palace walls exploding apart. In the blink of an eye, the once-glorious hall was reduced to rubble.
“Poof!” EkHard spat out a mouthful of black blood, lying in the wreckage. His chest was caved in, his scales shattered, his flesh mangled, and his ribs were crushed. With just one strike, Luca had seriously wounded him, nearly destroying his ability to fight.
For a moment, the entire Sea City fell into stunned silence.
All eyes turned to the figure in the sky, wrapped in golden flames, frozen in awe.
Eva’s mouth hung open in shock, unable to believe what she was seeing. EkHard was no ordinary individual; he was a genuine Transcendent-level powerhouse, one of the most powerful beings on the continent!
Yet, this mighty king had been wounded in a single blow in front of her.
And it was by Luca, someone she had never taken seriously.
Ellie and the others, who had followed closely behind, were equally stunned.
It was almost impossible to fathom what kind of opportunity Luca had experienced to have raised his strength to such heights in such a short period of time.
“This… how is this possible?!” EkHard stumbled to his feet, his body shaking with disbelief.
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He looked up at the slowly approaching figure, his eyes filled with an unfamiliar fear.
Based on their previous information, this young man had barely reached the Superclass. How could his power have increased so drastically in just a few days?!
The fear of death loomed over EkHard as he clutched his chest and retreated further.
“What are you standing there for? Stop him!” He turned to the nearby guards and Eva, barking the command in a furious tone.
Eva, hearing this, was on the verge of cursing.
He, a Transcendent-level powerhouse, couldn’t even hold his ground, and now he wanted them to face Luca? Was he sending them to their deaths?
The merfolk guards understood this as well, but after a moment’s hesitation, they gritted their teeth, brandished their weapons, and rushed toward Luca, disregarding their lives. The pressure of their bloodline and EkHard’s long-standing authority were enough to suppress their fear of death.
But Luca didn’t even flinch when facing the dozens of merfolk guards closing in on him. His expression remained unchanged, and he simply raised a hand.
Boom!
An endless sea of blood engulfed the entire palace in an instant. The merfolk guards who were closest to him, regardless of their rank, all exploded in a split second. The black blood splattered onto EkHard’s face as he tried to flee, freezing him in place.
Sea of Blood Domain!
“Is this… a Domain?” Eva’s body trembled as she spoke, her voice filled with dread.
It was the first time she had seen such a terrifying Domain. The merfolk in that group—some of whom were merfolk commanders with strength equal to her own—had just been obliterated in the blink of an eye, reduced to nothing but shredded meat. It was as if they were no stronger than an ordinary person.
“What do you want? We can negotiate. If we both go down, it’s bad for both of us,” EkHard said, his will to fight gone, but still attempting to remain calm.
However, the next moment, he could no longer keep his composure.
The tip of a golden spear was pressed to his forehead, and Luca looked down at the king of the Fish-Human Race, asking in a calm voice, “Tell me where the Celestial Pearl is, and I will spare your life.”
“You know about the Celestial Pearl?” EkHard’s face filled with shock.
The Celestial Pearl had been lost for a hundred thousand years, a secret of the Fish-Human Race. How could this man possibly know about it?
Luca didn’t answer. He simply raised the Solar Divine Spear in his hand.
Golden light flashed.
Boom!
EkHard’s arm was instantly shattered, and a pitiful scream echoed throughout the entire hall.
“Don’t test my patience. Next time, it won’t be your arm that blows up,” Luca said, his voice low as blood dripped from the Solar Divine Spear.