Earth's Greatest Magus

At a depth of 100 miles, Emery and Klea found the Supreme Magus, Lord Quatukan—the Sea Sovereign—waiting for them. His imposing figure radiated authority, but what drew Emery’s attention was the formidable force that accompanied him.

Three dozen mermen and mermaids, all clad in gleaming combat armor and armed with spears, formed a disciplined formation around him. Their expressions were focused, their bodies poised for battle.

As the Supreme Magus smiled, Emery quickly grasped the situation. The past 10 days had been the lesson, and this was the test.

Without a word, the aquatic warriors began to close in, their numbers forming a tightening circle around Emery and Klea. Emery instinctively prepared himself, ready to fight, but before he could act, Klea stepped forward, her voice calm yet confident.

Her words carried a weight of assurance, and Emery chose to trust her. He stood still, watching as Klea commanded the water around them with ease. The surrounding liquid, once still and unthreatening, began to stir at her will.

Several mermen darted forward, their spears cutting through the water aimed directly at Klea, and in an instant, she turned the water into powerful waves that surged outward, meeting the incoming spear attacks head-on. The force of her manipulation created a barrier, pushing back the onslaught with masterful control.

More mermen joined the fray, surrounding Klea from all sides. Torrents of water spewed from their spears, spiraling through the depths like underwater storms. But Klea was ready. With a focused gesture, she transformed the water surrounding her into ice, slowing the attacks as they reached her. Emery watched in awe as Klea moved with fluid grace, countering each strike with elegant, calculated defense. Ice formed at her fingertips, spreading outward like crystalline vines, freezing the water torrents mid-flight and neutralizing the attacks of their aquatic adversaries. As the battle intensified, more mermen joined the fray, transforming the skirmish into a full-scale assault. Thirty-two magus-level warriors, each moving with distinct precision and speed, merged their attacks in perfect synchrony.

The water around them erupted into chaos, forming a massive vortex of power, swirling with devastating force. Emery quickly realized the strategy behind their attacks. The formation mirrored the secrets of the Infinity Seamount, harnessing the same principles of endless movement and synergy he had encountered within the currents. It was more than just a brute-force onslaught—it was a relentless, seamless cycle designed to overwhelm its target through continuous pressure.

Emery watched as Klea fought against this tidal wave of aggression. Despite her earlier display of mastery, even she now appeared to struggle. These were not ordinary mermen but seasoned, magus-level hybrid warriors, their aquatic abilities honed to perfection. Their attacks were unrelenting, and the pressure mounted with each passing second. Still, Emery chose to stand by. Even if Klea faltered, he believed that the struggle would lead her to a deeper insight.

For ten long minutes, Klea held her ground, wave after wave of attacks slammed into her defenses, and for a while, she seemed to be holding her own, but the unyielding nature of the attack began to take its toll. Her movements became strained, and her ice shields started to falter under the barrage. Seeing her on the verge of being overwhelmed, Emery knew it was time to act.

With a sharp burst of energy, he leaped into the fray and engaged the mermen alongside her. The two of them moved in perfect unison, and covered each other’s weaknesses, fending off the magus-level warriors from all angles.

As the battle raged, Klea’s sharp mind continued to analyze the situation, and soon enough, she spotted the flaw in their opponents’ otherwise perfect formation.

She pointed out the precise spot where the flow of the vortex was weakest and Emery seized the moment. He delivered a powerful, decisive strike right at the weak point. His attack sliced through the water, disrupting the flow and causing the entire formation to unravel. The synchronized attacks faltered, and within moments, the vortex dissipated, leaving the mermen disoriented and scattered.

The battle was over.

As soon as the formation broke, the mermen swiftly retreated, swimming back to their positions behind the Supreme Magus. Lord Quatukan, the Sea Sovereign, watched them with a calm, discerning gaze. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he addressed them.

Emery remained on high alert, knowing that this wasn’t the end of the test. His instincts sharpened, and just as he anticipated something more, he felt an immense presence looming from the abyss below. A dark shadow grew beneath the water, rising steadily toward them.

“What is it?” Emery muttered.

From the dark, a monstrous form surfaced.

The creature was enormous, easily dwarfing the mermen who had just attacked. Its crystalline blue shell shimmered with an ethereal glow, reflecting the light of the deep sea. Two massive pincers, sharp and jagged, snapped threateningly, radiating raw power that made the water around it tremble. Each movement of the beast sent ripples through the surrounding currents as if the ocean itself bent to its will.

VIA quickly analyzed the creature, feeding Emery crucial information.

[Celestice King Mudler]

It was a Godly-level beast, on par with Grand Magus figures—a foe not to be taken lightly. The sheer size and power of the beast exuded a dangerous aura that immediately signaled the immense challenge ahead.

Klea sensed the magnitude of the threat instantly. She knew this battle wasn’t hers to fight. Without a word, she gracefully stepped back, giving Emery the space to confront the beast alone.

Without hesitation, Emery unleashed both of his [Twilight] forms and Khaos’ power. His body surged with newfound strength, but even that felt barely enough.

As the massive crab charged, its hulking body barreling through the water like an unstoppable juggernaut, Emery met it head-on. The first clash was like being hit by a tidal wave.

BAMMM!!!

His arms vibrated from the impact as he tried to hold back the creature’s massive pincers. The force was overwhelming, each strike pushing him further back despite his enhanced strength.

Realizing he couldn’t win in a direct contest of power, Emery swiftly shifted tactics. He activated his wings and darted into the water with astonishing speed. With his newly learned movements, he darted through the water, around the colossal form, aiming for its vulnerable joints. His strikes were precise, each one landing with bursts of energy as he tried to find a weakness.

But then, the creature revealed its killer moves. Emery’s eyes widened in surprise as he saw the Celestice King Mudler’s eight crystalline legs stomp onto the water’s surface as though it were solid ground. With each stomp, ripples expanded outwards, but they were no ordinary ripples. Emery immediately felt the space around him begin to warp, the very water trembling under an unseen force. Before he could react, his body locked up.

“What technique is this?!” Emery’s voice was strained as he struggled against the invisible bindings. It was as though the beast had manipulated the space around them, turning the water into chains that held him in place.

He roared, activating [Immortal Gate] to its ninth stage. His muscles bulged, veins popping under the strain as he forced his way free, shattering the bindings just in time to see the beast’s gigantic pincer swinging toward him. Emery barely had time to react before it slammed into him with the force of a mountain.

BAMMM!!

The impact sent him hurtling backward. Before he could recover, the colossal creature was already upon him again. Its glowing shell loomed overhead, and the eight legs stomped once more. The same binding seized Emery, freezing him in place as the massive pincer came crashing down again.

This time, Emery desperately tried to use his spatial magic to escape. He cast [Spatial Bending], warping the space around him in an attempt to slip free, but the beast’s power was too great. BAMMM!!!

The pincer slammed into him with devastating force. His bones creaked under the pressure, and a sharp pain exploded through his ribs as he was thrown back again. But the creature was relentless. The third time it attacked, then the fourth, and the fifth, each time binding him with the same unbreakable spatial distortions. Emery did not give up; instead, he grew excited. Each attack brought him closer to an understanding. The same spatial distortion he had sensed earlier in the Infinity Seamount was at play here. Every binding, every ripple in the water, was part of a larger pattern. Emery could feel it like a puzzle slowly clicking into place.

The sixth attack came, then the seventh. By now, his body was battered, and his strength was waning. But in the depths of his mind, the breakthrough was almost there. He could sense the flow of energy, the precise moment when the bindings took hold.

When the eighth attack came, Emery was ready. As the beast’s massive legs stomped down, creating the familiar ripples that bound the space around him, he didn’t resist the binding like before. Instead, he moved with it, flowing along the rhythm of the spatial distortion. He could feel the energy shift at just the right moment, and with a sudden twist of his body, he slipped through the invisible chains, darting out of the way of the incoming pincer.

For the first time in the battle, he had successfully evaded the attack.

The beast halted, its glowing eyes fixated on him. Emery stood panting, his body battered, bruised, and barely holding together, but his heart swelled with triumph. From a distance, Lord Quatukan, the Sea Sovereign, raised his hand in acknowledgment.

“Good… Very good… Let us head back and talk.”