Chapter 164: Demon
The stillness that followed the last battle was deceiving.
Beneath the fractured ruins of the Aquarian stronghold, a faint current stirred as if the ocean itself held its breath. But in the hearts of the warriors who remained standing, something more vital had returned: purpose.
Commander Elara stood tall, eyes sharp and alert, surveying her battered but resolute team. Her voice had silenced doubt and fear in the hearts of her comrades. Now, there was only the mission.
Eren sat near Zarek, who had yet to wake. Rylan leaned against a jagged coral pillar, arms crossed, his breathing slow but steady. The air buzzed with tension, but it was a steady kind—focused.
Then, with a cough and a groan, Zarek stirred.
His eyes blinked open, unfocused at first, but then narrowed as he looked around.
Zarek (groaning):"What... what happened? Did we win?"
Eren placed a hand on his shoulder.
Eren:"We did. Barely. You were out cold. We thought we lost you."
Zarek tried to sit up, groaning as the pain rushed back to him. But then, like a tide of memory, it all came crashing back—his powerlessness, his frustration, the overwhelming strength of the Aquarians.
Zarek (muttering):"Damn it... we're still not done, are we?"
Suddenly, everyone froze. A dense wave of mana surged toward them—an approaching presence too massive to ignore.
Rylan (eyes narrowing):"They're coming. A lot of them."
Commander Elara (calmly):"Get ready."
Meanwhile...
Miles away, tucked within a ruined corridor inside the sunken laboratory, Aria and Asher stood breathless. Dust and algae floated in the water, stirred by the force of a secret door they'd just managed to pry open.
Inside the hidden locker was a metal scroll case etched in Old Aquarian script.
Asher:"What the hell is this...?"
Aria unfurled the scroll and skimmed the text, her eyes widening as she read faster.
Aria (urgently):"This… this is it. This is Kuzan's plan. He's not just attacking the Great Nations… he's planning to transform them. Turn everyone into Aquarians using forced Overdrive rituals."
Asher:"That's insane. That would wipe out entire cultures."
Aria didn't respond. She activated her communicator rune and reached out to Commander Elara.
Aria (telepathically):"Commander, we've found it. Kuzan's plans… He's going to turn the Great Nations into Aquarians. He's weaponizing the Overdrive protocol on a massive scale."
A cold silence followed.
Then, Elara's voice came through with steady force.
Commander Elara:"Understood. We don't have time. Get out of there—link up with us immediately. We're heading for the surface. We have to return now."
The moment the link closed, the ground trembled beneath the heroes' feet.
From the shadows and broken archways, dozens—perhaps hundreds—of Aquarians emerged, encircling them with a terrifying silence before unleashing a wave of brute force.
The battle began with no warning.
Blades clashed. Mana surged. The underwater air boiled with elemental force.
Rylan unleashed his Abyssal Surge, sweeping through the enemies with arcs of black lightning. Eren was a blur of motion, his Scarlet Blade cutting clean through enemy ranks, red lightning sparking in every direction.
Commander Elara, still partially in her beast form, tore through Aquarians with unmatched agility and strength, her claws coated in shimmering blue mana.
In the chaos, Zarek forced himself to his feet, breathing heavily.
Zarek:"I'm done... hiding behind the strong..."
He stepped forward, arms limp but his gaze fierce. An Aquarian lunged at him.
And then—it happened.
A pulse of dark energy erupted from Zarek's body.
The divine white light that once surrounded him twisted and darkened into a deep, violet hue. His eyes turned pitch black with glowing violet pupils. From his left forehead, a single curled horn spiraled into existence. His body emitted a dark purple mist, crackling with unstable mana.
Everyone froze.
Eren (horrified):"Zarek… what the hell is this?"
Rylan:"That's not divine mana… that's something else."
Zarek didn't speak. His aura screamed with raw power and deep torment. He raised his hand, mana forming into a dense sphere of black and violet light, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Zarek:"Begone!"
He slammed the attack down, and in an instant, the entire swarm of Aquarians was obliterated—their bodies ripped apart by the intensity of the explosion. The seabed cracked, and the water pressure twisted from the force.
Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the power vanished.
Zarek collapsed face-first onto the broken coral floor, the horn dissolving, his aura fading.
Silence.
Eren (shaking):"What... was that? What did you do, Zarek?"
Rylan:"That wasn't divine. That was… demonic."
Commander Elara (resolute):"We ask questions later. Right now, we retreat. Everyone, move! Head for the surface!"
The team didn't need to be told twice.
Rylan grabbed Zarek and hoisted him onto his back. The others formed a perimeter, watching for any more enemies as they swam with everything they had left, pushing through the watery corridors of the crumbling empire.
As they emerged into the open ocean, Aria and Asher rejoined the group, flanking them.
Asher:"What the hell happened back there?"
Eren:"You'll hear all about it when we reach the surface. Let's move."
The heroes rocketed upward, leaving behind the empire's haunted shadows, rising through layers of pressure and darkness toward the fading sunlight above.
They didn't speak.
There were too many questions. Too much fear.
But they were alive.
And they were going home.