Dark clouds covered the sky.
The ocean no longer looked peaceful.
Massive waves crashed against one another.
Sea winds howled across the surface.
The entire western maritime zone had become a battlefield.
A battlefield between civilization and nature.
Between ships and monsters.
Between survival and destruction.
Dozens of vessels floated across the troubled waters.
Merchant ships.
Guild ships.
Academy support vessels.
Naval patrol ships.
All had gathered after the emergency call.
Signal flares burned in the distance.
Commands echoed across decks.
Sailors ran back and forth.
The atmosphere felt tense.
Oppressive.
Heavy.
Because everyone knew what they were facing.
Leviathans.
The ancient guardians of the sea.
Massive creatures capable of destroying ships with a single strike.
Monsters so powerful that entire fleets preferred avoiding them rather than fighting them.
And today—
There wasn't one.
There were many.
Far ahead.
Gigantic shadows moved beneath the ocean.
Every movement caused enormous waves.
Sometimes a massive tail emerged from the water.
Sometimes a gigantic fin.
Sometimes a colossal eye.
Each glimpse reminded everyone present how insignificant they truly were.
The battle had already begun.
Several guilds were fighting desperately.
Explosions illuminated the horizon.
Magic attacks rained continuously.
Aura techniques flashed repeatedly.
Yet despite everything—
The results remained disappointing.
One Leviathan.
Just one.
Required dozens of experienced fighters.
And even then victory wasn't guaranteed.
Meanwhile—
There were multiple Leviathans.
The situation continued deteriorating.
On the deck of Azure Horizon's vessel.
Seraphina stood silently near the bow.
Her silver hair fluttered wildly in the ocean wind.
The former mermaid stared toward the distant Leviathans.
Her expression remained complicated.
Very complicated.
Kel stood several meters behind her.
Watching.
Observing.
Not interfering.
For now.
The battle reflected within Seraphina's silver eyes.
The former mermaid looked neither afraid nor uncertain.
Instead—
She looked sad.
Deeply sad.
Inside his mind—
Seiren spoke softly.
"She knows them."
Kel nodded slightly.
"I know."
The Guardian became quiet.
Even she understood.
This wasn't simply a monster suppression operation.
Not for Seraphina.
The former mermaid had lived in the ocean.
She knew its creatures.
Its ecosystems.
Its laws.
Its balance.
And among all sea creatures—
Leviathans occupied a unique position.
They were not ordinary predators.
They were guardians.
Protectors.
Ancient beings responsible for maintaining the balance of entire marine regions.
One of the Leviathans surfaced briefly.
The ocean exploded upward.
Water rose hundreds of meters.
Its gigantic body became visible.
Dark blue scales.
Ancient scars.
Eyes larger than houses.
A creature so enormous it seemed impossible.
A living mountain.
Several nearby students gasped.
Guild members became pale.
Even veteran sailors looked nervous.
The Leviathan roared.
The sound shook the sea itself.
Seraphina lowered her gaze.
The sadness in her eyes deepened.
Kel watched quietly.
Then eventually spoke.
His voice remained calm.
Soft.
Only loud enough for her to hear.
"Do you have enough resolve?"
The question drifted through the wind.
Seraphina remained silent.
Kel continued.
"To kill something you once protected."
The words struck deeply.
Very deeply.
The former mermaid froze.
For several moments.
She said nothing.
The wind continued blowing.
The sea continued roaring.
The battle continued in the distance.
Yet around them—
Everything seemed still.
Inside his mind—
Seiren remained silent.
She knew this answer mattered.
Several seconds passed.
Then several more.
Seraphina's hands tightened slightly.
Not from fear.
From conflict.
Eventually.
She spoke.
Softly.
Almost whispering.
"I..."
The words stopped.
The hesitation remained.
Because the answer hurt.
She looked toward the Leviathans again.
Memories surfaced.
Ancient memories.
Ocean currents.
Coral reefs.
Schools of fish.
Endless blue waters.
And far away—
Gigantic shadows moving peacefully through the depths.
Guardians.
Protectors.
Leviathans.
Then—
She remembered something else.
The academy.
The guild.
Elena.
The students.
The island.
Her new home.
Her current life.
Finally.
The former mermaid straightened.
Her silver eyes became steady.
Determined.
Strong.
Without turning around—
She answered.
"I will."
The words carried conviction.
Not certainty.
Conviction.
A pause followed.
Then she continued.
Slowly.
Carefully.
"I know Leviathans protected the oceans where I once lived."
The wind carried her words.
"I know what they represent."
Another pause.
"I know they are guardians."
The sadness remained.
But so did determination.
Then—
She placed a hand over her chest.
Above her heart.
"But that ocean is no longer my home."
Silence followed.
Deep silence.
"My life is here now."
The former mermaid looked toward the academy island barely visible upon the horizon.
"My future is here."
A pause.
"My friends are here."
Another pause.
"The people who trusted me are here."
Her voice strengthened.
Gradually.
Naturally.
"If these Leviathans threaten my current home..."
The former mermaid closed her eyes briefly.
Then opened them.
"I am prepared to stop them."
The words carried weight.
Heavy weight.
The weight of choosing a future over a past.
Kel listened quietly.
Then nodded once.
No praise.
No criticism.
No additional questions.
The answer had been enough.
Inside his mind—
Seiren spoke softly.
"She grew."
Kel looked toward Seraphina.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
She had.
The conversation ended.
The battle continued.
The sea continued roaring.
The sky remained dark.
And for several moments—
Everyone focused upon the approaching Leviathans.
Then something unexpected happened.
Kel began removing his outer garments.
Seraphina blinked.
Elena blinked.
Several guild members blinked.
Everyone suddenly became nervous.
Because experience had taught them something.
Whenever Aedon Flinth removed clothing before an operation—
Something ridiculous followed.
Elena immediately noticed.
"What are you doing?"
Kel folded his cloak.
Then placed it neatly aside.
"Watching."
The blonde girl stared.
Then stared harder.
"Watching what?"
"Closer."
The answer sounded completely reasonable to him.
Unfortunately.
No one else shared that opinion.
Inside his mind—
Seiren immediately laughed.
"Here we go."
Before anyone could react—
Kel walked calmly toward the edge of the ship.
Then stepped onto the railing.
Silence spread instantly.
Several sailors froze.
Several guild members froze.
One academy student nearly dropped his weapon.
Elena pointed.
"AEDON."
The silver-haired young man looked back.
"Yes?"
"What are you doing?"
Kel pointed toward the ocean.
Then answered.
"Going there."
The response somehow made everything worse.
The blonde girl opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
Then opened it again.
Nothing came out.
Seraphina immediately understood.
The former mermaid covered her face.
Because she already knew.
Nothing would stop him.
Then—
Kel jumped.
The silver-haired figure disappeared over the side of the vessel.
A second later—
Splash.
The ocean swallowed him.
Complete silence followed.
Absolute silence.
Even the battle noises seemed distant.
Everyone stared toward the water.
Waiting.
Processing.
Trying to understand.
One guild member finally spoke.
Very carefully.
"...did he just jump?"
Another nodded.
"Into Leviathan territory."
A sailor sighed.
Deeply.
"He did."
Another guild member looked confused.
"Why?"
No one answered.
Because no one knew.
Meanwhile—
Several Azure Horizon members began discussing possibilities.
Rapidly.
Desperately.
"Maybe he's scouting."
"No equipment."
"Maybe he's rescuing someone."
"There's nobody there."
"Maybe he's insane."
That suggestion gained alarming support.
Even members from other guilds began noticing.
Questions spread rapidly.
Confusion followed.
Why would someone jump into an ocean currently occupied by multiple Leviathans?
No reasonable answer existed.
Standing at the bow.
Seraphina watched the ocean quietly.
Then sighed.
Elena moved beside her.
"You know why?"
The former mermaid thought briefly.
Then answered honestly.
"No."
A pause.
Then—
"But I have a feeling he does."
Far below the raging ocean.
Beneath the waves.
Beneath the battle.
Beneath the chaos.
A silver-haired young man descended into the deep.
Calm.
Silent.
And entirely unconcerned by the fact that several ancient Leviathans currently occupied the waters around him.
Because unlike everyone else—
Kel wasn't interested in killing them.
Not yet.
First—
He wanted to know why the guardians of the sea had suddenly become enemies.