'What did she mean by that?'
'What exactly is this shorty trying to pull now?'
'She had just been screaming about mutual destruction a moment ago, yet now she was suddenly turning around and trying to steal someone else's man?'
'Just what kind of shameless switch was that?'
And so, the moment all these thoughts crossed her mind, Hysilens immediately stepped forward without the slightest hesitation and positioned herself directly in front of Lucian, firmly separating him from Cerydra as though drawing an invisible boundary between them.
Right after, while slightly narrowing her eyes, she stared coldly and warily at Cerydra, her posture making her intentions perfectly clear.
"I'm sorry, but his heart already belongs to me. You're not getting it."
Upon hearing the sudden declaration and sensing the hostility hidden within it, Cerydra froze in place for a brief moment, completely caught off guard by the sheer intensity behind those words.
As she looked into Hysilens's icy eyes, she immediately saw that there was not the slightest trace of fear within them, but only pure, almost instinctive protectiveness and possessiveness.
Such a gaze, she had only ever seen in the eyes of the most loyal death warriors who would willingly throw away their lives without hesitation, yet what burned within this woman was even purer, even more blazing, almost as though protecting Lucian had already become engraved into her very soul.
Realizing this, Cerydra's brows immediately knitted tightly together.
For the first time, she seriously sized up this black-haired woman who had always stood quietly at Lucian's side like an attendant, rarely drawing attention to herself.
Before, she had only noticed this woman's beauty and gentleness, along with the calm and obedient demeanor she constantly displayed beside him, but now, she had not expected that hidden beneath that seemingly soft exterior was such fierce aggression and such dangerously sharp claws.
'Interesting...'
Cerydra thought solemnly, her gaze sharpening further as she stared directly at Hysilens without retreating in the slightest.
In an instant, the atmosphere turned taut, like drawn blades pressing against one another, ready to collide at any moment.
On one side stood the empress who had just been captured and still dared to make such bold and provocative claims despite her current situation.
On the other stood the sea siren princess, fiercely guarding her man while openly declaring her sovereignty in front of everyone present.
Just like that, the two women's gazes clashed silently in midair, neither side willing to back down even half a step. Even the air itself seemed to freeze solid, carrying an invisible pressure that slowly weighed down on everyone present and made breathing feel slightly heavier.
Labienus and the others instinctively tensed up as the oppressive atmosphere spread throughout the area.
They had only just been dealt with and had finally managed to latch onto the Ocean King, this terrifyingly powerful being, so they absolutely could not afford to mess things up again at a time like this.
Even the stubborn ones, such as Labienus and Seneca, had already been thoroughly awed by Lucian's overwhelming strength and no longer dared to show even the slightest contempt or recklessness in front of him.
Besides, from beginning to end, Lucian had never truly gone for the kill, so he had already given them more than enough face and restraint.
Lucian, who stood quietly behind Hysilens, on the other hand, could feel the slight tension coming from her back, as well as the unwavering resolve hidden beneath it, very clearly.
At first, his gaze slowly swept across her slender yet straight back before moving toward her long black hair, which gently drifted and fluttered in the wind, but then the corners of his mouth lifted unconsciously into a faintly pleased curve, and that curve gradually widened little by little until it finally turned into an indulgent, doting smile filled with obvious amusement.
In his eyes, his little fish had now completely bristled up like a protective creature guarding its territory, and the sight of it was rather adorable.
He slowly reached out, not to push Hysilens aside from where she stood protectively in front of him, but instead very naturally rested his hand lightly against her slender yet taut waist.
In that instant, his warm palm pressed against her waist through the thin layer of fabric covering it as he silently conveyed reassurance, support, and an unspoken sense of backing, which, in the eyes of the surrounding spectators, made the gesture appear extremely intimate, natural, and filled with an unmistakable possessiveness that could not be hidden at all.
Hysilens, feeling the steady strength and support coming from that warm hand resting at her waist, felt her previously tense body gradually relax slightly.
At the same time, the sharp edge born from nervousness and vigilance inside her heart slowly softened, replaced instead by a warm current of affirmation, protection, and quiet confidence.
Because of that, while she still stared coldly and cautiously at Cerydra without lowering her guard, her back unconsciously leaned even closer against Lucian's warm chest, as though she had finally found the sturdiest and most reliable support she could rely on.
"Did you misunderstand something?! What I mean is, I want his loyalty, I want him to help me conquer the world!"
Realizing that she had suddenly been force-fed a mouthful of public affection right in front of everyone, Cerydra could not help but reveal an expression of obvious disgust and irritation, yet she still explained herself bluntly without the slightest hesitation.
"You think I want to steal your man?! How vulgar!"
"..."
After hearing Cerydra's explanation, Hysilens immediately realized the truth of the matter.
Apparently, the entire situation had simply been a misunderstanding on her part from the very beginning.
"Oh, you won't get his loyalty either. You're the loser, after all."
Hysilens apologized inwardly, but outwardly, her expression remained calm and detached as she coldly stated that fact aloud, because she could not allow Lucian to lose face in front of everyone present.
"Rather, shouldn't it be the other way around? Why not offer your loyalty to him instead?"
Hearing those words, Cerydra immediately ground her teeth in fury at the phrase 'loser,' her beautiful face twitching slightly in anger.
"You—?!"
Cerydra raised a finger and pointed directly at Hysilens, yet even then, she could not bring herself to retort.
It couldn't be helped.
No matter how unwilling she was to admit it, defeat was defeat.
One couldn't help but admit that these two women looked like some kind of fated rivals, bickering back and forth while clashing sharply at every opportunity, yet without truly tearing everything apart.
And Lucian, who was sitting in the very front seat, found the scene unexpectedly amusing.
'Not gonna lie, these two really do have some kind of chemistry. Good thing I got here early,' Lucian thought with amusement as he casually watched the two women glare at each other. 'Sorry, Imperator, Dux Gladiorum is mine.'
As for getting together with Cerydra, this little woman's head was completely full of conquering the world and conquering the sea of stars. Right now, she clearly had no interest whatsoever in romance or relationships, so it was naturally better to secure Hysilens first.
Unknowingly, their bickering eased the tense atmosphere in the shore considerably, and upon noticing this subtle change, Aglaea finally took the initiative to apologize to Lucian.
"I'm sorry, Ocean King—this matter was our fault from the very beginning, and bringing an army here without permission was indeed inappropriate," Aglaea said softly as she lowered her head apologetically. "We will definitely offer compensation for this matter. Please do not hold it against us."
At this time, she had not yet become the Demigod of Romance, so she was still lively, cheerful, and gentle—still filled with rich human emotions and warmth that had yet to gradually fade away.
In fact, Lucian even noticed that when she spoke, her bright eyes seemed to shine faintly, carrying an unconcealed sincerity within them.
"Umu, you know exactly what you're doing," Lucian replied as he calmly nodded his head. "When you become the Demigod of Romance, if your humanity gradually gets worn away by that power, you can come to me so I can fix the problem for you."
"...You can even do something like that? Amazing!" Aglaea exclaimed in obvious awe after a brief pause, her beautiful eyes practically glittering with excitement and admiration. "In that case, if that day really comes, then I'll be in your care."
Seeing that the previously tense atmosphere had finally eased up quite a bit, the other Chrysos Heirs also began gathering around Lucian one after another, enthusiastically trying to strike up conversations with him.
"Ocean King, you're seriously the strongest god I've ever seen! I swear, the pressure you give off feels even greater than Titan's!"
"Ocean King, I'll definitely come to Styxia for a trip someday! I'll spend plenty of money there, so please bless me when the time comes!"
"Ocean King, please bless my city-state as well! You're surely unmatched by anyone else in this world with such overwhelming divine power!"
As their voices rang out one after another, waves of enthusiastic flattery immediately came pouring in from every direction.
It was honestly not difficult to understand why.
After all, Lucian had overwhelmingly suppressed them with absolute strength, yet at the same time, he had also shown clear goodwill toward them from beginning to end.
Faced with such a powerful yet approachable existence, who would not want to become friends with him?
Yes, in their eyes, Lucian had already completely reached the same level as the Titans, and perhaps had even surpassed them.
At the same time, although Cerydra was still bickering back and forth with Hysilens on the surface, her attention continuously drifted toward Lucian as she secretly observed him out of the corner of her eye.
'So powerful, yet still willing to associate with mortals on equal footing... he's truly completely different from those Titans...'
Cerydra silently and solemnly thought to herself, while an unusually complicated feeling gradually rose within her heart.
'It seems only charisma can truly conquer a man like him...'
In the end, with that thought lingering in her mind, Cerydra lightly snorted and turned her head away, though the strange light flickering within her eyes had yet to fully fade away completely.
"Hmph, you'd better keep a close eye on him. If your Ocean King gets won over by my charisma someday, don't come crying and making a scene afterward."
Hearing this, the corner of Hysilens's mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly.
"I won't cry or make a scene!"
"Just wait and see."
Right after saying that, Cerydra mounted the dromas without looking back—the flowing cloak behind her swayed lightly in the wind as she then turned her gaze toward Lucian.
"Ocean King, that's it for today. I'll come again in a few days. Remember to prepare some fine wine for me."
Hearing this, Lucian, knowing that the implication behind her words was basically, 'I'll be bringing gifts later as compensation, so leave me some face,' merely smiled faintly and nodded in understanding.
"Alright! Everyone, let us return!"
Even though she had embarrassed herself just moments ago, Cerydra had already regained the proud bearing and imposing aura of a monarch, looking as though nothing embarrassing had happened at all.
In her eyes, what had happened just now was merely... showing respect to the worthy.
Yes, showing respect to the worthy—that was exactly what she would say when questioned by the others after returning to Okhema.
Just like that, the Flame-Chase Army came in great numbers and also left in great numbers.
Although they had arrived with an overwhelming and imposing presence, they now left in utter disarray, their earlier momentum completely gone.
They had made such a grand show of coming to subjugate Phagousa and seize their Coreflame of Ocean, only to end up being beaten down one-sidedly by the Ocean King before being sent packing in disgrace.
Hysilens watched Cerydra's departing figure as the army gradually disappeared into the distance, then curled her lips slightly in irritation.
'Charisma? What kind of charisma does that shorty even have?'
Yet, even as she stubbornly thought this to herself, a faint and inexplicable sense of crisis still quietly arose within Hysilens's heart, lingering there no matter how much she tried to dismiss it.
What if someone even more charismatic really appeared in the future and stole Lucian away from her?
Just the mere thought alone made her chest tighten slightly with discomfort.
"Hey, what are you spacing out about?"
Just as her thoughts began drifting further and further away, a large hand suddenly rested atop her head and gently rubbed it, instantly pulling her back to reality.
"Nothing..." Hysilens replied with a faint smile as she lightly shook her head. "I was just wondering... do you want to bathe together tonight?"
Lucian naturally noticed that something seemed to be bothering Hysilens, but seeing that she clearly did not wish to speak about it, he ultimately chose not to press her any further and instead showed considerable interest in her invitation to bathe together.
"Of course. I'm kinda exhausted from all this fishing anyway..." Lucian let out a helpless chuckle and lazily stretched his shoulders a little. "Been fishing all day and didn't even catch a single fish. Unlucky."
It was merely an offhand joke spoken casually in passing, but to his surprise, Hysilens suddenly reached over and grabbed his right index finger before gently placing it straight into her mouth.
Her soft lips lightly closed around it in a playful bite as she looked up at him with her clear, watery eyes that carried a faint trace of teasing amusement.
"See? Didn't you just catch a little fish?"
While gently nibbling on Lucian's finger, Hysilens spoke with a soft and gentle smile, her beautiful eyes narrowing into lovely crescent moons.
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[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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