The silence after the destruction of the core lasted no more than a few seconds. The ocean, previously distorted by the presence of the demonic devices, began to recover its natural flow, but something was wrong with the way the water moved. The currents were not returning to normal. They hesitated, as if something greater were watching from within the depths.
I still held my sword firmly, feeling the weight of the recent battle in my body. Scarlet was breathing in a controlled manner, but her eyes remained alert to any movement around us. Rai'kanna analyzed the remains of the destroyed structure, while Lyannis kept her attention on the overall flow of the environment, trying to identify any remaining anomaly. Liriel maintained a thin layer of protective magic, even though the enemy seemed to have been defeated in that area.
The princess slowly approached, looking toward the dark depths of the ocean.
"This isn't over… I can feel it."
Before anyone could answer, the sea trembled.
It was not an ordinary tremor. It was as if something enormous had moved far below us, at a depth where the light no longer reached. The pressure increased gradually but constantly, as if the ocean were being pushed upward from below by an unknown force.
Lyannis took a step back.
"This isn't a remnant of the previous magic."
Scarlet tightened her grip on her weapon.
"Then there's still more."
The water around us slowly began to darken, as if the light itself were being swallowed. A sensation of overwhelming presence began to form, different from anything we had faced so far. It was not merely ordinary demonic energy. It was something older, heavier, denser.
And then he appeared.
At first, only a silhouette in the middle of the darkness. Then, a colossal figure emerged from the depths, breaking through layers of pressure as if they were nothing. The size of that presence was absurd, far larger than any creature we had ever seen in the ocean.
The figure stabilized before us.
A warrior in black armor, covered in ancient symbols that pulsed slowly. His body seemed to have been shaped to withstand the bottom of the sea, as if the extreme pressure had no effect on him. Around him, the ocean seemed to involuntarily bend to his presence.
Rai'kanna's eyes widened.
"This isn't an ordinary soldier."
Lyannis swallowed hard.
"He's above everything we've seen so far."
The princess instinctively took a step back.
"The General of the Abyss…"
The name came out as a tense whisper.
The creature slowly moved his head, as if evaluating each one of us. There was no hurry in his movements, only absolute, almost overwhelming confidence. The feeling was that he had already decided the outcome of that battle before it had even begun.
He took a step forward.
And the ocean responded.
The pressure increased instantly, compressing the space around us. It was no longer an open-field battle. Now it felt as if we were inside a liquid prison that was closing with every passing second.
Liriel tried to reinforce the barrier, but her expression immediately changed.
"He's nullifying my magic."
Scarlet advanced without hesitation.
"I don't care what his name is."
She shot toward the general, cutting through the flow of the water with a direct attack. The impact of her weapon against his armor generated a shockwave that spread through the ocean, but the result was unexpected.
He did not retreat.
He did not even move.
Scarlet's eyes widened for a second.
The force of the impact had simply been absorbed by the armor as if it meant nothing.
Rai'kanna launched a simultaneous attack, a concentrated blast of energy that struck the general's flank. The explosion illuminated the ocean floor for an instant, but when the light dissipated, he was still standing, completely unharmed.
"This is impossible," she said.
Lyannis responded quickly.
"It's not ordinary resistance. He's distributing the impact throughout the ocean around him."
I advanced next.
The sword cut through the water in a straight line, aiming directly at the center of his armor. At the moment of impact, I felt something strange. It was not merely physical resistance. It was as if my blade were striking an infinite layer of pressure, something that adapted to the attack the instant it happened.
The general finally moved.
A single movement of his arm.
And the ocean exploded around us.
The pressure was released in every direction at once, violently throwing us backward. Liriel managed to partially stabilize the group, but the impact was enough to separate us by several meters.
Scarlet quickly recovered.
"He's controlling the entire environment."
Rai'kanna took a deep breath.
"It's not just strength… it's total control over the space."
The general slowly raised his hand.
And the ocean began to spin around him.
Massive currents formed in a spiral, creating a kind of absolute domain where every movement was amplified. It was as if he had transformed the entire area into his battlefield territory.
Lyannis watched with urgency.
"He's creating an execution field."
The princess clenched her hands.
"If we enter that, we won't be able to get out easily."
I felt the pressure increase again.
Now it was different from the previous battles. There was no longer an enemy formation or simple strategy. It was overwhelming power that ignored almost all of our direct responses.
Scarlet took a deep breath.
"Then we break this now."
She advanced again, but this time the general responded immediately. A short, precise movement, and a wave of pressure struck Scarlet directly, sending her crashing into the ocean floor.
Rai'kanna tried to help, but another wave of pressure forced her back.
Liriel reinforced the barrier again, but it was becoming unstable.
"He's too fast…"
I advanced once more.
This time, trying not only to attack, but to understand the pattern.
The general seemed to anticipate every movement. He did not react afterward, but beforehand. As if he were reading the flow of the battle throughout the entire ocean.
"This isn't prediction," I thought.
"It's control over the environment."
The sword found his armor again.
And this time, I understood something important.
There was a small flaw.
A minimal irregularity in the way the pressure was distributed on the left side of his body.
I immediately changed the angle.
Scarlet noticed and got back up.
"Now!"
Rai'kanna launched a simultaneous attack.
Liriel opened a gap with her magic for a single instant.
And I struck the exact point.
The impact was different.
The armor finally reacted.
The general took half a step back.
The entire ocean seemed to stop for a second.
He slowly raised his head.
And for the first time, something resembling interest appeared in his presence.
"So… you can actually hit me."
The pressure increased again.
But now it was no longer merely a threat.
It was a promise of destruction.