Daniel arrived above the Atlantic Ocean and came to a stop in midair.
The battle below was still raging. Suddenly a golden fragment shot out of the ocean like a meteor and flew straight toward him, merging into his body without resistance. A familiar notification appeared before his eyes.
[Recovering Fragment...]
A second later it changed.
[Recovery Complete.]
[Congratulations. You have acquired the Domain: Malevolent Shrine.]
Daniel froze. "...What?" He looked at the notification again to make sure he hadn't misread it. "Malevolent Shrine?"
As someone familiar with Jujutsu Kaisen, he knew exactly what that technique represented. It wasn't an ordinary Domain Expansion.
Unlike conventional domains, which enclosed the target inside a separate barrier, Malevolent Shrine manifested directly into reality — no closed barrier needed, just a guaranteed-hit effect extending across the surrounding area.
Within its range, everything was subjected to continuous slashing attacks, the technique automatically selecting the appropriate slash for the target. One of the most dangerous Domain Expansions ever shown.
He stared at the notification. "...That's a ridiculous reward." Even he hadn't expected something on that level. He looked down at his hand before closing the system window. "I'll test it later."
With the fragment absorbed, he turned his attention back to the battlefield below, where Arthur and Orm were still fighting for the future of Atlantis.
Mera had just reached King Nereus's side. Nereus looked at his daughter, then shifted his gaze toward Arthur, fighting with the Trident of Atlan. "So, you chose that half-breed after all."
"Father, this isn't about blood anymore," Mera said without hesitation. "Arthur now wields King Atlan's Trident, and Karathen herself acknowledged him as the true King. If Atlantis is to survive, he's more qualified to rule than Orm."
Nereus remained silent.
Daniel landed beside them. "King Nereus, Mera should also tell you what happens if Orm wins."
Mera hesitated, knowing that explaining what Orm's war against the surface would actually cost everyone might be more than her father was ready to hear.
Before she could speak, a deep war horn echoed across the battlefield. The Brine Kingdom charged — thousands of soldiers surging forward with tridents lowered, enormous war creatures following behind them, aimed directly at Nereus's position.
Nereus raised his trident. "Defend the formation!" The Xebel soldiers moved to intercept while Mera summoned currents of water around herself.
Daniel watched the advancing army and let out a quiet breath. "Well. It's time to test my new ability." He slowly brought his hands together into a sign. "Domain Expansion..."
For a brief moment, nothing happened. Then the ocean trembled. An overwhelming pressure spread across the battlefield. Every Atlantean, Xebel, and Brine soldier instinctively stopped fighting.
The water itself seemed to freeze. Even Karathen turned one massive eye toward him.
A dark shrine emerged behind him, ancient and weathered, its enormous structure standing impossibly within the ocean. No barrier formed around it. It simply manifested into reality, as though it had always been there.
Daniel looked around with genuine curiosity. "So this is Malevolent Shrine."
The system had already transferred the technique's information into his mind — anyone within its range became subject to its guaranteed-hit effect without needing to be trapped inside a separate space.
He lowered his hand. "Let's keep this small."
The shrine pulsed. The Brine soldiers charging toward the Xebel forces froze. No one saw a blade. No one saw Daniel move.
Thin crimson lines appeared across the bodies of the front ranks. A heartbeat later those lines burst open. Dozens of soldiers were cut apart instantly — some split cleanly from shoulder to waist, others carved into multiple pieces before they even realized they'd been struck.
Armor, shields, tridents — none of it offered resistance. Everything inside the range was dissected with terrifying precision. The water filled with fragments of broken weapons and drifting armor as the invisible slashes continued across the formation.
The soldiers behind them stopped instantly, unable to understand what had happened. They'd just watched the front line come apart.
Daniel deliberately restrained the Domain's output — not unleashing its full range or maximum destructive power. This was only a test, confirming the technique functioned exactly as the system described.
After several seconds he released the hand sign. The shrine slowly disappeared. The invisible slashes ceased. The pressure blanketing the battlefield vanished with it.
He looked down at his own hand. "It really works."
Behind him, Mera, King Nereus, the Xebel soldiers, and warriors from the other kingdoms stared in stunned silence at the remains of the Brine formation, unable to comprehend what kind of power had just manifested in front of them.
Compared to the abilities he'd obtained so far, this one stood out immediately.
It wasn't necessarily the most destructive technique in his arsenal, but the guaranteed-hit effect made it exceptionally dangerous — as long as a target remained within the Domain's range, every slash would connect without fail.
That single property elevated it far beyond most of his other abilities, making Malevolent Shrine one of the most valuable powers he'd acquired so far.
*****
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