After a moment of deliberation, Ariel steeled his resolve. He had no choice. With that thought, he placed his hand on the crystal door and pushed it open.
"You've come?"
The voice echoed from within the room the moment the door creaked open. Though the speaker remained unseen, Ariel recognized the voice instantly—it was his elder brother!
Pushing the door fully ajar, Ariel saw the figure seated upon the throne dozens of meters away. Just as he had suspected, it was indeed his elder brother!
The merman before him, lost in thought as he stroked the throne's armrest, possessed the same long golden hair, the same powerful build.
The only difference was that the other had a thick fishtail, while he now stood on strong legs.
"..."
Ariel's expression was a complex mix of emotions. He longed to speak, but the words caught in his throat. And… this damned voice… he couldn't speak eloquently!
"Little brother, tell me… why does Father always favor you so much?"
Though the eldest prince's gaze wasn't fixed on Ariel, he clearly knew who it was, having cleared the castle of soldiers precisely for this confrontation.
The eldest prince continued to stroke the throne with rapt attention, a hint of displeasure tainting his tone. "Is it merely because your biceps are bigger than mine?"
"..."
Ariel's expression darkened. "No, it's because I resemble him the most."
"That's right, his biceps are indeed bigger than mine…"
He cut himself off abruptly, staring at Ariel in disbelief. "Why has your voice changed like this?"
Then it dawned on him that not only his voice, but even Ariel's tail had transformed into legs.
"..."
Understanding dawned in the silent eldest prince's eyes, then he scoffed, "Ridiculous! How can you compete with me for the throne looking like this?!"
"But I am still the prince of Atlantis, still the most…"
"Stop! Don't say any more… I'm not accustomed to that voice."
The eldest prince's interruption silenced Ariel, making his face darken even further. "..."
"Since you believe this position shouldn't be mine, I shall grant you a chance…"
The eldest prince rose confidently from his throne, manipulating the water to summon two steel forks from a corner.
"Here! Pick them up!"
The eldest prince shouted, tossing one of the forks toward Ariel.
Just kidding… Of course, I'm confident!
Had it been the original Ariel, he might have contemplated other methods, perhaps even summoning soldiers or resorting to underhanded tactics.
But now, things were different. Ariel's fishtail had been replaced by human legs, a severe disadvantage in the ocean!
This realization cemented the eldest prince's confidence. Being nearly as strong as Ariel to begin with, victory was now assured!
Any lingering doubts vanished. He simply desired to savor the thrill of defeating Ariel through brute strength!
With this exhilarating thought, the eldest prince could no longer conceal his triumphant smile. "Quick! Face me!"
"..."
Ariel silently stared at the eldest prince, then glanced at the iron fork at his feet.
Immediately, he flicked his right foot, sending the long-handled steel fork arcing into his hand, gripping it tightly.
Ariel and the eldest prince locked eyes, their gazes clashing like sparks on flint.
After a tense pause, the eldest prince gave a cold laugh, "Hmph, Ariel, today I shall demonstrate that the eldest brother remains the eldest brother, and the Sea King's position… can only be occupied by your eldest brother, me!"
With that declaration, the eldest prince flicked his fishtail, swinging the steel fork at Ariel with lightning speed.
Seeing the eldest prince close the distance in mere seconds, Ariel gripped the long-handled steel fork tightly, raising it defensively.
The eldest prince met the attack head-on with a brutal blow!
Clang!
The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed through the surrounding seawater.
The eldest prince's arms were taut, his strength overwhelming Ariel.
But alas, his strength remained somewhat inferior to Ariel's.
"Hmph!"
The eldest prince didn't linger, using his fishtail to dart around to Ariel's side.
Ariel attempted to retreat to safety, but without his fishtail, he could not match the eldest prince's agility in the water.
He had no choice but to focus on parrying the eldest prince's attacks, relying on the agility of his legs to secure victory!
Seeing the eldest prince sweep his fork horizontally again, Ariel switched his grip, deflecting the attack at a tricky angle, then turned and thrust at the eldest prince.
However, the eldest prince easily dodged, only to be met with a kick from Ariel aimed squarely at his kidney!
Caught off guard, the eldest prince was sent reeling, clutching his kidney, his face ashen. "How dare you…"
Watching the eldest prince easily swim to a position more than ten meters away, Ariel tightened his grip on his fork, remaining silent.
"Good, very good!"
After a brief respite, the eldest prince, a sinister grin plastered on his face, charged Ariel once more.
Seeing this, Ariel roared a battle cry and charged forward, the two steel forks clashing repeatedly, creating ripples in the surrounding sea.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side.
"Wow, what a commotion!"
Malfoy and Harry, who had recently arrived, gaped at the fierce battle below.
"Eric… he's not dead, is he?"
Harry had reason to fear the worst; after all, Eric was merely an ordinary human who could breathe underwater. Facing so many ferocious merfolk, he wouldn't be surprised to find him sliced into pieces.
"Who knows? Looking at the commotion down there, maybe Eric's physique is too appealing, and he's been arrested for… you know?"
Malfoy chuckled, forcing a smile. "After all, he's a citizen of Ariel; it's not surprising he has certain… interests."
But Harry couldn't bring himself to laugh. They were here to help Eric, not because Tom had ordered them—after all, their master was already inside the castle, observing the spectacle.
However, they had sought and received Tom's permission before intervening.
In Tom's words, "Under normal circumstances, I will not interfere with Harry and the others' choices, nor am I inclined to do so."
"Besides… what are you doing here?"
Malfoy's lips twitched as he turned to face Hermione and Cassandra, who had followed them.
Cassandra shot Malfoy a withering look. "Our teacher sent me to keep an eye on you, to ensure you don't simply die here."
After all, the opposing merfolk greatly outnumbered them; Harry and his friends faced the risk of being overwhelmed.
Hermione's reason was equally simple: she was there to help.
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