Chapter 77: Ambush

The conference hall thousands of miles away fell into a deathly, suffocating silence. On the giant holographic screens suspended above the round table, the live broadcast captured the 250 meter radius of frozen ocean, glittering like a crystal graveyard under the dim sky.

The fifteen elite merfolk, whose terrifying water attacks had threatened to rend the sky just moments prior, were now entirely trapped inside thick, pale blue ice, suspended mid-motion with expressions of sudden shock locked on their faces.

For several agonizing seconds, no one in the council room dared to breathe.

"My god," a high-ranking military commander from the Western Alliance bloc gasped, his fingers trembling as he gripped his desk. "Did he just lower the temperature across 500 meters of open sea near absolute zero in a fraction of a second? Is that even possible for a single human player?"

"That domain destroyed an entire high-tier magical assault instantly," an Eastern delegate muttered, her eyes wide with unmitigated horror and awe. "The energy required to freeze pressurized ocean water mid-motion is beyond our modern weapons. He didn’t just suppress them, he rendered their entire combat environment useless with a single wave of his hand."

The leader who had slammed the table earlier sank deeper into his leather chair, his face entirely drained of color. He swallowed hard, staring at the holographic feed of Arthur standing casually on the frozen snout of the sea serpent.

Every head of state present now understood why the Arvian precident had called Arthur an entity capable of leveling nations on a whim. Humanity’s strongest player was no longer bound by conventional logic or mortal strength.

Suddenly, the atmosphere within the ocean live feed shifted again.

Before Arthur could count down his thirty seconds, the frozen air above the icy plain distorted violently. A staggering, oppressive aura descended from the sky, cracking the newly formed ice beneath the sea serpent’s heavy scales. The sheer pressure forced the surrounding mist to disperse in an instant.

From the distorted space, a tall figure materialized. His scales were a polished, iridescent sapphire, and he wore a heavy mantle woven from golden seaweed and dark steel. The aura he exuded was dense, chaotic, and heavy, easily matching that of a level 20 legendary boss monster.

"My friend. There is no need to be angry. Please let them go and follow me. Our king wants to meet you all," the newcomer said in an amiable tone, offering a courteous bow with his hand pressed against his chest.

Arthur evaluated the man instantly using his keen perception. He could tell this individual held a significant, high-ranking position within the hierarchy of the merfolk. Since his ultimate goal was to reach the heart of the capital and eliminate the king as swiftly as possible, Arthur saw no reason to waste energy prolonging a confrontation here on the surface.

Arthur gave a subtle wave of his hand.

The absolute zero domain vanished as quickly as it had appeared. The thick sheets of ice dissolved back into liquid sea water, and the fifteen frozen merfolks tumbled onto the cresting waves, sputtering, shuddering, and gasping frantically for air the moment their lungs were freed from the arctic frost.

Terrified by the crushing display of power, the shivering guards backed away from Arthur and his sea serpent, their eyes wild with panic. However, the moment they recognized the high-ranking figure who had appeared to intervene, their despair turned into desperate hope.

"Commander Valzer, thank you for rescuing us. Please teach these humans a lesson. They are too arrogant," the squad leader cried out loudly, his voice filled with venom as he pointed his trembling trident at Arthur.

Bam!

Before the squad leader could finish his demand, Commander Valzer moved like a blur, striking the man across the face with a heavy, armored backhand. The force of the impact sent the squad leader flying across the water like a discarded rag doll, crashing violently into the waves fifty meters away.

"Shut up, idiot," Valzer roared, his scales flushing deep red with immense anger at the guard’s reckless foolishness.

Quickly composing himself, Valzer turned back toward Arthur, his face smoothing out into the same warm, friendly smile as before.

"Please forgive my foolish subordinate’s ignorance," Valzer said softly, bowing his head slightly.

"Please lead the way," Arthur replied calmly, his expression completely unreadable.

"Please follow me," Valzer said.

Valzer turned around and began gliding across the water toward the center of the ocean trench, with Arthur’s massive sea serpent swimming closely behind him.

What no ordinary observer could see was the subtle, sinister smirk that slowly spread across Valzer’s face as he swam ahead. His eyes glinted with dark malice, looking like a hunter who had successfully lured a prize target directly into a lethal trap.

Arthur observed every detail. Beneath his calm exterior, a faint smile touched Arthur’s lips as well.

"These bastards are definitely plotting something. Let me see what they are up to.", Arthur thought to himself.

On the surface, it appeared to be a guide leading a distinguished guest into an underwater realm. In reality, it was a deadly game between a predator and a prey, though neither side shared the same view on who was truly the target.

Soon, the group arrived directly above the pitch-black abyss of the abyssal trench.

"We need to go inside," Valzer said simply, diving straight down into the dark, churning depths without looking back at the humans even once.

Arthur snapped his fingers casually. Instantly, a translucent, shimmering barrier of mana expanded from his body, enveloping himself, his cousins, and his entire elite team in a protective bubble.

INavigating the depths was nothing more than child’s play for a player of his tier. With a gentle push of power, the group dived smoothly into the dark ocean, following Valzer effortlessly down into the depths.

Valzer glanced back over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing when he saw the humans descending without the slightest trace of panic or physical strain.

"You ants have some capabilities. I’ll give you that, but wait for a while. You will beg for death and regret ever being born in the world.", Valzer muttered bitterly under his breath as he swam faster.

What Valzer completely failed to realize was that Arthur’s divine sense was actively scanning the surrounding ocean currents. Every single word Valzer muttered and every twitch of his facial muscles were clearly perceived by Arthur.

They dived deeper and deeper into the lightless abyss. By the time they reached a depth of fifteen kilometers beneath the surface, the overwhelming, crushing ocean pressure finally began to heavy up against Arthur’s barrier, causing the translucent wall to vibrate with a faint hum.

"Damn," Arthur muttered quietly. Even so, maintaining the shield required only a tiny fraction of his massive mana reserves.

Suddenly, Arthur’s expression shifted slightly as his perception picked up hundreds of high-energy signatures approaching rapidly from the darkness ahead.

"Whoa! So you have chosen war, eh?", Arthur smiled faintly.

From the surrounding darkness, thousands of heavily armored merfolk warriors emerged, completely encircling the team from every angle. Massive, bioluminescent naval weapons and high-tech magical ballistas mounted on heavy underwater constructs were all trained directly at Arthur’s barrier.

Valzer halted his descent and spun around to face the humans, his previous amiable posture completely gone. A cruel, triumphant sneer tore across his features.

"Puny humans, how dare you attack our people. Now your corpses will become our first victory trophy against humanity," Valzer declared coldly, his voice reverberating through the pressurized water.

Arthur didn’t answer. He simply looked at Valzer with a mild, almost bored expression. Beside him, his cousins remained equally composed. Though they had anticipated an ambush from the start, seeing Arthur remain completely unbothered gave them absolute confidence to play along.

Meanwhile, back inside the International Summit Hall, panic broke out among the world leaders watching the holographic feed.

"It’s over! They are finished!" an Allied Coalition representative yelled, slamming both hands on his console. "There is no way anyone can survive against an army of monsters fifteen thousand meters under water! The physical pressure alone is astronomical! We are about to lose our strongest player!"

Sofia, standing near the back of the hall, clenched her hands into tight fists until her knuckles turned ghostly white. A deep pang of regret washed over her for agreeing to stay behind to guard the summit instead of descending into the sea at his side.

"Please be safe. You must return", she prayed silently, her eyes fixed on the dark underwater image of Arthur.

Down in the black abyss, Arthur looked around at the thousands of spear tips and magical cannons pointed at his face.

"You have lured us here to ambush us? That’s not very nice. Is the Atlantian Empire a coward?" Arthur asked, a light smile lingering on his lips.

Seeing the utter lack of fear or desperation in Arthur’s eyes, the supreme confidence on Valzer’s face flickered for a fraction of a second. A deep, burning humiliation rapidly replaced it, boiling over into pure rage.

"Shut up! Don’t you dare mock our empire, or else even your corpses won’t remain intact!" Valzer roared furiously, signaling his commanders to prepare the final firing order.

Arthur raised his hand, casually inserting his pinky finger into his ear and scratching it nonchalantly, completely disregarding the supreme commander standing before him.

"Attack!" Valzer screamed, swinging his arm down to unleash the full force of the Atlantian army.