She was in a hurry to extract information from her. The Western Deep Caverns lie fifty kiloters from ridia and descend to a depth of six thousand ters.
Twelve of Nerissa’s younger children were between fifty and one hundred fifty years old, which is still considered young for beings who inhabit the ocean. Without warning, a massive wave of corruption erged.
The wards were supposed to intercept it, but they failed to do so. Though they were on the defensive, they were completely outnumbered.
Only a few minutes remained before the impending collapse.
Myrissa said, "Mother heard the alert," and tears stread down her face. "She admitted it."
"Then she went back to her room and did nothing. There’s no answer and not even orders."
"She’s just admitting that her kids are dying!"
"Thalor is getting the palace guard ready, but it will take at least twenty minutes to get them moving. I have to leave now, or they’ll all die!"
The Kraken screeched behind her, letting her know how urgent it was for them to be together. "Please, I know you just fought and you’re tired and you don’t have to do anything for us, but please!"
Rick didn’t think twice about it. "We’re going! Everyone is awake and ready now!"
Carmilla was already wearing armor because she had learned a long ti ago to sleep ready for ergencies.
Even though Natasha’s voice was clinical, it sounded like she approved. "Good response ti."
Liora’s divine light lit up, and she started to cast spells to cleanse herself. Zara stumbled out with a smile on her face, even though she was in a hurry.
"Finally, so real fucking action again instead of talking about my feelings!"
It took less than a minute to get ready quickly. There were still forty-eight hours of charge left in the Thalassic Breath Crystals.
They checked the weapons and got them ready. Liora made plans for mass purification. Rick had Spirit Unity ready to go in case of an ergency power boost.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Myrissa was nearly crying from gratitude. "Kraken can carry everyone."
"She’s the fastest creature in ridia’s territory. Hold tight because deep ocean currents are brutal at speed."
All five of them climbed onto the Kraken’s huge body. The tentacles were surprisingly strong, but they also had gentle handholds.
Myrissa stood at the Kraken’s head, using their two-hundred-year bond to guide her. Rick held on to her from behind, and his partners were spread out across the creature’s body to keep it stable.
Suddenly, Zephyra’s voice ca through the Observer with an alert tone. "I’m keeping an eye on corruption signatures from where I am on the surface."
"The readings for magic are going up... It’s trying to find huge concentrations, but Rick, the pattern isn’t random... it’s in order."
"Like an army instead of a natural outbreak of corruption."
The Kraken shot through the water at an amazing speed. As they went deeper, the bioluminescent city lights blurred past.
The pressure kept going up, but the wards and Thalassic Crystals automatically made up for it. The only light was from the Kraken’s own bioluminescent patterns.
Rick’s inner alarms went off. "What the hell could attack twelve sea creatures inside Nerissa’s wards?"
"The wards are either failing faster than expected, or sothing got past them completely... neither option is good."
Sebastian showed up for a short ti, and instead of being sarcastic, he seed genuinely worried. "Rick, be careful."
"There’s sothing wrong here... a corruption in active wards ans either a huge failure or planned infiltration."
"Try not to fucking die this ti!"
"Yeah, thanks for worrying , you old fuck."
...
They got to the Western Deep Caverns in ten minutes at the Kraken’s full speed. From a distance, the scene made Rick’s stomach drop.
The scene was unsettling, with huge whirlpools of purple corruption energy swirling ominously. Twelve sea creatures maintained formidable defensive water barriers.
Corrupted creatures launched attacks in waves, exhibiting a level of intelligence rather than re mindless hunger.
The Kraken ca like a missile, slamming into corrupted attackers with tentacles that crushed and ripped. Myrissa got off in the middle of the action, her trident glowing with ocean magic.
Rick’s team spread out in perfect sync, years of working together to strengthen their bonds, making them move like one body with many bodies.
There were many enemy troops. More than fifty corrupted deep-sea creatures attacked in a planned way.
Giant anglerfish with lanterns that are full of corruption, huge electric eels that make purple lightning crackle, huge crabs with armor made of chitin that is powered by corruption energy, and jellyfish that are poisonous and release toxic clouds.
They all moved together in a smart way that turned random monsters into a real army.
Carmilla quickly took up a defensive position to protect the injured ocean creatures. Her Resonant Shield ca on to stop the bite of a corrupted anglerfish, and the spectral barrier held against jaws that could crush steel.
Her sword, honed through decades of fighting, sliced through shells hardened by corruption.
"Stay behind ! I’ve got you!" Her voice was so sure that it made the scared ocean dweller believe her.
Underwater, Natasha’s ice magic was completely deadly. Glacial Fortress absorbed half of the damage, and her offensive spells worked better in the water.
"Frozen Spear Barrage!" The water around it froze, making a stream of razor-sharp icicles that shot out like a machine gun and stabbed corrupt eels in the middle of a lightning strike.
Liora created a mass purification barrier that shielded all twelve of Myrissa’s siblings simultaneously. As divine light ca into contact with the corruption, it incinerated it, establishing safe zones amidst the chaos.
"Sanctified Tide!" A wave of holy water surged forth, healing the ocean creatures that had been injured while simultaneously harming those that were corrupted.
Her ability to both heal and engage in battle proved to be extrely valuable.
Zara went completely berserk, and Demon Queen’s Wrath destroyed everything in its path. Blood Price turned on, giving a huge power boost in exchange for my health.
Her claws tore through jellyfish that had been corrupted like tissue paper. "Co on, you fucked-up people!"
"Is that really all you have?!"
Rick used Sovereign’s Command to turn corrupted crabs against their allies and Bond Resonance to keep everything in order.
Draconic Sovereignty raised his stats by 40% and kept others safe at the sa ti. Tactical Mind let him keep an eye on all the moving pieces at once.
"Natasha, stop the left flank!"
"Carmilla, cover the right side!"
"Zara, fire at the anglerfish cluster!"
On the other side, Myrissa and her Kraken fought in perfect sync because they had been together for 200 years. Her trident sent ocean magic through the Kraken’s body, making both of their powers stronger.
Tentacles and lightning-charged trident strikes made for deadly combinations. "ridia owns Western Deep! You don’t belong here!"
The first wave was cleared in five minutes of intense fighting. All of the corrupted creatures are dead. The twelve ocean-dwelling siblings were safe, worn out, and alive.
Rick’s team was barely out of breath because Rick’s level 50 power and perfect coordination made them unbeatable.
For a mont, the group felt better.
Then the ground in the canyon shook.
The whole structure under the water shook like an earthquake. Big pieces of rubble fell from the walls of the canyon.
Myrissa’s eyes got big with fear. "N-No...! That’s not possible!"
"I-It can’t be!"
"What’s wrong!?" Rick asked. "What can’t be?"
The sound of tectonic plates grinding made the canyon floor split open. A crack ford and quickly grew into a chasm.
Purple corruption energy flowed out like blood from a cut. The depth below was mind-boggling.
It was eight thousand ters or more into the Abyssal Trenches, where light had never been.
Sothing ca out of the dark, and it brought the dead with it.
A horrifying parade of corrupted ocean dwellers appeared. Corrupt energy revived more than fifty bodies, but these were not random victims.
Myrissa gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "Those are trench dwellers! But they’ve been dead for fifty years!"
Myrissa must have seen that Rick was confused because her voice broke with fear. "The Abyssal Trenches used to be populated..."
"Queen Seris ruled there before Mother discovered the affair. When Mother found out about the betrayal, about Typhon’s secret family, she didn’t just execute the seventeen children."
"She didn’t just kill Queen Seris."
Her voice broke completely. "She sank the whole kingdom!"
"When Mother broke up the Abyssal Trenches, thousands of ocean dwellers were crushed by an unimaginable pressure!"
"I was young, but I rember it well..."
"These bodies... they’re brought back to life by corruption after fifty years! These are the victims of Mother’s genocide."
Rick’s blood ran cold as he contemplated the situation. ’Holy shit. Nerissa didn’t just kill seventeen kids..."
"She’s fucking insane for committing mass murder! Thousands of innocent lives dead because of one betrayal... now I can see why she can’t forgive herself."
"It’s this fucking deep..." Rick clenched his fist.
Sebastian’s voice was dark. "Well... That explains the complete emotional shutdown of her..."
"How do you even live with yourself after everything...?"
Myrissa pointed with a shaking hand at the animated corpses. "That was Prince Kelvros, the oldest son of Queen Seris. And her, Princess Nalira."
"Mother killed her personally when she was only thirty. I recall their visit to ridia as children, before the discovery of their betrayal."
"Mother made watch all seventeen executions to teach what happens when you betray soone..."
There were tears all over her face. "I—I had bad dreams for years because of that..."
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