Back to Atlantis

Razeal, Maria, and Neptunia were swimming through the waves, the vast expanse of the undersea world stretching endlessly in every direction. The faint glow from strange luminescent plants painted their faces with streaks of blue and green as they cut through the dense water currents.

Neptunia, who was leading slightly ahead, turned her head toward them and said, "We're just little farr away to cross the safe area of the Third Sea. Once we cross that line, we'll be at the very edge. From there on… monsters will be very abundant. We'll have to be careful."

Her tone was calm but her eyes were alert, scanning ahead with the kind of focus that only someone used to surviving here could have.

Razeal followed her gaze. Ahead of them, the water itself looked different.. thicker, darker, denser. It wasn't a gradual change but a sharp divide, a clear line as if one half of the sea refused to mix with the other. On one side, the water shimmered faintly with blue clarity, almost peaceful. On the other, it looked wild and restless, swirling with hidden turbulence.

It was strange, almost unnatural two different seas meeting, yet refusing to blend.

"That's the border, right?" Razeal asked, narrowing his eyes.

Neptunia nodded. "Yes. That's the Third Sea's border. Beyond that point lies the area under Sea Lord Antonio's domain."

Her voice dropped slightly as she spoke his name.. not out of fear, but out of cautiousness.

"Well," she continued, "since this border falls under Antonio's management, the monsters here are fewer compared to other borders. But don't let that comfort you too much. What they lack in numbers, they make up for in consistency. They're… coordinated. That's because they're directly under Antonio's control or rather, his management."

"Management?" Razeal asked, swimming slightly closer. "Why's that? Can he control the monsters and sea creatures?"

Neptunia glanced sideways at him, her vibrant yellow eyes reflecting faintly against the dim underwater light. "No, he cannot. No one can."

She slowed her pace, letting her body drift lightly through the current as she thought about how to explain. "No one can truly control sea creatures," she said at last. "They're too wild.. they belong to the ocean itself. The only being who could even influence them… is the King of the Ocean."

Razeal raised a brow. "Oh? The King can control them? All of them?"

Neptunia hesitated before answering, "Well, not exactly control… not like most think. The King's methods .. and connection to the ocean runs deeper than any creature of ocean alive. He can communicate with the all sea creatures .. but even that comes with very limitations. It's not something that can be done freely."

She looked ahead again, her expression tightening. "And it's not even something this King does.. Since its very rare thing to be done. It was the first King of the Ocean.. the original one who used that ability once. Only once, in all history. And that was in a time of great disaster… a moment when Atlantis itself faced destruction. The current King… he doesn't use such power.. I don't know."

Her words carried as not explaining whole thing just up above stuff.

Razeal's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he listened. He didn't interrupt, but his mind was already dissecting every word she said.

So the King of the Ocean holds that kind of power… he thought. To command all creatures of the deep? To maybe move them to his interests?..

He couldn't help but feel curious about that..

If that kind of being stood in his way… it would be dangerous.. And definitely pain innyhe ass..

As he was going to go to Ocean Black, So to ask for direction.. he might really have to deal with the King as a necessity... And if king wasn't cool about this rather just an asshole maybe.. It be really fucked up situation for him.. Then again now he needs to gather stuff about him too...

He needed information.. as much as he could gather. Every detail might make a difference.

"You didn't know about this?" Neptunia asked suddenly, catching the faint expression of thought on his face.

Razeal looked at her with a neutral expression. "No. In the Seventh Sea, things like this aren't exactly talked about. Maybe because I didn't have any adults to teach.. tell me stories of legends or old history."

His tone was calm, casual.. making bullshit in non time.. his mind was working fast.

Neptunia gave him a long look, then turned back ahead, letting the matter drop.

Razeal, however, continued, "And also you still haven't explained why there are fewer monsters here. If Lord Antonio can't control them, how are they under his management?"

At that, Neptunia's lips pressed together slightly, her gaze dropping as she thought about how to phrase it.

"Well…" she began slowly, "it's because the sea creatures here aren't natural."

Razeal raised an eyebrow. "Not natural?"

"Yeah," she said. "They aren't born or gathered in the normal way. These ones most of them or maybe all of them.. are… created."

"Created?" Razeal repeated again.. Wondering why this women is so fucking slowww... still he controled his impecientness..

Neptunia nodded. "It's not exactly control. He doesn't command them.. he makes them. Not born of the ocean's natural cycle or out of those other worlds circles, but crafted through… unnatural means."

Her words trailed off for a moment as if not able to find exact better word for it..

"What do you mean?" Razeal asked, not totally understanding what Neptunia was trying to say.

Neptunia's gaze shifted slightly toward him, her Yellow-colored hair drifting lightly through the water as she swam beside him. "I mean," she began slowly, "he's the holder of a legendary-ranked Relica. And not just that.. But also an Awakening Wielder of it."

Her tone was serious, carrying both surprise even to herself and respect. "With that rank Relica, you can already understand how powerful someone can be. To be able to achieve third-stage resonance with a legendary-ranked Relica… You can't find many people like that in the entire ocean."

Razeal's brow furrowed slightly, his interest caught.

Neptunia continued, "He's strong, no doubt about it. From what I've gathered, his Relica is a very special one.. something completely different from anything else in the seas. It allows him to clone living beings just from obtaining their essence."

She slowed slightly, her tone growing heavier. "Through that, he's created his own army. Beings that share the exact same characteristics as those the essence was taken from. The only difference is.. they're completely under his control. They have no will of their own. They exist purely to obey him. Because of that, he holds complete dominance over this entire border. His army.. his clones wiped out the natural monsters and creatures that used to live or apear here. So now, any fish, monster, or sea creature you'll see beyond that border line… is most likely one of his copies, all connected to him or maybe too strong creature that he didn't bothered with it..."

Her voice trailed off, leaving only the faint hum of the current around them.

Razeal listened silently. He didn't interrupt her once, though his thoughts were racing. Relica ranks? Awakening Wielders? Third-stage resonance?

The old man had told him about Relicas before but definitely not to this extent. Not in this kind of detail. Razeal's knowledge of the topic was surface level at best. He had heard of Relicas being powerful tools or artifacts connected to power system of all Atlantins as how they get powers and all, but ranks? And resonance stages? That was very new to him.

He didn't understand it fully, but he could guess. Legendary rank.. that must mean something extremely rare, probably beyond ordinary comprehension. And Awakening Wielder… maybe that was something like skill proficiency? A level of mastery? Just like his own skills had ranks.. basic, intermediate, advanced, and ultimate perhaps Relicas worked the same way... Maybe he need to get information about the state's clearly to be aware of what exactly that means.. but for now..

He didn't ask. Asking too much could easily raise suspicion. If this was common knowledge in Atlantis and he didn't know it, that would look strange. He wasn't about to risk that. So he simply stayed quiet, listening carefully to everything Neptunia said, absorbing it all.. But not being an dumbassssss

But when it came to her last words.. about the Relica's ability Razeal frowned slightly.

To create and clone living beings from just their essence? That sounded absurdly overpowered. He had encountered strange powers before like.. Sylva and Selene.. Which well yeah are senseless.. not to say his ex family abilities, but this one… was weirder and actually making him very interegued.. the ability that could shape entire armies? If that was true, Antonio wasn't just strong.. he was a cool powerhouse to be recognised.. which Razeal had thought wouldn't be big deal since never had he heard about this name in original novel... Just like all whole Atlantis..

Razeal's eyes narrowed as he thought. An army of clones… completely under one man's control? That was troublesome Honestly... As he might have to deal with him.. If it was one person itll be easy to kill.. But killing so many will take time..

After a short silence, he turned his head toward Neptunia, who was still gliding smoothly beside him, her body cutting gracefully through the water.

"What kind of essence?" he asked finally, his voice calm but edged with curiosity. "And how many beings do you think are under his control? Also.. what weaknesses does he have?"

Neptunia blinked, slightly surprised by how directly he asked. She slowed her pace a little, as if choosing her words carefully.

"Well…" she started, "about the essence.. you can probably understand it better from his title. Though, I have to say, I'm a bit surprised you don't know even this much about the sea lords."

Her tone carried a hint of suspicion as her gaze shifted toward him. Razeal, of course, didn't react, only maintaining his neutral expression as if she hadn't said anything odd.

Neptunia sighed lightly before continuing. "The Third Sea Lord.. Antonio is titled as 'The Sperm Lord.' That's because of the ability of his legendary-ranked Relica.. called Spermoceous."

She said it calmly, as though stating something entirely ordinary.

Maria, who was swimming just a little behind them, nearly choked on her own breath as she heard it. Her eyes twitching, and she threw a glance toward Neptunia from over Razeal's shoulder, her face clearly speechless. She had been quietly listening to their whole conversation so far, not really bothering to speak up, but this…

Her expression said it all.. What kind of nonsense am I hearing right now?

Even Razeal paused for a moment. "…I see," he said slowly, his brows furrowing as if trying to confirm he had heard correctly. His tone stayed composed, but his mind was moving fast.

"So you're saying," Razeal continued, narrowing his eyes slightly, "he can replicate living creatures.. completely recreate them just by using the sperm of those beings?"

Neptunia nodded simply.

Razeal exhaled slowly, shaking his head once. "That's… absurd. There have to be limitations to that, right? I mean, sperm isn't exactly.." He paused, searching for the right words. "a rare thing. If that's really the source of essence, then couldn't he theoretically make an infinite army? One sample can contain millions of sperms? So how does that even work?"

"Yes, as far as I'm aware of it… his ability works like that," Neptunia said slowly, her voice steady but uncertain. The way she looked ahead..focused, cautious made it clear she was still thinking through what she knew. "As for the limitations, I don't know. And for how many beings he can create or how he actually creates them, I'm not aware of that either. But he does have a large number of army, so…"

She didn't finish her words, letting them fade into the sound of the rolling currents around them.

But both Maria and Razeal understood perfectly what she wanted to say.

Razeal, however, couldn't help but feel doubts crawling up his spine. Could something like this actually exist? The more he heard, the more ridiculous it sounded. If this was real, then this so-called "legendary-ranked Relica" was something far beyond comprehension? A relic capable of creating life.. of building an entire army from nothing but the essence of another being? That wasn't just powerful. That was godlike... Literally like if he had skill.. like that couldn't he just... Well he left his thought at that..

Still

He frowned slightly, watching the bubbles rise from his mouth as they swam deeper. If that's true, he thought, then that relic's rank must be absurdly high. Superior to anything he.. has seen or heard of.

Seeing both of their uneasy expressions, Neptunia must've picked up on their silent tension. She sighed and added, "Well… you two don't need to be that worried about it. He can't just create clones without limits. After he does, they need energy too, or they'll just die down after a while as i have heard."

Her tone was calm, matter-of-fact. "That's also the reason most of the other natural beings get dissapeared where they comes.. because they get consumed by the Sperm Lord's army. They feed on them.. on every or all creatures they can for energy. That keeps them alive. So, in a way, their actual number is limited to how many creatures he can feed and sustain.. And its for rutine."

She paused, letting the information sink in before continuing, "If they starve, the'll die. It's one of the few natural balances that exist to keep his power from overwhelming everything.. I think."

Razeal couldn't help the twitch at the corner of his lip. Limited, my ass, he thought. This is the ocean. There's no shortage of food here. Not in a place filled with millions of creatures.

Just imagining how massive the man's army could be that made.. This sea go low on number.. When looking at other seas.. Thus really made Razeal's expression tighten. The thought of an endless sea filled with identical, hollow-eyed creatures.. all bound to one will wasn't something easy to picture without feeling tired...

"So," he asked after a moment, his tone sharp but calm, "what's his weakness? There has to be one, right?"

Neptunia looked ahead, still swimming gracefully through the dim water, her movements effortless and fluid. "Yeah, there is," she finally said. "His whole strength comes from his Relica. Everything.. his army, his dominance, his control. The Relica gives him power, but it doesn't give his own body any real strength. It's said that Antonio himself.. the Sperm Lord is actually very weak if separated from his creations. Physically weak.. Vulnerable even."

Her gaze flicked back toward Razeal. "It is said that If someone could.. find his real body then even a normal Atlantian could kill him."

Razeal's eyes narrowed slightly. That caught his attention. "So how do you find him?" he asked directly

Neptunia shook her head lightly, her hair floating like ribbons around her. "That's the problem. No one's ever found him. Not once. Like twenty year's ago there was a war... between him and the Sea Lord of the Second Sea. Even she couldn't locate him as he could also make clones of himself. They fought for five years straight, but Antonio's real body was never seen, never touched. It was like fighting a shadow that couldn't die."

Maria's brows furrowed slightly. "Five years?" she asked in disbelief.

Neptunia nodded. "Yeah. Five years. It is said that thousands of his copies were killed.. but none of them were the real one. Every time one fell, another took its place. His clones fought endlessly, and the Sea Lord couldn't tell which one was real. It's said she destroyed entire parts of the border, killing everything in sight, but it didn't matter."

Razeal listened, his expression unreadable.

Neptunia continued, "The battle only ended because the Ocean King himself had to intervene. He stepped in and ordered them both to stop before the destruction spread too far. If he hadn't, the southern part of the third seas border would've collapsed entirely."

Her voice grew quieter at the end..

Razeal stayed silent, though his mind wasn't. He couldn't help but picture this man.. this so-called Sea Lord.. collecting his "essence," creating an army of himself through whatever twisted ritual he performed. The thought alone was enough to make Razeal feel pain in ass. Disgusting, he thought, his expression turning slightly sharp. Even for someone like me, that's sick.

He glanced at Maria. Her face said it all.. too disgust, disbelief, and even a hint of pity for the poor women who had to fight that man's army.

"Well…" Neptunia's voice cut through their thoughts. "We're here."

The tone of her voice changed.. calm, but heavy. All three of them stopped moving forward.

Before them lay something invisible, yet perfectly visible all the same. A line.. a thin, shimmering barrier that cut through the sea like glass. The water beyond it looked denser, darker, and wilder, like a storm held beneath the waves.

"This," Neptunia said quietly, "is the border. Beyond this line begins the Wild Sea.. the region that separates the Third Sea from the Second. From this point on, there's no control, no order or law.. Just chaos."

The three floated there for a moment, staring through the barrier. On the other side, faint shadows moved.. massive, distant, and unnervingly alive.

Razeal's eyes followed the motion, his expression calm but focused. "How long is this Wild Sea?" he asked, his tone sharp.

"Thirty to forty kilometers," Neptunia replied. "Once we cross it, we'll reach the Second Sea. But between here and there, we'll face everything this place has.. monsters, currents, storms. It's a nightmare, and that's why it's called the border."

Razeal nodded once, slowly. His gaze didn't leave the swirling dark water ahead.

"Alright then," he said finally, his voice steady, his tone almost casual. "Let's go."

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