We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 154 cleared [Coral City] - another golden legendary item!
The power of this sword strike is extremely terrifying.

It was as if even the seawater had been split in two, creating a vacuum zone in this deep underwater palace!
But just as the Black Dragon Greatsword was about to strike the "King".

A touch of silver-gray color suddenly clung to the blade of the greatsword.

Immediately, a strong sense of stagnation traveled from the greatsword to Shane's arm.

It wasn't the sensation of landing on some defensive barrier or being blocked by some attack; it was more like...

The Black Dragon Greatsword and the time it exists in are slowly coming to a standstill!

Xia En frowned slightly.

He had previously speculated that this silver-gray secret power might be related to time and space.

And now, this intense feeling of blockage undoubtedly proves his conjecture.

The "King" wanted to freeze himself and the royal family at the moment the disaster struck, and hoped to remove the pollution caused by the coral in the future.

However, it now appears that the "King's" attempt has mostly failed.

However, this also proves...

Although this silver-gray secret power is extraordinary, it cannot completely freeze time and space.

In other words, there is an upper limit to its ability to freeze time and space!
In that case, what Shane needs to do is quite simple.

Find this ceiling and break through it!

"I didn't originally intend to use the third stage..."

Shaen sighed inwardly, but still gripped the Giant's Bracelet in his right hand.

"Transform!"

Rumbling--

A terrifying, thunderous roar erupted from within Shane's body.

Then, to the "King's" astonishment, the dark figure expanded and grew at an incredible speed, breaking through the ceiling above and standing tall in the silver-gray hall.

During his previous challenge against the "King," Shane had not used this transformation ability.

On one hand, he wanted to learn a skill or two from the other powerful figures around the "King".

On the other hand, it was because the giants' bodies were too large, and they would cause considerable damage to the palace during battle.

But today, Xia En came with the determination to clear the dungeon, so he naturally didn't care about such small details.

A look of horror flashed in the "King's" eyes as he gazed at the colossal shadow before him.

The oppressive feeling of its massive size, combined with the mystery brought by the chaotic and blurry light and shadow, made him feel a moment of fear.

It's almost like...

Before this giant, he was the challenger!
"A descendant of giants? Or some other special secret technique?"

The "king" murmured in disbelief, "What exactly are you?"

Xia En still did not answer his question, but silently raised his right hand and slowly clenched his fist.

At the same time, veins bulged on his face, neck, and arms, as if dragons were writhing within them.

Illusory, nonexistent blood surged, accompanied by long, drawn-out breaths…

A blood aura resembling that of an ancient dragon emerged from its body and gradually coalesced into a giant sword made of blood aura.

This giant sword is far larger than the Blood Demon Sword; it is a terrifying weapon that only giants can wield!
In an instant.

The "King" sensed that the atmosphere of the silver-grey palace was undergoing an incredible transformation.

It's becoming increasingly solemn and dignified!
This place no longer seemed to be his palace, but had become a sacred court of judgment!
He was no longer the king of this place, but merely a prisoner on trial!

The terrifying giant before him was none other than the judge who would pronounce his crimes!
This contrast made the "king" uneasy, and at the same time, it aroused his intense anger.

He roared hoarsely, "You traitor!"

"I am the king, I am the true king of the Kingdom of Shudon!"

The "King's" face was twisted and hideous, and deformed corals began to wriggle and grow from his body. The faces of men and women also looked extremely painful.

Immediately afterwards, a silvery-gray halo spread outward from him.

Everything enveloped by it slowed down uncontrollably, freezing together with stagnant time.

Even the heavy, solid seawater all around was no exception.

The only thing still in motion was the blood-red greatsword that fell from the heights, carrying the meaning of "judgment"!
That exaggerated and terrifying force broke through the upper limit of Silver Gray's secret power in the most brutal and direct way, and broke into this still space-time!

Click——!
In the darkness, it seemed as if some shackle had been broken.

At this moment, Xia En felt that his understanding of [Judgment] had reached a whole new level.

Immediately afterwards, a crack appeared in the silvery-gray seawater.

Click... click...

In less than a breath, a second, a third... countless cracks began to expand outwards.

Inside the great hall, the silver-gray color on everything was rapidly crumbling like snowflakes, and then fading away.

The same applies to the "king" on the throne.

"no no!"

Looking at the spiderweb-like cracks on his body, the "King" widened his eyes and reached out, trying to grab the silvery-gray fragments.

However, everything is in vain.

The silver-gray fragments kept flowing and peeling off his body, like sand slipping through his fingers; the more he tried to hold on, the faster it slipped away.

As the silver-gray shell crumbled, one face after another awoke and opened their eyes.

"Your Majesty, where is this place?"

"Why...why did I become like this?"

"This is the royal palace? How did it become like this? What about the kingdom? Did the commoners in the kingdom survive?"

They looked around in bewilderment and were horrified by their own appearance.

Just then, a young girl gradually awoke from the "king's" chest.

"Father?"

The girl's questioning voice briefly pulled the "king" back from despair, and he quickly asked with concern.

"Annie? You're awake?"

"Father, did you succeed? Was the kingdom saved?"

This question was like a spear piercing the heart, directly breaking through the "King's" defenses.

Blood and tears streamed from his eyes as he muttered to himself in pain and resentment.

"It failed...it failed...it failed..."

"I couldn't save you, nor could I save the people of the kingdom. In the end, I couldn't do anything."

The girl was taken aback, but then said, "Father, this is not your fault."

"I know you've tried your best, you've done everything you can to save our country..."

Perhaps it was his daughter's comfort, or perhaps it was the feeling of approaching death, that changed the "King's" mindset and allowed him to rediscover a sliver of humanity.

He raised his head and looked at Xia En, who had shrunk back to his normal form not far away, and murmured.

"you are right."

"I am nothing but a sinner now, and it's time to wake up from this illusion."

As he spoke, the "King" extended his hand to Shane.

A silver-gray, pocket watch-like object emerged from his body and floated to Shane's front.

Then, the "King's" bloated, tumor-like body collapsed rapidly, like lifeless mud, along with the faces of people with their various expressions.

In an instant, only a pool of pale mud remained on the throne.

Seeing this scene, Xia En felt a mix of emotions.

The reason why the capital of the Kingdom of Shudon became such a coral city is because the king chose the wrong path.

But if his coral-making attempt had succeeded, it could have saved many civilians from the great flood. Whether he was a sinner or a wise ruler is difficult to say for sure.

However, that was not something Xia En cared about.

He picked up the silver-gray pocket watch from the seawater.

A few lines of information appeared before my eyes.

A fleeting moment

[Quality: Legend]

[Type: Forbidden Relic]

[Description: A pocket watch imbued with the power of time, capable of freezing time for one second for anyone other than the watch's owner.]

However, each time the Freeze ability is used, it slows down the flow of time around the user for a period of time.

The more times it is used, the slower the time flow becomes and the wider its scope.

[After ten uses, you will enter a "perpetual freeze" state, finding yourself in a time seemingly frozen in time.]

Those who attempt to control time will ultimately be controlled by time.

[Current number of uses: 0/10]

Golden legend!

Xia En's eyes widened suddenly.

As expected of the final boss of the Coral Dungeon after so many battles, the rewards it gives are truly exceptional!
After reading this description, Xia En's feelings were somewhat complicated.

Is this [Fleeting Moment] item powerful?
Of course it's strong!
This is similar to the effect of "time stop," which has the ability to turn the tide of battle in any situation.

In a second, a secret path seeker like Shane can do a lot.

However, the negative effect of slowing down the flow of time is obviously not comparable to that of ordinary relics.

It's manageable in the short term, but if it lasts for a long time, it will undoubtedly cause extremely serious consequences.

The [Eternal Freeze] after ten uses reminded Shane of the scene inside this great hall.

If he's not mistaken, the king probably intends to use this side effect to protect his daughter and other members of the royal family.

However, it is also possible that he produced this terrible stagnation effect before even using it ten times.

"It seems that this thing can only be used at extremely critical moments."

Afterwards, Shane walked to the corpse in front of the throne and extracted the [Secret Sea Crystal] from it.

[Ship Soul Level: LV4 (73%)]

[Talent: High-speed regeneration (Rare) → (Precious)!]

Feeling the cool energy flowing into his body, Xia En smiled.

We're one step closer to LV5!
The talent [High-Speed ​​Regeneration], obtained from the coral monsters, has been further enhanced.

While the projected body during [Deep Sea Diving] is unaffected by injuries such as bleeding or poisoning, the enhanced regenerative ability can indirectly increase the [Diving] time.

Not to mention, on the sea, this talent greatly enhances Shane's endurance.

It is extremely useful.

However, looking at the empty hall in front of him, where the silver-gray color had faded and returned to its normal appearance, he was struck by the sight.

Xia En felt a strange sense of loss.

Defeating the final boss means that he has cleared the [Coral City] dungeon.

It's a bit like finishing a novel or a movie; it's not exactly nostalgic, but at most a bit sentimental.

"Oh, right, I also need to explain this to the Sea Queen."

With that in mind, Xia En quickly swam out of the palace.

As soon as he swam out of the gate, he saw a few faint lights coming from the seawater above.

It was still night, and the seawater appeared exceptionally deep and tranquil.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that several sea creature maidens were slowly swimming towards them, each carrying a luminous pearl.

Surrounded by them, the petite sea queen was trying to straighten her back to make herself appear taller.

Xia En swam up and asked, "Your Majesty, why have you come here so late at night?"

Luticia looked at him intently, her voice tinged with a hint of delight.

"Your Excellency, the divine messenger, is asking a question you already know the answer to."

“I just sensed that some kind of restriction in the palace has been broken.”

"I think it must be that Your Excellency the Divine Envoy did something?"

A thoughtful look flashed in Xia En's eyes: "A restriction?"

He had never understood why there were restrictions in the palace that prevented sea creatures from approaching.

Upon seeing the king, Shane had an answer in his heart.

This restriction was intended to protect not only the king and others in the palace, but also the people of the Kingdom of Shudon who had embarked on a different path.

Of course, this is just Xia En's guess.

The truth is probably only known to that dead king.
Now that Luticia had come to her, Shane simply recounted to her what had happened inside the palace.

Finally, Shane said, "I have fulfilled the promise I made to you."

"I probably won't be in this city for a while."

Luticia was not surprised by this answer.

But I still feel a little regretful.

If she were ten or more years younger, she would definitely try to use her beauty to keep the divine messenger, and it would be best if she could have several children to strengthen the sea tribe.

But now...

Luticia sighed softly and said earnestly, "My lord, on behalf of the sea creatures of Coral City, I thank you for everything you have done."

You will be our friend forever!

"I will tell your deeds to the successor, and the gates of Coral City will always be open for you!"

Xia En nodded in agreement.

Who can say for sure what will happen in the future?
But at least for now, his interactions with this wise sea queen are quite pleasant.

……

……

The next morning.

Shain walked down the streets of the Chaotic Sin Islands, making his last round of shopping.

The target of this procurement is fuels such as coal and kerosene, as well as various heating devices.

After all, our next destination is the Frigid Sea!
You can never have too many warm clothes.

After completing his purchases, Shane headed towards the port.

Along the way, they could sense the scheming gazes of the other pirates, and several pirates even volunteered to become crew members of the Black Swan.

There are many reds.

After the bounty was posted and Mr. Heller publicly named him, Shane became a somewhat well-known figure on the Chaotic Sin Islands.

However, Shane now has high standards, and ordinary pirates are simply not good enough for him.

In addition, the manpower on the Black Swan is not particularly scarce at present.

Therefore, Shane did not rashly recruit new crew members.

Just as Shane arrived at the port, an uninvited guest appeared behind him.

"Captain Shane, please wait."

(End of this chapter)