Chapter 90: Ocean(1)

Luke and Liam teleported back towards the island. Liam then immediately gathered everyone while Luke was looking in the direction where the Mer kingdom was supposed to be. He then noticed that everyone had finally gathered, so he looked at them. He then pulled out some white robes from his pocket and passed them to them. The group looked at this with shock. Spencer then asked in confusion.

"Isn't this.... The robe of the Dark Eye?"

"Yeah, I copied the design of the robe that the mage that was locked up was wearing."

Bell then butted in.

"What are we going to do with these?"

"What else? Wear it."

The group looked at each other in confusion. They then heard Liam speak in a serious tone.

"Dark Eye is invading the Mer kingdom."

Yulia then inquired, her face astonished.

"Wait, Mer kingdom?"

Liam nodded and the whole group reflexively looked at Luke, who was busy wearing the robe. He didn't tell them anything about the kingdom of Mer. Julius then butted in.

"Uhm.... Are you perhaps acquainted with the Mer kingdom?"

"Maybe? Stop asking useless questions and wear those now."

The group just sighed in defeat. Really, Luke always brings them surprises. They then just wear their robes and cover their faces with their hoods. Luke looked at them, already done wearing the robes, and nodded.

"Let's go."

The group nodded and Luke turned around and activated his wings and glided down. The group followed behind him with flight magic. They then float towards the west. After a few minutes of flying, they finally arrived.

BOOOOOOMM!!!

"HAHAHAHA! Come at me, you son of a bitches!"

"All units, attack!"

"Shield! Shield!"

"Withered souls incoming!!"

Luke was looking at the mess in front of him with a blank face. He then saw Mira covered in blood while laughing maniacally, and there was Lir commanding the merfolk, Marina, in charge of defense, and Trent, on the lookout. Mira then charged forward towards the withered souls with a big smirk on her face.

BOOM!

Dead mana splattered everywhere and most of it touched Mira, but she seemed to be unaffected. And Luke knew the reason.

"Just how reckless is she?"

Thankfully, Mira is a spirit so she could cast a high level of mana armor. If it's normal magic, they could die in five minutes by just charging towards the withered souls. But, of course, just because you're a spirit with mana armor doesn't mean you're completely safe from danger, especially if you're acting recklessly, as Mira is.

Luke just sighed deeply and wondered who was older, Mira or him. He then turned to face Selena, Bell, and Yulia, who was staring at the withered souls scattered across the ocean.

"Can you three handle that many withered souls?"

Selena, Bell, and Yulia frowned. They then gave a hesitant response.

"I think so...."

"Maybe...."

"I don't know..."

Luke sighed. He then approached Trent, who was busy looking out for withered souls. Luke lightly tapped Trent's shoulder to get his attention.

"Hey, where is Plank-?"

"EEEK!"

Luke looked at Trent, who suddenly winced with a blank stare. Trent then made an embarrassed face. He tried to hide it, but his embarrassment was just so visible.

"L-Luke, you're finally here. Ehem, Plankton is currently being attacked with withered souls too. Sir Erdene is there with him to help him out. "

"Just Grandpa?"

"Huh? Ah, there are a few mermaids too. We are attempting to concentrate our forces here because the enemy fleets are 80% concentrated here."

"Ho...."

Luke then started to think. Giants are unable to come here because they are unable to fight the water. Mira is here because this is where withered souls are being thrown the most by the Dark Eye. The Kraken, the destroyer of the seas, can't handle a mere 20% and requires help from a Spirit? There must be a much stronger force at work there, causing Erdene to assist.

Then, it's decided.

"Liam, Spencer, and the kids, Selena, and Lina go and help Grandpa Erdene and Plankton."

"Brother, what?"

"Wait, what?"

Luke looked at the surprised faces of the group towards him. Luke sighed.

"Someone powerful must be fighting against Grandpa and Plankton right now, causing them to drag out the battle."

They then hesitated, which made Luke frown.

"Don't worry about us. We have Nash, Bell, Yulia, and Julius here so don't worry and go."

They were silent. But Liam clenched his fists and bowed.

"We'll finish it quickly and return here!"

"Good, and also, bring Plankton here after you are all done."

They then sighed and nodded. They then started to follow the mermaid, who would guide them towards Erdene and Plankton. Luke watched them leave for a bit before talking to the remaining members of the group.

"Bell, absorb as many withered souls as you can. Yulia, gather the remaining withered souls just like what you did in the mystical forest. Julius, you go and heal the wounded soldiers. Call me if they have withered souls on them. I'll remove it."

They then nodded and started to move. The merfolk were surprised at first, but then they realized that they were allies. Even though they were wearing the enemy's uniform, seeing their leaders calm about it meant that they were allies.

While his group is doing their tasks, Luke is now flying in the air, analyzing the battlefield. There were no islands nearby, so there was nowhere that the Dark Eye could run off into. They have mages and no knights. They just launch withered souls and long-distance spells at the same time. But something was off...

"Why are they so confident? I don't understand. There is nowhere for them to run away, and the merfolk are slowly but surely advancing towards them. But... Why do they still keep going?"

Luke frowned and looked at the mages, who kept on casting long-distance spells with a calm face. Aren't they too calm? For God's sake, they're in the midst of a deadly battle. Are they really that confident in their withered souls? Or is there something else going on?

Luke frowned deeply and started to think. What? What is missing? What is it?

And then... Luke suddenly realized something.

"Shit."

Luke looked down at the ocean. He then immediately dived towards Trent and gripped his shoulder, making Trent wince. Trent then looked at Luke with confusion and annoyance.

"What Is it?"

"Are all the merfolk in here?"

"Huh? Of course. All of them, young and old, wanted to fight these evil guys."

"Fuck!"

"W-what?"

Luke clicked his tongue and frowned.

'Fucking hell, then that means that the Mer kingdom is basically empty right now.'

The queen is here, the prince and princess are here, the Spirits are also in here. All of them are here! Then what about their kingdom that is basically empty and defenseless? Based on what the Dark Eye did to Erdene and his home, they hunted down the Spirit and destroyed their territory. Luke had always wondered why the Dark Eye didn't finish Erdene off when he was in stone form. But their main goal wasn't him! It's their territory!

Spirit territories are more than just ordinary habitats; they are also spiritual powerhouses. They are stronger in their own territory and most of their power is stored there. It is extremely difficult for them to find suitable locations for their territory. It should be kept private, and no one should dwell on it on a regular basis. Luke just luckily thought about the Forest of Death and thought that it was the perfect place for Erdene. If Luke hadn't thought of the Forest of Death, Erdene would still be powerless and homeless.

And what would happen if their territory were destroyed? Simple.

The Spirit's power will weaken. In Mira's case right now, if her power weakens in the middle of the battle, the Dark Eye might take advantage of it and kill her on the spot. Destroying a Spirit's territory is basically the same as killing them. Luke gritted his teeth.

'Fucking bastards, this is what you all been waiting for.'

Luke then looked around. He wanted to bring a small army with him, but everyone was too busy defending and attacking to be disturbed. And if Luke borrowed an army, the enemies would notice and warn the others below.

Luke sighed.

'I swear, this will be the last time I'll do this.'

Luke frowned deeply and then dived into the water. Nash followed him with a confused expression.

•Dad! Where are we going?!

Nash then cast a water-breathing spell on Luke, who responded.

"The Mer kingdom will be destroyed."

•Isn't that why we're fighting the Dark Eye up there? Why are we going und- WAIT! I feel people below! It's faint, but I can feel it! They're not mermaids!

Luke gritted his teeth and swam faster. Nash followed behind him while trying to sense the people below.

•One, two, three, ten, twenty, twenty-six, thirty, thirty-five.... 100!!! There are 100 people below! They appear to be skilled at concealing their presence because they are difficult to detect!

"100 assassins huh?"

Luke and Nash then swam deeper until they reached the bottom. They then could see the golden castle and approached it while hiding themselves from the corners of the walls. They then opened the door that led towards Mira's territory. When Luke opened it, he then saw a bunch of people surrounding the giant dome while planting... Bombs?

•Dad! They're bombs with withered souls in them!

Luke sighed and lowered his hood even more. He then slowly approached the assassins. The assassins spotted him and drew their daggers at him.

"Who are you?!"

Luke didn't answer and just stared at them. He then sighed.

"Nash, surround this entire area."

"Huh?! What are you talking-"

Boom!

The door behind Luke suddenly closed, and another larger dome engulfed the area. The dome is bigger than Mira's Dome and Luke and the assassins are the only ones that are inside, with Nash, of course. Now that there was no longer water around inside the dome, Luke activated [Shifting Earth] and created 50 human-sized golems. The assassins saw this and backed off.

"W-Who... Who are you?! Why are you wearing our robes?!"

"I-is he a spy?!"

"No way! That is impossible!!!"

Luke sighed and drew out his sword and activated his aura. He then looked at the confused and shocked assassins with cold eyes.

"I think it's time for you all to rest in peace."