Abyssal Sovereignty

"What's going on? What's going on!?"

"I have no idea!"

In the streets, all the merfolk residents were fleeing in panic, and even members of other races from out of town were no exception.

In their place were soldiers in well-crafted armor, crowding the streets. At the center of them all was a chariot, proudly displayed.

"Hahaha! Did you see that? Everyone is fleeing because of me!"

A robust merman sat atop the chariot, relishing the fearful glances from the civilians.

"General, no, I should say, Your Majesty, the future King of the Merfolk, don't forget about me once you ascend to the throne."

"Hmph, of course. Once I become king, you'll be my queen. Sorry for being so rough just now."

Beside the merman general, a female mermaid who had previously pushed her way in at the opportune moment fawned over him.

"Please calm down a bit. As a general, you should still consider your image in front of the troops."

"...Fine, fine."

The merman general impatiently responded to his adjutant's advice. In a good mood, he didn't press the issue further.

"All troops, advance at double speed!"

With this command, the army, originally walking at a normal pace, doubled their speed. They didn't simply swim upwards to their destination because the city was protected by a barrier; inside, the water behaved more like air, making swimming akin to flying, all to avoid chaos.

In no time, the accelerated army arrived at the palace gates.

"Olden, it's time to show yourself!"

The merman general used a megaphone, shouting for the Merfolk King to come out.

"...I didn't expect you to finally go down this path... If you go back now, I might spare you."

On the palace podium, the Merfolk King slowly emerged.

"Hmph! You've been the King of the Merfolk for so long, it's time for the younger generation to take over!"

The merman general pointed to the army below him.

"This is proof that so many are willing to follow me, proving my excellence. How many have remained loyal to you from start to finish?"

"Numbers aren't the point. Why don't you try coming at me?"

"Hey! Get back! ...Damn it! Attack!"

Seeing the Merfolk King walk away without looking back, the merman general panicked and immediately ordered an invasion of the palace.

"What's going on? Why is there no one here?"

The palace was eerily empty, devoid not only of guards but also of attendants.

"Search everywhere, don't let anyone escape!"

"Wait, General, don't be hasty!"

"Why shouldn't I be? I must! We can't let Olden escape!"

"...!"

...

The merman general's army spread out, conducting a thorough search.

But after a considerable amount of time, there was no sign of anyone.

"Have we found them!?"

"I'm sorry, no matter how hard we search, we can't find anyone."

"Damn it!"

The merman general angrily cut off communication.

"...What do we do now?"

"What else can we do? We're just foot soldiers. Do you think we..."

Bang!

Suddenly, heavy walls dropped from above in the corridor, separating the soldiers.

"What's happening?"

Before the soldiers could understand the situation, a group of guards in different uniforms burst out from the walls' murals in the corridor.

"You're surrounded. Drop your weapons and surrender!"

"...Are you kidding us?"

About ten guards rushed out, far outnumbered by the soldiers, causing the soldiers to relax gradually.

"Attack!"

A soldier shouted, and all soldiers charged towards the guards who rushed out.

"Ahh!" "No!"

Just as the front-line soldiers were about to reach the guards, cries of pain erupted.

Looking back, almost all the soldiers behind had fallen, leaving only a few still holding their clubs.

However, those clubs were stained with blood.

"What... Did you really betray us!?"

"Isn't it you who betrayed us?"

The soldier holding the club removed his disguise, revealing the insignia of the royal guard, the same as those on the guards on the other side.

"In the end, you're just a bunch of mixed-up people who have been forcibly combined together, lacking any real military discipline."

"What..."

The merman general's army was vast, but upon investigation, the Merfolk King discovered that most of them had not received proper training.

Exploiting this, they had hidden among the soldiers, causing the merman general to panic, scattering his vast army. Seizing the opportunity, some of them infiltrated disguised among the troops.

When the time was right, the guards stationed in various parts of the palace would activate the mechanisms to isolate the scattered soldiers and then easily defeat the army in a coordinated attack from the outside.

These strategies were devised in consultation between Yverantheia and the Merfolk King and were implemented urgently after modifying the palace.

"Third squad, operation successful."

"Fifth squad, operation successful."

Through the exclusive communication network of the royal guards, reports of successful operations came from various squads.

As expected, the merman general, who still waited at the entrance, naturally looked confused.

"What's going on..."

At some point, it had lost all contact with the other scattered soldiers.

"Adjutant! Where are you? Give me a report!"

"General, it seems that after our forces scattered, they were systematically eliminated by the lurking royal guards."

"Damn it! How could you mess this up!"

"..."

"I did warn you. Are you blaming me now?"

But before they could decide on their next move, a chilling presence swept over them.

"What... is this..."

At the same time, a girl with long golden hair, interspersed with strands of deep red, and wearing a tattered crimson dress with bandages covering her body, appeared slowly.

"You... Could it be... You defeated the Calamity... Why are you still here!?"

However, Yverantheia remained silent, advancing directly towards the merman general.

"Don't come any closer!"

Terrified, the merman general didn't hesitate to throw a punch at Yverantheia.

Bang!

But in the next instant, the merman general collapsed to the ground.

Yverantheia was now fifth-level, empowered by various abilities gained from defeating monsters, far surpassing the fourth-level merman general.

"So, as I said, if you had returned earlier, I might have spared you."

The Merfolk King emerged from hiding.

"Now that your rebellion is established, there's no way to redeem yourselves."

This was another part of the plan: to provoke the merman general into rebellion, thereby providing justification for their direct action against him.

"General!"

A female mermaid in a bright red dress ran out, concerned for the fallen merman general.

"..."

Watching this scene, Yverantheia felt a bit disgusted.

Though she knew different races had different standards of beauty, she found it hard to accept.

"What a joke!"

Suddenly, an angry voice drew everyone's attention.