Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends.

His voice was not loud, but it clearly pierced through the howling sea breeze and reached Poseidon's ears.

"If this is all you're capable of, then the outcome of today's battle will not change."

Poseidon did not respond.

She simply took a slow, deep breath, lifted the scepter from the ground, and gripped it tightly again.

She could feel the soul power within her body circulating at a faster pace than usual, and the extremely compressed power of faith was gathering from every sacred pillar, every altar, and every believer's prayer on Seagod Island.

The power of Poseidon Island has not been exhausted on her. As long as the island exists and the believers remain, her power will not be depleted.

She raised the scepter once more.

This time, the golden trident did not strike down directly as before, but hovered high in the air, its tip slowly rotating, pointing towards the sea area behind the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.

Immediately afterwards, the air around Poseidon Island began to become humid at a visible speed, with large amounts of water vapor rising from the sea surface, like a thin fog being slowly heated.

The layer of water vapor did not dissipate, but under the pull of an invisible force, it began to condense and rotate in a slow and irreversible way, eventually forming a huge spiral structure, like a massive vortex hanging upside down on the sea surface.

The enormous spiral structure is not static; it began to slowly rotate as it formed, like an ancient giant eye being awakened from the depths of the seabed.

As the vortex rotates, the water vapor at its edge condenses and compresses, turning into fine water lines that converge toward the center.

The color of the waterline gradually deepened from its initial transparency to a murky state, then to a deep blue, and finally condensed into a nearly black, thick liquid at its core.

The liquid was not large, only about the size of a fist, but it exuded a heavy feeling that could make the air within a radius of several miles tremble.

It is the essence of water compressed to its extreme, containing the pure power of the entire ocean.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's gaze fell on the dark black water essence that was gathering at the center of the vortex, and a hint of seriousness finally appeared in his golden eyes.

He could sense the power contained within that essence of water, a power that had surpassed the limits of ordinary soul power.

It carries a sense of weightiness that is almost like the rules themselves, like seawater that has been compressed for thousands of years finally being ignited at a certain critical point, about to release an impact equivalent to that of the gods.

His expression unusually somber.

He originally thought that Poseidon was merely a bearer of the sea god's faith, a high priest who stood at the pinnacle of the mortal world but never managed to cross that threshold.

After he entered the realm of gods, such beings no longer posed a real threat to him.

But the condensing essence of water told him that he had underestimated the accumulated power of Poseidon Island over millennia.

Poseidon did not become a god, but the power she relied on did not come solely from herself.

The power of faith that had settled in every inch of Poseidon Island, the prayers and sacrifices that had been repeatedly refined over the long years, were now converging on her scepter in a way he had never anticipated.

The reason that defensive barrier is so strong is not only because of the power left behind by the sea god, but also because the entire Sea God Island has formed a cycle with its believers. Even if the sea god does not descend directly, as long as the island exists and the believers exist, its power will not be exhausted.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's gaze darkened slightly, but he did not retreat.

He slowly raised his right hand, his fingers spread, palm facing the churning sea beneath his feet.

The Deep Sea Whale King's gaze became even more focused at this moment than before.

The sea beneath his feet fell into a brief, deathly silence, as if something had pressed the pause button, and all the waves froze in mid-air for a moment.

Then the sea exploded.

The entire sea area was like a powder keg ignited from within, spreading outwards in all directions from the center at his feet.

The seawater rose upwards at a speed far exceeding the laws of nature, as if lifted up from the seabed by an invisible hand, creating giant waves hundreds of meters high.

Those were not ordinary waves.

The crests of those waves surged with deep blue light, their edges flashing with tiny arcs of electricity, and each drop of water contained a compressive force powerful enough to shatter mountain rocks.

The waves churned wildly on the sea surface, like countless giant pythons awakened at the same time, writhing, entwining, and overlapping each other, tearing the once calm sea surface into a chaotic vortex of energy.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King stood motionless at the very center of the chaos. The light around him gradually transformed from deep blue to an even deeper dark blue, with tiny golden arcs of electricity emanating from the edges, forming an ever-expanding energy field around him.

The surging waves gathered, rose, and overlapped beneath his feet, like a mountain range of water constantly growing out of the sea.

Fine lightning patterns began to condense at the crest of the waves, spreading upwards along the water's surface and weaving into an ever-expanding electric net that covered the entire sea area.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers spread, his palm facing the sky.

As he raised his hand, the waves in the entire sea became even more violent in an instant. The giant waves that had already risen to a height of hundreds of feet surged upwards again, as if something was pushing them up from the depths of the seabed.

He needed to make Poseidon understand that even with her millennia-old faith and the ability to mobilize the full power of Poseidon Island, those things still couldn't change the final outcome in the face of a true god.

Poseidon stood on the reef, watching the giant wave carrying the power of thunder, her gaze also falling on the deep black essence of water that was gathering at the center of the whirlpool.

The liquid was becoming darker than before, and its edges were beginning to exude a heavy texture that was completely different from ordinary water vapor.

Poseidon would not wait any longer.

She held the scepter horizontally in front of her, and golden light emanated from it, enveloping the deep black essence of water. Then she thrust the scepter forward.

The moment that dark black essence of water broke free from the center of the vortex, it was like a spring compressed to its limit finally releasing all its accumulated power. It drew a straight trajectory in the sky above the sea and precisely crashed into the center of the giant wave stirred up by the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.

There was no loud noise at the moment of the collision.

The two forces silently merged, squeezed, and annihilated at the contact surface, much like the diffusion process of a drop of ink falling into clear water was slowed down countless times.

Then, the sound came.

A deafening roar that shook the entire sea exploded from the point of contact, as if something deep in the seabed had been detonated simultaneously, swallowing up all the surrounding sounds.

The booming sound instantly transformed into a continuous low-frequency tremor, spreading in all directions and causing the buildings on Poseidon Island to tremble slightly at the same moment.

The giant wave stirred up by the Deep Sea Demon Whale King was cleaved open by the impact of that dark black water essence, creating a huge rift. At the edge of the rift, water vapor and lightning were violently rubbing together, producing continuous and dense crackling sounds.

The rift was expanding rapidly to both sides, like a giant blade held in an unseen hand, tearing the entire wave in two.

At the very center of the crack, the dark black essence of water was being rapidly consumed, its volume shrinking at a visible rate, with layers of dense white mist rising from its edges. But its direction of movement remained unchanged.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King frowned slightly. He could sense the layers of power contained within that ball of water essence, which was tearing through his defenses in a way that exceeded his expectations.

Its penetrating power carries a quality honed by millennia of faith, propelling it forward steadily and relentlessly through its wave defenses.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's body sank slightly, and his feet touched the sea surface, where the seawater formed a thick cushioning layer around him.

He did not retreat, but his figure did shift slightly under the impact of the water essence.

But that shift didn't last long.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King steadied himself on the sea surface, and then the golden arcs of electricity around him began to spread along his arm toward the tearing fissure, piecing the giant wave that had been split open back together.

The two forces engaged in a prolonged tug-of-war at the crack.

The deep black essence of water tried to push forward, tearing the rift deeper and farther.

The golden arcs of electricity that are re-forming are attempting to fill the cracks and cover the torn area with a new layer of energy.

Poseidon could clearly feel her soul power draining away at a rate that exceeded her expectations.

She knew she couldn't hold out much longer. If she couldn't break through the Deep Sea Whale King's defenses before this power was completely exhausted, she would never have a second chance.

Meanwhile, in the waters surrounding Poseidon Island, the approaching sea spirit beasts did not stop their advance despite the intensity of the battle.

They continued to move toward Poseidon Island along their respective routes, their enormous bodies leaving long, thin trails in the deep water.

Just then, the first shockwave arrived.

The energy shock generated by the collision between the deep black water essence and the giant wave of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King spread out in all directions at an almost unstoppable speed after the explosion, like an invisible blade unfolding simultaneously from the sea surface in all directions.

The first to be affected was a medium-sized deep-sea whale that was located on the edge of the shock wave.

Before the sea spirit beast could even react, its body was swept by an almost invisible ripple.

Starting from its head, its body shattered silently, like a painting folded in half. Scales, muscles, bones, blood—all the substances that made up its body were torn into countless tiny fragments by the shockwave in the same instant, scattering into the surrounding seawater.

Then came the second head, the third head, and the fourth head.

The sea spirit beasts that were approaching Seagod Island were like a row of candles lit at the same time; after the shockwave swept through the front row, they began to go out one by one.

The disintegration of their enormous bodies was so rapid that there was almost no sense of time. There was almost no transition between their complete form and the scattered fragments, as if an invisible hand was plucking their bodies piece by piece at a speed beyond the limits of vision.

By the time the shockwave spread, hundreds of sea spirit beasts had been completely torn to shreds.

Their flesh fragments floated in the now murky seawater. Those bodies that were once covered in blue scales had now turned into countless tiny particles, slowly spreading in the ocean currents and dyeing the entire sea a faint dark red.

Among the sea spirit beasts that have not yet been affected, some have already begun to try to retreat.

They sensed the danger ahead, and they also sensed the deathly aura emanating from the shattered bodies of their companions.

But the sea spirits that tried to retreat soon discovered that their retreat had been blocked by their companions who were still surging forward from behind.

Those sea spirit beasts at the rear of the formation, who had not yet seen what was happening ahead, continued to advance according to their original orders.

The second shock wave followed immediately.

This time the spread was wider than the first time, and more sea spirit beasts were affected.

Those sea spirit beasts that tried to retreat were also caught off guard when the shockwave arrived. Their bodies were crushed as if by the same invisible hand, turning into dark red particles that floated and swayed slightly in the seawater.

The Deep Sea Whale King finally shifted his gaze away from Poseidon for a moment.

He turned his head to look at the sea that was being dyed dark red, and at the sea spirit beasts that were shattering, his brows slowly furrowing.

He hadn't expected that the shockwave generated when the black water essence collided with his waves would spread so far and affect such a large area of ​​his own troops.

He originally thought that most of the energy of the shockwave would be consumed in the high altitude above the sea, and that it would be weakened to a point where it would not pose a threat to the sea spirit beast by the time it reached the outer area.

The facts told him that his judgment was wrong.

The shock wave was hardly attenuated by anything during its spread; it was like a beam of light that was repeatedly refracted, continuously pushing into the distance above the sea until its energy truly began to dissipate in the sea several miles away.

Chapter 586 The Thirteen Forms of Poseidon

Poseidon did not look at the sea that was being dyed dark red.

The fragments of those sea spirit beasts tumbled, sank, and dissolved amidst the interplay of seawater and shock waves, turning the once clear sea into a murky, dark color.

But Poseidon's gaze remained fixed on the Deep Sea Whale King, never wavering for even a moment.

She saw the deaths of those sea spirit beasts, but she didn't care.

In Poseidon's eyes, those sea spirit beasts were rebellious beings who defied the might of the sea god.

Their following the Deep Sea Demon Whale King onto the territory of Sea God Island was itself a provocation against the will of the Sea God.

Their deaths were merely an inevitable consequence of this war.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King didn't even glance at that area of ​​water.

His gaze shifted for a moment before returning to Poseidon.

To him, those shattering sea spirit beasts were merely pieces being removed from the chessboard. He had long anticipated that this attack would be accompanied by massive casualties, and he had never taken those sea spirit beasts seriously.

The only two people the Deep Sea Whale King truly cared about were his wife and daughter.

Besides, the lives of those sea spirit beasts are nothing more than water currents in this sea that can be replaced at any time.

Losing some things will only bring more things in return; there is no essential difference.

Two pairs of eyes met above the sea, neither distracted by the surrounding chaos.

Poseidon could sense that the deep black essence of water was being slowly dissolved by the golden arcs of the Deep Sea Whale King.

Her soul power was visibly draining away, and the light of the defensive barrier had dimmed somewhat compared to its initial intensity.

She knew that if she didn't make changes, the outcome of this battle would be decided in the next few breaths.

Poseidon took a deep breath, slowly withdrew the scepter from in front of him, gripped the shaft tightly with both hands, and pressed the end of the scepter back onto the rock beneath his feet.

This time, she did not use the scepter as a medium for casting spells.

She wielded it as a weapon.

At this moment, the flow of her soul power completely changed, shifting from outward expansion to inward concentration, like a river flowing backward, gathering, compressing, and reshaping the last remaining soul power and faith power within her body.

The hundred-meter-tall phantom of the sea god slowly dissipated as her soul power flowed backward, like a sculpture whose support had been emptied from the inside. First, the light at the edges began to dim, then the outline became blurred, and finally, in silence, it turned into countless tiny specks of light that disappeared into the sea breeze.

The Deep Sea Demon Whale King watched the dissipating phantom of the sea god, his golden eyes devoid of any superfluous emotion. In his view, it was the inevitable result of Poseidon's exhaustion of power, a prelude to the impending end of this battle.

But the next moment, he noticed something was wrong.

What changes occurred in Poseidon?

She stood there, her posture holding the scepter completely different from before, and a sharp light, which he had not noticed before, was surging in her eyes, which were as deep as the ocean.

Her aura was rapidly changing, transforming from a broad and evenly diffused state to a more concentrated and sharper form.

Then Poseidon moved.