The battle that followed fell into a predictable pattern.
Without Akada joining in, the stamina of the two who couldn’t break through Undine’s defense was exhausted, and both Evan and Lucia, too drained to defend themselves, ultimately allowed her attacks.
Boom!
An enormous sound echoed within Atlantis as the two landed hard on the ground, cracking it.
“Ugh…!!”
A sensation of immense pain surged through, rendering the Power of Destruction seemingly insignificant. Just being thrown like that felt as if all the bones in my body had shattered.
It was the same for Lucia, who had gathered magical power on her back just before her fall.
“Ugh…”
Lucia staggered to her feet in agony. However, she could only stand helplessly.
Right in front of her, Undine’s trident was precisely aimed at her neck.
{It seems this is where it ends for you, doesn’t it?}
Undine spoke as she twirled the trident with a flick of her wrist. Her tone was smooth, but the words carried a murderous intent that promised Lucia’s immediate demise if she dared to make a move.
“…It seems that way.”
Lucia dropped the sword tightly gripped in her hand to the ground.
It was defeat. The most pitiful form of defeat.
Lucia, usually confident in her swordsmanship and believing she could at least hold her ground against anyone… Today, she realized that mindset was nothing but arrogance.
An entity beyond measure.
The god of the sea standing before her could definitely be described as such.
Even though she was not a god of immense power.
‘So even that goddess can’t let out a single drop of her divine energy…’
Feeling her pride wounded, Lucia bit her lower lip hard.
Meanwhile, Evan was left reeling. It wasn’t just from the physical shock of hitting the ground earlier.
It was the psychological impact of witnessing Undine’s sheer power.
‘Can I really win?’
Evan pictured in his mind a scenario where the nine apostles battled against Undine. Only then did a few images of winning flash before him, but ultimately, the vision ended with the apostles’ defeat.
If there was any possible way to defeat Undine…
It would only be through a collaborative attack using the power of Lucia from her Demon King days and Inferna.
{Apostle of Destruction, is this where you meet your end too?}
Evan nodded at Undine’s question. Having given up on Lucia, he had nothing left to throw at her.
{You can continue testing your qualifications; just let me know when you are ready.}
Saying that, Undine returned to her throne, using her trident as a staff like before.
*
A short while later.
Physically and mentally the most stable, Evan led Lucia and Akada outside the castle.
“Those gods are truly terrifying.”
Evan remarked as he looked at the still-closed castle, and Lucia nodded in agreement.
“Indeed… They felt like beings that I could never defeat. Even if I went back to my days as the Demon King, I would doubt I had any chance…”
Evan, still staring at the interior of the castle where Undine sat, dove into his thoughts.
‘Then why did Undine make us take a test we couldn’t win?’
Does it imply she wouldn’t lend her strength?
Considering how she seemed to ponder before giving the test, that seemed unlikely.
Then is it just idle amusement?
That didn’t fit either, as Undine wasn’t depicted as a god who delights in battle or war in mythology.
‘So what could be the reason behind this qualification test?’
Various hypotheses raced through Evan’s mind, yet none of them felt certain.
The only plausible one seemed to be…
‘Was it because the Apostle of the Sea was proving their qualifications, and he didn’t participate?’
Akada’s absence from this test was significant.
But in that case, wouldn’t it be simpler to just tell him to take the test alone?
It would mean that they and Lucia shouldn’t have to take it.
Yet, Undine insisted they all three face her.
‘Why…’
Evan continued to think, but nothing more substantial came to mind.
“Evan. For now, it seems impossible to fight Undine today, so how about we rest nearby?”
Even though he wanted to act quickly, considering Cordelia’s peril and the concealed movements of the Apostle of Fiction, Akada was still dazed, and physically exhausted, so pushing forward was not feasible.
If they continued as they were, their plans could easily unravel further.
Evan concluded that resting today was the right decision, just as Lucia suggested.
“Alright. Let’s check for a place to rest nearby.”
*
After finding a resting spot, Evan and Lucia returned from catching some fish outside of Atlantis.
By the time they returned, Akada had finally regained his senses and looked at them.
“…Did you go catch fish?”
“Yeah. There are really large deep-sea fish here. I caught some for you too.”
“Sorry. I should have been the one doing that.”
Akada accepted the fish Evan handed him with a shy smile.
“If you’re sorry, then eat quickly and recover. Our goal is to pass Undine’s test, obtain the trident, and return to Cordelia as fast as possible.”
Their meal followed that single remark.
Since it was a lake, the fish living here tasted much blander compared to what they had eaten in Cordelia.
“…It’s really bland.”
Akada’s face scrunched up at the first bite of the fish.
In contrast, Evan and Lucia swiftly devoured their portions.
They hadn’t eaten much back in Cordelia since all the food there had been so exquisite it overwhelmed them.
“Indeed, lake fish seems slightly better to my taste than sea fish.”
Having gulped down her share in moments, Lucia still seemed somewhat unsatisfied as she eyeing the others’ fish.
“Are you still hungry?”
“Oh, no. It’s just… I hadn’t eaten much in Cordelia, so I’m a bit hungrier than usual. So please, don’t mind me.”
Evan watched Lucia as she explained and then handed her the largest remaining fish.
“Here, eat this.”
“But, shouldn’t you be eating too?”
“I’m fine; the Power of Destruction surrounds me, so I’m less injured. You, on the other hand, don’t have such abilities, right? You must be pretty hurt, so eat a lot and recover quickly.”
Upon hearing that, Lucia, who had been deep in thought, finally accepted the fish and spoke.
“…Thank you, Evan.”
There was an odd fluttering feeling in her chest.
Lucia tried hard to shake off that feeling by taking a bite of the fish.
It was sweet.
*
Two days after the test.
The three, having somewhat recovered their stamina, set out to face Undine once again.
“We have come to take the test.”
Upon Akada’s words, Undine’s eyes opened as they had before.
{I trust you will pass this time.}
“I will pass this to save Cordelia without fail.”
{Good.}
Boom!
As the trident struck the floor, Undine unleashed her magical power.
Stronger than before, her magic spread across all of Atlantis, engulfing the three.
{Let’s begin the test. Since you are attempting for the second time, I expect you to engage with more seriousness than before.}
With those words, Undine hurled her trident toward them.
The spear spun toward them at a speed almost too fast to follow.
Reacting to it, Lucia conjured a sword made of her magical power and crossed it to block the attack.
Clang!
A deafening metallic sound echoed through the air.
“Gah…!”
The shock of the impact caused blood to spill from Lucia’s mouth as her sword clashed against the trident.
Pain surged through, as if her wrist was about to break, but she endured it, ensuring the trident wouldn’t pierce through.
“I’ll hold it, you go!”
Simultaneously, Evan grasped his sword, and Akada readied his trident, rushing forward.
At that moment, Undine was weaponless and vulnerable.
The two thought she wouldn’t be able to defend this time and attacked.
Boom!
An explosive sound erupted.
Both had used nearly half of their total magical power, making that strike immensely powerful.
The shockwave alone caused part of the structure of Atlantis to collapse.
However.
{Still not enough.}
Undine effortlessly caught that strike with her bare hands.
“What the…?”
Evan and Akada’s surprise was short-lived as they felt their bodies lift off the ground.
Soon after, they were slammed down hard to the floor.
“Gugh…”
Overwhelmed by pain coursing through his body, Evan struggled to catch his breath.
Just as he tried to rise again, Undine wouldn’t allow it.
In an instant, she gripped Evan’s neck.
“Evan!”
A startled Akada shouted Evan’s name.
But the grip only tightened, cutting off his breath.
Evan tried to resist, but his consciousness began to fade away.
