Chapter 55: Denouement

Sometimes, the truth does not reveal itself in the light, but among the ruins.
When everything has collapsed, when there’s nothing left to hide or pretend, that’s when the soul, stripped bare, faces itself.
There is no glory in endings, nor immediate redemption. There are only consequences — open wounds trembling at the touch of silence.

The past returns not as a shadow, but as a weight clinging to the chests of those who still breathe.
Names, titles, promises kept or broken… all fade before a single question:
What remains when the war falls silent?

Some seek justice. Others, vengeance. And some, simply rest.
But fate is cruel to those born to bear the judgment of many.
And as the water stirs, the air fractures, and eyes bear witness… the moment everyone feared has come.
There is no turning back now. Only the end remains.

——————————————————————————————————————————

The silence between Triton and Poseidon was louder than any thunder.
The sea, mirroring their wrath, crashed violently against the surface, carrying the fury that had been building for years.

No spectators mattered anymore. No empty words remained. Only them — two figures bound by the same bloodline, condemned to fight until one fell.

—It seems your own lackeys have abandoned you, —Poseidon spat, disdain curling his lips as tension crawled up his skin.
—You’re wrong, —Triton replied with a calm yet furious smile—. I ordered them to leave. This fight is mine… and yours.

Energy surged like a living storm. The sky trembled, the earth split apart. Poseidon unleashed his full might, wrapping the battlefield in a violent blue radiance. Triton answered in kind — his dark energy burst outward, devouring the light and distorting even the air around him.

Their Atlantean markings glowed like sacred runes, and for a moment, the world held its breath.

From afar, Artemis felt the tremor deep in her bones.
—How can he be that strong? —she whispered, eyes locked on the clash in the distance.
—Triton was always a prodigy, —Evemo muttered—. But once he obtained that weapon… he stopped training. His ambition devoured him.
—And yet… —Ares added in an unusually serious tone—. Even Poseidon could lose this one.

Meanwhile, Zef knelt beside Yuki, still unconscious. He watched her peaceful face, guilt weighing on his voice.
—I’m sorry… for dragging you into all this…
—You have good friends, Zef, —Diaprepes said, resting a hand on his shoulder—. And she’ll be fine. I know it.

Then, the clash of tridents echoed through the ocean.
A shockwave rippled across the kingdom, sending towers of water and debris into the current. The battle had begun.

Poseidon struck first with astonishing speed, but Triton blocked with ease.
A sweep — dodged.
A knee to the stomach.
Triton’s trident found its mark, hurling the elder god through the air.

—Did you really think that old trick would work on me? —Triton growled, sneering.
Poseidon spat blood but smiled.
—Apparently, yes.

Triton frowned, glancing down. His leg began to swell.
—Is this… poison?
—Exactly, —Poseidon answered coolly—. Armor has its upgrades, don’t you think?

In that instant of distraction, a clean strike pierced him.
A storm of blows followed.
Triton fell, bleeding and gasping for air.

—You always let instinct control you, —Poseidon said as he struck—. You never notice the details. That’s why you’ll lose.

And then—steel flashed.
A sword burst from the shadows, stabbing through Poseidon’s abdomen. His expression froze.
—What…?

—Looks like we’re not so different after all, Father, —Triton whispered, a bloodstained smile twisting his face.

Poseidon collapsed, breath ragged, as a new figure stepped from the darkness.

—You kept your end of the deal, Triton, —said the newcomer, voice cold and steady—. So now I’ll keep mine.

The air shifted.
An invisible pressure filled the underwater city. The stranger’s power unfurled without warning — like a claw crushing the soul.
Everyone, even the gods, felt the weight of his presence.

Ares took a step back.
—What the hell is this…?
Artemis clenched her teeth.
—This is bad… very bad.
Yohei could barely stand.
—That energy… it’s from them.

Poseidon raised his gaze, his voice dry.
—A member of Black Lights… here?
—Indeed, —the stranger confirmed—. I’m flattered you recognize me. But don’t worry — I’m only here to fulfill an agreement.

Poseidon tried to move, but the venom and the wound betrayed him.
—Your power… is monstrous, —he growled.
The stranger smiled.
—Thank you. I’ve always liked that word.

—But if you really want to know… —the stranger murmured with a crooked smile, about to say his name.
Then the radio in his ear buzzed urgently.
—What is it? —he grunted, annoyed.
—Boss, it’s urgent —the voice on the other end sounded nervous—. Hundreds of special forces vessels have been sighted approaching the coast. And with them comes…
—Who? —he asked, not losing his smile.
—Shun.

The name dropped like lightning into the middle of the ocean.
The stranger’s face twitched for a second… just enough for everyone to see that something had changed. His smile tightened, became almost a forced grimace.
—Damn… looks like I won’t be able to stay here much longer, —he said, lowering his gaze as if accepting an inevitable blow.

Poseidon understood immediately.
—Perfect… —he thought, holding his breath—. If that bastard leaves, I can still fight. If he stays… we’re doomed.

—Well, it seems our deal ends here, —the stranger declared, turning slightly to Triton.
—What are you saying? You’re going to leave me here like this? And the deal?
—Our agreement has already been fulfilled, —he replied coldly—. I left your great rival at death’s door. I’ve protected your kingdom all these years. I’ve done more than you deserve.

Triton ground his teeth, fury boiling in his eyes.
—Coward! Now that things get tough, you slither away like a worm!
—Exactly, —he said without flinching—. Unlike you, I use my brain. You’ve only ever lived for revenge. Tell me, what have you achieved?

Silence turned to lead.
Then Triton’s trident rose, and his gaze turned crimson. A wild, ancient, devastating light flared in his eyes.
—No one leaves here, —he intoned in a guttural voice.

The stranger did not take a step back. Nor did he attack.
—Don’t do anything you’ll regret, —he warned in a low, lethal tone—. Remember your place… trash.

At that moment the whole kingdom seemed to breathe differently.
A dark energy erupted from the heart of Atlantis. It was not just power. It was hatred. Resentment coagulated into a form. A malignant tide spread through the submerged streets, rattling every brick in the city.

Even from a distance, Shun felt it.
—Looks like someone moved another piece on the board, —he murmured, frowning.
—Captain, —one of his men said over the radio—. Ships and submarines have been detected at the far side of the city.

Shun clenched his fists.
—They didn’t move one piece… —he corrected, bitter—. They moved the entire damn board. Quickly! Send every available troop to the critical points!
—Yes, Captain!

Shun breathed deeply. The threat was growing on every front. First Grek. Then Nork. Now Atlantis.
—Do we have them under surveillance too? —he thought, tasting bitterness—. Whoever that leader is, he’s no fool. He’s planning something on a massive scale.

—Shun, —a familiar voice called.
Joan of Arc stepped to his side, steady, still smiling.
—What are you thinking? Will you go yourself?
—Did you doubt it? —he replied, sharpening his gaze.
—You damn monster, —she said with a half-smile, then turned away.

Meanwhile, Unknown #39 felt something strange in the air.
A pressure weighed on his chest. It wasn’t pain. It was something deeper.
For the first time, his instinct screamed at him to flee.
—What is this feeling…? —he thought, sweat beading on his brow.
And he understood. In that moment, he was no longer the hunter.
He was the prey.

The stranger raced through the flooded tunnels of the sunken city, fleeing as if from a death sentence he could no longer escape.
—Damn you! —Triton roared, his energy surging as he prepared to pursue him— but before he could take a single step, a brutal force struck him, stopping him cold.

Poseidon had hit him with surgical precision—right where the poison still coursed through his veins.
—No… this can’t be… —Triton barely managed to stay on his feet.
—Sorry your grand plan went to hell in seconds, —Poseidon said, gasping for air—. But you made one mistake.
Triton glared at him, breathless and full of rage.
—What mistake?
—You thought I’d already given my hundred percent.

And then it happened.
A monstrous Zenka energy engulfed the city, darkening the natural light and swallowing all sound for a moment. It wasn’t just power—it was history, inheritance, fury unbound. The raw essence of the god of the seas, unleashed without filters or restraint.

From afar, Unknown 39 trembled.
—How is that possible…? —he thought, cold sweat dripping down his neck—. I used the deadliest poison I had. What the hell is that thing made of?
He didn’t have time to answer himself.

Shun appeared like lightning.
In less than a second, he was in front of him, unleashing a flurry of blows so fast and devastating that the stranger’s body could barely react. He was slammed into the ground, bouncing among the rubble like a rag doll.
—Talk! —Shun shouted, grabbing him by the throat—. What are you after here?
—You think I’ll tell you? Even if I die, Black Lights won’t stop. They’ll be stronger without me.
—Tell me! —Shun roared, his fury blazing. His eyes were blades, his will an invisible fist tearing at the soul.

The stranger looked into his eyes… and what he saw froze him: an unavoidable, savage, blood-soaked death. It was as if Shun wasn’t fighting for justice—but for something far darker.
—Good luck, kid… I think we’ll meet again soon, —he whispered.

And his body… exploded.

Shun stood frozen amid the burning embers of the blast, confused and furious.
But hundreds of meters below the sea, inside a submarine, the same stranger peeled off a charred glove and sighed.
—That was close… I’ll have to thank that idiot Puppet for this spare body. But we did it. We got what we came for.

Behind him, a chamber opened. Inside floated Atlantean weapons and ancient technology, glowing under greenish lights.
—The technology of an entire lost empire… now belongs to us.

Meanwhile, in the ruins of the palace, Poseidon rose like a titan—his body covered in radiant armor, blue markings glowing like burning veins beneath his skin.
Triton stepped back.
—What… what is this power?

From another tower, Shun watched in awe.
—Looks like up there… the real fight has begun, —he murmured.
—You failed? —asked Joan of Arc, appearing beside him.
—Yeah, —he replied with a bitter smile—. Guess I’m getting rusty.
—Now you’ll have to explain yourself to the king in person.
—Yeah, yeah… I know, —he sighed.

Back in the heart of the palace, Poseidon’s attacks rained down like meteors. Each blast of energy tore through pillars and walls. But Triton refused to yield. He charged, blocked, countered. He was a god at war—with no intent to fall.
—I told you! —Poseidon shouted, slamming Triton into the ground with a precise strike—. You only trust what you can see… never what you can’t.
—Die, damn you! —Triton bellowed, summoning a devastating technique—. Abyssal Trench!

A dark vortex opened beneath Poseidon, pulling everything into its depths—the bottomless pit of the ocean itself.
—It’s impossible for you to escape—

But the technique was torn apart—ripped open by an even more primal energy.
Poseidon emerged, striking relentlessly. Triton couldn’t keep up. His pupils trembled.
—Water Technique: The Call of Cthulhu!

Behind Poseidon, a colossal creature rose. Eight eyes. Tentacles made of pure energy. The echo of a deity from the abyss.
Triton had no time to flee.
The beast seized him.

And the entire kingdom collapsed with a final, thunderous roar.

Poseidon fell to his knees. The glowing marks spread across his body; his face had turned pale as marble.
—I can barely… breathe, —he murmured, spitting blood—. Looks like this ends in a draw, Triton.
—Why the hell… did you hide all that power?
—It’s… a long story…
—So we’ll die… buried under the very kingdom we both craved. How ironic…
—Yeah… seems that way, —he said, smiling faintly.

Both fell toward an inevitable fate.
But they weren’t alone.

From the shadows, someone was watching.
Zef.

—What are you doing here…? —Poseidon managed to say.

A few seconds earlier…
A voice had whispered inside his head.
“Kings, trapped. Help them.”

Zef didn’t understand. But he felt it. He turned—and in the ocean, he saw it.
A beast. Ancient. Gigantic. Familiar.
—You’re… the one from before. What are you doing here?
“Kings trapped.”
—That’s not my problem… if they die, it’s on them.
“Please… Your Majesty.”

Zef remembered Yohei’s words. He closed his eyes.
—Damn it…

Back to the present

The sea churned as if the whole world were shaking in a final sigh.
“Kraken…” Poseidon murmured, recognizing the colossal marine creature forcing its way through the ruins, like an ancient god answering a long-forgotten prayer.

Zef, both arms bloodied and his gaze steady, dragged his two enemies to the edge of the abyss.
“I already told you,” he said, his voice trembling but firm. “I hate you both. But letting you die would be a gift. I don’t want you to rest, I don’t want you freed. I want you to live. I want you to suffer, day after day, remembering every atrocity you committed.”

The Kraken’s eyes glowed with an almost human comprehension.
“So… let’s go.”

The palace, shattered inside and out, finally surrendered to the sea. Golden domes crumbled, columns fell in spirals, and roofs collapsed amid roaring sounds. Atlantis ceased to exist.

Zef shoved them toward the creature, which received them with a deep, mournful wail, as if even the Kraken understood the weight of what it was taking.

Moments later it surfaced from the depths.
“Where’s Zef?” Yohei asked, staring toward the waves.
“Right here,” a voice answered from behind him.

Everyone turned. Zef, soaked and breathing hard, emerged carrying the inert but still-living bodies of Poseidon and Triton.

Shun crossed his arms and smiled.
“Well… looks like we hauled in a big one. Get it? He… has fish features.”

Silence.
Shun sighed.
“No? Nobody? Damn, what a boring bunch…”

Mneseo glanced at Zef with restrained tenderness.
“Mother… you’d be proud. He looks like you.”

Sensing it, Zef closed his eyes for a moment and answered only in thought:
“Thanks, friend. I hope we meet again soon.”

The Kraken descended again into the depths, dragging the fallen kings with it.

Shun raised his voice and addressed the group.
“Thanks to everyone. This mission was hard… but it was worth every second. The king will know of your sacrifice. There will be rewards, of that you can be sure.”

“Captain,” a soldier said, “we’re ready to depart.”
“Then set course for Grek.”

The ships began to move, cutting across a sea stained by the dawn.

Ares, arms crossed, watched the horizon.
“Do you think we’ll ever finish this?” he asked.

Shun lowered his head and replied without thinking:
“Yes. We have a brave group. They… will end this war. We only have to guide them.”

Ares let out a half-smile.
“When you drop the idiot act, you’re kind of cool.”
“What did you say? That I’m cool? Say that again right now!”
“I lied. You’re still an idiot.”
“Hey, stop picking on me!”

They burst into laughter.

Yohei shot Zef a sidelong look.
“You’ve matured, little shark.”
“And that nickname? Since when do you care about me?”
“Shut up, idiot.”

Zef didn’t give up.
“Come on, don’t be shy. Wouldn’t it be better if you called me ‘sweetie’? After all, I was the best on this mission.”
“The best? You just cried for revenge the whole time! Who do you think you are? Sasuke?”
“Sasuke? Who’s that?”
“No idea…”

They laughed.

Then a soft voice cut through the air.
“Is it over…?” Yuki whispered.

Everyone turned. She, still weak, watched the sky from the deck.
“Yes,” Artemis answered as she approached. “It’s over.”
“Thank God…” Yuki murmured, closing her eyes.

The ships sailed toward the sunrise. For a moment, the sea was calm.

But not everything was at peace.

————————————

In a distant jungle, devoured by dense vegetation, the sun barely filtered through the treetops.
A shadow pushed open a rusted metal door.
“Here’s your food, damn prisoner. Ah… right. You can’t eat. What a pity.”

The shadow laughed as if the humiliation were a private joke.
“Good luck next time.”

He threw a plate on the floor and left.

The light revealed a gaunt young man chained up, skin clinging to bone. He did not speak. He did not cry. He simply stared, with a vacant but fixed look, as if waiting for something. Or someone.

“I will find you. I’m sure of it, brother,” Eden thought, looking on with eyes full of hatred and certainty.