"Old man, why don't you let me play?"
Yami's face darkened slightly as he replied in a low tone, "I still have something big planned."
"Oh, you're so confident! I and the audience outside are really looking forward to this fight! It would be boring if it ended too soon."
Outside the Underwater Temple, the match was being projected onto a massive magic screen. The villagers gathered around, cheering and gasping with excitement.
Could this thrilling game really just be about the contestants inside?
"Old man, you sure know a lot!"
Bang!
Yami burst out laughing, clinking his glass with the old man's. The two seemed to be scheming together.
"A priest wearing a mask?"
Just as Adam was about to dive into the lake, he spotted a man wearing a pufferfish mask standing at the shore.
"Let's finish one objective first!"
"Dragon Blast!"
Adam jumped and transformed back into his human form mid-air. A blinding beam of light shot from his hand.
"Ah!"
The "fathead fish" priest, with his back to the lake, didn't even have time to react before the blast struck him squarely, sending him flying with a scream.
"That's cheating! How could he sneak attack like that?!"
The High Priest in the viewing chamber shouted in outrage, disapproving of Adam's tactics.
"Haha, old man, this is called deception in war!"
Yami laughed heartily. He even wanted to make a bet with Master Whitebeard — 10,000 Yuls on the Black Bulls to win.
"Haha, what rank are the mages in your squad?" the High Priest asked, smiling.
"They're all inferior, old man," Yami replied, smirking. He didn't expect this old guy to know the Magic Knights' rank structure in such a remote place.
"My priests, if measured by Magic Knight standards, are at least—"
Before the High Priest could finish, the score instantly changed from 10–9 to 10–5.
Asta, Gauche, Luck, and Magna had swiftly defeated their opponents.
"Their strength isn't inferior at all, haha!" Yami was overjoyed — for once, the Bulls were actually winning.
"Haha, the best part's yet to come! My three great priests are all high-level mages!"
Meanwhile, Adam swam deeper into the ocean, following the guidance of the jade pendant. The thrill of exploration made his tail flick instinctively.
Adam — the "merman"!
The chaotic battle didn't stop just because Adam had temporarily left.
After defeating a priest, Asta encountered the High Priest himself — the man's overwhelming mana pressure pulled enemies toward him like a magnet.
Finral was still hiding, being chased by a strange monster summoned by the High Priest.
Charmy, meanwhile, enjoyed a seafood feast at the beach, freshly prepared by Chef Sheep — her life was far more relaxed than Captain Yami's.
But after eating, Charmy felt sleepy and drifted off to a lullaby sung by Kahono.
Vanessa, the drunken witch, surprisingly managed to eliminate an opponent.
Grey transformed into a crab, hoping to outlast everyone else since she didn't have much attack power.
Noelle crossed paths with Kahono, while Gauche was still wandering around.
Magna and Luck made it to the temple's core, where they encountered Gifso, the High Priest's son and the strongest warrior of the Underwater Temple.
"The Iron Hammer of the Sea God!"
"Thunder Armor!"
"Fireball!"
Gifso conjured a massive water hammer while Luck and Magna unleashed their attacks, escalating the battle's intensity.
Boom!
A massive explosion shook the temple as Vetto, one of the Three Eyes of the Midnight Sun, burst in.
A terrifying wave of mana surrounded him as he smashed Geo aside with a single blow.
"Feel despair, insects!"
Yami shot up from his seat, his voice sharp and commanding.
"Old man, the game's entering its second stage — let me in!"
Adam had no idea how long he'd been swimming. The darkness swallowed everything around him.
"What... is that?"
A faint blue light appeared in the distance. As Adam swam closer, he accidentally swallowed a mouthful of seawater. The jade pendant on his chest suddenly flared with a brilliant red glow, pulling him forward.
Blue glowing pages!
With a loud boom, the seabed lit up. A massive whirlpool surged from the glowing pages — testing the courage of anyone daring enough to approach.
"Dragon Blast!"
Though his Monkey Talisman power was suppressed underwater, Adam's Dragon Power grew even stronger.
Shooting powerful energy beams behind him, he propelled himself forward.
"It's not enough!"
He poured even more power into his body, his eyes blazing like molten gold. He reached out with one trembling hand, his lungs burning — his limit was near.
Was this the end?
No!
Angry Dragon, grant me the power to claim everything!
The golden grimoire burst into radiant light, its dragon emblem's eyes glowing fiercely.
Perfect Dragon Power — unleashed!
He grasped the blue page, and a surge of blue mana flooded into his body. The entire magic barrier trembled violently, as if the sea gods themselves were enraged.
"Is the Sea God angry?"
"What's happening?!"
"Don't panic! The High Priest will protect us!"
The villagers outside were thrown into chaos, praying desperately for divine protection.
But… was there really a god listening?
Inside the temple, everyone froze. Even Vetto stopped moving for a moment.
Fortunately, the tremors ceased after fifteen seconds.
"Midnight Sun bastards, look what you've done! Even the gods of the sea can't stand you!" Magna shouted furiously.
This monster's magic was even more terrifying than their leader's — this was going to be brutal.
"Unruly invader! You've angered the Lord Sea God!" Gifso roared, dragging himself up, refusing to back down.
"Haha! Stupid bug, you're still conscious?"
Vetto grinned wickedly. The quake hadn't fazed him — he treated it as a mere inconvenience.
Even if the entire sea collapsed, he could easily blast his way out.
Vetto, the embodiment of despair, loved watching his victims cling to hope… only to crush it.
"You lot, spread out! Spread despair!"
The four white-robed cultists behind Vetto immediately scattered.
Vetto's grin widened as he faced Gifso, his bestial aura erupting.
"Bug — feel the despair of being crushed!"
"Water Magic: Sea God's Iron Hammer!"
Gifso swung his colossal water hammer down at Vetto.
"Beast Magic: Rhino Armor!"
Vetto's magic wrapped around him like living armor, rendering Gifso's attack useless.
"It didn't even scratch him!" Gifso gasped in horror.
Vetto lunged forward, smirking.
"Beast Magic: Bear Paw!"
One strike sent Gifso flying. Magna and Luck didn't even have time to react before they were smashed aside too.
Watching his squad fall, Yami's patience snapped. He drew his katana, his killing intent flaring.
"Dark Magic: Nameless Slash!"
The blade sliced through the temple wall — only for Yami to realize the space itself was wrapped in magic.
"Foreign warrior, you'll be my main course. I'll save you for last," Vetto's voice echoed through the chamber.
Yami's expression hardened, his instincts screaming danger.
"The despair of watching your comrades die will make the meal even sweeter!"
Vetto seemed to see Yami through the light curtain. His grin twisted into something feral.
"You bug named Adam — get out here!!"
"Ahhh! Who's thinking about me?"