The moment the spatial rift opened, the spatial force field between the two ends of the rift rapidly caved in, causing them to fold and overlap.
Therefore, when passing through a spatial rift, one wouldn't feel a significant passage of time. It was as if one had just walked through a door into another room.
With a loud "boom" and the echoing sound of underwater bubbles, Mikael immediately used Void barriers to create a spherical shield around Hua, preventing her from being crushed into a meat patty by the immense pressure of the deep sea.
As for himself, after becoming a Herrscher, even breathing wasn't necessary anymore. Water pressure was even less of a concern. He could even use the intensity of the water pressure to gauge the depth—"Is this about six or seven kilometers below the surface?"
In the deep sea, it should have been so dark that there was almost no light. But what Mikael saw was as bright as day.
Blue and pink corals were piled up, forming something like a castle. They emitted fluorescent light, illuminating the entire seabed and driving the schools of fish away. They dared only circle the huge light source from afar.
"Hoo... looks like my luck was good enough, and I wasn't ripped apart by space."
Although he said that, it was actually the result of using his spatial powers to protect them.
"Wait, this place is..." It was clear that these sights were overlapping with a certain scene in Mikael's memory. But before the overlapping process could be completed, the surrounding seawater visibly began to boil.
Kalpas couldn't speak. The immense pressure of the seawater further aggravated his injuries, and blood kept seeping from his wounds, dyeing the surrounding seawater crimson. Two bold sharks followed the scent of blood and rushed over, but they were cooked before they could even get close. Their eyes rolled back, and they floated upwards.
If Mikael hadn't been able to completely understand Kalpas's thoughts before, then after taking a breath, he had roughly figured it out.
Kalpas hated him, but it wasn't because he had destroyed his so-called home. He knew that he hadn't summoned those Honkai beasts. He knew that all the disasters were a result of the villagers' own actions...
But he still hated Mikael. He hated him for not helping, for watching the Honkai beasts kill one villager after another for over ten seconds without even blinking.
"Kalpas... I'm sorry..."
By the time that voice reached Kalpas through the seawater, it was already a muffled and blurry sound.
In response, he only sneered contemptuously.
Although he didn't say anything, Mikael understood the meaning behind that sneer—If an apology had any effect, why would revenge even exist?
"Looks like I'll have to knock you out and take you back, and throw you to someone to give you some loving education..."
Kalpas had no chance of winning. Not to mention anything else, he didn't have the ability to survive underwater for long. Mikael could simply stall for time until he was dizzy from a lack of oxygen.
But there was no need. Mikael had decided to end this quickly.
He suddenly disappeared from his location, and appeared behind Kalpas in an instant. Kalpas reacted quickly, and he had already experienced similar attacks many times, so he knew what to expect. He threw a punch behind him almost the moment Mikael disappeared.
But when Mikael ended his phase shift, he didn't hesitate at all. He didn't plan to take Kalpas's punch head-on, but instead quickly turned into lightning and leapt above Kalpas's head.
Hua only heard a sound that vaguely sounded like "a crow on a plane" mixed with the sound of thunder. Then a ray of light struck straight down. Mikael and Kalpas's figures penetrated the entire "coral palace" from above.
Seawater surged in all directions. The sand and coral that had shattered into powder at the bottom of the sea flew toward them, but it was blocked by the Void barrier. However, the impact could not be completely negated. The spherical Void barrier was swept back by the waves like a rootless duckweed.
But Hua had her own way of dealing with it. She stood in the small sphere and ran quickly. The whole sphere began to roll forward and downward, and quickly returned to its original position—if you ignored the hamster-wheel-like feeling, it was actually a good method.
The seabed gradually calmed down. Hua, with nothing to do, sat down in the small sphere with her hands propping up her chin, and started to let her mind wander.
"Just as I thought... I'm not useful at all... I'm just constantly being saved by Mikael... I'm just constantly being a burden..."
Hua suddenly stood up, which made the spherical barrier unstable.
But none of that mattered. What was important was--why was it so quiet!
An ominous premonition rose from the bottom of her heart—no matter who had won, there should be some sort of movement, right? What's more, how could Mikael lose?
Suddenly, a ripple came from the seawater behind her. She turned back and saw that the spatial rift had opened again, right against the Void barrier. A figure flew out from it, and fell right into the Void barrier.
The white-haired youth heard the call, and tried his best to open his eyes, despite feeling dizzy. A familiar figure was spinning in front of him, slowly becoming clear:
"No, what's going on here? How did we go from Europe directly to the bottom of the sea! No, no! How can I even breathe? Am I dreaming?"
Hua used a one-inch punch to hit Kevin on the head, and he immediately quieted down.
"I heard that you became a unit leader. I didn't expect you to still be so jumpy."
Hua tilted her head, looking at Kevin, whom she hadn't seen in six months...
He didn't seem to have grown up at all...
"Hey! Can you little kid not talk to me in the tone of an old fossil! You're clearly so small..."
"One-Inch Punch: Open the Heavens!"
Hua retracted her fist, inexplicably feeling that what Kevin had just said sounded familiar.
"So, what's going on here... Hey! That's right! This barrier was made by Mikael, right? Where is he? Why can't I see him?"
Hua silently shook her head, turning to look at the coral castle.
But Kevin kept rambling:
"Was the thing that you were fighting last night that Honkai beast? I don't think so! With Mikael's strength, even if it was an Emperor-class Honkai beast, he should be able to finish it off quickly, right?"
"Well, we... Mikael's opponent wasn't actually a Honkai beast. It was a... man?"
"Huh? Another Herrscher?"
"No..." Hua shook her head, unsure of how to describe the man that Mikael called Kalpas.
She struggled to find the right words, "He probably isn't a Herrscher. According to Mikael... he had been around for a long time, and for the past few years, he had been tied to a pole and had his blood drained... The ice and injuries couldn't kill him, and he still had the strength to fight Mikael... so, I actually don't know how to define him biologically. All I can say is, he looks like a man."
Kevin instinctively reached towards his ears, only to find that the communication device was gone. Of course, even if it hadn't been lost, it would be impossible to contact Mei from the bottom of the sea.
"So, back to that question, where is Mikael?"
"I don't know... He fought with that man, and then there hasn't been any movement."
Hua stood up again and pointed to the coral castle in front of them.
The two transformed into hamsters again, pushing the Void barrier toward the coral. With Kevin's micro-management, the spherical barrier fell down into a pit created by the battle...
"Wait! How is there another hole here!"
"Void barrier break..."
A huge whirlpool began to spin, like the eyeball of a giant. It easily swallowed the two figures, and the pale purple light dimmed.
Below the whirlpool in the deep sea, was another unfathomable ocean. Future generations would give it the most fitting name--