Darkness surged from Lloyd's palm like a curtain of pure night, spreading outward with the intent to engulf the entire Noah.
That colossal ship from a bygone age no longer deserved to remain, Lloyd thought, its purpose nothing more than a relic of empty promises. He would erase the mark Joy Boy left on this world, make that so‑called promise meaningless once and for all.
But just as the shadows were about to devour Noah, a vast and mysterious form suddenly cast itself over the whole of Fish‑Man Island.
Lloyd's motion froze. He lifted his gaze to the sky and saw numerous enormous heads suspended above, each connected to an unimaginably large serpent‑like body.
They were Giant Sea Kings — massive aquatic creatures that inhabited the oceans and were far more than mindless beasts.
Every resident of Fish‑Man Island saw these terrifying figures. In that moment, all were frozen as if gripped by lead in their veins, unable to even move a single muscle.
Outside the gates of Dragon Palace City, Otohime stood looking up at the giants above her, whispering in confusion,
"What is this…?"
In that moment, only Lloyd, who was closest to the approaching Sea Kings, remained composed. His gaze was calm, showing not even the slightest ripple of surprise.
He spoke in his cool, measured voice,
"Have you finally decided to show yourselves? Those lesser beasts sent earlier… were they your doing?"
One Giant Sea King, with a massive bird‑like beak, shook its head and opened its mouth repeatedly, trying to convey something.
Lloyd was no Sea King, nor did he possess the mythical Voice of All Things. He could not understand their speech, or the telepathic link they shared with one another.
Unable to comprehend the message, Lloyd stopped trying. With a flick of his wrist, the darkness he controlled fully engulfed Noah, causing the Sea Kings to grow restless. Their eyes glowed with a deep crimson glare aimed straight at Lloyd.
Without hesitation, the Sea King with the bird‑like beak signaled its brethren, and all the Giant Sea Kings surged toward Lloyd.
Their vast forms were enormous enough that their swift advance stirred powerful undercurrents, causing the entire Fish‑Man Island to shudder noticeably.
Lloyd offered a cold snort, swinging his arm violently. The shadow‑swallowed Noah lifted like a weapon and was hurled toward the charging beasts with crushing force.
The impact was brutal. The sheer size and momentum of the ship's fragments smashed into the Sea Kings, sending splintered wood and arcs of crimson blood raining down in a chaotic deluge.
Lloyd calmly waved his hand again, and fresh darkness surged outward, consuming every fragment and drop of blood.
Although the Sea Kings were not grievously wounded, the attack ignited their fury. They bellowed with rage and closed in again, intent on crushing the human who dared assault them.
Suddenly, from the depths of the surrounding shadows, massive tendrils of dark energy sprouted behind Lloyd, coiling like serpentine chains around the necks of the towering Sea Kings.
Though shapeless, the darkness possessed an overwhelming pull. No matter how violently the Sea Kings thrashed and struggled, they could not break themselves free. The sea churned and boiled with each twisting motion, sending spiraling currents through the surface waters that threatened to overturn Fish‑Man Island like a boat in a storm.
Faced with imminent danger to their home, the Sea Kings eventually stilled, their great bodies floating motionless in Lloyd's grasp.
Being restrained like helpless beasts humbled these intelligent ocean guardians, yet there was nothing they could do.
Lloyd surveyed the massive captives before him. A sinister smirk curled at the edge of his lips as he addressed them in a cold voice,
"Beasts should remember their place. Do any of you truly believe you are heroes destined to save the world? In truth, you are merely tools, nothing more."
The Sea Kings glared at him, their enormous mouths opening and closing as though they wished to tear him apart. But what they were actually doing was communicating with one another — something Lloyd could not understand, but which demonstrated their collective intelligence.
The Sea King with the bird‑beak thrust its great neck forward, mouth wide as if conveying a defiant declaration. Lloyd merely laughed, as though he knew exactly what it intended to say.
"You think you can challenge fate? You have waited eight hundred years, and all of it will amount to nothing! Watch how this age ends, then see whose resolve stands strongest! Ha ha ha!"
As Lloyd's laughter echoed, his body suddenly warped. He twisted into a swirling vortex of shadow and vanished, leaving behind a temporal void where he had stood. Instantly, the dark tendrils that bound the Sea Kings dissolved as well.
But the giants did not feel relief. They hovered silently, exchanging thoughts among themselves in their own language.
"What kind of being was that human?
Could he be tied to the ancient prophecies?"
"The Noah has been destroyed, does that mean the promise was false?"
"The next sovereign … will she still be born?"
"And what of the one called Poseidon?"
"No — the prophecy cannot be wrong. What just happened must be the variable!"
"The world was following the words of old… until now."
After a tense pause, their attention drifted down toward Fish‑Man Island. Many felt only fear and uncertainty as they surveyed the trembling island below, surrounded now by roiling waters.
Ironically, the people of Fish‑Man Island looked upon the Sea Kings with nothing but terror. In their hearts, some silently wished for Lloyd to reappear and subdue these colossal beasts.
After several moments of exchange, the Sea Kings turned and began to swim back into the dark depths of the ocean floor, disappearing one by one into the vast darkness below.