At the North Atlantic Pillar, Galan arrived, his face wearing a stern expression that he had never shown in front of Melin.
"You've come? Galan."
"You know me?" Galan was momentarily surprised by Sea Dragon Kxet's greeting.
"Ever since I put on the Sea Dragon Scales, I knew—we were destined to meet one day. And… only one of us can survive," Sea Dragon Kxet said.
"Oh? Interesting. Are you a prophet now?" Galan smirked mockingly.
He didn't believe a word of Kxet's and treated it as nothing more than pre-battle chatter.
"It's the Scale that told me." Kxet looked down at the armor and continued, "It said it had a feeling… that you're the one who's supposed to be its true master."
"Hah?" Galan froze, thinking this had to be the most ridiculous joke he'd ever heard.
"That's why I've been looking forward to meeting you, Galan. I wanted to see the person who's constantly on my Scale's mind." Kxet emphasized "my." "But what a disappointment. You're just… a weak Silver Saint? I can't imagine why the Sea Dragon Scale thinks you should be its master."
Though Galan was still a little confused, once Kxet belittled him, he ignored all the nonsense and chose to answer with his fists—to show who was weak and who was strong.
"Then let's find out if this 'weak' Silver Saint is strong or not! Galactic Explosion!"
Eager to prove himself, Galan opened with Galactic Explosion. A rift in space tore open, and planet after planet flew out like bombs toward Sea Dragon Kxet.
"What?! Tornado Ocean Wall!"
Kxet was startled by Galan's sudden aggression. He summoned a sea tornado before him to form a wall, shredding the incoming planetary bombardment.
"This doesn't make sense—when did Silver Saints get this strong?" Kxet cursed as he defended himself.
The bombardment ended, and the sea tornado dissipated after reaching its limit, dispersing into pure energy.
"Well? The power of a Silver Saint." Galan taunted with a smirk.
"You…"
"I'm not done yet! Galactic Explosion!"
"Again?!"
Faced with another wave of planets, Kxet didn't hesitate to deploy his Tornado Ocean Wall again.
Spiraling winds, blade-like seawater, and shockwaves from exploding planets reduced the surrounding palace to rubble. Even the pillar began to tremble.
"This won't do. At this rate, even if I win, I lose!" Kxet now took Galan seriously and decided to change tactics.
Bringing his fists together at his waist, he threw them forward like lightning.
Twin Dragons Choke!
Two massive blue dragons formed from the sea burst through the tornado wall, devouring the incoming planets and even tearing apart the dimensional rift. Then they lunged toward Galan with gaping maws.
"Heh, now this is more like it! Black Rock Eruption!"
With Galan's punch, a volcanic fireball erupted skyward, colliding with the two sea dragons. The dragons evaporated before they could even make contact.
The evaporated seawater formed a fine mist, casting a veil of haze over the North Atlantic Pillar.
"Hah~ As expected of the strongest among the Generals—now that's a fight." Galan exhaled and smiled. This was the battle he desired—not a massacre, not a spar, but a true life-or-death clash between powerful warriors.
With the lingering heat of the Black Rock Eruption, the mist quickly cleared, and both sides saw each other again.
"Galan, you're strong. You might even surpass a Gold Saint," Kxet admitted.
"I do fight at the level of a Gold Saint, but there are still several monsters out there stronger than me. I'm not quite on their level." Galan replied calmly.
"Is that so? Sanctuary truly is terrifying. But it ends here—meeting me was your biggest mistake! Sea Dragon… Tidal Punch!"
A sea dragon triple the size of the last burst from beneath Galan, its jaws closing around him.
"When did—?!"
"It's over, Galan. Dying by my hand should be an honor for you."
Splat
After one final glance at the shredded Galan, Kxet turned to return to the pillar. The fight had taken a toll—he needed to recover before facing more enemies.
But… was it really over?
"Hey. Where do you think you're going?"
"Wha—?!"
Galan's voice rang out again, making Kxet whip around. His pupils contracted as he saw Galan standing completely unharmed in the same spot, looking at him with scorn.
"How is this possible?! You were clearly…"
"Who knows?"
"Damn it! If I could kill you once, I can do it again—"
"You might want to look at your feet first."
"What the… no way—AHHH!"
As Kxet looked down, the same sea dragon that had just devoured Galan suddenly lunged up and bit into him.
"Let go… this can't—AHH!" As the dragon tore into him, Kxet could only scream, the sound of his body being ripped apart drowning out everything else.
"AHHH!"
The moment he was shredded, Kxet suddenly woke up, drenched in sweat. He was standing exactly where he had been, as if nothing had happened. If not for the destroyed palace, one would think there had been no battle.
"How does it feel? Getting torn apart by your own technique?" Galan stood arms crossed, staring at Kxet.
"It was an illusion! When?!" Kxet finally realized what had happened—somewhere along the line, he had been pulled into an illusion.
"Demon Emperor Illusion Fist. How's the taste? I hid it in one of the planets." Galan said.
"Despicable coward…"
"Despicable? Heh… hahahaha… That's the funniest thing I've ever heard. Despicable? You dare call me that?" Galan's expression darkened. "Threatening civilians isn't despicable? Launching surprise attacks and tsunamis around the world isn't despicable? Slaughtering innocents and enjoying it isn't despicable? Turning into your enemy's most precious person isn't despicable?"
With every step Galan took forward, Kxet trembled and stepped back. The accusations hit him in the soul.
He wanted to protest—it wasn't him. He had wanted to resist. But it was Poseidon's order—he had no choice.
But regardless of the reasons, the Sea Generals' vile acts were undeniable.
"I believe strength is justice. The means don't matter as long as you defeat your enemies. But even I don't think slaughtering innocents is something to be proud of!"
"You…"
"You don't deserve to be called a warrior."
"Shut up! You won't shake me! I am Sea Dragon Kxet! The strongest General! Poseidon's most loyal warrior! You are the enemy! And enemies must die! Sea Dragon Tidal Punch!"
"The moment you were hit by the Demon Emperor Illusion Fist, you already lost. Black Rock Eruption!"
This time, the molten planet vaporized the sea dragon before it could even open its mouth, then slammed into Kxet.
"Ugh… AHHH!!!"
The Sea Dragon Scales shattered. Kxet's body, scorched and twitching, fell before the pillar, his eyes unfocused.
"Why… why… won't you acknowledge me… You were… my Scale… since I was a child…" As his consciousness faded, Kxet murmured his last words. "Since I was a child… I was always… the best… I had to be… Why would a Silver Saint… earn your favor… Tell me… Scale… tell… me…"
"So that's your obsession? Hah. Pathetic."
Galan sneered. In his eyes, the Sea Dragon Scale that Kxet obsessed over was worthless—not even worth the trouble of trading in as scrap.
The Silver Cloth of the Constellation of the Dark Son wasn't just his armor—it was the first gift he received from the awakened Melin, whom he deeply respected. Compared to that, the Scale was nothing but junk.
But then, something stirred. The fragments of the Sea Dragon Scale suddenly burst into golden light.
"What the—ugh!"
Bathed in golden light, a flood of memories that didn't belong to him—but felt eerily familiar—poured into Galan's mind.
"This! This is—!"
Galan stood in shock as he absorbed the memories.
He saw himself not receiving the Dark Son Cloth, not becoming a Saint, even pushing Saga to assassinate Athena and start a rebellion.
"No! Stop! Stop it!"
The pain overwhelmed him, making him drop to his knees and clutch his head.
Then he saw himself imprisoned, suffering in jail. He saw himself personally breaking Poseidon's seal, becoming the Sea General Sea Dragon, and donning the Scale.
"This isn't me! Stop! This isn't me!"
As Galan's psyche teetered on collapse, the Mask of Darkness hidden within him emerged and attached itself to his face.
A warm current rushed through him, instantly relieving the splitting pain in his mind.
"Hah… hah…" Sweat dripped from his face as Galan gasped for air.
"Yes, that's right… No matter what these memories are, Melin isn't in them!" Galan was elated. That meant—these memories weren't his! He was Galan, the Silver Saint of the Dark Son—not the Sea General Sea Dragon Galan!
"Thanks, pal. I almost fell for it." Galan patted the Mask of Darkness in gratitude.
Buzz buzz buzz~
"Yes yes yes, I got it! Black Rock Eruption!"
The molten fireball smashed the North Atlantic Pillar to pieces. The intense heat melted a massive crater—along with the remnants of the Sea Dragon Scale.
"That's the end, right? Wait—ow ow! Let go!" Galan's head started hurting again, but this time it wasn't from a psychic attack—it was because the Mask of Darkness was clamping his face.
Mask of Darkness: Not only did you embarrass us, but you even doubted my dad? I'll crush you!