Sea God Palace.
"Your children still aren't good enough, Poseidon. I warned you long ago that relying solely on talent and ignoring hard work and dedication wouldn't work," Melin said.
Poseidon clenched his jaw tightly, unable to refute. Everything Melin said was true. Since the age of myth, his Mariners had always been among the best humans of their time. Yet, despite this, they were always thoroughly beaten by the Saints chosen by Melin.
History repeated itself—his seven Marine Generals had all been defeated. Except for [Sea Witch] Surant, who barely survived due to Saga showing mercy, the other six were all killed in battle.
The sacred pillars had all collapsed, and once again, all of Poseidon's plans had been completely crushed by Melin and his Saints.
"Now it's our turn, Poseidon. Are you ready to face death?"
Melin stood up, his divine armor now worn, twin blades in hand. His previous gentleness was gone, replaced with a burning battle spirit.
"Hmph! It's still not certain who will live and who will die!" Poseidon also stood, the tip of his Trident of the Sea God pointed at Melin.
"Divine Annihilation Slash!"
"Trident of the Sea God!"
…
…
A radiant rainbow cross-shaped sword beam clashed with the deep blue oceanic spear. The ground shattered, tides surged, and even the entirety of Atlantis began to tremble violently.
…
"That's… Lord Melin fighting Poseidon! I need to go—"
"Garon, stop!"
"Brother!"
"This is Lord Melin's battle. What we need to do now is bring the others back to the surface and wait for his return," said Saga, looking at the others behind him and speaking to Garon.
Garon followed Saga's gaze and clenched his teeth.
"Damn it!"
Other than himself, Saga, and Camus, the Saints were all injured. Even Aiolos had taken a heavy hit. The rest had damaged Cloths and wounds everywhere. Two Bronze Saints were even unconscious.
"Garon, believe in Lord Melin. We will definitely win this battle." Saga patted Garon's shoulder.
"…Alright." Garon could only nod reluctantly.
…
"Looks like you've recovered well, Poseidon. Your strength hasn't diminished."
"Hmph! Cut the nonsense! Take this! 'Ocean Boundless!'"
The sea surged and roared. Massive waves surrounded Melin from all directions, each wave carrying the force to shatter the earth.
"Blade Storm!"
Melin's expression remained unchanged. His wings spread behind him, and countless feathers transformed into blades, forming a storm of slicing wind that shredded wave after wave of ocean fury.
"Haaa~!"
"Haaa~!"
The two roared. Their cosmos burned brighter and brighter, soon reaching the peak.
The sea calmed, the storm stopped. Other than a fine layer of sweat on their foreheads, neither showed any change.
"Hahaha! I haven't fought this well in ages! Again! 'Ocean Boundless!'"
"The same move won't work on me again, Poseidon! 'Blade Storm!'"
Waves and storm collided again, sending shockwaves across the battlefield. Atlantis was plowed over and over like farmland.
"Hahaha, it's no use, Melin! This is the sea—my domain! The waters are endless and inexhaustible. How long can you keep up? Hahahaha…" Poseidon laughed triumphantly as Melin's Blade Storm began to weaken.
"I don't need to keep up."
Suddenly, Melin's voice came from behind Poseidon—unnaturally and impossibly.
"What—?!"
"Divine Annihilation Slash!"
Splurt~
Just as Poseidon turned, he was sliced cleanly in half. His shocked expression froze on his face.
Though Poseidon seemed to have been slain, Melin's face remained unchanged.
"So, you've taken a liking to these little tricks too, Poseidon. 'Divine Annihilation Slash!'"
Another rainbow blade arc slashed toward what appeared to be empty space nearby.
Clang—
Sparks burst from thin air. In the next moment, Poseidon was forced out of hiding, retreating a long distance before stopping.
The "Poseidon" Melin had just split in two dissolved into seawater.
"Hmph, you dare accuse me?" Poseidon scoffed.
In that moment of ambush, he'd created a clone from seawater and hidden himself. But Melin had used a massive collision of powers to obscure perception and cosmos senses, then used the chaos to strike from behind.
"Heh, you're a bit better than Ares. He didn't dodge that slash," Melin said, tilting his head.
"So Ares really was killed by you, Melin. As his uncle, I must avenge him."
"Bullshit. An uncle who was always plotting to stab him in the back?"
"Silence! 'Trident of the Sea God!'"
"Divine Annihilation Slash!"
The oceanic spear and rainbow blade clashed again. Blow after blow, neither could gain the upper hand.
Eventually, they separated again. Melin looked slightly weakened, but uninjured. Poseidon, on the other hand, had grown paler. His divine armor bore two shallow sword marks, and even the Trident of the Sea God—an artifact of the gods—had lost its tip and now had a crack along its shaft.
"Damn it…" Poseidon cursed, confused. Melin hadn't fully regained his prime strength, they should have been equals. But somehow, Melin's recovery was faster, and his strikes remained just as sharp and penetrating as ever.
"There's no choice… I must activate the final plan."
Though at a disadvantage, Poseidon had no intention of fleeing. As Melin said—he was a god, and a god must have pride. Atlantis was his domain and sacred ground. Abandoning it would strip him of all honor. Even if he defeated Melin in the future, he would no longer deserve the title of god.
If he couldn't take it with him, he would destroy it completely. If he lived, he could rebuild Atlantis. If he died, then Atlantis would die with him.
As Poseidon's cosmos flared violently, Melin frowned. The deeper he sensed, the more concerned he became. With Poseidon's cosmos surging, Atlantis itself began to tremble.
"Poseidon! You're actually…"
"Melin, this time, it's either your death—or my life!" Poseidon's cosmos burned even hotter. He even began to burn his divine soul to forcefully boost his power.
"This is your resolve?" Melin asked seriously.
"That's right! I am Poseidon, God of the Sea! Melin! Let's end this!" As Poseidon roared, all of Atlantis began to disintegrate into atoms, turning into pure energy that surged into his body.
"Trident… of the Sea God!"
His body enlarged, towering like a god. A colossal spear thrust forward with power that shattered space itself.
"In that case… I won't hold back either." As Melin spoke, his twin blades merged into a greatsword. "You're the first to witness this, Poseidon—a new path, a true path for humanity. Divine Annihilation Slash! Haaa!"
The greatsword was raised overhead—then swung down.
Time, space… all existence froze. The wind stopped blowing. The water ceased to flow.
One second later, the world moved again. But the massive Trident of the Sea God had stopped just in front of Melin. Poseidon remained in his striking pose.
Splurt~
The Trident, along with its immense energy, was cleaved cleanly in half. Even the sea was split by the strike.
Poseidon's divine armor split down the center, then crumbled, turned to dust, and finally disintegrated into atoms.
Poseidon's spiritual form drifted out of his body and began to dissolve from the feet up.
"What… is this?"
"The true path forward for humanity. The Great Cosmos—also called Omega."
"The path of humanity… I see! I see! Hahahaha… Melin, you really hid this well! Hahaha…"
"If I didn't hide it, would any of you have let me live?"
"Heh… of course not! My greatest regret was not killing you before you became strong."
"I warned you, Poseidon. Once you miss the chance, you'll never get another."
"Heh… hahahaha… what a pity… what a shame…"
As his laughter faded, Poseidon's divine soul completely dissipated. His final words—whether a blessing for the victor or a hopeful whisper for the future—lingered:
"Move forward… humanity… I look forward…"
With his soul gone, the human body possessed by Poseidon fell from the sky. Melin reached out and caught it.
Poseidon was truly gone. The host was now just an ordinary human—there was no need to kill him.
Looking at the destroyed Atlantis, the sea now rushing in without the divine shield, Melin committed the final scene to memory before soaring into the sky and escaping through the still-open rift.
…
Saga, Garon, and the others hadn't returned to Sanctuary yet. They were waiting at the shore.
"This cosmos—it's Lord Melin!"
"Poseidon's cosmos has disappeared. We won! Lord Melin won!"
"We… are victorious!"
"Ohhh~!"
Amid the cheers, Melin landed in front of them. Other than slightly unsteady steps, he bore no injuries, bringing relief to everyone.
"My lord!"
"Lord Melin!"
Everyone gathered around him—full of concern and excitement.
"Let's go back. We're not the only ones who should be celebrating," Melin said.
"Yes!"
Before their triumphant return, Melin glanced at the sky. Though it was noon, the sky was pitch black. Star-like trails streaked downward like falling comets, and the air itself was filled with sorrow.
"Another old acquaintance… never to be seen again."