Chapter 275: Greetings!

The last ripples of the shockwave faded into the horizon.

Steam hissed where abyssal ichor met seawater. Fractured stone slabs slowly settled back into place or slid into the tide with heavy splashes. The corrosive scent in the air began thinning, though faint black streaks still marbled the surface of the ocean like veins beneath skin.

Albedo stood with Havoc and Ruin resting loosely at his sides.

Wind pulled at his cloak.

Behind him, the Titan exhaled slowly, releasing the broken claw she had been bracing against. It toppled into the sea with a thunderous crash.

For several seconds, none of them spoke, Albedo just looking at the injured duo as he waited for them to say anything.

Then, finally.

“Thank you.”

The Mermaid said, pushing herself upright in the shallow basin.

Her silver-blue tail shimmered faintly under the moonlight, scales catching bioluminescent reflections from the distant forest edge. Blood still streaked along her side, but her aura, though weakened, remained very refined and Noble.

The Mermaid inclined her head despite the amount of pain she was feeling and continued, “I owe you my life. We both do,”

The Titan beside her straightened despite the wound at her ribs. Even compressed into a human frame, she radiated density, like a mountain forced into mortal proportions. Golden hair whipped around her shoulders as she studied him with sharp, assessing eyes.

“…You handled three Peak Amethyst Abyssals without hesitation,” she said evenly. “That was no small feat.”

Albedo shrugged lightly, “I just heard you calling for help and ran over, not like it was a big problem or anything,” he muttered to them.

The mermaid’s lips curved faintly, “I am Mera,” she said, placing a hand over her chest, “Princess of the Western Tides, though I’m sure you realized that from me being a Mermaid and my hair-color,”

She paused, watching his reaction carefully and Albedo nodded. Pink was the color of Royalty for the Mermaids, so any Mermaid with Pink hair was known to be a Noble one. Plus he recognized her from the Novel.

“And this is Elektra. Daughter of the Highstone Line of the Titans.”

Elektra crossed her arms loosely over her chest.

“Best friend,” she added bluntly.

The ocean breeze shifted as Albedo nodded.

In the novel, those two were Best Friends as well. It was well known that the Mermaids and Titans had maintained close relations for years.

Mera tilted her head slightly as she saw him.

“…Are you Albedo?”

Her eyes flicked briefly to Havoc and Ruin.

“You know me?” Albedo muttered, a bit surprised.

“We’ve heard about a human from Zephyr Academy wielding twin black pistols with anomalous casting patterns. You’re actually quite famous in our circles already,” Mera replied.

“…News travels fast.” Albedo muttered as he heard that, refocusing his attention on their injuries, “What are you doing out here?”

Mera’s fingers tightened slightly against the rock. Her earlier softness hardened as she responded, “For the past three months,” she began quietly, “Mermaids have been disappearing.”

The wind seemed to still as Albedo listened,”Disappearing?”

“Patrol units. Scouts. Even civilian swimmers near outer reefs.” Her voice trembled once, but steadied, “At first we believed it to be rogue sea predators. But no remains were found or even any blood or disrupted ecosystems,”

Elektra continued for her.

“Then abyssal residue started appearing.”

Albedo’s gaze sharpened.

“Localized?”

“Yes,” Elektra nodded. “Just off this coastline. Deep trench territory.”

Mera’s tail curled slightly.

“I insisted on investigating personally.”

“You’re a princess,” Albedo said flatly.

Mera met his eyes without flinching.

“Which is exactly why I couldn’t ignore it.”

Silence lingered between them.

The waves rolled below.

Albedo studied her. In the novel, Mera was compassionate, but not naive. Her decision to investigate wasn’t reckless heroism. It was calculated responsibility.

“And you?” he glanced at Elektra.

Elektra smirked faintly.

“Someone has to make sure she doesn’t get herself killed.”

Mera gave her a look.

“You’re injured too.”

“Worth it.”

Albedo inhaled slowly.

“Those three weren’t random scouts,” he said. “They were hunting.”

Both women went still.

He continued, eyes scanning the sea.

“They ignored me until I interfered. Their focus never shifted from you.”

Elektra’s jaw tightened.

Mera’s fingers trembled faintly against the stone.

“…So we were the target.”

“Yes.”

A long pause and then the ocean shifted.

Albedo’s head tilted slightly. Mana density below the surface pulsed, far deeper than the recently slain beasts.

Elektra noticed his expression change.

“…What is it?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he extended a thin thread of mana downward, probing carefully. The moment it reached a certain depth, it vanished, being completely severed.

Albedo’s eyes darkened, “There’s something beneath us.”

Mera’s breathing slowed.

“…How strong?”

He measured the void where his mana had been erased.

“…Stronger than what we just killed.”

Elektra straightened despite the blood on her side.

“Diamond?”

“…Possibly.”

The word lingered heavy in the air.

The sea surface looked calm again.

Mera’s voice dropped to a whisper.

“The disappearances… they all occurred near the Midnight Trench.”

Albedo’s gaze shifted toward the dark horizon.

“That direction?”

She nodded.

Elektra clenched her fist.

“If something Diamond-ranked is hunting mermaids in their own territory, ”

“It’s not hunting,” Albedo said quietly.

Both women looked at him.

“It’s harvesting.”

The wind turned cold.

Far offshore, for just a fraction of a second, the water bulged upward unnaturally and then finally flattened, returning normal. As if something colossal had shifted far below.

Mera’s face paled.

“That… that pressure…”

Albedo’s mind calculated rapidly.

Three Peak Amethyst scouts. Likely sent to test. Or retrieve. And beneath them was a core presence watching everything that went down/

He exhaled slowly.

“…You shouldn’t dive tonight.”

Elektra shot him a sharp look.

“We can’t retreat. More could vanish.”

“You’re injured.”

“So are you,” she countered.

“I’m way more fine than you,” Albedo said.

Mera’s eyes moved between them.

“…Albedo.”

Her voice was softer now.

“You didn’t have to intervene. But you did. And if you truly are investigating the Abyss’s spread beyond the Academy…”

She hesitated.

“…Then our goals align.”

The moon reflected across her silver scales.

“We need someone who can fight what’s down there.”

Elektra added bluntly:

“And you clearly can. Let us heal and we’ll work together,”

Albedo looked out across the dark sea before glancing at Mera.

“You said months?”

“Yes.”

“And the disappearances are accelerating?”

Her hesitation was answer enough.

He sighed lightly.

“…Of course they are.”

The ocean pulsed again, much deeper this time, like a heartbeat.

Albedo’s eyes narrowed.

“Fine.”

Elektra’s brow lifted slightly.

Mera leaned forward.

“You’ll help us?”

He rolled his shoulders once.

“I was training anyway.”

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