The trident in King Triton's hands let out a dazzling, overbearing light, illuminating the ocean.
With his insides burning in endless rage, King Triton wanted nothing more than to turn the human before him to ash!
But he couldn't!
Because that terrible human was holding his precious daughter captive!!
However, his hesitation seemed to confuse Lioro.
'Why isn't this old man attacking? Is he still lacking motivation?'
Thinking of giving him another push, he opened his mouth and said,
"Come, King Triton! Let us fight!"
Aka, attack first so that I have a reason to snatch your weapon and study it.
Hearing his provocation, King Triton barely contained his anger and replied in a heavy voice,
"Let go of my daughter, human!"
Oh, he's worried about Ariel.
Lioro instantly let go of Ariel's mouth and floated upward, coming to the same level as Triton.
Seeing his sudden compliance, King Triton was a little taken aback.
The kidnapper willingly let go of his daughter?
Why?
Are all kidnappers so good these days??
Although he was confused, the rage within him had not subsided. Putting the thought aside, he tightly held his trident and pointed it straight toward Lioro.
*Crackle*
A golden light rushed out from the trident, piercing through the sea and shooting straight toward Lioro.
"Lioro, be careful!" Ariel shouted in a hurry.
Lioro calmly looked at the approaching attack. Instead of using Infinity, he directly raised his hand and grabbed the golden light before crushing it instantly.
*Boom*
A miniature blast erupted within his palm, sending shockwaves all around him, making the sea tremble in fear.
Yet despite the terrifying power, Lioro's palm remained clean, without even a single scratch.
This was thanks to his high Magic Defense Stat, as well as the damage and elemental resistances provided by his classes.
Even without Infinity, simply breaking through his physical defense had become a greatly challenging task for most.
Looking at the shocked faces of King Triton and the mermen, Lioro smiled lightly and said,
"My turn."
Then, before anyone could even react, he suddenly appeared beside King Triton and grabbed the trident in his hands.
With a quick jerk, he easily took the weapon away from the dumbfounded King Triton.
"What?!"
"Don't mind me."
Ignoring the terrified old king, Lioro quickly raised the glowing trident and hurriedly examined it using his Epic class.
'Hm, I have never seen these divine runes…'
[Epic Class 'Divine Smith' has taken effect...…]
New knowledge instantly filled his mind, making him smile in satisfaction.
Just as he was examining it—
Lioro suddenly widened his eyes in shock.
'No wait… these runes mean it's connected—'
Suddenly.
Without any warning.
An ancient, ethereal voice seemed to ring out in his mind.
'Oh?… When did Hephaestus and Hestia have a kid…?'
Lioro's pupils contracted. He was about to throw the trident away when he noticed the divine presence disappear.
'Who was that? Poseidon? Since we're in the sea… Also, what does he mean by Hestia and Hephaestus's kid??'
As Lioro was contemplating, Ariel suddenly swam up to him in a hurry.
"Lioro!… um, c-can you please give the trident back to Father…?" she asked in a hesitant voice while clasping her hands.
Lioro looked at her, then glanced back at Triton.
The old king's powerful, burly body seemed to slump at the moment, looking weak and hesitant, unlike his previous imposing self.
"Sure, here you go." Lioro didn't think twice and handed the trident to Ariel.
He had already studied it, and if he wanted, he could build a far better version of it.
It didn't even have to be a trident—he could inscribe the effect onto his sword, rings, or any other suitable metal to achieve the same result.
"Thanks, Lioro!" Ariel hugged the trident and hurriedly swam back to the surprised King Triton.
After getting his trident back, King Triton looked at Ariel and then at Lioro, full of doubt.
'Can someone tell me what is happening??'
----
On another side of the palace.
'So much treasure! All mine!!'
Several large piles of gold and underwater treasures were disappearing at a crazy rate.
As he was going wild emptying the place, Cid's gaze suddenly landed on a particular treasure.
It was an ancient-looking mirror, its frame made of gold, while its glass appeared blurry.
'I sense magic… a magic item?'
Cid narrowed his eyes and carefully touched the mirror.
The instant his hand made contact with it—
A white mask suddenly appeared on its blurry surface.
The mask inside the mirror looked around in confusion.
"I seem to have sensed a strong magic power just now… but it seems I was mistaken… Or perhaps someone is adept at hiding…"
A green light suddenly flashed from the magic mirror.
But even after trying, it didn't sense anyone.
The mask fell into confusion.
Could it be that it had truly made a mistake?
Just as it was about to go back to sleep—
A dark shadow suddenly extended from nowhere and enveloped it whole before it could even react.
After getting everything he wanted, Cid flashed away with a wide, uncontrollable grin on his face.
'Hehehe… mirror, mirror in the sea, Who is the true ruler of shadows, tell me, who could it be?'