While Wu Ling was helping Aurelia adjust her divine tests in the Divine Realm, Enkidu and Artoria had already reached the center of the Demon Whale Sea in the lower realm.
"Enkidu, are you certain this is the place?" Artoria's outfit had changed from the bunny suit into an elegant evening dress. She held a parasol in one hand and asked Enkidu beside her.
Enkidu smiled and nodded. His gaze seemed to pierce through the ocean and reach the seabed close to the earth below.
Artoria did not doubt him. She knew Enkidu possessed Presence Detection at A+ rank. That was the highest level of presence detection, capable of sensing presences from long range through the earth. In this case, earth also included the ground beneath the ocean.
"I do not know why, but this planet's will is extremely weak, and some existence has interfered with this sea. Still, that creature is now close to the seabed, so I caught its presence.
"This time, leave it to me. You cannot fight underwater, and this was our agreement."
The agreement Enkidu mentioned referred to the earlier battle with Bo Saixi on Sea God Island. Artoria had fought that battle alone, and Enkidu had not intervened. By the same logic, this fight against the Deep Sea Demon Whale King belonged to Enkidu, and Artoria could not interfere.
As the owner of the Camelot casino, Artoria would never violate an agreement. She nodded, then turned and lay back on the beach chair.
Just as Enkidu was about to enter the sea, Artoria's voice came from behind him.
"In that case, during my next battle with that woman, you still cannot interfere."
The words "next battle" made one thing clear. Bo Saixi had not died or been captured after fighting Artoria. Of course, this was also because Artoria had not gone all out.
Wu Ling's orders to them had been to locate Sea God Island and capture the Deep Sea Demon Whale King. He had not ordered them to kill or capture Bo Saixi. That earlier battle had also been started by Bo Saixi, or rather by Sea God behind her.
In an ordinary Holy Grail War, they would have cut down such a person first to eliminate future trouble. But this place was not a Holy Grail War. Without forced combat restrictions, and with their current Master Wu Ling being no weaker than them, the important point was that Wu Ling seemed to be planning something.
After brief consideration, the two Heroic Spirits, one neutral and balanced and the other Lawful Summer, decided to obey their Master's order. In the end, they spared Bo Saixi for now. They already knew Sea God Island's coordinates. With the speed of Radiant Hall, a round trip from Spirit City to Sea God Island would only take a few days. When Wu Ling ordered them to capture her later, they could go then.
"Understood. I am going down."
After saying that, Enkidu leaped into the sea.
Underwater, Enkidu ignored the massive pressure of the deep sea and dived rapidly. This was one reason Wu Ling had chosen him to deal with the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
Enkidu's body had been made from Age of Gods clay. As long as the earth supplied him with magical energy, it would not collapse or break. Because of that, Enkidu did not need to breathe underwater.
After some time, Enkidu reached the seabed. His foot touched something hard, yet elastic.
Enkidu smiled faintly.
"Found you."
In the pitch black deep sea, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's two eyes snapped open. Those sharp eyes were full of alarm and doubt, because it felt a "person" on its back.
At this level of sea pressure, even a human Titled Sage would be crushed into meat paste. Even Poseidon's follower would not dare come here to find it, because that would mean only one thing: entering with no return. Yet now, the creature on its back treated the sea pressure as if it did not exist, and it did not even seem to need air.
If that were all, the whale king would only feel curiosity and surprise. But as that person's aura gradually released, it sensed a threat from him, one that resembled death. That, it absolutely could not tolerate.
"Ant, you court death!"
The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's voice stirred ripples through the abyss. Purple lightning burst from its skin and shot through the seawater toward Enkidu.
Enkidu did not dodge. Even after the lightning struck his body, he only swayed before returning to the whale king's back as if nothing had happened.
What the Deep Sea Demon Whale King did not know was that its lightning had given Enkidu a clear fix on its position in the dark sea.
Golden light made the whale king, long used to darkness, narrow its eyes. That amount of light had no real effect on it, but the sudden distraction was enough for Enkidu's attack to arrive.
Several golden chains tipped with sharp points shot out from golden ripples. Enkidu aimed them at the back, abdomen, face, and even the eyes.
The result was less than ideal. Aside from several chains that pierced the flesh around the eyes, all the other chains failed to break through.
This was not because the chains lacked sharpness, nor because Enkidu lacked strength. The main reason was simple.
The pressure at the bottom of the sea is too high. I can remain unaffected, but the fired weapons are hindered by pressure and seawater. Their power has dropped sharply. I need to pull it up to the surface.
While Enkidu considered his method, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King felt fear. The places struck by the chains had suffered a strange delay in their Spirit Power flow. That tiny amount of Spirit Power was insignificant to it, but it sounded an alarm.
"There is something wrong with those golden chains. That person is wrong too. I cannot feel even a trace of Spirit Power from either him or those chains, yet he has chains that can restrict Spirit Power. No. I need to take this seriously.
"Demon Whale Domain!"
A moment later, a domain spread from the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's body. Enkidu suffered a moment of dizziness inside it. The open golden ripples vanished during that brief lapse.
By the time Enkidu regained awareness, the whale king's head had already arrived before him. A thick layer of lightning covered the entire head, and it slammed straight into Enkidu.
At that critical moment, Enkidu's body softened at once. It became something like mud. Relying on that material property, Enkidu endured the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's strike without injury.