"So these are Poseidon's Mariners? And you call them the Three Great Warriors… what a joke. They're not even as good as our Saint candidates. I'm guessing your Sea Generals are about on par with our Bronze Saints." Arms crossed, Deathmask spoke with open arrogance.
Of course, the "Bronze Saints" he meant were the Bronze punks standing beside him.
Ordinary Bronze Saints really wouldn't be a match for Cecil. Don't be fooled by how he'd just been one‑shotted—he'd taken the combined Lightspeed Fists of both Shura and Deathmask. A random Silver wouldn't have survived that.
None of which stopped Deathmask from running his mouth. The sea realm and the Underworld did this all the time, bragging about their own men.
As a side note, in the original story, Poseidon's Seven Sea Generals really were taken down by Bronzes—though those Bronzes were all heavily "buffed."
In the original, the Sea Generals claimed the Five Bronze Saints were weaker than sea grunts, and those grunts were supposed to have Bronze‑class strength. In the Underworld, Rhadamanthys once sneered that Deathmask and Aphrodite weren't even as strong as Underworld grunts.
If not for those two deliberately throwing the fight and the barrier of Hades's castle, it would never have been so easy for Rhadamanthys. Deathmask was one thing—he was indeed the weakest Gold—but Aphrodite's three kinds of roses and their poisons were more than enough to give Rhadamanthys a massive headache. Brute‑force types were the easiest to screw over with special abilities.
Rhadamanthys also bragged under the protection of Hades's castle when bullying Aiolia and the others, calling them nothing but a pack of "Gold rats." Yet Mu had taken down Balrog Lune—whose strength was second only to the Three Judges—head‑on. Clearly, none of these guys were paying tax on their bragging.
In short, all the above lines were pure boast, with zero relation to their real strength.
"Damn it…" The Mariners were furious, but there was nothing they could do.
Yes, they had the numbers—tons of them. But it was useless. If Shura really started killing in earnest, one Excalibur swing could mow down a whole swath.
Shura had already cultivated his technique to the supreme realm of unity between man and sword. Every part of his body could be a blade.
"What do we do now, Lords Kategitu and Marley?" The remaining Mariners all turned their eyes to the two surviving members of the Three Great Warriors.
The pressure on them doubled at once. Why are you looking at us? Didn't you see Cecil get flattened?
"H‑hurry and call the Sea Generals!" Marley ground the words out between clenched teeth.
"Lord Poseidon hasn't fully awakened yet. That's the only reason you're having such an easy time with them. Mariners aren't like Saints. Saints cultivate their Cosmos through their own efforts. Mariners are different—their power comes from the Sea Emperor. Put it this way: if you kill Poseidon, these Mariners will instantly turn back into ordinary humans with no combat power at all." Meruem spoke up, deliberately undercutting them.
Let them stop acting smug. Poseidon was still one of the top‑tier main gods. Once he truly awakened, the Seven Sea Generals' strength would be at least on par with Abel's Corona Saints.
Not just in raw power—their Scales' defensive abilities would also increase dramatically.
The Seven Scales of the Sea Generals were said to be nearly the equal of Gold Cloths. The catch was that their defensive power depended on Poseidon's Cosmo and his awakening level. The flip side was that they could maintain extremely high defense at all times.
That was why the Sea Dragon General who appeared in Lost Canvas had seemed so underwhelming. As Poseidon's reincarnation, Seraphina hadn't even properly awakened, so naturally the Sea Dragon's combat power was trash.
Right now, the Sea Generals were only strong enough to bully God Warriors who were backed by nothing but Odin's lingering soul.
"Saints of the Sanctuary, we left you alone, but you actually dared invade the Undersea Temple! Do you not know this is Lord Poseidon's realm?" A furious shout rang out, and several gaudily armored men in splendorous Scales made their flashy entrance.
Taking a closer look, Meruem couldn't help a small smile. Old acquaintances.
Sea Horse Baian, Sea Sorcerer Sorrento, Sea Dragon Ezdra, and Chrysaor Io.
Four Sea Generals gathered.
"As expected of the goddess Athena… not only did you break my Requiem of the End of Death, you even used me…" Sorrento gripped his flute tightly, glaring at Saori in anger.
Since becoming a Sea General, he had never been toyed with like this.
"Sorry… Sea Sorcerer, was it? Let's get one thing straight. You were under my illusion from the start. Dealing with you never required the goddess to lift a finger." Before Sorrento could finish, Ikki—eyes half‑closed and expression cool—cut him off.
"A mere Bronze, and you dare boast like that." Baian, always quick‑tempered, exploded at once. So he was saying Sorrento was beneath some Bronzes? Then what did that make Baian?
"If you've really got the guts, come out here and die."
Granted, that line was a bit logically broken.
Ikki had no interest in nitpicking grammar. If you were that eager to die, he was happy to oblige. "That suits me just fine."
"Remember this, brat. When you go down to Hell and meet Hades, tell him you were killed by one of Poseidon's Seven Sea Generals—Sea Horse Baian!" Baian declared.
"Clear a space!" The Mariners who had surrounded Meruem's group instantly opened up a ring, leaving room for the duel.
"I don't have a long, stinking title like yours. I am Phoenix Ikki—the one who's going to kill you," Ikki said flatly.
"Die! Hurricane Wave Fist!" An irresistible tidal wave roared toward Ikki, so fast, so powerful, and so wide‑ranging that it sealed off every possible avenue of escape.
"Using full power against a mere Bronze… really, Baian goes all out. And there are still two Gold Saints over there," Io said, shaking his head.
Devil Fish Ezdra didn't respond. He was staring fixedly at a blond young man among the Bronzes.
Cygnus Hyoga—also his fellow disciple.
"My fists are blessed with the breath of the gods. Just a Bronze, nothing more. Who's next? The Gold Saints—you two still haven't stepped up. Are you afraid of me?" Baian turned away without even checking the result once his attack landed.
"I'd say… you should finish off that 'mere Bronze' of yours first," Deathmask said with a nasty grin, pointing behind Baian.
"Try not to get yourself killed by a so‑called mere Bronze, oh mighty Sea General."
Wrapped in blazing crimson flames, Ikki stood completely unscathed behind Baian.
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