The sea had always been his domain.
Now, it bowed to him.
The newly ascended Sovereign of the Black Sea—the Crown Below—was a sight of terror. The Leviathan's colossal form slithered through the abyss, every movement an earthquake that shattered the stillness of the deep. The bones of his ancestors, the Titan-Kings, floated like forgotten relics, now beneath his command. He could feel their spirits stir as their blood coursed through his veins.
The Abyssal Throne had fully merged with him, and with it came a new hunger. Not just for power, but for control. The deep was his once more, a kingdom built on shadows, where no god could reach, and no creature could challenge.
His gaze turned upward.
The surface had forgotten him. Forgotten the ancient rulers of the deep.
But he remembered.
With a flick of his tail, the Leviathan sent shockwaves through the ocean. The waters, once calm and compliant, rose in a frenzy. Tidal waves, colossal and towering, crashed toward the shores of distant lands.
The creatures of the deep responded. No longer mere beasts, but ancient entities stirred from their slumber. Gargantuan sharks, serpents with scales that shimmered like liquid night, and creatures that had not been seen by mortal eyes in millennia.
The world's oceans were no longer safe.
The Leviathan's voice, a growl that shook the foundations of the sea, reverberated through the deep. It was not a roar of rage, but one of command. It was a summons.
He called to the forgotten.
To the ancient guardians of the sea. To the titans who had once ruled the oceans and crushed armies beneath their waves.
And they answered.
One by one, the seas began to churn with life once more. A massive creature, the Ocean Wyrm, broke the surface of the ocean, its scales glistening with the remnants of long-forgotten spells. It bowed before the Leviathan, recognizing him as its sovereign.
Other beings followed. The Abyssal Serpents, their bodies as long as mountains, twisted their way through the ocean depths, bending to the Leviathan's will.
And far above, on the distant shore of the human kingdom of Valdoria, the Ironclad Fleet watched in stunned horror as the sea erupted in fury. Waves taller than buildings crashed against the shores, flooding the coast. The ships creaked and groaned as they struggled to stay afloat, but no man-made vessel could withstand the power of the deep.
Captain Thorne stood at the helm, his eyes locked on the horizon. He had sailed into the unknown, expecting riches and discovery—but he had found something far worse.
"We need to turn back!" Calla shouted over the howling winds, her voice barely audible. "The sea—it's alive!"
But Thorne's eyes were fixed on the enormous shadow that loomed in the distance. His instincts told him to flee, to save his men. But something more primal gnawed at him—a fascination with what was rising.
It was the Crown Below, the Leviathan, and it was coming for them.
As the Leviathan surged through the ocean depths, his power was unstoppable. The Throne Pulse activated with a thought. The Sovereign's Maw trembled with uncontainable energy, waiting for its first divine feast.
But first, the world above had to understand.
He was no longer a mere monster.
He was the King of the Oceans.
His eyes gleamed with the knowledge that the gods would soon come. They had already felt his rise.
But he would not be hunted.
The Leviathan would hunt them.
The gods of light, time, and the skies would feel his power firsthand.
He would tear their dominion apart, piece by piece. No more would they cower behind their celestial thrones. No more would they strike down those who dared challenge their rule. He, the last of the Leviathans, would return the oceans to their rightful kingship.
In the depths, the Leviathan shifted once more, his body redefining itself with each passing second. The ancient King's Blood that now flowed in his veins allowed him to evolve far beyond what he had been before.
His fins elongated into razor-sharp blades that could cut through water, air, and stone alike. His body grew even larger, until the ocean could not contain his immensity. His scales were harder than the finest steel and sharper than any weapon forged by mortal hands.
System Update:
Skill Acquired: Abyssal Dominion
– Your presence in the water influences all aquatic life within a 100-mile radius. Creatures of the deep bow to you. Surface vessels and structures will be obliterated under your command.
The ocean around him seemed to bend to his will. The creatures of the abyss, the ancient guardians and monsters that had once hidden away, now moved in concert under his command. They knew his name. They recognized him as their sovereign.
Far above, the Aeloria Forest quaked with the power of the Leviathan's presence. Queen Arilina stood on the cliffside, her heart racing in her chest. She felt it in her bones—the rising tides, the pulse of the ancient king.
Her eyes widened. "The sea… it is alive."
Back in the human kingdom of Valdoria, the Ironclad Fleet was barely holding on as the waters rose higher and higher. Ships were being crushed beneath the relentless waves, their hulls splintering. Men screamed as the water overtook them, dragging them down into the abyss.
Thorne's ship, the Raven's Wrath, was caught in the midst of the chaos. The sails were shredded, the masts broken, and the crew was scrambling to survive.
But Thorne stood tall, his eyes fixed on the shadow that grew larger by the second.
The Crown Below was coming for them.
The Leviathan moved forward, his path of destruction unstoppable. He was the ocean's wrath, and all who lived above the waves would feel his fury.
The gods would come for him, but they were too late.
The world was his.