Starting from Ainz Ooal Gown, simultaneously traveling through time

The battle at the front lines has reached a strange stalemate, yet it is becoming increasingly intense.

The Sea King warriors continued to hurl magically enhanced harpoons in an attempt to halt the sea monster's advance.

They quickly discovered the pattern:

Some sea monsters are covered in thick, metallic scales, so when hit by a harpoon, they only produce sparks and do not cause any real damage.

However, the defenses of other sea creatures are relatively weak, and harpoons can pierce their bodies or even nail them through.

"Avoid the tin cans! Take care of the thin-skinned ones first!"

Commander Neptune quickly adjusted his tactics, concentrating his firepower on the weaker sea monsters.

This tactic did indeed yield some results, and the battle lines seemed to be somewhat stabilized.

However, the good times did not last long.

The sea monsters' tactics underwent another perplexing change. They no longer readily engaged in close-quarters self-destruction; instead—

Fire-breathing!

"What are those things?! How can these sea creatures breathe fire?!"

"Get out of the way! Don't get touched by the flames!"

"Damn it! The fire isn't going out in the water?! The seawater's practically boiling!"

Suddenly, the dark golden light in the eyes of many sea beasts intensified.

They opened their ferocious mouths and spewed out not ordinary flames, but a highly condensed, gelatinous, dark red liquid fire!

This liquid flame is extremely strange, as it can maintain its shape and continue to burn in seawater.

It not only rapidly heats the surrounding seawater, creating a boiling bubble zone, but also has strong adhesion.

Once it splashes onto the Aquaman warriors, it burns like a persistent, intractable disease, extremely difficult to extinguish.

Fortunately, the Sea Kings are tough and resilient, able to hold out for a while.

If it were an ordinary human, they would probably be burned to ashes in an instant.

Even so, the screams of those burned continued to echo from the front lines.

"Are these fire-breathing monsters the ones attacking?"

Just then, the high priest arrived at the front line.

It looked solemnly at the Sea King warriors who were locked in a fierce battle in the distance.

Although the soldiers temporarily withstood the pressure thanks to their underwater agility and long-range attacks, it was clear that passively taking hits was not a long-term solution.

The continued burning of the flames and the rising temperature of the seawater are rapidly depleting their strength and disrupting their formation.

Although the soldiers managed to hold their own for a while thanks to their mobility and ranged attacks, they would inevitably lose in a prolonged battle.

"Master High Priest!"

A centurion from the Sea King swam closer and anxiously suggested, "Should we summon the [Shield of the Sea Dragon God]? Only this national treasure can withstand this strange magical flame!"

"The Shield of the Sea Dragon God..." The high priest hesitated for a moment, then nodded decisively. "Alright! Go to the treasury immediately and retrieve the divine shield!"

This "Shield of the Sea Dragon God" is said to be made from the scales that fell off the legendary Sea Dragon God, and it is a national treasure that has been guarded by the Sea King's Kingdom for generations.

Its powerful ability to be almost immune to all magical attacks is the source of the kingdom's enduring strength.

Soon, a giant shield, made of several huge, dark blue scales and shimmering with a faint watery light, was respectfully carried to the front line.

"With this divine shield, we will clear the way for everyone and drive away the sea monsters!" The high priest solemnly handed the shield to the centurion who had volunteered.

Almost simultaneously, the Sea Emperor also personally went to the front lines.

Looking at the chaotic battle, it asked in a deep voice, "Have you found out? Which force is driving these sea monsters?"

The surrounding generals shook their heads, their faces showing confusion:

"Your Majesty, the offensive is too strange, unlike any enemy we know."

"Your Majesty, please look. These sea beasts are acting like madmen, completely irrational, and do not seem to be able to be carefully controlled."

"We... truly do not know the reason."

The high priest added, "Your Majesty, these sea beasts have bizarre shapes and abilities that defy common sense. It seems... they have encountered a completely new and unknown enemy."

The Sea Emperor's gaze swept over the sea beasts charging ferociously in the liquid fire, a shadow flashing in his eyes.

Past adversaries—whether stone crab people or fish people—would never have put on such a show.

"Alright, we'll deal with whatever comes our way. Let's deal with the enemy at hand first, and afterwards we must thoroughly investigate and find the mastermind behind it all!" the Sea Emperor ordered.

"Yes, sir!" the soldiers responded in unison.

..............................

The moment the centurion, wielding the Shield of the Sea Dragon God, joined the battle, the situation instantly reversed!

The liquid flames spewed by the sea monster, whether from continuous burning or explosive impact, were all calmed and dissipated by an invisible force when they touched the dark blue shield, like a stream hitting a reef.

The warrior behind the shield was unharmed.

"Great! Aegis is mighty!"

"No wonder they're national treasures! Let's see how arrogant they can be now!"

"Brothers, hold your shields tight, it's time to fight back!"

The Sea King warriors were greatly encouraged and cheered loudly.

They quickly rallied behind the shield-bearing centurions, using their shields as an impregnable barrier, and reorganized into a sharp attack formation, like a dagger pushing back against the horde of sea monsters.

"Haha! Let's fight like this! Tear them to shreds!"

"A fire-breathing sea monster—maybe we could catch it and keep it as a guard!"

"I'll definitely try them later; maybe they'll have a better, chewier texture!"

The scales of victory seemed to tip instantly, and the Sea King warriors even began to fantasize about what would happen after the battle.

However, the reaction of the marine mammals was once again unexpected.

Seeing that the most powerful fire attack was ineffective, the golden light in the eyes of the sea beasts at the front suddenly became so bright as to be blinding.

Instead of attempting ranged attacks, they charged directly into the Sea Kings' tight formation at an even more frenzied speed—

Then, just before contact, it exploded with a deafening roar!

This time, instead of an explosion that produced a fireball, it exploded into a large, thick cloud of dark red blood mist that quickly spread throughout the seawater!

The centurion with the shield and his many soldiers were caught off guard and were immediately surrounded by a thick blood mist, inevitably inhaling a large amount of seawater mixed with the blood mist.

"Pfft—! Cough cough! What the hell is this stuff? It tastes fishy and astringent!"

"Another self-destruction? Is this a smokescreen this time?"

"Watch out, everyone! They might try to get close! Maintain formation and stay defensive!"

The Sea King warriors were not overly alarmed by the blood they had inhaled.

In their common sense, there are enemies in the sea that use poison, but they usually need to inject directly or through special wounds, like mixing "poison" into the vast seawater.

It's too inefficient; the seawater will quickly dilute it to nothing.

This is as ridiculous as sprinkling chili powder into a waterfall—

But after all, they had already done something as absurd as being able to stably spew fire in the deep sea, so how could they have imagined that the blood mist itself was an even more deadly killing move?

"Completely unprepared? Do they really think seawater can dilute everything, or is it simply ignorance breeds fearlessness?"

Lei Lin, who was watching from the shadows, was very interested in the cricket fight.

The opponent's straightforwardness in responding was indeed somewhat beyond his expectations.

"However, this is for the best." He watched the scene unfold. "Underestimating the enemy is often the beginning of defeat, saving me from having to put in extra effort."

The pervasive blood mist was silently seeping in and eroding the Sea King warriors as they breathed and circulated their blood.

The real "infection" has only just begun.