Let me show you what I've got... I'm afraid once you see it, you won't need a proxy to fight, you'll be ready to go head-to-head with me right away!

Looking at the smiling mermaid woman in front of him, Leon, who found it hard to smile, closed his eyes and said with difficulty:

"Couldn't you have given me a heads-up before you did this?"

"That's not possible."

The mermaid woman shook her head matter-of-factly and said:

"If I had forewarned you, you might mistake me for a villain. Now that the secret is out and you see I've been planning to help you all along, the guilt you feel for misunderstanding me will run deeper, ensuring you'll treat Wendy and my people well in the future."

"..."

"Just kidding~"

Waving her hand at the silently brooding Leon, the mermaid woman explained earnestly:

"It's because of your character. If I hadn't surrendered after gaining the upper hand, your overly cautious nature wouldn't have allowed me near the source, and I wouldn't have the chance to contribute to the revival of my people.

Also, if I hadn't concealed my intentions well and revealed plans to collaborate with you in advance, the Four Pillars God would have forcibly taken control over my body and wiped you all out, leaving no chance for resurrection."

"..."

I could somewhat imagine that... but if you were planning this, then what on earth was I preparing for?!

"Leon!"

Just as Leon's fists clenched and relaxed, regretting his "bottom line" strategy, the mermaid woman's expression suddenly turned serious and she warned:

"My will is being eroded, the Four Pillars God likely knows my plan and is trying to take control of this body, be careful..."

"Well done, you two!"

A faint aqua-colored glow flickered, and the conch earring that had been silent until now split into serrated edges and spoke with a hint of irritation:

"So, it turns out you two were already in cahoots before we went to the Netherworld to find you!"

"How can you call it 'collusion'? That's so unpleasant!"

The mermaid woman frowned and corrected the voice coming from her earring with dissatisfaction:

"It should be called 'plotting together' or 'colluding', having a 'fling', or a 'secret alliance'!"

"..."

"And after all, wasn't it also thanks to your help that we managed to plot together?"

After leaving the Green King speechless, the "overwhelming" mermaid woman smiled and said:

"When you went to the Sea Abyss Realm to find me, I already warned you that anyone who takes time lightly will be a puppet of time. Time isn't something you get to toy with.

In the entire Old Soil, there might not be a hundred people who could touch time, but close to eighty. It's not that there aren't people more powerful than you, but none who've truly manipulated time for their ends have achieved the results they desired.

Even if our plotting happened before your planning, the true beginning still started with you. The future wasn't fixed until you tried to manipulate time, but when you did, your fate was sealed."

"Perhaps."

Not committing to a reply, other than the clear blue light, the conch earring took on a tinge of crimson blood.

The blue representing Omnia Cicada, and the red representing the Crimson King, twisted like a spiral. Quickly, starting from the conch earring, they spread to other parts of the mermaid woman's body, completing the process of domination in less than a breath.

"Hmm?"

Having seized control of the mermaid woman's body, feeling the unobstructed form, "Evangelin" with crimson in her left eye, frowned and asked puzzled:

"You're not resisting? Just letting us have your body like this?"

"There's no point in resisting."

Cheerfully shaking the conch body, the mermaid woman who had been pushed into the earring responded with a smile:

"Even if the sample was my corpse, this body was ultimately created by you. No matter how hard I fight, I can't win against you, so what's the point in resisting?

Rather than wasting energy now, it's better to wait until you're locked in a fierce battle with Leon, and at the crucial moment when victory is close, I suddenly take back control for a few seconds and send you packing, wouldn't that be more effective?"

"..."

Yes, absolutely right.

After hearing the mermaid woman's words, looking at the silently standing Leon, the Green and Red Kings, who had easily seized control of the body, felt no relief; instead, an immense pressure mounted.

With the Food God's character, he surely has more than one method prepared against the Sea Abyss Dominator. And since the Sea Abyss Dominator has taken a step back to retain strength, he could counterattack at a crucial moment, taking both of our souls with him. Our odds of winning this battle are slim to none.

But if we retreat now and allow the Sea Abyss Dominator to collude with humans, swallowing the present Sea Abyss Realm and humanity, they might gain unprecedented strength, even potentially rivaling number 1...

We have no choice but to face it!

Not wanting to see the merging of realms, "Evangelin's" expression grew more serious, as her one blue and one red eyes fixed firmly on the "confident" Leon, and she decisively raised her arm glowing with colorful light towards him.