As the Mermaid people go through one of the darkest moments in their story ever, the voices of Lucien and l.u.s.t echo through the whole Crystal City.
While his words made sense, hers didn't.
"Your King???" All the Mermaids in town wonder if l.u.s.t is serious.
The idea of having a King seems insane to those Mermaids, but for all the others in the army, that is already a reason to be happy and proud.
But only what matters for those Mermaids now is the fact that Lucien is protecting them.
Not just he and Pride but the Mermaids also see l.u.s.t, Eve, Claire, and Greed show up to fight the Krakens.
When the monsters fall one by one in front of the city, those Mermaids feel hope being renewed, and many of them want to cross the barrier to join the fight.
Yet, most of them are just normal Sky Realm warriors, while a few dozen are in the early Immortal Realm.
Without Lucien and Pride's incredible boost, most of them would die instantly under the brutal attacks of the Krakens.
So whenever Lucien sees a group of Mermaids crossing the barrier, he orders them back while continuing to destroy the Krakens with his golden naginata and red katana.
As the roars of the creatures echo throughout miles, thousands of curious eyes watch the battle with expectant expressions from the city.
Those Mermaids never imagined having a male leader, and Lucien's look with those big wings and demonic horns makes that idea even crazier.
Yet, what more could they ask of a King if not to protect them that way?
So every Kraken that falls under Lucien's blades makes the idea of him as the new and first Mermaid King more natural.
And many of the monsters fall one by one under his new incredible strength, just as Eve and Pride are also killing the Immortal Realm creatures easily.
However, the situation doesn't seem to improve as the more Krakens they kill, the more of them come from the portals in the sky.
Lucien, Pride, Eve, and l.u.s.t fly back and forth, killing the Krakens as fast as they can. Claire, Greed, and Kamala are also trying to help as much as they can, but more and more monsters are attacking the city barrier.
The Mermaids in the city grow tenser and tenser, and even as they see the army approaching under Saria's leaders.h.i.+p, they aren't sure if the city will survive that attack.
*Tremble* *Tremble*
Tremors make the whole city tremble as more Krakens attack the barrier from different sides; it's evident that it won't last long.
"The army has arrived!!" Claire flies to Lucien's side as he finishes off another Kraken.
As Saria orders the boosted troops to start killing the Krakens as well, the other girls fly to Lucien's side.
"Good job, we managed to hold them off." Eve comments in a hopeful tone.
But Lucien's expression is worried. "Though, the barrier appears to be about to collapse..."
"Then let's make our own barrier." Pride quickly suggests. After all that she's done to help Lucien protect those Mermaids, she's not willing to see their city fall.
Lucien likes that idea, but Greed quickly points out how that wouldn't work. "No matter how much stronger you are, it still wouldn't be enough for you to make a barrier big enough to protect this whole city."
"Actually, that could work." l.u.s.t quickly speaks.
"How???" Greed asks.
"If we join our powers and use everything we've got." l.u.s.t explains.
Greed understands that l.u.s.t is talking about using Lucien as a link between their powers, just like he does with the other Sins.
But instead of doing that to get stronger, they're going to do it to conjure a giant barrier around the Crystal City and use whatever demonic energy they have to keep that as long as possible.
That is a risky plan because it will leave them vulnerable and increasingly weak, in addition to having no guarantee that it will really work.
Lucien sees the hesitation in Greed's eyes and doesn't blame her for not wanting to use all her energy to protect those Mermaids, but he needs her.
"Do this for me, Greed." He asks in a firm and determined tone.
"Of course she wi-" Claire likes the Mermaids as much as Lucien does, so she wants to fight for them too.
But Greed raises her hand, interrupting Claire as she looks at Lucien with golden-bright eyes. "What do I get out of that?"
It's obvious to everyone that Greed has only to gain by helping the Mermaids, but it's to be expected that she would try to make the most of the situation; that's her nature.
Lucien doesn't have time to argue since the city's barrier could fall at any moment, so he can only play Greed's game.
"I'll owe you." He quickly responds.
The golden gleam in Greed's eyes grows even more intense as she breaks into a wide smile. "If I'm going to give you all of me, I'll demand a high price later."
"And I'll keep my word." He nods.
"Deal!" Greed exclaims in an excited tone.
"Quick, let's do this!" l.u.s.t comments as she materializes her body in Lucien's arms.
"How will we do this??" He asks.
"Just let our demonic energy enter your body and use it to materialize the barrier as if you were materializing clothes." She explains.
Lucien already has l.u.s.t's demonic energy inside him, but then he feels Pride's energy also enter his body as she takes place in his other arm.
Greed regrets not acting faster; now, with no s.p.a.ce in his arms, she hugs him from the front, which turns out to be very nice too.
Lucien feels those powerful energies entering his body, and although he cannot transform them into his own power that way, he can use them to conjure the barrier.
Then he quickly flies to the highest part of the Crystal City and creates a gigantic barrier over the already damaged barrier of the city.
That barrier is purple, white, and gold, being the direct union of his and the three Sins' demonic energies.
The Mermaids thought the city was lost when many cracks appeared all over Its barrier, but then the new barrier emerged, protecting them from the Krakens.
Everyone can see that barrier comes from Lucien, who is embracing the three Sins at the top of the city, keeping thousands of Mermaids protected.
That only strengthens Lucien's position as King in the hearts of all the Mermaids there.
But the battle continues frenziedly as more and more Krakens come from the portals in the sky, attacking the barrier and the Mermaid army.
Lucien can't fight in that position, just like Pride and Greed. Also, they feel their energies being drained quickly to keep the barrier up under so many powerful attacks from the Krakens.
Yet, his power is present in each of the army's Mermaids; that is what allows them to be strong enough to kill the Krakens without suffering any casualties.
That seems impossible, and even the Sins feel like they've never seen anything so incredible, but Lucien and his girls are actually managing to fight an army of Immortal Realm monsters in a way that not a single Mermaid dies.
It is only possible thanks to Lucien's hard work and unwavering determination, and of course, the fact that the Sins are on his side, willing to give him their power.
And, of course, that also comes at a high cost, which Lucien feels as the energies that make him so strong gradually fade from his body.
The other Sins are in the same situation, so Eve and Claire feel their powers decreasing as their demonic energies fade.
On the other hand, Saria and the Mermaids are increasingly motivated by Lucien's sacrifice, so they fight with not just loyalty and determination but also love.
Love for their King.
The first and only Mermaids' King.