Chapter 116: True King of the Sirens! (44)

Hank Island, Queen Bay.

Azure waves, white sand, the sea wind howls, sirens fill the sky dancing.

Facing the Siren Queen's cold words, Luosen wore a calm, gentle smile on his face.

He had studied history thoroughly, and also received guidance from Mei'er Qilinna.

He knew that when high-circle mages meet, both sides are in a state of mutual wariness.

If there were no mortal enmity, both sides would try to avoid direct conflict as much as possible.

But if they do fight, the main reason is actually a misjudgment.

It's like two gunmen pointing guns at each other; neither dares to bet that the other won't fire first.

If any abnormality is detected, for self-preservation they will likely fire directly.

If they really fight, Luosen's chances of winning are naturally much greater.

First, his magic power is at the peak of the Ten Rings; and after the Six Rings, each increase in ring raises magic power strength by ten percent, so his magic power strength is over thirty percent higher than hers.

Don't think thirty percent is little; this is an improvement at the peak limit.

It's like in a 100-meter dash, a guy who runs 9.6 seconds with all his effort is already a human prodigy.

As a result, another guy directly runs 7 seconds.

In the first guy's eyes, the latter is an unattainable existence.

But the Siren Queen also has her own advantage: tens of thousands of her kin around her.

Luosen could likely kill her, but if tens of thousands of her kin swarm to avenge the queen, Luosen would also be hard-pressed to escape death.

Neither side would gain any advantage.

One can also feel that although the queen's words are icy, her magic shows no ripples, which also indicates she actually does not want to fight Luosen.

But she is a low-circle mage, so she certainly cannot see Luosen's situation clearly.

To put her at ease, Luosen could only show his friendliness in his demeanor.

"Queen Laerte Lisi, I am less than 21 years old from birth to now, and I only learned my true lineage through some coincidence."

"As for the grudges between our two ancestors thousands of years ago, I know almost nothing about them."

"Hmph~~ I certainly know that; otherwise I couldn't possibly agree to meet you."

Luosen smiled: "It seems that Her Majesty the Queen has also recently investigated my situation carefully."

"That's right."

Laerte Lisi raised her hand to dismiss the wary sirens at her sides, then slowly stepped out from the crowd.

Under the sunlight, her petite yet graceful figure and the white sand at her feet complement each other, like a burning white jade flame.

"I know your thoughts, and I have seen your ambition."

"I also realize that the present era is vastly different from any past era; our siren clan probably can no longer maintain this nearly completely wild way of life."

While speaking, she reached out and plucked a mithril pearl hair ornament from the head of a siren beside her, holding it before her eyes to admire it closely.

"What a lovely hair ornament; to be frank, not only do the sisters like it, I like it too."

"As the queen of the siren clan, I naturally wish for my sisters to have a better life, but precisely because I am the queen, I must bear responsibility for their future."

"I will try to change, and I will try to cooperate with the mainland lords, but there are countless mainland lords; I must choose one who possesses sufficient ability and sincerity to cooperate with."

"If his ability is insufficient, it cannot protect my clan; if he lacks sincerity, his great power will be a disaster for my clan."

By this point, the Siren Queen had walked to twenty meters before Luosen, facing him across this short distance.

"So, I need you to demonstrate your ability and sincerity."

Luosen was somewhat puzzled: "How to demonstrate?"

"A duel! Just the two of us!"

The Siren Queen raised her voice and declared loudly to all the sirens: "I will have a one-on-one duel with the human lord in the bay!"

"Regardless of victory or defeat, life or death, none of you may interfere!"

"If I win, and this human lord happens to survive, I will let him go, but thereafter there will only be trade, no deeper cooperation."

"If I lose, or even am killed by this human lord, then you need not avenge me; instead, you shall all submit to him and become his subjects."

Having said that, she looked at Luosen: "So, young Steel-Iron Dragon, do you dare to accept?"

Luosen could feel the opponent's icy, resolute will—that is, if he accepted, it would truly be a life-and-death battle.

"What if I give up now?"

"Then I will summon all my sisters to kill you together, and then destroy your fleet anchored outside the bay."

"This certainly cannot stop the humans' trend of expanding across the sea, but at least it can delay it by decades, buying my clan time to change."

Luosen gave a light smile: "What a difficult decision indeed, but since I have come, I naturally have prepared myself mentally to face all challenges."

"I choose to accept the lord's duel invitation!"

"What gall!"

The Siren Queen lightly clapped her hands: "But I must tell you, magical cultivation is only a small part of power; I have pondered in the high-circle domain for at least a hundred years, while you have only spent a few short years."

Luosen nodded: "Your Majesty is right; in terms of mastery of magic, I indeed have no confidence of defeating you, but my greatest strength is my extraordinary speed."

"Once we engage, I will give my all, leaving the opponent no time to cast spells."

If the Siren Queen were to use ambush tactics or summon her sisters to attack together, Luosen would truly be in mortal danger, but she has chosen an open and aboveboard one-on-one duel.

This is what Luosen excels at most, and also a realm beyond humanity.

Because it is not him fighting, but Laifu, an AI trained to the extreme, that is fighting.

Perhaps his combat technique is not perfect, but it is extremely stable and fast to the extreme.

The Siren Queen's face grew solemn: "Young people having quick reactions is quite normal, but I want to know just how fast you are."

Luosen smiled and said: "Your Majesty."

Before his words even finished, his inner magical power surged explosively; his originally sturdy body instantly took on a bluish-black metallic hue, and his body shot forward like a stream of light.

In an instant he crossed 20 meters, appearing before the Siren Queen, then flickered like a phantom, dodging her instinctive defense, moved behind her, and his fingers, sharpened into blades, pressed against her neck.

"Your Majesty, don't be rash; I'm merely proving to you that I am indeed fast."

The Siren Queen felt a slight sting on her neck, and her back sensed the scorching, hard Iron Dragon body; a flicker of fear crossed her eyes.

"That's right, you are astonishingly fast."

Luosen immediately released the Siren Queen, his body returned to normal, and he walked again to a spot 20 meters away, standing opposite her.

"Your Majesty, that last move had the suspicion of a sneak attack; you surely weren't prepared—why don't I prove it again?"

The Siren Queen indeed felt unprepared, a bit resentful in her heart, and nodded: "This time I'm ready!"

As the last word left her lips, she felt a black shadow flash before her eyes.

"Whoosh~~"

She also swiftly spread her arms, turning them into wings ready to flap upward, while her magical power surged, and a thick pure-water shield blossomed over her body.

This is a Seven Rings shield, extremely powerful.

But just as she lifted less than a meter off the ground, and the shield had barely formed, she felt her ankle seized, and a tremendous force yanked her back to the ground.

"Ding~~"

In the clear ringing, the bluish-black Iron Dragon fingers pierced the Seven Rings shield, pressing again against the Siren Queen's neck, while Luosen continued to restrain her body from behind.

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten? The Iron Dragon's body ignores magical shields."

The Siren Queen exhaled deeply: "I haven't forgotten; I thought I could at least buy a little time."

Unfortunately, she still underestimated her opponent's magical strength; though she used Six Rings magic, its power ultimately exceeded her Seven Rings magic, causing her to greatly misjudge the delay she could gain.

Luosen released her once more, but this time he did not revert to normal; instead he maintained his Iron Dragon body.

He walked back to 20 meters away: "Your Majesty, your command of pure water far surpasses mine, and the beach is not your stronghold."

"Why not go into the seawater, and I'll show you my speed once more?"

The Siren Queen stared at Luosen: "Young man, are you humiliating me?"

"No, I just want you to lose convinced, and let your sisters see clearly that I absolutely have the ability to lead everyone toward glory."

"What a big mouth!" "Alright, I'll wait for you in the sea."

She spread her wings, leapt into the sea, and the moment she entered, her body swiftly transformed into a human-fish form ideal for swimming underwater.

Sea spray surged, lifting her onto a crest of a wave.

From over fifty meters away she watched Luosen: "Young man, be careful—one of your ancestors once fell to my sea‑tide magic!"

"If she hadn't run fast, she might already be sleeping at the bottom of the sea."

Luosen smiled: "Your Majesty, are you ready?"

"Of course!"

This time the Siren Queen had learned; as her words fell, she waved her arm, forming around her body a wave over a meter thick that explosively expanded outward as a spherical sea tide.

Pure magic cannot stop the Iron Dragon body's impact, but the rapidly exploding seawater can repel the opponent.

"Whoosh~~~"

The seawater surged in all directions, but in the next instant the Siren Queen saw a black shadow flash.

Another moment later, those fearsome sharp fingers rested on her neck again, and the scorching Iron Dragon body remained pressed tightly against her back.

"How did you break through the sea tide?" the Siren Queen wondered, unable to understand.

A voice with a hint of laughter came from behind her ear.

"Your Majesty, sorry—I secretly learned your Siren power and also gained some ability to control the sea tide."

As he spoke, Luosen moved to the Siren Queen's front, revealing his current form.

A human body with a fish tail, entirely covered in bluish-black metallic hue—an Iron Mermaid.

The Siren Queen's eyes widened in shock, as if beholding the most unimaginable thing in the world.

Luosen flicked his tail, sending up spray that lifted his body; then he reached out, his fingers catching her chin, gazing into her dream‑like azure eyes, and gave a faint smile.

"Compared to the glory of ancestral bloodlines, I value a mage's wisdom more!"

The Siren Queen's body trembled slightly: "You… I… I have lost; kill me, and my people are yours."

"Whoosh~~~"

A mass of water five meters in diameter rose from the sea, enveloping the two of them.

Within the surge, Luosen shook his head slightly: "Your Majesty, I am a mage and a lord, but not a butcher."

The Siren Queen snorted: "Hmph~ still claiming you're not a butcher, yet just months ago you slaughtered 2000 Forest Spirits!"

Luosen spread his hands and sighed: "Some people just won't be dissuaded; they're dead set on taking my life—am I not allowed to fight back?"

"If you were in such a situation, would you still show your mercy?"

The Siren Queen opened her mouth, but had nothing to say.

After a long while, she countered: "You have won completely—what do you want?"

"I want a deep‑sea route leading to the Eastern Golden Cape."

"We Sirens cannot help you."

"Other Sirens don't have it, but you surely do."

"You overestimate me."

"The name 'Deep Sea Siren' wasn't coined by me; it comes from history and myth. And this triangular sea before us hardly deserves the two words 'deep sea'."

The Siren Queen pressed her lips, gazing at the Iron Mermaid before her, her eyes flashing with a complex mix of emotions.

"Is this the wisdom of modern mages?"

"Exactly. We study everything in the world, and through all outward appearances we seek the inner fine logic."

Heh~~ I remember you said the real world has no logic? How come you're now saying we should seek inner logic?

Luosen gave a faint smile: "To mortals speak mortal words, so mortals may be at ease; to sages speak sage words, so we may enter the sages' hearts."

"You are a sage, so of course I communicate with you as a sage."

The siren queen stared again, her blue eyes fixed on Luosen for a long while, then let out a soft sigh.

"Your ancestors endowed fleshly bodies with the toughness of steel, yet you have made the steel body gain the smoothness of pure water."

"If anyone in this world could defeat the natural and radiant divine offspring of the White Continent, it might be you."

Having said that, the siren queen canceled her bodily Transformation Technique, returning from a merfolk form to human shape.

"But I still have one final request."

"Please speak."

"Our two peoples can merge, but if you want my clan to submit entirely to you, merely defeating me in battle won't suffice."

Luosen blinked: "What does Your Majesty mean?"

"You must conquer me before all my people."

"This is the ancient rite for our true king's accession; only thus will all sirens sincerely submit to you."

This

"Are you not daring? Or is it that, although you have a steel body, you lack a steel spear, and even more lack steel will?"

The siren queen looked at Luosen with a provocative expression, yet deep in her eyes disappointment showed.

Luosen startled, then shook his head: "No, no, no, it's not that I dare not; it's that long civilized life has bound the wildness in my heart."

"I naturally dare, but I fear Your Majesty cannot withstand it."

"Besides, to keep my subordinates from worrying, I also wish for them to know my exact situation."

"As long as you dare, these are trivial matters."

"Splash~~"

The water receded, and Luosen and the siren queen walked hand in hand onto the white sand.

The siren queen shouted loudly: "Lord Luosen has displayed the power to defeat any strong foe, and all the sisters have seen it, right?"

"Yes!"

Myriad sirens answered in unison.

The siren queen shouted again: "But he wishes to lead our people forward, yet he must display the power to overcome the sea's prolific might before he can truly lead us in conquering the sea!"

"So, next~~ I ask the sisters to witness this!"

Having said that, she again looked provocatively at Luosen, the meaning in her eyes clear: "Just see how capable you are."

Luosen drew a deep breath, silently using Ten Rings power to empower himself with the ultimate version of the Divine Spear Technique, silently chanting in his heart.

"'Any means are for enabling me to achieve the grand strategy of changing the world.'"

"'A true man born between heaven and earth is meant to conquer all!'"

"'So, this is no big deal!'"

Gritting his teeth, before the myriad sirens as witnesses, Luosen used a mage's wisdom to evolve natural might, beginning the final conquest.

The enthronement ceremony of the siren true king formally began.

Myriad sirens flew and danced in the sky, singing, their gazes fervently fixed on the wild ritual on the white sand beach.

Time passed minute by minute, unknown how long, when the siren queen Lalatres let out a piercing shriek.

"I announce, Luosen, Saxon Baron, shall become our true king, and I shall submit to him!"

"We shall submit to the true king!"

The sirens also sang together, their voices merging into a single stream that shot straight to the heavens.

Outside the Queen's Bay, many human officers watched the wild ceremony on the beach through binoculars, each one stunned.

Major Harry felt his mouth could not close.

"This world, this world is truly absurd!"

But he also felt deeply moved.

"The lord truly is the King of Divine Spears!"

(End of chapter)