Chapter 73: The Battle of the Sea — Clash of Emperors
The open sea stretched endlessly in all directions, a vast expanse of blue beneath the sunlit sky. Waves crashed against the sides of Meruem's ship as the Voidreign warriors prepared themselves. The air was heavy, as though nature itself sensed the impending clash of titans.
On the distant horizon, a second warship cut through the waters like a predator. At its bow stood Figarland Shamrock, his blood-red hair waving in the wind, his expression calm and cold. Beside him, the other God Knights radiated monstrous, emperor-level auras. Gunko's arrow-like bandages fluttered, crackling with eerie energy. Sommers loomed like a walking fortress of thorned vines. Killingham's dragon-like form shimmered with heat, smoke coiling from his nostrils.
The two ships drew closer — and then, as though the heavens themselves recoiled in fear, the sky began to darken.
A massive, oppressive aura erupted from Meruem, and the world seemed to hold its breath.
"Here it comes..." Vash muttered, adjusting his shades with a nervous grin.
Meruem raised his hand, a dark sphere of churning, violent Nen gathering above his palm. The technique pulsed with black lightning, warping the clouds above. Its pressure bent the ocean waves, forming spiraling whirlpools around the Voidreign vessel.
"This sea belongs to the Demon King," Meruem declared. "Technique: Abyssal Judgment."
The colossal orb detonated in a beam of black energy that shot across the sky, tearing through clouds and smashing down onto the approaching God Knight ship with the force of a falling meteor.
The sea erupted, a titanic shockwave sending walls of water hundreds of meters high. For a moment, nothing could be seen through the veil of spray and darkness.
But through the mist, four figures burst free — unharmed.
"Tch!, they dodged it." Meruem narrowed his eyes.