A furious whirlwind swept over the sea banquet. The waves were rough, towering like mountains as they surged and created a massive tumult.

The quick-witted gods cursed the sudden storm and flew up to the sky, while the sea creatures fled far away to escape their master’s wrath.

The generals of the seven oceans gathered urgently, staring in awe at the giant whirlpool their master had created.

“That crazy nymph, no, that human…!”

Dugong trembled, its large protruding molars chattering in shock.

Not only had a human dared to intrude on the banquet, but they had also attacked the master of the sea!

When the golden knife flashed, it was dizzying to behold! But it was a futile attempt.

Only someone like Heracles could dare such a thing, but an ordinary human woman couldn’t possibly harm the ruler of the sea.

“What on earth is going on…?”

“Well, I thought this banquet would pass smoothly this time…”

“Is that really the issue right now?! Damn it! How did that human manage to sneak into the banquet?”

“How would I know! Ugh, my head!”

“Come on, you were nearby, how could you not notice, Actius?”

“What?! Who are you blaming now?”

While Terror and Actius, who managed the coastline, bickered and shifted blame, Dugong anxiously looked below the sea.

‘Why do I have such a bad feeling about this?’

The swirling black waters, churned by Triton’s power, were now inaccessible to anyone.

Only he and those he permitted could enter the barrier’s domain.

Dugong’s face darkened as it watched the black waters.

Phorkys, the manifestation of the orca and the gatekeeper of the Aegean Sea, approached with a worried look and asked, “Did you see it, Dugong? That thing the human was holding earlier.”

The golden blade aimed at the master’s heart… It was undoubtedly Chrysaor’s knife.

“Could it be that ‘the woman’ is still alive?”

The silent Dugong held its forehead. The return of the golden knife surely meant that the woman had returned.

“Probably.”

“Oh no…! That crazy woman is still alive! What a tenacious life she has.”

She was the woman who, not knowing her place, had been buried by Triton’s hand. They never thought they would see her again….

The faces of the Dugong and Phorkys darkened like the deep, swirling sea.

The influence of the angry sea god made the winds grow rough. Dark clouds gathered ominously in the sky above.

It seemed a storm was brewing.

***

The water pressure pressed down fiercely on Livia. Invisible streams of water bound her neck and limbs, stealing her freedom.

She gasped for air and struggled, but it was a futile effort, like a butterfly pinned in place.

“Look at this. Humans never fail to disappoint me.”

A voice that resonated not in her ears but in her soul shook Livia.

She opened her eyes wide.

And she froze, overwhelmed by the scene before her….

Was the largest creature in the sea an orca? No, she was certain there was nothing this enormous among living things.

A ‘god’ of such colossal size that her narrow field of vision couldn’t encompass it all faced her. It wasn’t just the size. The overwhelming presence crushed her.

‘Is this… the true form of a god?’

His silvery-blue hair shimmered with a soft glow. The small whirlpools surrounding the massive entity sparkled with bubbles of mysterious light.

The sea god revealing his divinity.

Triton.

“Speak, insolent human.”

A dauntingly terrifying presence casually addressed her.

“How should I kill you so that you suffer the most?”

A beauty that shook the soul.

A rapture that felt like time had stopped.

Fear that seeped to the bone….

Livia gritted her teeth to stop herself from trembling, but it was futile.

No matter how skilled she was, she was merely a human, a mortal.

A being beyond Livia’s comprehension pressed down on her.

The eyes that held all the colors of the sea simply gazed at her, yet she felt a fear that seemed to delve deep into her soul.

‘…Truly a terrifying existence.’

Even though it wasn’t cold, her body trembled. Like a mouse before a cat, she had an overwhelming urge to run away.

It was a natural and overpowering fear, like prey before a predator.

“If a mere human has ruined my banquet… shouldn’t you take responsibility?”

The once gentle voice suddenly twisted into something fierce. As a hint of violence crept into the god’s smile, the currents surrounding Livia intensified.

“……!”

Before she could even react, she found herself placed on Triton’s enormous palm. Just a palm.

Was she small, or was the god simply too gigantic? Feeling utterly insignificant, Livia forgot the very reason she was there.

As despair paled Livia’s face, the god leaned in closer. In the god’s eyes, so near, a pitiful woman was reflected.

“If you answer my questions well, I’ll grant you a painless death. If not…”

The giant hand suddenly gripped her. The crushing pressure made Livia cry out in pain.

“…Well, you probably know what happens.”

The grip felt like it was breaking her entire body. It wasn’t just suffocating; it was a pain that squeezed her lungs and burst her insides. Livia glared at Triton with eyes burning red.

The god was laughing.

As if her pain was nothing more than a trivial amusement.

‘Bastard!’

Livia cursed Triton with every foul word she knew. She was too angry and wronged to hold back her tears.

Had she made a pact with a witch just to die like this? It was absurd and disheartening.

Damn witch. If she was to face such a threatening god, she should have been given better information!

“I’ll ask again. Where did you get the golden knife?”

Livia gritted her teeth, glaring at Triton as if to kill him.

Her instinctive fear remained, but her half-mad mind managed to quell it somewhat.

“…Your response is slow.”

The impatient god clenched his fist. Her small, soft body began to crush under his touch.

“Ugh, ah!”

A broken rib stabbed somewhere in her insides. Her heart pounded as if it would burst, and her head spun from the blood that couldn’t flow properly.

Just when she thought she would die like that, Triton released his grip.

A short command fell into Livia’s dizzy ears.

“Answer.”

His urging voice grated in her mind, but it only provoked Livia further. Her heart, which had been trembling with fear, now pounded with malice.

Stupid Livia Horn.

When she had drawn the knife earlier, she should have aimed directly for his heart.

Her hesitation and foolishness filled her with regret.

Her face, a mix of anger, resentment, and frustration, was already tear-streaked. Livia, glaring at the god with eyes blazing with fury, began to struggle fiercely.

“Let go… Let go! I said let go! Let go!”

“…….”

The sea god looked down at Livia with an incredulous expression. Her hands, flailing wildly, finally slipped free.

Panting heavily, she scratched and pinched his hand until her small nails all broke. But the sea god’s skin was as hard and cold as steel, and her nails couldn’t make the slightest mark.

Instead, the more she attacked him, the more her nails broke and her fingers bent backward.

“Let go, let go! I said let go! Damn sea god! Damn! Hnng, ugh!”

“…You seem more focused on cursing me than confessing.”