The booming sound of water cannons echoed across the chaos-filled seabed, piercing through the swirling mist of chaos that cloaked the battlefield. Fine particles of water floated through the currents, obscuring visibility for everyone—including the boss herself.

The six serpentine heads surrounding her moved violently, their frustration palpable. Agitated, the snake princess began firing her water cannons indiscriminately. High-pressure streams of water shot out from her six heads, striking anything in their path and creating turbulent waves that forced Akira and his team to dodge frantically.

“Over there!” Akira shouted, pointing to a structure he could barely make out through the murky waters. Draco and Mirelle swam toward it quickly, while Yue struggled to drag Akira, who was still injured from the earlier assault. She activated her vision once more, similar to when she had detected the Kraken earlier, allowing her to sense the boss’s location even amidst the chaos.

When they finally reached the structure, they stopped in awe. Before them stood what appeared to be an ancient fountain in the heart of the ruins. Unlike its surroundings, eroded by time and chaos, the fountain itself was pristine, as though untouched by the decay that enveloped the city.

“This fountain… it doesn’t belong here,” Mirelle remarked, her azure eyes scanning the area with curiosity and caution.

“It feels like it’s important,” Draco added, his gaze sweeping over the eerily intact structure.

Before they could ponder further, the sound of a water cannon boomed again. A high-pressure stream of water struck the fountain, shattering it into pieces. Debris scattered across the seabed as the snake princess let out a chilling scream.

“No! Who dares to destroy what’s mine?!” she roared, her body radiating waves of chaotic energy. The surging chaos began to manifest into a vivid vision, visible to everyone present.

The vision revealed a scene from the past, showing the snake princess in her former life. She was called Princess Nagaria, known throughout the land as the “Princess of Mercy.” Her radiant smile lit up the faces of those around her, as people gathered in admiration and love. The fountain, now reduced to rubble, had once been the centerpiece of the city—a place where citizens congregated to honor their beloved princess.

“She was… loved by everyone,” Yue murmured softly, her voice tinged with sorrow.

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“But something changed,” Akira said, watching as the vision shifted.

The images began to fade, replaced by the snake princess’s enraged scream. The serpents around her thrashed wildly, and her eyes flared with unbridled fury. “Who did this? Was it you?!” she demanded, glaring at one of her serpent heads.

“No! It wasn’t me!” the serpent protested, its voice trembling with fear. But the other heads turned on it mercilessly, tearing it apart until it dissolved into chaos and was reabsorbed into Nagaria’s body.

“This… isn’t normal,” Mirelle whispered as her staff began to glow. “She can’t control the chaos within her. It’s consuming her like a parasite.”

With one head gone, the boss’s attack pattern changed. Akira noticed the water cannons firing in an irregular rhythm, with one less burst in each sequence, creating a slight opening for his team.

“The pattern’s different…” Akira muttered, his sharp eyes tracking the boss’s movements. “This is like a boss fight in a game. It’s tied to these significant structures.”

Scanning the surroundings, he spotted other areas that stood out—structures that, like the fountain, appeared strangely well-maintained amidst the ruins. Pointing toward one, he called out, “Everyone, head to that balcony! It looks important!”

The team swam toward the location, evading the serpents’ relentless attacks. As they neared, another water cannon blast struck the balcony, shattering it completely. The snake princess screamed again, and another vision emerged.

This time, they saw a younger Nagaria standing in the shadows, watching her younger sister bask in the adoration of the people. The voices of the crowd carried whispers of comparison:

“Her younger sister is even more graceful than the princess.”

“Such a pity… the elder princess doesn’t quite measure up.”

“My little sister…” Nagaria’s voice trembled, filled with anguish and jealousy. Her clenched fists and trembling figure reflected the storm brewing within her heart.

The vision shifted forward, showing Nagaria’s descent into envy. The people who had once admired her turned their affection to her sister. The man she loved—a humble commoner—confessed one day with tearful eyes, “I’m not worthy of you, Princess…”

“What are you saying?!” Nagaria’s past self cried, her voice breaking. But the truth was even crueler than she anticipated—he had fallen in love with another.

The betrayal shattered her. The vision revealed her storming into the control chamber of the island—a place housing three crystalline pillars that anchored Atlantisino above the waves.

“If I can’t be happy… neither should they,” she whispered, her voice laced with venom. With one swift blow, she shattered one of the crystals. The island began to quake, collapsing piece by piece into the ocean depths.

The screams of her people echoed in her mind as they fled in terror. But Nagaria, consumed by her grief and rage, only laughed—tears streaming down her face.

As the vision concluded, the chaos surrounding Nagaria seemed to subside momentarily. Her body trembled, and tears fell from her eyes.

“I never… meant for it to end like this,” she whispered, her voice fraught with sorrow. Her gaze met Akira’s, filled with regret and despair.

Akira and his team stood frozen, absorbing the weight of her pain. For the first time, they saw not a monster, but a broken woman—a princess who had once been cherished, now consumed by the envy and loneliness that had destroyed her world.

But Akira’s resolve hardened. He stepped forward, his voice steady. “Nagaria, you’re trapped in the past, but it doesn’t have to define you. Let us help you break free from the chaos and the pain.”

The princess’s tearful gaze lingered on Akira, wavering between hope and despair. The next move would determine whether she could be saved—or whether chaos would claim her completely.