In the final moments of his life, he watched the Lord of Nothingness being gradually sealed away, a peaceful smile spreading across his face. "At last... I've protected everyone's precious future..."
By the time the memory ended, tears were streaming down Ace's face. He fully understood what true guardianship meant-not just courage and strength, but the resolve to give everything to protect what was precious.
The illusion gradually faded, and everyone returned to the hall of the Undersea Temple. The Abyss Guardian looked at Ace with satisfaction, approval gleaming in its blue eyes.
"Now you understand," it said slowly. "True guardians do not protect others because they are powerful. They gain great power because they have the resolve to protect others."
The Guardian slowly raised its hand and placed it against its chest. The deep blue gem embedded in the statue's chest began to glow, radiating a light as profound as the ocean.
"The Abyss Stone... For a thousand years, I have guarded it, waiting for someone truly worthy of inheriting this power," the Guardian said as it carefully removed the gem. "Now, that moment has finally arrived."
But just then, the entire temple suddenly shook violently. Massive chunks of stone kept falling from the ceiling, and cracks began to spread through the ancient pillars. Worse still, seawater poured wildly through every gap, and the water level rose rapidly.
"It's a spacetime fluctuation!" Aquila said in terror. "The Lord of Nothingness's awakening is destabilizing the entire world!"
Looking at the temple on the verge of collapse, the Abyss Guardian made its final decision. It poured all its remaining power into the temple's supporting structure, temporarily stabilizing the ancient building.
But the price was that the Guardian itself began turning to stone. Starting at its feet, gray-white stone gradually spread upward.