Unclear Origins, a Tribute to Cthulhu

"Young man, you're far too confident..."

Atlanna wanted to say more, but Arthur pressed a hand to her shoulder and shook his head slightly. "Mother, he's strong. The strongest person I've ever met."

"That's right. Arthur is right."

Mera nodded in agreement. "If even he can't defeat Karasen, then I really can't think of anyone else who could. So, Your Majesty, just wait and see!"

But this was the sea!

Facing Arthur and Mera's confident gazes, Atlanna ultimately did not say those words aloud. Since the children chose to trust Russell, she would trust him for now as well.

Rumble—

The seawater shook, and mud churned as tremors like a massive earthquake swept through the entire ruin.

Then, three hundred-meter-long tentacles emerged from beneath the ruins. Their surfaces were covered in rock-hard keratinous spikes. The front sections bristled with densely packed grasping spines, like enlarged ears of wheat, while their ends stretched deep into the ocean, beyond sight.

Karasen!

The legendary Sea Monster truly lived up to its reputation. Even this mere glimpse of it revealed a terrifying size that inspired dread at first sight.

"Two Atlanteans. One is a failure who has repeatedly come to claim the trident and failed every time. The other is the filthy mixed blood of an Atlantean and a human, a bastard dreaming of laying hands on the trident. It is simply an insult to this sacred place."

Karasen's voice echoed through the ruins like rippling waves. Atlanna and Mera could not understand its language, but Arthur could. The word "bastard" made him deeply unhappy.

He was not a bastard!

A trace of gold slowly lit up in Arthur's eyes. He was the proof of his parents' love. Perhaps he was not great, and perhaps he would find it difficult to become great in