Lin Tian held the Water Fragment in his palm.
It was cool to the touch, smooth like polished jade, and it pulsed with a rhythm that matched the ocean itself.
Every beat sent ripples through the water around him, tiny waves that spread outward and faded into the darkness of the trench.
He looked at his team.
Xueya stood closest, her hand resting on his shoulder. Su Lan was on his other side, flames still flickering around her fingers.
Yue Chan, Yan Jiao, Linle, and Mira formed a loose circle around him. Lu Cang leaned on his cracked spear, watching the mountain of Kraken scrap with tired satisfaction.
"We need to do this now," Lin Tian said. "Before anything else comes."
Xueya nodded. "We'll guard you."
Su Lan stepped forward. "How long?"
"I don't know. The System said assimilation would be faster with each Fragment." Lin Tian looked at the Water Fragment. "Maybe a few minutes. Maybe an hour."
