After reaching the status of a legend, the Shark King did not experience the reversal it had anticipated.

The situation remained the same, with the King of the Near Seas still dominating and beating it mercilessly, failing to gain any advantage in their two encounters.

“Is my legend status fake?”

“Or is the King of the Near Seas just too abnormal?”

“Why can it keep overpowering me? I am a legend!”

The Shark King fell into deep self-doubt once again. The inflated confidence from its sudden breakthrough to legendary status vanished in the blink of an eye, overshadowed by the imposing shadow of the dragon.

“To be a legend and yet defeated by a ninth-tier creature, if word gets out, I’ll be the laughingstock.”

“Damn it, I refuse to believe I’ll lose to a creature that’s not even legendary.”

Crack, crack!

Teeth stained with blood fell out one by one, and new, ferocious shark teeth grew in their place. The Shark King let out an enraged roar, opened its maw wide, and took in a massive gulp of seawater.

It was as if the endless seawater converged in the Shark King’s mouth, forming a deep, rapidly spinning water orb.

Then, targeting the Golden Dragon on the other side, the Shark King hurled it forth with force.

Duke Tsunami Cannon!

Boom!

The water orb, carrying a powerful destructive aura, pierced through the sea and shot towards the Golden Dragon, as if it could obliterate any obstacle in its path.

This assault was particularly fierce.

Saga did not confront the attack head-on, nor did he withstand the Shark King’s strike. Flapping his wings, he moved with agility, narrowly avoiding the water orb’s impact.

Crash!

The water orb continued to spin rapidly, colliding with a towering underwater mountain along the way, causing it to collapse and shatter, raising countless ripples in the water.

The Shark King, now a legendary creature, was not weak.

In their initial encounters, Saga appeared unharmed on the surface, holding an absolute advantage and shattering the Shark King’s confidence. However, Saga’s consumption of Power Essence was not insignificant.

The cost of perfectly defending against the Shark King’s attack was a massive drain on Power Essence.

“Facing a legendary creature, I must operate the Force Field at full power. I cannot underestimate it; a moment’s carelessness could result in serious injury.”

Saga thought to himself.

However, while he needed to take the fight seriously, Saga indeed had the confidence to battle a legendary creature.

Firstly, he possessed a terrifying defense that even the legendary Shark King found unbelievable. Even when Saga was at the eighth tier, facing the second-tier legendary Duke Tsunami, he could withstand the attacks through a massive consumption of Power Essence.

Saga felt that his Force Field defense was even somewhat akin to a divine shield.

In the history of the multiverse, without any external assistance, there had never been an instance of a mortal slaying a god through their own strength. A significant reason for this was the impregnable defense formed by the transcendent divine power of the gods. Only a few types of attacks could break through the divine shield, and the gods wielding transcendent divine power were naturally invincible.

The deflection Force Field could withstand the formidable attacks of legendary creatures.

Moreover, Saga’s own offensive power far exceeded the imagination of ordinary ninth-tier creatures, capable of inflicting significant, even fatal, damage to legendary beings.

Saga’s reflexes and instincts were also sufficient to keep up in a battle with a legend.

“At the very least, I have no fear of creatures that have just entered the legendary realm. I can fight and win on my own.”

Meanwhile.

The Shark King, missing its target, unleashed more destructive water cannons.

Boom, boom, boom!

A multitude of water orbs, carrying terrifying force, blocked any space for evasion, moving at high speed, and sweeping towards the Golden Dragon.

At this moment, the large-bodied Saga displayed agility that belied his size.

The dragon sometimes surged forward, sometimes shifted sideways, his form suddenly rising or dropping, interspersed with dramatic turns like a swallow returning to its nest. All movements were swift, dodging the barrage of water orbs with precision, like a dancer performing atop blades, thrilling yet spectacular.

The Shark King, having reached the legendary tier, was not without merit.

It was not weak.

It was just that Saga was too formidable, beyond the realm of normalcy.

After realizing that the King of the Near Seas easily dodged its attacks, the Shark King no longer unleashed its skills haphazardly. Instead, it strategically adjusted the angles of its attacks, leaving gaps for Saga to dodge, and then gradually forced Saga into a circle with no space left to evade.

“King of the Near Seas, how will you dodge this time?”

The Shark King roared.

At the same time, it spat out a water orb several meters in diameter, leaving a long tear in the sea as it sped straight towards the Golden Dragon.

Always dodging can only last for so long.

On the other side, with no space left to dodge, Saga watched the incoming destructive water orb with a calm expression, unchanging, still cool and composed.

As the destructive water orb approached, nearly at arm’s length.

The Golden Dragon stood erect, stretched out its claws, and firmly grasped the destructive water orb.

Under the surprised and angry gaze of the Shark King, the Golden Dragon precisely caught the lightning-fast, fierce water orb with its claws, no matter how rapidly it spun or the destructive force it emitted, capable of tearing steel and collapsing mountains, it could not escape the Golden Dragon’s grip.

The attack of a legendary creature was swift and fierce.

To precisely intercept it was to play with fire.

But for Saga, it was inevitable.

With Force Field perception’s accurate prediction of the water orb’s trajectory, all he had to do was extend his dragon claws prophetically, waiting for the water orb to ‘run’ into his grasp.

Using the deflection Force Field to withstand the water orb’s lethality.

In the struggle against the Force Field, Saga’s claws shone with a blinding brilliance, the surrounding seawater raging wildly, with turbulent undercurrents.

Immediately.

Lifting the destructive water orb high, the Golden Dragon threw his arms, hurling it forcefully back at the Shark King.

The reversal of the deflection Force Field, coupled with Saga’s strength.

The water orb returned to its creator at a speed faster than before, heedless of its master’s resistance and dissatisfaction, rushing back as if delighted.

With a flick of its tail fin, the Shark King’s agile form in the sea and its understanding of its own attacks allowed it to successfully dodge the destructive water orb returning to strike it.

“I’m furious.”

Its own attack, which seemed certain to hit, was returned, causing the Shark King to spin in place in anger.

Compared to long-range attacks, the Shark King, more adept at close combat, growled and fixed its gaze on Saga, saying:

“King of the Near Seas, come again, I refuse to believe that I, a legend, will lose to you.”

“If I can’t beat you, you won’t need to lift a finger; I’ll just rip out my own heart and offer it to you!”

As it spoke, under the will of the Shark King, endless seawater gathered towards its body, then compressed layer by layer around its surface, making its water armor increasingly thick and sturdy, until it became a solid full-body stone armor, even its teeth coated in a layer of deep blue, armed to the teeth.

Aquaman Armor!

This was a talent skill that only a legendary Shark King could awaken.

The Shark King was the darling of the sea. After deploying the Aquaman Armor, all of the Shark King’s abilities would be greatly enhanced.

It had not used it at the beginning of the battle with Saga because the Shark King had just stepped into the realm of legends and did not fully understand its newly acquired abilities, unable to use them at will. Now, it had a general understanding of how to deploy them.

Its newly attained legendary status was rapidly solidifying.

Clad in Aquaman Armor.

The Shark King’s roar stirred up dark ripples, then its tail fin swung, and it charged at Saga for the third time.

Although it had been brutally beaten and sent flying in the previous two encounters, the Shark King did not fear close combat.

“As you wish, I will watch you rip out your own heart.”

“If you have second thoughts, I’ll offer you a little help.”

Saga whispered, then met the Shark King head-on.

In an instant, dragon and shark were entangled once again.

The dragon lashed its tail, repeating the old trick, smashing towards the Shark King like a golden lightning bolt.

The Shark King also rotated its body, its thick tail fin meeting the dragon’s tail.

Crash!

A ring of waves burst under the deep sea, spreading and radiating far away.

Under the rebound force of the Force Field deflection, this time, the Shark King was not sent flying as before. Its Aquaman Armor cracked with large fissures, its body shook, and it retreated tens of meters, only slightly at a disadvantage.

A large amount of seawater continued to gather towards the Shark King.

The cracks on the Aquaman Armor healed at a visible speed.

Because the situation had improved, although still at a disadvantage, the Shark King regained confidence, its eyes brightening.

“How much energy do you have left to withstand my attacks?”

“King of the Near Seas, come again!”

The Shark King, with its rich combat experience, determined after several encounters that Saga was maintaining his strong defense by consuming a certain type of energy.

It was convinced that Saga could not withstand many more of its legendary attacks.

Therefore, its confidence surged.

The shark lowered its head, its tail fin speeding up.

The Aquaman Armor pulsed with life, forming a massive phantom ram on the shark’s head, charging with a powerful momentum.

Destruction Shark Head Hammer!

The impact was swift and rapid, as if piercing through space.

In the blink of an eye, the ram on the shark’s head was almost within reach of Saga, very close, having bypassed his claws’ defensive range.

As time passed, the legendary might of the Shark King began to show.

However, Saga was no pushover.

Psychic Step!

His body vanished from the spot in an instant, avoiding the Shark King’s fierce impact.

The Golden Dragon appeared above the Shark King’s body, his feet glowing with an ultra-heavy quality, and he stomped fiercely towards the Shark King’s back.

Thump!

Like a mountain bearing down.

The dragon’s clawed feet tore through the Shark King’s armor, leaving deep wounds on its flesh, blood streaming, while the immense force pressed the Shark King down towards the deeper sea.

Saga opened his dragon maw, looked down, and was about to unleash his Dragon Breath.

Suddenly, the Shark King roared.

On its back, the dorsal fin, sharp as a blade, suddenly shone with Sharpness, rising abruptly, aiming at the dragon’s legs with a tricky angle.

Sea-Cutting Fin Blade!

Saga’s brow twitched, his first instinct was to use Psychic Step, teleporting to avoid the Shark King’s fin attack.

But then, a massive obstruction came.

The space around him became extremely solid, subtly sealed by the Shark King with a technique akin to dimensional lockdown.

Fortunately, Saga’s reaction was swift enough.

He pushed off with his legs, flapped his wings simultaneously, and rose from the Shark King’s back, narrowly avoiding the fin attack.

“Promoted to legend, you’ve become more than just one level stronger.”

At first, the Shark King, having just broken through to legend and thinking the situation was settled, was too arrogant and underestimated Saga, thus still getting beaten senseless. But now, fully serious, it began to show the demeanor of a legendary creature, launching attacks that Saga had to take seriously.

Normally, the gap between non-legendary and legendary creatures is indeed vast.

Even the Shark King could undergo such a transformation, and Saga was now somewhat looking forward to the tremendous improvement he would receive after his own breakthrough to legend.

Engaged in battle, Saga did not continue to be distracted.

After being heavily stomped by Saga, the Shark King’s body sank dozens of meters before stabilizing itself, then adjusted its direction and continued to charge at Saga, with sea waves rapidly swirling around its body.

The Shark King, deploying the Destruction Shark Head Hammer, moved at an incredibly fast speed.

Saga could only barely discern its movements, relying on Force Field perception to lock onto its trajectory.

If an ordinary ninth-tier creature were here, it might not even be able to see the Shark King’s movements at this moment, which were like a ghost, and full of aggression.

In an instant, the shark charged again to a position very close to Saga.

Space was sealed, and Psychic Step could not be used.

Faced with the fierce and rapid, unavoidable destructive impact, Saga’s expression was serious and focused, no longer evading. He gathered a large amount of Power Essence to his chest, operated the deflection Force Field, and thrust his chest forward with force.

Thud!

The impact collided with the dragon’s chest.

From below, the Shark King, carrying Saga’s body, ascended, parting the surrounding seawater to both sides.

“Let me shatter your chest!”

The Shark King growled.

Feeling his Power Essence being consumed like a waterfall, Saga stretched his wings to the limit, his ultra-heavy claws suddenly gripping the sides of the Shark King’s body.

“With your meager strength?”

“Even as a legend, you’re still destined to be defeated by me!”

The dragon roared, its scales shining brightly.

Crack!

The claws pierced through the Aquaman Armor, sinking into the Shark King’s flesh.

Just as the Shark King was about to be pushed to the surface, the dragon’s immense strength erupted, his arms encircling the Shark King’s head, and with an iron spine as the pivot, he flung it with force.

Boom!

Their positions abruptly reversed.

Under the overwhelming might of the dragon, surpassing even legends, the Shark King’s large and heavy body was tossed around like a toy in Saga’s hands, taking flight with a thud, emerging from the water, and being thrown into the sky.

Thud!

The sea surface exploded again.

The Golden Dragon, surrounded by countless water splashes and waves, broke through the sea.

Its scales, under the sunlight, refracted a dazzling luster, and the Golden Dragon spread its wings wide, quickly approaching the Shark King thrown into the sky.

Bang, bang, bang!

Dragon claws, wings, and tail, every part of the body became a weapon, with a majestic momentum, raining down on the Shark King like a torrential downpour.

Thrown into the air, flung from the sea.

Away from its home field in the ocean, the Shark King, its Aquaman Armor losing its self-healing ability, quickly fell apart under Saga’s attacks, exposing its unprotected body, which was soon covered in wounds from the assault.

Crack!

Mid-air, the Shark King lunged, its armed and seemingly indestructible fangs biting towards Saga.

Unfortunately, its movements were a bit slower than in the sea, easily dodged by Saga.

Not allowing the Shark King to return to the sea, Saga continued to keep it afloat, launching a fierce and rapid offensive in the air.

At this moment, the Shark King was merely enduring the blows.

The Shark King, having recently ascended to legend, although capable of aerial combat, was under the premise that the opponent was not stronger than itself and was also adept at aerial fighting.

Soon, the Shark King roared angrily:

“Let me return to the sea if you dare!”

“Fine!” To its surprise, the dragon answered decisively with an affirmative.

The Shark King was momentarily stunned, then realized that the King of the Near Seas had vanished from in front of it, and it began to fall normally, while a strong oppressive force came from above.

Enveloped in golden dragon fire.

Saga, from above, gathered his strength to the peak, then like a falling star, slammed heavily onto the Shark King.

Crash!

Accompanied by a deafening roar.

The shark’s body bent, forming a huge arc, and the Shark King felt its spine nearly break, while whooshing down towards the ocean.

Thud!

The sea surface shattered, waves surging, forming a rolling tsunami, like a natural disaster.

The Shark King’s figure was engulfed by the surging water.

The intense impact blurred the Shark King’s consciousness.

When it regained a bit of clarity, it found its body had sunk to the seabed, creating a huge depression, buried by the deep-sea mud.

Glowing vegetation grew on the seabed, not too dark.

The severely injured body wriggled, and the Shark King struggled to swim up.

Then, a cold and indifferent voice made it shudder.

“Now, take out your own heart and offer it to me.”

“Or, I can be a bit rough and do it myself.”

Turning its head, the still brilliantly scaled dragon in the dark deep sea was quietly gazing at it.

At this moment, the Shark King’s innermost being was completely overshadowed by the dragon.

A rollercoaster of emotions.

Time and again, it used stronger powers, only to be defeated by the opponent.

The Golden Dragon seemed like an insurmountable mountain, no matter how hard it tried, it would always be suppressed, unable to turn the tide.

How could such a monster exist?

A creature that could defeat a legend at the ninth tier, why did it have to encounter me?

“You and I.”

Under the calm gaze of the Golden Dragon, the Shark King’s fins moved, and after hesitating for a while, its shark face showed a resigned expression:

“King of the Near Seas, I have lost.”

“I, Itamar, will not go back on my word. You want my heart, right? Take it!”

Its pectoral fin elongated, piercing into its own body like a blade.

The Shark King’s shark face twisted in pain as it forcibly extracted its own heart from its body, its life force rapidly fading.

“My heart is yours.”

With a difficult voice, the Shark King murmured in a deep tone:

“The fall of a whale gives rise to life, and the same applies to sharks.”

“My death may just be the beginning of something new.”

As it spoke, the shark’s body that had just risen fell again, seemingly lifeless.

At the same time.

Saga stared at the Shark King’s carcass, his eyes narrowing, then muttered to himself:

“I wonder if it’s really dead. Better to be safe and completely destroy the body, reducing it to ashes.”

Whoosh!

The life force that had completely extinguished flared up again.

The Shark King, who had just bravely faced death, opened its eyes, and under the dragon’s gaze, scratched its chest with a fin, giving an awkward smile.

“Eh? How come I’m alive again.”

“It seems losing a heart isn’t fatal after all.”

Although it was severely injured and had removed its own heart, underestimating the vitality of a legendary Shark King would be a mistake.

It had planned to feign death, waiting for Saga to leave before sneaking away, not expecting the other party to be unfooled.

Ignoring the Nonsense, the hungry Saga approached, pressing a claw on the Shark King’s head, making it difficult for the already injured creature to move.

“What are you trying to do?”

The Shark King panicked.

Saga did not respond, lowering his head to tear off a large chunk of shark flesh.

The flesh of a legendary creature was consumed, but Saga’s dragon face contorted with a twitch.

The overwhelming stench of fish filled his mouth; the shark meat was atrociously bad, nearly impossible to swallow.

“Ah, don’t eat me.”

As a large chunk of flesh was torn away, the Shark King struggled and pleaded for mercy.

Saga paid no heed, trying another bite from a different spot, only to find it equally repulsive.

The Shark King, trembling with fear, pleaded again:

“Don’t eat me, King of the Near Seas. Your might has deeply subdued me, and I am willing to serve and follow you as a legendary being.”

Saga had intended to devour the Shark King, but the creature was too distasteful to swallow, and killing it outright would gain him nothing.

Hearing the Shark King’s offer to submit, Saga’s gaze shifted slightly.

Subduing a legendary creature as a non-legendary being seemed quite appealing.

Spreading the word would surely elevate his reputation even further.

Saga looked down at the Shark King and spoke indifferently:

“Where is the proud demeanor you had when you first broke through to legend? I preferred you unyielding and untamed. Recover for a moment.”

Ah?

After a brief pause, the Shark King snapped back to reality.

It reined in the fear and defeat from its expression, then tried to muster the pride it had upon first reaching legend status, adopting a forced defiant tone:

“King of the Near Seas, the Shark King Itamar wishes to become your follower and fight for you henceforth.”

The Shark King, which had initially sought to subjugate Saga as a subordinate, was now actively pleading to become Saga’s follower.

A legendary creature swearing fealty to a non-legendary was unheard of and would make the Shark King a laughingstock, but at this moment, it did not feel as repulsed by the idea.

Had Saga defeated it through trickery, schemes, or calculations, the Shark King would rather die than submit.

But having faced Saga directly, it knew in its heart just how terrifying the King of the Near Seas was.

If Saga could overpower it without being a legend, what kind of terrifying storm would he unleash once he broke through to legend?

Swearing fealty to such a being was not a disgrace for the Shark King.

The Golden Dragon waved a claw and said:

“Fine, I accept your fealty.”

Not long after.

The silhouette of the Golden Dragon crossed the skies.

Beneath the shadow of its wings, the massive form of the legendary Shark King followed closely behind, returning together to Starfall Island.

Some time later.

The news that the legendary Shark King had submitted to the King of the Near Seas and become his follower spread like wildfire, stirring up a storm in the nearby seas.

Many creatures speculated that the King of the Near Seas had become a legend.

But there was another rumor, closer to the truth, spreading from the creatures of Starfall Island.

The King of the Near Seas, with a non-legendary body, relying solely on his own strength, had overpowered the legendary Shark King, achieving the feat of defeating a legend and thus subduing it.

Most creatures found it more plausible that the King of the Near Seas had become a legend.

After all, the idea of a non-legendary being making a legend submit was too fantastical, unprecedented in this world.

Regardless.

With the submission of the legendary Shark King, the fame of the King of the Near Seas grew even greater, his reputation transitioning from somewhat known to thunderously renowned.