Chapter 936: Wave and Batter

’Wait, so you two and my great grandaunt decided that rolling up in such a blatant manner was a good idea? Did you at least manage to give yourselves enough space to do big ranged attacks?’

[Actually...we didn’t have time to do any of that.]

’Huh? Why?’

[Because we were too busy flailing for our lives after Tortallion decided to launch a tsunami at all of us at once.]

’Ah....because of my great grandaunt?’

[Because of your great grandaunt.]

...

=Wait a minute.=

<Tortallion?! He’s alive?>

=It would seem so.=

<But how? Why? Actually, the better question is when? The last we saw tail or hide of him it was when-.>

=Yes, I know. You don’t need to remind me. Good to know his core is still intact though...=

<By the way, am I going crazy or does it feel like this communication channel feels heavier than anticipated?>

=In terms of subject?=

<No…>

________________________________________

Unaware of whatever discussion was being held between the Fallen Clan and the presumed guardian of the Undertow Kingdom, the Jade Demoness and her crew opted to just sail straight ahead, quite literally into the middle of this conversation.

As they did, Amazona came to a realization.

"Wait a minute...Kit? You know I’m not exactly the brightest candlestick in the cupboard, right?"

"A bit of self-deprecating, but I get the feeling you’re trying to make a point here."

"Well, it’s just that...no disrespect to Matriarch Zhen Xun Tian, but...she’s not exactly the diplomatic type, right?"

"Charismatic to be sure, but she’s more like someone I’d listen to on a battlefield and not during a business occasion," Kit readily agreed.

Due to her experience working in retail, Kit has developed a bit of knack for reading people and their intentions. As such, they knew that while Zhen Xun Tian was a damn good spokesperson who knew how to rile up someone’s heart, they were also the type of person who would prefer to have others handle things such as diplomacy or bureaucracy because they would’ve punched the other person in the face at some point during those type of meetings.

Multiple times.

"So...how is she going to disrupt what is probably a delicate diplomatic meeting between that kaijin and the Fallen Clan, without having both of them turn on her, and by extension, us?"

"That....huh."

As much as Kit would’ve loved to mull over precisely how this tattooed warrior woman of a leader was going to interrupt a diplomatic meeting without ending like a shit, she didn’t have time to.

"HEY ASSHOLES!"

Because Zhen Xun Tian had already decided to place her at the bow of the ship and began projecting her voice in a manner most impolite.

"What’s good, Gao Shen Yun?! Making new friends?!"

"Uh oh..."

In this exact moment in time, Kit and Amazona understood that now was probably a damn good time to batten down the hatches and hold on tight. Because, while they weren’t entirely sure what was in that sentence that angered the kaijin guarding the gates to Undertow, they could at least feel the sudden spike in [Chaos] and aether because of it.

…

At this point in time, the Fallen Clan had figured that maybe changing up who their diplomat was would help, so they decided to do just that…unfortunately, it didn’t do jackshit.

"Alright…I can see that we’re not getting anywhere with this conversation…"

[Ya think?]

"So I suppose we’ll just go and come back another time when you’re in a more…conversational mood."

[Fucking doubt that, but I will appreciate y’all leaving.]

While this was happening though, the War Elder had just finished telling Matriarch Gao Shen Yun a most interesting secret. One that could be actioned upon immediately after this failed negotiation, no less.

"Really? That’s how you managed to get in last time?"

"Indeed, matriarch."

"Hmm….do you think you’d be able to con-"

’HEY!"

"What the fuck?"

"Huh?"

[Hmmm?]

However, just as the Fallen Clan were about to leave on somewhat amicable terms, an intruder had opted to interject and make their presence known via an aether enhanced voice that echoed like a metal bowl being dropped in a silent temple.

"HEY ASSHOLES!"

"Wait a minute…OH FUCK!"

And that intruder happened to be someone that the leadership of the Fallen were all too familiar with.

Despite the surrounding waters being darker than a night on a new moon, the members of the Fallen and the kaijin guarding Undertow could make out a sailing vessel that seemed to have a proud looking warrior woman standing on its prow. While nobody could see her face, they all had the feeling that she had a cocksure and insanely confident grin on her face.

"What’s good Gao Shen Yun?! Making new friends?"

"Oh fuck."

It should be noted that calling out someone’s name in such a manner, normally wouldn’t provoke a response from outsiders. After fall, from their points of view, this sort of interaction usually entailed some level of familiarity, ill or otherwise.

However, in this particular instance, it was an incredibly bad thing for the matriarch of the Fallen’s name to be exposed in such a manner?

Why?

[Wait a minute…Gao?]

Because one of the outsiders in this instance, just so happened to be a very old, very bitter, turtle kaijin who had a bone to pick with the entirety of the PearlScale Empire. Especially when it came to members of the Sixteen Major Clans.

[Gao Shen Yun? Your name…is Gao Shen Yun?,] Tortallion asked the diplomat who was shocked at the sudden change in tone and the intrusion of the Zhen Clan’s leader.

"Uh…no. My name is-"

[As in the Gao Clan?,] Tortallion continued, not caring at this point at the words being muttered by the weedy looking diplomat before him. [As in, one of the Sixteen Major Clans of that hateful Emperor Jinju Zhen Zhu?]

"Well if it helps, we-"

[The very same clans that have hounded, destroyed, pillaged and ravaged everything that me, my brothers, my sisters and beloved Queen held dear for the sake of selfish ambition?!,] Tortallion shouted with increasing intensity.

Aether and [Chaos] began to surge around him, causing the darkness around him to burn away as the hard light construct of a giant turtle monster began to form around him.

Needless to say, the Fallen Clan saw this moment as a sign that they should go inside of their citadel and get ready for the worst.

As for the Jade Demoness, they opted to just turn their boat around. Nobody but the people on that ship could confirm whether or not their leader was laughing and giggling to themselves like a mischievous maniac as they did.

Granted, none of that really mattered at the moment, due to Tortallion about to rock all of their worlds in a way that only kaijin can do.

[You know, I didn’t like you guys when you started talking, but I was going to let you go. But now that I know who the fuck you all are…well…]

After pausing his speech for a moment, Tortallion proceeded to summon a mace that was modeled after a turtle’s head, and held the weapon in both of his massive hands. As he raised it into the air, the mace proceeded to absorb the hard light construct behind him.

[I’M JUST GONNA SINK YOU ALL TO THE BOTTOM OF THE DEEP! Kaijin Art: Grand Tsunami]

With a double-handed swing of his mace, Tortallion released a massive show of force, which caused an equally massive wave of water to rush towards both the Dark Shell Citadel and the Jade Demoness.

____________________________

[So, yeah…after that, the Matriarch, Amazona and I ended up getting caught up in a massive wave that launched our vessel right pass those weird pillars of stone we passed by earlier and back into the cold dark waters that are known as the Abyssal Lands,] Kit stated matter-of-factly in a tone that suggested her story was done.

’Wait…then does that mean y’all got injured because you caught up in what I can only assume was a [Chaos]-infused tsunami that battered all of you like a pinata?’

’Oh, no. We got injured because the Fallen Clan managed to catch up with us after that big ole wave and we had to fight them off,’ the aforementioned matriarch somehow interjected. ’They may have broken my ribs but I kicked that one-armed fuck so hard in the balls that he was going to need regeneration medicine.’

’HEYO?!’

[WHAT THE FUCK?!]

Needless to say, both Zhen Liu and the kaijin were shocked that his great grandaunt had somehow barged into a conversation that was supposed to be both telepathic and private. Thankfully, Zhen Liu knew how to keep a physical poker face.

That stated, Zhen Liu now had more questions, but there were two that needed to be addressed.

’How long have you been listening in? Actually, how have you been listening in?!’

’Oh, uh...this entire time and I think it’s because I’ve been tattooing Amazona’s back this whole time? At least now I know how you guys seem to be weirdly coordinated despite not saying shit to one another.’