Chapter 270: Princess Protection!

The eastern sector of the facility was notably very different than the rest of the facility.

The moment Jax and Nulissa stepped into it, the air shifted. The oppressive weight of divine magic that coated the rest of the compound grew denser here, more concentrated, like the Church had poured additional effort into sealing whatever lay beyond.

Rows of reinforced barriers stood ahead, thicker than anything they had encountered so far. The runes etched into the walls glowed brighter, layered over each other in complex formations meant to suppress, bind, and erase.

Nulissa’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

"...This isn’t standard containment."

Jax’s gaze swept across the structure once, absorbing everything in an instant.

"No," he agreed quietly. "It’s priority containment."

There was no hesitation after that. He raised his hand. The space in front of him warped, and then collapsed.

~CRACK—BOOM!~

The reinforced barrier didn’t shatter like the others. It resisted for half a second, the divine sigils flaring violently as they attempted to hold.

Then Jax’s power overwhelmed it completely.

The entire structure caved inward, the runes burning out as the walls fractured and exploded into fragments of light and stone.

The path opened and even Nulissa paused when she saw what it was.

"...Merfolk, makes sense," she said softly.

Jax’s expression didn’t change immediately, but his eyes sharpened.

Rows of cages, larger, submerged partially in conjured water chambers, lined the chamber.

Inside them were Merfolk.

Dozens.

Their forms were restrained by glowing chains that extended into the water itself, suppressing both their physical movement and magical abilities. The water around them wasn’t natural, it shimmered faintly with holy energy, likely designed to weaken them over time.

Some of them floated limply.

Others clung weakly to the bars, their eyes dull, exhausted.

Some Merfolk were in their Human forms, their tails completely replaced by legs. Most of them looked rather malnourished, but one of them stood out immediately.

Near the center of the chamber, in a cage more heavily reinforced than the others, was a small figure.

A young girl that was no older than seven.

Her long, flowing hair shimmered in a soft, vibrant purple, an unmistakable color that carried a quiet authority even now, dulled as it was by exhaustion.

Her small body trembled slightly as she clung to the bars, her wide eyes filled with fear.

Jax’s gaze locked onto her.

"...Royal blood," he muttered.

Nulissa nodded once.

"The signature is unmistakable."

The moment the barrier broke, the Merfolk reacted.

Fear surged through the chamber instantly.

"D—Demons...?"

"They’ve come...!"

Some recoiled, pressing themselves against the far ends of their cages. Others simply stared, too exhausted to move.

None of them really knew how to react, an immense amount of fear lining their bodies as they saw the Demons, having heard various stories about them.

The little girl froze completely, er wide eyes locked onto Jax, and then, she flinched from fear.

Jax stepped forward and Nulissa followed just behind him, her expression calm, though her eyes flickered briefly toward the surrounding cages.

"...We should move quickly," she said quietly, "We still need to transfer all these people out of here. We don’t want reinforcements to arrive while we’re in the middle of that,"

Jax nodded once, "I know."

He raised his hand again, "Break."

This time, his magic spread outward in a controlled wave. Every single cage in the chamber shattered.

~CRACK—CRASH—SHATTER!~

The chains snapped. The suppression sigils burned out. The reinforced bars twisted and broke apart like they were nothing.

Water spilled outward as the containment fields collapsed, flooding the chamber floor in a rushing surge.

The Merfolk gasped, some collapsing forward, others simply floating there, stunned as they were let free.

For the first time in who knew how long. The little girl’s cage broke last. Her chains dissolved, and she dropped forward into the shallow water with a small splash.

For a second, she didn’t move, then slowly... she looked up.

At Jax, her lips trembled.

"...Y—you..."

She didn’t finish.

Instead, she moved.

Before anyone else could react, the small Merfolk girl pushed herself forward, slipping through the shallow water, her tail transforming into legs and her small hands grabbed onto his coat, clutching tightly as she pressed herself against him like he was the only stable thing in the world.

Jax paused while Nulissa blinked once, mildly surprised.

The other Merfolk froze as well.

"...She..." one of them whispered.

The girl buried her face against Jax’s chest, her small body trembling.

"D—don’t let them take me again..." she whispered, her voice breaking.

"...Please..."

Jax’s expression shifted and his hand rose slowly. Then gently... rested against her head.

"...They won’t," he said.

His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried absolute certainty reinforced by his immense power. The trembling didn’t stop immediately, but it lessened, just a little.

Behind them, one of the older Merfolk stepped forward cautiously.

His body was weakened, his movements slow, but there was still a presence about him of a noble, experienced man worthy of respect.

His gaze flicked between Jax and Nulissa, wariness clear.

"...You’re... Demons," he said carefully.

Nulissa didn’t deny it.

"We are."

The man hesitated.

His instincts screamed at him to be cautious. Everything he had been taught, everything the Church had likely reinforced, told him Demons were enemies.

Monsters, beings to fear, and yet, he looked at the broken cages, thinking that the Church was the ones who had captured them, and then at the dissolved chains.

Finally, he looked the girl... clinging to Jax like her life depended on it.

His voice lowered.

"...You freed us."

Jax didn’t look at him.

His attention remained on the girl.

"Yeah."

The man swallowed slightly.

"...Why?"

Nulissa answered this time, "Because you shouldn’t have been here. We won’t save our own and just leave you all captured here,"

The man looked at them both with a warm smile and then looked at the little girl.

"...That child," he said quietly, nodding toward the girl in Jax’s arms.

Nulissa’s eyes flicked to him.

"...What about her?"

"...She is no ordinary Merfolk. I’m sure you already know this, but those with purple hair among us are royalty,"

Jax finally glanced up and the man straightened slightly despite his condition.

"She is a Princess," he finished.

The girl tightened her grip on Jax at that, as if the word itself brought back something she didn’t want to face.

Jax’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"...Figures."

Nulissa crossed her arms lightly.

"That explains the level of containment."

The man nodded.

"They took her first," he said quietly. "We were... captured trying to get her back."

His expression darkened.

"They’ve been keeping her alive. Studying her. Using her blood for... experiments."

"...Alright," Jax said quietly.

"We’re done here."

Nulissa glanced at him.

"...Agreed."

Jax looked toward the Merfolk.

"All of you," he said.

"Stay close."

His golden eyes gleamed faintly.

"We’re getting you out."