Aizen, Annika, and Jillur were in the small cabin they would have to call a room during their voyage. Jillur had taken the mattress on the floor, Aizen was in the bottom bunk, and Annika on the top bunk. While Aizen was in the process of reading a book, and Jillur was simply looking at the ceiling, Annika was talking, making sure none of them would really be able to fall asleep even if they wanted to.

"Ainz-sama~ Can I help to keep you warm~?" She asked in a coquettish tone while leaning over the edge of her bed.

"I appreciate your selfless nature Annika, but I can handle our current situation." Aizen calmly replied, still focused on his book.

"Awww...~ There's no need to be like that, Aizen-sama…" Annika went to say, when Jillur interrupted her.

"Annika, be quiet. You are bothering Aizen-sama." He pointed out, to which the female Espada frowned.

"That's not true, Jillur. What she is doing is most welcomed. People would expect some 'normal' conversation between us." Aizen explained.

"Exactly.~ So… Why don't we talk about your girlfriend, Jillur~?" Annika asked with a mischievous look and tone.

"I-I have no idea what you are talking about." The male Espada remarked, looking strangely flustered.

"You are really bad at hiding it then.~ Or should I try to guess~?" She suggested with a smirk.

"You are free to do as you wish." Jillur replied, recomposing himself.

"Very well~ Let's see… She is related to your connection to the Merfolk.~ To be more specific, I would say that she is one of them herself…" Annika began, when Jillur vehemently interrupted her.

"T-That's enough!"

Before anyone could say anything else, their above average senses picked up on several inhuman presences getting closer to the ship. Right away they went silent, with Jillur and Annika changing their demeanor to their more serious side, while Aizen kept his calm look, preparing for when he would have to play the part of the victim.

"Just do as we discussed."

"As you wish." They replied in unison.

Soon, they felt these presences begin to latch onto the ship and begin to climb it. Almost immediately the maddening scream which they recognized as coming from Georg, seemed to fill the air, as utter chaos broke loose aboard the ship.

The small window in their room exploded inwards, as something tried to make its way in. All eyes went to the thing that looked like the mix of a fish and a man, its features distinctly different from that of a Merfolk. Jillur acted quickly, grabbing a piece of glass from the broken window, that he rammed easily into its neck.

It was something that would kill most beings, but the creature ignored it as its right hand went to the Espada's neck. Luckily, only the upper-body of the creature had gotten in, so he still had the advantage. Removing the glass from its neck, Jillur continued to stab at the creature, having to deal serious damage to the neck and head so it would stop and fall back into the ocean.

"We have to move. Leave your things and get out of the room." Jillur commanded.

Aizen dropped his book, fixed his glasses, and waited for Annika to be in front of him, since in this situation he played the weak human who couldn't really defend himself. Grabbing a wooden staff, Annika opened the room door leading the way out, while Jillur continued to use a piece of glass to lash out at those that tried to crawl through the window. He then followed the other two out the door, which Annika was quick to lock with her key.

Being now in the hallway, the Espada saw that they were not alone, and the other hired hands had also been woken up by the disturbances, with one of the older and more experienced adventurers having already began to give everyone tasks. They could already hear the sounds of combat coming from above them, along with the sounds of several other windows breaking as their attackers began to fill the hallways.

"W-What are we going to do?" Aizen mumbled, looking around panicked as he played his role convincingly.

"Do not worry! You are surrounded by the best." A young adventurer that was near them remarked with a confident grin.

On the upper deck of the ship, Georg was dead, his old heart having given out in the face of the Proto-Shoggoth. Such a mercy had not been spread to the fighters that had already made their way to the scene, with Ricci among them. He had caught the attention of one of the humanoid beings, having already had his ego insulted when only one of them had decided to face him.

However, he was not going to let this affect him, as he had more than ego to fight for. Letting out a passionate battlecry, he lunged at his spear wielding opponent, going for an upwards swing. The creature easily dodged, before moving its spear in a horizontal fashion. Ducking under the swing, he charged forwards, ramming his blade into his opponent's gut. However, the creature did not react. This only served to further unnerve him, as surely this thing which seemed to be alive, would have reacted.

"Weak." The thing gurgled at him, before hitting him in the face with its left fist.

Ricci was sent onto the ground, almost knocked out by the blow. Luckily he could still feel the blade in his hand, and he knew that with the correct [Martial Art], he could go back on the offensive. Then he saw it, the creature's wound, was beginning to close up, and in a moment it was as if he had done nothing.

"Get away from him!"

This voice came from a much younger fighter, who in what was a very questionable move, had jumped on the creature's back, beginning to stab away at it. Taking this advantage, Ricci regained his senses and charged, failing to see that his opponent was no longer amused by their attempts at fighting back. With its free hand, the being grabbed onto the new arrival before violently throwing him onto the ground, taking him out for the time being. In the case of Ricci's his attack, it was easily dodged, and then followed with a blow to the back of the head which took him out of the "fight".

A group of six individuals had taken it upon themselves to fight the slime-like creature that had led to Georg's death. These efforts were almost immediately affected by the presence the being exuded, which worked towards reducing their will and courage. While they tried to fight the creature, some of the fish-like beings attacked them, so now only two were actively fighting the Proto-Shoggoth.

One of them was a magic caster, while the other used a bow and arrow. Surprisingly he was landing some hits on the creature, mostly because the eyes it formed were solid enough to land a hit. However, these eyes could go back to being part of the being, making said hits useless. Not counting the fact his arrows only seemed to annoy the creature. The magic caster was also failing to do anything, as his spells simply dispersed across its body upon contact. Eventually it seemed to get bored, and swat both individuals out of its way, as it continued on to the ship.

Another group of 5 individuals, led by an older man named Ward, were celebrating an actual victory on the other end of the ship, as they had managed to defeat a group of 3 of the fish-like humanoids. They were lucky to be strong fighters who used heavy attacks to take out their opponents, which in this way landed critical blows to their attackers. It wasn't the simplest of fights, but they had done it, and seemed confident to be able to do so again. What they didn't know, was that they Deep Ones they had killed, which wore little clothes or armor, were the lowest ranks of the invading force.

Their attention was directed to the edge from where a single being had appeared. This one was wearing an expensive looking robe, along with displaying somewhat more feminine features than the rest. They took their stances and waited for it to get closer, but the new comer did not move, instead using its unblinking eyes to scan them.

"Human. Men…" Its voice gurgled, looking at those they had killed.

"Acceptable."

They thought it would attack now, but it did not. It actually began to sing, and right away they regretted having waited for their foe to make the first move. The sound seemed to force its way into their minds, and they began to feel uncomfortable in their own bodies, feeling sensations of cold, and the sounds of the ocean intensified, and then became more violent, crashing in their ears.

The group was taken over by a fear of drowning, as the waves seemed to bring the sound of gurgling voices with them. It was as if something was gaining a hold of their being. They eventually fell to their knees, their vision becoming blurry as if a wall of water was between them and the outside world. This was followed by them collapsing into consciousness.

Obed found himself cornered in his office, but even so he was bathed with a certain sense of fulfillment. Before him he saw the validation of his and Aizen's theories, as in the room with him was a Deep One. However the creature had acted in a different way than he expected.

The elder, from his talks with Aizen and his own beliefs, would expect the creature to capture whoever it could. However, the one that stood before him had killed his two guards. This had not happened right away. The Deep One had barged into the room, having sent the guard at the door through it, knocking him out. The creature had examined the room for a moment, acting only after its eyes lingered shortly on Obed.

With a dagger taken from the first guard, the creature had easily killed the second and finished off the already fallen one. It then began to make its way towards Obed. The elder however did not flinch, as he was being moved by something other than fear as he slowly got up from his desk. He felt no fear. Not even in the face of the murderous Deep One, who was also slowly approaching him.

The two met when Obed was beginning to move around the desk, and for a moment they looked at each other, the human's face being bathed in a fish-like smell and breath. Obed's heart was beating at dangerous speeds, but he did not care about this. His body was now moved by another instinct that seemed to be suppressing the primal feelings of survival or fear. His eyes began to swell up, tears forming in his reddening face, as his aged hands began to move upwards, until they fell on the cheeks of the creature that also eyed him with a curious uncertainty.

"M-My boy." Obed mumbled, causing the Deep One to tilt its head to the side slightly.

"M-My Wilbur…"

The Deep One reacted, much to his surprise, as it's free right hand went to the elder's shoulder. It's slimy, cold hand transmitting to Obed such a warmth he could not possibly explain. To begin with he did not know why he had seen this creature has having been Wilbur. Perhaps it was something in the eyes, how it walked, or presented itself. Obed did not know, yet now this touch felt so familiar. Very much like when Wilbur had convinced him to go on the ship, even if Obed was always worried about his son going out on his own to places he did not know about.

Suddenly, a sharp pain filled his stomach, the elder's eyes dropped down to see a dagger rammed into his body. He did not react, he simply froze as the Deep One gurgled something as it tried to speak a language that was not his own.

"Safe…"

Obed, in his final moments, understood. His child, having been turned into a monster, who visibly did not remember who it was outside of some vague instinct and primal recollection, had showed him a great mercy in killing him.

The Deep One watched as the elder died and fell to the ground. Looking at the body it did not know why it had done what it did. Why it had showed mercy towards someone who could still be useful to his kind. Of course, the body was still of use, but having killed him went against all of his orders. Surely some kind of punishment would come from this, but at the moment it did not care much about this.

The group Annika, Aizen, and Jillur had joined had slowly been reduced to a mere 10 people. This was the result of the Deep Ones attacking them from every possible direction, even damaging the roof or floor to get the better of them. This was the reason for Jillur to be separated from the group, as he had fallen into the level below them when the floor gave out on them.

So far Annika, had played the role of healer and support magic caster. However, now they were lacking in any true heavy hitters. Especially when in their efforts to escape they had found themselves cornered by a Proto-Shoggoth, which no one present could possibly injure.

"I'll handle it. The rest of you run past it while it recovers." She firmly announced, much to the surprise of those present.

"What are you going to do to it?" One asked.

"What can you do that we can't?" Another argued.

Ignoring all of this, Annika placed herself between the group and the creature, before ramming her staff into the ground and shouting...

"[Holy Ray]!"

A beam of pure holy light fired towards the slime-like being. At first no one believed it would do anything, but to their surprise not only did the beam do damage, it punched a clean hole through the creature. The Proto-Shoggoth let out a mix of screeches and incomprehensible noises, as it reeled from the impact, shifting backwards and away from the group.

"Y-You did it!" One declared.

"Incredible!"

"Y-Yes, I did it…" Annika mumbled, looking visibly spent.

This was understandable as she had been healing and supporting others during the entire event. Meaning that even if she had easily showcased why she was the number 2 of the Espada, she was getting spent.

The end came even earlier than expected, when from a door to her side, a Deep One warrior emerged, quickly dashing towards and sending Annika into the opposite wall, the impact being enough to immobilize her. Of course, this was only an act, but it was more than enough to convince the others around her, as they attacked the Deep One. Their efforts were also brought to a swift end, as an unknown song filled the air, this being enough to take out those that were left, including Aizen, who much like Annika continued to act as if they were weak.

Much like his companions, Jillur was in the process of acting incredibly exhausted, displaying some scratches and bruises, from a one-on-one fight with a Deep One warrior. He had put up as much of a believable fight as he could. Having used everything around him to slow down the creature, until he could more easily wrap his arms around its neck, following this with breaking it and eventually ripping the Deep One's head from its shoulders. Now however, he was faced with 10 of these creatures, meaning he could do nothing but to raise his arms up and kneel in defeat, an act that earned him a blow to the back of the head.

The ship had been taken, with minimal losses on both sides. The Deep Ones having lost few of their forces, simply because of their resilience and difference of power, and the crew having mostly survived because of their usefulness in the beings' eyes. Having taken control of the ship and bound its "cargo", the Deep Ones continued to steer it deeper into the area Obed had defined during his research.

Eventually Aizen, Annika and even Jillur, who were much stronger and with sharper senses than the rest began to feel the presence of magic. Very, very strong magic. This feeling continued to increase, until they finally broke through what many on the ship called an invisible wall. This being the point that the trio felt the highest amounts of magical power. After breaking through this barrier, all could see what wasn't there before: an island. As sailed further away from the barrier, that source of magic felt weaker. However, the trio could still feel another source from within the island itself. But this one felt strange. It was both overwhelming, yet unstable.

The ship made its way closer to the island, going to a bay on its side that led into a cavern in the side of the mountain that decorated the land. Within this cavern was a small port, being large enough to let a ship in, but make getting out much more difficult as it was not expected to leave again. This being the place where it was to be dismantled and repurposed for it wealth of resources and materials.

Waiting for their arrival was Queen Eilyte, surrounded by some of her guards, and the Deep One Priest, who was also accompanied by some of his people. Behind each of them was a [Gate]. One led to the cells where the men that were to be used by the women of the island would be kept, while the other led to the Deep One's underwater city of Carcosa.

The crew was placed in a line, so each man could be analyzed by the Queen and Priest so they could decide where he would go. On this day, unlike most times, they were presented with two individuals right away. A bound Annika and Jillur. The Priest looked at the two warriors that were accompanying these individuals, he asked them who they were and why they were being singled out, to which one of the warriors gurgled the answer back.

"She can use divine-type magic?" Eilyte asked while looking at the Priest.

"And healing magic." He replied, causing the warrior to gurgle something else.

"Impressive. She actually managed to hurt a Proto-Shoggoth. Something most of your servants fail to properly do." The Priest said as he lightly laughed.

"They simply lack the proper skills to do so. And we are short on magic-casters. That being why I will be taking her. She is a woman, is powerful, and can use a type of magic only spoken of by Cthalpi." Eilyte informed, motioning one of her guards to take Annika and place her next to the rest of the woman accompanying her.

"I will allow it. But surely you have no need for this one." The Deep One Priest then remarked while motioning towards Jillur.

"That depends on what he did." She replied, as the Deep One warrior gurgled the information she wanted.

"He's mine!" She quickly declared.

"On what grounds!? If he killed one of my warriors, he will be perfect to create a replacement."

"I don't care. I will not risk wasting someone so powerful in something like that. He could give this island new and more powerful warriors. He could even give us the next queen." Eilyte defiantly argued.

"Do not use your mates as an excuse for your failure to bear a child."

Eilyte however ignored his words, giving two of her guards a very specific sign, which they were quick to obey as they approached Jillur. This action only further infuriating the Deep One Priest as he spoke in his gurgling voice that also started to growl.

"Who said that you could decide what to do with him!? I can…" He begun to say in protest, when Eilyte spoke over him in a very confident tone.

"Do you really want to bother our god with this matter? Do you truly think you will be able to convince her that creating one powerful Deep One, is a larger priority than creating a new successor to the throne, and additional powerful children?"

The Deep One Priest went silent, his attention then going to the men from the crew, already in the process of picking out the strongest ones. She might have been able to take two powerful individuals away from him, but they both knew this meant he would have a larger pick from the rest as a result.

As he did this, the two women were in the process of undressing Jillur, pulling away the clothes that hid most of his body, so Eilyte could better examine her possible mate. The women had just laid his upper half bare, when they both gasped and took a step backwards.

"H-He has…" One mumbled in a stammer and paused.

"…g-gills!" The other finished.

"What!?" Eilyte gasped, pushing both women aside.

She was greeted with an incredibly well built body, with grayish looking skin, which for some reason awakened in her a reaction no other man had ever caused in her. Of course, she would never mention this. She wouldn't risk letting anyone know that she had seen a man for something other than a thing to increase their numbers with.

On his neck, like the guards had gasped, were gills, which for the time being remained closed. Approaching him, she lowered herself slightly and lifted a hand to the gills on his left, brushing her fingers against them. This caused both them and the prisoner to react. Her eyes meet his and she saw the rather uninterested and unworried look in his gaze. This somewhat annoyed her, as she liked to see the emotions in men's eyes.

"Place him next to the woman. One of you, go and get the cell in my chambers ready." She ordered in a steely tone.

"Hmph! Now, this is a waste. He is most likely of an unknown species. For all we know, you can't even conceive a child with him." The Priest growled in disapproval.

"I guess we will find that out in due time. Until then, you can wait. I plan on giving him, or at least his body, when we are done with him."

What followed was an examination of the rest of the men in the crew. Annika and Jillur being kept where they were since the queen wanted to deal with them afterwards, when she would have more free time on hand. The Priest took many of the low to mid-tier adventurers, along with the older men of the group, with the queen taking some of the younger, livelier ones and some of the strongest among them.

Eventually, it came the time for Enoch to be examined, when the still unruly captain was forced to kneel in the presence of the two individuals. He for some reason seemed to catch the attention of the Priest, who took a step forwards to get a closer look at him. Reaching out and grabbing the captain by his chin, the Deep One moved his head to the side several times, before backing away, and letting out what one would call a laugh.

"What is it?" Eilyte asked with a scrutinizing expression.

"He has been here before. Long ago, but he was here." The Priest remarked.

"Y-You bastard." Enoch growled, seemingly understanding what was happening before spoke up again.

"It was you who made me lose part of my life?"

"Indeed. And now, like a few others before, you managed to find yourself back here, in a less than 'appealing' condition."

"…"

The captain went to spit something back on the creature, but was interrupted.

"You will become one of us. Nothing is left for someone like you. Take him away."

Just like that, the captain was dragged into the [Gate], all the while shouting curses and insults at the creature who was already busy with the next individual. Eventually, came Aizen's turn, who apparently was among those whose fates were sealed from the very beginning as the Priest motioned him towards his portal.

"Don't you dare!" Annika roared hatefully.

"Control her." He coldly remarked, looking at the queen.

"Does he have anything useful for us?" Eilyte asked, looking at the Espada.

"He is our superior." Jillur stoically replied.

"In rank only. He looks miserably weak." She argued in a disinterested fashion.

"Whatever you want from us, you can forget it if he is to become one of those... things." Annika hissed back.

"Hm. Is that so?"

"Meaningless…" The Priest mumbled, as he motioned for Aizen to be taken.

"Wait." Eilyte commanded.

"You say that he is of use to us?" She asked, looking at Annika.

"He is tougher and more resilient then he looks.~" She replied with playful smirk.

"Hm. Very well. I will take him. You can take the rest."

"As you wish."

Eilyte really did not want to do this. However, she wanted to have Annika to be as calm and open minded as possible, which she doubted would happen if this man were to be turned into a Deep One.

With that Aizen, along with all other men chosen by Eilyte, were then taken to the cells where they were to be held until the women had any need of them. There they were put in new restraints, and relieved of any item that could be considered dangerous before being put into their cells.

Annika and Jillur met two different fates. Jillur was sent to the queen's bedchambers, being put in a cell where her current mate would normally be placed in. It unlike other cells, offered him certain luxuries and freedom, even if he was still in restraints. Annika on the other hand was taken to the throne room, where Eilyte rested surrounded by some of her strongest warriors.

"What shall we do with him?" A woman who seemed to be more like an attendant inquisitively asked.

"Is he in the cell?" Eilyte asked back.

"He is."

"Good. Have Ida go see him. Have her take four women of her choosing. Tell her to take no chances, and to make sure that he can indeed, 'perform'."

"As you wish, my queen." Taking a bow, the woman left.

"Now, you. Can you tell me your name?" Eilyte asked while looking at a kneeling Annika.

"My name is Annika Masador Aenar."

"I welcome you, Annika. I am Eilyte, the Queen of this island, and it's people."

"I am humbled to be in your presence.~" The Espada remarked with a small, graceful bow.

"If we were to remove your restraints, would you behave?"

"I am far too tired from the attack on the ship to be able to do anything, even if I wished to."

"Free her."

Upon the queen's command, Annika was freed from her restraints, allowing her to massage her wrists which were starting to feel uncomfortable on her smooth skin.

"Annika, you seem to hold considerable power. Not to mention you are able to use a type of magic that no one else on the island possesses. I will be direct about this. Join us." Eilyte stated in a demanding tone.

"W-What?" The Espada asked, seemingly dumbfounded by the sudden declaration.

"Stay on this island as one of us. You will be given freedom that you wouldn't be able to gain anywhere else, and your powers will receive the appreciation they deserve. No longer will others limit you…" Eilyte began to say, when Annika calmly interrupted her.

"No one that is not you, or that thing you were speaking to just a moment ago."

"How dare…" One of the guards angrily went to rebuke her, when the queen raised a hand to silence her.

"You would only have to obey me. The Deep Ones are another matter you don't need to concern yourself with, so long as you do not provoke them. Of course, you will also have to obey the will of Cthalpi, but that is another matter."

"Cthalpi?~" Annika asked in a confused, yet curious tone.

"Our god, from whom I descend from. That is why if you obey me, your life here will be a peaceful, serene one." Eilyte said in a slightly softer, and more reassuring tone.

"And if I should refuse?"

"Simply put, we can either make you stay, or we give you to the Deep Ones. What happens after that is up to them to decide." Eilyte coolly replied.

"..."

Annika did not immediately reply, as she seemed to enter a pensive state, which the queen mistook for contemplation. In truth at that moment, across every Espada ring, including the one Aizen bore, came a message from Amelia. In it she informed the team of what Ada had told them, along with the fact she had also made Ada aware of several things about them. Almost immediately after, both Annika and Jillur received the same message from Aizen...

[Amelia has given us the additional information we needed. Let us move. We will start with their ruler.]

Jillur found himself being pulled by his chains to what he assumed to be their ruler's main bedchambers. Two women were doing so, while three others watched, with the leader of the group giving out orders.

"There are places on the bed to restrain him. Our queen seems to see great worth in him, so we must make sure he is up to those expectations." Ida said with determination.

However, upon hearing Aizen's command via his ring, Jillur suddenly stopped and proceeded to easily break the chains that bound him. This stunned the two women, leaving them open to one quick blow each, that easily knocked them out. Directing his attention towards the other three, he charged straight at them, taking out the other two, with their leader managing to avoid the blow meant for her.

"What did you do to them, you bastard?" Ida growled balefully, taking her stance with her sword.

"I knocked them out. I made sure not to seriously injure them." Jillur stoically replied.

"Impressive... but don't think that will work on me!"

With that Ida went on the offensive, all the while making sure none of her attacks would kill him. Jillur, who was in the process of easily dodging every single blow, was quite surprised with what he saw. Her strength was easily above that of Gazef Stronoff. Something that would certainly make her the strongest fighter he had ever met. That is, if he had never come across Aizen, and almost everyone else he had come to know through him. Lifting his left hand, Jillur easily caught her blade.

"H-How?" Ida gasped, growing pale at his actions.

"I'm sorry. Our strength is simply too far apart."

Taking advantage of her shocked state, Jillur followed this with a hard elbow to her gut, the blow causing her to collapse on the spot.

Annika in response to Aizen's instructions had changed her entire posture. She went from the stance and presentation of a humble prisoner, to her usual composed and confident self.

"What do you think you are doing?" Eilyte growled as her guards going into their combat stances.

"I will answer that right away, but first I shall reintroduce myself." Annika informed, lifting the hand where her ring rested.

"…"

The queen was about to speak as her vision narrowed on the ring, but the Espada interrupted her.

"I am the Segunda Espada, Annika Masador Aenar. We of the Espada, came here for one reason only: to speak with your god, Cthalpi."

Eilyte's face twisted slightly in the face of the woman's declaration. How did she know about Cthalpi? She was an outsider, of that much she was certain. If she was someone from the island, the barrier would have picked up on her tattoo, which she knew to be impossible to remove by anyone that was not a high-tier Deep One, or Cthalpi herself.

The way Annika spoke was also cause for her anger. She spoke as if there were more of these "Espada". Could it be that the other two that were with her were Espada? She could understand that being the case for the one that killed a Deep One warrior, but the other man appeared to be a weakling.

Staring down Annika, she let out a low sigh. Eilyte was getting worked up for nothing. She had seen that both of them were spent, and even if they weren't, no matter how strong they were they couldn't compare to her, or the beings created by Cthalpi. Soon she was laughing at the Espada, this taking her guards by surprise. Especially in the face of the woman's surprising and bold statement.

"Is that so?" Eilyte hissed, as she now felt incensed by their audacity.

"And who are you to come here and so boldly declare that you want to speak to our god Cthalpi!? Especially when I have yet to decide your fate?"

Her words did not seem to cause any fear or dread in Annika. Instead she was faced with some indignation and even annoyance at her words. This only served to further anger Eilyte as Annika spoke again, glaring at her.

"My fate is not yours to decide." Annika growled in a somewhat menacing and unsettling tone, before she sighed, and changed over to a calm demeanor before continuing.

"Still, we do not want to hurt anyone, but we will do so if it's needed. However, I understand that our demands may not sound reasonable, but we want nothing but what is best for both sides. That is why we want to speak with the one in charge."

This was enough, as Annika's questioning of Eilyte's power and standing hit the queen's ego and insecurities, her face twisted and turned to a menacing grin.

"Subdue her!" Eilyte belligerently ordered.

"Surely, that is not needed."

"...!"

This was a new voice, one that caused the guards to stop in their tracks, as it was one of a male. Something that they had never heard in this room. All eyes then went to the entrance, which was closing behind the new arrival, which Eilyte quickly recognized as the weakling Annika had so intensely defended.

"H-How did you get here!?" She demanded, rising from her seat.

"I walked in. Your guards seemed more than willing to let me through." Aizen calmly replied, in a somewhat friendly tone.

At the statement, Eilyte's mind quickly went to some kind of mental manipulation. This got her to raise her guard somewhat. This was because of the fact the women she ruled over, given their contact with Cthalpi and the beings she had created, had a much higher mental fortitude than outsiders. There was also the fact some of her guards had items to further strengthen their mental fortitude, so for this man to be able to walk past them, he had to be extremely skilled.

"Annika, it seems you are having some trouble convincing them." Aizen remarked, nonchalantly approaching the group of women as he kept his hands in his pockets.

"M-My apologies. She is a bit stubborn, but I can handle it." Annika quickly replied whilst taking a small bow.

"No matter..."

"Do not speak as if you know me! I am the Queen of this island and I will not be made a fool by a group of outsiders. Kill him!" Eilyte roared, her frustration getting the better of her.

The women immediately did as they were ordered, more than happy to kill the man who dared to behave in such a manner in front of their queen. Annika quickly moved to act, however she was not fast enough. In the blink of an eye, all of the guards were on the floor, Aizen still standing in the same spot he was in before. Eilyte watched as all of the guards seemed to squirm under the hold of some unseen force, as a low hum could be heard in the air.

"If you insist, I shall do things your way." Aizen informed, his words sending a slight chill down her spine.

With his left hand Aizen removed his glasses, placing them in one of his jacket pockets, following this by using his right hand to sweep his hair back. In this moment his entire complexion had changed. No longer did he look weak and out of place. He now seemed to impose his will and authority from his eyes alone. While Eilyte felt slightly unnerved by him, her ego did not allow someone else imposing his authority and superiority upon her domain and just walk away.

Eilyte did not have her gear, which was originally Cthalpi's before being given to the first queen, and all of those after her. After all, she did not consider that wearing it might be necessary. Still, she was confident in her own abilities, and considered herself more than capable to punish them with her own hands. Suddenly Aizen vanished, appearing right after in front of her, his right hand on her chest, his eyes seemingly piercing into her very soul as his locked onto hers.

"Understand this: you have no power here." He said in a low tone, his voice seeming to echo in Eilyte's ears.

"…"

She was at a loss for words as she fell back onto her throne, stunned that a any kind of man could impose his will upon her. Before she could respond, Eilyte heard Aizen's calm voice echo in the halls of her throne room as he walked away, and back to Annika's side.

"We did not wish to do this. As Annika said, we simply wish to speak to this being known as Cthalpi. It is my intention to form a partnership between the Espada and your island. I understand that as a ruler you have an image, and an ego, to maintain. However, doing that now, in this situation is foolish."

"So cool.~" Annika whispered to herself in an almost girlish glee.

"And so I say this again: We wish to speak with Cthalpi." Aizen firmly said.

"And what if I decline?" Eilyte growled, trying to maintain her position of authority.

"Please Queen Eilyte.~ We know where she is. The only problem is getting there." Annika replied in a calm, even soothing tone of voice.

Eilyte looked around, and saw her guards were still being held down by whatever ability Aizen had activated. She could see a certain distortion in the air around them, and that low hum continued to persist as she could feel the air itself become heavier. It seemed that she was backed into a corner. The feeling was both infuriating, and even exciting in a sense. Either way, she was determined not to give them what they wanted.

Luckily, something happened to break the tension of the situation, as a [Gate] opened not too far from them. From within the black-purplish portal emerged the King's Worm. Something that visibly made Eilyte worry more than the Espada, since his appearance there was something that had not happened in over 100 years.

The robed figure with the waxen mask took a few steps forward before stopping, and then moving its head in the direction of the queen, before going to the duo. Raising its right hand, it beckoned in the direction of Aizen, motioning for the Shinigami to follow him into the portal.

The queen's eyes grew wide at the action. Surely this man was not being granted an audience! She understood that via her link with their god, Cthalpi would be able to understand how she was feeling, but surely that did not justify giving him an audience. Especially to go as far as to send her greatest guardian to bring the man to her.

"Annika, get in contact with Jillur. Have him come here." Aizen said, as he began to walk towards the being.

"Wait! You can't…"

Eilyte quickly tried to argue, when King's Worm spoke. Something that also hadn't happened in a very long time, as its voice carried a distorted hiss

"No."

"Are we that much of a concern?" Annika asked in a relaxed tone.

"No. He, is." It replied in an empty tone, pointing at Aizen.

"And yet you will take me to your god, even knowing that I am a threat." Aizen remarked in a curious tone.

"Cthalpi does not wish for unnecessary violence."

"Neither do we. Please, lead the way."

With that, Aizen released the hold his reiatsu on the nearby guards of the queen, who then collapsed in a panting, exhausted state. He then walked after the guardian, with them both vanishing through the portal shortly afterward.