The Vengeful Extra's Ascension

All of the students had flooded into the changing chambers, where the walls were lined with black mana-glass and rows of softly glowing runes.

Time wasn't wasted, and soon, the students began to emerge in their new suits one by one, the Abyssal Descent Gear hugging their forms like a second skin. The gear was sleek, black as the void yet alive with the faint veins of crimson and silver light that pulsed in rhythm with their heartbeats.

At the center of each chest, the small mana core throbbed faintly, pairing perfectly with the flow of mana across the student's bodies.

When the students moved, the suits shifted soundlessly, the faint sheen of reinforced threads glinting like the skin of deep-sea creatures. At the back, two crystal cylinders, regulators filled with pale blue mana, emitted a low hum, stabilizing the user's mana flow.

Miranda flexed her hands, watching as faint purple light rippled through her gloves, "Feels… weirdly natural," she murmured.

"Because it's bonded to your mana signature," replied one of the technicians, adjusting the crystalline tubing at her shoulder. "The suit adapts to its user. It'll become lighter once you're submerged."

"Let's hope so," Zeus muttered, stretching with a crack of his shoulders, "Feels like I'm wearing liquid metal."

Orphelia, meanwhile, was turning in slow circles near one of the mirrors, utterly fascinated by how the runic lines across the suit reacted to her mana fluctuations. "The harmonization is nearly perfect… see how the field doesn't leak despite mana amplification?"

"Orphelia," Albedo said dryly, fastening the final clasp of his gauntlet, "You're glowing."

She blinked, then looked down to see her core pulsing brighter than the others. "Oh. That's because I—"

"Overclocked it," Albedo finished, raising an eyebrow.

She grinned, "Maybe just a little."

Ysvara, now standing on an elevated platform with Captain Varas, surveyed them all. Her expression was approving, though her tone remained sharp when she spoke. "Remember, these suits are not invincible. They're protection, not armor. The Demonic Sea does not forgive arrogance. If your regulators begin to glow orange, it means the mana saturation is too high, slow your breathing, stabilize your output, and signal for assistance."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" came the unified reply.

"If you meet any monsters there, just work with the guides, they're all trained in deep water combat, so remain calm," She said and everyone nodded, and she turned to Captain Varas.

The Captain immediately stepped forward, gesturing towards the far wall where eight enormous Submersible Elevators waited.

They were dark, spherical constructs of reinforced obsidian and mithril, each inscribed with runes that pulsed with steady crimson light. Their glass viewing panels shimmered faintly with protective enchantments.

Each elevator could carry six passengers, so there would be multiple trips for each elevator for all the students to arrive and return. The interior was pressurized and magically sealed to withstand the crushing depths of the Demonic Sea.

"The descent will take approximately twelve minutes," Varas announced. "You'll pass through four pressure layers before reaching the layer where the Sunken City is located. The mana density will increase exponentially past Layer Three, so keep your internal flow regulated. Once you reach the staging point, our stationed division will escort you to the city ruins so you can have your fun,"

He gestured to the officers waiting near the platforms, each clad in a heavier version of the ADG, their armor etched with deep abyssal runes that glowed with pale green light. Veterans of countless dives.

"Move in assigned groups. Maintain comm-link resonance at all times."

Ysvara's eyes swept over the assembled students one last time. Her silver hair shifted in the mana wind, and her voice carried with quiet authority. "Do not underestimate the sea. Vorago is not merely a ruin—it is a wound upon the world. Stay vigilant, and you will live to see its heart."

A hush fell, and then...

"Group One - Lucian, Lira, Zeus, Miranda, Dorian, and Riven!"

The six stepped forward, Riven being the odd one out as she was a Elven student. She awkwardly waved to her peers and entered the submersible capsule alongside Lucian and the others.

The doors sealed shut behind them with a hiss. The runes flared. A low, thrumming vibration filled the chamber as the first elevator disengaged from its dock, sinking smoothly into the glowing depths below.

Through the observation glass, faint traces of crimson light trailed after it like ghostly ribbons.

"Group Two - Orphelia, Albedo, Elara Vance, Lilian , Morgana, and Athena!"

Albedo adjusted his mask, sleek black glass with narrow blue lenses that responded to eye movement. The respirator clicked once, synchronizing with his mana flow. As the group approached the elevator, faint blue light shimmered from their steps against the polished floor.

Inside, the submersible was cramped but finely constructed. The walls were lined with faint runic circuits, while a transparent dome above revealed the steel sky of the outpost. As soon as they took their seats, the harnesses locked in with a soft hiss.

With a heavy click, the chamber sealed. The interior dimmed, runes igniting in steady pulses.

"Pressure stabilization complete," came the voice of a demon officer over the intercom. "Initiating descent sequence in three… two… one."

The floor vibrated and then gravity seemingly vanished. The submersible dropped smoothly into the black waters of the Demonic Sea.

Outside, the world turned into liquid shadow. Faint tendrils of glowing plankton spiraled past the viewport, and translucent jellyfish-like creatures drifted through the current, their tendrils glowing softly like strands of soul-light and charged with lightning magic.

The hum of the regulators filled the cabin, syncing with each passenger's breathing.

The deeper they went, the more the light faded, replaced by bioluminescent ribbons that shimmered like constellations across the abyssal expanse. The sea seemed alive, watching.

Orphelia leaned closer to the glass, awe clear in her voice. "Incredible… look at the mana patterning! Those aren't natural, see the spiral trails? That's residual leyline interference."

Lilian's gaze followed the flickering currents outside. "You mean the sea itself is acting like a conduit."

"Exactly."

Layer One passed in silence. The capsule vibrated faintly as the outside pressure increased. The mana cores on their suits pulsed brighter in response.

By Layer Two, visibility had dropped to near zero, but the viewing runes compensated, bathing the ocean in a faint blue outline. Massive silhouettes occasionally moved in the murk, creatures too large to identify.

At one point, a luminous eye the size of a carriage drifted past the window, following their descent for a heartbeat before vanishing into the dark. The entire group went still.

"...Was that, " Elara began.

"Don't ask," Lilian cut her off softly.

Albedo remained quiet, his gaze fixed outward. There was a heaviness here—not just the pressure of the deep, but something ancient, something aware.

Then, a faint glow appeared below, an outline of light in the darkness.

"Approaching Layer Four," the officer's voice came through the comms. "Brace yourselves for turbulence."

The capsule shuddered violently. Streams of mana whirled outside like underwater lightning, streaking past in wild spirals. It was beautiful, terrifying, but beautiful.

Finally, the shaking eased. The light below grew stronger until it became a sprawling vista of pale blue luminescence.

"By the Abyss…" Morgana whispered.

The Sunken City of Vorago.

The Sunken City lay beneath them, half-buried in the seabed, its obsidian spires rising like broken fangs toward the surface.

Dozens of structures glowed with ancient runes, and faint currents of light flowed through the ruins like veins of blood through stone. Massive, whale-sized constructs drifted among the towers, ancient guardians or forgotten war machines, their eyes dim.

The submersible slowed, descending toward a landing platform built into the side of a jagged cliff. Waiting there were dozens of figures, Demon divers and researchers in heavy armor, some wielding tridents crackling with energy. Floodlights illuminated the docking area.

The capsule touched down with a faint hiss. The outer hatch released, and the deep-sea water barriers activated, a thin, shimmering film separating them from the crushing ocean beyond.

When the inner door opened, a rush of heavy, pressurized air filled the chamber.

"Welcome to the Sunken Outpost," a voice greeted them.

A tall Demon officer stepped forward, wearing a more advanced version of their suit, the runes etched across his chest glowing faint gold. Behind him, the faint shimmer of submerged architecture stretched endlessly into the gloom.

"You must be the Academy delegation," he continued, his tone professional. "I'm Lieutenant Kaen of the Maritime Archaeological Division. My squad will escort you to the excavation perimeter near Vorago's upper sector."

Ysvara and Captain Varas had already arrived with the earlier group, their presence commanding even here. Ysvara's silver hair drifted weightlessly in the waterless pocket of air surrounding them, her wings folded close.

"Report," she said.

Kaen saluted. "The area remains stable, though mana turbulence has increased near the cathedral ruins. Our scouts detected movement within the lower sanctum, likely the residual constructs activating again due to interference from sea beasts,"

Ysvara's expression darkened faintly. "We'll handle it if necessary. For now, focus on guiding the students."

Kaen nodded, then turned to the group. "You'll be divided into pairs for the exploration route. Maintain proximity, Vorago's mana flow disrupts resonance links past fifty meters."

He motioned for them to follow as the massive pressure doors opened, revealing the path to Vorago.

The corridor beyond was surreal, walls of transparent crystal allowed a view of the submerged world outside, where schools of mana-infused fish swam through the ruins. The light from their bodies cast shifting colors across the corridor.

The students walked in silence, awe etched into their faces. Even Albedo, who had seen much already, felt a strange reverence stir in him.

The city was dead, yet alive.

Everywhere they looked, faint remnants of power thrummed beneath the stone, whispering of a time when Vorago had been magnificent.