Dawn broke over Kota Serunai (Serunai City), but the harbor was no longer calm. Stilts groaned, broken planks swayed, and lanterns swung violently in the wind. The Arus Dagang (Trade Current), Arus Alam (Natural Current), and Arus Warisan (Heritage Current) pulsed erratically as if aware of the approaching storm.
Hai Cheng stood at the central dock, Suanpan (abacus) clutched in his hands, beads spinning furiously. Turquoise and jade energy threads extended across stilts and warehouses. Behind him, Yue Lan's Batik Lingkar (Batik Array) shimmered like a web of light, stabilizing fleeing civilians and channeling currents toward the center.
From the horizon, the floating citadel loomed, steam and smoke spiraling from its brass and porcelain structure. The Admiral's presence radiated cold precision, his mechanical rod glowing with white-hot Lingqi.
Above the water, the Harimau Ombak (Tide Tiger) and the Guardian emerged. The Tiger prowled near the docks, spectral claws cutting through waves of energy, while the Guardian surged from the strait's depths, its batik-patterned fins reflecting morning light.
Hai Cheng inhaled sharply. This was it—the first full-scale confrontation.
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The Battle Begins
The Admiral struck first. Pulses of artificial Lingqi surged from the citadel, smashing into stilts, warehouses, and currents. Hai Cheng's Suanpan (abacus) spun faster than ever, turquoise and jade threads lashing outward to absorb and redirect the force.
Yue Lan expanded her Batik Lingkar (Batik Array) into a spiraling dome around fleeing civilians. The patterns of Malay flora and Hokkien motifs glowed brightly, deflecting energy and stabilizing collapsing platforms.
The Harimau Ombak (Tide Tiger) lunged at Enforcers, claws flashing spectral turquoise light. Each strike shattered furnace cores, sending arcs of Lingqi harmlessly into the harbor.
The Guardian emerged from the strait, water and energy colliding around it in waves of luminous batik patterns. It roared, and currents obeyed, forming defensive walls across the harbor. Arus Warisan (Heritage Current) pulsed through its body, harmonizing with Hai Cheng's arrays.
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Hybrid Currents in Harmony
Hai Cheng merged Arus Dagang, Arus Alam (Natural Current), and Arus Warisan (Heritage Current), forming a massive lattice across the harbor. Beads on the Suanpan spun violently, guiding energy into stilts, warehouses, and mangrove roots.
Yue Lan's arrays synced with the lattice, turquoise and jade light interweaving with batik patterns inspired by Peranakan art. The combined energy formed a protective web across the city, redirecting the Admiral's pulses into harmless turbulence.
The Admiral's eyes narrowed. He raised his rod again, sending a concentrated blast toward the Guardian. Water erupted in waves, crashing over docks and stilts.
Hai Cheng redirected the blast using the lattice, but the sheer force cracked several stilts. The Guardian surged forward, spectral fins striking the incoming blast, dissipating it with its own Lingqi pulse.
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City Under Siege
From the docks, terrified civilians screamed, scrambling over stilts and beams. Merchants with Peranakan and Malay heritage guided people toward safe corridors created by Hai Cheng and Yue Lan's arrays.
The floating citadel fired again, this time splitting currents to attack multiple points simultaneously. Hai Cheng's hybrid lattice strained, but he drew strength from the Guardian and the Harimau Ombak, guiding currents with precise control.
"Yue Lan! Focus on the civilians!" Hai Cheng shouted. "I'll handle the citadel!"
Yue Lan's Batik Lingkar expanded into twin spirals, forming safe tunnels over broken stilts. Batik patterns glimmered in jade and turquoise as she wove Malay floral motifs with Chinese dragon designs, blending culture into defense.
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The Admiral's Strategy
The Admiral smiled coldly. "Predictable," he muttered in Hokkien. "You protect them, but not everything."
He triggered the core of the floating citadel. Pipes groaned and white-hot Lingqi surged toward the city in synchronized pulses. Stilts collapsed, warehouses cracked, and currents buckled under the pressure.
Hai Cheng's Suanpan (abacus) vibrated violently. He extended the lattice beneath the collapsing structures, merging currents in an unprecedented pattern. The Harimau Ombak leapt through beams, stabilizing them with spectral strikes.
The Guardian roared, sending waves that lifted collapsed stilts back into place. Currents pulsed in harmony, creating a temporary calm amid chaos.
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Turning the Tide
Hai Cheng's eyes glowed with energy. "Now!" he shouted.
He projected a massive Batik Lingkar through the lattice, fusing Yue Lan's arrays, the Guardian's pulses, and the Harimau Ombak's spectral energy. The hybrid current radiated outward like a tidal explosion, enveloping the Admiral's citadel.
The citadel shuddered violently. Pipes cracked, furnaces sputtered, and white-hot Lingqi pulses ricocheted off the hybrid current lattice harmlessly into the strait.
The Admiral's face darkened. "Impossible…"
Hai Cheng gritted his teeth. "The city, the currents, and the Guardian fight as one. You cannot control all."
The Guardian roared, sending a final surge of Arus Warisan (Heritage Current) through the citadel. Energy arcs illuminated the sky like batik-painted lightning.
The floating citadel stabilized, damaged but restrained. The Admiral stepped back, fuming but alive.
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Aftermath
The city was battered but intact. Stilts creaked, warehouses swayed, but civilians had survived thanks to the hybrid current lattice and Yue Lan's arrays.
Hai Cheng and Yue Lan collapsed at the docks, watching the Guardian return to the strait's depths. The Harimau Ombak (Tide Tiger) faded back into spectral mist.
Hai Cheng exhaled. "We survived…for now."
Yue Lan nodded. "But he'll come back. And next time…he won't hold back."
Hai Cheng's gaze lingered on the horizon where the citadel hovered. "Then we prepare. The currents are rising… and the Straits are awakening."