On a deserted island hundreds of nautical miles away from the festival islet, Closfia took the letter from Ebner handed over by the demon wolf messenger. After carefully reading it several times, she finally spoke to Madam Helen and to Lady "Greed" Ksenia not far away:
"He requests that we take action at dawn on April first, to block the 'Rose School' and the 'Nors Family' demigods from entering the island's range..."
Pausing here, she turned to Lady "Greed" and added, "You should hide in the shadows as support… unless absolutely necessary, do not make a move."
"Greed" Ksenia nodded at these words without objection. After months of subtle "hypnosis," she now regarded Closfia as her closest person, even closer than her own sisters of the clan.
.....
At the same time, "Prophet" Taylors, disguised as a senior member of the Secret Order, and Princess Isabella, the former princess of Lenburg who was traveling aboard the "Golden Dream" in search of something, simultaneously felt their "Towers" being touched, and then received an oracle.
Immediately afterward, Taylors swiftly left his stronghold, flew dozens of miles to a small port, and intercepted the patriarch of one of the three great demon families preparing to set sail—the head of the Beliya family, the "Whisperer," succubus Yarubede Beliya.
"Beautiful lady, may I slow your steps and invite you to a romantic encounter?" Taylors smiled and extended his invitation.
According to the "prophecy" given by the deity, this head of the Beliya family, though subordinate to the Nors family, was not firmly loyal.
Yarubede studied Taylors with dazzling golden eyes, then nodded, apparently satisfied with his appearance. With a faintly enchanting smile, she said in a voice brimming with seduction, "That depends on whether you can please me."
She had never intended to risk her life for others; she had only joined in because she dared not defy the will of the Nors family in a matter she understood nothing about.
But now that someone was blocking her, she had an excuse. Naturally, she was happy to "fight" in another way.
Taylors also showed a sincere and charming smile, confident as he said, "I will certainly satisfy you."
.....
Meanwhile, Isabella ordered "Admiral of Iceberg" Edwina to suddenly change course. After about an hour of sailing, they just happened to block the path of a massive ship nearly two hundred meters long, its prow and stern curved high like a crescent moon, its sails painted with black tombstones.
That was the flagship of the "Undying King" Agalito—the "Death Announcer"!
At the moment when all the crew, including Edwina, were treating this as a great threat, the "Death Announcer" suddenly turned and sped away at unprecedented speed.
It ran, it ran away... The crew aboard the "Golden Dream" were briefly stunned.
Soon, the "Death Announcer" vanished from their sight.
Princess Isabella couldn't help sighing, "As expected of a Beyonder of the 'Demon' pathway. I had only just formed the thought, and he already noticed it."
"Agalito never fights true demigods..." Edwina murmured thoughtfully to herself, then turned to her teacher, a flash of curiosity in her pale-blue eyes. "Teacher, why did you block the 'Death Announcer's' course?"
"Merely to make him take a detour, so he'll cross the 'Raging Sea' one or two days later... As for the exact reason, I don't know."
After all, one cannot casually guess at the will of the gods... Isabella silently thought.
Seeing her teacher's evasive look, Edwina more or less guessed the reason. After all, she too had once received an oracle.
Could this be related to Ebner again? The thought flashed through her mind. Without hesitation, Edwina ordered the "Golden Dream" to sail at full speed, "biting" the "Death Announcer" and delaying it a few more days.
.....
At dawn on April first, the clone "Owen" stood on the manor's top floor, gazing at the moonlit sea dyed with a dark crimson hue, quietly waiting.
Very soon, the calm sea began to surge violently. In less than a minute, huge waves battered the beach and harbor, and the water level rose rapidly.
Within five minutes, seawater had flooded the main buildings of the manor where Ebner was, and it continued to rise.
But at that moment, the sea suddenly receded, replaced by a sea monster larger than the manor's main building appearing on the shoreline.
The creature was entirely blue, its body covered with black eyes, and in the void behind it faintly appeared shells containing strange "seaweed." It was exactly the same scene Ebner had seen in the "Dream Labyrinth Tower's" fifth floor, within the elven trial temple.
Back then, Ebner had not known what those "seaweed" shells were. But thinking now, they were most likely its ascended "learning spaces." The so-called "seaweed" was actually stored knowledge!
"It seems my guess was correct. Before demigodhood, the 'learning space' becomes, after Sequence 4 advancement, part of its incomplete mythical form...
"This sea monster revealing even part of its mythical form indeed shows its condition is poor!
"Fortunately, most of those shells remain phantasmal, showing only form without substance... Otherwise, anyone who saw them would die instantly or mutate.
"Even so, the low-Sequencers and ordinary people who see it will find their spirits and emotions unstable."
Thinking this, Ebner observed the navy soldiers outside the manor and the pirates farther away. As expected, they were becoming restless. Just a spark, and their emotions would explode.
The first group to "welcome" the sea monster on the beach should have been the island's slaves... but since neither Ebner nor Harl wanted the festival completed smoothly, they naturally needed to first deal with the unstable factor of the soldiers and pirates...
Moreover, Ebner had already confirmed that each one of them deserved death!
Only such people could serve as sacrifices filled with the desire for "slaughter."
"Admiral of the Deep" didn't fully understand what the new overseer of the Delien family was plotting, but he was content to comply.
As for the sea monster, it didn't care whom it devoured first... so it wasn't alarmed.
Seeing the sea monster in place and the ritual ready to begin, Ebner exchanged a look with "Admiral of the Deep" Harl Constantine outside the manor. Then he used his "Marionettist" ability to "infect" the restless minds of the sailors, making them instantly bloodshot and attack the pirates.
At the same time, "Admiral of the Deep" Harl fanned the conflicts he had stirred along the way, igniting the pirates' impulsive tempers, and they charged ferociously at the navy.
As the two sides clashed and the first death—or rather, the first sacrifice—occurred, the islet suddenly seemed cut off from reality, shrouded by a layer of "shadow."
.....
In an undersea cavern outside the islet, Ebner's true body activated the "Pure White Eye," carefully "analyzing" the shadow outside the island.
After a long while, he withdrew his gaze, frowned, and murmured silently:
"So the whole island has been pulled into a projection of the 'Tenebrous World'... separated from reality, yet not completely separated...
"In that case, entering only requires crossing the boundary of reality and shadow—it's not difficult.
"But leaving will not be so easy!
"Unless one wields the corresponding authority, or possesses equivalent 'primordial quality,' even an angel will find it hard to escape.
"It seems my clone won't be able to leave until May first... After all, he lacks the 'Pure White Eye'...
"Still, this is good. Reinforcing angels and demigods won't step in easily, so no one will know what happens inside...
"When the time comes, if everything is blamed on 'Admiral of the Deep,' perhaps I won't even need to discard Owen's identity!"
Just as this thought arose, the "Pure White Eye" conveyed a message: "Admiral of the Deep" requested to use the "secret technique" that freed him from control.
After brief thought, Ebner granted permission, then took out the "Fate-theft Talisman" made from Amon's "Worm of Time." He set up a ritual with it, praying to Mr. Fool for a temporary boost of its power.
On the gray fog, Klein had long been waiting. Upon seeing the ever-expanding "crimson star," he unhesitatingly used the "Error card" to pry open the power above the gray fog, granting it to Mr. Tower's talisman.
.....
Within the island, just before being drawn into his "master's" mind to preside over the Deep Sea Festival, "Admiral of the Deep" completed the secret technique taught by the mysterious man.
Then, an ethereal voice sounded in his ears, speaking in ancient Hermes:
"Fate!"
As the prolonged, difficult word echoed, "Admiral of the Deep" Harl suddenly felt unprecedented ease in his spirit.
No, not unprecedented—this was the feeling he had before sacrificing his hometown.
This was freedom! It truly succeeded! Praise the "Unknown"!
A tear fell from Harl Constantine's eye, but he wiped it away quickly and ran inland without looking back.
First, he wanted to avoid the sea monster, lest its rage capture him again and drag him into the imminent battle...
Second, he wanted to protect Lady Dragonmight's family! Although the mysterious man hadn't asked this of him, this powerful outside aid was obtained through... in Emperor Roselle's words, through "crashing into" the Black Throne trio...
No matter what ties existed between that being and the trio, it would surely be right to protect their family. And staying by their side might even be safer.
As Harl rushed inland, the clone Owen, whose fate had been "stolen" and placed upon himself, suddenly entered a phantasmal space.
Looking up, he found himself in a mythical city.
Without needing to sense, Ebner naturally knew the name of the city—"R'lyeh."
The corner of Ebner's mouth twitched as he thought, When the God of Luck stuffed that characteristic into this sea monster, did He also imbue it with strange knowledge?
Still, it was oddly fitting.
I recall "Admiral of the Deep" Harl mentioned this sea monster excelled at dreams... and "R'lyeh's" other name is the "City of the Abyss," matching its role of once housing the imprint of the Tenebrous World...
Before Ebner could finish his thought, the scene abruptly changed. The city vanished, replaced by a small town.
Clearly, the sea monster had noticed its vassal being switched and was trying to trap him in its mental world, corrupting and reshaping him like "Admiral of the Deep."
But Ebner only looked around calmly, then shook his head and chuckled, "Heh, Innsmouth... You think you can trap me with such a scene?
"Hmph, if not for the 'Unknown Land's' protection, by now I would indeed have lost my mind, forgotten everything, and truly become your vassal here...
"But too bad... Tsk, I hold in my hands the 'Book of the Dead' once wielded by a fellow transmigrator. Your characteristic is destined to be mine!"
.....
Just as the sea monster realized something was wrong in its spirit, within the battle between pirates and sailors, an officer's aura suddenly changed. His body swelled, horns sprouted on his head, bat-like wings unfurled from his back, and he transformed into a towering four-meter-tall demon.
At the same time, anyone who looked upon him—pirates or sailors—found their desires uncontrollably swelling, until their entire bodies exploded.
He—no, it should be called He—after completing His descent across space, reached out to seize Owen in the manor and Harl fleeing into town.
No matter who had caused the crisis, as long as He regained control, the problem would be solved.
But before His move completed, black mist enveloped the area.
And then, that demon saw a woman in her twenties, with full lips, deep gray eyes, and striking beauty, wearing a distinctive armored gown.
"Tamara? Leticia Tamara? You still exist?!" The descended Demon-pathway angel's voice was filled with disbelief.
The woman in the black mist gave a soft laugh, but her tone was cold. "Long time no see, Ayer Nors... You still look as disgusting as ever."
(End of Chapter)