The Obsidian Festival, which should have been a happy celebration, had now become a tragedy for many.
Some people suddenly fell ill, their bodies turning black and convulsing, while others simply vanished.
By the sixth day, the lobby of the Siesta government office building was already crowded with tourists, most of whom were weeping. Siesta officials had already assembled nearly all of the city's diving and exploration teams into a search party. Many Siesta citizens also spontaneously formed small groups to look for the missing people.
The hospital was even more packed. Many people had disgusting, dark blue patches growing on their skin, and these patches were spreading at a visible rate. Due to the suddenness of the event and the fact that even Siesta's most experienced doctors had never seen such symptoms, they could only try to maintain the tourists' vital signs for the time being while expert teams immediately began research.
As for Ceylon's father, the mayor of Siesta, he had been overwhelmed with work these past few days.
Due to the danger outside.
Ceylon was confined to her home by her father, forbidden from going out, with bodyguards stationed outside 24 hours a day.
Inside Siesta Hospital.
Lucas Reeve and his group were standing in a remote ICU room. Theoretically, outsiders shouldn't be able to enter such a sealed ICU room, but no one present was an ordinary person. After using a simple ability to knock out the nurse on duty, the group randomly picked the youngest patient and gathered around his bed.
Upon seeing the patient.
Jessica couldn't help but take a deep breath.
Because this young patient's condition was too terrible.
There was almost no healthy skin left on his body. His originally fair, flesh-colored skin had completely turned a disgusting dark blue. Moreover, the dark blue skin was bumpy and uneven, reminding Lucas Reeve of the disgusting skin of a toad in the mud. Veins spread out beneath the skin like a spider web, looking utterly repulsive.
The patient was already unconscious. Something seemed to be moving under his skin, and the dark blue patches would even twitch from time to time.
"This... this..."
Jessica stared at the patient's skin and couldn't help but tug on Lucas Reeve's sleeve. Amiya, standing beside them, also frowned.
When the disappearances first started, since it was only one or two people, it naturally didn't attract anyone's attention. Lucas Reeve and the others were not omniscient; with the Siesta government not saying anything, Lucas Reeve, Nian, and the others were also unaware. It wasn't until the number suddenly spiked last night that everyone gradually realized the severity of the situation. ⑥⑧ ③⑦ 0②⑨ ⑨⑤
And panic gradually began to spread throughout Siesta.
However, the vast majority of people couldn't leave even if they were scared. After all, the wilderness was very dangerous. Only a team composed of combat operators like Rhodes Island had the ability to drive through the wilderness. Almost 95% of ordinary people had arrived on large transport vehicles passing through Siesta, and to leave, they also had to take these transports.
But the transportation situation on Terra was completely different from that on Earth.
With Earth's road networks, even remote places would have at least one bus a day.
But on Terra, that was basically impossible. If they ran that frequently, the transport companies would have gone bankrupt long ago. A popular tourist city like Siesta had more frequent services, basically one bus every two days. In some remote places, there might only be one bus per week or even per month.
And the most recent bus had already left yesterday.
If they wanted to wait for the next one, they would have to wait until tomorrow.
"This appearance?!"
Skadi couldn't help but frown.
"Seaborn..."
"This is Seaborn assimilation..."
Others might not know about the Seaborn, but Laurentina began to explain.
"The Seaborn are creatures from the deep sea. If Seaborn blood enters a person's body, Seaborn assimilation will occur. Moreover, this assimilation is irreversible. The Seaborn's blood will continuously devour a person's body.."
"That's not right. If there were Seaborn, why didn't me and the little orca sense them..."
Laurentina had lost her usual liveliness and casual demeanor. When it came to the Seaborn, she couldn't help but become serious.
Nine-Colored Deer, however, gently placed her palm on the young patient's chest.
As she channeled her power.
A holy golden halo shimmered behind Nine-Colored Deer's head, and the phantom of a spinning wheel carved with runes turned behind her. A gentle, warm, and comforting divine power, like sunlight, scattered throughout the ICU room.
Pure divine power flowed from Nine-Colored Deer's palm into the young boy's body. Under the suppression of the divine power, the dark blue patches on the patient's skin dissolved and dissipated at a visible rate, like cotton candy meeting hot water.
And the young patient lying on the bed, whose face had been contorted in pain, gradually shifted to a blissful smile after feeling Nine-Colored Deer's warm halo, and he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
Irreversible?
Lucas Reeve, Jessica, Nian, and Dusk all turned their heads to look at Laurentina. Even Skadi turned to look at her companion.
Laurentina couldn't help but cover her face.
She had *just* said it, and in the next second, Nine-Colored Deer had completely proven her wrong.
"Ahem... I mean, ordinary people can't reverse it. After all, Miss Nine-Colored Deer isn't an ordinary person. She's a god, after all. Isn't it only natural that a god can do things that people can't?"
Laurentina found a random excuse to explain.
After all, even with Aegir's technology, Seaborn assimilation cannot be reversed.
What Laurentina said was based on Aegir's standards.
Oh~
Aegir doesn't have gods, so that explains it.
Nine-Colored Deer smiled and nodded.
"Because this deep-sea power isn't pure enough, and it hasn't completely fused with the human body, I was able to do something. If it had completely fused, even I wouldn't have any way to help."
Nine-Colored Deer was giving Laurentina a way out.
Amiya, standing beside them, was a little stunned.
A god?
Huh??
She raised her head and looked at the perfectly beautiful Nine-Colored Deer beside her, whose appearance made even her, a girl, unable to look away. Suddenly, it all felt perfectly logical.
After all.
What kind of person could possess such a sacred aura?
But.
Thinking of this.
Amiya took another deep breath.
She looked at Jessica, standing next to Nine-Colored Deer, and her mind was in turmoil.
Miss Nine-Colored Deer is a god, and she's with Miss Jessica, which means Miss Nine-Colored Deer is friends with Miss Jessica and is also part of Raythean Medica. And these two named Nian and Dusk also seem to be gods. After all, their 'beach-slaying volleyball' match a few days ago, with its mystical combat techniques, had left Amiya completely speechless. Only gods could use such ridiculous, divine methods.
In that case.
Miss Surtr should be similar. Although her strength might be weaker than Miss Nian and Miss Dusk, she is still far stronger than an Elite Operator.
Fuck! Raythean Medica has four gods??
What the hell??
That's too ridiculous!!
If Babel had been aided by four gods back then, that war might have been winnable. With the Doctor's command, they could have completely turned the tide.
So jealous~~
Huff...
But, fortunately, our Rhodes Island also has the Doctor. In Amiya's eyes, the Doctor is omnipotent, not weaker than any god. After all, the Doctor of the past managed to force a 50/50 stalemate single-handedly against all odds in a massive military disadvantage.
It was the equivalent of.
Forcing a 50/50 fight with starting gear against a fully-equipped six-item build.
Nine-Colored Deer treated the patients in the ICU one by one. As each patient recovered, a small smile appeared on her face. For her, healing the sick and wounded was more like a mission deeply ingrained in her memory.
Just like Nian believes her mission is to make movies, and Dusk believes her mission is... to stay at home.
When the last patient had recovered, the treatment process was complete. The group left the hospital immediately. Nine-Colored Deer erased all their causal traces; even the hospital's surveillance cameras couldn't capture any images of them.
Walking out of the hospital.
The originally clear, blue sky was now filled with dark clouds. A repressive atmosphere permeated the vast city of Siesta. The clouds gathered together like lead, and the air in the city seemed to congeal, making many people feel oppressed and find it difficult to breathe.
The sea... seemed less blue under this atmosphere. For a moment, it even looked somewhat terrifying, as if there were evil spirits in the water. The beach, which had been full of revelers just yesterday, was now almost empty. Siesta Public Security Bureau personnel were everywhere, searching and helping those in need.
With no buses running.
Siesta was like an isolated island at this moment. And just then, another piece of news reached the ears of the tourists outside.
Some tourists who had driven here themselves had returned. They brought back very bad news.
They couldn't drive out.
They had tried to drive out of Siesta yesterday, following the only exit. But the road seemed to stretch on endlessly. They drove for a whole night, until their car ran out of gas, but they just couldn't get out. This news spread through the city like an oversized Originium bomb, plunging more people into panic and despair.
Along with a scream that rang deep in Lucas Reeve's mind.
Lucas Reeve's eyes suddenly flew wide open.
Ceylon??!
That voice came from Ceylon. Something had happened to her. What was going on? Lucas Reeve remembered that Ceylon was being protected at home by her father.
Lucas Reeve quickly said something to Jessica, and his consciousness instantly left the Doctor's body. Jessica quickly supported it so Lucas Reeve wouldn't fall. And Skadi, being the strongest, picked up Lucas Reeve and carried him. The group ran towards the location Lucas Reeve had indicated. Amiya, however, looked quizzically at Lucas Reeve on Skadi's back.
She seemed to have noticed something wasn't right.
"Ceylon?!"
When Lucas Reeve's consciousness descended into the Originium Slug's body, he found he was being held in Ceylon's hands. In front of her, countless monsters, just like the half-Originium, half-horror-fish creature from the other night, were attacking. There were too many of them, so many they were almost impossible to count, even more than the number of Seaborn he and Skadi had faced on the coast of Saltwind City.
The bodyguards responsible for protecting Ceylon were also terrified.
They were just ordinary people. How could they have ever seen such disgusting monsters? Although they were resisting, the number of monsters was simply too great. These bodyguards couldn't hold out for long. Moreover, their ordinary weapons didn't seem to do much damage to these monsters. It often took many, many shots to successfully kill one.
And Ceylon, terrified, was holding Lucas Reeve and had retreated to the villa's top floor. It seemed they were already surrounded by these monsters, and escape was impossible.
"Mr. Reeve!!"
Ceylon looked at the Originium Slug in her arms, her face lighting up with joy, as if she had found her pillar of support. After all, she still had a fresh memory of Lucas Reeve's Hyper Beam.
Suddenly.
The window on the fourth floor where Ceylon was, shattered.
One monster, the size of a Golden Retriever, climbed in through the window. One... two... three..
Monsters were climbing in from the windows on both sides, surrounding Ceylon in the hallway.
And these monsters seemed...
They weren't after Ceylon, but at *me*!!
Lucas Reeve remembered the way those monsters looked at him at the volcano, as if they wanted to eat him...
Just then, a crossbow bolt shot out from the window behind Ceylon, grazed past her, and pierced straight through the monster that was about to pounce on her.
"Schwarz!!"
Ceylon looked in pleasant surprise at Schwarz, who had flipped in through the side window.
However.
The monster that had been pierced by the crossbow bolt didn't die. It gradually began to recover. Furthermore, its powerful adaptability allowed the monsters to evolve, and they one by one grew carapaces thick enough to block crossbow bolts.
Schwarz's eyes widened in disbelief. As an assassin, she had killed many people, but she had never seen such a strange creature.
Just as Schwarz was about to pull the trigger again, Lucas Reeve quickly said.
"Don't use the crossbow! Use blades! Use melee weapons!"
Hearing the voice.
Schwarz looked at the talking Originium Slug in Ceylon's arms, a million question marks flashing in her head.
The Originium Slug...
was talking??
At the same time.
The floorboards above the villa suddenly split open like paper.
A figure carrying a person on their back dropped from above. And this person was holding a greatsword that was even larger than herself.
The girl tucked the man from her back under one arm, easily lifted the greatsword with her right hand, twisted her body, and swung forcefully. The greatsword, wrapped in a fierce wind, easily cleaved more than ten monsters in front of her in two. Keep in mind, Schwarz's crossbow bolt had only barely pierced one, but this girl had actually cut through so many in one go. The terrifying force of the swing generated a gale that nearly made Ceylon, standing behind her, lose her balance.
Ceylon looked in confusion at the girl in front of her. She was sure she didn't know her.
Then, one person, two people, three people...
A girl who looked as if she had stepped out of a painting landed on the ground. With a wave of her hand, a scroll painting appeared out of thin air, and several people walked out from within it. This kind of manipulation made Schwarz's brain short-circuit for a moment.
"Hm?"
The girls' attention was entirely focused on the Originium Slug in Ceylon's arms.
After a few seconds of silence.
Laughter erupted.
"Holy shit! Lucas, how'd you turn into a bug!!"