Spirituality of Virtue'
'Hello? Death God? You there?'
'I want to report an insect for hacking!'
'I literally just kicked its ass and sent it running with its tail between its legs. It lost its entire territory, yet it's leveling up faster than me, a literal Brave? Is that even fair?'
Unfortunately, Virtue maintained its usual lackluster performance today—it did absolutely nothing.
'This is insane. Is Chi'si the protagonist of some martial arts novel?'
'Did it fall off a cliff and stumble upon some ultimate cultivation technique?'
Leaving its level aside for a moment, just look at that status panel!
'Gluttony of the Seven Sins'
'Leviathan'
Another level-less skill!
Lin Jun had previously seen the status panel of the Heart of Chi'si on that stone pillar, which meant it was a part of the creature's physical body.
Judging by the name of this new skill, it seemed to represent the absolute pinnacle of giantification.
Lin Jun had only seen a fraction of it and couldn't grasp its full scale, but any creature possessing tentacles of that magnitude was bound to be significantly larger than even a Giant Puji.
Earlier, Lin Jun had wondered why the sea felt so empty when there were still so few insects around despite Chi'si's frantic consumption.
As it turned out, everything had been fed to the Heart!
'That damn Chi'si! It actually stole the Puji's resources to fatten itself up and even managed to develop a level-less skill?!'
In other words, 'Leviathan' should have belonged to Lin Jun; it had simply been misappropriated by that thieving bug.
He had to find a way to take it back.
As for 'Gluttony'—
It seemed quite powerful, and Chi'si's rapid leveling was likely thanks to its effects.
But to be honest, Lin Jun didn't particularly want it.
Given that the Death God seemed intent on handing him both the Great Sins and the Virtues, Lin Jun's instinct was to do the exact opposite of what was expected.
'But if I decompose the Heart of Chi'si, the Sin will probably end up on my status panel automatically anyway...'
It was a headache. Was this also part of the Death God's grand design?
He truly loathed these mastermind types who lurked in the shadows, especially when they were such insufferable riddlers.
After mentally drawing two more X's over the Death God's name, Lin Jun pushed his annoyance to the back of his mind.
For the moment, Chi'si was hiding in the depths of the Ocean Trench, a place currently beyond Lin Jun's reach.
The expansion of the Floating Mushroom Carpet had slowed down due to harassment from Chi'si's forces.
In short, even though he knew the location of the Heart of Chi'si, Lin Jun didn't have the bandwidth to deal with it just yet.
However, he didn't need to worry too much about it growing exponentially in the meantime—there wasn't much left to eat in the ocean.
Chi'si's only options now were to continue scavenging for scraps in the sea while waiting for Lin Jun to eventually finish it off, or to come ashore.
If it chose to go ashore, the North and South were both Lin Jun's territory, and land warfare was his specialty!
And if it headed for the Central Region, it would be quite entertaining to watch Chi'si and the Empire engage in a bit of dog eat dog.
'Hmm... it would be perfect if I could herd Chi'si toward the Empire...'
In the vast ocean, the back-and-forth struggle over the Floating Mushroom Carpet continued, but these were merely minor skirmishes before the true storm arrived.
"Quick! Hard to starboard! Get us out of this zone!"
The helmsman spun the wheel desperately, veins bulging in his forehead as his face turned a deep crimson. The rigging snapped and whistled in the wind, and the ship's hull tilted, carving a white wake along the edge of the bioluminescent floating mushrooms.
"We're doomed! We're all doomed! Why did these insects suddenly become so active? It wasn't like this when we came through!" In a corner, a young sailor huddled by a barrel, clutching his head as his voice rose to a shrill, hysterical pitch. "We're going to die! I don't want to die!"
"Don't give up!"
Bella swung her sword, cleaving a large insect that had just scrambled over the gunwale from head to tail.
Purple ichor sprayed across her body and dripped down her cheeks, but she didn't even have time to wipe it away.
"Pick up your weapon! Guard the stern! Don't let them break through!"
Another insect lunged onto the stern, its six chitinous appendages hooking into the deck. Its mandibles snapped open, revealing rows of needle-thin teeth.
Bella stepped forward, thrusting her sword through its lower jaw and piercing straight through its skull.
The creature convulsed twice before sliding limply onto the deck.
A half-dozen insect carcasses already lay at her feet.
Bella had clearly not inherited Old Dylan's mediocre talent.
When she first met the Brave, she had been at the Gold Level, but through years of constant slaughter and refinement, her strength had firmly reached the Diamond Grade.
Against ordinary insects, she could mow down an entire swarm single-handedly.
However, such strength was not enough to change the current situation—not by a long shot.
More spindly limbs were already cresting the edge of the deck...
It had started with a sudden swarm of insects frantically devouring the bioluminescent floating mushrooms.
Vast patches of the mushrooms vanished, and the night sea was once again reclaimed by darkness.
But soon, the insects turned their attention to Bella's ship, swarming toward it in droves.
The numbers were overwhelming; the sailors couldn't kill the creatures fast enough to keep them from boarding.
Bella saw a young sailor get snagged by three appendages at once. He was hoisted off the deck, dangling helplessly in the air.
He struggled wildly, reaching out for anything to hold onto, but his fingers found only empty air.
Then, he vanished over the side.
The sound of the splash was drowned out by the screeching of the swarm.
Then came a second, a third, a fourth.
Some went down roaring, swinging their swords with their final breath before being buried under a mountain of carapaces.
Others wept, curling into balls and crying out for their mothers as they were dragged away.
And some said nothing at all, silently accepting their fate as the hooks sank in.
Bella's sword never stopped moving.
She didn't know how many she had killed. Thirty? Fifty? A hundred?
Her arms were numb, her vision was blurred by purple slime, and the deck beneath her feet was so slick with ichor she could barely stand.
She was a machine of slaughter—swinging, hacking, piercing, bisecting anything that got close.
But the people around her were dwindling.
The defensive line fell back from the main deck to the stern, then from the stern to the cabin entrance.
Finally, they were pushed into the narrow corridor.
The corridor was cramped, only wide enough for two or three people to stand abreast.
This should have been a disadvantage, but now it was their final shield. The insects' numerical advantage was nullified as they were forced to squeeze in one by one.
Yet, no one felt any joy. Everyone knew this was merely a death rattle, a desperate attempt to delay the inevitable.
Clang—!
With one final swing, Bella's notched and battered longsword finally snapped in two.
The broken blade remained lodged in the carapace of the insect before her, and the creature had already raised its razor-sharp appendage high!
Her companions behind her roared, trying to pull her back, but it was too late.
Watching the lethal limb descend, Bella felt a pang of bitterness.
It wasn't for herself.
She was going to fail the Brave. She hadn't completed her mission, and her death would likely cause Lady Sophia a great deal of trouble.
And then there was her father—
They had only just reunited. Before leaving, she had boasted grandiose words about finding a way to cure the mycelium in his body, only to die out here at sea. Her father would be devastated.
At this point, she no longer expected a Brave to descend from the heavens to save her. However, thinking of her sister brought a small measure of comfort. At least Mei Mei could look after their father in her stead.
She closed her eyes. 'Little sister... I don't even know your name yet, but please, take care of Father for me...'
Ripping—!
The insect's blade didn't fall. Instead, a harsh, tearing sound echoed in front of her.
Opening her eyes, Bella saw the insect being dragged backward by something.
The creature struggled frantically, its sharp limbs digging into the wooden floorboards, but it was slowly pulled out of the doorway despite its resistance.
Then came the sound of rending flesh. Severed insect limbs fell outside the door, only to be instantly snatched up by several tentacles.
Simultaneously, the ship began to tilt violently, as if caught in a sudden hurricane.
"Wh-what's happening?" someone asked with a trembling voice, but no one could answer.
Bella gripped her broken sword and summoned the courage to step outside first.
There was no longer any sign of the insects on the deck, only long, purple drag marks.
In the distance, at the edge of the Floating Mushroom Carpet, a truly colossal creature had risen from the sea. Half of its massive Mushroom Body towered out of the water—a Giant Puji. Its tentacles were spinning, churning the ocean into a violent maelstrom.
In the turbulent waters, countless insects could be seen struggling desperately before being swallowed by the depths.
"Is that... a Puji, too?"
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Bella snapped back to reality and screamed to those behind her!
"Quick! Hard to port! Otherwise, we'll be sucked into the whirlpool too!"