Chapter 54: Natural Disaster

A devastating sword, unleashed by something, swept through a significant portion of the island, carving a path straight through it. The blade’s light continued to rumble all the way to the edge before howling into the depths of the Ghost Sea, gradually fading away.

The seawater tried to surge back into the island through the gap, but the residual power lingering at the sword’s scar held it back, creating an incredible spectacle.

“…?”

“This…”

“Oh my gosh…”

The Queen and the Pirate King, who apparently had planned another way to prevent their opponent from escaping, exchanged stunned glances, while Miss Le Qiao Qiao fell flat on her backside, her mouth agape in shock as if it could fit an entire apple; it took her a long time to regain her senses.

Cautiously stepping forward into the space that had been turned into ruins, Miss Thief poked the Swordsman Girl on the shoulder to test the waters.

“Hong, Hong Yan Sister, when did you become so powerful? Um… it was just me talking too loudly before; you mustn’t hold it against my little sister…”

*Cough, cough, cough…*

Coughing up a few mouthfuls of golden gleam-tinged blood, the Gray-haired Girl staggered backward weakly but regained her balance after looking at the now silent Miss Le Qiao Qiao next to her, chuckling helplessly.

“Isn’t it just Little Hong Yan? You’re changing your tune way too fast… That wasn’t my power; remember that treasure Miss Vilyric gave me?”

“Eh… are you for real? That tiny thing could help you chop down an entire island? Isn’t that a bit overstepping its reasonable capabilities?!”

“…Clearly, the power of the immortals is far beyond our imagination; you should get used to it.”

As the burning sensation in her chest gradually subsided, the immense power that had been released with that sword had alleviated the crisis in Hong Yan’s body. She had sustained some injuries due to the heavy burden but was not in mortal danger.

Not accepting Miss Le Qiao Qiao’s outstretched hand for support, she straightened her back and gazed seriously at the dissipating dust in front of her.

“I wonder if that unsettling ‘God’ has been eliminated; if even this didn’t succeed…”

Just after she spoke, a faint yet unmistakable cracking sound suddenly echoed from not far away.

*Crack… Crack crack crack…*

That was… the invisible barrier surrounding the Merman Princess, the core of the sacrificial ritual.

Even though Willipol and Miss Silisa had turned to ashes beneath that ferocious sword, the barrier around the Princess, which had been nearly invisible, remained intact. However, with the intermingling of two layers of golden light, it began to exhibit golden cracks outlining its form.

Then…

*Bang!!!!*

The invisible forces forming the barrier shattered in an instant like a dam breaking, and the Merman Girl floating with her eyes closed slowly descended. The circular jewel radiating brilliant golden light from her abdomen gradually returned to her body. From a distance, what could no longer be called a secret room echoed with the approaching footsteps of other troops who had hurried to support after being startled by the earlier strike.

Queen Anies waved her staff, and a gentle wave of water flew out, wrapping her daughter and bringing her back to her side, but before they could catch their breath, the dark presence, thought to be completely eradicated, surged back to life, rushing toward the sea like a living entity!

Rashid’s expression changed immediately.

“This is bad; it still has a trick up its sleeve! Your Majesty…”

Compared to the flustered golden-haired man, the weary Queen Anies simply stared intently at the fleeing presence, finally shaking her head in resignation.

“It has already sustained heavy damage, and we’ve done all that we could; it seems that even getting caught in such a scheme, completely eliminating that thing still proves too difficult. The rest… is up to her.”

…

Outside the island, by the shores of the Ghost Sea, at the East Sea Pearl.

Countless dark currents rushed toward the sky, not only from the royal palace’s center. At this moment, all the ‘ghosts’ wandering across the six islands also collapsed, offering their meager essences to gather quickly into the massive collective in the sky.

This was a bestowment that originated from it, the source of power allowing the already dead Deep Sea Ghosts to move like living beings, which also contributed to the spreading pollution.

But now, after suffering from mortal designs and grievous injuries, the entity, desperately wanting to protect itself, could only choose to retract everything to make up for its significant losses.

*Creak… Creak…*

Countless ‘qi’ rapidly converged from all directions within the entire Ghost Sea, coalescing into an increasingly dark fog. The heavy and eerie creaking of sails swayed gently across the sea, ultimately forming a dilapidated old ship that looked like it had drifted out of a dark fairy tale.

“Heh, you finally showed up… drifting on the Endless Sea, the ghost emerging from the grave of the gods and the bitterness of resentment, the East Disaster Ghost Ship, I’ve been waiting for you for so long ~”

The Black-haired Girl stood quietly at the edge of the beach, smiling lightly at the empty ghost ship in her view. Clearly facing a terrifying natural disaster, feared by all, she showed no sign of fear or tension.

In fact, she didn’t even draw her weapon; instead, she calmly placed her hands behind her back, watching the ship with her slightly golden-blue eyes as if scrutinizing it or verifying something.

*Creak… Creak…*

As the outline of the Ghost Ship became increasingly complete, filled with the dark aura rushing from all sides, it seemed to generate a series of strange swaying sounds upon the water’s surface, like some enormous sea beast instinctively roaring and growling at a formidable foe.

For a long time, the girl murmured to herself.

“Mm… indeed, it isn’t the God of Truth or His new consciousness; it doesn’t even possess the fragmented consciousness and memories like the Phantom Cloud, only gnawing at the divine body, a crooked tree growing from the corpse.”

The God of Blue Seas and Truth, Surs Te, had genuinely died in every sense; after the divine spark shattered, it no longer had the potential like the Earth Mother Goddess to bear a new consciousness from fragments and inherit the divine position to become a god again.

The existence of the Ghost Ship proved this point best.

True to its name, it is a ‘ghost,’ unable to become a remnant of the past. It is a monster birthed from the remnants of the divine spark after the God’s dissolution, a conglomeration of unwilling resentment and contaminants from the Truth.

No matter what the Great Evil God Oktaviel intended to do, or what Willipol planned to attempt using it to counter him, it was fundamentally unfeasible. Regardless of whether it possessed the strength to resist the Evil God, even if it materialized, it would not have the complete wisdom of a true living creature.

It is a ghost, acting only by instinct like a predator; its source is the unknown pollution that even the gods are driven mad by, which destined it to lack clarity and reason, only bringing endless disasters to life and civilization.

The true ‘natural disaster.’

   

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