Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 164. No Longer Important

The Divine Light Order disciples were fearless in the face of death. Despite witnessing the fragmented living tissues of their comrades raining downward into the waters below, they continued their advancement upward.

Hanging upside down from the terrain, Charles held a barrel of explosives in his maw. He was waiting for an opportunity.

Just as the intensity of explosions had reached its climax, he spread his wings and soared toward the crevice.

At this point, the fleshy Shielder didn't have many tendrils left.

Most of them were blasted to mere stubs while its massive body was riddled with craters as sunlight shone through the open wounds. Three of the six insectile legs that supported its weight had been destroyed. Its overpowered healing capabilities were taking effect, but the rate of regeneration had evidently slowed down.

However, most of the Divine Light Order disciples had sacrificed themselves for such a result. Only two airships remained, and they hovered perilously in the air.

Sensing hope of reaching the surface, Charles flapped his bat wings and shot toward a gaping large hole in the Shielder's body.

The moment he emerged through the other side of the fleshy passageway, a blinding light greeted him. The sun's rays enveloped him, and a stinging sensation coursed through him. He had made it.

Just then, Charles felt a sudden sharp pain in his foot. He looked downward and saw a white mini-mantis covered in what seemed like slime. The creature had punctured his calf with its scythe-like forelimb.

With a furious kick of his left leg, he sent the creature flying and surveyed his surroundings.

His eyes landed on the back side of the Shielder that had remained unseen all this while. Clusters of white eggs quivered rhythmically, and several tiny white mantises were crawling toward him. So this leviathan creature served as their hatching ground as well!

Whoosh!

A sudden burst of flames ignited on Charles' calf, and Charles' heart dropped.

Dammit. My protective suit is torn!

Watching the eager flames rapidly spreading over his body, Charles didn't dare to waste another moment.

He reverted to his human form and landed on the Shielder’s back.

Upon landing, he swiftly whipped out his Dark Blade and carved off the burning flesh, successfully averting the immediate crisis of burning into ashes.

Charles scanned his surroundings, and with the barrel of explosives in his hand, he limped toward the nearest remaining leg of the Shielder.

The Shielder had exceptional regenerative powers. He had to eliminate it once and for all. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to ascend in peace.

Seemingly sensing Charles' intention, the eggs on the Shielder's back hatched one after another. A swarm of malformed baby mantises surged toward Charles.

However, these underdeveloped monsters were no match for Charles.

Dozens of them died with a slash of Charles’ blade.

Hissssss.

The fuse was ignited. With his prosthetic limb and Dark Blade in his other hand, Charles hurriedly scaled the cliff.

Boom!

With a ground-shaking explosion, the fourth leg of the Shielder was blown away. The two remaining legs could no longer support its heavy weight and were dislodged from the tunnel walls.

Just as its massive body tilted, a barbed tentacle that was as thick as a telephone pole shot out from its body, aiming straight for Charles' heart.

Charles' keen hearing picked up the dreadful sound behind him. Mustering every ounce of strength in him, he dodged to the left. However, he was just a moment too late. Like a sharp spear, the tentacle pierced and lodged itself into his prosthetic arm.

A gut-wrenching force yanked Charles downward as he trailed after the Shielder's descent.

As he watched the patch of blue above him getting further and further away, Charles gritted his teeth in determination. With a firm gaze, he plunged his Dark Blade into the cliffside.

His body jerked to a stop. Accompanied by the sound of tearing flesh, a searing pain erupted from his left arm. His prosthetic limb was forcefully torn from its socket.

With only his right hand clutching the Dark Blade, Charles hung precariously against the cliffside.

Charles moved deftly and flipped himself upward. His feet rested on the hilt of his lodged weapon.

His trembling hand removed his belt, and he used the belt to apply a tourniquet to the wound on his shoulder.

Huff... Huff...Huff...

Leaning against the jagged cliffside, Charles' breathing was heavy and erratic. He looked up to see that the hue of blue remained in sight. A crazed laughter, tinged with hysteria, escaped his lips.

Charles had intended to take a brief respite before resuming his ascent when an airship with a half-deflated air balloon unexpectedly floated up from below.

Half of the deck had been blown off, and three figures remained standing on what remained of the vessel. Charles locked eyes with them before he kicked off against the Dark Blade and leaped onto the deck.

He grabbed one of the remaining survivors and fed on his blood before pointing skyward and instructing them to continue the ascent.

After having his bloodthirst satiated, Charles slumped against the airship's railing and took deep breaths.

"Governor, so many of us have lost their lives. Is this worth it?" asked one of the two remaining disciples.

Charles cast a glance at the disciple, but due to the protective suit they were wearing, he couldn't discern their facial features or gauge their expression.

"Don't worry. It's all worth it. Once we reach the Land of Light, I'll implore the Light God to guide their souls back to His divine kingdom," Charles responded.

Silence ensued. The airship continued its slow ascent. As they drew closer, the patch of blue overhead expanded, and Charles could even make out the contours of white clouds.

"The weather’s nice weather today," Charles commented; his smile had never left countenance ever since he finished off the Shielder.

Nearing the other end of the tunnel, Charles noticed what seemed to be a city beyond the exit. The skeletal remains of skyscrapers jutted out around the cave's perimeter. They partially blocked out some of the sun's rays, but Charles could already catch a glimpse of the scorching ball in the sky. Such familiarity and warmth.

The airship continued its ascent, but it didn't last. Suddenly, a hissing sound echoed above them—the balloon was leaking.

"Quick, head for the building!" Charles commanded.

In a last-ditch effort, the airship sent them into an opening along the wall of a jutting skyscraper.

The four individuals disembarked to find themselves in a dust-laden stairwell.

"Follow me." Charles led the group as they stumbled toward the rooftop.

As they climbed the tilted staircase in the leaning building, Charles felt his heart pound more intensely in anticipation with each floor number they passed.

Suddenly, he halted. Barely three meters in front of them stood a red door that led to the rooftop. The door wasn't locked. He just needed to push it open, and he would be back to the surface world.

He extended a trembling hand only to retract it again.

An indescribable fear surged in his heart.

A sudden urge seized his thoughts. His subconscious was beckoning him to return to the subterranean world—to get back on Hope Island and be with his crew once more.

"Bro....we're already here. It's fine. There's nothing to be afraid of. Let's go together." Richard's trembling voice sounded in Charles' mind.

Charles took a few deep breaths and placed his hand on the door handle.

"Wait!" Richard suddenly halted Charles. He pulled out a gem-encrusted crown from his breast pocket and took a brief look before putting it back.

"What's this?"

"A souvenir for our sister. I bought it with Echo on Hope Island."

"What kind of gift is that? Would anyone wear that?"

"Rest assured. She loves anything with value. Let's go. Three, two, one!"

Both personalities controlled their arm in unison to turn the door handle.

The door opened with a creak, and a glaring light assaulted Charles' vision. However, when his eyes had adjusted, he was taken aback by the sight before him.

What he saw in the sky wasn't the sun at all.

Instead, it resembled a massive ring made from a material similar to that of the sun. Within the center of this ring were floating blocks, much like Tetris pieces. They interlocked with each other to create a giant white triangle.

The three disciples of the Divine Light Order who trailed after Charles rushed forward and fell to their knees. Bursting out into tears, they wailed one after another.

"Oh, Great Light God, Your lost sheep have finally found You!"

"Almighty God, please accept my soul and let me join Your kingdom!"

It wasn't the sun.

It resembled the depiction of the Light God worshiped by the Divine Light Order.

Charles looked around in a daze. The walls surrounding them were painted in blue with occasional clusters of white clouds. The blue he had seen was merely paint.

This wasn't the surface world. This was merely a hollowed-out cavity at the top created by the Foundation for a habitat. He was still underground.

His knees gave out, and he collapsed to the ground. An indescribable emotion filled his eyes as his expression slowly contorted. A guttural noise emerged from deep within his throat.

It was more of a stifled whimper than a cry, as if Charles were struggling to keep his emotions in check. However, his feelings couldn't be contained any longer, leading to a violent coughing fit.

Grasping his throat, his face flushed a deep red.

At that moment, his repressed sobs burst forth, erupting into a heart-wrenching wail reminiscent of the final cry of a dying bird on a freezing winter night.

"Why—Why! What do you want from me?! I just want to go home! Why!"

With each outburst, his tears mingled with his saliva and dripped to the grime-caked rooftop.

Suddenly, Charles' body moved. He pulled out a gem-encrusted crown and violently flung it to the ground. Immediately afterward, he pulled out a glass vial from within his jacket pocket.

It was the elixir meant to erase either one of them.

"Hahaha!" Richard let out a bitter laugh. "Perfect! Charles, you can rot in this wretched place. I'm done!" With that, he tilted his head and downed the contents within the vial.

He had only consumed half of it when the hand clutching the vial drooped.

Charles felt emptiness within him as if something had vanished.

With tears streaming down his cheeks, Charles let out a bitter chuckle. He reached for the other vial in the same pocket.

Amidst the group of Divine Light Order disciples prostrating on the ground, Charles rose to his feet. Using his teeth, he skillfully unscrewed the cap of the second vial.

He lifted the vial towards the massive, glowing ring in the sky as if offering a toast.

"I can't be bothered about what you are anymore. Cheers! Long live the Sun God! May my next life be a better one."

The ring shimmered, and a soft female voice echoed.

"Dawn One reporting the time for citizens of Newbound City. It is now exactly 12:00 PM."

A manic smile spread across Charles' countenance. Just as he tipped his head back to drink it, his hand suddenly went limp, and the bottle fell to the ground. It shattered upon impact, spilling the contents within it to the ground.

"Phnglui mglwnafh R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn..."

The chanting sounds invaded Charles' ears once again. Charles looked down amidst the murmurs and saw his own fingers morphing into octopus-like tentacles, with each tentacle covered in eyes.

Various amorphous organs began to sprout all over his body. There were appendages resembling those of crab claws, ballooning orbs of dark matter, and even triangular deformed dead fish-like eyes.

"Heh, heh. How interesting. So you decided to join the party, too?" Charles cackled maniacally as he moved toward the edge of the rooftop. It loomed over the dark tunnel from which he had just come from.

Without any hesitation, Charles hurled himself into the void below.

The wind howled in his ears. Every eye that had sprouted over his body flicked open in unison. Scenes from both the subterranean world and the surface world flashed past before his eyes.

But at this moment, they were no longer important...

1. Don't ask me how it can support his weight... I have no idea D: