Shrouded Seascape

Charles stared at Bearded Charles for a few seconds before nodding. "All right, that can also be considered a goal. But the next time you express your opinion, you should wait until I'm done speaking."

With that, he continued. "Before we can deal with the elder gods, we need to know everything there is to know about them, including the kind of existence they are and the reason behind their existence.

"By knowing ourselves and our enemies, we need not fear the result of a hundred battles."

"Spare us the fancy proverbs, will you?" someone remarked sarcastically from the corner of the long table. "Hurry up and get to the point. We're all busy here."

Charles raised his right index finger to his face. "A scout—we need a scout that will allow us to learn more about 003 and His current condition. This is an extremely dangerous and difficult task, so the scout among us will be decided by drawing lots.

The air grew heavy at that remark. Eventually, they accepted Charles' suggestion.

They'd most likely die, but they no longer feared Death. Three bone dice were thrown onto the table, and everyone took turns rolling them. These Charleses had a similar level of strength, so it was impossible for them to cheat.

While they were busy rolling, someone suddenly stood up. It was a listless-looking Charles. His voice seemed to carry endless fatigue as he said, "Let me do it. I really can't hold on any longer."

Charles didn't ask about what Listless Charles had been holding on to, and he was also grateful for the volunteer, as they no longer had to draw lots to decide the scout.

No one objected, so Listless Charles stood up and leaned over the table. His fleshly body melted rapidly, transforming into a pool of blood that glimmered like a mirror on the table.

Charles saw an island within the bloody mirror. The island was none other than Hope Island, but it was desolate; it no longer housed any living people. Deep tremors reverberated across the earth, and in just a few seconds, Hope Island actually stood up, hovering above the sea surface.

A deformed mass of flesh and blood larger than the island itself appeared before everyone present. They instantly realized that the deformed mass was the Listless Charles' true form.

The deformed mass changed gradually, sprouting human features such as grotesque-looking hands and reverse-jointed legs. The legs stepped heavily onto the sea surface, generating towering waves.

At this point, the deformed mass looked like a giant turtle with a colossal shell on its back. Listless Charles had actually assimilated Hope Island and was carrying it on his back.

Hundreds of eyestalks sprouted in the middle of Listless Charles' grotesque head, and they cast one last look at the rift up above where Hope Island was supposed to be before plunging into the depths of the sea.

The scenery in the bloody mirror peeled away, and Listless Charles reached the Dark Abyssal Trench in the blink of an eye. The key made of light was still there, suspended in the middle of the bizarre, green city.

Soon, the seal was lifted, and the 003's slumbering figure appeared before everyone. The Charleses felt their breathing quickening at the sight. They were looking at a mere projection in the mirror, but the sight still left them reeling.

"I'm going now. If I end up dying here, don't let my sacrifice go to waste."

In the next second, dozens of colossal claws spanning tens of kilometers swiped across the water, swimming toward the distant figure. Just like that, Listless Charles swam into Fhtagn's domain with Hope Island on his back.

Just then, everyone heard chaotic murmurs in their ears. The murmurs stemmed from Fhtagn. Previously, the murmurs sounded meaningless, as if they only served to corrode their wills.

However, they could now understand it. The murmurs were in a language of profound knowledge, and the moment they understood it, they were inundated by a myriad of taboo knowledge.

In the blink of an eye, the rate at which they were losing their humanity increased drastically, but the Charleses reacted quickly, instantly removing their sensory organs.

Listless Charles continued moving, and he was like a toy car in front of Fhtagn's towering figure that spanned dozens of kilometers in width. Listless Charles' deformed figure was melting slowly as he approached Fhtagn.

"God Fhtagn has no physical form, but I am not sure, as my sensory organs have already been annihilated."

"He's too strong. I'm just standing next to him, but it feels like he's assimilating my mind. In terms of sheer strength, we're no match for him at all. If we want to deal with him, we can only go about it in a roundabout way.

"This is bad. I have to leave. I have to leave now, or it's going to be too late.

"I... can't... do it… anymore… the voices… I can't block them out at all. They're vibrations from the primordial source of matter." These words appeared in the bloody mirror. "Wait, what's that?" �

Listless Charles in the projection abruptly came to a halt, and he seemed to be listening intently to something.

"So that's how it is. It turns out that we're all mistaken. I've finally the truth." As soon as this line of text appeared in the bloody mirror, Listless Charles exploded, and his proliferating flesh instantly engulfed Hope Island on his back. In no time, he transformed into a grotesque, tentacled monster.

Listless Charles was no longer human; he had become a new god.

The projection in the bloody mirror disappeared as it went out of control. The table moved quickly and devoured the squirming mirror.

Meanwhile, the alliance members were silent.

Charles let out a faint sigh. Fhtagn's power had exceeded their imaginations. Listless Charles was as strong as them, but he couldn't even escape Fhtagn's influence, even though he had done nothing but approach Fhtagn.

An existence like God Fhtagn couldn't be fought with just overwhelming numbers alone.

What were they supposed to do now? The Charleses descended into their own thoughts, pondering the same question.

Listless Charles' horrible fate had dealt a major blow to their confidence. Before God Fhtagn, they might as well be considered mortals.

"Let's go and ask 005. She's one of the elder gods, so she probably has a way," someone spoke, but none of them knew which of the Charleses had come up with this idea.

It wasn't exactly a great idea, but they had no choice.

Recalling his daughter Sparkle, Charles looked up and suggested, "We have to find allies in the Subterranean Sea. We might not be the only ones who want to do something like this. It's likely that the other gods have been wanting to do this.

"Find them and make them join our cause or assist us somehow."

Just like that, their first operation was over with one casualty. Despite the casualty, they still knew nothing about Fhtagn. They had no idea what kind of existence He was; whether He was intelligent or not, and the reason He had come to Earth.

If they couldn't even deal with God Fhtagn, then there was no need to talk about 002 high above the Core. Even 005 had suffered a setback against it, so if they were to go there and confront it, they'd be sending themselves to their deaths.

The meeting was adjourned, and Charles returned to the living room of his residence. He pondered over a solution for a while before he drew an array on the floor before him.

It was a summoning array for the Feaster.

When the Feaster appeared, Charles instantly saw through the cat's true form—an obelisk of flesh that was so tall that it seemed to pierce the rock layer up above, while its bottom seemed to pierce the seabed down below.

"Call your master over here," Charles said.

The cat arched its back and bared its sharp fangs at Charles.

"I said, call your master over here!" Charles exclaimed, and the surroundings instantly exerted pressure on the Feaster.

After much hesitation, the Feaster ultimately chose not to make a move against Charles. Three seconds later, the cat was picked up by 005, who was still wrapped in black bandages from head to toe.

005's appearance had not changed at all, but Charles had changed drastically compared to their previous meeting, and the drastic changes to him allowed him to see more than the shell before him.

It turned out that 005 was not a single individual; she was a collective of many different things.