Pirate Kingship-Chapter 650 - 456: The 5th Element, Strike at the Weakness_2
By this time, Sherlock and John Watson, who had been rescued, had also figured out Byron’s identity. They looked at this legendary prospective Earl and prospective Saint, who was said to have defeated a Transcendent entity, begging earnestly, "Sir, if you have the strength to spare, please help us. We are willing to act as the vanguard suicide squad to plug this hole!"
True character is revealed in life-and-death situations. Although the two of them initially looked somewhat disheveled and out of sorts from being chased by the perpetrators of the case, they were fundamentally reliable and bursting with a sense of justice. It was also for this reason that if Byron hadn’t been here today, the title "Nemesis of Sin" might have had to continue seeking a new heir.
Byron was seriously considering whether to recruit them into the great cause of rebellion, so naturally, he wasn’t about to watch them go to their deaths. Before they could even move, they were both swept up by a gust of wind and tossed to the outskirts of the battlefield.
Byron, along with Catherine—who had changed on the spot into a suit of women’s Mithril armor and now wielded a Two-Handed Heavy Sword—had already brushed past them.
"Non-combatants, stay out of the way."
"Bruh, you and the ’Wings of Death’ are responsible for sealing off the perimeter; don’t let a single Lost One escape."
"Yes."
Bruh, along with Wings of Death, patrolled the perimeter.
Byron, Catherine, and Saranthe, pushing against the tide of Lost Ones, charged together into the depths of the building. When "Death Stranding" is fully activated, its danger might be hard to assess, but in its nascent stages, their current lineup was impressively powerful. Both science and the supernatural possess inherent laws. Compared to those low-level Lost Ones, the mastermind Saranthe suspected was of even greater concern. Given this unforeseen development, it was highly probable that this individual would come to inspect the scene personally.
As [Lord of Heaven], Byron didn’t need cursed Gold Coins to adjust his state, and Catherine, who shared his senses, was the same. With Saranthe aided by the [Triton of the Sea King], the three of them swept clear all the Lost Ones they encountered along the way.
By the time they reached the main hall, a multitude of Lost Ones were continuously pouring out from a gap where a large, manual elevator stood in the very center. The source of the accident was evidently in the Underworld. This very stylish elevator was presumably a tool for transporting Demon Monsters for the amusement of the nobility.
Catherine’s fingertips suddenly erupted with a brilliant silver light.
"Mithril Guardian, come forth!"
CLANG!
Amidst the clash of metal, six gleaming silver Knights, carrying a surging shockwave, smashed down onto those Lost Ones. Not dodging or evading, their greatswords danced into a whirl of silver light, continuously compressing the space from all directions. They steadily approached the hole and then were the first to jump down.
ROAR!
From the Underworld, there immediately came a terrifying cacophony of roars, a mixture of animalistic and human cries.
Upon landing, the trio saw that the Transformation here was even more drastic and bizarre than on the surface. It is well known that the nature of the Bizarre and Evil Spirits is similar; the only difference is that the Bizarre result from the fusion of humans with other beings, while Evil Spirits still retain human form. Probably because the disaster struck so suddenly, the nobles who were enjoying a Demon Monster party hadn’t reacted in time. After death, they naturally merged with the Demon Monsters, turning into bizarre Stitched Monsters.
The nearest one to them had the front of a Lonely Reef Minotaur, but its rear half was the upper body of a grown man, inflated several times its size, using its hands on the ground to form the creature’s hindquarters. From this angle, it was momentarily difficult to discern which end was the head and which was the rear.
The forest giants were no different; when standing upright, the large head was that of the giant, while the smaller head below belonged to a portly young man. Then there was an Ironback Hippopotamus, one end a sturdy hippo, the other a scrawny old man, looking particularly grotesque...
A group of these Bizarre creatures surrounded a pool in the center that resembled an Asphalt Pool. With each churn of the pool, Dead Souls from the Edge of the World emerged from within. Clearly, this was where the Edge of the World and the Material World overlapped.
Byron quickly covered his sister’s eyes. It wasn’t just that the sight was an eyesore—there was also an eerie, unsettling feeling, a constant worry that they might suddenly call out, "Big brother~"
At this moment, although they didn’t call out "Big brother," they had been Transcendents in life, after all, so their complete fall wasn’t so swift. Especially the old man who had merged with the Ironback Hippopotamus—Byron thought he resembled the Principal of a certain university in the Royal Capital. In life, he was likely a Mid-Sequences Transcendent of the Tower Sequence, still retaining a relatively clear consciousness. Drooling from the corner of his mouth, he mumbled madly, "A robust body and stable Spirituality form the perfect Transcendent combination. Power! Power is continuously surging from within my body! I have already discovered the secret of the Supernatural World. To harmonize Divinity, Human Nature, and Beastliness is the complete form of a Transcendent. The ultimate answer to our ascent to the supreme is—Beastmen! Give me the Fifth Element within you! With enough Fifth Element, I can obtain immortality in the form of a Spiritual Body!"
Roaring, he scrambled towards them on all fours.
The Sea Magician Saranthe, hailing from the Eastern Continent, was evidently worldly-wise; such a degree of strangeness barely registered with him. Clenching his Magic Wand, which resembled a Wolf Fang Club, a flash of Divine Light enveloped him. Leveraging the Authority of the [Triton of the Sea King], a bioluminescent lure, like that of a Lanternfish, sprouted from his head.
BANG!
The exceptionally dazzling [Flash Technique] exploded in the expansive space of the Underworld. A group of Bizarre creatures, long accustomed to darkness, shrieked in pain as the light seared their eyes. The old man, who formed the ’rear,’ was shielded by the hippopotamus body in front and recovered the quickest. He bellowed furiously, "Attack together! Kill that Berserker with the Wolf Fang Club first!"
"Hmm? Berserker?" Touched on a raw nerve, Sea Magician Saranthe’s gaze suddenly turned exceedingly dangerous. "Merfolk are a species of natural-born Mages. Yet I could only learn the [Flash Technique], so I had no choice but to arduously train in staff fighting and physical conditioning—my ’close-combat Spells.’ Have you ever seen the Sea of Monsters at four in the morning? I see it every day! I want people to know that there’s a type of genius in this world called a hardworking genius!"
"Besides, the [Flash Technique] is a Mage’s baseline! Since I know the [Flash Technique], I am a certified, official Mage. So, this is not a Wolf Fang Club; this is my Magic! Wand! You ugly freaks better apologize to me, now!"
The Mermaid Clan, descended from some great being, are natural-born Mages from birth. In both status and taste, they are utterly different from those muscle-headed warriors. Although Saranthe’s combat style was direct, as long as he wielded the [Flash Technique], he was still a noble Mage. This was his final, stubborn stand.
BOOM!
His feet stomped the ground, making the entire structure tremble violently. He raised his gleaming Wolf Fang Club and bravely charged. The Divine Light of the Trident enveloped his body, transforming him into a slender Hidden Fish.
Marine Shapeshifting was a fundamental aspect of the Sea King’s benevolence, and also a foundational ability the Trident bestowed upon this close-combat ’Mage’. The Hidden Fish is an eel-like creature, slender and laterally compressed. Due to its habit of burrowing into the anuses of sea cucumbers for concealment, it is aptly named the Hidden Fish. The Hidden Fish and the sea cucumber are inseparable; the fish hides within the sea cucumber when foraging or evading predators, and its excrement serves as a primary food source for the sea cucumber. A single sea cucumber can harbor over a dozen Hidden Fish at most.
Now, as an Incarnation of the Hidden Fish, Saranthe naturally acquired this creature’s Innate Ability—[Weakness Strike]! Waves surged around him, and his entire body began to spin at high speed, with his Wolf Fang Club as the drill bit. The piercing shriek of metal could even be clearly heard by Wings of Death outside the building.
The Ironback Hippopotamus-fused old man, relying on his maxed-out defense from his iron-like hide and charging at the very front, suddenly realized what was about to happen. His face turned deathly pale, and he wailed, his tongue tied in a knot, "Don’t come here... Don’t come over... No, no, no, no, AARGH!"
The scene at this moment was truly heartbreaking for any witness, tear-inducing for any observer.
Byron, a step behind, couldn’t help but feel a cold dread in his loins.
This cousin... I absolutely can’t recruit him.
Just then, as the Asphalt Pool roiled once more, a tall figure slowly surfaced. A deep voice echoed throughout the space of the Underworld:
"Strange, why would the ritual activate ahead of time? Hmm? Are there living people?!"
