Chapter 64

As the malevolent entities chanted in fervor, a torrential downpour descended, bringing the sacrificial ritual to its climax.

The sea level rose swiftly, flooding the island up to everyone’s knees. Some people ran in panic, others screamed. Within moments, the entire island was submerged, and everything floated in the seawater. Shouts for help, cries of despair, and calls for loved ones filled the air… until one by one, they all fell silent, gradually sinking into the depths.

The submerged statue wore a crown of thorns, eyes closed, a serene smile on its face, exuding an expression of compassion.

Eda floated on a wooden plank, drifting aimlessly across the vast ocean. She struggled to keep her eyes open, her hair soaked and clinging to her forehead.

Waves crashed one after another, each nearly pulling her under. Fortunately, as a follower chosen by Nodens, the Lord of the Ocean and the Hunt, Eda possessed a natural affinity for the sea, managing to break the surface every time.

But as the waves raged on, Eda noticed something unusual.

The skies were dark and heavy, and beneath the pitch-black water, something seemed to be moving. Suddenly, Eda glimpsed a white structure drifting underwater.

Her mind reacted faster than her body, sounding alarms as soon as she saw the structure, urging her to flee!

But it was as if the water had a will of its own, pushing everyone in the water toward that structure.

As she drew closer, Eda saw the “windows” of the structure shift, revealing utter darkness inside.

Only then did Eda realize—it wasn’t a house at all but an enormous eye.

The eye alone was as large as a building.

Finally, Eda understood: “An S-class malevolent entity…” She stared in terror as the massive eye locked onto her.

A creature with towering, hundred-meter-long tentacles rose from the water, striking the sea’s surface and stirring massive waves.

All sounds—screams, pleas, even the devout prayers of the faithful—were smothered under the weight of the sea.

After the storm of wind, rain, and thunder, silence settled over the sea. The islanders of Surina and the dark entities of the deep all returned to quiet oblivion.

Something moved rapidly in the water, drifting with a barely noticeable, almost invisible subtlety…

If anyone looked closely, they’d see a gray sludge blending with the sea’s surface, nearly indistinguishable from the water.

Meanwhile, in the deep, unexplored trench at ten thousand meters below, the true ritual among countless monsters began.

Ugly fish-men, colossal squids capable of shattering ships, hundred-meter-long whales, human-faced jellyfish, brilliantly colored hermit crabs…

Countless monsters gathered in a frenzied celebration, dancing and praying around the white statue that had sunk into the sea.

Giant tentacles twisted in the water, human-faced jellyfish hummed softly—“Come join me.”

“Come to the deep sea and dance with me.”

“Together, let’s sleep in eternal night.”

They imitated the voice and tone of their mother, smiling blissfully as they sang this haunting lullaby, as if it alone could return them to their mother’s embrace.

With the creatures’ murmuring song, the gray sludge drifting through the sea began to grow, swelling as it moved, steady in its path.

It traversed the waters, gathering dead bodies and claiming their souls and heads.

The white statue continued to sink, and the monsters followed, drawn downwards. Soft moonlight pierced the impossible depths, reaching ten thousand meters below.

A single beam of moonlight shone through the oppressive darkness, illuminating the statue of the Thousand-Faced Moon and the swarm of twisted, grotesque creatures surrounding it.

The statue kept sinking, and the monsters danced around it, their frenzied, despairing song deafening.

“Come, come to us.

Come, enter our bodies!

Come, be one of us!”

As the statue descended into even darker waters, the monsters’ voices grew quieter, until everything fell into silence.

Silence, endless silence.

Naturally, this was normal. In the abyssal depths of the ocean, there should be neither sound nor moonlight.

Until a strange, ethereal voice of a girl echoed, as if from a distant, void-like universe: “Day after day, worshiping…”

At the faint whisper, every monster in the deep seemed to awaken, eyes lighting up with an intense, near-mad fervor as they shouted in a voice unlike any other they’d ever known—“Hydra!”

The sludge above moved faster, and the girl’s voice came from every direction: “Day after day, praying…”

The monsters cried out with every ounce of life, as if tearing from their very souls—“Hydra!”

The dark entities of the deep typically despised each other, often preying upon and killing one another.

But now, they looked toward the statue at the center, holding each other’s hands as if they were bound by blood.

They were followers of the Thousand-Faced Moon, bound in the same ritual, praying in unison, awaiting a divine miracle.

One by one, the monsters extended their hands, joining together in a ring around the statue.

The girl’s song continued: “Day after day, waiting…”

—“Hydra!”

“Day after day, praising…”

—“Hydra!”

“Eternal suffering, endless despair.”

—“We gather here, following the grand descent of our Mother, the Thousand-Faced Moon!”

“All believers shall be blessed with eternal life…”

—“Hydra, Hydra!”

Though their voices differed in tone, age, and language, all the creatures called out the same name in unison.

Their eyes were red, their bodies trembling with excitement, as they chanted with fervor—“Hydra! Hydra!”

Great Thousand-Faced Moon, we call your name, awaiting your arrival.

—“Hydra! Hydra!”

Offer up your head, abandon your life, and boldly sacrifice your pure and sincere soul!

In the endless gray sea, the monsters’ voices shook the depths.

With each cry, the white statue corroded and flaked, its surface breaking into white fragments that gently drifted down into the deep ocean.

The moon’s gentle, lingering light cast down, and the statue faded away, as if washed away by a soft rain.

A girl’s ethereal voice drifted to each monster’s ears, whispering, “Let wandering souls find rest, let scattered flesh and blood return to the deep sea; a mother’s embrace is the final sanctuary.”

As she uttered the last phrase, a faint sigh escaped her—soft, forgiving, like a mother’s comforting breath for a child reluctant to leave home.

From the distant cosmos, Her gaze fell, a mere glimpse, light and indifferent, yet enough to move the countless powerful monsters bathed in moonlight to tears.

Such pitiful believers, such pure followers, such endearing children.

The strange girl drifted through the ocean, singing with a forgiving smile, her gaze detached, merciful yet unfeeling.

Moonlight pierced the boundless sea, illuminating the dark waters as if it were day, leaving no shadow where the monsters could hide, the brightness sharp enough to bring tears.

In the cold seawater, the townsfolk of Surina floated with closed eyes, drifting quietly.

The moon’s soft radiance touched the surface, and from the necks of the dead faithful, flesh split open; skin tore apart, revealing fish spines piercing through. Scales emerged along with new hands…

One by one, fish-people burst forth from their former shells like butterflies, shaking off remnants and racing to the seafloor, eager to witness the god’s descent and join in the revelry.

The dead fish-people revived, all singing. Jiang Suliu floated among them, trembling with excitement, unable to tell if he was alive or dead.

Humans can hold their breath underwater for no more than twenty minutes, yet he had been submerged for hours without aid.

The seawater was murky, and monsters weaved through it, yet they didn’t interrupt his worshipful gaze toward the Thousand-Faced Moon.

He noticed something moving—behind him, a tentacle.

Jiang Suliu held his newly sprouted tentacle, silent.

He wasn’t sure if he was dead or alive, but he knew he was no longer fully human.