Chapter 2450 Blood Rain <TOC> Chapter 2452 Dissuaded
Translator: SumTLMan
Angel’s gaze drifted toward the distant figures of the Pursuit of Light Chairman and others. “Why didn’t they avoid the cloud whale before, and why were they unaffected by its presence?”
“It’s quite normal,” the Enforcer readily explained. “Their true bodies reside within the void’s interstitial space; this is merely a special projection that can slightly influence the material world.”
“Hiding in the void… No wonder they’re not affected by the attraction or displaced by the cloud whale. That’s very similar to the situation when my mentor rescued Lord Canter.”
The Enforcer nodded in agreement. “The principle is the same, though the methods differ.”
Sanders utilized a ritual, while this group employed a special inscription item. Such items are rare in the Southern Region but prevalent in the Source World, especially among the Orderly Guild. Nearly all Mysterious Hunters carry such items for their utility in hunting Mysterious Objects. Despite their limitations, their benefits far outweigh their flaws.
“I see,” Angel said, his face betraying a flicker of realization, though his thoughts were elsewhere.
His curiosity about the current state of the Pursuit of Light Chairman and the others was genuine, but his distraction was not solely about them.
He felt an invisible bond silently linking him to a certain entity, not a physical tether but more like a… spiritual connection, which gave Angel a clear sense that it had arrived in the Southern Region.
Though hard to articulate, Angel was certain of this feeling.
…
The sacrifice of the cloud whale merely signaled the beginning of a new, bloodier chapter.
More formidable sea beasts, one after another, were drawn from all directions. Some even traveled from beyond the Mist Belt, from far-off seas, including beasts comparable to the cloud whale.
For instance, a Fusiform Flying Fish, covered in sparkling silver light, although not massive in size, possessed terrifying speed. This speed, transcending space itself, streaked like lightning, piercing through numerous barriers to reach the heart of the Mist Belt.
Several unlucky wizards, unable to dodge in time, were torn apart, their bodies bursting into showers of blood.
Had the Fusiform Flying Fish not been drawn by the Mysterious Fruit, losing its sense, and had it retained a sliver of consciousness to attack those exploded wizards again, no effort could have saved them.
Angel, due to his limited experience, was unfamiliar with this Fusiform Flying Fish. However, among those nearby, there were those with vast knowledge.
Upon receiving information stealthily gleaned from Dietrich, it became known that it was a Mozna Blue Flag variant, notorious throughout the Devil’s Sea and whose power rivaled that of a formal wizard, had emerged.
Due to its extraordinary speed, it was practically invisible on normal days, and given its formidable strength, capturing it proved impossible. Ultimately, it became a source of instability in the Devil’s Sea.
In the past, numerous shipping companies had dispatched wizards to hunt it down, all to no avail. Unexpectedly, today, the Mozna Blue Flag sought its own demise within the Mist Belt.
Indeed, it was a swift surrender to death.
In a flash of lightning, the Mozna Blue Flag sped past everyone, rushing to the side of Number 03. Subsequently, it was disintegrated by some mysterious power, transforming into a pure mass of crimson energy that was devoured by the Mysterious Fruit.
Thump——
With the death of the Mozna Blue Flag, a stronger heartbeat echoed across the sky.
The heartbeat’s frequency accelerated, inching closer to a critical point.
Besides the Mozna Blue Flag, other formidable sea beasts continued to relentlessly charge towards the Mist Belt. However, most of these sea creatures operated at the seabed, drawing significantly less attention compared to the airborne Cloud Whale and Mozna Blue Flag.
Yet, there were exceptions, including a sea beast lurking in the ocean depths that captured everyone’s gaze.
It was a stingray.
The reason everyone was fixated on this stingray was not because it was an obscure sea creature, but because it bore the name… Bridgett.
It was Sirius’ mount and, as he proclaimed, his nominal spouse.
Sirius, known as the “Big Fish Wizard,” might be misinterpreted by those unfamiliar with him as someone who could summon numerous giant sea beasts, which was not entirely accurate.
Sirius indeed had mastery over controlling sea creatures, but the “Big Fish” in his title was not a general reference but specifically directed towards Bridgett.
Not long ago, Sirius noticed Bridgett was becoming uncontrollable, lured by the attraction of the Mysterious Fruit. Amidst growing unease, Sirius decided to withdraw Bridgett from the Mist Belt temporarily.
He relocated Bridgett to the vicinity of Sidro Island, outside the Mist Belt, instructing it to rest there until he could return for it after the ordeal had ended.
Sirius thought everything was under control when he returned to the Mist Belt. However, he didn’t anticipate that the fall of the Cloud Whale and Mozna Blue Flag would instantly magnify the Mysterious Fruit’s attraction.
Humans can still resist, because the attraction to humans is not significant. However, the attraction to sea beasts is unimaginably high.
It directly surpassed the vast Mist Zone, spreading towards more distant waters. Soon, it covered Sidro Island.
Even Bridgett, with human intelligence, succumbed under this attraction.
Its eyes turned deep red, and it rushed back into the mist.
At this moment, it has returned to the center of the Mist Belt. Sirius, noticing it immediately, rushed into the seabed in an attempt to stop Sirius.
It was also because of Sirius’ actions that everyone’s attention was drawn to Bridgett.
“Editor in chief, do you think Sirius can stop her?” Rivetta whispered.
Dietrich: “I don’t know, maybe?”
After all, they are but projections, unable to feel the increase in attraction. Although they can judge based on some details, without experiencing it firsthand, it’s hard to empathize.
“Really?”
As Rivetta muttered to herself, a tremendous explosion erupted from the seabed. Blood surged into the sky, forming several twisting dragons and snakes.
These blood-colored dragons and snakes twisted menacingly in mid-air, then transformed into fanged monsters, viciously biting towards the seabed.
After the loud noise, a blood-covered human figure was thrown into the air as if weightless, then crashed down heavily.
This human, without a doubt, was Sirius.
His attempt to intervene failed.
Not that he couldn’t deal with Bridgett, but the seabed at this moment was terrifying to the extreme. Countless sea beasts were surging, with not a few beasts comparable to the previous Mozna Blue Flag.
Bridgett was mixed in this tide of sea beasts.
For Sirius to try and stop Bridgett was like trying to stop the entire tide of sea beasts. No matter how strong he was, he couldn’t face such a group of frenzied sea beasts!
Let alone Sirius, even a true knowledge wizard entering the water at this moment wouldn’t fare any better.
As Sirius crashed down, his expression was still filled with astonishment and despair, muttering the name “Bridgett,” watching helplessly as Bridgett swam towards doom.
When Bridgett turned into endless flesh and blood, Sirius was utterly broken.
However, Sirius quickly composed himself and returned to mid-air. He appeared unharmed on the outside, with a calm gaze, as if nothing had happened before.
Yet, everyone quietly distanced themselves from Sirius.
The most terrifying people are those who have lost their constraints and are unguarded. If such a person has also witnessed their intimate bonds being severed, their terrifying nature ascends to another level.
Those familiar with Sirius knew that Bridgett had been by his side since his apprenticeship. Bridgett was both his strength and weakness.
With the disappearance of that weakness, no one could predict the direction of Sirius’ already harsh personality.
…
The death of Bridgett, aside from Sirius, was a minor incident for everyone present, including Angel.
However, the death of another sea beast brought a bad omen to everyone.
This occurred after Bridgett’s demise.
A figure holding a small silver shield approached, riding the surging waves.
Initially, everyone thought it was another wizard coveting the Mysterious Object, but they realized something was different when the figure relentlessly charged at Number 03.
This was not a human, although she had the beautiful features of a human female, her head was not covered with hair but was full of fierce blue snakes, and her lower body was a serpentine tail of dark blue scales.
This was a half-snake being, or more accurately, a Gorgon.
Angel had once seen a Gorgon named Silver Star, whose appearance and hair color were almost identical to this one.
Gorgons prey on humans for sustenance, making them a terrifying existence for those who venture into the sea. Even the extraordinary find Gorgons repulsive and distasteful.
But at this moment, the appearance of this Gorgon made everyone’s hearts skip a beat.
Especially seeing the Gorgon charging directly at Number 03, becoming a sacrifice of flesh and blood, everyone felt a rising sense of unease.
Because, despite their odd appearance and human diet, Gorgons are still similar to humans.
Being akin to humans and very similar in habit, this makes them vastly different from sea beasts.
And Gorgons are not low-intelligence beings.
Now, when a being similar to humans, like a Gorgon, cannot resist the fruit’s attraction and becomes blood nourishment, it is a massive shock to other humans.
The wizards present were not foolish; they too noticed that the fruit’s attraction had different effects on humans and sea beasts.
Previously, the fruit targeted sea beasts. But now, when a being similar to humans like a Gorgon cannot resist the attraction of the fruit, what about them, the humans?
Will the attraction of the fruit to humans soon become indistinguishable from their attraction to sea beasts?
“Will humans become the next focal point of interest for the Mysterious Fruit after the sea beasts?” Dietrich asked, addressing the Pursuit of Light Chairman, whose expression was somewhat somber.
Rivetta and Adelaya also looked towards the Pursuit of Light Chairman, eager for an answer.
However, the Chairman shook his head: “It’s uncertain… but another of my projections has already contacted Councilor Vera, who might have an answer.”
Vera is one of the council members of the Council of True Knowledge and also an Observer of the Crown Star Church, known as the Forgotten Face.
The Pursuit of Light Chairman had contacted Vera at the earliest due to the increasingly strange developments. Vera’s prophecy abilities as an Observer of the Crown Star Church need not be overstated.
Yet, Vera had not responded for the time being.
While waiting for an answer, Angel also relayed Dietrich’s question to the Enforcer.
“Will humans also follow in the footsteps of the sea beasts?”
“Haven’t humans already been added to ‘its’ menu? The Canter you sought to save earlier is a case in point,” the Enforcer responded indifferently. “Moreover, if we start from the beginning, Canter was initially meant to be food for the Mysterious Fruit. It’s just that, at the time, the Mysterious Fruit’s range of influence was too small, so it abandoned Canter to target the sea beasts instead.”
“If the Mysterious Object were conscious, in its eyes, what difference would there be between humans and sea beasts?” the Enforcer sighed as he spoke.
The answer was quite clear.
Humans would inevitably become food for the Mysterious Fruit.
Previously, due to the abundance of sea beasts, the Mysterious Fruit considered them as sacrifices first. But as the mysterious fluctuations spread, more and more humans gathered here.
Those daring to come here were basically of wizard level.
To the “eyes” of the Mysterious Fruit, the presence of so many wizards became increasingly “appealing.” The sea beasts, on the other hand, became fewer as the nearby seas gradually emptied, requiring a spread further afield to attract more sea beasts.
On one hand, there were many people close by and of good quality; on the other, the sea beasts were diminishing and far away.
A simple comparison naturally favored humans.
Thus, it made a strategic adjustment again, shifting its target from sea beasts to humans, which was not a difficult task.
And the turning point of everything was the Gorgon.
Transitioning from sea beasts to humanoid life, and then to humans, was simply logical.
Certainly, the above is merely the Enforcer’s speculation, attributing anthropomorphic qualities to the Mysterious Fruit. In reality, whether the Mysterious Fruit possesses cognition is another matter, but the speculation is likely accurate.
For the humans present, hoping to rest easy and wait for the fruit to ripen to harvest its final yield is practically impossible.
What they will face next is a catastrophe of extreme terror.
Gaining from this catastrophe, given the situation as the wizards currently see it, is virtually impossible. The only thing they can do is to strive with all their might… for survival.
Their nightmare is imminent.