Patriot—Borzokashti—was undoubtedly one of the top-tier powerhouses among humanity. One-on-one, he could take on a Deep Sea Hunter. But facing two at once? Even for him, that would be tough—and that's assuming he was in peak condition, not the Patriot whose body was over 60% crystallized by Originium in Chernobog. That's how powerful the Deep Sea Hunters were.
"For a nation as powerful as Aegir to fall to the Seaborn… maybe that's the real reason Iberia has held out so long."
Judging from the strength shown by Skadi and the other Deep Sea Hunters, it was easy to imagine just how formidable Aegir had once been. Even if the average citizen wasn't as strong as them, records showed there were at least four squads of Deep Sea Hunters. Even the weaker ones must've been terrifyingly strong.
And that wasn't all—Aegir's technological prowess was beyond advanced. Even Rhodes Island, which stood at the forefront of Terra's current tech, appeared outdated before the Deep Sea Hunters.
Daniel had once assumed Aegir was just a single underwater city with advanced technology and formidable fighters. But after hearing more from Kelsey, he realized how wrong he'd been. Aegir's territory had once spanned more than Victoria, Kazimierz, and Columbia combined. It was an underwater empire, composed of countless cities beneath the sea.
The so-called "glory days" of Iberia had only come from inheriting scraps of Aegir's legacy—just a fraction of its technology, brought to land by the Aegir refugees. Even that had been enough to forge Iberia's golden age, including the lighthouses and golden fleet.
And even then, that wasn't Aegir's core tech. In fact, even if Iberia had received the core knowledge, they wouldn't have been able to use it—because Aegir didn't rely on Originium. Their energy systems were entirely different.
Originium was abundant and easy to harness, but it had led to Terra's scientific development taking a rather skewed path from Daniel's perspective.
Later on, Aegir's remnants in Iberia were ruthlessly purged by the Inquisition. Following the Silence, Iberia's rulers blamed Aegir for the catastrophe and began systematically eliminating them. The survivors never truly felt any loyalty to Iberia afterward. Many left—and none wished to return. Just look at Elysium.
"Return to the collective, my kin. This struggle is meaningless."
The grotesque Seaborn creature, though surrounded and clearly at a disadvantage, didn't retaliate. Seaborn lacked human emotions. Everything they did was for the survival of their kind. They would consume any lifeform, including their own, if necessary. This one hadn't reached that point yet—so it didn't attack Skadi or the others, whom it still considered kin.
"Your death is interesting to me. You owe me that life."
The Seaborn might have held back, but Skadi and the others didn't. Especially Specter, now clad in black with her long-handled chainsaw in hand. She moved like she was dancing—graceful, yet deadly.
Inevitably, their relentless assault wore the Seaborn down. Even the female Inquisitor, though the weakest of the group, inflicted real damage with her hand cannon.
"Isamara… there is no answer. The collective must endure. I… must return…"
Apparently realizing Skadi and the others would not yield, the Seaborn finally began to fight back—striking one male Deep Sea Hunter with a single blow before leaping toward the sea.
"Don't let it escape! We can't let it return!"
If it managed to rejoin the Seaborn collective, the consequences would be apocalyptic. Its experiences, its evolution—if passed on, it would usher in an age of Seaborn monstrosities. Creatures even Patriot might not be able to handle would flood the land. Not even Daniel could guarantee victory in that future. He'd likely be forced to evacuate Terra entirely, leaving the world to the likes of Corrupted Skadi.
"Relentless… even after taking hits from all three of them, it still made it to the edge."
The greatsword, the chainsaw, the spear—all struck true, leaving deep wounds. But the Seaborn moved too fast, and the female Inquisitor, along with another fighter, couldn't react in time.
Just as it was about to plunge into the sea—bam!—a figure appeared in front of it and launched a kick, slamming it back onto the deck.
Daniel.
"Welcome back."
The three Deep Sea Hunters—Skadi, Specter, and Gladiia—had been about to give chase. Seeing the Seaborn sent flying back, they didn't pause for a second. Their follow-up assault was brutal, severing both of its arms.
Though the Seaborn had once resisted all their attacks, it was now visibly weakening. Even the Inquisitor had previously managed to pierce it twice.
Now, with both arms severed and its abdomen skewered by Gladiia's spear, the creature lay helpless on the deck.
"Hey, Skadi. Looks like you're having fun here." Daniel waved with a grin. Of the three Deep Sea Hunters, he had only personally met Skadi and Specter before. He'd known of Gladiia but had never seen her in person. Even when Specter was recovering at Rhodes Island, Kelsey had never asked for his help.
"Who's he?" Specter glanced at Skadi.
"Rhodes Island," she answered bluntly.
Just then, the male Deep Sea Hunter who had been knocked into the sea resurfaced—dragging a humanoid Seaborn with him.
"Put him down!" Gladiia shouted, eyes locked on the Seaborn captive.
"He can't hold on much longer," the male replied, tossing the creature toward her.
"Food… survival requires food…" The downed Seaborn murmured faintly, then lunged toward the captive.
"Sorry, not today."
Before it could strike, Daniel appeared behind it and drove a longsword through its back, pinning it to the deck.
"I told you. You owe me a life, Amaya."
Specter approached and stared at the Seaborn for a long moment, then revved her chainsaw and finished it off.
Daniel didn't stop her. He'd been curious about studying the Seaborn's body, but considering what might be hiding behind the scenes—perhaps some eldritch horror like an octopus god—he quickly abandoned that idea.
The Seaborn reminded him of something deeply unsettling.
They evolved rapidly, yes. But humanity's potential wasn't to be underestimated either. Just look at the Inquisitor—initially unable to even scratch the Seaborn, she had managed to land critical blows once her resolve solidified. Even Specter was impressed, wondering who was truly scarier: humans or Seaborn.
"Lord Carmen! Teacher!"
As Specter dealt the final blow, Daniel opened a golden portal and brought Kelsey, Carmen, and the others from the lighthouse. Dario's arrival brought visible emotion to the Inquisitor's face.
"Carmen…"
"Alfonso… you're still alive?"
The aging Saint's expression changed instantly upon recognizing the man who had fought beside the Deep Sea Hunters. After so many years, he'd never expected to see an old comrade again.
"You're late, Carmen. This ship is finished."
The Stultifera Navis—the "Fool's Ship"—had been a battleground. Skadi and the others hadn't just fought on the deck. Below, the cabins were riddled with signs of conflict and Seaborn corpses.
"I can get the ship to shore, at least." Daniel caught Kelsey's look. She wanted him to stop the vessel from exploding. He shook his head. That was beyond his power.
Despite being built to withstand bombardment from land-based warships—comparable to the walls of Londinium—the years and constant Seaborn corrosion had reduced the Fool's Ship to a fragile shell.
The Seaborn hadn't sunk it outright, but they had never stopped trying to erode it—especially through the insidious Corrosion Marks.
"This might get messy."
BOOM!
Daniel teleported the ship to the coast just in time for it to explode violently. It broke apart immediately—but thankfully, being near land meant it could still be salvaged. Even in pieces, it was valuable.
"What happened over there?"
Having done his part, Daniel withdrew. The rest was for Kelsey and Carmen to handle. But something else nearby caught his eye.
Maybe it was because of the Seaborn's death, but their forces were retreating. The battle was dying down—except for two fighters who were still locked in combat.
One of them was Radiant Knight Nearl. The other wore jet-black armor and concealed their face—but judging from their strength, they were a Kazimierz knight.
"Stand up. Are all Kazimierz knights this weak now?"
Nearl was being completely overpowered. Yet the black knight wasn't striking to kill—it seemed more like… training. Shining stood off to the side, watching calmly.
"…The Last Knight? No way. He's real?"
After asking Shining, Daniel was stunned to learn who the black-armored figure was.
He was the protagonist of a wildly popular autobiographical novel in Kazimierz—The Last Knight. According to the book, he spent his life in battle, and when no enemies remained, he challenged nature itself. The final scene showed him charging into the ocean, vowing to quiet the roaring waves.
Nearl, Whislash, the Candle Knight, Greynuty, Flamebringer—all of them had read that book. For many knights, it was a symbol of their ideals.
No one had expected the legend to be real.
Now, to fight the Last Knight was a rare and precious test for Nearl.
"Seaborn… I wonder who'd win in a war between them and the Demons?"
Daniel chuckled at the thought. After a final conversation with Kelsey, he led the group away from Iberia. The encounter with the Seaborn had shaken many of them—but it would also help them grow stronger.
Kelsey remained. She needed to mediate cooperation between the Deep Sea Hunters and Iberia. This incident had finally begun to crack Iberia's stubborn isolation. They even sent a messenger to Rhodes Island—much like Yan had sent Jingzhe.
Yan couldn't send official envoys to Chernobog because of political complications, and because Hoshiguma had deep ties to Yan. So, Jingzhe had ended up representing them at Rhodes Island.
"So this is what the Demons are. No wonder they never run out, like the Seaborn… they come from a subspace."
Yumen City. Thanks to Daniel's spatial expansion abilities, Yumen no longer needed to resupply at Lungmen and continued to guard the northern frontier.
Daniel had always wondered where the Demons came from. According to Terra's maps, the continents were surrounded by oceans.
But once he got here, he saw that the northern regions were like an endless expanse—no real border. Humanity and Demons had been locked in endless, brutal war.
While the Seaborn relied on overwhelming numbers, the Demons were terrifyingly strong as individuals. Like the Seaborn, they too served "gods." More than one, in fact. Yan had once paid a tremendous price to slay just one.
"Demons… Seaborn… the subterranean legions… and even a fake cosmos. This world's just full of catastrophes."
"…When I can shatter stars with a punch, I'll come back and help you wipe them out."
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