Chapter 44: When the Abyss Gazes Back at You (2)

Deep Sea Fish Hunting Specialty Broadcast – 44

EP.44 When the Abyss Gazes Back at You (2)

“What… what is that?”

Oceanos had fought many battles in the sea, but they had never seen monsters swarm like clouds before.

“That’s the ‘Ghost Ship,’ right?”

“Yeah. It seems like it.”

Each one of them was a monster occupying the top position in the ecosystem.

If Brachium was an unverified predator, the Ghost Ship was the real deal.

There were many sighting records, and Oceanos had fought them numerous times.

Through those encounters, they were classified as ‘apex predators.’

There were almost hundreds of such Ghost Ships.

In addition, there were countless other monsters with unimaginable levels of danger.

Of course, there were also many monsters that Oceanos had never encountered before.

And the ‘statues’ were swarming like an army.

Compared to the earlier pit, this battle was certainly more challenging.

No, but still.

‘But it still looks like the Slayers can handle it….’

It was clear that this would be an incredibly tough fight.

“Hmm, it looks doable?”

“I think so too.”

But just like the conversation the Slayers were having now, it wasn’t a battle where they would be annihilated.

Moreover, they had an emergency escape device as a backup plan.

The Slayers, who didn’t know why they were dragged into this underwater situation during their ascension, made the right decision to fight and gather information afterward.

“If it gets too dangerous, escape immediately. If this really is Earth, we should be able to move to our hideout,” Hunter Han Siwoo quickly decided.

“Got it.”

“They’re swarming in disgustingly.”

Thus began the Slayers’ final battle.

#

“Eek!!”

“Alexandra!! Are you okay?!”

“Yeah. It just grazed me.”

Han Siwoo quickly approached Alexandra, who had let out a sharp scream, and checked on her.

Indeed, the battle was turning unfavorable for the Slayers.

In a fight against an overwhelming majority, a single hit could cause tremendous damage.

Parang and Oceanos felt it clearly.

If the only thing swarming the Slayers had been the army of monsters, the Slayers would have won.

Although a few might have needed to use the escape device.

But, that thing.

“Pause for a moment. This angle seems to show it best.”

Among the horde of monsters, there was something extremely out of place.

Its size wasn’t that large. In fact, it was quite small.

A tiny monster, barely 2 meters in size.

At first glance, it looked like a black mist.

It slithered, had no definite shape, and was hard to outline.

If it weren’t for the vivid purple glow emanating from within, one wouldn’t even know it was a living creature.

And this black mist, despite being less than 2 meters in size, had a significant impact on the battlefield.

First, it launched a mental attack.

“Siwoo. I feel something strange.”

“…You too? I’ve been feeling it since earlier.”

All the Slayers complained of symptoms as if they were under a mental attack.

They all felt a strong urge to protect the black mist, which was clearly their enemy, indicating that a very powerful mental attack was continuously penetrating their mental defenses.

Anyway, wanting to protect the enemy they had to fight made it extremely uncomfortable to engage in battle.

This significantly reduced the Slayers’ combat effectiveness.

Secondly, there was the enhancement of the monsters’ abilities.

The incident began with Olivia’s attack.

“Damn it, this is really annoying!!!”

The mental attack was so bothersome that Olivia Cloverfield mustered her strong will and unleashed a barrage of skills at the black mist.

Even amidst the ongoing mental attack, most of her skills missed, but one.

The ‘Stone Spear’ pierced the black mist accurately.

Whether it was startled by the sudden hit or in pain, the black mist shrank momentarily before slowly returning to its original size.

And at that moment,

■■■■-!!!n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

■■■■―!!!

♬♪♩♪♬-!!!

The cloud-like swarm of monsters before them began to move at twice the speed as before.

“Damn it!! What’s happening all of a sudden!!!”

“I don’t know!! Why are they suddenly…!!”

The sudden change created gaps in the Slayers’ solid defense,

“Eek!!!”

“Alexandra!! Are you okay?!”

resulting in Alexandra, the weakest in combat, getting hit.

And that wasn’t all. The monsters’ actions became more ‘intelligent.’

Where they had previously charged blindly, now they seemed to be using their numbers very wisely.

Their attack pattern went roughly like this:

■■■■■■■!!!

Powerful monsters like the Ghost Ship,

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

or slightly larger statues would rush in, launching near-suicidal attacks without regard for their own safety.

“Ugh…!!”

The targeted Slayer would block it with a powerful skill, becoming temporarily incapacitated due to the demerit.

“Charlotte! Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine…, just a bit tired. I’ll be better soon.”

Then the remaining Slayers would form a defensive formation to protect her.

But even in a defensive formation, they could only surround and protect her to a certain extent due to their limited numbers.

In the meantime, tens of thousands of monsters would persistently target the protected member.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Of course, statues and powerful monsters would also charge in.

As if it was beneficial to bite once and die, they would recklessly attack without regard for their own lives.

“Damn…!! Supreme Cutting Sword Ninth Move!! Cutting Off the Moon!!”

Then, to fend off the swarming monsters, another powerful skill would be used, creating another gap in their ranks.

This repeated until Han Siwoo stepped in to sweep away the monsters,

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Whoosh!!!

And without any delay, another powerful attack would come flying in at a sharp angle.

Thirty minutes before Alexandra’s death. The battle was turning extremely unfavorable for the Slayers.

And it seemed Alexandra had made some sort of decision amidst the chaos.

“Siwoo!! I’m going to escape!!”

“Got it!”

Given how the battle was progressing, Alexandra would undoubtedly become a hindrance, so she decided to escape first.

With a determined expression, Alexandra used the escape device.

In an instant, her vision was covered in light.

This meant the escape device was functioning properly.

As her vision blurred, she looked at Siwoo one last time and said,

“I love you.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

And Alexandra attempted to move to the Slayers’ hideout located somewhere on Earth.

However,

Thud-!!

“Ugh…!!”

A heavy sound, like something falling or something exploding underwater, filled the battlefield.

“Si, Siwoo!!”

Such a sound had never been heard before, indicating that some variable had arisen on the battlefield.

Alexandra momentarily wore a very anxious expression but soon relaxed and seemed to steel her resolve.

She probably trusted Siwoo to handle the situation.

She likely intended to move to the hideout above the water and find a way to help Siwoo.

However, when Alexandra saw where she had been transported, her expression stiffened.

“Wh-where… where is this…?”

And for good reason, as she had been transported to the East Sea Hive.

Not knowing about the Hive, Alexandra was understandably shocked to find herself in the deep sea again after escaping from an underwater battle.

But what truly shocked her was something else.

“My, my body…!!”

Her body had stiffened, unable to move an inch.

Below her neck, she had no sensation and was as rigid as stone.

“What is this… what’s happening….”

Parang was also a bit surprised.

‘How can the body of a god be paralyzed like that?’

“Status window!”

Alexandra urgently called up her status window. Oceanos, sharing her vision, could see it as well.

And surprisingly,

[Status Abnormality]

[None]

There were no status abnormalities affecting her.

“What?!”

“Ah! Damn, you scared me!”

There was a brief commotion because Elvira suddenly shouted.

It was that shocking.

How could such a thing be possible without any status abnormalities?

Moreover, the surprises didn’t end there.

“Ah, ahhh!!!”

Suddenly, a purple glow appeared in Alexandra’s eyes, and she screamed.

“What, what is this!! Who are you!!”

Alexandra’s words.

“Who… who are you. What does that mean?”

“I don’t understand this part either.”

By then, Alexandra had stopped screaming.

And surprisingly… she looked at ease.

She nodded her head, raised her eyebrows in question, and suddenly looked startled.

The purple glow in her eyes remained, and her body still couldn’t move.

About 20 minutes later, the purple glow in Alexandra’s eyes disappeared.

She looked noticeably exhausted and gaunt compared to when she first arrived at the East Sea Hive.

“Ugh….”

The hopeful thing was that her body could move. However, it seemed Alexandra was too drained to think about swimming.

“Ha… ha….”

Instead, she chose another method.

Wooooong-

The artifact she possessed, the Evidence.

A device that could store and share her memories with others.

When Alexandra brought it to her forehead, a soft green light emanated from it.

“What’s she doing?”

“She’s storing her memories in the artifact.”

It was exactly as described in the original novel.

The surprising part was that the artifact, ‘Evidence,’ began to crack and break.

Such a situation had never been depicted before, leaving Parang puzzled.

Eventually, the green light faded.

The memory storage was complete.

The ‘Evidence’ now looked exactly as it did when Parang found it.

Using her last bit of strength, Alexandra threw it towards the distant entrance.

By then, the giant arms that had been in the corner of her vision had reached right in front of her.

What awaited her was undoubtedly death.

But Alexandra, as if dreaming, closed her eyes.

Peacefully, as if going to sleep.

“I love you.”

With Alexandra’s final words, the dive ended.