Chapter 312

[Ace of Pentacles destroyed.]

[Two of Pentacles destroyed.]

[Three of Pentacles destroyed.]

…

[Indomitable Armor destroyed.]

[Unavailable for 72 hours.]

Seong-Hwi panted heavily as he wiped the blood off his mouth, using all eighteen of his Wings of Evolution at full capacity, and with the Absolute Crown floating over his head.

That was too close! he thought.

He had felt an immense wave of mana from above as soon as he had been poisoned. Hence, he had explosively amplified his mana via the Wings of Evolution and the Absolute Crown. He suffered internal injuries as a result, but he had managed to break the Temporary Pause debuff and embody defensive symbols to protect himself.

Who the hell was it?!

[Visibility is reduced as per the effect of Debuff: Restricted Vision.]

[Mana is rapidly depleting as per the effect of Debuff: Mana Burn.]

…

Seong-Hwi felt fatalistic power from the remaining debuffs, insisting that they would stay. He also felt the power of unique caliber from the dragon breath-like attack that had come immediately after.

Recorders! At least two of them!

A silver star rose within the deep, dark sea. It was Desire, Seong-Hwi’s spiky star. He spread ten cards, filling them with his unique caliber and Destiny Force.

[Activating Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment.]

[Torah, one of the symbols of No.2 The High Priestess]

[Ace of Cups]

[Two of Cups]

[Three of Cups]

…

[Nine of Cups]

Golden light flashed, embodying symbols of healing and detoxification. Seong-Hwi first unfurled the old scroll in his hand like a tablecloth. It was Torah, the law of secrets, nature, and healing.

A pure light resembling moonlight dimly enveloped the scroll, and the forty-five Cups began to combine into one, becoming a mystical blue cup that looked as if it were made purely of sapphire. The liquid forming in the cup was usually blue, but it was silver due to the effect of Torah, and Seong-Hwi immediately drank it.

[Removing Debuff: Muscle Cramp.]

[Removing Debuff: Restricted Vision.]

[Removing Debuff: Mana Burn.]

…

[Erasing the story of Stealthy Intoxication from the Akashic Records.]

Seong-Hwi looked up after detoxifying Sagara Venenum and saw a wall of black shadows filling his entire field of view. Millions of Underfish were swimming down toward them.

“Shit!” he cursed, his expression stiffening.

An army of Underfish is being controlled as if they are one! he shouted inwardly.

He was certain it was the doing of a Bachtasha-rank Chaos—there was no other explanation. He believed it was likely the work of Dopper, the former mimic Bachtasha-rank Chaos. There was no escape; the only way out was through the colossal swarm of Underfish in front of him and at least two Recorders who were likely in their midst.

“I might die here if I’m unlucky,” Seong-Hwi mumbled as he smiled, his expression filled with madness and excitement.

Two things were crucial in hand-to-hand combat: defeating hostiles and securing allies.

“Hey, you! Do you have a healing skill? If you do, please use it on Taufi!” someone shouted from behind him.

Seong-Hwi immediately turned his head to Lodon, holding a bloody Taumafiskur panting heavily. He was staring at him with desperation.

The blackwater cell must have protected him, he thought.

Ironically, the imprisoned Lodon was fine, while Taumafiskur, who had been outside, was half-dead.

“Hey, you!” Lodon called again.

“My name is Cheon Seong-Hwi,” Seong-Hwi said as he refilled the beautiful, blue cup with silver liquid. “With this, you owe me one. No due date, so repay it now twofold.”

***

“H-help m—Kurgh!”

“Gaaaaahhh!”

“Waaahh! Mommy!”

The sounds of tearing skin, slicing flesh, exploding organs, and breaking bones echoed throughout the streets of the Central Merfolk Town.

“Gahahaha!”

“Kill them all!”

“Don’t leave even a single one alive!”

“Time for a massacre!”

The placoid scale merfolk were brutally killing other merfolk tribesmen. The problem was that the targets of their massacre were innocent civilians.

“F-Front Tooth Corps Commander! What is the meaning of this?! Sir Carcharocles ordered us not to hurt the civilians!” a male catfish merfolk shouted at the commander of the Front Tooth Corps, leading the charge as he killed civilians.

“Gehehe! What did you just say?” said a wicked-looking shark merfolk as he turned around.

He was a goblin shark merfolk, his nose as long as that of a goblin’s, and irregularly spaced teeth.

“Are you questioning the actions of the great Usto?” the goblin shark merfolk asked.

“Stop this pointless massacre! We should be seizing the Ocean King’s Castle as soon as—Kurgh!”

The catfish merfolk felt a sharp pain in his chest and looked down. A sharp harpoon had pierced his chest from the back. The attack had been from one of the catfish merfolk’s subordinates.

“W-what is… Gurgh!”

“Gehehe! Why don’t you manage your subordinates better if you have the time to meddle in other people’s business?” Usto said, mocking the catfish merfolk. “Well… I suppose he’s actually my subordinate.”

“W-what does that… mean?”

“It means this,” Usto replied as he opened his mouth wide, revealing an ominously shining black orb inside his dark throat.

“An… os?” the catfish merfolk mumbled in disbelief, unable to understand why the commander of the Front Tooth Corps had an os, exclusive to the Chaos.

Black Chaos Mana gathered around Usto’s os, shooting a laser at the catfish merfolk.

[Activating Os Skill: Ruina.]

[You are exposed to highly concentrated Chaos Mana.]

[Applying Debuff: Corruption.]

[Applying Debuff: Corruption.]

[Applying Debuff: Corruption.]

…

“GAAAAAHHHHH!” the catfish merfolk screamed after being exposed to Ruina.

He suffered for no more than five seconds from the corruption and became a Chaos monster—an Underfish. He then screeched as if he had lost all notion of language.

“GYEEEEEHHH!”

“Gahahaha! We’ve saved yet another one!”

It was not just the catfish merfolk. Those corrupted by Chaos Mana after being attacked by members of the Front Tooth Corps became Chaos monsters one by one.

“Give salvation to the merfolk!” Usto shouted, setting his fighting spirit alight. “In the name of Master Dopper!”

***

“Otodus. How fares the rearguard?” Carcharocles asked.

“It is being stabilized, Father,” Otodus answered.

“And the other tribes?”

“The cycloid and ctenoid scales have sided with the ganoid scales.”

“Kekek, I see them over there. Those spineless bastards.”

“The coelenterates, crustaceans, echinoderms, mollusks, and annelids are in disarray. They appear confused by the sudden attack.”

“I suppose it was the right choice to move quickly,” Carcharocles mumbled apathetically as he looked down at the pure white castle from afar.

An army three times larger than the placoid scale merfolk forces had set up a defense line around the Ocean King’s Castle.

It doesn’t matter. The battle between Natantes and me will decide the result of the war, he thought, despite being despairingly outnumbered.

An awesome whirlpool of ocean currents and the explosive mana and Stream Force surging from Carcharocles tensed even his subordinates behind him.

That’s… Sir Carcharocles?

He’s nothing like usual!

He is the pride of the placoid scales!

We will win this war!

Otodus stared at his father’s back in silence. His white hair swayed like seagrass, and each dark blue skin tooth trembled as if they were alive. He then looked up and saw a blade-like star, shaped like a dark blue dorsal fin, exuding immense pressure as it shone blindingly.

Father… This is the you whom I admired, he thought.

Otodus had not doubted for one second that his father, Carcharocles, the Ghost Tooth, the strongest, fiercest, and sharpest merfolk, would become the next Ocean King after Ocean King Squama’s death. However, Carcharocles relinquished the throne to Natantes.

Otodus couldn’t understand, nor did he want to. He did not know why his father would do such a thing despite having enough power to destroy everything in his path.

You were the one who spread the glory of the merfolk alongside Lord Squama, so why did you stuff yourself in the Shark’s Nest like an old cripple?!

His older brother Lodon said that he understood his father, but Otodus could not, no matter how hard he thought about it. Carcharocles had entrusted all authority over Pontus to Natantes and kept a low profile. In the meantime, Natantes grew stronger and gained more influence, and his children became known as the Illhveli and were treated like heroes.

On the other hand, Otodus did not even have the opportunity to prove himself in Pontus because his father had forbidden all international activities.

It seemed as if nothing would move you, but… Brother’s death did!

Otodus stared at his proud father’s back with impure, red eyes. This was the father whom he had wanted to see all this time, but it was too late.

I have decided to serve a new king.

No, that was inaccurate. That man was the one and only king. This was not a civil war between the ganoid and placoid scales, but merely a ritual for the second coming of the true master of Pontus. They were simply present to celebrate the return of their king. He would end the civil war, and Pontus would regain its former power once it was unified.

And when that happens, my name will spread throughout the blue ring as his undying retainer!

As Otodus’s ambition blazed fiercely, Carcharocles called, “Otodus.”

“Yes, Father.”

“I’m sorry.”

Otodus remained silent.

“If I knew this would happen… I would have chosen differently back then.”

Otodus gritted his teeth and thought, It is… too late!

“I will kill Natantes. I will leave the rest to you.”

“I… won’t let you down,” Otodus replied.

Carcharocles took a deep breath and shouted, “NATANTES! I HAVE RECEIVED YOUR GIFT!”

An intense vibration traveled along the ocean current to reach every soldier making up the defense line around the Ocean King’s Castle.

“THERE IS NO NEED FOR FURTHER BLOODSHED BETWEEN FELLOW MERFOLK! LET US DECIDE THIS WITH A DUEL!”

A muscly individual with light blue eyes, covered in white ganoid scales, swam from the Ocean King’s Castle. He was Natantes, the White Whale. He appeared with a white star resembling a whirlpool over his head, creating white foam around it.

“No need for further bloodshed between fellow merfolk, you say? You have some nerve to say that,” Natantes said. “How many civilians have you slaughtered on your way here?!”

“You bastard! First, my son Lodon, and now you try to frame me?” Carcharocles shouted ragefully. “Were you afraid that I would take your throne? How could you divide Pontus with such petty schemes?!”

Natantes remained silent.

“I believed someone as cautious as you would lead Pontus better than my hasty self! But I see that I was mistaken!”

Natantes simply stared at the shouting Carcharocles, his light blue eyes filled with doubt, and said, “I also believed in you. I wanted to, to the very end, but now…”

He unsheathed the White Tail Fin, the five-meter greatsword.

“I’m not sure if you’re even the real Sir Carcharocles anymore,” he said.

Cheon Seong-Hwi isn’t coming back. Is the man before me even the real Sir Carcharocles?

The Carcharocles he knew would never command the slaughter of civilian merfolk, but according to live reports, the placoid scale merfolk were systematically slaughtering the civilian merfolk. Such movements were impossible without planning and orders from the highest command.

“Keh…Kahahaha! I see the only thing that has improved about you after all this time is sophistry!” Carcharocles shouted, his skin teeth bristling.

He had no weapons, unlike Natantes, because his entire body was a weapon.

“Here and now, I shall avenge the wrongful death of my son, Lodon!”

Carcharocles shot forward at supersonic speed, the currents around him imploding. His crumpled expression and red eyes, blazing like hellfire, were filled with deep resentment and desire for vengeance.

“Commence the whaling!”

***

Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.

Herman Melville, Moby-Dick