Chapter 130: The Price of Sacrifice

Deep within the ocean, the Fish King Hern, drawing his last breath, floated suspended in the water. Blood streamed from his body, staining the surrounding sea crimson. Enveloped by darkness, he began to exert control over his body, seeking to draw out his own soul.

The ritual he intended to perform was one he had stumbled upon years ago, recorded on an ancient stone tablet found in the ocean.

Initially, he had paid little mind to such an unsettling practice, for he could not conceive of a situation where it would be useful. Moreover, the concept of sacrificing one’s soul was something he had never before encountered.

Though he was an Arcanist, his knowledge of the soul was surprisingly scant. The soul, after all, was an exceedingly mysterious entity. Many Arcanists even questioned its very existence, most dismissing it as mere legend. But Fish King Hern was different; he knew the soul was real.

It was this conviction that led him to so readily believe the ritual inscribed on the stone tablet. He understood that the cost of sacrificing a soul was immense, perhaps condemning him to an eternity without release. Yet, he couldn’t be certain of the exact consequences; he only knew that he was dying now.

Rather than gamble on a faint hope for the afterlife, he would risk everything on this arcane ritual. He was utterly unwilling to accept such a fate—to be annihilated by a group whose affiliations remained unknown. Whatever his own end, he vowed that these people would pay the price!

Fish King Hern roared inwardly, commencing the full sacrifice of his soul according to the tablet’s ritual, offering himself as sustenance to the mysterious entity lurking in the deep. Amidst the surging spiritual essence, Fish King Hern felt himself levitating in the water. To his astonishment, he could perceive his surroundings once more. He knew his body and eyes had been utterly destroyed; how could he possibly see?

Then he realized that what lay before him was his own corpse. The mangled merman body was now ravaged beyond recognition. Fish King Hern looked at his own hands, finding them to be those of a human—transparent and faintly shimmering.

‘It’s real. Souls truly exist!’

A wave of profound shock washed over Fish King Hern. He had never imagined such a ritual could genuinely separate his soul from his body. Yet, as he reeled in astonishment, a bizarre sound echoed from behind him.

‘What’s happening?’ Fish King Hern wondered, perplexed. He couldn’t comprehend how he could still hear while in a purely spiritual state.

As he turned to look, he was confronted with a sight that would forever haunt him—a cruel irony, as he would have no afterlife.

Fish King Hern spun around, his spiritual eyes widening. It was a cavernous, blood-red maw, impossibly vast. All Fish King Hern could discern were monstrous teeth and a gaping abyss of a mouth, filled with impenetrable darkness.

‘So… this is the so-called sacrifice ritual…’

Fish King Hern was swallowed whole, his soul utterly annihilated within the colossal creature’s mouth. In his final moments, he felt no regret, only the fervent hope that this monster would obliterate the entire fleet.

After devouring Fish King Hern’s soul and corpse, the gargantuan beast closed its mouth, falling into a strange stillness. Its immense size was such that even at the bottom of the ocean, its full form remained obscured. To truly behold its entirety was impossible; the ships above were mere toys in comparison.

Its bizarre head resembled a grotesque mosaic, as if various marine creatures had been stitched onto its face. Its vast, unsettling body, eerily human-like with its strange limbs, was utterly terrifying to behold. Now, its eyes glowed crimson, emanating a terrifying spiritual aura.

****

‘What’s going on?’ the operator in the submarine exclaimed, staring at the radar screen, which was entirely red. He frantically adjusted the settings, but the display remained stubbornly unchanged.

‘What’s wrong? Is it broken? How could such a massive spiritual aura suddenly appear?’ The commander’s brow furrowed with sweat. Moments ago, he had believed their mission was finally concluding, but the scene before him shattered their complacency.

‘No, this thing is real. What in the world is it?’ The operator spoke in disbelief, his fingers flying across the instruments. ‘Open the camera; the radar is useless now.’

The commander gave the order, and the operator immediately complied. The camera activated instantly, simultaneously illuminating the deep with its lights, yet nothing was visible. Only an expanse of darkness lay before them.

‘What’s happening? There’s nothing on the seabed either!’ The operator was puzzled. Could the radar truly be malfunctioning?

However, the next moment, all present were silenced, both psychologically and physically. A pair of eerie red eyes appeared on the screen, shining like distant beacons in the abyssal depths. Though the entity was still far away, its immense form already loomed before them.

Fear. This was the last emotion they would ever experience. From the battle-hardened commander to the greenest operator, their minds were consumed solely by terror. Even with their knowledge of the mysterious, what they witnessed far surpassed their wildest imaginings. All that remained was a profound sense of powerlessness.

Moments later, the submarine utterly lost contact with the fleet.

****

‘Hello, respond if you can hear us!’

On the fleet above, all the ships continuously hailed the submarine, attempting to re-establish contact. But it was futile; the only reply they received was the sound of the ocean. By now, even the dullest among them had grasped the grim reality: the submarine had been completely destroyed.

‘How is this possible? Those pirates couldn’t possibly possess such power!’ Everyone was in disbelief. What they had expected to be an effortless battle had become their graveyard.

‘Contact Miss Ellie Roth Charlotte immediately! If this is true, we must retreat. We need to preserve our strength, and under any circumstances, ensure Miss Charlotte reaches the academy before we do anything else!’ Ellie Roth Charlotte’s Secretary declared. She knew this was no longer a time for Ellie Roth Charlotte to be idle; events had spiraled far beyond their control.

Cold sweat beaded on everyone’s foreheads as they braced themselves for the unforeseen, preparing for any sudden turn of events. Meanwhile, Ellie Roth Charlotte continued to race across the sea, surging towards the familiar spiritual aura. She was drawing closer and closer, soon to encounter the destined entity. When she received the message from the fleet, she frowned, unsure why she was being disturbed at such a moment. The news that followed—the complete annihilation of the submarine—left Ellie Roth Charlotte utterly stunned, unable to believe the truth.