Chapter Eighty-One: Oceanic Disturbance

Beneath the waters of the Bermuda Triangle, a large group of Deep Ones continuously surged toward a certain point.

After an unknown evil god cast its shadow, three subspace seals were left on Midgard: two sealed off the lost city of R’lyeh and the ancient capital, while the third concealed the Deep Ones’ city beneath the Atlantic Ocean—Y’ha-nthlei.

R’lyeh was the dwelling place of the great Cthulhu, a sacred land for the Deep Ones, their lord and divine kingdom. Yet their true habitation lay here in Y’ha-nthlei, which was also the reason the Hydra base remained under the Sword’s control instead of relocating.

Now, this sealed Deep One royal city welcomed subjects not yet truly theirs. Surrounded by throngs of fishmen, the Chosen One swiftly approached them. This Chosen One was once an orphan nurtured by Hydra and was known only by a codename—now, Chosen One was his sole name.

Seeing thousands of Deep Ones gathered around him, a faint satisfaction flickered in the Chosen One’s cold gaze. Not all present were from the Hydra base; to avoid complications, those who accompanied him were mostly operatives of the Dark Church’s later branches.

One reason was to avoid drawing attention, and another was that other Deep Ones had pressing missions. These newly inducted individuals, due to their status, could not be revealed openly, so the Chosen One had selected them here to offer their lives to the Great Father God.

Since this place was sealed, entry was far from easy. But now, with the moment ripe, the Chosen One prepared to present the world with a grand gift—a magnificent offering from the ocean.

He sliced open his wrist with the ‘Holy Sword,’ and dark green liquid formed into spheres that hovered before him as he murmured incantations. The other Deep Ones bowed their grotesque faces, pledging faith to their deity.

One by one, the dark green spheres turned black at the Chosen One’s voice. Around them, marine creatures had already perished as he chanted; their blood and souls flowed along thin black lines into the spheres encircling him.

Seeing the spheres had not yet reached his expectation, the Chosen One’s chanting grew louder—loud enough for all the Deep Ones to hear. Each who heard the incantation dissolved into blood mist the next moment, merging into the black lines.

When all the Deep Ones who had stepped forward vanished, the Chosen One looked again at the eighteen black spheres floating before him. Now devoid of all color, they retained only the purest black, and at last, a faint smile graced his fishlike face.

Then, after a brief pause, the incantation shifted abruptly. The black spheres that once rotated around him left their orbits and wound themselves around the ‘Holy Sword’ on his arm.

With a final utterance, the eighteen black spheres merged into a ring and sank into the ‘Holy Sword.’

The ‘Holy Sword’ had been receiving daily sacrifices from these Deep Ones at the Hydra base, and with the thousands offered now, the threshold to unlock the seal had finally been reached.

Yes, these methods were all revealed directly to the Chosen One by the ‘Holy Sword,’ which was the core of the entire Dark Church—though soon, it would no longer hold that status. The Chosen One was destined to gain true divine recognition and become the genuine Chosen One, ruling over all Deep Ones. This was one of his few obsessions.

As the black ring sank, the ‘Holy Sword’ trembled violently. The Chosen One tried to release it, but the sword clung tightly to his hand. His face filled with terror as the sword finally drew him entirely inside. It seemed the final sacrifice was still needed to open the seal.

After absorbing the Chosen One, the ‘Holy Sword’ ceased trembling. Countless dark energies converged, suddenly tearing open a black rift in the underwater crevice. The surrounding seawater seemed unable to touch the rift—no ripples, not even a single bubble disturbed its surface.

The moment the black rift appeared, the Star Spirit Empire’s orbital detector over Midgard detected the abnormal energy signal and quickly relayed the information to Atanis, who was still analyzing data.

Snapping out of his reverie, Atanis saw the alert from the detector: [Level 10 Dark Energy Fluctuation Detected. Executive Officer, please respond promptly!]

To better compare their own system with that of the Star Spirit Empire’s psionic network, the Empire matched each level correspondingly. Though combat between different systems varied greatly, judging by magnitude was reliable—both were mortal-level energies without qualitative shifts.

Therefore, a level 10 dark energy fluctuation equated to level 10 psionic fluctuation. The detector sensed actively released energy, so experienced officers often estimated a level higher.

Atanis hesitated upon receiving the message. Since he himself commanded level 11 psionic power, the opponent was likely equal or superior. Acting alone could be perilous. The Empire fleet was en route and would soon arrive at Midgard. Waiting for reinforcements would make the task easier.

Nearby, Wola Zun and Serendis, aware of Atanis’s concerns, urged him otherwise.

“Executive Officer Atanis, we should strike immediately. If we wait for the fleet, these dark rats may vanish again. A swift victory is best,” Serendis advised firmly. To her, this was a rare chance to seize their foes.

“Indeed, sir Atanis, I agree. Our fleet arrives in ten hours. Even if the enemy is a demigod, ten hours is enough for us to hold out. Why hesitate?” Wola Zun, a Dark Templar warrior, echoed Serendis’s resolve, fully aware of the threat of hidden enemies.

“I am not worried about our strength,” Atanis said. “My concern is that the battle will cause civilian casualties on Midgard. Whether level 10 or 11, the mere aftermath could trigger disastrous celestial phenomena. Last time, His Majesty Al’s presence prevented escalation. But this time, without Al, the conflict could destroy several nations.”

Atanis was young by Star Spirit standards, but already remarkable by human reckoning. His caution reflected the grave stakes facing Midgard.