Chapter 367
The option of informing the humans has been thought of but knowledge of the gods’ counterparts would plant dangerous seeds in mortal minds. The very idea of knowing such beings existing means they would fall into the sight of their counterpart who will take root in them. With the demigods’ ascension approaching, the gods had to tread carefully, considering the consequences of their actions.
After a council with Nana, the gods reached a decision: they would wait. If their counterparts dared to descend into this world, it would constitute an act of intrusion according to the law, granting the gods the right to retaliate. Until then, they would keep watch.
As the gods monitored the movements of the tainted, their collective attention shifted toward the vast expanse of the ocean, where there was movement among man tainted.
On a small island in the ocean, a ship could be seen in the distance, steadily making its way toward the shore. The figures aboard were shrouded in dark robes, their hoods concealing their faces. On the backs of their robes was an ominous depiction: a mass of water with countless eyes peering from beneath the surface.
On the island, a massive sea beast lay in a deep, peaceful slumber. This was the demon Leviathan, Aska, who had retreated here to escape the maddening whispers of the deep. Leaving the sea had brought him much-needed relief; the whispers had grown faint, their torment dulled to the point of endurance.
Recently, the whispers had ceased entirely. This unexpected silence had lulled Aska into a deep, restorative sleep.
As the ship drew nearer to the island, its robed occupants murmured a spell that shimmered over their forms, cloaking them further.
Meanwhile, far away, the three gods who had turned their attention to the scene observed closely. Every figure aboard the ship carried traces of the same tainted divinity, but the Leviathan was the most saturated with this corruption—a level unlike anything the gods had ever encountered, which was why the creature was one of their most observed subjects.
The gods were not alone in their vigil. Beneath the waves, the mermen who guarded the island were also watching.
Deep under the ocean, a shark-like merman knelt before the shimmering projection of two figures: another sharkman and a mermaid. These were Flowua and Tide, the demigod siblings of the sea.
As the children of the ocean, their connection to its vast depths was unbreakable. When a revered resident of the deep—a creature as powerful as the Leviathan—abandoned its domain for the surface, it did not escape their notice. Flowua and Tide immediately sought to understand the Leviathan’s motives.