Chapter 58
Chapter 58. Heaven and Earth Resonance (1)
The flow of seawater changed, and the gravity of the sea fluctuated.
As if placed in a zero-gravity state, bodies began to float upward.
Being pulled.
That was how Yul felt. And it wasn’t just a figure of speech.
-What’s happening? Khk.
Timur, spitting blood in a miserable state, asked Yul.
-To be honest, I don’t know either. I heard it connects to the moon, or something like that.
For a moment, Yul had imagined something like a portal opening and linking to the moon.
But then he felt it.
The sea itself was truly surging up into the sky. No way.
-It’s rising…….
-Wooooah?! I can’t control the submarine!
-Kgh. What is this? What happened while I was unconscious?
Dr. Kowalski’s shout rang out, and Gehenna, who had been receiving treatment inside the submarine, woke up and cried out.
-What the hell? What’s going on?!
-My body’s floating!
Those who had explored the ruins of the Age of the Gods together appeared one by one, each bearing injuries.
In contrast, Tuania looked perfectly fine.
-Hey! Yul! What is this?!
-I don’t knoooooooow!
Yul was abruptly hurled upward. The Regulator in front of him was guiding and pulling him skyward.
‘Khk!? The pressure difference!?’
No—if you ascend suddenly like this, you die!
Regardless of Yul’s struggle, he kept rising.
‘Evolution!!!’
[Stage 6 Evolution]
[Deep-Pressure Adaptation Organ: A biological pressure-control organ that reacts in real time to external water pressure is formed within your body. This organ prevents the rupture of organs and tissues during rapid depth changes and automatically releases pressure.]
-Type: [Physical], [Internal Transformation], [Environmental Adaptation], [Continuous Effect]
Using the evolution points he had, Yul quickly selected a pressure-adaptation evolution.
In an instant, he shot up to a depth of 50 meters, then continued rising. Eventually, he passed the sea surface and floated into the open air.
‘I have to break free!’
Now rising high enough to see the clouds, Yul twisted his body completely, barely managing to escape the pressure in order to grasp the situation of the sea.
Then he looked up.
-So this is what it means to be connected to the moon.
A colossal pillar of water linked to the ocean of the massive moon. All the seas of Phantaratsa had inverted their gravity, surging upward and connecting to the moon.
Or perhaps they were being drawn upward by the moon’s gravitational pull.
After observing for a while, Yul realized that the water pillar was the size of an enormous nation-scale territory, and that he himself was positioned at its center.
When the ever-rising water pillar reached a certain altitude, six massive floating islands in the sky revealed themselves.
From the six sky islands, a tremendous resonance spread out, as if praising the Heaven and Earth Resonance. When the six resonances merged, they harmonized, spreading across the world like a hymn sung by baby angels.
Moments later, beams of light shone down into the interior of the water pillar from above.
The beams gradually grew larger, eventually becoming pillars of light. Tracing their position back, it was clear they had come from the moon.
-Very impressive.
And for the first time, Yul came face-to-face with the Deep King Tribe. A being descending along a colossal pillar of light.
Its body was unimaginably vast—large enough to make even the Sea Dragon Tribe look like children.
Its form resembled a blue sea slug, but there were clear differences. The six fins attached to its sides were far larger, shaped almost like the wing bones of a bird.
Its head resembled that of an orca, and in each of its massive eyes were six pupils, arranged like the chambers of a revolver.
At that sight, Yul felt his entire body freeze. From the moment he faced the pillar of light, Madness had long since activated.
-Are you the one who opened this Path of Ascension?
-Who are you?
-I am Isnael, one who ascended from an orca into the Deep King Tribe. And I am also your ancestor.
-Did you know that Heaven and Earth Resonance would be like this?
-Of course. It is a cycle that occurs once every few thousand years in this world. The reason I told you orcas to bring the Regulator was for this very situation
-…….
-Come, look. From now on, those who are qualified will pass through this Path of Ascension and head toward the moon.
Gooooooo.
At that moment, far in the distance, a grotesque deep-sea anglerfish swam forward, waving its fins.
At a glance, the enormous monster looked as though it possessed terrifying power.
For some reason, Yul felt a sense of ‘kinship’ from that deep-sea anglerfish. From a creature he had never seen before in his life, an oddly familiar sensation welled up.
-Those who possess the qualifications will ascend along this Path of Ascension and earn the right to dwell on the moon.
-…….
-By merely residing on the moon, one’s rank changes, and one may step onto the first rung of immortality.
Soon, the deep-sea anglerfish twisted its entire body, and its form transformed into that of a long, dragon-like being.
-Oh? Is that one ascending into the Sea Dragon Tribe?
From a direction different from the pillar of light Isnael had descended upon, the dragon, once a deep-sea anglerfish, entered another pillar of light.
-So these pillars of light each represent a different path.
The creature continued to ascend, riding the pillar of light toward the moon.
-Correct. The major powers on the moon are calling out for others to come along their respective paths of ascension. Look over there. Even some of your foolish orca kind are among them.
Some orcas were there. Each had a mantra tattooed across their body. Ascensionists.
Yul recognized familiar faces.
Among them was Kalsonic, the leader of the Ascensionist faction.
As if completely blinded, some Ascensionist orcas were bewitched, drawn into the pillar of light that Isnael had descended upon, ascending into the void.
However, their bodies did not transform as the deep-sea anglerfish had.
-Their forms haven't changed yet. Have those without qualification followed along simply because they were possessed by Ascension?
The orca at the highest point lost its form between the pillars of light and vanished outright.
Kalsonic, the Ascensionist orca, climbed far higher than the others, but he too was ultimately annihilated by the pillar of light.
-Are they dead?
-Their karma was absorbed by the moon. Well, you could say they’re dead. And it’s not just the Deep King Tribe. There's the Sea Dragon Tribe, the Spirit King Tribe, and the Soul-Form Tribe…… Ho? Is it the sand sharks?
Yul frowned deeply. The sand shark tribe from the Deep Sea?
-The time has come, everyone!
-Let’s go! Let’s gooooo!!!
-To the light!
At the forefront swam an Elder Sand Shark, moving with solemn dignity.
-That bastard needs a beating.
-Do you bear any grudges? Heh… but there’s no need to worry. Heh. Still, there’s no need to concern yourself. They wish to take the ascension path of the Sand Soul Tribe, but they won’t be accepted there. They’ve already been eliminated from the struggle for the Moon’s supremacy and are barely clinging to life. Look, even that pillar of light is extremely thin.
The pillar of light Isnael pointed at was truly thin, no thicker than a mere beam.
Most of the sand sharks couldn’t even advance toward it. They wandered through the darkness between the water pillars, and upon reaching higher altitudes, their entire bodies twisted, transforming into grotesque, amorphous monsters.
The enormous Elder Sand Shark at the very front twisted amid the distortion, becoming a massive, monstrous creature resembling a shark fighter with six gigantic heads.
-Those who fail to ascend the pillar of light will reach no Path of Ascension and will be rejected by the world itself. They will then become Void Beasts, drifting through the void of space.
Having completely transformed into monsters, they failed to reach the Moon and were cast out of orbit, drifting somewhere into space.
-I understand it well enough. In this Ascension, it’s not only those with qualifications who gather, but also those who simply wish to be swept along by the flow. Heaven and Earth Resonance occurs once every few thousand years, after all—most beings experience it only once in their lifetime.
If they fail, they are reduced to husks of Karma or turn into monsters and are cast into space, but if they succeed, they can ascend to a completely new existence and gain the right to dwell on the moon.
-Now, you must be wondering why I’m telling you all this. Come with me. I can see the desire writhing within you.
Within Yul, the “longing” left behind by Ogh of the Rising Tide was still raging.
{I will become a Deep King Tribe. I will become a Deep King Tribe. I will become a Deep King Tribe.}
He was dead, yet his remnants still echoed within Yul’s inner self.
Moreover, by reading Isnael’s stone tablet, the path to evolve from an orca into the Deep King Tribe had already been opened.
-You possess the qualifications. Such immense karma is difficult for a mortal to obtain. It must be the result of activating the Regulator.
Yul glanced at his Status Window. His karma value was still rising.
[Current Karma: 8,232,768]
As long as this Heaven and Earth Resonance continued, this mysterious karma—its purpose unknown—was amplifying at an unimaginable speed.
-We of the Deep King Tribe are far too powerful, and thus heavily restricted. In this “Lower Realm,” we cannot wield much strength. Only in extreme environments like the Moon or the Primal Deep Sea can we display our true power. That path is open to you.
-So you’re telling me to ascend to the moon as I am now?
-Of course. There is plenty of room among the Deep King Tribe. Isn’t the pillar of light created by the Deep King Tribe the thickest and largest of them all?
As he said, it was an overwhelmingly massive pillar of light. Yet its standards were severe—every being drawn toward it was being decomposed into karma.
At that moment, another voice cut in. It was Rukit.
-Why do you hide the grim truth? That upon ascending as the Deep King Tribe, one must become a slave to the Aeons you serve. That you must devote eternal loyalty to those Aeons and fight as a member of the Deep King Tribe for the Moon’s supremacy until the day you die.
-Slave? If calling it slavery means serving a god, then I would gladly accept it. Absolute, perfect, governing the laws of the universe—if one does not offer the faith they have gathered to the Aeons, then what else is there to worship?
Between Isnael and Rukit’s exchange, Yul asked,
-What are Aeons?
-A being that transcends ranks.
-A god who has transcended all limitations.
Their answers diverged.
Rukit glared at Isnael and continued.
-Once a being passes through the Common, Rare, and Legendary ranks and reaches the Mythic rank, it is considered to have reached the ultimate limit of living beings. From that moment, they gain divinity and can gather worshippers. However, if one reaches other ranks, such as the Extra rank, things are entirely different.”
-That is where the Aeons reside. They offer eternal life lasting until the end of the universe to those who serve them, and grant free passage across the sky, the sea, and the moon.
-In exchange, one becomes their slave and fights eternally for the Moon’s supremacy.
-…….
Yul could still hear the turbulence roaring within his inner self. But he suppressed it with sheer will.
Then Yul spoke.
-What happens if I don't undergo Ascension within this pillar of light?
-You will be left behind forever. Heaven and Earth Resonance is a miracle that happens once in thousands of years to connect with the moon. You’ll remain here, living out your finite lifespan until you reach the natural limit of your species.
-Well, then I’ll just stay here.
-Are you serious?
-Yes.
He would become a Deep King Tribe, but not within this pillar of light. Why should he be dragged along and forced to pledge loyalty to some god called an Aeon he’d never even seen?