Chapter 97 - 92: Arrested on the Spot
Since the battle was in the water, the Deep Sea Lord would be the main force for this operation.
Luh Yao switched to Manual Mode and clicked on the ability [Submerge].
Guer, in its island form, slowly submerged. After its speed doubled, it became visibly faster.
Under Luh Yao’s control, the Deep Sea Lord headed west, continuously advancing through the blue-and-white pixelated ocean.
Not long after leaving the Western Continent, it quickly encountered Bone Fish.
These fish, formed from skeletons, rose from the depths in swarms and frantically rammed into Guer.
However, their attack power was too low. "Miss" repeatedly appeared above the head of the now-faster Deep Sea Lord, and the occasional hit only showed "-0."
This reminded Luh Yao of a time he went with a classmate to try something new.
At a foot spa downtown, he had experienced a fish pedicure for the first time. A school of small, toothless fish in the water had swarmed around, nibbling the dead skin off his feet, creating a tingling sensation.
The Bone Fish were now doing the same thing.
Guer was like a massive, heavy, underwater icebreaker. It plowed through the schools of Bone Fish, swinging its giant tentacles to crush all in its path, advancing westward without any hindrance...
In the depths of the Western Sea Region, a small landmass had appeared on the surface.
This continent was made entirely of bones—or rather, it was formed by Bone Fish linking together, like countless tiny building blocks. The floating island’s mass was still growing, with more bones sprouting from its edges.
From Luh Yao’s perspective, the Bone Island looked like a large patch of white algae on the sea’s surface.
As the Deep Sea Lord drew near, the entire Bone Island suddenly erupted into activity.
Its body slowly transformed, sprouting wide dorsal and pectoral fins. Its powerful tail swayed slowly, revealing a leaf-shaped tail fin beneath.
The entire Bone Island had turned into some kind of colossal living creature, even larger than the Deep Sea Lord.
A name appeared above its head: [Skeleton Dominator Whale].
Luh Yao opened its status panel.
...
[Skeleton Dominator Whale LV42]
Life Value: 1900/1900
Mana Value: 481/481
Damage: 38
Defense: 35
Speed: 8
[Submerge]
Submerge in water to double movement speed.
[Skeleton Creatures]
A lifeform made of skeletons. Its strength is related to the number of skeletons and the level of the creatures they belonged to in life.
[Symbiote]
Exists as a symbiotic fusion of multiple individuals, gaining additional buffs.
[Deep Sea Shock LV5]
When activated, creates a tsunami that deals continuous damage to enemies. The damage is related to the ability’s level.
[Whale Fall LV1]
Decomposes into numerous Skeleton Worms and undergoes Rebirth in another area.
...
Judging from its stats, the Skeleton Dominator Whale was not on the same level as the Deep Sea Lord at all.
However, its unique [Whale Fall] ability put Luh Yao on alert.
It was an escape skill.
With the slightest carelessness, the Skeleton Dominator Whale could break itself into pieces and quickly flee.
’What a pain,’
To avoid scaring off the Skeleton Dominator Whale, Luh Yao had the Deep Sea Lord fight with roundabout tactics, feigning an even match.
The Skeleton Dominator Whale used [Deep Sea Shock], creating massive tidal waves that surrounded Guer, continuously inflicting "-5" Damage Value. On the surface, it appeared to be the aggressor.
Suddenly, a dialogue box popped up over the giant whale’s head.
"Unknown Sea Monster, the Haili God has descended upon this Broken World, and it is time to recruit Believers."
"I recognize your strength. If you are willing to submit to the God, I will beseech the great Haili God to allow you to become a glorious Apostle and join the God’s grand cause."
Luh Yao was a little surprised.
’I didn’t expect this plot twist.’
’Haili God... a God from another world?’
Luh Yao’s mind instantly went on high alert.
At the same time, he was confused.
According to the Committee files Song Shiyi had given him, Fragment Worlds were random deployment zones for Apprentice Deities. ’Can outside Gods just sneak into a Newbie Village?’
Luh Yao immediately rated the threat of the Haili God as maximum.
’Never mind how he got in. The top priority now is to figure out how to eliminate this intruder as quickly as possible.’
Luh Yao felt a headache coming on.
The Deep Sea Lord was just a monster. He couldn’t type above its head or communicate verbally; he could only control it manually.
That Haili God probably hadn’t noticed this area yet. Otherwise, he would have definitely seen the [Loyal to Yao God] tag above Guer’s head, and the Skeleton Dominator Whale wouldn’t have bothered with its sales pitch.
For now, Luh Yao had the Deep Sea Lord stay put and observe the situation while he racked his brain for a solution.
Seeing no reaction, the bones on the Skeleton Dominator Whale’s back slowly parted. A skull emerged from between the bones, its eye sockets flickering with two wisps of Ghost Fire.
A new name appeared above the skull: [Apostle LV22] Philos.
...
[Apostle LV22] Philos
Life Value: 400/400
Mana Value: 382/382
Damage: 22
Defense: 12
Speed: 12
[Wisdom LV10]
Wisdom is the key for an Apostle to hear the Divine Will. The higher the level of Wisdom, the easier it is to improve and comprehend various abilities.
[Skeleton Creation]
Uses skeletons to create Skeleton Creatures. Their strength is related to the number of skeletons and the level of the creatures they belonged to in life.
[Symbiote]
Exists as a symbiotic fusion of multiple individuals, gaining additional buffs.
[Skeleton Artisan LV5]
Can repair Skeleton Creatures and reinforce them using skeletons as raw material. The effect is related to the ability’s level.
[Whale Fall LV1]
Decomposes into numerous Skeleton Worms and undergoes Rebirth in another area.
...
This Apostle named Philos spoke again: "It seems you lack basic communication skills. What a pity."
"However, given your power, you should be able to understand my meaning."
"Among the Haili God’s Apostles, I am but the most insignificant one. Conquering this Fragment World would be a simple matter."
"If you are willing to submit to the Haili God, then follow me."
"If you want to fight, then I will continue to oblige you."
After speaking, Philos retracted back into the bones and steered the Skeleton Dominator Whale to swim slowly westward.
Luh Yao immediately had Guer follow behind it.
He understood now.
Apostle Philos had used [Skeleton Creation] to make the Skeleton Dominator Whale. The floating island-like whale was merely a skeletal weapon controlled by Philos, and the [Symbiote] Trait allowed him to merge with the giant whale.
The Bone Fish in the sea were also something Philos had whipped up.
Luh Yao quietly processed this information.
His earlier vexation now turned into a sense of relief.
’Good thing I sent the Deep Sea Lord. It’s neither a Hero nor an Apostle, just a monster unit summoned by a special Artifact. With Philos’s abilities as an Apostle, he can’t identify the one controlling Guer.’
This once again solidified a thought in Luh Yao’s mind: ’Maintaining group diversity is indeed very necessary.’
’Sometimes, the status of an Apostle or a Hero can actually be a hindrance.’
He continued to watch the simulator.
Philos steered the giant whale across a vast expanse of sea, arriving at the edge of a lone island.
Luh Yao saw at a glance that a gray Divine Statue stood on the island. The statue’s features were blurry, resembling some kind of upright amphibious creature.
’Found you!’
Luh Yao quickly clicked on [Miracle].
’I might only have one chance to strike.’
’This is also the best time.’
Luh Yao went all in, unleashing 250 charges of [Lightning] in one go.
A barrage of lightning, costing 5,000 Faith Points, came crashing down from the sky!
The gray Divine Statue was struck by the sudden storm of chain lightning, which immediately triggered a defensive white glow. But the defense didn’t last long; the layer of light was quickly shattered to pieces.
The Divine Statue began to flake apart, looking as if it was about to collapse.
This scene made Philos, who was nearby, turn pale with shock, then erupt in rage. "Despicable heretic! Damn you, damn you!"
Luh Yao felt a twinge of regret. ’I still underestimated the Haili God’s Faith Reserve.’
However, based on his experience, the enemy’s Divine Statue was already on the verge of collapse, with not much Faith left either.
Philos controlled the giant whale, which extended a bone tongue to snatch the Divine Statue into the body of the Skeleton Creature, then submerged into the sea to escape.
At the same time, the Deep Sea Lord locked the giant whale in a death grip, and the two battled fiercely in the sea. Underwater, both moved quickly, making it impossible for Luh Yao to get a precise lock with his mouse. The operational difficulty became very high.
Although Philos was much weaker, it would still take some time for Guer to completely defeat him.
Delays could bring unforeseen problems. Luh Yao opened his Artifact Bar.
He selected the Cross Star from the [Mirror of Fiery Flame] and locked it onto this area of the sea.
In the Northern Forest of the Western Continent, lava surged within the volcanic wonder [Aegir’s Fire], once again spewing a column of ash that pierced the sky.
A few seconds later, a cluster of burning meteorites rained down from the sky, launching a dense bombardment on Philos!
The sea surface was blasted into a cloud of white steam, with thick smoke billowing everywhere.
A clear and enormous Damage Value number appeared from the water: -2365
The entry for [Skeleton Dominator Whale] completely disappeared.
The shattered Divine Statue slowly floated to the surface, bobbing up and down with the waves.