The Sun Rising from the Sea

Although the Swollen Monsters possessed considerable combat power, this strength seemed to come at a price. Despite sustaining no visible injuries, they would collapse after fighting for a period of time.

Consequently, even though they forced the Fishmen into a steady retreat, their own numbers were dwindling rapidly.

Yet, they still held the upper hand. Soon, the Fishmen here could no longer hold their ground, wailing as they fled in all directions.

A Fishman happened to collide with Theus, who was hiding to the side. It let out a howl and hurled the steel trident in its hand.

It was so fast. Theus felt he couldn't dodge it. He tried to twist away from his vitals, but an angry shout rang out from behind him.

Ash lunged forward, caught the trident, and backhanded it into the Fishman's chest.

The Fishman let out a shrill wail, dark green blood gushing from its chest as it struggled and collapsed toward the seabed.

"That was amazing..." Theus couldn't help but exclaim.

The Swollen Monsters in the distance noticed them and swarmed over.

"Ash!"

"You're actually still alive!?"

"The Fishman clan warriors will be here soon; we must evacuate immediately!"

"Go where? There's no place left for us in the Storm Ocean! We're finished!"

"What other choice is there! The Fishmen want to wipe us out; are we just going to wait here to die!!"

"Better to kill a few more Fishmen!"

"Quiet!!!!" Ash raised its trident, the bloodstains on it drifting in the seawater. It raised its voice, "I have found a way to break the curse; we need to enter the Abyssal Trench!"

It pointed to the seabed not far away, where a massive fissure ran across almost the entire floor like a twisted scar, as if it were about to tear the ocean in two.

Is that the Abyssal Trench? It seemed to be some kind of seafloor rift.

The Swollen Monsters fell silent for a moment, then erupted into chaos.

"Break the curse!? What are you saying? Break the curse!??"

"Can the curse really be broken? Has the prophecy been fulfilled?"

"The Abyssal Trench... I've heard that place is a dead end for life. Every creature that goes down there goes mad; no one has ever come out alive... we..."

"Hiss, the prophecy says the god comes from above the land, this human..."

Theus hadn't made a deliberate effort to hide, and the Swollen Monsters had noticed him long ago, only ignoring him because they felt he posed no threat.

Various gazes fell upon Theus, mostly filled with suspicion.

Indeed, putting himself in their shoes, Theus wouldn't casually believe an outsider was some so-called god either. But why was Ash so certain? Thinking about it, it seemed she had decided on him the moment they signed the Symbiotic Pact.

Ash slammed its trident into the seabed, and once the surroundings quieted, it spoke loudly:

"My kin, there is no time for explanations. The enemy will be here in an instant; we must unite!"

"I know you have many questions, but we have no other path left. Trust me, trust the prophecy, trust the god. As long as we head to the Abyssal Trench, we can break the curse!"

"Since we have chosen to fight, let us fight until the very last moment. Either live on our knees or die standing!"

Ash looked around, its eyes filled with resolve.

"Besides, the path ahead is not a dead end. The water pressure of the Abyssal Trench is fatal to other races, but for us, it is an opportunity for transformation!"

"A thousand years! We have been enslaved for a thousand years!"

"Now, let us use our flesh and blood to carve out a path for those who come after us!"

Ash raised its trident. Stirred emotions churned in every eye. No one spoke; the silence was like a volcano about to erupt.

"My kin, make your choice here!!"

Ash said nothing more; it simply closed its eyes... and the surrounding Swollen Monsters seemed to close theirs at the exact same moment.

A ritual before battle?

Only a moment later, they opened their eyes again. This time, although their expressions varied, they all looked toward the Abyssal Trench not far away.

Theus was startled. They had reached a consensus just like that?

They had been arguing in chaos just a moment ago, yet after closing their eyes for a second, they were united?

Something must have happened after they closed their eyes together, allowing them to make a quick decision. Whatever differences they had before, they could now cooperate.

It must be a form of Transcendence.

Unfortunately, now was not the time to get to the bottom of it.

This ability was efficient and swift. If this race weren't plagued by water pressure and limited in number, they would surely be excellent warriors.

Theus suddenly looked up into the distance, and the other Swollen Monsters looked up as well.

One thing was certain: they truly needed to act. In the distance, the previously timid Fishmen suddenly let out cheers. Theus followed their gaze and saw a ship sailing from afar.

A ship sailing on the seabed.

It was covered in rotting holes. It had no sails, yet it flew a flag.

A black flag with a scimitar piercing through a hole.

No one was steering it; the ship's wheel spun on its own, as if the entire vessel were controlled by invisible sailors.

A Ghost Ship? The term suddenly popped into his mind.

Theus instinctively felt something was wrong. This was the bottom of the sea; why would there be a ship here? The Fishmen were cheering; this ship was clearly here to help them.

And that Ghost Ship—somehow, he felt as if he had seen it somewhere before.

"Lord, please enter the Abyssal Trench with us!"

The Swollen Monsters didn't linger. After a brief discussion, they gathered together and charged toward the Abyssal Trench below.

They rushed into the abyss, but the strange wooden ship stopped.

The next moment, a massive roar came from afar.

Theus was diving rapidly into the Abyssal Trench with the main group. Looking back now, he saw countless colorful trajectories streaking across the sky like fireworks, rushing toward them.

These fireworks blooming on the seafloor illuminated the Abyssal Trench for an instant, but Theus, standing right in front of it, had no leisure to appreciate them. An indescribable sense of dread, like a cold, giant hand, instantly gripped his heart.

Theus felt his intuition screaming wildly, and certain vague premonitions in his heart were constantly warning him.

He would die. If he were hit by those things, he would definitely die!

The Swollen Monsters exchanged glances and, without hesitation, split into two groups. Some continued to dive into the Abyssal Trench, while others turned and charged toward the colorful trajectories.

Ash rushed up, grabbed Theus's hand, and pulled him to continue diving downward.

"They..."

Ash didn't answer. Bitter seawater flowed past Theus's side; it simply pulled him deeper into the Abyssal Trench.

Theus didn't resist. He only looked back silently at those figures charging forward.

Their limbs were bloated and ugly, their eyes buried in folds of flesh were nothing more than tiny specks, yet they were filled with fire.

It was the fire of vengeance, mixed with the light fired from the Ghost Ship, as if they wanted every living thing on the seafloor to see it.

Theus opened his eyes wide, trying to imprint this moment into his mind.

The moment before they made contact, the bodies of those Swollen Monsters instantly swelled several times over, and scorching white light erupted from within them.

The whole world seemed to fall silent for a moment; everything turned into slow motion. Theus stared fixedly at that side, a massive ball of light suddenly appearing and reflecting in his pupils.

The next moment, an earth-shattering explosion swept over!

BOOM!!!!

The massive explosion squeezed the seawater into ripples, which then violently expanded outward.

At that moment, a scorching sun seemed to have risen on the seafloor, even piercing through layers of seawater to illuminate the night sky above the surface for a brief moment.

The Ghost Ship turned its rudder to one side, but it was quickly swallowed by the ball of light.

In the distance, the Fishmen wore expressions of terror, frantically fleeing with their backs to the expanding ripple of the explosion.

However, it was too late. They were like insects struggling in vain on a beach, instantly buried by the incoming sea waves.

BOOM!!!!!

Most of the shockwave blasted outward from the Abyssal Trench; only a small portion squeezed into the trench, rushing rapidly toward Theus and the others who were diving down.