Seeing Vera's calm gaze, Anubis was momentarily speechless.
"Well... someone has already told me about the possibility."
Were Vera surprised to learn the truth that the world might be destroyed?
A little, but not much.
Based solely on what Vane told her--
The Originium that will envelop the planet after its expansion.
They relentlessly hunt down lumberjacks from civilizations throughout the universe.
The Seaborn that might go berserk and devour the world.
Demons whose true form can destroy an entire continent.
And then there's the Cornerstone War, which even Vane himself isn't entirely aware of, a century from now, that might happen.
Terra's destructive methods are varied, and this doesn't even take into account the "what if" scenarios.
Or perhaps she had read too much about the Sarkaz history, because Vera's first thought upon hearing the news was--
How fresh!
If people were constantly bothered by things like this, then all Cyclops would probably suffer from depression.
It's not much better now...
Shaking her head to clear her mind, Vera suddenly noticed something unusual.
"Speaking of which, you were able to leave the Dungeon on your own? Even the lord's corpse couldn't be retrieved."
[It's the Ark.]
Anubis corrected him.
[Because the Void will reuse our power, the Ark will intercept those Fire Seed passively leave, while those Fire Seed actively seek to leave will be unharmed.]
"And what is that damned 'once every 7 days' thing?"
[To prevent those stowaways, besides the Void, many dark forces still covet the Magic Stone.]
Varkolyn, UFOs, or perhaps Evil God?
Vera guessed, and seeing her lost in thought, Anubis turned and walked towards the ruined temple.
Coming to her senses, Vera looked at the retreating figure of the Grim Reaper, her feelings a mix of emotions.
Anubis was very friendly, answering every question, a stark contrast to his previous dangerous demeanor.
Having lost two lives, it would be a joke to expect Vera to completely lower her guard, but the flow of memories makes reconciliation between the two possible.
However, she still had some concerns.
"Hey... Anubis."
Vera watched as the other person put the tombstones back in their places on the wasteland, and suddenly asked:
"What happened to those who died in that catastrophe after the Pharaoh opened the gates of the Underworld?"
[Exile to the Underworld.]
Anubis answered truthfully. Vera stared at him for a long time before turning and walking towards the portal.
"I just can't get along with you."
[...]
Anubis knew what the other person meant.
Even in His Underworld, there exist normal reborn beings.
Those who pass the test, measured by the scales of justice, enter the Underworld and undergo the second judgment by Osiris, the god of the underworld, before being granted the right to be reborn.
Of course, this kind of rebirth is more like a cycle of new life.
But the power in Vera's hands was different.
The greatest enemy of civilization is always humanity itself.
Even if Vera's resurrection grants her complete control over everything about the resurrected, it doesn't change the fact that this power is forbidden.
Vera herself understood.
Admittedly, their arrival saved many people, but it also changed the fate of many others.
The Flame Demon Incident caused the Military Commission to leave early, which did reduce casualties in the civil war, but it also led to the Kazdel Sacrifice, which should never have happened.
Vera couldn't know about those changes that were far away, but she couldn't stand idly by and watch what was happening right in front of her.
Her parents were such role models, the society she grew up in taught her so much, and everything she was exposed to was so real.
They cannot but save them; they have no choice but to save them.
Humans are inherently selfish, and after Anubis's warning, Vera will treat this power with greater caution.
Anubis would be watching her, and Vera would seek a reference point in him.
Terra--
It was a rotten world, a world where good and evil were often mixed together.
In imitating God, humanity inadvertently touched upon compassion.
When deities interact with humans, are they able to maintain their rationality?
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong...
Upon arriving at the portal, the group messages that had been disconnected kept ringing incessantly.
Vera hurriedly opened the app and immediately saw the announcement of her death.
Taking a deep breath, Vera immediately declared in the group chat:
[Vera: @Everyone, I'm okay, how are you guys?]
[Gregor: You're alright!? Wait, where are you? Who killed you? Give me your location, I'm coming right now!]
[Vera: Wait, wait, I'm on the third level of the volcano map. The battle is over. The situation here is a bit complicated. Let's talk in person.]
[Gregor: A volcano? But we're clearly...]
[Gorth: Where's Lao Si? Isn't Lao Si with you?]
Upon seeing Gorth's message, Vera immediately realized what was happening and looked at Anubis:
"There's another person, do you know where he is?"
Seeing what the other party was trying to do, Anubis shook his head.
[That's the contaminated zone isolated by the Ark, or as you would say, the fourth layer. I don't even have permission to enter.]
"How do we get to the next level?"
[To be precise, that's the outer layer.]
Anubis corrected:
[Fragments from different worlds become increasingly contaminated the further out they go and closer to the battlefield, unless the boundaries connecting them can be actively opened...]
Vera forwarded the message to the group chat, but before she could get any further inquiries, another message arrived—
[Gregor: So you mean down there? Second brother, you go back first, we'll be there right away after we finish helping fourth brother!]
Vera:?
[Vera: Wait, where are you guys?]
Instead of receiving a reply from Gregor and his companion, the entire floor shook – a more immediate and alarming event.
Anubis suddenly raised his head, Vera asked anxiously:
"What happened?"
The boundary of the building was broken.
"Foul! Foul! That's a complete foul!"
Boom--!!!
"Don't you have any sense of public morality? These are cultural relics, you know that!"
Boom--!!!
There was no answer, only countless explosions and the shattered ruins of the temple.
Underwater ruins—no, at this moment, it would be more accurate to call them underwater wastelands.
Vane is locked in a fierce battle with the enemy, but not because the enemy is stronger.
On the contrary, Vane was prepared to fight to the death, only to find that the strength of the Abyssal Diver in front of him was seriously inconsistent with his background.
As a being comparable to the Great Old Ones, Vane unleashed his full power the moment they met.
[Immortal Body][Holy][Demon][Shield][Reflection]...
In addition to the numerous buffs, the invincibility effect of the Flame Titanium Sword was also activated, a rare occurrence.
However, faced with this fully prepared defense, the Abyssal Diver did not unleash any Ancient God powers beyond Vane's imagination.
Instead, it used the simplest and most unadorned --
Charge.
You can't outrun me, do you believe that?
The seawater did not hinder Vane in the slightest; under the influence of his Immortal Body, he was no different from a vacuum.
As for losing control and going too far... he's not some mindless Vampire. Even if Vane were thrown into space, he could float back on his own.
With a simple take-off, the 100-meter-long ocean gyroscope soared over Vane and plunged headfirst into the ground.
Then, a barrage of torpedoes and laser projectiles shot out from the smoke and dust, silently merging with the ocean currents into the opening whirlpool.
Vane lowered his hand, and the Otherworldly Vortex dissipated.
The Abyssal Diver also pulled its head out of the seabed and turned around unsteadily.
Looking at this Kraken lanternfish, Vane was a little flustered.
Is the enemy strong?
Of course, he's the boss of the fourth village, so even without considering his background, he still has some prestige.
But in terms of pressure alone, Vane feels less pressured than Ash Lord.
First, there's the pollution, which is the most troublesome aspect for this type of enemy.
Perhaps, but Vane, who activates [Holy] upon meeting, wouldn't notice, and probably wouldn't turn it off until the battle ends.
Secondly, while all bosses possess light bullets and beams, the Abyssal Diver also comes with technologically advanced bombs and torpedoes.
However, it poses no threat to Vane, who possesses Immortal Body and Otherworldly Vortex.
And what about its size? It can't be small, can it?
Indeed, compared to the King Snow Ape and his physique of over 100 meters, it is more than enough.
However, Vane's assessment was that it was inferior to Leviathan's.
Throughout the battle, the only thing that posed a threat to him was that large mouth filled with sharp teeth.
The black grime inside is clearly not the residue from not brushing your teeth; if you actually get it stuck to you, you probably won't fare well.
But apart from that, the opponent's performance was really terrible.
It's as if... He really was just a war submarine that came to life.
So the question is, if the enemy is so weak, why hasn't the problem been solved yet?
Doesn't that make you look incredibly incompetent after all that arguing with the other person?
Hey~~ I won't talk about it~~
The enemy possesses powerful regenerative abilities; although the sword aura of the Breath of Death covers a wide area, its destructive power is somewhat insufficient.
The Flame Titanium Sword is indeed powerful enough, but without sword energy and limited to melee combat, it deals damage to Abyssal Diver that's like a small knife slicing an elephant.
What about [Supernova]?
It has enough power and enough area-of-effect damage.
However, this is where the short range becomes a weakness.
If a [Supernova] is thrown out before it has fully charged up, it will be swallowed by that giant mouth and extinguished silently.
The fully charged [Supernova] should be able to deal damage, but Vane himself will probably enter the Abyssal Diver's abdomen to cosplay as Sun Wukong.
Fortunately, Vane brought a psychic ability.
A hint of blood stained the murky seawater; the Bloodline Heir were spreading out, multiplying continuously with the energy generated by the attack between the two.
While its output efficiency isn't as high as that of a professional Firstborn like Ishar-mla, it's still sufficient.
If the enemy doesn't have a second phase, then once the number of Bloodline Heir is sufficient, the scales of victory will tip in Vane's favor.
But Vane remained vigilant.
Am I really that lucky?
Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Vane carefully observed the enemy's every move, trying to find traces that the other party was playing him.
The more I observed, the stranger it became.
The initial attacks were indeed initiated by the opponent, but Vane gradually sensed something strange in the opponent's attack movements.
It seems like He... is avoiding me?
Could it be that my domineering aura intimidated the other party?
Vane's spirits lifted, and he shamelessly thought to himself.
At the same time, his hands did not stop moving. The two converging Otherworldly Vortex were compressed into a plane and slashed horizontally towards the Abyssal Diver above.
Faced with this attack, the Abyssal Diver did not directly confront it head-on for the first time, but instead waved its enormous tentacles, from which hung dilapidated searchlights.
A massive blade of light swept across, and the attacks canceled each other out.
Hmm? Active interception?
Vane narrowed his eyes, unleashing Otherworldly Vortex in front of him to block the attack while beginning to recall.
This appears to be the first time the opponent has used an attack to counter.
Is there anything at that location?
The abdomen... Do Great Old Ones also give birth?
As if to confirm Vane's conjecture, the hatch at the bottom of the Abyssal Diver opened, and a vast army of seafood surged out, blocking the space below.
"I appreciate the thought... but I don't really like seafood feasts!"
Regardless of what that means, since the other party cares so much... just fight!
In the murky seawater, the Bloodline Heir Cluster rapidly converged, and countless clearly visible blood streaks surrounded the Abyssal Diver.
"You might not believe it, but the ocean is actually my home turf."
Vane raised his hand, making a finger gun gesture. The flowing blood threads twisted and merged, condensing into tens of thousands of sharp blood spears around the Abyssal Diver.
"Thanks to Little Cat Egg Roll for his generous sponsorship; he's quite an authority on blood-playing techniques."
A dangerous hum resounded as tens of thousands of miniature Otherworldly Vortex unfurled from the spearhead, pulling the form backward and covering it.
"Although you are not an Iberia citizen, please have a taste for free."
Vane wasn't optimistic about the talent for hand chop, but since he had it in his hands, he did develop it a bit.
Since consuming energy enhances the power of hand blades, aren't these blood spears, which can be seen as extensions of limbs, also a form of hand blade?
[Spear of Heavenly Retribution - Painless Version] x10000
The simultaneous firing of thousands of spears pierced deep into the bodies of the Abyssal Diver, creating a vacuum in the surrounding seawater.
[A furious, anguished hiss!]
"It's not over yet."
Vane snapped his fingers.
While the energy blast from the Hand Blade Talent cannot be manifested on artifacts like the Blood Spear, it can be used in another way.
Simply put --
"Self-destruct."
Boom boom boom boom boom--!!!
Amidst the screams of the Abyssal Diver, red and purple blood mingled as Vane tried to sense the presence of the Bloodline Heir Cluster.
As expected, the Abyssal Diver still possessed the ability to corrupt, Vane decisively detonated the corrupted Bloodline Heir Cluster once more.
While dealing another small wave of damage, Vane controlled his tiny figure to fly towards the enemy below.
"Go, Lucky Ralph, I'll miss you."
A dangerous red light bloomed over the ocean, and Unit-01 Lucky, which contained half of Vane's true blood, was taken offline.
Closure be sad about this?
Vane had a sudden inspiration.
I'll just use the battle-damaged body to scare her then.
At the same time, Vane leaped rapidly toward the blasted wound, and the weakness that the Abyssal Diver had been protecting was now exposed.
Dark purple flesh and steel were interwoven together, and the pulsating tubes, like blood vessels, emitted a faint fluorescence.
The control panel was covered in blood and gore, and the broken dashboard spun wildly as if it had malfunctioned.
Vane saw the internal structure clearly. If it were a submarine before it was contaminated, this location would probably be the control and movement compartment.
Why would the Abyssal Diver protect this position so desperately?
Even though this is the heart of the submarine, it has no connection to inhuman life forms like the Abyssal Diver.
The thought process lasted only a moment; Vane did not stop creating the [Supernova].
The seawater spread out, causing the black dot that was shaking the space to shrink further, foreshadowing its impending explosive power.
Just as Vane was about to detonate it, the shockwave cleared away the obstructing flesh and blood passages.
He opened his eyes wide in disbelief.
That is...
A human being.