(The "Don't Laugh Challenge": How long can you hold your breath?)
"Teacher, I don't understand!"
The petite girl couldn't help but speak, her voice filled with incomprehension and resentment.
"There's definitely something wrong with that town! The mayor, those fishermen... everything is so obvious it couldn't be more obvious!"
"They definitely have connections with the Church of the Deep in private, and may even be believers! Why don't we just arrest them and bring them back to Inquisition for questioning?"
The one who raised the question was the young trainee Inquisitor, Irene.
She gripped her sword and staff tightly, her gaze fixed intently on the tall figure walking ahead—her teacher, the Grand Inquisitor Dario.
Dario stopped, turned around, and sighed helplessly.
"Irene, I've said it many times."
"As Inquisitor, the swords in our hands are for protecting the people of Iberia and maintaining order and peace in this land."
"But they're protecting the Church of the Deep! Is that right?" Irene retorted urgently.
"They are first and foremost the people of Iberia, and they are under our protection." Dario's tone became more forceful.
"After the Great Silence, the survivors in the South already harbored doubts and even fears about the Inquisition."
"If we arrest people indiscriminately based solely on suspicion, we will only destroy the already fragile trust, push more people to the opposite side, and even... force them to the Church of the Deep."
"By then, will we be eliminating the threat, or creating even greater chaos?"
"But we have clearly found evidence!"
Irene became even more agitated, quickly taking a few steps to block Dario's path.
"Just because they are gathered together, just because they are the people, should we turn a blind eye to this?"
"Teacher, you were attacked! We should..."
"Irene!"
"Yes!"
Dario closed his eyes and rubbed his throbbing temples.
"I ask you, what is our goal in venturing into this abandoned land?"
Irene straightened her back and answered without hesitation:
"Capture the lurking members of the Church of the Deep and eliminate the pollution and threat they pose!"
"Wrong!"
Irene froze, her eyes filled with confusion.
Isn't that right?
Dario straightened his chest, his voice becoming low and solemn.
"Our goal is to protect the people of Iberia. The Inquisition's duty is first to protect, and then to judge."
"We are judging those crimes that truly endanger the survival and future of the people, not the people themselves, much less those that force them to compromise."
"I don't understand... those guys were clearly attacking you..."
Seeing Irene's still confused expression, Dario felt powerless.
He couldn't help but recall how, a few years ago, during a natural disaster that swept through the entire town, he found the town's sole survivor.
Having been rescued, she developed a fervent adoration for the Inquisition and asked it to let her become Inquisitor.
Out of a sense of responsibility, and also out of a touch of pity.
He chose to take Irene with him as an apprentice, hoping to train her to become a true Inquisitor.
However, several years have passed, and although Irene has made rapid progress in combat, her willpower is too weak.
The world in the girl's eyes is too simple; she doesn't think about the complex causes and effects and the struggles of human nature behind it.
As expected...
Dario sighed inwardly, a hint of doubt lingering in his eyes regarding his own teaching abilities.
I'm not really suited to be a teacher.
Dario opened his eyes, his expression turning solemn.
Irene's face fell; she knew the teacher was about to start lecturing her again.
Just then, the girl's gaze fell on what was behind the teacher.
"Teacher, there seems to be something behind you..."
Irene's voice interrupted the prepared lecture, Dario frowned:
"Irene, changing the subject won't work. We're discussing the principles of the Inquisitor and..."
"But teacher! It really exists!"
Irene stamped her foot in frustration, her eyes widening.
Look behind you!
Seeing his apprentice's stubbornness, Dario felt an even deeper weariness.
Has this child finally reached the legendary rebellious phase? Even their excuses are so perfunctory now.
"After you get back, copy the <Inquisition Rules and Regulations> ten more times and calm your mind."
He decided to end this pointless argument with his usual sternness.
"I really saw it! Teacher! I'm not changing the subject!"
Irene's fingers trembled slightly.
"Something's getting closer and closer behind you! Something's rushing this way!"
Seeing Irene's genuinely panicked expression, Dario felt a strange unease.
Although this child is stubborn, he never lies when it comes to important matters.
"What's behind me? Could it be Seaborn?"
Even so, his hand had already silently rested on the hilt of his sword.
Irene shook her head violently, her voice trembling with fear.
"No, it's not Seaborn! It's... it's..."
She seemed to need immense courage to utter that absurd word; her face flushed red.
"It's a group of naked men!!"
"What nonsense are you talking about...?"
Dario's rebuke stuck in his throat.
Rumble...
It wasn't the roar of the waves, but the dull thud of rapid, heavy footsteps on the ground, coming from afar.
Dario finally realized something was wrong and abruptly turned around.
At that moment, this seasoned Inquisitor, who had witnessed countless battles and the horrors of the deep sea and the evil of human nature, froze on the spot.
In their line of sight, billowing dust was sweeping towards their location at an alarming speed.
That was by no means natural sandstorm, but rather a dragon of earth plowed out by a high-speed moving object.
At the very tip of this plume of smoke, Dario's exceptional eyesight revealed it with crystal clarity.
A group of naked men are running for their lives!
The impact of this scene far surpasses the grotesque appearance of any deep-sea monster, and even exceeds the frenzied rituals of any cult.
Even Dario, known for his composure and determination, experienced a momentary mental blank.
A thousand words, in the end, all boil down to one sentence that comes from the depths of the soul--
"[Iberia profanity!]"
Dario trembled. This teacher, who had always been as steady as a mountain in Irene's eyes, was now so frightened by the scene before him that he took a half step back.
A terrifying scene was approaching, accompanied by a chorus of eerie "hi hi hi" laughter, assaulting the defenses of reason.
Dario felt a chill run down his spine, but he was, after all, a seasoned Inquisitor.
Suppressing the absurdity and chill in his heart, Dario shouted sharply:
"Stop! In the name of the Inquisition! Otherwise I will consider you a threat!"
At the same time, he drew his sword and pointed it at "Vane," who was charging at the front, trying to force him to stop.
However, his opponent's running speed did not decrease at all, and the distance closed. Dario's pupils suddenly contracted—
Their faces are exactly the same! This is definitely not a group of crazy people with unusual fetishes!
Professional instincts instantly overwhelmed his initial shock. Dario's eyes hardened, and he abandoned his remote warning, instead taking the initiative to meet the attack.
We must subdue one of them first and obtain information!
Dario moved swiftly, sheathing his sword and leaving only the hilt encased in a metal guard.
He planned to strike the opponent's jaw hard, knocking him unconscious in one blow, to stop the "leader's" momentum first.
As for the rest... there were too many to stop them all; he could only investigate them later.
In the blink of an eye, the two made contact!
Dario's calculations were precise; the hilt of his sword struck his opponent's unprotected jaw.
The expected impact of a hard object and the muffled groan did not come.
The moment the sword hilt touched the skin, not even the slightest vibration was transmitted back.
Dario looked up in surprise. The other person seemed "excited" by his contact; instead of slowing down, he opened his arms wide—
The next second, Dario was "embraced" by the crowd and carried along as he continued his mad dash!
Dario: "!!"
Irene: "???"
From Irene's perspective:
Her brave and fearless teacher, facing the oncoming, eerie group of naked men, not only did not back down, but instead charged forward with great enthusiasm.
After a "passionate" embrace with the leader of the opposing group... he happily charged forward with the group of naked men?!
"Teacher?! What are you doing, teacher?!"
Irene was stunned; her voice even changed.
"Get out of here! Irene! Don't worry about me! Run!!"
Dario, unable to control his own destiny, roared at his apprentice.
He tried to struggle, but all his efforts were in vain.
Even more terrifying, he found it difficult to distinguish which arms were gripping him—because they all had the same face!
"I... I can't outrun them, teacher!" Irene replied, her voice trembling with tears.
The smoke and dust rapidly approached, and the terrifying scene and eerie sounds caused Liberi to let out a desperate wail.
"Hey--! Don't come any closer!!"
Irene swung her sword and staff desperately, but all her strength was absorbed, and she was easily "accepted" into the running group.
A few seconds later, the smoke and dust billowed away.
Meanwhile, on the other side --
Why do I always have this ominous feeling...?
As time passed, some of the Bloodline Heir had already returned, and Vane kicked them all into the sea one by one, making him increasingly anxious.
"Damn it! Why is there only so little!?"
"Come back soon... come back soon..."
"Whatever you do, don't let anyone see you!!"
Vane paced back and forth, accidentally stepping on the unconscious man in black robes.
Upon seeing the other person, Vane recalled the scene of him punching and kicking Bloodline Heir.
His gaze grew increasingly fierce; Vane began to consider whether or not to kill him to silence him.
Turning my gaze to the side, I saw a boy named Aegir bound on the ground.
Judging from their attire, if I'm not mistaken, the black-robed duo are probably Deep Sea Cultists who came to feed Seaborn.
And the food they were fed was, of course, this boy.
Vane's eyes grew even more menacing.
Since that's the case... there's no need to worry about taking action!
As for the other witness...
Vane squinted and approached the boy on the ground.
I poked the other person with the handle of the sickle, but there was no reaction.
"Are you asleep...?"
Vane breathed a slight sigh of relief; it seemed the other party hadn't seen it...
Clang--!
The sickle grazed the boy's neck and pierced the ground.
The boy remained motionless, the sweat dripping from his forehead mixed with water droplets.
"Is it sweat...?"
"!!!"
Vane slowly leaned closer, stuck out his tongue and licked the boy, but the boy remained motionless.
"So salty... it really is seawater."
Vane relaxed, picked up his sickle, and walked away.
"Never mind, looks like he really is dizzy."
"..."
As the footsteps faded into the distance, the boy's wildly beating heart calmed slightly. He quietly opened his eyes, and bloodshot pupils met the gaze of someone staring directly at him.
"So you were watching me, kid!"
"Eek--!"