The Great Beast of the Heavens (cont.)

"Actually, it was this child who found me... It said it had something to tell you, but its body couldn't hold on any longer. But now it seems... it's still a little short?"

Mizuki's voice sounded somewhat troubled, while Maria looked at the pool of Seaborn liquid with a slight frown.

But in that instant, Maria suddenly sensed that something was amiss.

She instinctively tilted her head back and looked up at the ceiling.

The once bright sky was now filled with clusters of dark clouds!

They gathered here, churning and surging.

Lightning flashed within, gradually giving way to a booming sound.

An eerie dark red color appeared in the sky.

The wind... began to sweep across the entire city...

"We regret to inform all citizens that we have just received a notification from the Catastrophe Messenger that a natural Catastrophes will strike this area in three days... We regret to inform you that all entertainment activities in Dossoles are currently suspended. Please return to your respective rest areas in an orderly manner. This ship will depart after midnight tonight. Thank you for your understanding..."

The cold broadcast echoed throughout the city, and after an initial moment of stunned silence, the crowd suddenly erupted into an unprecedented uproar.

Everyone knew exactly what this meant, and many people's faces turned unusually grim.

The initially cheerful crowd suddenly erupted into a series of arguments.

The dark red sky perfectly described the situation; the good mood was gone, replaced by chaos.

Maria stood quietly in place, lost in thought.

Mizuki scratched her head.

"Catastrophes? This is troublesome... I wonder if they can survive."

"They?"

Maria turned her head away.

"These are the companions of Seaborn that I just mentioned."

Mizuki gave an awkward smile.

"When it first saw me, it said its companions would be here soon... I thought they'd come through the water system, but now it seems... things are getting a bit complicated."

Mizuki continued speaking.

Maria frowned deeply at this moment.

A moment later, as if she had just thought of something, she suddenly looked up.

She watched silently, her expression gradually hardening.

"I see..."

"Hunter."

After Maria and Mizuki parted ways, she returned to her Yharnam almost immediately.

Meanwhile, the Doll had been waiting for quite some time.

The other girls also returned, each with a worried expression.

"Dossoles has submitted a request to us, hoping we can sever the link as soon as possible; they're about to set sail..."

The Doll's voice was calm, showing little sign of panic.

Maria glanced at the people present a few times before waving her hand.

"Take them and leave, Doll."

"Huh?"

"I want to stay here."

"Ah?!"

When Maria uttered her words, everyone present was stunned for a moment.

The first to object were the Twin Wolves.

"Wait a minute, Ms. Maria!"

The two little ones nervously grabbed Maria's hands, their faces filled with anxiety.

They had complete confidence in Maria from beginning to end, believing that Maria could solve all problems.

But such confidence is limited.

Even they didn't believe Maria could withstand Catastrophes...

That's Catastrophes!

A single, casual strike could be Catastrophes that destroys an entire Mobile City-State!

From the moment they were born, they were constantly instilled with the horrors of Catastrophes... No matter how much they trusted Maria, they never imagined that one day Maria would face Catastrophes.

That's practically impossible!

But Maria didn't explain anything to the girls; she simply frowned and glanced at the Doll beside her.

And unusually, the Doll did not respond to Maria immediately.

She looked at Maria with concern, her expression conflicted for a long while before she finally spoke in a low voice.

Are you going?

"I want to confirm something..."

"I see."

Upon hearing Maria's words, the Doll shut its mouth.

She knew Maria's personality well, and she also knew that she could not persuade this stubborn woman.

So after remaining silent, she chose to accept it.

"I will lead them out of the range of the Catastrophes disaster and wait for you..."

"No... Doll, don't wait for me..."

Surprisingly, even the suggestion to have Doll was rejected.

Maria's gaze sharpened as she watched the clouds swirling in the sky.

"You... must get away from here..."

In Yharnam, Maria's words were almost always her own.

Although Maria usually enjoys interacting with the girls and seems easy to talk to, everyone actually forgets a crucial point.

Maria is absolute.

The entirety of Yharnam was created by Maria; her abilities, her fighting prowess, and her authority require no dissent.

Everyone must obey her orders.

So the moment she issued the order, the Doll led the entire Yharnam away from this place.

That same evening, other mobile platforms also gradually left the platform.

Maria saw the ship that belonged to Rhodes Island.

She sensed some people watching her from there.

However, she did not give any response.

The next morning, Dossoles didn't even have time to change the water and simply left.

In just one day, this pristine green space was devoid of its magnificent natural architecture.

It also revealed the dense forest beneath it.

A forest that Maria recognized.

There are actually clues to this.

Ultimately, Dossoles wasn't built in a day.

Before it became a tourist city, it naturally needed to change its water source frequently... but seawater cannot be used directly, and going to the beach would consume too much of its resources.

Therefore, they would naturally choose a place with a water source as the area where they regularly change their water.

This region needs to be stable enough that it doesn't need to be frequently replaced.

Such a place can only appear in a sufficiently stable forest.

In other words...

Is this the place?

Maria remained calm and walked step by step into the depths of the forest.

She could still feel the intense restlessness deep within the forest.

But this time, the forest did not stop Maria's exploration.

It even guided Maria in some way.

The grass on the ground lay flat in one direction, and the vines and flowers grew in an odd direction.

A path slowly rolled out between the trees...

And so Maria continued her journey.

From daytime, it walked into night.

Then...

She saw a three-headed, senile dog...

This giant dog looks a lot like the one Maria first came to this world to hunt, but it is far more benevolent and... much older.

Dark red clouds surged and swirled in the sky, while in the distant, vast lake, the waters began to surge and become turbulent.

The Three-Headed Hound, radiating kindness, lay quietly on the ground, seemingly having prepared for everything.

After sensing Maria's arrival, it slowly raised its head, the only part of its body it still had the strength to lift.

My dim, yellowish eyes could barely see anything.

But it still sensed Maria's arrival.

"..."

"... Are you a beast?"

Maria looked at the other person and asked a question she already knew the answer to.

She could feel the intense aura emanating from the other person.

Without a doubt, this is a beast... Great Beast.

But unlike the hideous Great Beast Maria had seen, when she saw it, Maria did not have a strong desire to hunt it; she only felt a sense of sorrow.

The Great Beast lay sprawled on the ground, almost merging with it.

It seems to have remained motionless for many years.

Plants grow from within it, and its power continuously flows into this land...

It... is protecting this place...

"Ooh~"

Having lost its power for so long, it no longer even has the strength to speak.

But it still forced itself to look at Maria, its eyes revealing a plea.

Fluorescent fireflies danced around it.

They have no intelligence; they simply instinctively follow their 'mother'.

This forest is a testament to its power.