Arknights, But Raising Terra Chapter 10

The light was so dazzling, so pure and flawless, that everyone's first reaction upon seeing the Holy Sword was the word "relic."

"This is a blessing from Lord God! This is a reward for the brave! Let me go! Let me go!!! I want to glimpse Lord God!"

Perhaps stimulated by the dazzling light, the fanatical believer actually broke free from her restraints and leaped from the sickbed.

Six or seven Medical Operators couldn't hold her back. Just as the fanatical believer was about to lunge towards Kal'tsit—

"You want to go out?"

Kal'tsit turned her head and asked, "You want to glimpse your Lord God?"

"Yes!" the fanatical believer shrieked, as if she would cause a huge scene if Kal'tsit didn't agree.

But Kal'tsit stepped aside and said, "Then go."

"Huh...?"

"Forcibly keeping you here will only sow discord among the people. So, I'll let you go. If you die, it will mean you were wrong, and the rest will stay here and develop peacefully. If you don't die, it will mean we were wrong, and you will be the last spark, continuing the human race."

Kal'tsit's words were quite blunt, but the fanatical believer didn't care.

The fanatical believer merely looked at the Medical Operators surrounding her and shouted, "She agreed to it! Hurry up and let me go! Let me out!"

With Kal'tsit's tacit approval, the Medical Operators no longer blocked her.

They simply watched as the fanatical believer sprinted out of the infirmary, left the bunker, and ran wildly in the direction where the 'Holy Sword' had descended.

"Doctor Kal'tsit... Is this really okay?"

Some Medical Operators still felt uneasy and instinctively asked.

When they turned around, they found Kal'tsit already packing her belongings, looking as if she was also about to leave.

"Doctor Kal'tsit?! You are...?"

"I'm going to make a deal with that Lord God."

Though, even Kal'tsit herself felt like laughing as she said it.

A deal?

What could she possibly offer in exchange?

But there was no other way.

The mere existence of a deity had already doomed this land.

No matter how hard these surviving humans tried, the fate of this world, this planet, was merely a thought away for that Lord God.

If that deity was an evil god, then humanity would have no hope at all, not even the chance to eke out an existence.

Therefore, Kal'tsit could only make one last gamble.

To personally glimpse that deity, to pray that it was a benevolent god, and to exchange everything she could offer for a sliver of hope for this world.

"If I don't return, remember to wake the Doctor."

After leaving these words, Kal'tsit turned and departed.

... ... ...

... ...

Leaving the bunker, she encountered no obstacles along the way.

The colossal soldiers, obscuring the sky, followed her surroundings. Strangely, they didn't attack; instead, they seemed to be escorting her.

As a result, the giant beasts they passed kept their distance, allowing Kal'tsit to proceed unimpeded.

Thus, Kal'tsit successfully reached the place where the 'Holy Sword' had descended.

And Kal'tsit also saw the fanatical believer, who had arrived there before her.

However, the fanatical believer did not choose to draw the 'Holy Sword,' nor did she even glance at it. Instead, she was—

(Screaming) (Twisting) (Dark crawling) (Rolling) (Fierce wriggling) (Roaring) (Squirming) (Sinister growling)

The fanatical believer was crawling around on the ground as if performing performance art: "Lord God! Lord God, look at me! I want to evolve into a Sea Creature! Hurry and let me evolve!"

Kal'tsit: "..."

What in the world?

015. This is a Sea Creature. It's cute, but not for humans.

It was clear that the fanatical believer had become utterly convinced that assimilation into a Sea Creature was the correct path.

And what were Sea Creatures?

Although they came in a dazzling variety of forms, the most classic style was like a puppy, on all fours, crawling in the dark. If their intelligence evolved higher, they might even be able to speak human words and call you "big brother."

So, the fanatical believer was imitating them, crawling, shouting, and trying to attract the attention of Lord God.

And her efforts were not in vain.

With a swish, the clouds parted, and holy light streamed down from the sky, accompanied by feather-like special effects, as a Divine Messenger descended from the heavens.

The Divine Messenger had white hair and red eyes, a small flower on its head, a bare-shouldered, midriff-baring shirt, hot pants, and fishnet stockings with high heels…

"Hey, this Divine Messenger is quite fashionable, huh?"

Kal'tsit frowned at this, retreating behind her followers.

Kal'tsit was far too familiar with the Divine Messenger's face.

"Skadi...?"

No, that wasn't right. It wasn't Skadi.

Skadi's eyes were never this clear.

"So... this is a Sea Creature...?"

But why would a Sea Creature evolve into something like this?

All evolutionary paths for Sea Creatures were for better survival and predation. A human body was by no means the optimal choice for them.

Could this be the will of that Lord God?

But what was the meaning of this will?

Was it for looks? To be pleasing to the eye? Or was it simply the preference of that Lord God?

"Is this... really a proper god?"

Kal'tsit felt a twinge of regret.

However, unlike Kal'tsit, the fanatical follower, upon seeing the Divine Messenger descend from the heavens, was filled with surprise and excitement, scrambling towards it:

"Divine Messenger! Divine Messenger! Please turn me into a Sea Creature! I'm willing to offer everything I have!"

But upon hearing this, the Divine Messenger looked utterly confused.

It was as if it had been frantically stuffing its face one second, only to be grabbed and thrown here the next.

However, this didn't stop it from understanding the cause and effect through the Hive Cluster Mind (Sea Creature version).

So, this 'Divine Messenger' lowered its head and looked at the fanatical follower... who was currently performing performance art.

And then, under the fanatical follower's expectant gaze, the 'Divine Messenger' finally parted its lips and spoke:

"Sister, what era are we in? Are you still crawling around in the dark like this?"

The fanatical follower: "?"

Kal'tsit: "?"

"And what era is your aesthetic from? It's not popular anymore."

The 'Divine Messenger' spread its hands, opening its arms wide like a beauty pageant contestant, gave a gentle spin, and then pointed to the small flower on its head: "This is the current mainstream aesthetic, personally approved by Lord God!"

The fanatical follower: "... ..."

Kal'tsit: "... ..."

Alright, confirmed. That so-called Lord God was probably not a proper god at all.

But still...

The reason Sea Creatures were powerful wasn't just their own overwhelming combat strength, but also their ability to mass-produce troops limitlessly through fission.

They could even grab a human, refine them in an instant, and assimilate them into Sea Creatures, achieving this for free.

But assimilation wasn't a good thing, because Sea Creatures would first erode your mind, mutate your body, and make you watch as scales grew all over your body and your hands turned into tentacles and rotten flesh, all while your sanity dropped by one until it reached zero.

But now, they were being told that none of that was necessary anymore. No need to grow tentacles, no need for sanity to hit zero.

Instead, after being assimilated, you would become a beautiful young woman with white hair? At most, you'd have a small flower growing on your head?

Okay, now that the benefits were explained, what was the price?

Kal'tsit: "... ..."

Honestly, if the Sea Creatures had had this realization when they tried to end the world, the number of people who would have defected would have easily multiplied several times over.

Why was it only this few?

This was because, despite the 'Divine Messenger's' beautiful appearance, it exuded an unsettling aura.

It was as if a monster had killed a person, torn off their skin, put it on itself, and was now mimicking human speech.

A pseudo-human – that was probably the feeling.

But the fanatical follower didn't care about any of that.

The fanatical follower had originally thought that the price of believing in that Lord God was to become those dark, twisted lumps of flesh.

But now that the price was gone and it was all benefits?

"I'm willing! I'm a hundred percent willing! Divine Messenger!"

The fanatical follower was eager to become a member of the Sea Creatures, and upon hearing this, the 'Divine Messenger' first looked up at the sky.

It was as if it were communicating with its Lord God.

The 'Divine Messenger', finally receiving a response, lowered its head and said, "If that is your wish—"

With that, a thwip was heard.

The 'Divine Messenger's' palm, as white and smooth as jade, tore through the fervent believer's chest as if it were a piece of paper.

Blood gushed, and torn flesh flew.

The 'Divine Messenger' withdrew its hand, looking at the still-beating heart clutched in its palm. It then tilted its small head up.

Its originally cherry-like small mouth split at the corners, reaching its ears in an instant, its jaw expanding several times to reveal a mouth full of rings of sharp teeth, like those of a sea lamprey. It then swallowed the heart in its hand whole.

Despite its beautiful appearance, its actions were still those of an uncivilized beast.

This stark contrast made Kal'tsit frown.

The fervent believer, whose chest had been pierced, stumbled forward a few steps, blood trickling from its mouth and its eyes vacant, before falling to the ground.

The 'Divine Messenger' licked the residual blood from its lips, satisfied. Then, it reached behind its back and pulled out its own heart, crushing it.

Walking up to the fallen fervent believer, the 'Divine Messenger' crouched down, tore open the believer's jaw, and shoved all the crushed flesh in its hand into its esophagus.

"Deep Sea Hunters, bound by blood." The words materialized in that moment.

Drinking its blood, consuming its flesh, the fervent believer, into whose bloodline the 'Divine Messenger' had physically infused itself, watched as the torn opening in its chest healed, flesh and blood visibly twisting and wriggling as it closed.

Thump, thump, thump.

The sound of a heartbeat returned. The fervent believer's skin began to fade, its hair turned snow white, and its body started to reshape.

Until a small flower grew on its head. The fervent believer, who had been on the verge of death, opened its eyes again, its crimson gaze fixed on the sky.

And so, the second 'Skadi' was born.

The blood at its lips had not yet dried, but the fervent believer, now assimilated into the Sea Creatures, parted its lips and uttered its... no, their first words:

"Food, hungry."