Chapter 582

The "Bard" turned around with a swish and cast his gaze toward the doorway.

He waited for a moment, but no one ever came to knock on the door, and even the faint sound of footsteps no longer echoed in the corridor.

As a Beyonder who could already be considered experienced, the "Bard" certainly didn't think he had just experienced auditory hallucinations. He returned to the servant's bed, picked up the backpack containing his harvest for the year, and feigned the posture of wanting to escape the "Governor of the Sea's" mansion before the results of the Sea-Praying Ceremony were confirmed.

This was behavior a normal person would have; after all, not everyone would completely trust the promises made by Juan Oro.

The "Bard" shouldered his backpack and deliberately opened the window in a sneaky manner, attempting to jump into the patch of weeds outside.

Just then, a figure only a little over a meter tall emerged from the shadows in the corner of the wall. Its head was disproportionately large, and its face was shriveled—it was one of the "little demons" among the Great Sea kin.

This "little demon" waved its arms, signaling the "Bard" to close the glass window.

A species with low intelligence; after so many generations, they still hadn't learned the Highland language and could only barely communicate like dogs... The "Bard" mocked in his heart, while outwardly, he timidly closed the window again.

Through the probing just now, he had roughly figured out where the several Great Sea kin responsible for monitoring him were hiding.

And they all seemed to have nothing to do with the faint footsteps in the corridor just now, and they hadn't noticed anything.

…………

On the Colorful Flower Ritual Ship, the "Mad Woman," wearing a blood-colored dress with parts of her face in a state of pure flesh, saw Mr. K and Lumian and immediately disappeared from the spot, changing her position once again.

Almost simultaneously, behind and to the side of where she had been standing, a figure was outlined in each spot—it was Lumian and Mr. K.

They had also used their own "teleportation" abilities to block the "Mad Woman."

After the "Mad Woman" shifted to the other side of the deck, the corners of her mouth, composed purely of flesh, curled up significantly. Her gray-green eyes were filled with anticipation and excitement:

Attack me, chase me! That way, no one will use the item that has paid respects to the ancestors to steal the deep-seated power about to erupt. When the time comes, let's see who reacts the fastest and "teleports" out of this sea area first!

As for those who don't manage to escape in time, they will definitely be torn to shreds by the berserk power just like everyone else on the ship!

As these thoughts flashed through her mind, the "Mad Woman" quickly turned transparent and vanished, avoiding the crimson-near-white fireballs launched by Lumian and the pale cyan wind blades from Mr. K.

Amidst the booming explosions, "Ultraman" Lato Giaro was also very annoyed by the "Mad Woman's" behavior. If he were still the temporary, complete "Governor of the Sea," he naturally wouldn't fear the impact of the deep-seated power within the spaceship—he hadn't even intended to spit out the "Mad Woman" just now or use that silver ring from the "Bard."

But now, the situation had changed. That old immortal Juan Oro was relying on burning his own life and sacrificing his own flesh to compete with him for the authority of the "Governor of the Sea."

In such a state, "Ultraman" couldn't be sure if he was receiving complete protection or suffering a certain degree of impact. And he wasn't a true demigod; he didn't know if he could withstand that kind of impact and only be injured.

He couldn't help but urge the "Mad Woman" with his eyes, but this companion kept "teleporting" and shifting, and there was no time for eye contact. Meanwhile, that humanoid sealed artifact remained immersed in the distant chanting coming from the darkness, ignoring the impending "Fury of the Sea."

In the blink of an eye, within the silver-gray behemoth on the seabed, substantial starlight surged from all directions, following the condensed energy channel and, with a sound like a tsunami, slammed toward the Colorful Flower Ritual Ship, intending to swallow everything around it and this entire sea area.

"It's here!" The "Mad Woman" excitedly prepared for an extreme escape.

Facing that vast, surging wave of starlight, Lumian's first reaction was:

"Why is there another 'Fury of the Sea'?"

Relying on his combat instincts, he instantly extended his spirituality to the "Lie" earring on his left ear, triggering the high-level power-stealing ability attached to this magical artifact.

The starlight in his eyes "became" increasingly rich, as if it had gained substance.

Lumian, who had already raised his left hand, gently twisted his wrist.

All the starlight surging out from the silver-gray behemoth changed course, wave after wave, obscuring the sky and the ocean as it poured toward Lumian.

This was even more terrifying than the last "Fury of the Sea." In this instant, Lumian had the feeling that the end of the world had arrived.

He was very clear that he absolutely could not keep all this "stream" of stolen power on himself; otherwise, he would definitely not be able to withstand it and would be crushed into pulp and powder on the spot, indirectly helping Termiboros escape his predicament. Fortunately, the power-stealing ability added by "Paying Respects to Ancestors" had the function of dispersing the obtained gift, to be borne together by everyone present and all "Great Sea bloodline holders" within the range of Santa Port, just like every time the Sea-Praying Ceremony succeeded.

Lumian felt a bit greedy and reluctant, but he could still restrain himself. Without hesitation, he opened his left hand, which seemed to be grasping something, and twisted his wrist in the opposite direction.

With a roar, the starlight that had obscured the sky and the ocean seemed to explode from within, casting brilliant starlight toward the high sky and in all directions.

"Stars like rain..." On that sailing ship, Franca, hiding in a cabin, saw this scene and couldn't help but exclaim.

She was clutching the Major Arcana card belonging to "Justice."

This wasn't to summon Lady Justice to descend directly—after all, this wasn't the other party's jurisdiction—but to provide positioning for the Major Arcana card that had already arrived nearby.

Those streaks of starlight left brilliant trails as they drilled into the bodies of everyone nearby and flew toward those with bloodline connections further away.

This process was something Lumian couldn't control. Therefore, he could only feel some of the starlight landing on him, causing a burning sensation on his left chest and eroding his flesh, while seeing a large amount of starlight, attracted by the dense Great Sea bloodline and the "Governor of the Sea" authority, surging toward "Ultraman" and Juan Oro.

Of course, the one who received the most gifts was undoubtedly that humanoid sealed artifact.

She was like the core of a vortex, constantly drawing in the surrounding starlight; even the amount flying toward Madame Hela's sailing ship was much less than normal.

"Ultraman" received replenishment and instantly broke free from the weakness caused by being hit by Juan Oro's two rays earlier, completely snatching back the authority of the "Governor of the Sea."

Amidst his joy, a strong sense of surprise and doubt welled up in "Ultraman" Lato Giaro's heart:

"Why can Lumian Lee also steal the spaceship's power?

"That must require a high-level stealing ability...

"Hasn't the altar of 'Paying Respects to Ancestors' already had the 'Bard's' ring placed on it? And we confirmed it would have the corresponding effect.

"Isn't it only possible to enchant it once a year?"

Amidst the echoing astonishment, Lato Giaro didn't have time to think about the answer to the question. His instinctive reaction was to hurry and crush this old man Juan Oro; otherwise, no one knew what kind of trouble he would cause now that he had also been strengthened!

At this moment, Juan Oro felt that his fading power had returned quite a bit. He saw that his split chest and blurred flesh were all covered by starlight scales, and the blood flowing out was stained with brilliant "colors."

He looked at Lato Giaro and suddenly revealed a smile—a smile with a bit of relief, a bit of yearning, and obvious anger.

His body changed rapidly; his pupils became vertical, scales grew, and his limbs thickened. In just one breath, he turned into a humanoid lizard.

During this process, Lato Giaro condensed dark green radiance, which fell one after another onto Juan Oro in the form of rays.

Juan Oro didn't dodge or evade, enduring and bearing it.

His aura quickly became weak, but this was exactly what he wanted.

His humanoid lizard-like body then faded, becoming increasingly transparent, as if condensed from starlight.

Then, Juan Oro merged into the void representing this sea area and said to Lato Giaro with a complex expression:

"I am returning to the sea.

"You come too..."

Juan Oro said the last few words through gritted teeth, not concealing the bone-deep hatred.

Every "Child of the Sea" was prepared to return to the sea, and Juan Oro was no exception, but he hadn't expected it to be under these circumstances.

He now only hoped to have Lato Giaro join him!

Juan Oro's figure dissipated, completely becoming a part of this "sea area."

"Ultraman" Lato Giaro instantly felt that his connection as the "Governor of the Sea" to this "sea area" had developed a rift; it was no longer so harmonious, as if a rebellious will was growing and spreading within the "power of the sea."

This meant that the "Governor of the Sea" authority he had obtained would be unable to become complete for a long time.

Damn old bastard! Lato Giaro cursed inwardly, but he wasn't panicked.

He had already discovered that there was only one demigod, "Madame Hela," on that sailing ship, and the humanoid sealed artifact that had received the sea's gift and initially broken free from the influence of the chanting was enough to stall the other party for a while.

Although he didn't know why "Gandalf" and the others hadn't come, "Ultraman" Lato Giaro was happy to see such a thing.

He could free up his hands to deal with Lumian Lee and his helper!

Even as an incomplete "Governor of the Sea," he had enough strength to control enemies who hadn't reached the demigod level in a short time and enter the interior of the spaceship first, not to mention the help of the "Mad Woman."

Lumian, having finished receiving the "Sea's Gift," was thinking about another matter:

It seems I am qualified to compete for the authority of the "Governor of the Sea" now...

Although I can't be said to have the "Great Sea's bloodline," I only possess some "Great Sea power," and it can only be maintained for a week, and it's far inferior to "Ultraman," but my fake level is high enough—I have demigod-level status!

Just as "Ultraman" Lato Giaro and Lumian reacted almost simultaneously, the gray, hazy high sky suddenly became much brighter.

Thick, cyan-green vines hung down from there, covering the two ships and the surrounding area like a rainstorm, quickly intertwining into a giant-like forest—a forest growing on the seawater.

(End of chapter)