Chapter 710
Ian had never seen the ocean before. In fact, most people born and raised in Bariel hadn’t.
Staring at the endless waves surging before him, Ian couldn’t help but marvel for a moment. When he had opened his eyes in the abyssal sea, his entire body was already submerged. He hadn’t realized just how magnificent the rushing waters truly were.
“Iaaaan!”
“Lord Ian!”
Whoosh!
The torrent crashed down on them. No matter how much they tried to resist, it was impossible to hold back. Beric, Hale, Tommy, and Nakina all instinctively held their breath and curled up, surrendering themselves to the violent current.
“…!”
Damn it! I should’ve filled the shield with air at least. Nakina and Tommy clung to each other’s arms, pressing against the wall, while Hale gripped a pillar, bracing himself.
Boom! Thud!
The tremors continued. Squinting slightly, they caught a faint light beyond the murky depths—and circling that light was a massive sea monster.
“Ah.”
Nakina couldn’t help but let out a sound.
The creature greedily flicked its fins, trying to swallow the light whole. And standing calmly right in the center of that glow was a figure both familiar and strange.
‘Lord Ian?’
Long platinum hair, a young man who had shed his boyishness, and sharp, pale eyes…
This was undoubtedly—
‘Ian Verosion.’
Of the royal family.
Ian casually brushed his hair back, tracking the monster’s movements with his eyes as if it were nothing new.
“By the gods. Lord Ian!”
“Hah, so you can speak.”
“And breathe.”
“Captain Hale, breathe! It’s okay!”
Nakina, who had been stunned, realized they could breathe. This wasn’t ordinary water. Aside from the difficulty of maintaining balance against the current, everything else felt natural.
“L-Lord Ian’s appearance…”
“I didn’t get a good look back then, but seeing him like this is incredible.”
Ian Verosion.
Though glimpsed briefly thanks to the secret-eating gypsy, his image had mostly been obscured between shadows and light. But now, here he was in full form… They watched Ian silently, unable to utter a word.
Kyaaaak!
The monster, seizing an opportunity, circled behind Ian, looking for a chance to strike. Judging by its size, it was close enough to swallow him whole.
Ian turned smoothly, his long hair flowing with the motion. And then, blocking the monster’s path was—
Whoosh!
“Damn fish-head!”
Beric.
Deep underwater, though his magic greatsword couldn’t ignite flames, it was no problem slicing through the creature’s gills. As he tried to thrust the blade into its breathing hole, the monster reflexively jerked away, creating distance.
“Ugh, still not used to this.”
Beric grumbled irritably, and Ian smiled faintly.
“Frustrating, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Who are you, anyway?”
“I’m Ian.”
“Huh? You’re a bit different from the Ian I know!”
“How so?”
“…Well, you seem a bit more refined now.”
Whoosh!
At that moment, a sharp wave cut through the water. Ian raised his hand to draw a magic circle, but Hale, Nakina, and Tommy were faster.
Ziiing! Boom!
They converted their magic into waves and collided head-on with the incoming attack.
When Ian looked back at them, the three stood dazed, almost entranced. My goodness, have you ever seen such stunning faces?
“Everyone—”
Before Ian could say more, Nakina snapped back to attention and hurriedly added,
“Don’t tell us to turn back now! It’s already too late.”
“Yes, if you’re leaving, come with us. If not, we’ll help you finish what you came for. Death is at the doorstep—are you afraid of Lord Ian’s scolding? Right, Beric?!”
“Yeah. Perfect timing. They were whining about running out of rations. If we catch that thing, we’ll have food for a whole month.”
“…?”
The three mages gave Beric a sharp look, as if they’d just heard something they shouldn’t have.
“What’s with that look? Doesn’t it look tasty?”
“Why don’t you just eat it yourself? You’re just like the Atan tribe.”
Amused by his subordinates’ bickering, Ian chuckled. Then, focusing on the direction the waves had come from, he spoke.
“They won’t listen even if we tell them to turn back. Irma.”
“Yes, whatever you say. Just don’t tell us to leave—we’ll listen to everything else.”
“This is water from the abyssal sea.”
“You mean the place beneath the rift?”
“Exactly. During your ten years and my ten days here, I’ve seen countless shadows. Beric, do you remember how I described this place?”
Beric hesitated, then answered.
“…A place where all the darkness in the world gathers.”
That’s why you said you left your darkness here.
So maybe, somewhere in this place, it could be found again?
“Your concern is truly appreciated, but this is no place for you to join me. So—”
“If we suffer, Lord Ian suffers too.”
Nakina cut him off, refusing to continue that line of thought. Then she pressed her hand to her right ear, sending a message to the mages above.
“Is everyone safe? There’s a small problem underground, but we’re all okay.”
“Yes, water suddenly rose, so we’re evacuating upward. No sign of others inside the temple.”
“Second-floor hallway. Water hasn’t reached here yet, but we hear it rising.”
“Are you all really okay?”
“Should we open a portal from outside?”
“Cedric!”
“Cedric has joined Aerin.”
“Why did you come up alone? There was a tremor—did the senior die?”
“Cedric, everyone’s listening. And Beric isn’t dead, according to the message.”
“Ah, I see.”
“What a disappointed tone.”
Beric replied with disbelief, but no answer came back. Ian listened to the buzzing voices of the mages and fell silent, deep in thought.
“What’s wrong?”
Hale asked, and Ian removed his hand from his ear.
“Curiosity.”
“About what?”
“The time outside seems the same.”
A day in the abyssal sea equals a year on the surface. This was common knowledge among Ian and the mages. But now, sharing information through the message magic, they confirmed no distortion in time.
“Oh, that’s true.”
“How can that be?”
“Hmm. Maybe it’s because we’re still in Gaia here, even if the abyssal sea is flooding. It’s like the boundary between that world and this one, so time flows unchanged.”
Tommy’s explanation prompted Nakina to add her own theory.
“That makes sense. But I think it’s because of the magic message.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’re ‘connected.’ The us above and the us here. As long as the link isn’t broken, no matter how deep we dive, we might be able to return.”
Since they’re sharing time in real-time, there’s no room for discrepancy.
They didn’t know the answer yet, but the important thing was the present. Beric grinned and pointed his sword toward the source of the waves.
“Hey, you’re hiding, right? I can see everything.”
It was Deputy Lazu. He swam forward smoothly, revealing himself. His faint smile had a chilling edge.
“You’re not hiding.”
“Yeah, lie all you want. If you’re embarrassed, just say so.”
“Ian Verosion. Seeing you in person is truly moving.”
Seeing in person? So he’s seen Ian another way before? Ian gripped the Idgal sword and studied him carefully. What kind of guy was this? He definitely had some connection to the monsters.
“You mentioned the name Crony, so you’d better live up to my expectations.”
Though issuing a warning, Ian’s mind kept racing. Did the underground god’s power let him know about Ian? That seemed likely. This was the temple that worshiped him, connected to the abyssal sea.
Deputy Lazu held up a severed finger to Beric with a smile.
“It’s already begun.”
Blood slowly spread, little by little, and—
“Something’s wrong, Lord Ian.”
Unusually thick, the area around Deputy Lazu turned red, and the vision darkened.
In that moment, the monster’s eyes flashed. Beric instinctively lunged at it. Honestly, the abyssal sea or whatever didn’t matter. Breathing wasn’t a problem.
“Dieee!”
Whoosh!
Just as Hale, Nakina, and Tommy prepared to attack Deputy Lazu, he drew a dagger and plunged it into his own heart.
“Ah.”
Thrust!
Crimson blood gushed from his chest, rapidly spreading around.
The mages were affected too; their vision darkened instantly, and the sharp scent of rain filled their heads, making them dizzy. Something was wrong. Where exactly were they…?
“Huh? Hey, snap out of it!”
Beric shouted desperately, watching the mages fade into the darkness as he swung his sword at the monsters. Do something! Don’t just stand there, idiots!
“Iaaaan!”
Suddenly, he realized that Ian, like the others, had disappeared somewhere. Beric froze, then plunged into the blood-filled darkness.
“Cedric, can you hear anything?”
“No. Nothing.”
Aerin anxiously stamped her foot, staring toward the temple entrance. All the mages stationed throughout had come up, but there was still no word from Ian or the core group.
Even Cedric, the magic swordsman with senses sharper than most, pressed his ear to the ground, but aside from a few faint tremors, all was silent.
“What about the message? Is it still coming through?”
“Yes. It was just a moment ago, but now there’s no response.”
The wizards rubbed their ears anxiously, their faces etched with worry. Please, just give us some kind of answer, anything! At that moment, Akorella, who had been standing with her arms crossed, snapped her fingers and gave an order.
“Don’t cut off the message magic. If anyone picks up even the slightest thing, share it immediately.”
“Yes, understood. What should we do now?”
“Objectively speaking, if Ian’s been taken, there’s nothing we can do by stepping in ourselves. Hail, Tommy, Nakina—they’re all key players in the magic department.”
“Y-yes, that’s true, but—”
Still, can we just stand here and do nothing? The wizards were about to protest when—
With a sudden movement, Akorella shrugged off her jacket and stepped into the temple’s inner chamber. The water had already risen to the very top. Just one step down the stairs, and her whole body would be soaked in that ominous flood.
“What are you doing, Akorella?”
“Don’t push yourself, especially with your leg still injured!”
“Are you out of your mind? Who’s planning to swim in this?”
“Am I?”
Akorella brought her face close to the water’s surface and whispered,
“Vanusa. Are you there?”
She was calling Vanusa, the spirit mage of Tolrun.
When there was no answer, she whispered again,
“You know everything that’s going on, so respond. You said you needed our help, right? We need yours too. The Abyssal Sea and the water you control—they’re connected, aren’t they?”
“C-Captain.”
“If you don’t come out, I’ll dump a poison stronger than the filth you’ve spilled into the wells of Tolrun’s capital. If you think I’m bluffing, just try and hold out.”
Splash.
The sound of water droplets echoed somewhere. Akorella’s gaze remained calm and icy as she stared into the water, and soon, a flicker of a figure appeared beneath the surface.
A rush of water.
It was Vanusa. Her face emerged from the water, eyes closed. Her sharp gaze was fierce, but it meant little to Akorella. Whether her superior and comrades were alive or dead—what did it matter?
“Come out. Now. Tell me what’s happening down there.”