We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 266 The [Deep Sovereign] Will Eventually Awaken

The seawater at a depth of 8500 meters is a region where sunlight can never reach.

Endless darkness and deathly silence are the dominant themes here.

However, at this moment, in this sea area that should be a no-man's-land, the figure of a giant creature was seen moving about.

Through the sturdy glass window, the three could see faint outlines emerging from the viscous, deep seawater.

It looked like some kind of slippery and eerie tentacle, wandering silently in the darkness.

"what is that?"

Due to the narrow field of vision, Renault was unable to see the entirety of the giant object.

But even that fleeting glimpse was enough to give him an immense sense of oppression, as if even breathing was difficult.

Megalophobia.

It refers to the fear one feels towards a massive creature that is far larger than oneself.

For no apparent reason, Renault recalled this concept, which no one knew who had proposed.

Previously, Reynolds thought he didn't have these symptoms.

But when Renault caught a glimpse of what was outside the glass window, he realized...

That's because the "giants" he had seen before weren't big enough!

Only when faced with truly colossal beings do humans truly understand their own insignificance and weakness.

However, when Reno turned around, he found that his two companions in the submersible were not as panicked as he was.

Quite the opposite.

Dr. Hossing's eyes suddenly lit up, and he stared intently into the depths of the sea.

The way he looked didn't resemble someone observing a giant beast in the deep sea; it was more like a lustful demon spying on a beautiful woman.

Priest William, however, showed no fear. Instead, a smile played on his lips, and his eyes revealed longing and excitement as he muttered something under his breath.

Seeing this, Renault was somewhat bewildered.

Is this the normal reaction a person would have when encountering a deep-sea monster?
Is it his problem, or William's problem?
Renault, who had risen to the rank of major in the Federation, was certainly not a fool. After a moment's thought, a sudden realization dawned on him—

William and Horsing's participation in this deep-sea dive was definitely not solely for scientific research purposes.

I was the only one who foolishly got involved, completely kept in the dark.

Boom!
dong dong!

Suddenly, Renault heard some unusual noises.

Moreover, the sound came from inside the diving chamber!
Renault suddenly felt a dryness in his throat, stiffly turned his head, and looked in the direction from which the sound came.

squeak-

The control gate handle rotates automatically.

But when he blinked, the gate returned to its original state and remained motionless.

"……This is?"

Reno felt a chill run down his spine and asked William and Reno, "Did you hear any strange noises?"

"I think I heard someone banging on the cabin, and someone turning the lock handle..."

His tone was hurried, revealing a strong sense of unease.

This is how one behaves when reason is constantly slipping away and one is on the verge of madness.

William glanced at Reno and spoke in a gentle, soothing voice.

"Major Reynolds, calm down."

"It is perfectly normal to experience auditory and visual hallucinations when witnessing something from the deep sea."

Then, William murmured to himself again.

"However, even an explorer like you, who has undergone special training and possesses a strong will, felt such immense pressure."

"It seems the rumors about this trench are indeed true."

Under the influence of the divine magic, Reno managed to maintain his sanity, but he could sense that the protective effect of this divine power was gradually weakening.

Even so, Renault couldn't help but ask.

What rumor is it?

At this moment, Huo Xin said, "Legend has it that before the [Lord of the Deep] fell into a deep slumber, he divided his flesh and blood among his nine offspring."

"And it was through the continuous reproduction and growth of these offspring that the [Deep Sea Offspring] were created in various places in the deep sea."

"However, after generations of reproduction, the bloodline of the [Deep Descendants] is actually fading and weakening."

“Some of the [Deep Prodigies] can even defeat second- or third-tier Mystic Path practitioners.”

"But those [first generation species] are still the closest to the [Deep Lords]. They live in the unknown deep sea, seemingly waiting for a certain moment to arrive."

Upon hearing this, Renault's eyes widened slightly, and he murmured in disbelief.

"So, we dived into this trench to..."

William stated frankly, "That's right, we've come for the [First Generation] of the [Deep Overlord].

To be honest, after learning William and Hossin's true intentions, Renault found it even more unbelievable.

Just to witness the legendary "First Generation Species," the two of them were willing to risk their lives to dive into the deep sea thousands of meters below, completely disregarding the possibility of death.

What... what's the point of this?
It's understandable that Hossin was willing to sacrifice his life for scientific research.

Why is William, as a priest of the Deep Sea Church, so concerned about the "Lord of the Deep"?

hum-

Just then, the cabin of the [Dive into the Abyss] suddenly trembled.

Reynolds knew that this was due to the fluctuations in the water outside the submersible, and he couldn't help but look alarmed.

At this depth, if the [Abyss] were attacked by a deep-sea monster, even the slightest damage would be fatal, and there would be absolutely no chance of survival.

At this moment, William and Hossing's gaze remained fixed on the glass window, their expressions subtly changing.

Renault glanced out the window and caught a glimpse of the object appearing in the seawater.

It was an extremely thick tentacle.

This single tentacle is thicker than the diameter of the [Dive] ship.

William shouted, "Quickly! Turn on the exterior lighting system!"

Renault instinctively did as he was told.

As the light spread across the seawater, the three were able to see—

The surface of the tentacles has a fine structure that resembles metallic scales, and faint dark blue patterns can be seen between the rough and complex protrusions.

Those lines subtly form the shape of eyeballs.

"This pattern...this pattern..."

Dr. Hossin murmured excitedly, "It really is the first generation of the [Deep Overlord]!"

A madness flashed in his eyes, and he muttered to himself as he began to write down the patterns with pen and paper.

He also wrote down a large number of strange formulas, as if he were calculating or deriving something.

Upon closer inspection, a waterfall-like flow of data could be seen flowing across the surface of Hossin's eyeballs.

Upon seeing this, William frowned sharply and gave Hossin a deep look.

There was actually a murderous aura in those eyes!
William took a deep breath and questioned him coldly.

"I knew I wasn't wrong, Hossin, you joined the Truth Society, didn't you?"

"【The Truth Society!】"

Renault's expression changed instantly, and he looked at Hossin with great vigilance.

He had certainly heard of the infamous Truth Society and knew that its members were all unbridled madmen. In fact, the line between madness and genius is often very thin.

Therefore, the more significant the achievements of scholars in their respective fields, the more likely they are to join the Truth Society.

Renault had already harbored doubts when Hossin said he was "willing to give everything for the truth."

It wasn't until he heard William's words that Renault was completely certain of this.

Unexpectedly, when questioned by the two, Hossin confessed directly: "That's right, I have long been a believer in 'truth'."

He looked at the two of them coldly: "So, you're going to attack me?"

"Don't forget, this is deep underwater!"

"If you dare to lay a hand on us, we will all die here."

Hossing clearly knew that William wouldn't start a war underwater, which is why he recklessly exposed his identity.

He possesses a special means of transmitting information; he only needs to transmit the data analysis of the [first generation] to complete his task.

As he spoke, Hossin stared at William and sneered.

"Besides, as a follower of the [Cult of the Deep], is your purpose in participating in the Deep Dive Project so simple?"

How dare you say that to me?

"...[The Cult of the Deep?]"

Renault was stunned once again.

This sect is not much less famous than the Truth Society.

They worship the "Deep Lord" beneath the deep sea.

But in the general public's perception, this is clearly a dangerous and bizarre cult!
There are only three people on board the ship, the "Abyss".

The result was that one was a mad scientist from the "Truth Society," and the other was a cultist from the "Deep Sect."

Is he the only honest person in the Federation?
Renault's expression was stiff, and he seemed somewhat numb.

"You claim I'm a follower of the [Cult of the Deep], but you'd better provide evidence!"

William said calmly, "Otherwise, this would be a provocation against the Deep Sea Church!"

Huo Xin snorted coldly: "Hmph! Who doesn't know that your [Deep Abyss Sect] and the Deep Sea Church share the same origin?"

"Perhaps even the current archbishop is a member of the [Deep Abyss Sect]?"

"You came to the depths of the sea precisely to witness firsthand the offspring of the [Lord of the Deep], didn't you?"

William fell silent, his gaze growing increasingly cold.

Renault felt a chill run through him.

He was just a minor major; he had no interest in knowing so many secrets.

Logically speaking, the more he knows, the greater the chance he will be silenced!
Just as Renault was filled with alarm, he caught a glimpse of something unusual out of the corner of his eye and exclaimed in surprise.

"Wait...look, there seems to be something following behind this [First Generation Species]?"

Upon hearing this, William and his companion temporarily suppressed their tense atmosphere and turned to look out the window.

In the chaotic, dark seawater, the enormous form of the [First Generation Species] could be seen appearing and disappearing.

Its shape is somewhat similar to that of a giant squid.

Beneath the spindle-shaped torso are numerous flexible tentacles, which are incredibly large.

Behind it, however, followed a dark and unpredictable shadow.

The shadowy figure was much smaller than the [first generation species], but compared to an ordinary person, it still had to be described as "huge".

The shadowy figure launched surprise attacks on the [First Generation Species] time and time again.

It seemed that every collision tore a piece of flesh from the [First Generation Species].

The original species fought back with all its might against the shadowy attack, but to no avail.

Judging from the scene, it looked exactly like they were chasing and hunting this [first generation species]!
William and Hossing stared wide-eyed at the scene in shock.

That's the first generation of the [Deep Descendants]!
The deep sea is their home ground!

What kind of being has the ability to hunt the first offspring of the [Deep Lord] in such a deep sea?

Renault was also shocked and his scalp tingled. He muttered to himself.

"The more I look at that figure, the more it seems to be... the same person?"

“Those are limbs, that is the head…”

"……people?"

William shook his head, as if hypnotizing himself, and said, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"That's the power of the [Lord of the Deep]..."

Just as Hossing said, William was actually a hidden believer in the deep sea church.

Therefore, he found it even more unacceptable that the [First Generation] of the [Deep Sovereign] was being hunted by some being.

On the other side.

Huo Xin stared intently at the dark figure behind the [First Generation], a strange glint in his eyes.

Whether it's a human or another living being, as long as its information and data can be recorded, it can greatly help the research of the [Truth Society].

But in the next moment.

As the undercurrent surged, the glass window in front of the three people suddenly plunged into complete darkness.

"Ok?"

Hossin frowned: "What's going on?"

Looking out at the darkness, an indescribable sense of fear and repulsion surged into his heart almost instantly.

It's like the instinctive shiver that stands on end when a person, unarmed, suddenly encounters a ferocious beast.

Soon, Hossin realized that the darkness was not due to a lighting malfunction.

But...

A glimpse of a figure was visible outside the window of the [Dive into the Abyss].

As the figure moved, a huge eye slowly appeared outside the glass.

A giant from the deep sea is looking at them through the window!

In that brief moment, Hossin's eyes were almost wide open, and a torrent of thoughts roared through his mind.

He didn't know if he was feeling fear, or even if he had temporarily lost the ability to judge his own emotions.

He could only watch helplessly as the giant stared at him with eyes that seemed to come from the abyss.

Incomprehensible noises and unimaginable light and shadow flooded into Hossin's mind one after another.

The more you see and the more you know, the easier it is to go mad.

"You...you are..."

Hossin's eyeballs burst open, and two streams of bloody tears flowed from his eyes.

He wanted to say something more, but William wouldn't give him the chance.

With a "whoosh," Hossin's head was severed by William's sword.

When William looked at the giant figure outside the glass window, he revealed an extremely fanatical expression, and even knelt down, uttering some words that sounded like delirium.

"Lord, are you finally going to return?"

Because he sensed that this giant also possessed the power of the [Deep Sovereign].

It is obvious that this battle taking place in the deep sea is actually a mutual devouring among the [Deepborn].

And when they devour other members of their kind, doesn't that mean...?

Will the Deep One become whole again, thus awakening from its long slumber?
(End of this chapter)