Deep Sea Hunter, but Deep Sea Titan

"Time has also made you foolish and stubborn."

"Let's face the end together on your ship."

Loting left the hall without even glancing back at the former captain.

"It's understandable that the Iberians have grievances against us."

Laurentina didn't care about the content of the insults themselves; the Deepsea Hunters were used to being treated with such suspicion by their own kind. But she was still quite happy that her beloved had stood up for her in the face of the insults directed at her. That was the most important thing.

"Me too."

Skadi felt the same way. There was a time when even she herself felt disgusted by the filthy blood flowing through her veins, but now she no longer had to suffer such torment and torture.

“But you, Skadi, and the governor were not the ones who caused the disaster.”

“I can understand his anger, but I cannot tolerate it.”

People are naturally protective of their own.

Lotin suddenly stopped in his tracks; the detection capabilities of [Mountain Barrier] had detected a neutral unit.

The man stood guard before Buoragan's legacy, a valiant and resolute deep-sea hunter wielding the same weapon as Lotin—an anchor.

"You are still alive, but as an Ulpian, are you really still alive?"

Grandia could sense that the other person's level of sea-borne transformation was far more severe than her own. Therefore, even though the other person was a once trustworthy comrade-in-arms, another architect of the Deep Sea Hunter War Plan, and another governor, she had to remain vigilant.

"We meet again, Nautilus, Titan who wanders in the abyss."

Ulpian spoke as if he had met Lotin before, which surprised Lotin somewhat—not just "heard of it in stories," but "seen it."

"Stranger hunter, when have we met before?"

Lotin searched his memory, the only possible time he had ever met Ulbian was during the 60 years the system had been managing him.

“I have witnessed you wielding the giant anchor and sweeping away the sea monsters surrounding the Coast Guard.”

“I have been watching you ever since then, and I have discovered that Hai Si harbors a collective fear of you, which was further confirmed after I chose the anchor as my weapon.”

A 40-meter-tall bronze giant wielded a massive anchor, creating a whirlwind that instantly disintegrated the sea monsters surrounding the patrol fleet's warships. This was the scene that Urpian witnessed years ago, and from that moment on, he began searching for a way to pursue the power of the deep-sea titans.

But to this day, his research on the Deep Sea Titan remains at the stage of using it as a source of fear to interfere with the Sea Inhabitants.

Hearing this, Lotin breathed a sigh of relief, which at least showed that Ulpian had no doubts about his stance.

"Can I assume that this means we have the same enemy, and that even temporary cooperation is possible?"

Now that he had made a good start, Lotin felt he could be more direct. Since Ulpian had acknowledged his power from the beginning, he naturally wouldn't treat him the same way he would treat a land dweller.

“There are many ways to create unity: blame your own collapse on a single enemy, open a course that changes the course of the war, or banish a shameful scoundrel… Hmph, that is indeed the value I can bring.”

“I think you’ve also come for Buoregan’s legacy.”

Ulpian was closer to the truth than other deep-sea hunters, so he was willing to set aside the arrogance and formalities of the Agorians to a greater extent.

"Talking to you is a pleasant experience; that's what makes effective communication."

Lotin was pleased that the conversation was progressing quickly, and it seemed that he didn't react much to Skadi's closeness to him, even though Skadi was his student.

"I imagine you've been fighting alongside the hunters in my team for quite some time now."

"But spoiling her like this will only make her dull."

"You should give her proper training."

Ulpian had realized that the relationship between his student and Nautilus was more than just a simple alliance; it was much closer than that of allies.

Just as rain is inevitable and mothers are destined to remarry, it's time to maintain a proper distance when children grow up.

So what he said was "you should let her," instead of trying to bring Skadi back.

This is the difference between him and Goredia; he shed Agor's arrogance and prejudice earlier than Goredia and understood the importance of being pragmatic.

"No, the poisonous blood in her body is even less active now. How did you do that?"

As a hunter, sitting on someone's shoulder and not even walking on his own was indeed a bit lazy, but he soon realized that the negative impact of this laziness was not as great as he had imagined.

Ulpian already knew the answer the moment he asked the question. He had used the Sealings' fear of Nautilus to choose the anchor as his weapon, and since his student had been staying by Nautilus's side, the deterrent effect would only be more pronounced. Isamara's poisonous blood was thus deterred.

"Alright, let her stay obediently by your side, that's the safest way."

Ulpian quickly arrived at the most reasonable conclusion, but Goredia seemed rather dissatisfied with his unremarkable reaction.

"Your student, the hunter in your team, just handed over like that?"

"This is the best thing for her."

"I have checked on the hunters' condition... Please monitor their health and help them stay alert. I will check on them again."

"I am Agor's first deep-sea hunter, and hopefully not the last."

Ubiaran's understanding of Nautilus was the deepest among the Agorians, and his reunion with Skadi confirmed that no one could keep the hunters conscious better than him.

"Of course. I never hesitate to use my power to ensure that my nuns and hunters are taken care of."

"That's for the best. Powers that can make me tremble are rare. Splitting tsunamis and changing the landscape—those must all be your doing, right?"

"Hai Si has created several new underwater volcanoes in an attempt to adapt to your methods, but hopefully you have more options."

Ubiaran hadn't initially noticed that Nautilus himself was among those who boarded the Fool, but now that he had seen it for himself, there was no need for further doubt.

He stepped aside, not forgetting to ask if Loting had the key.

“I got it in Kazimir.”

"Where's the knight?"

"It's busy fighting with the big guys in the sea."

Ulpian pointed to the ground.

"I will continue to act alone and bring back more intelligence."

"When you can't face it, toss a coin and I'll help you."

Ulpian attempted to delve deeper into the nests of the Sea Siren to gather more information and intelligence, which Lotin considered meaningful.

"I acknowledge your strength, but don't underestimate me."

"I did not mean that."

Loting shrugged; he hadn't had such an efficient discussion in a long time.

"Wait, where are you going, defecting?"

Goredia seemed a little confused about the situation.

"Don't stop him, Consul."

Lotin stopped Goredia and watched as Ulpian leaped into the sea again.

"These are them, Buoregan's research notes."

"In that case, this ship is no longer of use."

Lotin intends to carry out his final mission with the Fool, fulfilling his duty as a Deepsea Titan by dragging the traitor's ship into the abyss.

Chapter 236: Biological Warship

“Darling, I can hear it. A huge object is lurking in the nearby waters.”

"Ulpian told us before he left that the being he called 'the Last Knight' was fighting against a behemoth."

"I'm wondering if it's heading straight for this ship."

Laurentina deduced that the ship was able to linger on the sea for 60 years while surrounded by a large group of fish, most likely because the group considered it a harmless part of the environment, so the ripples did not actively begin to erode it, and the large dinosaurs did not ram the ship.

"Are they afraid of Buoragan's research? That's impossible."

"If they had truly discovered that Buoragan's research touched upon their very core, the ship could not have remained adrift at sea for 60 years without incident."

Lotin was more inclined to believe that the large group of support forces that had undergone targeted evolution were blocked at a slightly further distance by the Last Knight, which was why they hadn't been detected before. Now, the Last Knight, also known as the "Tide Hunter Knight," was no longer able to stop this behemoth from continuing to approach the Fool.

"I think it's more likely that the knight the captain mentioned earlier has been fighting that giant monster all along, and it's only now that it's within our range of perception."

Skadi also confirmed the approaching giant monster. Now, the blood of Isamara within her not only failed to effectively affect her will, but instead enhanced her perception of the sea creature or the terror fish. She could perceive the outline of the giant creature more clearly than Laurentina.

"Is this the very first lesson I learned from those bastards, since the fearsome deep-sea titans have enormous bodies, they also pile up into huge monsters?"

"It doesn't matter, bigger chunks of flesh mean these monstrosities will bleed more!"

Loting looked at the shimmering, surging sea. A shadow was rapidly moving, and thick, scaly tentacles pierced the surface and clung to the gunwale of the Fool.

"To lay a hand on Nautilus's prey, utterly foolish."

Lotin swung the giant anchor, smashing the thick, scaly tentacle to pieces.

“Sailor! You may sink this ship or smash this old madman to pieces... but at least you must keep your promise to protect Iberia.”

The large herd was generous in feeding the powerful individuals, so Captain Alfonso regained his ability to walk and stand by chewing on the terror fish that Garcia had brought him. He then brandished his sword and severed more tentacles clinging to the ship's side.

Although Captain Alfonso's mental state was in turmoil due to his long struggle with the Sea Children, deep in his consciousness, he still harbored a deep-seated attachment to his homeland. Whether or not he was unwilling to accept Lotin's protection, which was tantamount to charity, due to his pride and self-esteem, he had no other choice.

"The evil spirits that crawl out of the shadows of history, it is enough to leave one of them still walking in the world."

Alfonso and his partner, First Mate Garcia, worked together seamlessly, launching a fierce offensive to dismantle one tentacle after another that was pounding on the Fool.

Suddenly, a huge wave swept over the deck of the Fool, and more terror fish, driven by pheromones that were enough to overcome their biological fear instincts, crawled from the waves onto the deck. At this moment, the corrosive nature of the Netherworld was revealed, and it was eroding the main structure of the warship.

Seeing this, Loting had no reason to hesitate any longer. He leaped into the sea, and the bronze giant instantly broke through the water's surface. The surrounding terror fish were instantly vaporized by the aura that suddenly increased due to the surge in life force.

The giant waves created by the bronze colossus emerging from the sea were enough to make the Fool's Ship sway like a small boat, and at this moment, Lotin carried the other crew members on his shoulders.

"Oh dear, it looks like something big is coming."

Perhaps because she had drunk too much alcohol along the way, she was already slightly tipsy, and the enormous beast about to emerge from the water before her was just another spectacle to entertain her with her poetry.

W has never been able to understand what this dragon girl, who seems to "drink" all day long, is thinking—although Ling is generally moderate when it comes to drinking. Criticizing Ling's actions is hard to understand, and that's probably the only thing she and Nian can have in common.

Breaking out of the sea was the giant that Lotin had first encountered in Terra.

This is a huge and terrifying sea creature, almost specialized in biological weaponry, towering above the sea surface, covered with spikes, tendrils and symbiotic forms. Goredia told Lotin that they might be some kind of dinosaur fish that had degenerated in parts of their bodies, which had become fixed turrets mounted on it.

It has huge vents that project harmful secretions, multiple claws and chitinous blade weapons, and its body is covered with a thick chitinous exoskeleton that can release toxic spores from cracks in its shell.

"It seems to be more than just a learning experience for me; it's practically a flesh-and-blood warship. What exactly have the Agorians revealed to it?"

Laurentina relayed Lotin's questions to Graceia, suggesting that the appearance of this creature proved the Deepsea Hunters' plan to slow down the evolution of the Sealings by slaughtering them with non-technical weapons had failed.

"Someone deliberately orchestrated for the Coast Guard's warships to engage in large-scale battles. What if the Coast Guard has also been infiltrated..."

Goredia felt a chill run down her spine. She believed that this level of evolution was insufficient for them to defeat Lotin, after all...

Goredia suddenly realized that there were likely corrupted and fallen individuals in Agor's higher ranks, after all, the "knight" that Ulpian mentioned could also slow down its progress.

What terrified her was that Agor, whom she was protecting, had been so thoroughly infiltrated by the Fallen, like someone with terminal cancer whose cancer cells had spread throughout their body. Could that person really be saved?

"Did the tissue that should have been an organ split into independent, explosive entities?"

Lothing deployed a shield using his W ability, and the fact that these projectiles could be burned by the passive of Sunfire Aegis proved that they were actually independent entities.

"That pile of rotten flesh seems to have accumulated a lot of natural substances that can provide spell resistance... Burning is not doing enough damage to it."

Loting could clearly see the signs of rapid mutation in this behemoth. Simply using more biomass and resources to resist its burning was enough for Loting to cope with this level of material accumulation evolution.

If Hai Si's approach to him is limited to stacking magic resistance, then he should just build magic penetration items.

Although there has been quantitative change, it has not yet led to qualitative change.

The system seemed to classify it as a neutral creep of the same level as Baron Nashor, but Lothing's ultimate ability still managed to lock onto the behemoth. As a result, dark red energy gathered into a monstrous wave, which ended with the gaping maw of a red demon mask.

In its gigantic state, the Rift Creator can provide an astonishing amount of spell power, which even specialized evolutions designed to resist spell damage struggle to withstand.

Large amounts of filthy flesh and blood splattered everywhere. This biological warship, which had just been swaggering in front of the Fool, was now nothing more than a dying husk. It was preying on its own kind and the Netherworld Mark to repair itself, but Lotin would not give it the chance.

Fortunately, under the "Scroll of Mountains and Seas" skin, Luo Ting has many attack methods that do not rely on skills.

Chapter 237: Baron Buff

Large groups cannot manipulate ocean currents at all times, especially not in a short period of time. This allows Lotin to create a home-field advantage in certain areas. He can manipulate the surrounding ocean currents by consuming mana, making it difficult for the swarms of dinosaurs supplying the biological warships to get close.

Under the [Mountain and Sea Scroll] skin, Lottin can directly consume mana to transform water into overflowing lava. Given that the conversion range and efficiency are linked to spell power, Lottin is already considering getting a [Destroyer's Death Hat] after reaching level 16 and unlocking the extra equipment slot.

Its passive ability simply and directly increases spell power by 30%, which for this skin is equivalent to increasing overall power effectiveness by 30%. Now is indeed the time to use this item.