576 Palace
The origin of this vortex was the humanoid Sealed Artifact they had “abducted” from the Eternal Blazing Sun Church!
After the exposure of the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society’s internal affairs and the consecutive deaths of Loki and I Know Someone, one resurrected at the cost of a precious opportunity, while the other met a permanent end. They adjusted their initial sea sacrifice plan and activated a backup strategy to counter potential interference from the Research Society.
According to the revived Loki’s warning, Hela, the society’s vice president, had likely ascended to Sequence 4, reaching demigod status, and switched from the Death pathway to the Evernight pathway. Depending solely on Ultraman, Bard, and Mad Lady, their intricate plans would crumble before absolute strength.
Of course, they were confident if it were just Hela alone. Confidence wavered when considering President Gandalf, an enigma, and the other vice presidents, alongside the troublesome society members. Dealing with them now seemed an insurmountable challenge.
Starlight surged, revealing a sorrowful woman in black nun’s attire to everyone on the ship. Her presence felt magnetic, as if attempting to absorb everything around her.
It was akin to an unusually heavy iron ball falling from the center of a taut fishing net, dragging objects down and pulling the surrounding net with it. In these circumstances, previously still items naturally slipped away.
The most impacted was Juan Oro, with a potent sea bloodline and formidable sea power. Resisting the sea’s fury, he felt a spatial inversion, as if his front and back had switched to up and down. Like a lost person above an abyss, he involuntarily “fell” to the bottom at an accelerated speed, where the woman in black nun’s attire awaited.
The deputy hosts, apart from Lumian, felt an unseen force tugging at them. Struggling, they staggered towards the humanoid Sealed Artifact. The sea’s power within them wavered, propelling them to the surface, revealing sparkling starry scales that hinted at losing control.
The Maidens of the Sea and the sailors on the ship struggled against the terrifying suction force, swaying on the spot. Some experienced their skin smoothing, others felt scales emerging in their flesh, and a few shifted their feet intermittently.
Lumian, though relatively unscathed, exerted considerable strength to resist the relentless pull.
As an Ascetic, he vaguely sensed the river of fate for everyone present surging toward the humanoid Sealed Artifact. Future tributaries narrowed and converged, leading inevitably to one possibility—death.
In that moment, Lumian grasped why the humanoid Sealed Artifact could use words to curse someone to death.
Lato Guiaro reached out, gripping the shipboard to resist the invisible pull from the woman.
His gaze scanned the people on the ship, then returned to the sea’s depths.
The ship descended, surrounded by a translucent wall of azure seawater. Sea creatures swam within, seemingly oblivious to the anomaly. In the distance, the spindle-shaped silver-gray object at the sea bottom, its tip embedded in rocks, came into view.
Lato Guiaro suppressed any sign of a smile.
He was nearing his destination.
The fools from the Fisheries Guild and the oblivious Earth Mother Church might never comprehend what lay sealed at the bottom of the sea here.
It wasn’t a so-called “palace” but a spaceship!
It boasted a sci-fi dimension, housing advanced technology entwined with mystical Beyonder elements, forming the core of the entire spaceship.
The Ring of the Sea Queen, crafted by the sea spawn, served as the spacecraft’s key. Only when the external seal weakened annually could it activate the spacecraft’s internal power, merging the two to crack the core seal!
Lato Guiaro’s gaze grew greedier as he stared at the faintly discernible silver-
gray behemoth.
His aim extended beyond temporary authority—to become the true Governor of the Sea and the spaceship’s owner.
This would grant him immense power and the ability to accomplish unimaginable feats using the spaceship.
The azure sea, tinged with a hint of green, encircled the ship as if respectfully escorting them into the palace of the sea.
Seeing the sea’s fury interrupted by the woman’s sudden appearance, making her the most perilous element, Juan Oro wasted no time deepening his connection with the sea.
At that moment, he temporarily became the Governor of the Sea.
He resisted the terrifying suction force.
Abruptly, the humanoid Sealed Artifact “departed” from the ship, entering an empty darkness.
Resplendent stars flickered above, below, and to her left. Ahead stood Juan Oro, covered in starlight scales, deep-eyed, and with completely white hair.
Juan Oro raised his right hand, swiping his finger.
The “stars” plummeted with fiery tails, stirring up waves.
On the betrothal ship, everyone lost the momentum to rush to the same place. However, the power they used to resist the pull couldn’t be withdrawn, causing them to fall in the opposite direction.
Lato Guiaro feigned a similar state, crashing into the bow of the ship.
Seeing the silver-gray behemoth approaching, his heart leaped with joy. He was about to recite a phrase he didn’t comprehend but understood its purpose.
It was a coded order to completely open the spaceship’s door and establish an energy passageway, allowing him to enter under protection!
April Fool’s had been established for several years. Lato Guiaro’s decision to target the sea prayer ritual last year was influenced by the resolution of other voices from the Governor of the Sea, Maidens of the Sea, and certain sea spawn. This allowed them to understand the significance of the three crucial passages.
“I espouse thee, O sea…” was one of the passages, its true meaning being to inject energy into the created key and enter a password. Lato Guiaro was about to recite the second paragraph, which served as an order to initiate the spaceship.
Initially, he and Bard planned to deceive the foolish Nolfi, tricking her into reciting the words to avoid danger. Once the spaceship activated and left these waters, the sea prayer ritual would naturally conclude. There wouldn’t be any follow-up. Whether it involved self-destruction or not, it wasn’t a concern for her; she had achieved her essential goal.
However, the situation changed drastically, especially when the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society learned about the sea prayer ritual. Ultraman and Bard modified their plans, roping in external aid and reducing Nolfi’s role. Eventually, she became bait to lead troublemakers, represented by Lumian Lee and Hidden Blade.
Lato Guiaro opened his mouth and muttered the words.
As he finished speaking, he looked expectantly at the spaceship at the sea bottom.
How is this possible? Lato Guiaro’s heart tightened, feeling a sudden sense of danger.
With a jolt, he saw everything disintegrate like a soap bubble, vanishing.
Lumian, transformed into Brian, had arrived near him at some point.
A dream!
He had been dreaming since Juan Oro pulled the humanoid Sealed Artifact into the Cosmic Void!
Hela! This name flashed through Lato Guiaro’s mind.
He had paid attention to whether there were other ships lurking around!
As these thoughts raced through his mind, formless hands appeared around Lato Guiaro, pushing Lumian away.
Then, he saw a sailboat, clearly abandoned by time, outlined in the cavity surrounded by seawater beside the betrothal ship. Shadows clung to its canvas, and corpses stood on the observatory. The deck was littered with decaying or boneless undead creatures.
At the bow of the ship, a woman dressed as a black widow stood silently.
Hela!
…
Less than four hours ago, Franca, posing as Charname, signaled Nolfi and Batna to wait for further arrangements. Returning to the cabin, she entered the captain’s cabin and addressed Hela, standing by the window.
“I’ve roughly guessed who Ultraman is, but I can’t be sure.”
“I guessed as much,” Hela replied, having overheard Franca and Nolfi’s conversation.
Franca gritted her teeth and said, “If it’s really Lato Guiaro, there will definitely be variables on the ship. I have to quickly summon Lumian’s messenger and inform him of our guess.”
“Let’s wait a little longer and time it well. We’ll send the message when the deputy hosts leave the Governor of the Sea’s residence but prior to boarding the ship,” Hela advised.
Franca confirmed succinctly, “Got it.”
She observed Hela, with her light-blond hair naturally cascading over her shoulders, and her dark eyes seemingly darker as she meticulously engraved patterns and arranged items on the captain’s cabin desk. With curiosity, she promptly inquired, “What’s this for?”
“Setting up a ritual to completely conceal the entire ship, preventing anyone from discovering it. It’s impossible for me to do this on my own. I can only achieve it through a deity’s help. And She should be very willing to help.”
Without hesitation, Hela took off the pure silver ring embedded with a black diamond from her right hand and placed it in the center of the altar.
…
On the betrothal ship, Lumian scrutinized Lato Guiaro, his body quivering with excitement.
He couldn’t comprehend how the other party had thwarted the sea prayer ritual once again. After all, he had been vigilantly observing this “old friend” of his and hadn’t witnessed any ring-switching.
Nonetheless, it didn’t matter. A well-devised plan was not a fragile creation that crumbled with the slightest mistake. It had to allow for enough margin for error!
Similarly, Lato Guiaro couldn’t fathom how Hela and the ship had approached without triggering his detection.
But it didn’t matter. If they hadn’t prepared for the interference of the Curly-
Haired Baboons Research Society and Hela, they wouldn’t have taken action this time.
Lato Guiaro’s eyes suddenly darkened, and specks of starlight illuminated.
The surrounding azure seawater froze once more.
Here, he surpassed the old-timer, Juan Oro. He had long amassed the power to temporarily become the Governor of the Sea!
In the upcoming period, he would ascend to become the god of these waters!
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