Chapter 288: Crossing the Triangle Sea
Orion’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He spoke, enunciating each word, "You... want to kill me?"
His crimson eyes were filled with sorrow. Although he had never truly wanted to be the leader of the Sky-Rend Tribe, feeling the position shackled him and robbed him of his freedom and happiness, he knew he had been nothing but dutiful since taking the position!
’And what of his tribesmen?’
They had painstakingly plotted to steal Evangeline’s spaceship. Everyone had left Norfell, leaving him utterly alone.
And now, after the ship had returned, these few survivors wanted to kill him.
’Heh, as a leader, he was probably the biggest failure of them all.’
"Why did you bring us back! We were about to reach the New Continent! That place is a whole new Beastman World! A whole new... world!" a Sky-Rend Tribe beastman shrieked, his face contorted with madness.
The next instant, he shifted into his beast form and lunged toward Evangeline, who stood among the crowd.
The massive Wyvern beat its Bone Wings, stirring up a gale that seemed capable of tearing the very air apart.
Evangeline didn’t even blink. But a mere Four-star pattern Wyvern Beastman never stood a chance of getting close to her. A vine shot out and coiled tightly around him, and the sickening sound of cracking bones made one’s skin crawl.
Orion’s lips parted as if to speak, but after a glance at Evangeline’s expression, he ultimately said nothing to plead for mercy.
’Besides, his kinsman had attacked first. He deserved this.’
Orion clenched his fists and turned his head away. Just then, a figure suddenly lunged at him. Holly threw her arms around his waist, her body trembling violently. Her hoarse voice was filled with terror. "Orion, let’s go back! Let’s go back! We can’t go there again! They’re all madmen! Terrifying madmen! They’ll kill me, I know they will!"
Holly laughed even as she spoke, tears spilling from her eyes. She seemed completely unhinged.
Orion looked at the female before him, who seemed like a completely different person, and felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
He placed his hands on Holly’s shoulders, softening his voice as much as he could. "Holly, don’t be afraid. You’re safe now. Can you tell me what happened? Where are the beastmen from the Mysticeti Tribe?"
At the mention of the "Mysticeti Tribe," an even deeper fear flashed in Holly’s eyes.
Her voice trembled as she whispered, "The ship was shrinking... the food was disappearing... the Mysticeti Tribe wanted to kill us... We... we didn’t want to die, we really didn’t. Since someone had to be devoured, why couldn’t it have been them?"
Holly muttered the question to herself, an eerie smile returning to her face.
She looked no different from a madwoman.
"What in the world is going on?" Thorne moved to Evangeline’s side, shielding her as he shot a disgusted look at the deranged Holly.
Evangeline glanced down at the small spaceship twirling in her palm, then stepped slowly forward onto the sheet of ice.
Her alluring voice carried an icy calm as she explained, "To maintain its form, the ship naturally needs to absorb energy. With no Spiritual Energy to draw upon here, it becomes ravenous, devouring anything with stored energy. For instance, Beast Cores, then Beast Crystals, and finally... flesh and blood itself."
Evangeline let out a soft laugh. "If I’m not mistaken, the Mysticeti Tribe was devoured by the ship, wasn’t it?"
The corners of Evangeline’s narrow eyes lifted slightly, her gaze as sharp as a blade as it swept across the beastmen of the Sky-Rend Tribe.
The faces of these ferocious Wyvern Beastmen were now deathly pale, and coarse scales began to emerge on their trembling bodies.
Scene after scene from their time on the ship flooded their minds, reawakening a long-dormant terror.
They had been overjoyed upon leaving Norfell. Everyone believed they would reach the other shore and arrive at the New Continent. The females had sung and danced on the ship, while the males feasted on their prey and roared with laughter.
But after drifting at sea for only a short while, something went wrong.
The food they had brought on the ship vanished!
The Mysticeti Tribe accused them, claiming that the beastmen of the Sky-Rend Tribe had secretly hidden the prey!
And they, of course, believed the Mysticeti Tribe was playing the victim, certain that they were the ones who had stolen the food.
And just like that, a rift formed between the two tribes, who had once been close allies, dreaming of a beautiful future together.
As food grew scarcer and the atmosphere grew more tense, the Mysticeti Tribe was the first to lose control. They attacked the Sky-Rend beastmen. After discovering their tribesmen were missing, they naturally searched the entire ship, but unfortunately, found no trace of them.
It was at that moment that Holly pointed out something terrible in a panic.
The ship was shrinking!
On the vast Triangle Sea, the ship was the only thing keeping them alive!
Faced with this, the two tribes called a temporary truce to solve the problem of the shrinking ship. But then, the food began to disappear right before their eyes, vanishing without a sound, as if... it was being devoured by the very ship they were on.
The thought terrified them, filling them with dread.
But the Mysticeti Tribe showed no signs of de-escalating; they attacked the Sky-Rend Tribe. They killed one of their beastmen, and immediately after, right in front of everyone, the ship devoured the beastman’s body, Crystal Core and all.
After devouring the Beast Crystal, the ship actually expanded, returning to its original size!
And so, to ensure their own survival, a great battle erupted between the two tribes on the ship!
The wails of beastmen, the screams of females, the sickening squelch of claws and bone sinking into flesh...
The Mysticeti Tribe’s beast forms were enormous, but unfortunately, they could only transform in the Deep Sea. On the ship, their combat strength was greatly diminished. The beastmen of the Sky-Rend Tribe, however, were Wyverns, one of the overlords of the sky, so they naturally held the advantage.
In the end, they won a costly victory. Of their original dozens of tribe members, only a little over a dozen remained.
Fueled by the Beast Crystals and flesh of the Mysticeti beastmen, the ship streaked across the sky above the Triangle Sea at incredible speed.
Finally, a landmass appeared in their view.
’What kind of place was it?’
The breathing of the Sky-Rend beastmen suddenly grew heavy, their faces showing looks of feverish excitement.
"Now you’re all clear on what happened. Orion, these tribesmen are yours to deal with."
"Everyone, pack your things. It’s time to board the ship."
Evangeline didn’t spare another glance for the dim-eyed Orion, turning to look back at the silent beastmen on the shore.
They all wore looks of terror. The experience of the Sky-Rend and Mysticeti Tribes had planted a seed of fear in their hearts. ’If they boarded the ship and it ran out of energy, would they too become provisions?’
Though no one spoke this hidden thought aloud, it was clear they all had the same reservation.
Evangeline chuckled softly. With a flick of her wrist, the spaceship swelled to its full size. She stepped onto the vessel, sniffing the lingering scent of blood. With a casual wave, she cast a few Cleaning Spells, and the ship was once again spotless.
The guinea pigs had served their purpose.
The ship could indeed carry beastmen from Norfell to the city-states beyond the Triangle Sea.
