Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

On the betrothal boat, the humanoid Sealed Artifact ascended, her form suspended in the air. Striding through the atmosphere, she advanced toward the sailboat.

With the weight akin to a massive stone sphere, she manipulated the surrounding space, causing the target ship to shift automatically. The two factions drew near.

Concurrently, the vacant eyes of the humanoid Sealed Artifact, adorned in a black nun’s attire, suddenly sparked with madness and chaos. Minute blood vessels protruded from the whites of its eyes, swiftly converging.

Accompanying her “affliction,” the Maidens of the Sea, deputy hosts, and sailors on the betrothal ship, unaware of what transpired, stood motionless. Their expressions blank, eyes vacant, they succumbed to the same state as the humanoid Sealed Artifact.

In that moment, within the lingering Light of Holiness on the sailboat, which had traversed the void and approached the origin of Derangement, a light abruptly vanished, swallowed by the profound darkness.

In the darkness, a tranquil voice resonated, as if reciting a beautiful poem.

The expression of the humanoid Sealed Artifact softened significantly. The chaos and madness in her eyes dissipated, and her steps slowed.

The other individuals on the betrothal ship also entered a state of tranquility and drowsiness. Juan Oro felt the intangible force suppressing his body instantly dissipate.

Straightening up abruptly, he glared angrily at Simon Guiaro, positioned at the bow of the ship.

The president of the Fisheries Guild had a rough idea of the other party’s identity. After all, not many comprehended the entire sea prayer ritual and knew the intricacies of the Ring of the Sea Queen. Combined with the fact that he hailed from the same family as Simon Guiaro, there was only one answer: Lato Guiaro!

“You traitor!” Even the distant chanting from the darkness couldn’t pacify Juan Oro’s anger. Although no longer the temporary Governor of the Sea, he still possessed considerable strength and could be deemed formidable at sea.

Splash!

The seawater at the bottom of the betrothal ship surged, part of it threatening to hurl everyone back to the surface, while others formed into towering peaks and crashed down on Lato Guiaro, masquerading as Simon Guiaro.

Lato abruptly pivoted, fixing his gaze on Juan Oro.

The azure “peak” poised to strike him froze in midair, its descent arrested. The water’s attempt to push the betrothal ship out of this area also ceased its endeavors.

Reflected in Lato Guiaro’s eyes was the figure of Juan Oro. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he stated a fact in a composed tone, “I am now the Governor of the Sea.”

“Your abilities, especially those affecting these waters, are completely suppressed by me. They are useless!

The incantation from the darkness targeted the humanoid Sealed Artifact. Everything else was secondary. As the interim Governor of the Sea, Lato Guiaro couldn’t help but be affected. However, thanks to the feedback from the sea and the sharing of the burden, it didn’t reach a profound level. He only became more tranquil, devoid of the desire for intense combat and direct killing.

Compared to Juan Oro, he was more concerned about whether Gandalf was on the sailboat besides Hela. He was more concerned about whether Mad Lady had opened the spaceship’s passageway in time.

Juan Oro’s heart sank as he witnessed the azure wave suspended in midair and Lato Guiaro, seemingly indifferent to him.

At that moment, Lato turned to Mad Lady, who had reverted to her human form, and addressed his companion, clad in an unusually flamboyant blood-

colored dress,

“Hurry up.”

Mad Lady wasn’t particularly tall, standing at over 1.6 meters. Her dark-blond hair was disheveled, influenced by the heaviness effect. None of it fluttered wantonly, pointing towards the seabed.

Her face concealed by pure flesh, making it challenging to discern her original appearance. She wore a ring on each hand.

On her left hand, there was a rose-gold ring embedded with a gem resembling crimson blood, and on her right, a simple, pure silver ring.

Mad Lady responded to Lato Guiaro with a smile, “So there are times when you’re anxious.”

Only then did she cast her gaze at the silver-gray behemoth embedded in the seabed not far away.

This lunatic… Lato Guiaro cursed inwardly.

I Know Someone had an extremely nasty personality and subsequently succumbed to mental illness due to other reasons and was admitted to an asylum, but in contrast, Mad Lady had displayed an abnormal state of mind from the very beginning. In the past, she relied on I Know Someone’s regular treatment to barely maintain her rationality, but now, she was becoming more and more insane.

Lato Guiaro took a deep breath, focusing on the peculiar sounds emanating from within the spaceship, resisting the distant chants echoing in the darkness.

Swiftly regaining his will to fight, he redirected his gaze to the sailboat, raising his right arm.

Upon witnessing this, Juan Oro’s sense of despair deepened.

The white-haired old man clenched his fist, slamming it against his chest.

With a snap, his sternum broke, and his flesh tore open, releasing a torrent of blood that painted his body and the betrothal ship’s deck red.

As life ebbed away, Juan Oro’s white hair defied the heaviness effect, floating upwards.

His steps grew burdensome, each movement pressing down like a mountain on the ground.

Just as Lato Guiaro was poised to unleash the surrounding seawater, submerging the sailboat, he suddenly realized that the sea wasn’t as obedient as before.

His Governor of the Sea position teetered on the brink of collapse.

Lato Guiaro turned his head once more, narrowing his eyes at Juan Oro, now covered in blood.

“Traitor, the sea will punish you!” Juan Oro’s dark-green eyes focused, emitting a beam of blue light.

Accompanying this attack, he also intensified Lato Guiaro’s heaviness, rendering him unable to move normally.

Two beams struck Lato Guiaro simultaneously, penetrating him and sinking into the sea.

Lato Guiaro’s aura weakened slightly, but he wasn’t as severely injured as Juan Oro believed.

Sunlight burst forth from the April Fool key member who used “Ultraman” as his code name, eradicating the residual corrosive powers and altering his body structure.

He lifted his chin slightly and uttered three words with strange pronunciations.

“%%&(”

This was also the language employed to activate the spaceship. The implication was likely akin to granting access, equivalent to obtaining a certain amount of Governor of the Sea power without “melding” with the sea after opening a crack in the seal. Lato Guiaro’s usage now was to help him seize all authority back from Juan Oro.

Hmph, foolish fellow, a group of fools. They hadn’t studied the sounds heard during every sea sacrifice after so many years. They guarded the treasure but failed to excavate it!

Sacrificing your life? Sacrificing yourself?

It’s meaningless!

Brains and strength are the foundation!

Juan Oro, still bleeding from his chest, was surprised to discover that the authority of the Governor of the Sea had shifted again. He stared at Lato Guiaro in confusion and horror, as if looking at a true devil.

Why? Why does the sea favor him more?

Why does the sea favor this traitor more?

At that moment, Mad Lady, on the other side of the bow, completed reciting the incoherent order.

The silver-gray behemoth at the bottom of the sea trembled slightly, increasing in magnitude, causing the entire seabed and all the seawater to quake.

Inside, beams of pure light converged and shot out from the open entrance, landing at the edge of the betrothal ship, forming a transparent tunnel-like energy passageway.

Mad Lady didn’t immediately leap into the pure light.

She understood that as the spaceship opened and activated further, the power accumulated in the depths of the seal would erupt. Everyone present, except the Governor of the Sea, would be torn apart.

But it didn’t matter. She had a solution. The plain silver ring on her right hand, a gift from Bard, held the boon from honoring the ancestors. It could steal that power and distribute it, sharing the burden with all the Children of the Sea in Port Santa.

Of course, those present would receive more. Whether they could endure it or not depended on fate.

When the moment arrived, the Fisheries Guild members would believe the sea prayer ritual had succeeded, celebrating with joy. Little did they know that their “sea” had been stolen. The irony delighted Mad Lady.

Just as she was about to use the ring, a strong sense of Danger Premonition hit her.

In a flash, her figure vanished, reappearing a few steps away.

A shadow rose from the deck where she had stood, but it failed to envelop her.

Mad Lady then spotted Mr. K, draped in a blood-colored cloak and hood, and Lumian Lee, wearing the Lie earring but yet to revert to his original appearance.

…

Port Santa, Governor of the Sea’s residence.

Bard stood by the window, gazing at the weeds outside. Silently calculating the time, he waited for the sea prayer ritual to progress.

If the sea’s boon arrived with a delay and cheers erupted from Milo Village, he would openly leave this place, abandoning those who had been deceived.

When the moment arrived, anyone attempting to stop him would be torn apart by the power of the sea.

In the absence of a delayed collective boon, but with the sky and sea undergoing ominous changes, as if a catastrophe had struck, Bard could wait for the spaceship or Mad Lady to pick him up.

Of course, he wouldn’t wait indefinitely. If there were no further developments from the sea prayer ritual within ten minutes, he would use his abilities to forcefully exit, shift positions, and conceal himself.

The early-stage abilities of the Marauder pathway weren’t formidable. Bard had developed the habit of remaining vigilant as he advanced step by step.

As the weeds swayed in the bright sunlight and mild wind, Bard suddenly heard faint footsteps.

The sound emanated from the corridor outside, so subtle that it seemed almost like an illusion.