CHAPTER 150: | THE COMPLETION OF THE CORRUPTED KRAKEN

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  Inside the chamber, an idol of the Supreme God Skaira dominated the center of the room. Four massive pillars supported the ceiling, preventing the structure from crumbling under the weight of history. Directly above the idol, suspended by heavy, rattling chains, hung a massive spiritual stone. It dangled precariously, a prisoner of gravity, kept from crushing the stone deity below.

  The idol of Skaira held a scale within her palm, her face carved into a serene expression. Her eyes were covered by a thick veil, symbolizing her duty to judge all things in fairness, for she was the one true god of the Mara World.

  Samantha closed her eyes. She raised her hands, trying to seize the blinding 'sun' hanging from the ceiling, that glorious spiritual stone. But then she shook her head in pity. Pity that she couldn't possibly seize this artificial source of light, let alone the actual sun, which she had never truly seen.

  She steeled her resolve. She had finally made up her mind. She would tell him. She would speak her decision so that the worries she caused him would dissipate like clouds vanishing into the endless horizon, drifting across the world to give rain to lands that needed them urgently.

  Creak.

  Speak of the devil. The door groaned in a rustic, heavy way as air flowed through the stagnant room. Then it opened fully, and the metallic tang of fresh blood assaulted the air, accompanying the man she had waited for. The battle had ended only a quarter of an hour ago.

  She sighed, parting her lips, but she couldn't bring herself to mutter the words. Her immense pride choked her. It wouldn't let her admit that she was that kind of woman, a whore who enjoyed pain more than attention. She bit her lip until it bled red, the sharp sting grounding her. Thanks to her impressive regeneration, it healed the moment she let go.

  She muttered softly, her voice trembling with denial yet heavy with truth. "I... I decided... I accept it! I accept that I am that kind of woman! A whore worse than a bitch... someone that shouldn't deserve this kind of man... a man that is too good for someone like me.... I detest you for helping me discover that fetish of mine... but I await your answer before coming to a conclusion to what I should do... to what I should do so that I can stay with you..."

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  ~ ? ~ In the deepest part of the Abyss — In the Fallen Empire of Atlantis — In the Ruins of the Imperial Capital ~ ? ~

  Meanwhile, at the center of the Empire of Atlantis, the ruins of the once-glorious capital lay silent. It was the wreckage of the biggest empire the Abyss had ever seen, destroyed after a battle where none knew the victor. Was it the Empress? Was it the Five Gods?

  That was the question the small tribes scattered miles away wanted to know, but no one could answer. The perpetrator of the destruction was far out of their reach. None knew anything, except for the rumors of a massacre in the endless mountains of the Sacred Expanse, where the Seven Lords guarding the treasures of the gods were wiped out by two individuals. No one knew what they looked like or their gender, because a flying sword constructed from pure radiance would kill anyone who dared approach the center of the mountains.

  But that is not the topic at hand. This is the story of the Chieftain of the Scavengers. He was a man born from a mismatch of human and shark fused together, Marko, the Chieftain of the Marko Tribe. He was a leading powerhouse in this new era, where the tyranny of the Five Gods had ended and the domain of Atlantis had crumbled. Though illiterate and ignorant, Marko knew the significance of scavenging the heart of Atlantis. He speculated that the tombs of the Great Empress were surely left untouched by the other tribes.

  So, he began his excursion. True to his wisdom, his daughter discovered a peerless treasure: a trident with the qualities of an Overlord Item, found near the palace grounds. And upum the discovery Marko commanded his men to scavenge the site, hoping to unearth something far more valuable. To his disbelief, he found thousands of pills that could permanently elevate his physique, a set of armor, high-grade weapons, and thousands of scriptures. He smiled at the discovery. These treasures were enough to elevate their tribe to be the greatest in this new era.

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  With vigor, Marko ordered his men to haul the loot back to their base. He took out a telescope, surveying the edge of the capital to see if other tribes had entered their territory. But before he could relax, his daughter called for his attention.

  "Father! We should stop this excavation and look somewhere else. I feel... something dreadful lurking in here." Her words were cut short as one of her father's men let out an excited shout.

  "Chief! Chief! There's something here!!!"

  "Chief! There's more than a cocoon! There’s gold! It’s gold! We've struck it rich!"

  Hearing the news, Marko ignored his daughter’s remarks. He grinned toothily, rows of serrated teeth flashing, and launched himself off the ground, gliding towards the site. There, he saw an ominous cocoon. He remembered his daughter's warning, but dismissed it instantly when he saw the pile of gold, treasures, and pills right beside it.

  "Bababababa! We've struck it rich again, boys! Haul it! Haul it! Because today we're going to drown in booze!"

  "Praise the Chief! Praise the treasures! Praise the booze!"

  His men cheered. All of them were simple-minded; when their Chief shouted about booze, their minds went into overdrive. They clawed through the sands to unearth more treasures. But Marko’s daughter, Kal, wore a worried face. She could see the cocoon pulsing softly every now and then. Before she could voice her opinion again, her father noticed her hesitation.

  Marko lifted a hand to silence her daughter, then shouted with avarice. "What do you mean stop, Kal?! We're striking it rich today! We're becoming the strongest clan in this new era! So why do we stop here because of some unsettling feeling?! Because of a mere cocoon that is pulsin...."

  THRUM!!

  His words were cut short. The cocoon let out a wave of pressure that washed away Marko’s greed in an instant. He snapped his head to stare at the thing, but felt nothing. He tried to continue. "W-what do you fear about this cocoon, Kal?!!"

  THUMP-THUMP!!

  Another wave of pressure washed over them, drowning them in pure fear. All of Marko's men were sent flying through the currents. His heart went cold. He saw the cocoon trembling. An erratic heartbeat pumped from within the flesh-like shell.

  RRRIP!!!

  The sound of flesh tearing apart echoed. Marko saw his daughter shredded into pieces in front of him.

  Gasp!

  He snapped back to reality, his face as pale as a sheet of paper. It had been a hallucination, a projection of killing intent. He frantically searched for his daughter. Seeing her fine, he let out a sigh of relief.

  THUMP-THUMP. THUMP-THUMP.

  The relief was cut short. He heard those very same heartbeats beating erratically in the real world. He saw the tendrils dancing across the water, shredding his men into pieces exactly as he had foreseen. His face went drained of blood.

  He pushed his daughter away, shouting with urgency. "YOU LOT! RETREA...."

  KRAAAAAK!

  Before he could finish his sentence, a shiver washed over him. What he saw next was pure horror. The cocoon shattered. A beautiful woman with fair, pale skin levitated into the air. Her raven hair cascaded over her shoulders and down to her rear. In the next moment, nine massive tendrils broke free from the woman’s back. They split into thousands of smaller strands, joining the other tendrils dancing in the waters. A bloody massacre followed.

  SQUELCH! SNAP! SPLATTER!

  Marko clenched his teeth, freezing in fear as he witnessed the exact scenery where all of them died in that hallucination happening all over again. He watched his subordinates get skewered alive. He watched his beautiful daughter, right beside him, get shredded into pieces as the tendrils fed into her flesh and bones.

  His body trembled with despair. Then, it was replaced with rage burning his soul. He felt like he was going insane at the sight. He clenched his claws, muscles bulging unnaturally from the fury. But before he could charge at the woman, a cool touch caressed his face.

  SHLICK.

  Pain wrecked his stomach. A tendril had pierced him. Before he could truly take a close look at his killer's face, his vision gave in.

  Amara, feeling refreshed after her evolution, opened her mouth. Her head expanded unnaturally, unhinging like a deep-sea nightmare.

  CRUNCH.

  She took a bite at the unknown fly in her way. Her head returned to its original form, and she eerily wiped the blood that splattered onto her face. She looked down toward the South, sensing that the channel leading to the next segment had been opened.

  She smiled, her voice muttering softly in the silence of the dead city. "My... it seems that little guy has finally left this segment. It would have been dangerous if I met him right now, since he could easily crush me like what he did to me a decade ago." Then she took a step. Her mana, tainted with the divinity of the Evil God Xu Tie, exploded outwards.

  WOOSH.