"Rather than 'gods,' they're more like powerful life forms. I've looked into the Seaborn's data. This pyramid-like collective consciousness and absolute control over subordinates indeed make it very easy for powerful, super-spec life forms to emerge. Hmm... only the Seaborn can do this. For normal people, even if they have faith, it's just faith; it won't reach the point of being willing to give everything for that faith."
Nian completely refused to acknowledge that something that could be cut down by a mere mortal could be called a 'god.' Even the utterly disgraceful Kashchey was not an opponent that humans could defeat... "Wait, Kanna, if it's inherited... No way..." Thinking of Kashchey, whom Kanna had beaten into fleeing and hiding somewhere to recover, Nian recalled Kanna's explanation about Skadi just now. Nian had a bad feeling.
"That's right. Due to Aegir's influence, it couldn't transmit its consciousness to its kin and was then besieged and killed by the Abyssal Hunters. But Ishar-mla transmitted its 'divine oracle' to Skadi, who had fallen with it to kill it, and then its consciousness resided within Skadi. In other words, the 'god' that was killed is inside Skadi."
Kanna indicated that Nian didn't need to overthink; it was indeed true.
"You've seen it?"
"Of course. The first time I saw Skadi, it even greeted me, but I scared it away with an 'awoo'."
Kanna wasn't nervous at all. After all, according to the plot, their group had plenty of time. As long as Skadi and her companions hadn't returned to Aegir by the time they arrived, there would be enough time. Even if they were a step too late and Skadi's group had already gone into the water, she was confident she could go deep into the sea and bring them out.
"Tsk... I hope we don't encounter the situation I least want to see..." Nian felt a headache over Kanna's carefree attitude. Although she didn't understand the Seaborn, she understood gods.
According to current intelligence, there are many Seaborn in this town called Gran Faro. Whatever their previous goal was, upon discovering Skadi, with the power of the entity inside Skadi, it would be entirely possible to make these Seaborn focus their attention on Skadi.
Her own abilities were useless on the ocean, and who knew how many Seaborn would come here after getting the news? Once surrounded, even if Skadi's strength far surpassed ordinary people, it would be difficult to avoid being dragged back into the sea.
And Nian could bet that once Skadi entered the sea, what would await her would absolutely not be Aegir, but a Seaborn army that had long been prepared.
"Don't worry, we'll make it in time!"
"Then I'll take your word for it..."
"What are you two talking about? Is there someone else inside Skadi?" Misery didn't quite understand Kanna and Nian's conversation.
"Hmm, you wouldn't understand overly abstract metaphors. Let me tell you something you can understand: Talulah and the 'Undying Black Snake' Kashchey, whom we faced in Chernobog!"
Kanna found these gods of Terra quite interesting, fond of these "dragon-slayers become dragons" kind of tricky operations, highlighting an undying, indestructible nature like a skin rash. They were the absolute nemesis of those who harbored thoughts of 'lower challenging higher.'
Because if one's realm wasn't high enough, the only result of rashly challenging a superior would be possession or even corruption by it, followed by the gradual eradication of the opponent's consciousness and then the usurper taking over.
"So that's how it is. Then, will Skadi...?" Misery nodded in understanding, but then suddenly wondered if Skadi would meet the same fate as Talulah.
"Don't worry, if Skadi was as smart as Talulah, she would have been corrupted by Ishar-mla long ago. But Ishar-mla didn't expect Skadi to be an instinct-driven individual. After landing, she felt that the closer she was to the water, the more dangerous it became, so she simply ran deep into the continent, thereby reducing Ishar-mla's power. If she hadn't returned to Iberia this year due to some matters and gotten close to the sea, the entity inside her would probably still be firmly suppressed. And now, it has only revealed a tiny crack. As long as this matter is over, and Skadi returns to Rhodes Island for a period, it won't be too late to think of a way to deal with the Seaborn after everything settles."
So, the wise have their path, and the simpletons have theirs. Even someone as intelligent as Talulah can be exploited by these "evil spirits" to break through her psychological defenses, but the simple-minded Orca is different. Up until the Fool's Ship incident, she actually hadn't given Ishar-mla many opportunities.
Even with the "World-Ending Line," the other party merely amplified her urgent desire to return to Aegir, then successfully orchestrated a large-scale ambush, allowing Ishar-mla to successfully return.
Therefore, the simplest way to solve this matter is to make Skadi understand that now is not the time to return to Aegir. As long as she herself is determined not to enter the deep sea, then the Seaborn in the sea truly have no way to deal with her.
"Wait, what's on the ground ahead?"
Misery, who had been chatting and driving, suddenly stopped.
Not far in front of the vehicle, rows of black, slimy membranes covered the ground, looking like sludge from the depths of a swamp or oil spewing from underground.
"seaborn trace! It seems we've encountered Abyssal Cultists or Seaborn!" Kanna, bold due to her skill, jumped directly onto it. Feeling a tingling sensation from the ground, she quickly identified the source of this thing.
"seaborn trace?"
"As everyone knows, these Seaborn cannot survive on land for long periods, which is why the creatures on the continent can survive. seaborn trace is a method and attempt they devised to come ashore. It's a type of algae that can grow and spread on its own and survive on the land's surface.
Through magic, the substances of the ocean are transformed into 'seaborn trace' to cover the land, allowing the Seaborn to rely on the seaborn trace to penetrate deep into the continent.
However, this technology is not yet mature; it can only cover coastal areas and cannot support these Seaborn in advancing inland.
Everyone, be careful. While this substance is beneficial to the Seaborn, it produces a neurotoxin in other creatures that come into contact with it. Although the threat is not great, over time, the toxicity becomes increasingly severe, eventually reaching a critical point."
As she spoke, Kanna flicked her finger, and a ball of electricity shot out from her fingertip, growing larger in the air until it became a giant electric sphere ten meters in diameter. The electric sphere rotated and rolled over the seaborn trace, instantly burning the seaborn trace it passed over into charcoal.
"Let's go. Unless this stuff is completely cleared, it will eventually grow back. There's no need for us to get entangled with these things here."
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