Ark Undead

Ulpian threw away the anchor beside him, grabbed a short knife, and lunged at Skadi with a calm gaze, as if to fulfill the promise he had made to Skadi.

“Skadi, remember this: you are a Deepsea Hunter. We are your companions, your fellow travelers on this journey. Trust Grandia and Laurentina, and also trust my judgment.”

“If the day ever comes when you become Ishar-mla, I will not hesitate to wield my weapon and grant you the right to a brief moment of lucidity.”

Skadi's body has begun to transform into Haisi, and there is no turning back. Ulpian has no choice either.

In the end, she will become a part of Ishar-mla.

The short sword severed the body of the Sea King, which was connected to Skadi's limbs, in an instant.

Strangely, no blood flowed from their joint.

Despite having all four limbs severed, Skadi was granted a brief period of lucidity amidst her suffering.

A surge of emotion gradually rose in her eyes, and a clear mind took over.

Facing her captain, Skadi opened her mouth in anguish.

“Ulpian...Captain, I have…”

The silver-haired bounty hunter understood her situation; a part of her body was still connected to the Lord of the Horde.

She was fully aware that she was being transformed into Hai Si.

Skadi's consciousness is about to fall into chaos once again.

Her body had been used as a transit point by the Lords of the Masses, and under the combined influence of the wedge stone and the blood of the Old Gods, she could no longer maintain her sanity.

"Kill...kill me."

Since the last Great Stillness, Skadi has had a vague sense of danger.

She tried her best to prevent this day from coming, but in the end, she could not escape it.

They would fight against their own kind, whether hunters or prey.

This is the fate of the deep-sea hunters, a curse they cannot escape.

"Don't be afraid, Skadi."

However, Ulpian offered words of comfort.

Do you remember what I told you before?

“Remember, you are a Deepsea Hunter. We are your companions, your fellow travelers on this journey. Trust Gretia and Laurentina, and also trust my judgment.”

Ulpian has never treated anyone kindly, including now.

The man's tone remained harsh, as if his heart had never softened.

Skadi could no longer hear Ulpian's voice; her lips were still moving, repeating the last three words she had uttered.

Away from the large group, the deep-sea hunter cradled his teammate's body in his left hand and raised the short knife in his hand.

"Sleep peacefully, and when you wake up, you'll see the stars."

Seemingly abandoning his promise to the doctor, the sharp blade pierced down, tearing open the hunter's muscles.

Blood gushed out, spraying onto her still-white skin, like fiery red maple leaves falling into a snowdrift, intense and resolute.

From then on, she will stay away from dreams.

466. And so, the deep sea came into being. 17,000

Skadi could feel warm liquid dripping onto her skin.

The senses, which had become so blurred as to be imperceptible, are returning to their physical form.

However, the expected stinging pain and the regret of losing consciousness did not occur; instead, it was as if I had escaped from a dream.

Along with an overwhelming drowsiness, the extreme situation returned to his brain.

The wills that had been assimilated by the Lords of the Masses, and even the inert blood that was gradually assimilated by the wedge stones, were at this moment stirred by something that awakened the wills hidden within them.

When Skadi opened her eyes, she saw a pair of eyes that were extremely clear-headed, eyes that were devoid of any emotion.

Unfortunately, Skadi was no longer able to speak at this point.

The rampaging blood of the ancient gods surged within her, and the blood that had congealed at the cuts in her limbs began to flow again.

Deep red blood, thick as paint, flowed from the severed limbs of Skadi. Her body was cold, yet felt as if it were burning.

That moment of clarity that shook her only lasted a instant before she fell into a dreamless slumber.

Ulpian's left hand trembled slightly as he struggled to lift Skadi's body, preventing her from falling to the ground so quickly.

At that moment, a short knife plunged deep into his chest, cutting a cross-shaped wound at his heart.

He slowly pulled the dagger out of his heart wound, causing it to gush out along with the blood in his body.

However, what was hidden inside his body was a long-rotten liquid.

The deep black blood throbbed on the crimson, scalding blood of the ancient gods, and was then swallowed up by the blood of the ancient gods as it surged, filtering out a liquid as clear and transparent as seawater.

Ulpian's right hand trembled, his lips quivered, but his gaze remained as unwavering as steel.

The blade reached above Skadi's body and stabbed down forcefully, piercing the Deepsea Hunter's chest.

The clear seawater seemed to have found its way home, rising into the air under the guidance of the dagger.

The hunter's blood, long since putrid, lost all its so-called divinity under the devouring of the blood of the old gods, returning to its most primitive form, like the crystallization of seawater, returning to the bodies of the sea's children.

The blood of the Old Gods, having devoured the blood of the corrupted hunters, was driven by extreme agitation and craving, even chasing after the slowly dripping blood all the way into the hunters' bodies.

Ulpian took a deep breath, and his head snapped back as if he had been hit hard with a hammer.

The power from the gods of the deep sea surged into his body, giving him an illusion that he was omnipotent for a moment.

At that moment, he heard whispers from the abyss and his homeland echoing in his ears.

In an instant, Ulpian felt a connection coming from in front of him.

The severed bloodline returned at this moment, reappearing in this taciturn hunter.

A slight smile curved his lips, and with a tremor, he uttered a single syllable.

"Oh."

...

The clash of weapons was incessant, and the battle between the deep-sea hunters never ceased.

Those corrupted by the Lord of the Deep Sea can no longer be called partners.

Goredia knew this all too well. Therefore, she never held back when dealing with these mindless companions.

The sharp edge of the long spear and the storm have already torn apart countless bodies of its kind.

As a result, the heat in her body became even more pronounced.

Finally, after another clash of swords, Goredia seemed to have lost all her strength. She took two or three steps back and was about to sit down on the ground.

A slightly weak hand supported her back and pressed against her hardened back skin.

"Just as I expected, your condition is very serious."

Kal'tsit's stern and cold voice rang out behind Goredia.

“The condition worsened again after the last surgery. The more I fight against my own kind, the more I become like them.”

"I already knew."

Even though she was temporarily unable to fight, Goredia remained calm. She had already prepared herself for this when she first noticed the scales growing on her body.

"This is the destiny of us deep-sea hunters, the inevitable outcome we face after choosing this path."

"Was it all really worth it?"

"Kal'tsit asked softly."

"So many people sacrificed themselves, even facing the danger of extinction, for that slim hope?"

"As the creator, you should have already figured out the answer to this question, right?"

With Kal'tsit's help, Gladys regained her balance. She calmed her disordered breathing and glanced sideways at Kal'tsit, who was standing behind her.

"Otherwise, why would you create us, and even leave behind information on becoming deep-sea hunters?"

In response to Gladys's question, Kal'tsit unusually did not respond at all.

She actually knew.

As one of the creators of the new humans, she couldn't possibly be unaware of Hai Si's existence. She even knew that there was a close connection between the unstable experimental subjects and the stable experimental subjects.

All the data was obtained from the bodies of the abyss creations. Those failed experiments possessed extremely strong combat capabilities and the ability to evolve autonomously.

They can survive in any extreme environment, requiring only a small amount of nutrition to sustain the entire group during hibernation.

However, they do not conform to Kal'tsit's initial conception of the new humans. They lack all the social concepts that humans should possess, and even the good things that belong to human nature.

Therefore, the failed products were shelved, discarded, and locked away in the hold like garbage.

These Agorians are a near-perfect new human race.

They possess the ability to live in the ocean, can survive in any region of Terran, and also have the pursuit and yearning for a better life, as well as all the emotions that humans should have.

But what they lack is the power to fight against the abyss.

This is a problem left by Kal'tsit. She didn't make a decision back then, but instead left the key to opening the Pandora's box to the Agorians themselves.

Once a person undergoes the deep-sea hunter's modification surgery, they are no longer a pure Agor.

Instead, they are pitiful people who survive in the struggle between humanity and bestiality, incorporating the sophisticated instruments of the Hai Si organization.

Ultimately, however, they will fall into darkness under the extremely intense assimilation of the Haisi organization and become a part of Haisi.

But the Agorians had no choice.

Without the guidance of Kal'tsit and the Doctor, the Agorians had come to a standstill. Without weapons, they couldn't even survive.

Thus, these deep-sea hunters, who use the body tissues of the sea creatures as their source of power, came into being.

Their lives were changed because of this; even the dark and gloomy seabed became a place they had to kill.

Until they reached the end of their humanity, step by step into the grave under the curse of the abyss.