Rhodes Island does not exist.

The darkness stretched out at both ends of the road, and a thick fog filled the surroundings.

If the situation cannot be resolved, then the Iberian people who are sleeping soundly in the night will likely face eternal slumber.

“The bishop must have known from the moment we stepped out of the seaside area,” Skadi said.

The two walked side by side in the shadows of the street corner, stealthily making their way towards the Cathedral of Afterglow.

"Is it because we're connected by blood?" the doctor asked.

“Hmm.” Skadi nodded. “Before, when we were in the seaside area, the scent of my bloodline was mixed with the fragrance of the deep sea, so it was basically impossible for my kind to distinguish me. But now that we have left the seaside area, my presence should be quite obvious to him.”

"Like the moon in the night sky?" The doctor looked up at the white moon, which was disguised by dark clouds.

“No, it’s like the North Star.” Skadi shook her head. “The ocean itself is the moon… If it’s the ocean awake, then it might be the sun at midnight.”

"If the sun is at midnight, then all the stars will be invisible?" the doctor thought for a moment.

“That’s exactly what I mean, so we’d better not see that day,” Skadi said expressionlessly.

"Wait a minute, if you just said that your existence is obvious to him, then isn't his existence also obvious to you?" The doctor suddenly realized something.

“Yes.” Skadi nodded. “That’s right, so I’m heading in his direction now.”

"rustle……"

As the two were talking, a soft, quiet footstep gradually reached their ears.

"Ding, ding."

He was a priest carrying a bell.

They were the night watchmen responsible for patrolling the Iberian nights.

Although Iberians are known for their simple and honest nature, the night watchmen did not exist to monitor theft, but rather to bring peace to the quiet night with the sound of their bells.

After all, there are quite a few people who can't fall asleep without their alarm clock ringing, so for them, this must be a form of ASMR.

"It's the clothing from the Sunset Cathedral."

Skadi's eyes seemed to be able to see clearly in the dark. Even when the Doctor could only hear the sounds but not see the people, she could already make out the patterns and styles of the clothes worn by the two Night Watchmen.

"What should we do?" the doctor asked.

“Follow them. Their destination is the same as ours,” Skadi said in a low voice. “The Night Watch returns to the Cathedral of Afterglow every hour to change shifts, and they are on their way back now.”

"But don't you know where the bishop is? Why are you following them?" the doctor asked.

“Don’t forget that our position is also exposed to their sights,” Skadi said. “There’s no point in hiding at a time like this. It’s better to stay behind the Night’s Watch. That way, if anything happens, they can provide us with warnings.”

"So, if you actually get to the Cathedral of Afterglow, what do you plan to do?" the doctor asked.

"I have my own way."

Skadi tightened the straps on her greatsword behind her.

-

"Ding, ding."

The sound of the bell never stopped.

The two watchmen, one carrying a lantern and the other ringing a bell, always rang the bell at just the right rhythm to make the appropriate sound travel.

Meanwhile, the Doctor and Skadi remained hidden in the shadows behind them, walking along the walls and alleyways.

"By the way, I actually have another question I'd like to ask you," the professor suddenly said.

Although the sound was very soft, it still drew Skadi's alert gaze.

"...Ask away."

She seemed to have some objection to the doctor's behavior, but ultimately did not express it.

“I understand that you’re not affected by the whispers of madness, but why am I not affected either?” the Doctor asked, looking at her. “Levi seems to be the same way.”

“No, Levini was influenced.” Skadi shook her head. “It’s just that because she still has the function of a sacrifice, the person who controls madness naturally cannot let her join that infighting feast. They can only let her watch another scene unfold from the sidelines.”

“Because people see things differently depending on their level of madness,” Skadi said calmly. “We generally call this phenomenon a cognitive filter. Under the influence of the filter, what we see is categorized into levels according to the degree of madness. The higher the level, the deeper the layer.”

"In other words, in the courtroom at that time, those who killed each other may have reached level five of madness, while Levini was only at level one of madness?" The doctor gave an analogy based on his own thinking as a doctor.

“You seem to be trying to explain this phenomenon using quantification.” Skadi’s brow furrowed slightly for a moment. “I don’t really recommend that.”

"Why?" the doctor asked, puzzled.

"Because madness is a purely emotional thing, its purpose is to destroy your rationality. Its existence is inherently opposed to rationality, so it is basically impossible to construct a framework for it using rational methods."

Skadi explained.

"The 'craziness level' I mentioned earlier was just for your understanding; please don't take it too seriously."

"And what about me?" the professor asked.

"what?"

“I was also at the entrance of the courtroom at the time, so why wasn’t I affected by the spreading madness?” the Doctor pressed. “You said before that the whispers were spread by the Cardinal, and when I arrived, the Cardinal was kneeling on the ground. I even touched him, so why didn’t I feel anything—?”

"Shhh."

Skadi frowned slightly.

"Do you feel it?"

The doctor's question was put on hold, and in return, he was given an ambiguous question.

But he knew exactly what the answer to the question was.

"felt it."

“Three, five, eight…twelve,” Skadi counted in a low voice. “There might be more.”

The ringtone disappeared without anyone noticing.

It was as if the night watchmen had foreseen the impending danger and quickly dispersed.

Or perhaps they knew from the beginning that someone was following them, but they were just pretending to be calm.

But in short, the atmosphere is no longer conducive to conversation.

-

Thank you segment.

Chapter 113, Chapter 112: Deep Sea Tales - Forty-Six Blue Lines

"Even now that things have come to this, how should I address you? It seems you've never introduced yourself to me."

Skadi slowly backed away, with the Doctor beside her, keeping pace with her.

“I don’t have a name. You can call me the way Levini calls me,” the doctor replied.

"What? Call you Mr. Healer? I refuse." Even Skadi, with her icy expression, showed a slightly disgusted look at this form of address.

"Then forget it." The doctor smiled. "You can just call me 'you' or 'hey,' I don't care about the form of address, as long as you know you're calling me."

"So."

Skadi took a deep breath.

"Watch out behind you."

"Whoosh-"

The spinning blade sliced ​​through the air, hurtling toward the doctor's spine.

"Ding!"

The doctor's right hand, hidden under his coat, arced backward, finally coming in handy with the hammer he had taken from the disciplinary army captain.

The sounds of metal clashing rang out, sparks flying in the darkness, scattering a dazzling light.

"Thank you." The Doctor gave Skadi a slight nod. "But next time, there's no need to be so formal with how you address me. Just let it be. And then—"

He stood up and took a few steps toward Skadi behind him.

One by one, the streetlights in sight went out.

As the night spread, countless figures with blood-red eyes began to appear one after another, like viscous ink.

"—Could you explain to me who these people are, Miss Skadi?"

Gripping the hammer in his right hand and the leather case in his left, the doctor's smile turned bitter.

“I had thought the Church would use the Papal Knights or the Punishing Army to surround us, but now I think I was wrong.”

Skadi's blood-red eyes swept over all the targets that were constantly appearing in the room before she spoke.

"No, let me correct you, this isn't the only mistake I made."

"What else?"

“Remember the artificial hybrid Agor we mentioned before?” Skadi slowly raised her right hand over her shoulder and grasped the alien greatsword that the Doctor would soon consider a mere decoration if she didn’t take it off.

“I remember you said that the project was stopped because the Great Tranquility had corrupted and eroded them all.” The doctor nodded.

“But in reality, that project never stopped.” Skadi shook her head. “Think about it, if these artificial hybrids, the Agor, are easily influenced by the whispers and corrupted into the side of the Familia, then why not let the Familia use this technology? That way, all the created beings would be warriors who obey the Deep Sea.”

“Look at these numbers.” Skadi sighed as she glanced at the surrounding scenery. “The red light is almost comparable to the stars in the sky… I’m afraid the hybrid experiments have only been said to have stopped; that bishop is probably still running them in his own name.”

"So you mean, these dark figures with glowing red eyes are all your brothers and sisters?" The doctor swallowed hard.

“At least fundamentally, they are,” Skadi did not deny.

"So what are our chances of winning?" Looking at those figures who were just standing still and didn't even intend to gradually approach, the doctor cut straight to the point.

"This number."

Skadi held out her left hand, making a three.

"Thirty percent?" The doctor breathed a slight sigh of relief. "That's alright, more than I expected."

“I mean, three percent,” Skadi said.

"...Then what do we do?"

After a moment of stunned silence, the doctor became much calmer upon hearing the answer.

“Do we have any other ideas?” Skadi asked. “Let me tell you beforehand, for Deepsea Hunters, shooting at moving targets is more accurate than shooting at stationary targets, so don’t even think about running away or anything like that, it won’t work.”

"So that means we have no choice but to force it?" The doctor gripped the hammer in his hand tightly.

“You don’t look like you have much fighting ability. If you try to fight head-on, your limbs will probably be torn off in less than ten seconds,” Skadi said calmly. “Although you’re a hybrid clone, you’re not someone to be trifled with.”

"It's alright, I don't intend to die here so easily." The doctor's expression didn't seem particularly tense. "After all, if you want to travel around Terra for decades, you have to have some skill to rely on."

"Then I'd really like to see your self-defense skills," Skadi said calmly.

As Skadi said this, she glanced at the leather suitcase that the Doctor always carried with him.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Skadi then looked away from the suitcase in the Doctor’s hand and swept her gaze over the group of mixed-race Agor in front of her. “I know you’ve been waiting for us to finish speaking. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.”

"It must be your guardians who provided you with good upbringing. Please thank them for me when you get back."

"Snapped."

The sound of a metal button coming off rang out.

"However, this request might be a little difficult for you."

"Snapped."

Another crisp metallic snap sound.

The Doctor had already noticed that the sound was coming from the sheath of the greatsword on Skadi's back.

"Because—you may never see him again."

"Snapped!"

The last clasp came loose.

But the doctor couldn't see how the greatsword was drawn.

He could only smell the fragrance of the sea and hear the sound of waves crashing on the shore.

"boom!"

Then, after his senses of smell and hearing were satisfied, he received the visual signal.