Rhodes Island does not exist.

"The end...?"

The doctor looked into the distance and his expression suddenly turned to surprise.

He saw the distant seawater churning and surging as if boiling, and it was gradually approaching the shore.

“Those are ferocious beasts that come with the tides.” Skadi recalled what she had experienced here before and said, “They were originally creatures that lived on the seabed, but now they have all been awakened.”

"Ferocious beasts? What about the familiars you mentioned before?" the professor asked.

“The Familia are still deeper in the region.” Skadi shook her head. “And if the Familia are really able to reach the shore, then unless Lateran directly transfers the main force of the Papal Knights, Iberia will be doomed.”

"Is it that serious?" The Doctor had never seen what a Familia looked like, nor had he experienced the terror that Skadi had faced, so he could only ask.

“The serious problem isn’t the Familia itself, but its master.” Skadi’s steps didn’t stop as she spoke. “If the Familia awakens, then the awakening of its master is only a matter of time… because in fact they have always been in a state of dormancy, just waiting for an opportunity to reappear.”

“Therefore, the summoning ritual must be stopped immediately.” Skadi drew her greatsword from her back. “Where are your helpers? Where are they keeping the bishop occupied—”

Skadi's words trailed off.

That was an unconscious interruption, because her gaze caught an object that caught her attention.

It was a long cylinder that tumbled and flew through the air, with five thin branches extending from its end. It was an ordinary and common-looking object.

—It was an arm, an arm flying in the air.

It suddenly appeared in Skadi's field of vision, then flew away in circles, disappearing at the edge of her sight, and crashed into the soft sand before the Doctor's eyes.

Incidentally, the sleeve of that arm was embroidered with the pattern of the Sunset Cathedral.

With the scene etched in their minds, the two silently walked around the boulder that blocked their view of the coastline and saw the small chapel they had left behind, as well as the complex scene at the chapel entrance.

"Ah-"

The bishop, now in Agor's true form, was crouching on the ground, gasping for breath, clutching the severed part of his right arm. Standing before him was a deformed creature of indistinguishable race and the Philin woman connected to it.

The woman with silver-white short hair had a cold expression like Skadi's twin sister. She wore a dark coat similar to the one worn by the Doctor, and her eyes were fixed on the broken part of the bishop's upper arm.

It looks like the bishop's arm was severed by that strange creature.

"You are slow."

I glanced at the doctor out of the corner of my eye, and the woman with the film spoke up with a greeting that sounded like a casual greeting.

“Something unexpected happened, otherwise I wouldn’t have needed your help.” The Doctor naturally carried the box toward the woman in Felin. Although the air was cold, the familiar atmosphere made Skadi feel a little reluctant to leave.

“I think it was more unexpected on my end.” The woman from Felin shook her head. “The initial notice was that someone from the church would drive me to Iberia, but instead of a car, I was met by several priests who were about to kill me.”

"Plans can't keep up with changes, and this isn't the first time something like this has happened," the doctor shrugged.

“I think it’s better not to get used to this change,” the woman from Felin retorted. “I hope you understand that I walked all the way from Asturias this time.”

“That’s true, otherwise you would have arrived this afternoon.” The doctor nodded.

“I think you should have said an apology, not what you just said.” The woman from Felin shifted her gaze from the bishop to the doctor’s eyes.

Although her expression remained as calm as Skadi's, the doctor had already seen through the hidden emotions within it.

"So nobody's going to explain this to me?" Skadi stood three meters away from the bishop, observing their conversation, and couldn't help but feel a rare sense of annoyance, something extremely unusual for her emotional state.

"what."

Realizing he had perhaps neglected his benefactor, the Doctor introduced her to Skadi, saying, "This is the partner I was talking about; you can call her Kal'tsit."

"Kal'tsit..."

Skadi's eyes narrowed slightly.

For some reason, Skadi had been sensing a kind of familiarity from this Felin woman named Kal'tsit since the beginning, but her Felin identity was genuine, which made Skadi slightly suspicious of Kal'tsit and the monster connected to her.

However, the focus now should obviously not be on Kal'tsit and her monster, but on the bishop whose arm Kal'tsit cut off.

"This is the bishop you mentioned before; he's practically powerless to resist now." Kal'tsit didn't give Skadi a second glance because of the Doctor's introduction; instead, she cut straight to the point.

"And what about Levini?" the doctor asked.

“The little girl is staying in the church,” Kal’tsit said. “She’s quite well-behaved and quiet.”

"It's good that you're alright." The doctor breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the bishop on the ground. "By the way, why hasn't he said a word since just now?"

“Because he couldn’t speak.” Skadi shook her head. “I cut off his tongue, then severed all the Originium circuits in his body, and finally cut off the hand with the sign on it—yes, the one you saw when you came over just now.”

"So he's a useless person now."

Kal'tsit said it casually.

Chapter 124, Chapter 123: Deep Sea Tales, Chapter 57: Symphony of the Night Under the Moon

So, is it all over?

The doctor sat on a chair in front of the chapel, gazing at the still turbulent sea in the distance, and thought to himself.

Beside him was an uneasy-looking Levini, and in front of him was a bishop in unbearable pain, while on either side of the bishop were two women who had been deliberately keeping their distance from him since the beginning.

"When can we leave here?" Levini gazed at the same spot as the Doctor. Although her physical and mental state had returned to normal, it might be difficult for her to return to her original mischievous self.

“Perhaps soon,” the doctor said. “Everything is nearing its end; now it’s just a matter of how they deal with the bishop.”

"Then...where should I go after I leave here?" Levini shifted her gaze from the sea to the Doctor's profile and asked softly, "Although it's the place where I grew up, I probably can't go back to Asturias...After all, after what happened, I'm afraid I won't be able to live anywhere under the jurisdiction of the Holy See."

"I don't know," the doctor shook his head.

He knew that Levi was waiting for an answer, an answer she was hoping for.

Unfortunately, the doctor couldn't give her that answer.

And Levi... probably understands as well.

“Sir, healer,” Levini spoke slowly, her tone as gentle as a flower blooming in the sun, “if your ideals are realized, the drug is successfully developed, and the shelter is completed, can you still fulfill the promise you made in the car?”

What back then?

The doctor smiled bitterly to himself.

That happened just yesterday.

Yes, I arrived here yesterday, and only a day has passed, but it feels like I've experienced some kind of life-or-death separation.

But he did say it to Levini at that time.

Memories of yesterday in the car flooded his mind.

If one day you actually realize this ideal and build such a shelter, could you adopt me?

[As long as you still possess the same innocence and passion back then as you do now.]

He said that.

So the Doctor turned his gaze from the seaside back to Levini and nodded.

However, Levi closed her eyes.

"But from now on, we probably won't be able to see each other again."

“Sir, you have your own ideal path to follow, and I cannot possibly drag you down by following behind you. I know that would only hinder your progress.”

"So."

She opened her eyes.

"How about we slightly modify the promise you made back then?"

"Change?" the doctor asked. "How do you want to change?"

“Not innocence and enthusiasm.” Her gaze was fixed on the doctor. “It’s if by then you can still find me, and I’m still alive.”

"Don't joke around." The Doctor shook his head. "Do you really want to venture out into Terra alone? You're too weak and alone; you can't even get out of the wilderness outside Asturias. I'll at least have to get you to..."

“I know,” Levini interrupted the Doctor’s slightly agitated speech. “I never said I would go to my death, but what about after that? We would still go our separate ways and live alone for who knows how many years.”

The Doctor was silent.

"So, if after that, after you finally achieve your dream, I hope we can have the opportunity to meet again."

“We will,” the doctor said. “I promise.”

His gaze was firm.

The seawater flows in the background.

-

Meanwhile, on the other side, two women.

"So, what do you plan to do with him?" Skadi glanced at the bishop who was tightly bound at her feet and asked without looking up.

Although it was their first meeting, they didn't seem to get along very well due to their personalities.

"The choice in this matter should not be mine. As a native of this place, how you deal with him should be your right, or the right of you locals. It has nothing to do with me," Kal'tsit said calmly.

“Sigh, you even cut out his tongue, so you won’t be able to get anything out of him.” Skadi shook her head, seemingly dissatisfied with Kal’tsit’s fait accompli approach.

“It was a last resort.” Kal’tsit’s gaze fell on the bishop’s blood-stained lips. “If he were to recite a bunch of disturbing words to you for no reason, you would do the same.”

“Fine.” Skadi stopped dwelling on the issue. “We can’t put him back in the sea now, nor can we take him back to the court for trial. After all, we have no evidence. Taking him back in our current position would only make it easier for them to turn the tables on us.”

It was clear that Skadi was contemplating whether or not to kill the bishop here.

But just as she was pondering this question, the bishop's body suddenly began to change.

"This is...water?"

Kal'tsit was the first to observe the changes in the bishops.

After all, in order to avoid making eye contact with the other woman in front of her, she always kept her eyes fixed on the bishop.

"Squeak-"

Strange sounds began to emanate from the bishop's body.

His body, missing parts of his limbs, was beginning to swell in a bizarre way, and the sound seemed to be the tearing sound of clothes being stretched open.

"Stay away."

Skadi called out a warning and at the same time jumped back two steps, watching the bishop who was undergoing transformation with vigilance.

She had seen this kind of thing before.

"What's wrong?" The Doctor, who was sitting on a chair to the side, heard the voice coming from the bishop's direction and immediately stood up, shielding Levini behind him.

“This person’s size is gradually increasing.” Kal’tsit frowned and stepped back, while the monster attached to her also assumed a battle-ready stance, ready to attack the expanding flesh at any moment.

"The heat is also increasing." The doctor gave a simple explanation, but arrived at a complicated conclusion.

"I was wrong. I'm sorry, I was wrong from the very beginning."

Staring at the bishop's increasingly gigantic body, Skadi suddenly uttered an apology that left everyone bewildered.

Before anyone else could voice their doubts, she preemptively took the greatsword from her back and slashed directly at the bishop on the ground.

That was the flash of blue light that the Doctor had seen tonight.

However, unlike the results he had seen before, this time there was no blood and flesh tearing apart, and no wounds were exposed.

"laugh--"

The sound of the blade striking the ground was a dull thud, not even clear enough for everyone to hear.

Pale blue blood seeped slightly from where the blade touched the skin, but that was all.

Because this is just a superficial wound.

-

I almost forgot to update.

Thank you segment.

Chapter 125, Chapter 124: Deep Sea Tales - The Eyes of the Fifty-Eight Priestesses

"What do you mean by saying you're wrong?" the Doctor asked Skadi while shielding Levini behind him.

"Remember those...speculations I told you about earlier? About...Agor!"

Skadi raised her greatsword and then brought it down on the bishop in front of her once more.

"Stop watching, come and help me!" After slamming down, she shouted the most emotionally charged words the Doctor had ever heard from her since they met.

"How exactly do we do it?" Kal'tsit asked.