A tattered pirate ship, broken and rotting, rode the crest of a wave and drifted in sideways, its hull tilting as it surged forward, kicking up a towering spray of seawater.
The "Drowned Sailors" clung to the uneven wooden planks of the ship's hull, laughing hoarsely at Ging and Germain, whose shoulders were already submerged beneath the dark waters.
Neither of them could touch the seabed anymore. They just kept treading water, aimlessly paddling to stay afloat.
"Heehee—heeheehee—"
"Germain, can you understand what they're saying?" Ging asked, his worn and filthy clothes now puffed up with water like they were stuffed with soggy balls.
"I don't know their language," Germain replied. "But I can feel the meaning behind their voices."
"What are they saying?"
"They say we'll drown here. That we'll become wandering spirits, lost souls feeding the tower."
Ging chuckled, loud and bold.
In the next instant, he slapped the surface of the water with both hands, propelling himself into the air.
Golden energy surged into his hands, forming a massive gleaming blade.
With a twist of his body, he spun mid-air and brought the weapon down toward the pirate ship.
"Let's see who's really drowning here."
One of the "Drowned Sailor" saw him flying toward them and hastily swung an anchor.
It was like watching a discus fly—he hurled the heavy iron weapon with all his strength.
Swoosh—
The wet anchor tore through the air, dragging a rattling chain behind it.
If it struck Ging, it would wrap around him like a python and drag him down into the depths.
But Ging didn't flinch.
With sharp focus, he met the anchor mid-air, clashing his golden blade against it.
Clang!
A shockwave burst out from the impact, and Ging used the force to rebound to the side.
He tapped the water with his feet, skimming its surface like a seabird in flight, and glided toward the pirate ship.
While Ging clashed with the "Drowned Sailors," Germain unfurled his silver wings and rose from the water, hovering in midair.
From above, he caught a glimpse of a shadow lurking beneath the currents—a massive creature, swift and graceful.
The upper half was humanoid, the lower half a fish's tail, its shimmering scales glowing even beneath the murky waters.
A mermaid.
Or more precisely—a siren, the sea demons.
Germain had seen many of them before, swimming near the shores of Lake Möbius.
But this one…
This one was clearly their king.
Its size alone was monstrous, absurd even.
"The Enchanting Siren" — that was its name, and a reflection of its dreadful power.
Its song could entrance the mind, seduce the soul, and drive even the strongest into madness.
As it turned its body, an ugly, lantern-fish-like face broke through the surface of the water.
The forbidden melody followed.
"La— la la—"
The waters beneath churned violently.
Dark shadows emerged — some massive, some small — creatures of different races and origins.
All of them had died here, transformed into drowned ghosts.
Now, under the siren's call, they all obeyed.
The dead surged up from the silent depths, like goldfish drawn by the scent of food.
From Germain's perspective, whether it was The Enchanting Siren, The Drowned Sailors, or those aquatic phantoms — they were all just "goldfish."
Just like the other monstrosities he'd encountered before — The Collector, The Fleshless One, The Boar God, The Lord of Dead, The Prophet of Lies — these creatures had stepped right into the trap, completely unaware.
This man-made "Tower Lake" might have given The Enchanting Siren and The Drowned Sailors the home advantage — but that was only if they could make use of it.
Germain didn't waste a single word.
He calmly took out the Deep Sea Badge.
As his strength grew, he could tap more deeply into the power of the Hunter Badge, the Resentment Badge, and now, the Deep Sea Badge.
Each step took him further.
Whoooosh—
Under the guidance of the Deep Sea Badge, a freezing mist began to pour out, swirling like smoke.
It spread rapidly, consuming every corner of the battlefield.
In an instant, the boiling waters at the base of the tower calmed.
They stilled like crystal, clear and motionless, as if a massive transparent gem had been embedded into the floor.
The Drowned Sailors, who had been battling Ging, realized too late that their ragged ship had been frozen mid-surfacing.
They could no longer move.
The Enchanting Siren fared no better.
Only her grotesque, bloated upper body remained above the water, while her fish-like tail beneath was completely frozen in place.
She writhed, twisting her torso like a fat-headed fish trying desperately to squeeze out of a can.
If even two champion-class monsters were reduced to this state, there was no need to mention the drowned ghosts below.
Every last one of them was trapped in place — frozen solid like insects suspended in amber.
Click—click—
Chunks of ice shattered like mirrors, the once-frozen water beginning to flow again.
It surged with force, as if a pair of giant invisible hands were stirring the lake at the heart of the tower.
Germain confirmed the "Deep Sea Badge" in his hand was still active.
And yet, the ice was still melting.
That could only mean one thing—
The power of the "Deformed Limp Stalker" was also in play.
There was no doubt about it now.
This was a true Apostle of God.
And not just any Apostle, but one whose strength surpassed even that of the "Collector."
This being could already resist the full power Germain wielded through the Deep Sea Badge.
Germain scanned the area.
The "Deformed Limp Stalker" hovered above, watching like a hungry predator.
Below, Ging was caught in a dangerous pincer attack, targeted by both the "Drowned Sailors" and the "Enchanting Siren."
To make matters worse, the water spirits that had been frozen just moments ago had now reawakened.
They swarmed from below, trying to drag Ging into the depths.
In just seconds, Ging had gone from holding the upper hand to barely hanging on—forced to fend off attacks from all directions.
Germain acted immediately.
He pulled out the "Resentment Badge" and released two of his summoned allies.
The remains of the "Red Serpent of Jealousy" and the "Black Snake of Defamation" appeared with a splash and dove into the water.
The lake inside the tower began to churn violently.
Soon, the water surface was stained with foul-colored fluid—juices leaking from the slain water spirits, mixing into a grotesque swirl of colors.
The serpents had only one mission: to take down the "Drowned Sailors" and the "Enchanting Siren."
Killing the water spirits along the way was merely incidental.
Boom—boom—boom—
The two serpentine remnants struck swiftly, dragging both enemies beneath the surface.
Thanks to them, Ging finally caught a moment to breathe.
Germain didn't waste the opportunity.
He raised the "Burial Blade," and with a flash of thunderous light, he shot straight toward the tower's wall.
The impact shattered the wall, creating an exit for the rising floodwaters.
With the tower now draining, the "Drowned Sailors" and the "Enchanting Siren" had lost their greatest advantage—
The battlefield was no longer theirs.
He thought it.
And he acted on it just the same.
Germain flew to the stone wall without hesitation, slashing forward in a swift, decisive strike.
Shhhk—
The stone wall split like tofu under his blade, revealing a long, spindle-shaped crack.
But no water came rushing through as expected.
Instead, beyond the rift lay a vast expanse of dark purple.
Countless strange specks of light flickered and flowed within, a scene dazzling enough to easily trigger seizures in anyone with photosensitivity.
The water hadn't escaped through the crack at all.
Those dark purple currents acted like an even more impenetrable wall, sealing everything inside.
Germain quickly realized—
The "Deformed Limp Stalker" had transported them, along with the entire tower, into an isolated dimensional space.
Until that creature was slain, escape would be impossible.
But oddly enough, this realization brought him relief.
There was no need to weigh options anymore.
No more distractions.
Just the enemy before him.
*******
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