Although the Bloated Monsters possessed formidable combat strength, their power seed to co at a cost.
Despite not sustaining any visible injuries, they would collapse after fighting for a period of ti.
Thus, even though they forced the Fishn to retreat step by step, their own numbers were also rapidly dwindling.
However, they still held the upper hand.
Before long, the Fishn could no longer withstand the assault and wailed as they fled in all directions.
One Fishman happened to collide with Hughes, who was hiding nearby.
It let out a howl and hurled its steel trident at him.
It was too fast—Hughes felt he couldn’t dodge in ti.
He attempted to twist his body to avoid a fatal wound, but at that mont, an angry shout erupted behind him.
Ash lunged forward, caught the trident, and in one swift motion, drove it into the Fishman’s chest.
The Fishman let out a shrill scream as dark green blood gushed from its chest.
Struggling, it fell toward the seabed.
"Impressive," Hughes couldn’t help but exclaim.
In the distance, the Bloated Monsters took notice and began to gather around.
"Ash!"
"You’re still alive!?"
"The Fishn’s clan warriors will arrive soon. We must leave imdiately!"
"Go where? There’s no place left for us in the Storm Ocean! We’re dood!"
"Then what can we do?! Are we just going to sit here and wait to be exterminated by the Fishn?!"
"Why not take a few more of them down with us?"
"Silence!!!!"
Ash raised the bloodstained trident, its crimson stains drifting in the seawater.
Raising his voice, he declared, "I have found a way to break the curse! We need to enter the Abyssal Trench!"
He pointed toward the seabed not far away.
There, a massive fissure stretched across nearly the entire ocean floor, like a twisted scar threatening to split the sea in two.
Was that the Abyssal Trench?
It appeared to be so sort of deep-sea rift.
The Bloated Monsters fell silent for a mont before erupting into an uproar.
"Break the curse!? What did you just say? Break the curse!?"
"Can the curse really be lifted? Is the prophecy coming true?"
"The Abyssal Trench... I’ve heard that it’s the grave of all life. Every creature that enters goes mad, and no one has ever co back alive... We—"
"Hiss, but the prophecy says the god cos from the land. This human—"
Hughes had not been deliberately hiding, and the Bloated Monsters had long since noticed him.
However, since they did not perceive him as a threat, they had ignored his presence until now.
Various gazes fell upon Hughes, mostly filled with suspicion.
Indeed, if he put himself in their position, he wouldn’t easily believe that an outsider could be the so-called god.
But why was Ash so certain?
Thinking back, it seed that ever since they ford the Symbiotic Contract, he had recognized him as such.
Ash slamd the trident into the seabed.
Once the surroundings quieted, he spoke loudly:
"Tribesn, there is no ti to explain! The enemy is nearly upon us—we must unite!"
"I know you have many doubts, but we have no other path left! Believe , believe in the prophecy, believe in the god! If we reach the Abyssal Trench, we can break the curse!"
"If we choose to fight, we fight to the last mont! Live on our knees or die on our feet!"
Ash looked around, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.
"Besides, the path ahead is not entirely hopeless. The pressure of the Abyssal Trench may be fatal to other races, but for us, it is an opportunity for transformation!"
"A thousand years! We have been enslaved for a thousand years!"
"Now, with our blood and flesh, let us carve a path for our descendants!"
Ash raised the trident high.
The raging emotions in their eyes churned like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
"Tribesn, make your choice here and now!!"
Ash said nothing more.
He simply closed his eyes.
One by one, the Bloated Monsters around him did the sa.
A ritual before battle?
Monts later, they reopened their eyes.
Though their expressions varied, they all turned their gazes toward the Abyssal Trench.
Hughes was stunned.
Had they already reached a consensus?
They had been arguing in chaos just a mont ago, yet all it took was closing their eyes for them to unite?
Sothing must have happened in that instant—sothing that allowed them to reach a decision so quickly.
No matter what differences they had before, they could now cooperate.
It must be so kind of extraordinary power.
Unfortunately, now was not the ti to delve deeper into it.
This ability was efficient and swift.
If not for the pressure of the ocean depths and their limited numbers, this race could have been exceptional warriors.
Suddenly, Hughes looked up into the distance.
The other Bloated Monsters also raised their heads.
One thing was certain—they needed to act now.
The once-hesitant Bloated Monsters were suddenly cheering.
Following their gaze, Hughes saw a ship sailing toward them from afar.
A ship navigating the ocean depths.
It was riddled with decayed holes, had no sails, yet bore a flag.
A dark flag, emblazoned with a curved blade piercing through a skull.
No one was steering it, yet the helm turned on its own, as if guided by unseen sailors.
A ghost ship?
The term suddenly surfaced in Hughes’ mind.
A deep sense of unease crept over him.
This was the ocean floor—why was there a ship here?
The Fishn were celebrating, clearly indicating the ship had co to assist them.
And that ghost ship... for so reason, it felt strangely familiar.
"Master, please co with us into the Abyssal Trench!"
The Bloated Monsters wasted no ti.
After a brief discussion, they gathered and charged toward the depths of the trench.
As they descended, the eerie wooden ship ca to a halt.
The next mont, a deafening explosion echoed from afar.
Hughes, diving deeper with the group, turned to look back.
Countless multicolored streaks shot through the water like fireworks, racing toward them.
For an instant, the explosion’s brilliance illuminated the Abyssal Trench.
But standing at its edge, Hughes had no ti to appreciate the spectacle.
An indescribable terror gripped his heart, as if an icy hand had seized it.
His instincts scread in warning.
If he was hit by those things—he would die!
The Bloated Monsters exchanged glances.
Without hesitation, they split into two groups—one continuing downward, the other rushing toward the incoming projectiles.
Ash surged forward, grabbing Hughes’ hand and pulling him deeper into the trench.
"They—"
Ash did not answer.
Bitter seawater brushed past Hughes as he continued pulling him downward.
Hughes did not resist.
He rely turned his head and silently watched those who had chosen to face the attack.
Their bodies were bloated and hideous, their eyes small and buried in folds of flesh.
Yet within those eyes burned a raging fire.
The fire of vengeance, mixed with the ghost ship’s cannon fire, as if declaring their fury to all life in the ocean depths.
Hughes widened his eyes, trying to engrave this mont into his mory.
Just before impact, the Bloated Monsters’ bodies suddenly swelled to several tis their original size.
Blinding white light erupted from within them.
For a brief instant, the world seed to fall silent.
Everything moved in slow motion.
Hughes stared fixedly as the massive sphere of light expanded in his pupils.
Then—an earth-shattering explosion engulfed everything!
Boom!!!!
The imnse blast compressed the seawater into rippling shockwaves before violently expanding outward.
At that mont, it was as if a sun had risen from the depths of the sea.
Its radiance even penetrated the layers of ocean, illuminating the night sky above.
The ghost ship attempted to turn, but it was quickly swallowed by the fiery explosion.
The distant Fishn, faces twisted in horror, fled desperately.
But it was too late.
Like insects struggling on a beach, they were buried by the surging tidal waves.
Boom!!!!!!
Most of the shockwave blasted outward from the Abyssal Trench.
Only a small portion surged into the depths, rapidly chasing after Hughes and the others.
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