Chapter 202 Chapter 202: The Essence of Evolution
Chapter 202: The Essence of Evolution
Splash!
A handful of clean water splashed onto her face.
A few drops of murky water mixed with Seaborn blood dripped away, revealing Laurentina's clean and pure, beautiful face.
"This is the first time I've seen you wash your face after a hunt."
Skadi, holding her greatsword, said idly.
"It's not just the few of us. Let's go."
Picking up the circular saw, the two arrived in front of the church. Two tall figures were chatting there, clearly having waited for a long time.
"...You can reverse the mutation?"
Gladiia circled around in the conversation for a long time before finally steering it to this point that concerned her the most.
"?"
"Perhaps I wasn't clear enough."
Gladiia pulled open the collar at her shoulder, exposing her fair shoulder with its graceful curve to the air.
But such a beautiful sight went unappreciated, because several gray-blue scales grew on her shoulder, like glaring blemishes on a flawless piece of jade, looking extremely jarring.
Pale blue veins connected those scales. She couldn't even peel or tear them off; it would be pointless.
"I see. It seems your symptoms are quite severe."
Since the other party knew about it, they must have been illuminated by the lantern earlier.
One time wasn't enough to solve the problem?
"Thanks to you, it had originally spread to my face."
Gladiia straightened her collar again, one hand stroking her own face. Just a few hours ago, scales had grown there.
The "ugly monster" didn't even dare look in a mirror before. She didn't want to turn into a beast; in those dark ocean trenches, they couldn't even sing.
Aegir had methods to alleviate it, but they only delayed the process of turning into a monster.
Ever since the "Abyssal Hunters" group appeared, the Sea Patrollers would keep vigil for the hunters... No, that wasn't keeping vigil; they were just waiting, waiting for the hunters to turn into monsters.
She originally wanted to find the great ship, find Aegir, and re-establish contact with her "hometown."
Not only her Seaborn mutation symptoms, but Specter's body was also not optimistic. Pouring liquid Originium into the spinal cord... How could those twisted things come up with that!
The hunter's boots left deep holes in the ground.
"I'd like to ask you to help me once more. That kind of lantern. I will pay a reward."
She looked at Kevin. Reversing Seaborn mutation—if she had discovered this earlier, her former teammates wouldn't have died because of it.
Gladiia would rather be buried in the belly of a Seaborn than die as a monster.
Hunters do not wish to become prey.
"We'll see later."
Was this a refusal? Gladiia couldn't tell.
Although it was a matter of great importance, Kevin was very strong, at least not someone she could negotiate with using "weapons."
"Swordfish, what are you talking about?"
"It seems you've dealt with it, Shark. How do you feel?"
Gladiia looked at Specter. There wasn't much bloodstain or unknown tissue on her body.
"I killed him, but it wasn't as satisfying as I imagined."
Specter seemed to be savoring it but ultimately shook her head.
"Let's withdraw first. Many... many! From farther away, Seaborn are surging up from underground."
Skadi covered her forehead, her expression turning somewhat unpleasant. That feeling again! They're coming!
The concentrated pheromones of the Seaborn flooded into her mind all at once. A certain long-gone "dream" seemed to be gradually awakening.
"It's because of that guy's corpse."
Specter remembered Quintus, whom she had hacked to pieces.
Thump thump thump—
A sound like an earthquake rang out. It was the sound of Seaborn running ashore from the bottom of the cave.
"They're here!"
Swinging her long spear, Gladiia shielded Skadi, who was in poor condition, behind her.
The first to rush out of the church were dozens of robust Terrors. The circular saw, having waited for a long time, easily sliced through their carapaces. The long spear thrust out from gaps in the sawing wind, accurately hitting one after another of the fish that slipped through the net.
Two bony limbs with webbed appendages resembling wide sleeves stabbed forward.
Was that monster?
The other party was quite distinctive in appearance. Specter had no time to ponder why the monster that had been frozen to death by Kevin would appear before her again.
Stepping on the Laterano statue in front of the church, she used the force to twist her body from bottom to top. The circular saw also rotated with Specter's "dance," drawing an elegant arc in mid-air—
Crack!
Unexpectedly, the saw blade got stuck directly in a bone crevice.
"So hard!"
Thud!
Before she could descend from the air, another sound rang out.
A more concealed figure charged toward Skadi, who was in a daze. At this moment, her mind was muddled by the massive pheromones and couldn't muster a proper reaction.
It was another First To Talk!
In this short time, they had actually evolved an ability to briefly conceal themselves from the hunters' perception!
And this First To Talk, just as initially planned, arrived before Skadi.
"Isha...!!!"
It had just opened its vocal organ and uttered only a few syllables when a large hand continuously enlarged before its eyes.
Bang!
"It... should indeed be dead."
Kevin didn't think that creature could come back to life within ice, let alone... split into two.
"You ate it?"
"Population evolution... requires nourishment... companions... nourish the ocean..."
Words that would be unethical for humans were uttered without burden from that Seaborn's mouth.
Although its tone was halting, the information contained within still made the hunters with keen hearing show expressions of disgust.
Emotions, perseverance... None of this held true within the Seaborn population. Consuming the evolved corpses of their own kind, spreading their achievements to benefit the entire population, thereby breaking through individual limitations and achieving infinite evolution with the "population" as the unit.
An efficient system.
The essence of Seaborn evolution was fully revealed before Kevin.
"They... carry our blood... same kind..."
"No! I am not your kind!"
Skadi struggled not to let her emotions and consciousness be overwhelmed by the massive pheromones. Calls, desires... all sorts of murmurs seemed to want her to turn into a Seaborn.
This human-speaking Seaborn's words seemed to contain a kind of magic.
She saw a huge eyeball staring at her. A foreign object linked to her consciousness; it was the massive neural signals brought by the Seaborn.
"Stop."
Her vision was gradually occupied by heavy red light. She was tired; now she just wanted to sleep... just sleep for a while.
Suddenly, a touch of warmth bloomed on her shoulder, like a pair of warm hands pulling her out from the bottomless trench.
"A feather?"
Skadi barely opened her eyes. It was a light feather burning with reddish-yellow flames.
She stared blankly at that exquisitely beautiful feather.
Even the most beautiful Liberi would absolutely never grow such beautiful feathers.
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