Chapter 140
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Into the Forbidden Zone
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BOOM!!!
Of course, the aftermath wasn't light.
"Oh my God..."
The saintess and holy knights who witnessed the sight firsthand couldn't shake the looks of horror from their faces.
Even after that, while the mermaids recharged the ship's energy, several more rounds of life-risking water fights ensued.
BOOM!! Bang!!!
Of course, it was just me getting unilaterally pummeled by Luna, who swam at insane speeds like a possessed fish, hurling water bombs everywhere.
Trying to win here would only tire me out for no reason.
"Lady Navel, care to join in for a bit?"
"Oh... N-no, I'm fine."
Sure, the water was incredibly deep, but with safety personnel—mermaids—swarming everywhere, what was there to worry about?
Once preparations were complete, we climbed back aboard and set sail once more toward the Forbidden Zone.
We'd been excited at first, sightseeing around, but sailing turned out to be more boring than expected.
In the end, Luna, who'd climbed the mast to look around, ended up crashing on my cabin bed and falling asleep.
Melissa still hadn't shaken off her troubled mood and had holed up in her room, while Navel stayed silent in hers without a word.
"Handsome big bro, we're at the Forbidden Zone now."
At that moment, the cabin door burst open, and a cute green-haired mermaid floating slightly in the air via artifact poked her head in.
"Already?"
"Hehe. We put in some extra effort for a regular combo customer like you."
Following her lead, I passed through the cabin corridor and up to the deck.
And there it was.
A black boundary line etched across the vast ocean.
The water's color differed completely, as if declaring that the sea here and beyond were entirely separate realms.
Unlike the intensely blue waters here, the presumed Forbidden Zone ahead had an inky navy hue, extremely dark.
"Ugh... It's creepy. No one wants to go in there."
The mermaids' expressions soured.
"We can't go any farther. Our instincts reject it..."
The ocean's Demon Realm.
Especially among them, the Forbidden Zone was an extreme threat due to its hostile environment.
You could at least enter a Demon Realm, but the Forbidden Zone was like the entire area was one massive enemy's maw.
"Handsome big bro, I told you there was a way and took your money to guide you, but I really recommend not going in."
Terror beyond mere aversion showed on the green-haired mermaid's face.
An opaque dark sea where nothing was visible was the unknown incarnate.
"Is this what they call deep-sea phobia?"
It wasn't a term coined for nothing.
Melissa, arriving late on deck after hearing the news, muttered with a pale face.
"How does the ocean color change so sharply along that boundary?"
"Usually, ocean boundaries form due to density differences."
Of course, the Forbidden Zone's divide wasn't just from density.
It was probably influenced by special irregular energy flows unique to Demon Realms.
"We really can't go farther. Our instincts rebel too strongly..."
Seeing the mermaids hesitate, the vibe was definitely off.
"The Forbidden Zone... I've heard of it, but this is my first time seeing it."
The Holy Kingdom hadn't designated it as such to hide something flashy.
It was simply too dangerous to enter, like other Demon Realms.
The world had many Demon Realms, each with varying dangers.
Cascadia's was extremely hazardous in its depths, while the Black Forest near the Imperial Academy was relatively milder.
This Forbidden Zone was probably on the dangerous end.
Soon, the mermaids used artifacts to board the ship and cast blessing magic like a song.
It made movement easier underwater and allowed breathing.
Lasting about three to four days.
Sure, there were ways to survive without it, but none as stable.
"It feels seriously ominous. Are you really going in?"
"Don't enter beyond this—it's too risky. If we don't return in a day, head back immediately."
"..."
Navel gazed down at the small ring in her hand with a somewhat gloomy expression.
Having made her decision, she began reciting a prayer.
Light burst from the ring, enveloping me, Melissa, and Luna.
"You staying here?"
I suggested to Melissa, but all I got was her firmly raised middle finger.
"Lady Navel, the divine relic, please."
"May the grace of God be with you..."
Navel clasped her hands in prayer.
Her figure made a violent appeal in that pose, but no one paid it any mind.
Soon, the divine relic's mystical light coated us thinly.
With the mermaids' magic and the relic's coexisting, it felt奇妙.
From a necromancer's view, the two magics felt like they operated on different laws.
"Ugh... Kinda scary..."
Staring into the pitch-black sea, Melissa shivered.
At the same time, Navel spotted something and freaked out.
"W-wait a second!"
"What's wrong?"
"Don't you see that?!"
Turning at her words, we glimpsed a massive silhouette, dozens of meters long, flickering in the black depths.
"It's dangerous. Don't go in..."
The relic blocked odd phenomena in the Forbidden Zone but offered no protection from creatures.
No wonder the shock.
Even the mermaids recoiled in fear; the vibe was chilling.
I casually swung one hand.
WHOOSH!!!
A black spear shot swiftly into the dark sea.
BOOOOM!!!
As if waiting, a grotesque fish tens of meters long burst from the depths with jaws agape.
Emerging from the dark, it was pure nightmare fuel.
"Eek?!"
"L-Lady Navel! Behind me!"
Navel screamed, and the holy knight drew his sword protectively, face tense.
Holy power flared like an aura blade, but tension etched his features.
Fair enough.
Such a colossal creature was rare, unknown, impossible to gauge.
But I ignored it, swinging my hand back the other way.
SPLAT!!!!!
The black spear that had vanished split into dozens of dark needles, burrowing into it.
The grotesque fish's massive body shredded in an instant.
It looked simple, but it was a bona fide 7th-circle attack spell.
"Huh?"
"If you're wasting energy on trash like that, we won't make it in. What're you waiting for? Let's go."
With that, I dove into the sea without hesitation.
Sounds muffled instantly as a faint glow emanated from my body, easing movement.
Splash!! Splash!!
Sounds sharpened next, and I saw Melissa and Luna dive in after.
"Whoa... This is wild..."
"Let's move."
I took point, swimming into the black Forbidden Zone ahead.
[Would you like to receive the memories of a new Hall?]
Come to think of it, I'd brushed off the "preparations complete" message with a wave.
"How long will it take?"
[Estimated to take some time.]
"No major side effects?"
[Your body has already undergone some adaptation, so no major side effects are expected.]
Music to my ears.
With that, the three of us left the ship, diving swiftly into the Forbidden Zone's dark depths.
It was the path to the abyssal darkness, but the divine relic's power pierced it effortlessly, lighting the way.
The seafloor was deep and lonely.
As we descended into the pitch-black depths where nothing was visible, an inexplicable terror of the unknown naturally welled up.
Melissa was already affected, her face grim.
"Leon."
Her voice rang clear even underwater.
Thanks to the mermaids' magic.
"How far down?"
"This way."
The Machine God's Heart could scan an area, but something this vast wasn't easy.
Especially since I'd partially manifested it already.
Luckily, there was a cliff-like seabed about 50 meters below.
The two who followed swiftly scanned the dark sea.
"It's eerily quiet... Not a single fish in sight."
As Melissa said, the sea held only water.
As if we were the last ones left in this dark world.
Already deep, the surface invisible, amplifying the dread.
Thoom... Thoom...
Faint waves spread endlessly from my touch point.
Vast data flooded in, but I discarded most without hesitation.
I knew what I sought.
I wasn't here treasure-hunting.
But the Forbidden Sea was wider than expected.
No choice but to push harder.
"Luna."
"What?"
"Recovery."
Despite the brevity, she understood, sighing but beginning to heal my body.
With a healer, no fear.
I ramped up the Machine God's Heart output without pause.
BOOM!!!
A heavy shock reverberated in illusion as data over tenfold previous surged in.
It went beyond headache to bodily strain, but Luna's recovery denied any breakdown.
This healing ignored laws entirely, transcending mere mending.
What kind of ordinary angel is this?
Yet not an Archangel, as none were said to have vanished.
Only one possibility left.
She might be some forgotten Archangel-tier being.
Plus, the Machine God's Heart barely affected her, which surprised me too.