Chapter 142
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: Monsters' Territorial War
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"That's ridiculous."
KWAANG!!
The tentacles of the monster presumed to be the king of the golden realm lashed out like whips.
Fighting in the deep sea wasn't ideal.
The moment he tried to summon his necromantic mana to neutralize the onslaught—
BOOM!!!
With a heavy thud,
something enormous emerged from the darkness on the opposite side, wrapping the tentacles in its massive hand and ripping them apart.
Oh?
Then, an overwhelming presence crossed over them from the shadows.
This new arrival was an entirely different colossal creature. It looked like an octopus with multiple legs, but its head was that of a gigantic whale shark—a grotesque form.
Fwooooosh...
Was this what a monster showdown felt like?
It was clear at a glance: the owner of the shadowy tentacles ruling this domain was clashing territories with this massive octopus-whale thing that had just passed by.
The thunderous impacts and echoing booms shaking the entire area suggested they were locked in fierce combat right from the start—no need for them to intervene just yet.
"Perfect. Let them fight it out. We'll keep searching the corpse pile."
The winner would be on their side.
As if they'd never been gearing up for battle, they naturally resumed scavenging the mountain of bodies.
BOOM!!!
"Anything over there?"
"Nope."
THUD!!!
"Leon, over here."
"Nah, that's not her. Still, let's recover some of these bodies."
BOOM!!!
Amid the relentless explosions, Leon and Luna frantically searched the pile of corpses.
This space made it incredibly tedious for the Machine God's heart to gather information.
The twisted laws of physics were part of it, but the incoming data was all jumbled up.
The battle between the two behemoths dragged on for quite a while.
But no matter how thoroughly they scoured the area, they couldn't find Arsha's body.
Finding their parents might have been pure luck.
Or maybe Arsha's corpse was already among the bones they'd passed on the way here.
The bones were likely the remains of those devoured by the monster and discarded, while these intact corpses hadn't become its meal yet.
As they searched for what felt like ages, the whale-headed colossus from earlier burst out of the darkness, covered in wounds, slamming into the pile and causing a massive collapse.
Not dead yet, it rose again with its enormous bulk.
"If we leave it like that, the fight'll be over soon."
"Yeah, looks like it."
This was the tentacle monster's home turf, after all. The invader getting pushed back was expected.
Of course, whichever one won, things would get annoying for them afterward.
In situations like this, there was only one thing to do.
"Luna, time for a balance patch."
"Buff incoming!"
With those words, iridescent light flowed from Luna's fingertips, healing the monster.
The fallen behemoth, sensing the power healing it, emitted a deep ultrasonic rumble.
Its massive eyes fixed on them.
What? Did it see them as enemies?
But that worry proved unfounded.
As tentacles shot from the darkness to ensnare them, the whale monster wrapped them up, tore them apart, protected them, and charged back into the fray.
This thing was definitely friendly toward them.
It was on their side now.
Leon immediately summoned his necromantic mana and cast enhancement dark magic over the whale monster's entire body.
As its power surged, the tide clearly turned in the whale's favor.
"Back to searching."
While the two monsters battled in the dark domain, they combed through the surroundings again.
The result?
One thing was certain.
Arsha's body wasn't here.
The fight seemed to have ended—no more booms or attacking movements.
"Doesn't seem to be here."
"Let's check somewhere else..."
Coming here in person and finding their parents' bodies intact was a huge relief.
Melissa had completely broken down upon seeing them.
Honestly, Leon had felt the urge to let everything go too.
But stopping here meant who would recover their abandoned little sister's body?
In the end, they had no choice but to surface with the sobbing Melissa clutching her parents' corpses.
"My god... Everything alright?"
Saintess Navel, waiting on the ship with a stern expression, widened her eyes at the two bodies that followed.
Even by her standards, intact corpses submerged for months looking freshly dead made no sense.
Of course, she understood after their explanation.
"A place inside the golden realm where time stops... I've never heard of that. But their condition suggests it's true."
The holy knight couldn't hide his amazement either.
"Lady Navel, if it's not too much trouble, could you cast holy magic to preserve my parents' bodies?"
He didn't want to use necromantic magic on them, at least.
"Of course. And I'll pray their souls find embrace in the gods' arms."
Seeing Melissa wailing while clutching the bodies, Navel's eyes reddened but she accepted without hesitation.
"We'll have to search for our youngest again tomorrow."
"You did well. Get some rest."
The night sky over the calm sea seemed filled with more stars than usual.
With only the gentle lapping of waves, staring blankly at the water felt like escaping one's thoughts.
Leaning on the deck railing, gazing into the distance, elegant high priestess robes rustling as Navel approached slowly—he hadn't noticed her arrival.
"The night breeze is chilly."
"I'm fine. It's a sight I rarely see, so I should savor it."
For a saintess, her reaction wasn't incomprehensible.
The holiest girl in the Holy Kingdom—she was probably sheltered there her whole life.
Heading out with just one escort was a huge deviation for her.
"The Holy Kingdom must be in an uproar by now."
"I'm just a high priestess. There are tons of us there. No uproar over something like this."
"Ah, right..."
So that's her shtick.
"Feel free to enjoy yourself."
"Huh?"
"You're holding back because it's where we found my parents' bodies."
"No, that's not—"
"It's fine. It'd make me uncomfortable if you acted otherwise."
"...I'm sorry. I guess my discipline is still lacking..."
A girl who hadn't shed her innocence, having lived her life in the Holy Kingdom, couldn't help but be excited by this.
But with her family corpses beside her and the sobbing, excitement mixed with heartache.
"There's no reason for you to feel complicated about my parents."
"I can't just enjoy myself while someone's grieving beside me. That would be..."
"Thanks to you, we recovered their bodies. Sure, it's sad, but we're happy right now too."
At least they were intact. In that sense, Navel was their benefactor.
She stared blankly at him, then smiled prettily.
The night breeze tousling her blue hair made her look even more beautiful and holy.
Was this what angels in scriptures looked like?
He briefly pictured the real angel munching snacks and rolling on her bed—no, this fit the image better.
And...
"Hmm..."
"W-What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
No matter how he looked, she had the build of someone with violent genes.
Impossible not to notice, he closed his eyes and turned away.
"Pfft, hehehe..."
Then.
A chilling laugh echoed right behind him.
"Leon."
A voice full of coquettish charm.
"..."
Soft and gentle, yet strongly familiar.
"Leon, keep this up, and I don't know what I'll do."
"Jealous or something?"
Teasing lightly, she nodded boldly.
"Wouldn't you be? Or have you lost it?"
Her brazenness left him speechless.
She hadn't been like this recently. No idea what changed.
Maybe Navel's presence?
Come to think of it, Luna had disliked Navel from the start for hating the stigmata.
Meanwhile, Navel covered her mouth with one hand, eyes sparkling like a girl discovering romance novels.
"Oh my... A scene straight out of a novel. Are you two... in love?"
Luna didn't deny it. Instead, she smirked playfully and replied calmly.
"Liked him a lot."
As the flirting escalated, Leon dry-washed his face and turned away.
A girl he'd fallen for at first sight acting like this? Hard to adjust.
Wait, liked? Past tense?
"What're you talking about?"
"Ah. Not used to the phrasing. I like him a lot."
"Don't mess around."
Luna's eyes locked solely on him.
"I like him a lot."
"Uh..."
"You too, right Leon?"
"Saying it like that leaves me speechless."
His averted gaze made Navel's eyes sparkle more.
"Oh my, oh my."
Then Luna approached slowly, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind.
Picturesque from afar, but an instinctive chill ran down his spine.
"So why do your eyes keep wandering there?"
Frost edged her upturned gaze.
"Huh?"
THWACK!!! SPLASH!!!
How did such absurd strength come from her slender frame?
Without hesitation, she dove into the quiet night sea, still holding him tight.
It wasn't just banter anymore—it was confirmation. Treating her like before was impossible.
Was this what crossing the Rubicon felt like?