Chapter 732: Sea of Souls
“Buzz, buzz, buzz!”
“Everyone hold on tight, we need to accelerate!”
The mechanism piloted by David broke through the swirling spiritual pollution in the vast expanse of the spirit realm, heading towards the distant shimmering patches of fluorescent light.
“Look over there!”
As the mechanism vessel sought to break free from the increasingly turbulent crimson mist at high speed, Fisher and Gouwen on board struggled to support themselves while glancing up towards the very far distance, where they saw the entire barrier seemingly ignited, emitting intense golden light.
In that barrier’s golden glow, Fisher finally witnessed the sight represented by the countless terms he had heard before.
[The Ultimate].
Under Gouwen’s reminder, Fisher and Emhart in his arms simultaneously looked towards the distance and spotted strands of darkness erupting from a corner of the dazzling golden light of the barrier, as if a corner of glass had shattered—this dark fissure starkly contrasting against the vast expanse of gold.
And at the center of that fissure lay the only passage leading to the universe beyond the barrier.
The ultimate must be enormous; yet, due to its great distance from Fisher, it appeared very small to him, seeming to flicker under the cover of golden light.
“The authority of Hamon Hamon has entered the ultimate.”
“Fisher, we can’t cross the Sea of Souls; only you can go!”
Fisher was momentarily taken aback, suddenly remembering that the side of the Sea of Souls nearest to the ultimate was where the gods resided. Gouwen and David, lacking the required rank, could not directly gaze upon the true gods, but since entering the mythical rank, he had already read or sealed five Supplement Handbooks, catapulting from the fifteenth rank to the twentieth rank.
However, the sensation of acquiring rank seemed not to be that significant to Fisher. Just as Heow had said before, his chaotic being true self was originally a mythical being; the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans felt more like gradually returning a rank that originally belonged to him, allowing him to utilize rank with the human body transformed from Chaotic Being instead of using the essence of the chaotic being.
Was it important to use rank through a human body?
Perhaps it was, at least it served as a constant reminder to Fisher of who he was and who he was not.
And upon receiving the prompt from the Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans that he had finished reading the mechanism’s Supplement Handbook, he had already qualified to meet the true god, meaning he could finally see what Renee truly looked like?
Fisher blinked, quickly refocusing on the task at hand. He said to Gouwen and David, “Let me enter the Sea of Souls; you wait for me outside! Gouwen, I leave Emhart to you.”
Fisher reached out and took Emhart, tossing him to Gouwen amidst his exclamation of “Hey!” and then focused on the front, waiting for David to deliver him to the Sea of Souls.
“We’re almost there; at that point, you can just—”
Gouwen nodded, cradling the reluctant Emhart in his arms, but just as he was finishing his remarks, the ship carrying Fisher began to approach the Sea of Souls, which had been dormant for tens of thousands of years. Suddenly, it started to tremble.
From the brilliant, pure tangible soul above sprang forth waves, moving like tentacles, like waves, rushing towards the ship in Gouwen’s astonished gaze.
“This!”
“Gurgle, gurgle.”
Fisher was slightly taken aback, watching the suddenly lively Sea of Souls in confusion.
“What’s wrong with the Sea of Souls? Isn’t this abnormal?”
“Abnormal? It’s extremely abnormal. This Sea of Souls hasn’t moved for many years; even the flowing transformation of souls with the real world has been silent. But why…”
“Baby. Baby, baby, baby.”
At that moment, a sound resonated from the surging tide of souls, resembling the voices of thousands of singers harmonizing. Although the voices spoke different languages and belonged to different individuals, Fisher found them particularly familiar.
He blinked, turning to Gouwen and asking, “Did you hear that? It sounds like the Sea of Souls is talking.”
“What? I don’t hear anything. Are you—”
“Bang!!”
In the next second, the entire ship was struck by the wave created by the Sea of Souls, causing it to start tilting uncontrollably, emitting a series of cracking sounds.
Fisher quickly bowed his head, gently striking the deck. The immense force counteracted the pull of the Sea of Souls in the void, helping to steady the ship that was on the verge of capsizing.
“Baby. Baby, baby, baby.”
Whispers echoed from all directions as Fisher turned to see that the rising tide had completely surrounded the ship, blocking any escape.
It was coming for him.
With that thought, Fisher frowned down at the agitated Sea of Souls and said to Gouwen, “Take care of Emhart.”
“Why does this sound so much like I’m leaving a child behind?”
Gouwen held the perfectly square Emhart with a black line on his face, feeling a sense of déjà vu wash over him, rendering him momentarily speechless.
Fisher simply smiled, then cast a glance at the tumultuous Sea of Souls below before leaping headfirst over the railing.
“Whoosh!”
As Fisher fell away from the ship, the Sea of Souls, which had enveloped the ship tightly, inexplicably followed him down as if losing its strength. In mid-air, watching the ship regain its freedom above him, Fisher couldn’t help but breathe out a sigh of relief, shifting his focus downwards.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.”
The brilliantly shining currents of souls below grew ever closer. Fisher took a deep breath and suddenly plummeted downwards, but the immense force dissipated the moment he made contact with the Sea of Souls, creating ripples on the surface like a dragonfly skimming the water.
“Drip, drip. Clatter.”
Fisher was momentarily stunned as he noticed that all sounds around him seemed stripped away upon contacting the Sea of Souls, leaving only the extremely quiet sound of splashing water and his own breathing.
“Ha.”
It felt as if he were the only one in the entire Sea of Souls.
He exhaled, looking up at the place he had fallen from. The ship piloted by Gouwen lingered in the distance, shrouded in fog, making it impossible to see clearly.
The surrounding Sea of Souls became peaceful and tranquil at the moment Fisher descended, and he unexpectedly felt a sense of homecoming in his heart, like the comfort of being held by Sister Teresa in his childhood.
“Home? If you think about it, this should be the source of my precious essence within me, right?”
Fisher thought to himself, reflecting while not forgetting the purpose of his visit; he still needed to move towards the ultimate.
“Step.”
“Baby.”
As he took a step, the flickering waves of the luminous Sea of Souls responded to his movement, sending ripples back, and from those ripples arose the most sincere calls.
Was it Hela calling him?
That was Fisher’s first thought; after all, this was her domain, and it was inevitable that she would use the Sea of Souls to reclaim the essence within him.
But listening to the ethereal, seemingly unconscious calls from beneath his feet, Fisher felt it was not her. This voice seemed more like the Sea of Souls calling out to him.
Puzzled, he crouched down and gazed into the crystal-clear flow of souls below, examining it closely. In response, transparent tentacles began to emerge and gently caress his body and cheek, as if in pilgrimage, as if in adoration.
“Baby.”
Soon, not only from below his feet but also from the “water surface” all around him began to rise beings of various shapes, translucent in form, carefully extending their tentacles like affectionate caresses against Fisher’s back, arms, and cheeks.
“Baby.”
“Baby.”
Fisher was momentarily stunned, turning to look around, only to realize that these irregular transparent figures rising from the Sea of Souls were all
Chaotic Beings?
But they were all very weak, completely incomparable to the demigod Pisces Fisher had encountered earlier. Many of them couldn’t even match the strength of a human, resembling clusters that had just formed into a shape and consciousness.
“You are…”
“Baby.”
“Baby.”
From the unified call, Fisher, almost like a telepath, understood their meaning.
They were all saying, “We are your guardians.”
“Guardians? You are also Chaotic Beings. No, are you also stars?”
“Baby. Baby.”
“Indeed, it’s just because you are too weak that you can’t exist independently outside the Sea of Souls.”
In truth, the Chaotic Beings included these weak souls; but because these feeble individuals could not detach from the Sea of Souls, what manifested as Chaotic Beings in the real world was only the extremely powerful mythical beings.
“Baby.”
Behind him, some bold little Chaotic Beings extended their tentacles around Fisher’s body, hugging him tightly, what’s more, lovingly rubbing their jelly-like translucent bodies against his back.
“Baby. Baby.”
“Where do you want to take me?”
“Baby.”
“But I need to go to the ultimate now; they need my help over there.”
“Baby. Baby.”
“In one direction?”
Fisher pondered for a moment but eventually stood up, turning to look around. He was already encircled by several little Chaotic Beings who clung to him, and he was also holding a few of their tentacles, just like guiding small children.
Despite that, many others who had yet to touch Fisher crowded around, trying to get closer to him.
“Easy there, easy there. Where are we headed?”
For some reason, when he saw these little Chaotic Beings, Fisher felt an inexplicable warmth, as if they had accompanied him for a long time, making him speak with more patience.
“Baby.”
“Let’s go.”
Fisher, dragging along this large group of little Chaotic Beings, moved forward, while he kept an eye on the direction of the ultimate. The golden light coalesced more intensely, and from the darkness surrounding the ultimate, the brilliance emitted indicated that Hamon Hamon’s authority had not fully entered the ultimate.
“Step.”
“Step.”
Unbeknownst to him, as he followed the path indicated by the little Chaotic Beings, the surrounding Sea of Souls suddenly began to rise and fall.
Fisher felt a downward tilt and looked around, realizing he had reached the exact center of the entire circular Sea of Souls, where the luminous flow spilling down completed the repetitive soul cycle with living beings in reality.
At this central point, there was eerily a vortex-like depression, collapsing downward, resembling a wound, leaving a gap.
In the center of that vortex, the glowing area seemed dim, as if something essential was missing, creating this defect in the Sea of Souls.
“…”
“Baby.”
“You say I came from here?”
“Baby. Baby, baby, baby.”
“…”
The little Chaotic Beings explained that it was a woman who came and went without a trace. At that time, all the guardians failed to notice her arrival, nor did they know how she had discovered the treasures buried in the depths of the Sea of Souls; all they knew was that one day she came here and took away that precious item.
“Baby!!”
When that woman was mentioned, all the little Chaotic Beings seemed to boil with anger, some of them even bouncing on Fisher to vent their frustrations.
Fisher stepped further into the dim center of the Sea of Souls, lowering his gaze at the deep void within the soul. For some reason, he could hear a woman softly muttering in a certain rhythmic language,
“Will there come a day when you will blame me, like a child blaming their mother?”
“Blame me for creating you without your permission and bringing you into this dangerous world?”
Fisher gazed down at the dark area and suddenly fell silent, but all the little Chaotic Beings around him began chattering.
“Baby. Baby, baby.”
Fisher’s expression flickered. He whispered, “I see, you want me to return the precious essence that you guard within me?”
“Baby. Baby.”
“And you want me to come back. What does this mean?”
“Baby.”
Hearing the synchronized replies, Fisher sighed and replied, “Even if I return that precious essence, will the [Ocean] spare the world that has stolen you and my precious essence?”
“…”
All the little Chaotic Beings fell silent. In the midst of their quietness, they only stared at Fisher with their little, kind, translucent eyes blinking.
“Right.”
Fisher let out a bitter laugh, slowly rising to his feet and looking at the little Chaotic Beings staring blankly at him.
Seeing their dazed expressions, Fisher shook his head, preparing to continue moving towards the barrier, but the little Chaotic Beings that had seemed dazed just moments ago suddenly anxiously tugged at him.
“Baby. Baby, baby.”
“No need to convince me; there are important people waiting for me.”
“Baby.”
“Fisher, thank goodness you are here.”
At that moment, a celestial voice echoed from above the Sea of Souls, and a bright moonlight poured down, illuminating the surface of the Sea of Souls and causing the little Chaotic Beings that had surrounded Fisher to retreat back into the Sea of Souls.
It also illuminated the uneven surface of this circular sea, from above it appeared that around the vortex area where Fisher had just stood, there were actually four different-sized vortices distributed at uneven distances, suggesting that something akin to Fisher, which originally belonged to the Sea of Souls, had left it.
However, judging by the brightness of the glow, those four vortices were very shallow, not nearly as deep as the one Fisher had emerged from.
Only the little Chaotic Beings who were guardians knew that four incarnations had once awakened there.
At this moment, upon hearing Renee’s voice, Fisher quickly looked up towards the direction of the moonlight, uncertain if he was hoping to see the true source of that moonlight. But the instant he raised his eyes, the moonlight suddenly dissipated, replaced by the familiar figure of the Sorceress.
Fisher blinked, unable to clarify whether it was disappointment or some other feeling as he watched her slowly descend from the sky and quickly extended his hand to catch her.
“Thud!”
She fell into his embrace, her soft body exuding a fragrant aroma, colliding with Fisher before being securely caught by him.
In his arms, Renee gasped for a moment, her expression somewhat hesitant. Only she knew that having seen Fisher’s ability to gaze upon her true form, she had initially planned to reveal herself.
But in the last moment… in the last moment.
Hmm, she hesitated and quickly changed her guise to appear before Fisher instead.
“Your true form…”
“Still at the barrier’s front. Now that the authority of the true gods has entered the barrier, we need to concentrate. My true form cannot stray. In short, that’s it.”
Renee shyly stammered, hastily concocting a reason to gloss over it.
But in this regard, her meager skills were of no use in front of Fisher; just a glance at Fisher showed she was thinking about something else entirely.
No rush; they should be able to see it soon.
Fisher remained optimistic, glancing towards the direction of the ultimate, softly saying to Renee, “Honestly, I really don’t mind.”
“Ah! I’ve already said, I said my true form is still at the barrier, and hasn’t come over.”
“Yes, yes.”
Renee puffed out her cheeks, preparing to punch Fisher’s shoulder in annoyance, but he caught her wrist instead.
Just as Renee was about to flare up, she noticed Fisher’s expression had turned serious.
“Renee, look.”
Only then did Renee turn back with her true form, catching sight of an oval substance that was constantly twisting, changing, and struggling as it broke through the barrier’s confines, formally entering this world.
**END OF CHAPTER**
