Chapter 137: Crisis Approaches
While all the major forces were searching for Kevin, a group of ships of all shapes and sizes docked at a deserted island.
Sindra, with Draven by her side; Darius, with Aaron; and Keston, pulling Bella along — the three parties sat together around a huge bonfire they had lit on the island.
"So you’re saying Kevin and Nova have the ability to summon and command Eldritch Entities." Sindra’s face was dark. Gone was her usual light and playful expression.
"That’s right. At least seven or eight crews of Survivors saw it with their own eyes." Darius explained as he warmed his hands by the fire.
Next to him, the black knight Aaron had a dark look on his face, full of resentment. "How did a rookie get such terrifying power in just one month?"
He turned to look at the silent Draven. "When we first came to this terrifying sea, was anyone this strong back then?"
Draven let out a cold laugh and said word by word, "I’m afraid only those freaks from the Grion family can compare to Kevin and his group."
When Bella heard the name Grion, a smug look spread across her face, like a gambler who had just won big. "So what you’re saying is, you can’t handle Kevin? Want me to help you get in touch with the Grion family?"
The moment Bella finished speaking, Keston pulled her behind him.
Right after that, a thick cloud of black smoke suddenly appeared right where Bella had been sitting.
Sindra waved her hand, looking disgusted. "You bitch! Stop using the Grion family’s name to scare us. No matter how strong their family is, they won’t waste time coming to the First Sea Area just for you."
Bella wanted to argue back.
But Keston quickly pressed down on her shoulder and warned her, "Don’t cause trouble. If you do, I won’t be able to save you."
Bella pouted, turned around angrily, and stayed quiet.
Then Darius interrupted Sindra. "Let’s get back to talking about how to deal with Kevin. Right now, it’s clear that if you don’t kill Kevin, you won’t be able to take Nova away."
"With Kevin’s current strength, it would take at least both Draven and Aaron working together just to hold him off. If we want to beat him for sure, we need another fighter on the same level."
As he said this, Darius glanced at Sindra, then at Keston, and let out a silent sigh inside.
It was obvious - their team, made up of three factions, was actually running short on manpower.
Sindra pursed her lips. She understood what Darius was hinting at, and said in a heavy voice, "If all of us aren’t enough, then we call for backup. The Eye of Tarot should have plenty of connections in the First Sea Area. That newly formed Fallen Alliance — you guys are the ones pulling the strings behind it, right?"
Darius didn’t confirm or deny it. "The Fallen Alliance does have a top-tier fighter on par with Aaron. He’ll help us when the time comes. But for now, it’s not the right time to reveal his identity. After all, he hasn’t openly clashed with Kevin yet. Keeping him hidden will let us catch them off guard when it really matters."
Sindra snorted coldly. "You better think this through. If you fail again this time, you’ll lose your chance to work with Sky Island forever."
Darius knew that if he didn’t put something real on the table, Sindra wouldn’t be satisfied.
So he let out a sigh. "For the operation against Kevin, The Eye of Tarot will deploy the Evil God’s spawn to surround and destroy him. Does that arrangement satisfy you, Miss Sindra?"
Sindra raised an eyebrow. "The Evil God’s spawn? So The Eye of Tarot has finally decided to bring out the evil god you’ve been secretly serving."
Darius cleared his throat twice. "Actually, for this mission, Lord Soros, the Evil God, has sent his agent. That agent is on this island right now."
The moment he finished speaking, a chilling wind blew in.
The bonfire they were all gathered around flickered wildly and nearly went out.
Then, in the weak firelight, Bella and Keston’s eyes went wide.
They both trembled from head to toe, staring in disbelief at the figure slowly approaching from the distance.
Justin was still alive!
He looked just like the rich young master he had always been — blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin, a strong build. His noble suit highlighted his elegance perfectly.
Justin gave Bella and Keston a cold look. "You two were just talking about the Grion family, weren’t you? Bella, tell me the truth. Whose child are you really carrying?"
When Bella heard this, her face turned pale. She forced a smile and said, "What are you talking about? The child I’m carrying is your brother’s, and it’s a boy."
Justin burst out laughing at that.
He held his stomach and laughed so hard tears came out. The sound of his laughter sent chills down Bella and Keston’s spines.
"What are you going to do?" Bella instinctively grabbed Keston’s arm.
But Keston also felt a terrible pressure — one he had never felt before, not even when facing Kevin.
Justin looked at Bella, a twisted smile spreading across his lips. "Since the child you’re carrying is my brother’s, then I can rest easy."
As he spoke, Justin’s face began to split open.
Scales and veins spread across his neck and face.
As fangs pushed out from his lips, Justin turned into a human-shaped beast.
When Bella saw this, she was so scared she stumbled backward and fell on the ground. "Monster! You’re a monster! You’ve already Eldritchified!"
Justin laughed loudly at that. "I have my dear big brother to thank for this. Of course, if it weren’t for you and that pretty boy next to you, my brother and I wouldn’t have ended up like this."
Justin gritted his teeth and glared at Keston.
Suddenly, two beams of light shot out from his eyes, hitting Keston’s chest instantly.
Keston looked down in shock and saw two clear holes burned through his chest. He was frozen in disbelief.
Looking through the two holes in Keston’s chest, Bella stared at the beast-like Justin and scrambled backward in terror.
Even Draven and Aaron, who were standing nearby, stood up and watched Justin with caution.
"I never thought that guy we once beat would receive the power of an Evil God." Draven looked at Justin with envy.
The black knight Aaron rolled his eyes. "He’s lost himself, can’t you see? He’s just a shell for the Evil God now."
When Justin heard what the two of them said, he glanced at them. Both of them were so scared that they lowered their heads and didn’t dare look him in the eye.
Justin smiled with satisfaction. "Bella, I want to thank you for leaving a descendant for our family. Don’t worry. I’ll raise that child of yours well. In the future, I’ll make him the leader of the Evil God’s spawn."
With that, Justin took a step forward, right in front of Bella, and grabbed her.
Bella trembled and wanted to struggle, but she didn’t dare move an inch.
He threw her behind him. That was when she noticed that behind Justin, all along the path he had walked, there was a group of horrifying-looking Eldritch Entities.
Each of them had the head of a wild boar and the body of a human.
They were completely naked, except for a piece of animal skin tied around their waists.
Their strong, muscular bodies gave off a powerful sense of pressure.
When Bella saw this, she gasped sharply.
"Take this woman away. She’s not allowed to leave until I say so."
As soon as Justin gave the order, the boar-headed monsters grabbed Bella by the arms and started dragging her toward the center of the island.
Bella screamed in terror.
She struggled wildly, and through the animal skins of the boar monsters, she caught a glimpse of organs thicker than a human thigh.
Bella felt dizzy.
Just then, Sindra, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly looked up.
A strange whistle, like that of an Eldritch being, came from his mouth.
The boar-headed monsters suddenly froze in place, standing still as statues.
Justin frowned when he saw this. "You half-man, half-woman freak, do you want to die?"
Sindra didn’t even lift his eyelids. He just said calmly, "If you were the Evil God himself, I’d be a little afraid of you. But unfortunately, you’re just a shell that the Evil God might use whenever he feels like it. You’re not qualified to boss me around."
With that, Sindra ignored the furious Justin and turned to look at Darius. "What a coincidence. Lord Kingston from Sky Island has received the will of the Evil God Pelosi. This time, the operation to wipe out Kevin will be led by Messi Grion, the envoy of the Grion family."
"I think no one here has any objections to that."
The moment he finished speaking, wave after wave began crashing onto the shore.
As five- or six-meter-tall waves pounded the beach, a massive cruise ship appeared before everyone’s eyes.
On the cruise ship, music and laughter filled the air. Men and women dressed in luxurious clothes were dancing and celebrating.
Some were drinking champagne, others were enjoying fine food, and a few were holding each other close, dancing ballroom style.
At the top of the ship, a flag with the Grion family emblem fluttered in the wind.
When they saw this, Draven and Aaron both straightened up, their faces filled with disbelief.
"The Grion family’s flagship? Isn’t it supposed to be in the Second Sea Area? What’s it doing in the First Sea Area?" The Black Knight Aaron asked in surprise.
Beside him, Draven narrowed his eyes, unable to hide his excitement. "Looks like this mission is in the bag. With the Grion family’s flagship here, taking down Kevin is almost guaranteed."
Not far away, Justin slowly walked over to them.
He spat on the ground in disgust and snorted. "Isn’t it just a fancy cruise ship? Are all the Survivors in the Second Sea Area this flashy?"
As soon as he said that, both Draven and Aaron quickly stepped away from him.