"The Angler is coming soon, get ready to act.
"The rest of you come with me too, it'll be a good chance to get used to the deep sea environment."
Loren, holding Melody, walked to the edge of the ship and directly tossed her overboard.
The others had also changed into swimsuits, since their regular clothes would get soaked by seawater.
It was worth noting that Anna's swimsuit was an adult style, while Naclis's was a children's style.
"Get ready to go in. Now that we have the Sea God's blessing, the seawater won't harm us. With our strength, the creatures in the sea are no threat either."
As everyone jumped into the water one by one, Scarlett remained at the ship's edge, trembling.
"Master... I... I can't..."
"Get in!"
"Master... I can't swim!"
Once in the water, Scarlett began thrashing wildly, letting out panicked screams.
"I knew it..."
This wasn't unexpected for Loren. He jumped into the sea right after and grabbed hold of Scarlett.
Scarlett, feeling something to cling to, instinctively climbed upward as if grabbing a lifeline. By the time she realized what was happening, she was straddling Loren's neck, her legs wrapped tightly around him.
She looked down, and at that moment, Loren looked up. Their eyes met instantly.
"Get down."
Loren's tone was calm, but Scarlett could hear the anger underneath. She knew if she didn't come down right now, she'd be in for a beating.
"Oh..."
Scarlett awkwardly climbed off Loren but still instinctively clung to him.
Just as Loren finished rescuing Scarlett, he saw Lilith sinking down.
She rarely spoke, so even while sinking, she hadn't called for help-or maybe she simply hadn't had time to.
"I'm going under."
"What... ah..."
Before she could finish, Scarlett sank into the sea along with Loren. Sure enough, Loren spotted Lilith gradually descending in the depths.
Seeing Loren, she reached out her hand. Before she could sink any deeper, Loren grabbed hold of it.
"Where are the others?"
Scarlett covered her mouth, too afraid to speak, and simply pointed around them.
Aside from Scarlett and Lilith, everyone else had already adapted to being underwater.
The Sea God's blessing was incredibly useful. It didn't even affect their ability to speak underwater. The feeling was more like having a glass helmet placed over their heads, with no seawater pouring into their mouths.
Magic. Pretty amazing, huh?
Back in the sea, Melody was ecstatic and started circling Loren.
"Let's move."
Loren sensed Nami's position and pointed in a direction. The Angler was right beside her.
"Alright."
Melody swam out first, her speed unmatched.
Loren held Lilith and Scarlett's hands while his legs transformed into a fish tail, following closely behind Melody.
The World Card had recorded the Merfolk, so Loren could now use their abilities.
"Wow, there are so many fish here. Can we eat them?"
Anna swam beside Loren, sizing up the surrounding fish as she asked.
"Better not. These fish are all contaminated to some extent, even if they look normal."
As Loren's group approached, a school of fish suddenly scattered. Anna watched them curiously.
"The seabed is actually pretty beautiful."
Naclis caught up as well and voluntarily struck up a conversation with Loren.
"Indeed. Too bad the pollution here is pretty severe."
The oceans of both worlds were polluted, but in different ways.
One was polluted by nuclear wastewater and garbage, the other by Outer Gods.
"Careful. We're getting close to the Angler. When it senses danger, it'll use its controlled undead to counterattack."
"Got it."
Naclis had just nodded when Loren sensed a threat. It was a Merfolk. She turned the water currents into arrows, shooting them at Loren.
Underwater, the attack was devastatingly powerful.
In response, Loren didn't even let go of Lilith and Scarlett's hands. The wind stirred the sea currents, pulling them aside, and they successfully dodged the arrow.
Behind this Merfolk was a fishing line, indicating she was a wandering soul controlled by the Angler.
The moment she attacked, Melody had already begun her counter. Her strange sword appeared in her hand once more. With a light swing, the water blade she unleashed tore the Merfolk apart.
Even though it was the soul of her own kind, Melody didn't hesitate for a second.
"Keep moving forward..."
This Merfolk didn't even serve as a speed bump. Loren hadn't even lifted a finger.
Since there was active defense, it meant the Angler was very close.
"We're here."
The Angler's defenses weren't extensive, and the other wandering souls would need some time to return.
"Where? I don't see anything?"
Scarlett looked left and right but couldn't spot the Angler.
"Here."
Loren pointed ahead. Even then, Scarlett still couldn't see anything.
"Is the Angler inside that cave in front of us? There are caves this big on the seabed..."
"That cave IS the Angler."
Loren pulled Scarlett back until they could see the Angler's full form.
"See it now?"
Loren turned to look and found Scarlett had already fainted from shock.
He checked for warmth. No heat wave appeared. Scarlett hadn't lost control. She'd made great progress.
"Can we attack now?"
Loren handed Scarlett and Lilith to Mirrorheart behind him and drew Requiem.
"Let's go."
"Alright."
Hearing Loren's command, Melody swung her sword. This was her most powerful strike yet. The water blade she unleashed was immense, as if the entire ocean was trembling.
The water blade split open the Angler's upper jaw. Blood instantly stained the seawater red. The Angler's physical structure couldn't even let it scream in pain.
"Kill this Angler, and the species might truly go extinct. But there's no helping it. If it doesn't die, more people will get hurt."
Loren mused aloud as he rested the blade against the scabbard. Requiem transformed into a violin, playing a mournful melody.
At the same time, the Blood Moon Condensed Light shooting from in front of Loren sliced through the remaining half of the Angler's body. The Angler split in two, completely dead. A new ability appeared on the World Card.
"Was it you who saved me?"
The moment the Angler died, Loren heard a voice. He followed the sound and saw a young girl struggling to swim toward him while shouting something.
"Tell the people in my village... the Church of Light and Fire is coming to kill..."
Before she could finish, her voice faded, and her body grew increasingly translucent. Freed from the Angler's control, her soul began to dissipate.
But in the next instant, a new fishing line attached to her.
"I almost let you become a riddler again. Next time, just get to the point-don't ask who saved you first."