Chapter 964

‘...It’s about to come out.’

‘The monster?’

Yuder and Kishiar’s eyes met. Just as they were about to issue orders to the members to prepare for tentacle defense, Mick, face ghostly pale, waved both hands frantically and opened his mouth.

‘No. Downward! It’s coming from below—not above!’

‘...Below?’

Yuder wondered if he’d misread Mick’s lips—but no, Mick had clearly said below.

That meant Yuder’s earlier guess had been wrong: the monster wasn’t merely striking the seabed while trying to come upward—it was actually burrowing underneath the seabed, trying to emerge from beneath the rift buried in the ocean floor. Until now, they had assumed it was trying to rise to the surface. But if it had been tunneling downward all along, the massive shockwave they’d felt earlier made perfect sense.

‘It’s not coming up—it’s coming down. From that hole... We have to get away, now...!’

Mick’s words became increasingly incoherent, his pace erratic. He probably believed he was communicating slowly and clearly, but even Yuder, with his perception, struggled to follow. With his face pale to the brink of fainting, and lips moving as if possessed, Mick was spiraling.

Yuder gently released energy toward him.

Fwoosh...!

‘Ah!’

There’s no better way to bring someone to their senses underwater than by using the water itself. Startled by the sudden bubbles enveloping him, Mick stopped talking.

‘I understand. Calm yourself.’

It was clear that his overuse of his ability had sent him spiraling. Yuder placed a hand over his eyes. Mick flinched like he’d been burned, but then slowly began to calm.

Kanna, who had a similar gift, once tried to read the Red Stone and passed out. Seeing or reading dangerous phenomena could threaten the lives of even the Awakeners themselves.

Fortunately, Mick didn’t lose consciousness. Though trembling violently, he slowly regained control as Yuder kept his eyes covered.

Once he had settled somewhat, Kishiar moved in, gently pushing Yuder’s hand aside and taking his place.

‘Mick.’

‘...’

‘Focus only on me.’

Kishiar turned his body just enough to block Mick’s line of sight downward. Mick, opening his eyes slowly at last, revealed bloodshot whites so red they looked ready to burst. Yuder wondered—if he had pushed his power just a little further, would Mick’s eyes have literally ruptured?

Mick stared blankly at Kishiar for a moment, then finally forced °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° a crooked smile onto his trembling lips.

‘...I made a scene. I apologize.’

‘Did you clearly see which direction the monster is trying to emerge from?’

‘...Yes. That much, I’m sure of.’

‘What else? What did you see?’

‘It’s hard to explain.’

Mick shook his head, then paused and continued, haltingly.

‘At first, I tried to look more closely at where the rift itself was. But... I don’t think I’m capable of seeing that clearly.’

Apparently, Mick had instinctively realized that trying to peer too deeply into the rift would be too dangerous. So instead, he focused his power on the movement of the monsters trying to escape from within. That much, at least, he was able to discern—but even that brief glimpse had damaged his eyes.

As he blinked while speaking, red mist-like blood began to seep from the corner of one eye. Covering it, Mick muttered with trembling, pale lips:

‘What I saw down there... it was like a huge hole. But it was... moving. Like something alive...’

A hole. Mick had used that word before too. It hadn’t been a mere metaphor for the rift. Yuder stepped closer to Kishiar and asked:

‘You once said you saw a hole in me too. Do you remember? Was it something like that?’

Mick, who had been looking at Yuder, hesitated as if about to shake his head—then slowly nodded.

‘I’m not sure... But maybe. It did feel like... a wound. So... maybe similar.’

A wound.

Yuder stored the new word carefully in his mind.

‘We can’t let him look any further.’

Kishiar examined Mick’s condition and spoke to Yuder. Yuder agreed.

Under normal circumstances, they’d have sent Mick straight back up—but with the monster about to emerge, there was no time. Separating him now from Yuder, who was the one maintaining the protection around him, would be more dangerous.

‘Mick. Do not use your ability again.’

Kishiar gave the short, firm command, then signaled to one of the members who excelled at using water to shield others. The chosen member, who had suffered the fewest injuries throughout the seabed battle, stepped forward to escort Mick.

Mick, utterly drained after delivering his message, allowed himself to be taken without resistance.

And just then, the second shockwave struck.

BOOOOOOM—!

It felt like being inside a giant's water glass, shaken violently from all sides. It was just as jarring as the last one, and yet, now that they had experienced it once, their response was swifter.

Kishiar pushed outward with his power, and Yuder matched his timing, sending forth his own force. The currents Yuder summoned fused with Kishiar’s energy, forming a massive barrier—a wall that tightly protected all the nearby members.

WHOOOOOSH!

No matter how fierce the tremor, nothing could break through that combined defense.

But they couldn’t stay on defense forever. They had to act—had to stop the monster trying to tunnel upward through the seabed.

That it was heading downward instead of up was unexpected—but it didn’t change the solution.

“We go down. Dig into the ground. Create a space where Kishiar’s power can be fully unleashed.”

Yuder looked to Kishiar, and even in the murky dark, Kishiar’s eyes met his unflinchingly. A gaze that told him clearly—he would not be surprised, no matter when Yuder decided to begin.

Yuder gave a small nod and sent a hand signal to the others.

‘The Commander and I are going down. If the monster reaches this level, all of you must join forces to create a current. Push it to the surface—just like before.’

Below this depth, only death awaited.

The pressure alone could crush a human body in an instant if they lost focus.

For beings who lived and breathed on land, the ocean was already a dangerous place.

And now, within it, a rift waited with its jaws wide open—and monsters lurking inside.

But none of the members objected. No one said they couldn’t manage without Yuder. They simply returned the same signal.

‘Understood.’

‘Yes, sir.’

Yuder returned the signal. Then finally, Kishiar raised his hand in the final gesture.

A hand pressed to the chest where the Cavalry badge was worn—then extended outward.

A Cavalry-style salute. Something a Commander never needed to do.

Light flickered across the members’ weary faces, shining with emotion. Had they been on land, they might’ve shouted or laughed with joy.

Leaving them behind, Yuder and Kishiar dove deeper.

The thick darkness swallowed all traces of the others, leaving only an eerie cold to fill the space around them.

Yuder turned to confirm Kishiar’s position—only for a hand to gently grasp his own.

I’m here. No need to look back.

That’s what the touch seemed to say.

Yuder gripped his hand back, firmly.

At the very bottom of the sea, where no human had ever set foot, the unknown earth came into view.

Even in total darkness, the rift stood out—uncannily visible, unnaturally distinct.

Glaring directly at the grotesque thing that stirred primal fear, Yuder drew out all the power he had left in a single, decisive breath.

There was no time to prepare.

Golden light exploded from his eyes like a near-blinding flare. And this time, it wasn’t water that responded—but the earth.

Rrrrrrrrrrr...

No sudden quake—he couldn’t allow that. It had to be quiet. But it had to be overwhelming.

The formless power that burst from Yuder’s body enveloped the area around the rift.

The ocean floor—untouched by human hands since the dawn of the world—let out a soundless scream.

And at last, it began to collapse.