The girl before her wore a simple black nun's habit, soaked and dripping from long immersion in the Originium solution.
Her long, silver-white hair was damp, sticking to her body.
Strands of hair clung messily to her beautiful cheeks. Her eyes, brilliant ruby-red like Skadi's, were filled with confusion and innocence. Deep within them was a pitiful look that, combined with her stunning features and curvaceous figure, made one's heart itch with a desire to protect her.
"Excuse me... where is this?"
Laurentina asked Skadi hesitantly, her voice delicate and soft.
She sat on the ground, the hem of her long nun's dress slightly bunched up, revealing smooth, jade-like white legs.
"....."
Skadi said nothing, utterly stunned.
Especially Laurentina's frightened, delicate demeanor and that pitiful gaze capable of hooking any man—it left Skadi speechless.
She squinted one eye, the other twitching upward. Her pale face wrinkled slightly as she stared assessingly at the 'comrade' she had just rescued.
Skadi even began to wonder deep down.
Had she saved the wrong person?
How could Laurentina be like this?
The feeling was as absurdly surreal as Exusiai suddenly acting like a frail, pitiful maiden.
"Laurentina."
Skadi called out again.
However, the other woman didn't react, seemingly unaware of who was being called.
"You are?"
"Skadi..."
"Mhm.."
"Laurentina, don't you remember who you are? We're from Aegir. We're Abyssal Hunters. You're from Squad 2, I'm from Squad 3."
But Laurentina just poked her own cheek cutely with a pale hand, appearing to think hard, but she couldn't remember a thing.
"I... don't know what you're talking about, Miss Skadi."
Laurentina was extremely polite.
"What exactly happened to you?"
Skadi had basically guessed that her comrade might have memory loss. After all, when they first met, she was floating in a container. Who knew what experiments that Priest had performed on Laurentina. Unfortunately, not even dust remained of that Priest, and the lab was completely destroyed, so there was no way to find out.
"I... I...."
Laurentina fell into thought.
"Every day after waking up and eating breakfast, I pray. Pray... pray... I...."
Suddenly, Laurentina's expression turned strange. A flash of pain and ferocity crossed her gentle face, and her ruby-like eyes glowed with a blinding scarlet light.
"I..."
Just as Skadi was about to pat her comrade...
Laurentina suddenly went berserk.
Her pale hand bent into a claw, slashing at Skadi's throat.
The force of this blow was immense, even creating an audible *whoosh* as it tore through the air. If a normal person failed to dodge, a single slap would likely kill them on the spot.
Unprepared for Laurentina's sudden attack, Skadi barely managed to dodge at the last second. Still, she was grazed by the tips of the other woman's fingers, leaving several 'red marks' on her white neck.
"Laurentina!!"
Skadi didn't know why her comrade had become like this, or if it was related to the Priest's experiments.
But since Laurentina had attacked first, Skadi naturally had to find a way to subdue her.
Having missed, Laurentina, like a beast driven mad by the sight of blood, attacked Skadi again. Her pale fingers once again aimed for Skadi's neck, but this time, they were easily caught by Skadi's hand just before impact.
Laurentina, her eyes glowing red, looked at Skadi in disbelief.
A trace of conflict flashed in Skadi's eyes.
"You've gotten much weaker, Laurentina."
Then...
She punched her.
*BOOM—*
Laurentina was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing into the metal wreckage of the mobile city far in the distance before finally stopping.
"???"
Lucas Reeve, who had been idly watching the show from within Skadi's body, now had ten thousand question marks floating over his head.
Is... is that the "Friendship Persuasion Fist"?"
That kind of force...
Lucas Reeve strongly suspected Skadi was taking this opportunity to settle a personal grudge.
"That... was a bit heavy-handed, wasn't it, Miss Skadi?"
Lucas Reeve couldn't help but comment. After all, she'd been punched dozens of meters. A normal person would be dead.
Skadi shook her head.
"Mr. Reeve, you don't understand our combat style back in Aegir."
"Back in Aegir, our daily training spars were much rougher than that punch. Besides, with an Abyssal Hunter's physique, an attack of that level might look dramatic, but it's really just like a tickle. Also... I found Laurentina's affected expression and tone just now pretty annoying. And... she almost scratched me."
*Those last two sentences are the real point, aren't they!*
Lucas Reeve screamed internally.
Then, he voiced another doubt.
"Are you sure... it was just a tickle?"
"Of course!"
Skadi nodded confidently. "I've fought Laurentina many times. No one understands force control better than I do."
"But... why is she lying on the ground not moving?"
Lucas Reeve pointed ahead.
Skadi: "????"
Laurentina really wasn't moving!
Skadi quickly ran over, preparing to help Laurentina up. However, just as she was about to touch her, the other woman's head snapped up, a sly look flashing in her eyes.
*It's a trap!!*
The thought flashed through Skadi's mind, but it was too late to dodge. Everything happened too fast.
Lucas Reeve had no choice but to quickly take control of Skadi's body.
Empowered by the Transparent World, he barely managed to twist her body out of the way of the attack aimed at her throat. Returning control to Skadi, Lucas Reeve quickly emerged from her body, preparing to use his soul form to stabilize the situation.
As Lucas Reeve emerged from Skadi, the release of his Spiritual Power caused a golden radiance to shimmer around him, making him look like a holy and sacred god descending from the heavens.
Lucas Reeve hadn't even made a move yet.
However.
Laurentina, who had been berserk and ready to attack just a second ago, froze the moment she saw Lucas Reeve.
The madness in her eyes vanished, replaced by the most fervent faith.
"My God! My Lord!! I am Your most devout believer!"
Her gaze towards Lucas Reeve was dazed, filled with a primal, fanatical belief.
Lucas Reeve: "???"
+5000*5
Twenty-five thousand points of Prayer Power poured into Lucas Reeve's soul.
Ah, this...
5000 Prayer Power was the maximum an individual could provide. Why did this Miss Laurentina use her ultimate move the moment she saw him?
Skadi looked up at Lucas Reeve, her confusion unconcealed.
Skadi wasn't the only one confused.
As the one involved, Lucas Reeve was even more baffled.
*Since when did I have a believer like you?*
But, for the sake of 25,000 Prayer Power... if you weren't before, you are now.
Lucas Reeve didn't know what to do.
He feigned mysteriousness, casually using his Spiritual Power to create a radiant light that showered down, creating the image of a god descending to the mortal realm. The golden radiance sprinkled onto Laurentina. Then, a flash of madness crossed her eyes, her body twisted, and she actually let out a low, comfortable moan under the holy light.
???
Skadi glanced at Lucas Reeve, and Lucas Reeve was just as confused.
He had only released pure light. It looked nice, but it was completely useless. How did it suddenly turn so... lewd?
Nun_Corruption.jpg
The corner of Lucas Reeve's eye twitched violently. He decisively fled.
Just as the light faded, he quietly slipped back into Skadi's body.
After the divine light dissipated, Laurentina's face was still flushed, her eyes glazed over as if something indecent had just occurred. She knelt piously on the ground, not getting up for a long time. Her crimson eyes were filled with obsession and infatuation.
"My Lord~ My Lord~"
"Mr. Reeve, do you think... Laurentina has some kind of mental problem?"
Skadi was completely speechless now. The Laurentina before her was utterly different from the person she remembered. While her original personality was also a bit bizarre and surreal, it was nowhere near this ridiculous.
"Not sure."
Lucas Reeve shook his head.
"In any case, should we take her back first? Get her treated. If there's really something physically wrong, we can treat the symptoms."
"Okay~"
"Follow me, Laurentina."
Skadi tried hard to remain calm, though she couldn't calm down at all.
"Yes, honorable Emissary!"
Laurentina bowed respectfully to Skadi, lifting her skirt and bending slightly.
Perhaps she had subconsciously registered Skadi as the god's emissary.
After all, from Laurentina's perspective, the god had emerged from behind Skadi. With a god backing her, wasn't she an emissary?
"...."
Skadi was speechless.
After Lucas Reeve appeared, Laurentina had become much more obedient. She looked at Skadi with eyes full of reverence, and even a little envy.
An Emissary! Able to follow by the Lord God's side and personally hear his commands. This was simply unimaginable for a believer.
Whatever Skadi asked.
Laurentina no longer went berserk and answered obediently.
But Laurentina was still unclear about her own memories.
She could only vaguely remember being a nun at a church. As for the rest, she knew nothing—not her name, not who she was. She only knew that there was a voice, always tempting her, telling her to believe in the one true god of the world. That as long as she was pious enough, her soul could return to the sea and be with the god, becoming a part of the god itself.
And now!
The god had truly appeared.
Was this acknowledging her as His most devout believer?
However, Laurentina's mental state was still unstable.
When Skadi asked about deeper topics, Laurentina would revert to her frenzied state. However, it was much better than the previous loss of control; she could now manage it herself.
Lucas Reeve had a good idea of what happened.
This Miss Laurentina was Skadi's comrade. She was severely injured during the operation to assassinate the god and was washed ashore with Skadi. However, they landed in different places. Skadi woke up and began searching for her comrades, while Miss Laurentina was captured by the organization this Priest belonged to and used as a test subject. Then, while she was mentally unstable, she was constantly indoctrinated with belief in the Seaborn god.
However...
Lucas Reeve had inadvertently intercepted and harvested that indoctrination.
"....."
I pity that Priest bro for a millisecond. He died and still got his corpse desecrated by me. This... shouldn't count as cuckoldry, right?
Skadi carried Laurentina out of the mobile city's underbelly, leaving through a different exit.
However...
Lucas Reeve noticed something else.
Another thread on Skadi seemed to be getting closer, approaching Saltwind City.
When Lucas Reeve mentioned it to Skadi.
Skadi was happy.
This meant...
...that another one of her comrades was likely still alive. But Skadi's expression dimmed. The Abyssal Hunters used to be numerous, but in the end, were there only two left, including herself?
Skadi decided to wait a while before leaving, to wait in Saltwind City for the other person to arrive.
Abyssal Hunters, connected by blood.
Perhaps the other one had also sensed Skadi's presence and was coming specifically for her.
Suddenly.
Lucas Reeve noticed a change in Skadi.
There seemed to be another thread on her, though it was very, very faint, as if it could break at any moment. And this thread pointed towards... the deep sea?