Chapter Nineteen: Farewell at Sea

More than ten days had passed since the incident with the surface monster, Tiglas. Although Tiglas had managed to escape from the hands of the Elder God, its protective shell was entirely shattered. Its body, originally soft and vulnerable, now lacked the hardened carapace that shielded it, rendering it as defenseless as an ordinary human. Furthermore, with the Elder God now hostile and attacking it, Tiglas could no longer remain in the fishing village. Amid the tearful farewells of the villagers, the giant creature trudged along the coast, heading into the distance until it vanished beneath the setting sun.

Camilla had witnessed the Elder God’s actions with her own eyes, and the shock to her beliefs was immense—no less than the upheaval she had felt upon becoming a dark god herself. This left her in a persistent gloom.

Fortunately, the boat commissioned from the villagers was now complete. On the dawn of a certain day, as the sun rose over the sea, the group boarded the wooden vessel and set sail towards R’lyeh.

Camilla gazed at the vast, boundless sea, unable to conceal the sorrow in her eyes.

“You’re returning to your homeland; why do you still wear such an expression?” Tetsuya sat beside her, his gaze lingering on the diminutive fishing village, now reduced to a small black dot on the horizon.

“Weren’t the Elder Gods supposed to be our guardians?” Camilla turned to Tetsuya, her words laden with confusion and doubt.

Tetsuya studied Camilla—this girl, destined to become a formidable dark giant, was still so young. The relentless succession of events had nearly devastated her spirit, sowing seeds of doubt for everything she once believed.

“The Elder Gods are what they are. No race can be expected to be the selfless protector of another,” Tetsuya said after a pause. “We may be capable of selflessness, but we cannot assume everyone else is equally selfless.”

Camilla nodded, only half-understanding, and Tetsuya continued, “I once had a friend who told me that the Giants of Light are beings who forcibly guide human evolution. Perhaps if we regard the Elder Gods from this perspective, things may seem clearer.”

Camilla pondered this, but the more she thought, the more wronged she felt. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she choked out, “The Elder Gods aren’t as I imagined, and now I’ve become a dark god myself…”

Suddenly, she screamed madly at the sea, “Damn you, fate!”

After her frenzied outburst, Camilla seemed less sad. She was, after all, still just a little girl—her moods were quick to change. Now, embarking on the return journey across the sea, a sense of anticipation began to stir within her.

“The buildings in R’lyeh are enormous. There, the agents all appear in human form,” she said. “There’s no darkness in R’lyeh at all; it’s the very source of light, and we are always bathed in its radiance!”

When Hitra and Daram asked her about how one might become an agent of the Elder Gods, she replied, “There are many forms of light, and everyone has a chance to become an agent. Every person entering R’lyeh first undergoes a compatibility test with the light, to see if they can bear its descent.”

“If you can’t, you can still live in R’lyeh, but even to become a resident, there are certain standards. Those who do not meet them are simply expelled.”

“I used to wonder why things had to be this way. Later, Yorei explained to me that R’lyeh is only so large; it can’t house all of humanity. And since it’s the homeland of light, humans are only temporary guests. Therefore, restrictions are necessary—there are simply too many humans, so choices must be made.”

“I am, after all, the daughter of R’lyeh’s Supreme Commander of Human Defense! My elder sister is Miyuki Kei, an outstanding scientist whose flying vessels are the finest in all of R’lyeh!”

Tetsuya, with a strange expression, interrupted Camilla before she could go on, asking, “Miyuki Kei?”

“Yes, is there something wrong?” Camilla looked at him, puzzled and innocent.

“It’s nothing. That name just sounds… familiar,” Tetsuya waved it off. He felt as if he’d heard it somewhere before, but having traversed so many worlds, he had forgotten most things from the Initial Space and couldn’t recall the details.

“And then there’s Yorei, that troublesome woman. When I left, she was already serving as a probationary member of R’lyeh’s Security Corps.”

Tetsuya merely responded with an “oh,” adding nothing further. He was even more familiar with Yorei, having dealt with her in the world of Tiga.

“Does she know magic?” he asked.

“Magic?” Camilla looked at him oddly and shook her head. “No one really uses magic. However, a few who tried to bear the light and failed can wield some of its power.”

“And those agents can use the light’s power in human form, though compared to the Elder Gods, it’s insignificant. But they’re much stronger than the others I mentioned before.”

Just then, Makado approached Tetsuya with a serious expression. “There’s a situation I need to handle.”

Tetsuya glanced back at Camilla and the others, who were chatting happily, then quietly followed Makado to the other end of the boat. “What’s happened?” he asked.

“The Reapers helped us repel the Elder God. Now, they’re asking me to help them with something in return.”

“What is it?”

Makado glanced at the sea. At that moment, a few Doom Flying Fish clung silently to the sides of the vessel, keeping pace as they sailed.

“Queen Monella, whom the Doom Flying Fish revere as their ‘Queen,’ was once the master of these waters, an Old One sovereign. But ‘Judgment’ Gatangele and his followers, the Deep Ones of Chaos, rule the seas of the Mu continent.”

“Now, it seems Gatangele seeks to expand his influence into these waters. The Doom Flying Fish and the Deep Ones have already begun to clash. In a few days, Gatangele will likely come himself to drive out Queen Monella. Thus, the Doom Flying Fish have conveyed her request: that I help them defend their domain.”

Tetsuya frowned. “There are disputes even among the Old Ones?”

Makado smiled. “Of course. Wherever sentient beings exist, conflict is inevitable. Still, since all Old Ones were creations of Emperor Karafar, their struggles are mostly hidden undercurrents for now.”

He paused, then added, “Even R’lyeh, the so-called human sanctuary—who’s to say there are no disputes there? Conflicts between humanity and the Lightborn, schisms among the Elder Gods over their views on monsters, and power struggles among humans themselves—these are no less frequent than those among the Old Ones.”

“If not for Kthanid’s supreme power and ancient age, the Primordial Rulers would have long since been at each other’s throats.”

“Kthanid?” Tetsuya asked, frowning, realizing how little he knew of this era.

“Kthanid and Emperor Karafar are the universe’s first embodiments of light and darkness. The Elder Gods led by Kthanid are called the Primordial Rulers; the beings created by Emperor Karafar are the Old Ones. Humanity struggles to survive, caught between the two.”

Makado went on, “Kthanid is so ancient that perhaps even R’lyeh itself doesn’t know of his existence. As the first light, he needs no agent to exist in the form of a Giant of Light. The heir he appointed to the Lightborn, ‘Nodens,’ the second and strongest light, has yet to find a suitable agent. So, I suspect there are already powerful undercurrents within R’lyeh.”

Tetsuya paused before steering the conversation back. “So, have you decided to help Queen Monella?”

“I wouldn’t call it helping…” Makado shook his head. “It may be an opportunity. After the Doom Flying Fish and the Deep Ones are spent in battle, after Queen Monella and Gatangele have fought, I might intervene and end the existence of the four Old Ones altogether.”

Tetsuya looked at him in confusion, hesitating. “Why do you, as one of the Old Ones, wish to destroy them all?”

Makado gazed up at the sky. “If I can defeat them, I can steal one of their powers. My goal is to slay all the Rulers and ultimately attain a status akin to Emperor Karafar.”

“Won’t he stop you?”

Makado shook his head. “You don’t understand him. After millions of years of existence, he’s become unbearably lonely in the darkness. Do you think he created all these beings for power? No, he wishes to perfect his craft, to finally create a being who can stand as his equal, not just a legion of subordinates.”

“So he supports my goal. And I will accomplish it, gaining power most like his, and earning his recognition.”

“This is a great opportunity!” Makado declared.

Tetsuya hesitated, then said, “Let me go with you.”

Makado looked him over. “You can’t take part in our battle.”

“Then at least I can influence the war between the Deep Ones and the Doom Flying Fish.”

Makado considered, then shrugged. “As you wish…”

Afterward, Tetsuya and Makado went to the bow and explained the situation to Camilla and the others. They were reluctant to part but wisely made no demands for the two to stay. Fortunately, they were not far from R’lyeh, so the risk was not too great.

With a wave, Makado stepped to the edge of the boat and leaped into the sea. Tetsuya followed close behind, plunging into the water as well.

Camilla turned to Daram and the others. “Will we see them again?”

Daram had no answer. If all went well, he and Hitra would enter R’lyeh and become agents of the Elder Gods. Then, he and Makado and Tetsuya would surely find themselves on opposite sides.

But Hitra harbored no such doubts. He simply gnawed on a fish.

Hearing the question, he looked up, scales clinging to his face, swallowed hard, and declared, “Of course we will!”