Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

“What… what is this?!”

“Don’t come near, aaaaahhh!”

“It’s over, it’s over.”

“What happened?”

The black threads were not invisible—everyone could see them. People fled in all directions, yet the threads pierced straight through stone, brick, and grass as if they were nothing. Everyone nearby was run through.

They screamed in terror; some collapsed to the ground, some frantically tore off their clothes to check for wounds—chaos everywhere.

But soon, they realized… they seemed fine?

  The black threads had indeed gone into their flesh, yet no blood came out. Someone reached out, trying to pull one free, but only grasped empty air.

“I… I didn’t die?”

“What is this thing?!”

“Strange… why?”

The Prince looked grimly at the thread attached to his own body. He pinched at it with his fingers, but there was no sensation at all.

When he lifted his head and looked into the air beside him, his entire body froze. His pupils shrank to needlepoints.

He saw, hanging in midair, the soul of the true “Prince.” That translucent form also had a thread stabbed through it.

Out in the sea not far away.

The Banshees, relying on their speed in the water, had all managed to dodge the threads. Now, still shaken, they looked toward the shore.

【Compassionate Mother】stood motionless, countless threads stretching out from above Her head in every direction.

Suddenly, one Banshee shivered, as if recalling something. “That… that voice just now…”

Moments before that “Mira” was about to explode, someone had warned them through the link to evade.

It was a voice so familiar it could never be mistaken, and the Banshees had obeyed instinctively.

『My Lord, was that you?』

After a moment, a reply came through the Mind Link.

『It was me.』

Hearing Hughes’s voice, the Banshees’ link instantly grew lively.

『My Lord, where are you?』

『He’s still on the island, isn’t he? Must’ve left Banshees at intervals as relays.』

『Impossible! Do the math—Castel is way too far. Our Mind Link range is only a dozen kilometers or so. There aren’t enough people!』

『Could long-distance communication really have been developed?』

『Don’t be stupid. That project only just started, and even if it worked, how could it link into our Mind Link?』

The Banshees bickered, but then Hughes’s voice came through again.

『Turn around.』

The Banshees froze, then a possibility surfaced in their minds. Shocked, they turned back.

Hughes, Nini, and a whole group of Banshees were rushing toward them across the sea.

Hughes had personally come to Blood Harbor.

After receiving the news, Hughes had gone first to Descended Worker Hughes, opened a chat with Gwen, Zoe, and the others, and quickly realized he was in trouble.

In Castel, the news of Blood Harbor was arriving far too late.

The Banshees could indeed make quick round trips between the two places, but each trip took hours. Battles changed in an instant—after hours, everything was already too late.

And that was assuming they could even send messages reliably. In truth, the Banshees lacked the manpower. If anything changed, they had to drop everything and rush off to deliver word.

Ash only had a single squad, meant for emergencies, and they had indeed been forced into an emergency—by the time they figured out what was happening in Blood Harbor, it was too late to call for support, and they had to land and fight right away.

So Hughes faced a dilemma.

But the dilemma was Castel’s—it did not bind him.

Though he had not used it in a long time, Hughes did possess some Extraordinary Power, such as swimming freely in the sea.

It was a gift of the Symbiotic Contract. Unfortunately, since obtaining it, the sea had never been safe, and as a lord he bore responsibility for his territory—adventuring recklessly was unwise.

But after the Deep Sea War, the enemies in the ocean had been almost wiped out. He had even stuffed the Sea God’s true body into the Stellar Furnace. Now, in the Storm Ocean, no great threat remained.

And what he had gained from the Symbiotic Contract was the Banshees’ natural ability—he could swim as fast as they could. The first time he entered the sea, he had only just managed to keep up with Ash and the others diving into the Abyss.

So after weighing it, Hughes decided to come in person.

After all, no matter how dangerous Blood Harbor was, it was unlikely to threaten the sea itself. In the water, Hughes could move fast, and with many Banshees beside him, he was very safe.

With a brief handover in Castel, Hughes and a group of Banshees swam over together.

After the Followers of the Mother Goddess rose in rebellion, Ash had immediately sent someone to Castel. Just a few hours later, Hughes had arrived in time.

At once, he saw 【Compassionate Mother】at the harbor, and the “Mira” above Her gave him an uncanny sense of familiarity.

As if… it were the 【Lord of Moths】that had once possessed Worker Hughes’s body.

They should be the same kind of being.

Under Ash’s attack, “Mira” grew unstable. Hughes could sense some kind of energy surging within, and quickly warned Ash and the others.

Thankfully, they had reacted fast enough to dodge those black threads.

Black Threads.

  Hughes narrowed his eyes. He knew this well. Worker Hughes had linked to believers through threadlike strands, only of a different color, and invisible to mortals. Hughes understood this very well.

Why did he feel he was getting more and more practiced with this heretical god business?

On the other side, Ash and Nini gathered, quickly exchanging reports through the Mind Link. This wave of supporting Banshees had brought not only heavy firepower but also much good news.

“There’s still plenty more support coming.” Nini nodded to Ash’s squad. “Ocean liners, the Holy Guard, and the new ships from the shipyard—they’re all on the way. Airships too.”

“So many?” The Banshee squad was surprised.

Two fully armed squads of Banshees took over Ash’s mission and swam toward shore to scout.

Hughes came to Ash’s squad, waved his hand, and said, “Since I came here myself, it means I’ve decided to intervene in Blood Harbor’s situation. And if I’m intervening, why would I fight piecemeal, bit by bit? If it can be crushed, then we crush it first, and talk later!”

“Don’t worry, the reinforcements will be more than Nini said. Castel’s troops are already assembling. You’ll see them soon.”

Ash nodded, somewhat reassured.

【Compassionate Mother】was indeed bizarre. No one knew what effect those threads might have. Like a statue, She had stood motionless since that eruption.

“All right. We’ll deal with Blood Harbor later—let’s finish off this heretical god first.”