Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Lina obviously possessed some means that involved the soul. Isaac had no doubt that she could probe into his own.

If that happened, the Resistance would be finished—and perhaps the entire Castel might be dragged into ruin as well. The girl seemed to be searching for something, and Isaac had a nagging feeling that it was related to Castel.

Now that his soul had returned to the 【Chrysalis】, even if he could not find a chance for resurrection, at least no secrets would be leaked.

This was the only chance!

At the very last moment, he struggled to turn his head toward Lina. She was carefully cupping the pollution in her hands, her face filled with bliss as she devoured it.

What kind of monster was that!?

Without a shred of hesitation, Isaac abandoned his body completely. His soul, having lost its anchor, was instantly swallowed by the Sea of Unawareness.

Ordinary transcendents would have been lost forever at this point, but the Moths Chasing Fire possessed the 【Chrysalis】. Brother Kaeski had already approached the threshold of taboo, able to guide direction through the Sea of Unawareness and lead lost souls back to their rightful place.

Sure enough, a slow, gentle pull came from afar. Isaac did not resist and allowed his soul to drift along with the current.

At that moment, he could already be considered dead.

His soul drifted aimlessly in the Sea of Unawareness, unable to return to the mortal world—he had lost the anchor of his flesh.

Scenes of his not-so-long life surfaced within his mind: the miraculous survival, the burning determination for revenge, all the efforts he had made—only to end with such a hasty conclusion.

Isaac fell silent. He believed he had done his best; every choice he had made was the best one available at the time. If given another chance, he had no reason to choose differently.

Gradually, he sank deeper and deeper into the sea, nearing the bottom of the abyss.

The water around him felt warm. Isaac focused his gaze downward.

When a mortal’s will transcended the High Wall of the mortal world, they could glimpse the wonders beneath the sea. After that, unless they reached transcendence, they would never again behold the Sea of Unawareness in this life.

And when a transcendent discarded their body, they too could glimpse the supreme depths. Unless they ascended another step, they would forever be barred from this place.

A single glance—only a single glance was allowed. Any more, and they could never leave.

Isaac gazed downward.

There were serpents of endless length, their heads and tails unseen. There were cathedrals tall as mountains, where hymns and organ music echoed endlessly.

There sat a frail boy, deep in contemplation upon a pew. There swam a devil ray whose body was covered in stone.

There were skeletal monsters, bookshelves covered in writing, mist-like orbs, magma-eating behemoths—strange and wondrous beings of every shape, packed densely across the seabed.

And at the very center of them all was an empty ring of space—no being dared approach. There stood a round door.

“This should be the 【Trident Gate】.”

Isaac merely glanced at it, yet countless delicate strands of knowledge flooded into him, swelling his soul to the verge of bursting.

Just as his will was about to collapse, the giant chrysalis on the distant open ground suddenly trembled.

Isaac’s awareness became slightly clearer. He knew that must be the 【Chrysalis】 itself—it was his first time seeing its true form.

A faint pull drew him away from the round gate and toward the chrysalis. It was covered in bulging, grotesque veins, through which flowed not blood, but countless golden runes.

That was flowing knowledge—endless, infinite unknowns—the final resting place of the Moths Chasing Fire.

Isaac steadied himself and spoke to the chrysalis.

“Lord Kaeski, I am—”

Suddenly, his words halted.

Isaac’s eyes widened as a cold touch once again brushed his neck.

“How is that possible!?”

This was the deepest part of the Sea of Unawareness! Even a normal transcendent, at the cost of life itself, could only glimpse this place once—and Lina had actually managed to cross all these barriers to reach him?

Heretical gods lacked reason, outer gods lacked power—what kind of being could extend its tendrils even here?

Thankfully, the 【Chrysalis】 was here. No matter how strong Lina was, she could not possibly confront the 【Chrysalis】 itself.

“Lord Kaeski, please save me! I’m being hunted!” Isaac cried out without hesitation.

He looked toward the massive chrysalis before him, full of hope—but the voice that echoed in his mind stunned him.

“Your soul has already been marked.”

Marked?

That was no easy feat—but not impossible. Even Isaac himself could do it.

The 【Investigator】 could mark souls to track their targets regardless of distance.

But marking was one thing—exerting influence was another.

Why did the 【Chrysalis】 mention this now? Did it mean… it wouldn’t save him?

The pressure on his neck tightened. Isaac could no longer speak, his body dragged backward through the depths as the seafloor receded into the distance.

“There will be someone to save you.”

The chrysalis pulsed slowly. Its voice resonated again—and before Isaac could respond, he was torn away completely.

The seawater rushed past his ears. The chrysalis’s final words faded into the Sea of Unawareness, but by then, Isaac was already far gone.

“…【Gwen’s Friend】.”

Within the High Walls of reality, outside Grizzly Town.

Gwen had gathered the soldiers in moments—they had been preparing for battle for quite some time and could engage at any moment.

But when she turned around, she was shocked to find that Isaac had disappeared.

Only a few scattered threads remained on the ground.

“Where did he go? Withdrawn? Or—”

What she didn’t know was that Isaac had already stopped breathing. His soul had left his body.

Battles between transcendents were often decided in an instant. Though Isaac’s confrontation with Lina felt long, only a few minutes had passed—the same time it had taken Gwen to muster her troops—and by then, Isaac had already reached his end.

The moment Isaac’s soul left his body, Gwen suddenly felt a stir in her heart.

She could not explain it, but she faintly sensed that Isaac was still within the city.

She did not know why, but the feeling was strong—as if some unknown connection bound them.

“Could this be Mr. Isaac’s transcendent ability? Is he sending me a sign?”

Isaac’s sudden disappearance was suspicious in itself. Before he left, Gwen had asked about his combat capabilities—he was strong in direct battle, and even stronger at escaping.

Even if he couldn’t win, he should have been able to flee.

So now that he was missing, Gwen believed he must have returned to fight.

“Mr. Isaac went back to fight… and left me a sign—a direction—hiss, could it be that he wants me to support him?”

Gwen turned to look at the nearby town, hesitation flickering in her eyes.

“Lord Isaac is so powerful… there must be too many transcendents in the town—

I have to help him!”