Treasure Hunting System： The Ocean Conquerer

The moment the monster spoke, the entire battlefield fell silent.

Everyone could tell that the voice wasn’t coming from the strongman himself but was a result of the fear energy attached to him.

The moment they heard that voice, Alka’s heart trembled involuntarily.

That title... He had heard it from the Flower Fairy just a few days ago. The only ones who could address him that way would be another Divine—a Divine leftover from tens of thousands of years ago. But this panic vanished in an instant. Even if fallen and only now reviving, the Flower Fairy could instantly tell that he had consumed a fragment of that Divine. The monster attached to the strongman before him, however, could not see this.

The fearsome black-red energy clung to the strongman, enveloping his bare physique in a layer of Energy Armor.

The helmet resembled a monster’s head, its mouth on the mask opening and closing. This was what made the sound.

Alka stood his ground, not attacking recklessly, and the others did the same.

The massive ball of fear still floated behind him. The invisible energy conduits connected to him resembled umbilical cords attached to his back.

After speaking for a moment, he seemed to sense something amiss. He paused, momentarily stunned.

”No, no. A very familiar scent, but not right,” the monster muttered. Its voice was as jarring as fingernails screeching across a metal plate.

”Ah, yes, yes. You’re just a mortal... hmm, a promising mortal. Did you consume his heart?” With that, he suddenly burst into mad laughter.

The helmet’s manic laughter made its host laugh along with it. Their two different laughs, colliding and grating against each other, became even more piercing, causing everyone present to frown involuntarily.

”Hahaha, he’s really dead! And devoured by a mortal, no less! What a disgrace!”

He stood there cackling, appearing utterly frenzied. His thunderous laughter generated invisible waves of fear, seeking to spread outwards.

Alka’s pink energy continued to act as a mental wall, shielding everyone from any attacks targeting their minds.

”Can you manage, Captain? I think he’s catching on,” Er whispered from a corner.

Lucilia’s expression was intent. Her hands were outstretched, manipulating what seemed to be blood-red energy mixed with Magic Power as she performed some kind of operation.

Hearing Er’s voice, she didn’t even turn her head. ”Don’t talk,” she said impatiently. ”Focus on helping me keep watch.”

Besides the two of them, several other Puppet Girls were helping Lucilia keep watch on the surroundings.

They stood around the Array, but their forms were concealed.

Alka’s Mirror, the spreading mist, and the concealment effect Xuan had cast on them allowed them to hide perfectly near this crucial area. They were concealed within the mist, conducting operations behind enemy lines.

”Is Xuan still not awake?” Lucilia asked, continuing the operation with her hands.

Si Rourou’s faint voice replied, ”Not yet, Captain. She told us not to worry.” As she spoke, she helped move the still-unconscious Xuan to an even more concealed spot.

San looked at the flickering pink Spell on her arm; her energy was running low.

Everyone was hidden there, with the monster’s loud laughter echoing from ahead. Yet, it didn’t seem to affect them.

No one noticed these small figures hidden in the pink mist, positioned beside the Array.

The blood-red energy extending from Lucilia’s hands was altering the Array on the ground.

She was changing the formation’s pattern to provide an advantage at the front. However, to avoid detection, she wasn’t altering it all at once but was making careful preparations.

Alka looked at the Energy Armor, which seemed to possess a strong desire to communicate. He asked aloud, ”Who are you?”

”Me? Haha, I am Fear! I am your Nightmare!”

As it spoke, the Armor controlled the strongman to abruptly raise his hand.

The Giant Axe he had been gripping in both hands shattered instantly. A large plume of black smoke billowed out, mingling with the metal fragments to form an even larger Black Mist Giant Axe.

Invisible black fog, emerging from an unknown source, began to surge against the pink mist.

The two mists began to clash and neutralize each other, like two incompatible, opposing tidal waves colliding head-on.

This black fog... it looks so familiar, almost identical to the attacks used by those shadow monsters.

”Haha, do you understand now? You damned gatekeeping mutt! This is something you cannot stop!” he cackled, taunting Alka, yet he inexplicably slowed his own black fog.

The monster’s behavior was incredibly erratic. Moments before, he had seemed to recognize Alka’s true nature, yet now he was mistaking Alka for the Divine whose Divine Fragment Alka had consumed.

This Divine’s state seems very unstable. And Nightmare... from the Dream Realm?

Alka’s antlers flickered frantically as waves of pink mist surged, blocking the enemy’s black fog assault. Even though the enemy had altered its attack intensity, the shift in power from Alka’s Fifth Stage still made it difficult for them to withstand.

”Hold on a bit longer; the Great Gardener’s ritual is nearly complete,” Jilenna whispered from nearby.

In the Hourglass used for timing, the fallen sand had piled high in the bottom, leaving only a tiny amount remaining in the top.

The Great Gardener was their final safeguard.

THUD!