Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 427: Chalkboard Eraser

The Narwhale moved at flank speed to escape as soon as possible. However, everyone noticed something amiss just then. The force of gravity boring down on them had increased.

Charles looked out the bridge windows, and his heart skipped a beat upon seeing a familiar vertical metropolis. It turned out that the colossal translucent worm had somehow engulfed the Narwhale at some point; they were inside the giant worm!

The colossal worm turned its head toward Charles, its hundreds of red eyes filled with intense resentment as they gazed upon Charles.

"Bandages" Charles turned to Bandages. Without wasting any time, Bandages crouched, hiding behind in Charles' shadow to carve peculiar cuneiform lines on the deck floor.

Charles truly didn't want to suffer that unpleasant condition once more, but he knew he had to do it for the sake of everyone on the ship. He had to harness that uncontrollable power for them to survive the colossal worm's assault.

Just then, a wisp of black mist manifested at the junction of the wall and the floor, but it vanished in the blink of an eye.

What was that? Charles thought, and he was shocked to find that the colossal worm's head had disappeared. Moments later, a chunk of the worm's colossal figure faded away. However, it didn't seem like a monster had devoured the colossal worm. It was more like the colossal worm was a phrase on a chalkboard, and it was being erased by a chalkboard eraser.

The colossal worm panicked upon realizing its plight; its colossal figure dispersed into a myriad of tiny worms that scattered and fled in all directions. However, the colossal worm's action proved futile; not a single worm managed to escape the "chalkboard eraser's" pursuit.

The "chalkboard eraser" then turned to the Narwhale and rushed toward her in pursuit.

Charles had no idea of what was going on, but he felt that if the "chalkboard eraser" managed to wipe across them, they would disappear like words on a chalkboard, similar to the colossal worm.

Charles had no time to assess the situation even further; he grabbed Sparkle, who had just transformed into a physical entity and was about to run toward the colossal worm before turning to look at his crew and shouting, "Dive! Hurry up and dive! Dive as fast as possible!"

The shrill cries and creaking of metal echoed as the Narwhale's animated ropes moved and transformed the Narwhale into a submarine. Then, under everyone's nervous gaze, the Narwhale rapidly sank into the depths of the sea.

"If anything happens, I want you to take Sparkle and leave," Charles said softly to Anna.

Anna stared at Charles and responded with a calm nod, "Okay."

"I'm serious! You know how strong that worm was, but it couldn't even resist that thing over there. We can't see it, but I reckon that it's on par with the Divinities in strength!" Charles urged.

"Mmhm. I understand. I promise you that if there's any real danger later, I'll run away without looking back and have Sparkle take me away first," Anna replied with a smile.

Charles rushed up to Anna just then and put his arms around Anna's neck before kissing her fiercely. Moments later, he stepped backward and rushed to the nearest periscope. He closed one eye and peered into the periscope.

The colossal worm was nowhere to be found; it had been completely erased.

However, the "chalkboard eraser" was invisible, so Charles had no idea whether it was still out there or if he had retreated. Charles knew that he couldn't afford to take such a risk.

Clang!

A resonant noise echoed, and a violent tremor ran across the Narwhale.

"Captain, we've touched the seabed," Dipp at the helm reported.

"Turn left, head 30 degrees and stick to the seabed. Let's get out of this damned place," Charles said.

The Narwhale turned slowly, sticking to the seabed as it navigated the depths. An oppressive atmosphere hung above the Narwhale, and none of the crew dared to speak. After all, the crisis wasn't over yet.

Ten minutes passed, twenty minutes passed, and thirty minutes later, the Narwhale was still moving along the seabed.

Audric wearing sunglasses wiped the sweat from his forehead with his trembling hand. Then, he reached out, seemingly looking for something.

Linda reached over and grabbed Audric's hand.

"It's been a while; it should be safe now, right?" the blind vampire asked while leaning close to Linda's ear.

Bang!

A deafening noise erupted, and the steel plate crucial for the cabin's airtightness caved inward, transforming into an equilateral triangle the size of an Eight Immortals Table[1].

"Captain, what's going on outside?!" Dipp exclaimed.

"There's nothing outside!"

A hissing noise echoed just then, and everyone was suddenly pressed to the ground. Before they could understand what was going on, a sense of weightlessness enveloped them as they ascended rapidly; the Narwhale seemed to have become the plaything of some unknown entity,

Anna jumped toward Charles, and writhing black tentacles erupted behind her to cover Charles tightly aside from his head.

The Narwhale tossed and turned. After what seemed like an eternity, the tremors and harsh movements disappeared. The crew members stood up one after another and were shocked to find that they had somehow returned to the surface.

A shrill scraping noise echoed all of a sudden and a large gash manifested on the steel plate above the Narwhale's bridge. It split open in the blink of an eye, but there wasn't anything beyond the steel plates.

"Release me! Hurry up and release me! They're here! Take Sparkle and leave!" Charles roared and struggled desperately against Anna's restraints on him.

"I'm more powerful than you can imagine, so just stay put and watch," Anna replied.

Before Charles could respond, the bridge's ceiling and its glass windows were torn apart. Then, a gaze that was so powerful as to seem almost intangible descended upon everyone. Aside from Anna, Charles, and Tobba, the crew members collapsed and grabbed their heads while screaming in despair and madness.

Charles' heart beat wildly against his chest; he could feel it. The invisible monster was just thirty centimeters away from him. Sparkle standing behind Charles seemed to have sensed something. She raised a tentacle to intervene, but Anna and Charles' gazes stopped her from moving.

Charles could feel Anna trembling involuntarily from fear, but her face was distorted not in fear but in extreme fury. Anna wanted to fight back, but the intense palpable gaze made her feel a variety of negative emotions. She dared not move as her heart was inundated by fear, despair, and a heavy sense of oppression.

Anna had just boasted to Charles, but clearly, there wasn't anything she could do against absolute power.

Charles stared intently at the empty space before him. The cogs in his mind turned rapidly as he thought of countermeasures that would allow him and his crew to escape this plight.

"AAAAH!" Tobba wailed as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight. Then, he stiffened like a statue, and the light in his eyes dimmed rapidly.

The immense pressure on everyone's shoulders vanished just then. Charles couldn't see them, but he knew that they had left and had returned to their own perspective.

Upon being freed. Charles rushed to Tobba on the floor and helped him up.

"Tobba! Can you hear me? Answer me!" Charles roared, but the animated Tobba offered no response at all. Thin threads of saliva dripped down the corners of his lips, and he was as limp as a wet noodle.

1. = Eight Immortal Table