Chapter 14: Threat and Secrets |
Saliva spilled from the Whale-person''s mouth. Its massive eyes remained fixated on the midsections of Nemus and his group, clearly craving their internal organs.
The colossal body charged forward, its immense bulk causing the cave to tremble faintly.
The Shadow Hound lunged fiercely, sinking its teeth right into the Whale-person''s neck.
Gathering his courage, Downs also barreled straight into the creature.
At this moment, Krog, sealed within his body, unleashed his power to the absolute fullest. A black demonic aura surged through his entire being, pushing his Attribute Value to the absolute limit while temporarily bestowing the Extraordinary Trait of immortality upon Downs.
In the instant of the collision, Downs''s body was knocked several steps backward.
In a contest of pure physical strength, he was no match for the Whale-person.
It was obvious that even though the adversary had not fully undergone Whale-ification, it had already reached the absolute limit of the Black Iron Rank. As a result, it had prematurely acquired Extraordinary Traits, such as its gigantic size.
The impact forced the charging Whale-person to halt its steps. Its plump, stiff hands clawed relentlessly at its own neck, desperately trying to tear the biting Shadow Hound away.
Its body periodically dissolved into shadow, effortlessly evading the creature''s grasping hands.
At the same time, its four limbs continuously bounded across the Whale-person''s broad shoulders, directing its front claws and razor-sharp maw relentlessly toward the creature''s face and throat.
Nemus''s Demon Body, as a Heterogeneous Demon, was considered a special type of Demon Species.
A Lesser Demon was on par with a limit-tier Black Iron Rank entity that had prematurely awakened an Extraordinary Trait.
A true Demon was equivalent to the Iron Rank.
A Heterogeneous Demon was a variation of a Demon. However, to a certain extent, it surpassed a regular Demon, falling only slightly short of the high-tier Demons that were equivalent to the Golden Rank.
The Shadow Hound, summoned by Nemus using the power of his true form, was a Demonic Monster from the abyssal Hell, distinct from actual Demons.
Unlike Demons, this kind of Demonic Monster could not evolve by devouring souls and slaughtering. Yet, to survive in the Abyss, it naturally possessed its own formidable capabilities.
Its agile body continuously harassed the Whale-person. The creature did not even dare to open its eyes, fearing that in the next second, a sharp claw would strike and gouge out its eyeballs.
"Ahhhhh!" Faced with this relentless assault, the Whale-person had no choice but to open its mouth and unleash a furious roar.
Mixed within the deafening bellow were waves of resonating whale calls.
The Shadow Hound''s body rippled and shuddered, the sheer force of the soundwaves rendering its physical form unstable.
Although the Whale-person''s rationality had eroded, its primal combat instincts had been heightened.
It keenly seized this opportunity. Slightly opening its eyes to lock onto the Shadow Hound''s position, it shot out a hand and snatched the beast in a crushing grip.
Simultaneously, it swung its other arm, colliding heavily with Downs, who had charged in once more.
But at that exact moment, a sharp arrow tore through the air, accurately striking the Whale-person''s half-opened eye.
Purr, hiding at the cave entrance, was an exceptional archer.
Crying out in pain, the Whale-person jerked its head away, only to feel the Shadow Hound in its grasp liquefying and seeping out through its thick fingers like water.
Meanwhile, despite taking a direct punch, Downs acted as if he were completely unscathed. He pounced forward again, tightly grabbing onto the creature''s massive, fleshy thigh.
Demonic power surged as Downs heaved against the Whale-person''s leg with all his might, throwing its center of gravity off balance.
"You beasts!!!" the Watchman screamed hoarsely, instinctively trying to turn around and help his daughter.
However, a multitude of ropes rapidly swirled into action, tightly winding around the Watchman''s body in an instant.
His mobility, his strength, and even his voice were entirely sealed away in the blink of an eye.
"Save your strength. I will need you to confess a few things shortly." Seeing the Watchman still struggling, Nemus manipulated the Oath Rope to bind him even tighter.
"The lives of both you and your daughter are in my hands right now!" Just as his words fell, a muffled crash echoed from the other side. The Whale-person had finally toppled over, unable to maintain its footing.
The Oath Rope slithered forward, swiftly hogtying the fallen Whale-person. Only then did Nemus turn his gaze back to the Watchman.
Comparatively speaking, the Whale-person was a valuable asset, and the Watchman was just as valuable.
After all, while Whale Transformation Sickness was rare, cases could still be found if one searched hard enough.
But a case of Controllable Whale-transformation? This was the only one discovered so far.
Nemus thought little of the meager combat prowess provided by Whale Transformation Sickness. Its true value did not lie in raw power, but rather in the process of Whale-ification itself.
The White Whale Church was a heretical cult.
They believed that Floating Whales were miracles of the world, entirely unrelated to the Gods, and fanatically worshipped everything concerning these great leviathans.
Scattered across the major Floating Whale cities, they possessed extensive research on Whale Transformation Sickness. Most of their members obtained power and sublimated their own Numbers by transplanting whale flesh, blood, and organ tissues into their bodies.
Once they learned of the existence of Controllable Whale-transformation, they would absolutely be willing to pay any price for it.
If utilized correctly, this church could become a powerful tool in his arsenal.
Therefore...
"If you do not want your daughter to suffer inhuman treatment, then you will cooperate honestly. You will say exactly what I tell you to say!" Nemus''s tone was flat, yet his words carried immense weight. The unwavering resolve behind them was flawlessly conveyed to the Watchman.
Nemus gave the Watchman some time to think it over before finally lifting the silencing bind.
"Speak. You have at least three things to confess!"
"You absolute beasts, you demonic hounds! I swear I will kill— Ahhhh!!!"
"Ahhhhhh!!"
Nemus tilted his head slightly to the side, revealing more of the Whale-person''s plight behind him.
The ropes twisted violently, wrenching agonizing wails from the Whale-person, though it was swiftly silenced once more.
Consequently, the cave was soon left echoing only with the Watchman''s tortured screams of heartbreak for his daughter.
"Snap!" Nemus snapped his fingers. Bound up tightly like a curled shrimp, the Watchman was reduced to a silent screamer.
He opened his mouth wide, his face flushing crimson. Saliva dripped down his chin from the sheer exertion of his yelling, yet not a single sound escaped his throat.
"That wasn''t the right sentence," Nemus stated calmly, entirely devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
He simply continued his warning, "I possess the ability to control pain perception. If you spout any more nonsense, I will subject your daughter to ten times the agony she feels right now."
The Watchman glared fiercely at Nemus, his bloodshot eyes practically overflowing with pure hatred.
Nemus treated the venomous glare like a passing breeze, paying it no mind. He simply waited for another few minutes, allowing the Watchman time to calm down and regain his rationality.
Only then did Nemus release the silencing bind, waiting once more for the Watchman''s response.
"I was the one who summoned the demon..." With his reason restored, the Watchman was forced to yield to reality and confess.
And once the dam broke, everything else became simple.
Very quickly, Nemus extracted everything he wanted to know from the Watchman.
The details regarding Controllable Whale-transformation, Opper''s secrets, and what the Watchman knew about the old pastor.
The information about Whale-ification involved far too many compounding variables and would require further experimentation later.
While the Watchman did not know much about the old pastor either, he did provide a critical breakthrough concerning Opper.
"Are you saying he is mining Whalehide Ore?"