A few seagulls drifted lazily over the calm sea, small waves rolling under the caress of the breeze. Now and then a shadow flickered under the surface, and the birds would suddenly dive, stabbing downward to snatch the fish below.

Whoosh—!

A massive black shape surged up from beneath the waves. The seagulls didn’t even have time to react before they were gulped down in one bite. A grotesque giant fish floated to the surface, its entire back covered in thick, bony plates.

Splash—!

The monster fish that had been drifting idly suddenly jolted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and slammed straight down into the depths. It was like something terrifying was approaching.

Boom, boom, boom—!

The tranquil scene shattered in an instant. A black hole split open in midair, a violent gale roaring out of it, mixed with a fierce surge of energy that swept in all directions. The clear sky of this otherworld turned dim, the calm sea exploded into raging waves, and the horrific aura sent every creature in the area fleeing for their lives.

Slash—!

A black figure suddenly shot out from the crack in midair, trailing a dense scent of smoke and fire as it crashed into the sea. A few seconds later, a powerful tremor pulsed out from beneath the surface.

Splash—!

Bexia burst up from underwater. He’d relied on the Thousand-Change Robe’s defenses to survive the blast of the jump device, but he still looked scorched and bedraggled. At the same time, he could feel the robe’s glow had dimmed a little, clearly damaged.

The jump device was only built for one person’s emergency escape. Braun and Bexia together had overloaded it, draining its energy early. Fortunately it still managed to open an exit at the end; otherwise they would’ve been lost in endless space.

He was hauling Braun in one hand. Braun had long since passed out, and when Bexia checked his life force now, his brows knit together—Braun was already dead.

“How did it end up like this?” Bexia shook Braun, speechless. He had Christine double-check, and only after she confirmed there was no trace of a soul left did he drop Braun’s body into the sea. Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings all around, his head started to ache.

“So we really ended up in another world… How am I supposed to get back now?” Bexia sighed and shook his head. During the jump he’d already realized the device was sending them to another world. Now the jump device had exploded, leaving nothing behind. He was basically cornered—if he wanted to go back, there was no way.

“Don’t worry, Master. There should still be a way. And didn’t Braun have a warship? We can just find somewhere to buy a warship and use it to go back too!” Christine appeared beside him as a faint phantom, speaking to comfort him.

“You’re right. But I don’t know how expensive warships are… I’m guessing not cheap.” What she said made Bexia’s eyes light up. Braun had used a warship to reach the Continent of God’s Lament; he could do the same.

“So what do we do now?” Alone in this strange world, Bexia still wasn’t used to it and felt a bit lost.

“First, we find people. Getting intel on this world comes first. Once we understand the lay of the land, we can plan the next step.” Christine said.

“I’ll go with your plan.” There was nothing to pick apart in her reasoning. Bexia nodded in agreement, chose a direction, and flew off.

He had no idea how big this sea was. Bexia flew from morning until the sun went down and still saw no sign of land. In the end, he could only stop and rest on a small island.

“Christine, can you feel anything?” Bexia was talking about the flower-shaped mark on his chest. It had appeared after the Holy Spirit Contract, and the Holy Spirit girl was inside it. Bexia could even sense the life within, and should have been able to summon her out—only now he couldn’t use that ability at all, like something was restricting it.

“That’s a very powerful lifeform. But since she’s already formed a contract with you, Master, there’s no danger. She might even end up helping you,” Christine said with a smile. As the holder of a soul Divinity, she’d already sensed something before. She’d thought it might be dangerous at first, but once she saw it was a bloodline contract and probed the other party’s soul, she found it incredibly powerful, yet oddly pure—like a newborn soul, without a single trace of impurity.

Souls could sense souls. A soul without any impurities meant there was nothing there—no memories, nothing at all, like a blank sheet of paper. To Christine, that was basically a baby. How could that be dangerous, let alone harbor any schemes?

“I just hope we can get off this rock tomorrow. The Thousand-Change Robe’s flying speed is way too slow. It can’t compare to a real champion at all.” Bexia grumbled. The robe’s flight was just an extra function; of course it couldn’t match a true champion.

“Of course. It’s just a piece of gear, and it’s damaged on top of that. Its performance is bound to drop.” Christine chuckled, then suggested, “If you think its flying is too slow, why don’t we catch a big sea beast tomorrow and use it as a mount? Sea creatures are way faster than flying.”

“Good idea.” Bexia nodded. She really thought fast.

“Then it’s settled for tomorrow. Master, shouldn’t we do what people usually do at this time of night now?” Christine hugged Bexia from behind. Right now she was only wearing a white shirt, the collar deliberately unbuttoned at two spots to show off her full chest.

“Cut it out.” Bexia tapped her on the head, annoyed. At a time like this, she still had the mood to seduce him. He really didn’t get what went on in Christine’s mind.

“If you don’t rest properly, Master, you’ll definitely be exhausted tomorrow,” Christine said with a troubled little face.

“You go to sleep first. I’ll turn in later.” Bexia said helplessly. They’d started with several tents, but Christine had “accidentally” ruined all of them. Only a single one-man tent had “barely survived.” It wasn’t impossible for the two of them to squeeze in, but what would happen if they did was obvious.

“I’ll be waiting for you, Master.” Christine shot him a playful smile and crawled into the tent.

“Honestly…” Bexia looked up at the sky. Somehow, he’d ended up alone again. It’d been a long time since he’d felt like this.

He tilted his head back, staring at the night sky. The dazzling stars were mesmerizing. After Bexia took a moment to sort out his thoughts and steady his mood, he finally felt ready and headed into the tent to rest.

“She actually fell asleep?” Bexia was a little surprised. Thinking about it, though, with all the consecutive soul attacks she’d endured, her expenditure must’ve been enormous.

“Master…” Christine sensed someone beside her and opened her eyes to look at him, her exhausted expression making Bexia’s heart ache. He reached out, pulled her into his arms, and rested his chin lightly on the top of her head.

“If you’re tired, then just sleep…”