"Who’s this Sea God you keep talking about? Where is he? Did he summon the Heaven Demons?"
Usher’s voice was cold as his longbow hovered inches from Mabubu’s forehead.
Elsewhere, alien adventurers trying to flee Obseria were mercilessly hunted down the moment they crossed the walls—Skyslasher’s orders, no exceptions.
The blood-soaked methods left no room for mercy.
"Arrogant scum! I’d rather die than betray my god!"
Mabubu might’ve looked like a freak, but the fish-faced commander had a spine. He raised his head proudly, fully ready to die on the spot.
Usher narrowed his eyes, slowly lowering his hand. Killing one of the few high-ranking figures left in this city wasn’t smart—not until they had answers.
"If any of you still remember what it means to be a god’s adventurer," Mabubu said haughtily, "then repent your sins and return to the gods’ embrace!"
The crowd stared at each other, completely unsure how to proceed. The interrogation hit a stalemate.
"Damn, there’s still hundreds of these fish in the city. We’re gonna need a really big pot."
ShatteredCrown strolled up with BlackStockings, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
The moment he said it, everyone’s eyes lit up like stars. The conversation instantly shifted gears.
"Right?! Wonder if we can steam them... add some black pepper and sea salt... I bet it’d slap."
Mabubu’s eyes bulged as realization dawned—these people weren’t hesitating out of moral conflict.
They were discussing cooking methods.
BlackStockings stepped forward.
She wrinkled her nose and poked the slime on Mabubu’s skin, gently rubbing it between her fingers before shaking her head.
"Steaming would ruin the flavor. Way too much slime. Personally, I think grilling is the best option."
"Are these... really normal Infinite Dimensions adventurers...?"
Mabubu was panting heavily, slime oozing from every pore in fear. These so-called adventurers weren’t much different from the meat-craving Heaven Demons.
It got worse. BlackStockings calmly pulled out an enchanted kitchen knife, chopping board, and a portable grill from her spatial pouch.
She began explaining with a straight face.
"Normally, you start by flash-frying for ten seconds in hot oil."
"But since crystal flame has much higher heat, a two-second flash is enough."
"Then you grill on high for 450 seconds—no more, no less, or it ruins the texture."
ShatteredCrown cackled proudly. "You listening? Take notes, people!"
Everyone around began frantically jotting down the recipe, nodding in admiration.
BlackStockings wasn’t US’s top chef for nothing. The way she wielded that kitchen knife had the seriousness and focus of someone fighting a dragon.
Her meals weren’t just delicious—they granted powerful buffs. Getting her to cook even once usually cost tens of thousands of gold coins.
"Seriously, I brought you all to war, and you turned into Michelin-star chefs."
Orson rubbed his forehead helplessly.
For these Blue Star adventurers, it didn’t matter if the creature could speak. As long as it looked edible, their brains skipped straight to:
"Can we eat it?" "Would it taste good?"
And most importantly:
"What’s the best way to cook it?"
"Merciful immortal adventurers of Blue Star... please, have mercy!"
Mabubu finally broke down, sobbing.
"The Heaven Demons came from the Ninth City! Obseria only received orders to let them pass—I had nothing to do with it!"
He collapsed like a fish out of water, flopping helplessly on the ground.
"Bingo. He cracked. Go ahead and ask."
ShatteredCrown snickered. BlackStockings casually flicked her hand, vanishing all her cookware.
Everyone surrounded Mabubu with devilish grins—it had all been an act.
"These people are insane."
Orson chuckled and squatted down, his gaze calm.
"What did you mean by ’orders to let them pass’?"
"This! This right here. Lord Sea God gave it to me. I was only following instructions!"
Mabubu pulled out a small gray cube and handed it to Orson.
Orson’s eyes narrowed. A system prompt appeared instantly.
[Abyss Node Device: One of Nine]
Rarity: Lesser Divine Artifact
Effect: One of nine keys that control the opening/closing of the Abyss.
"It’s part of a divine artifact?"
Orson stared in surprise. His suspicions had been right. The suffering of billions on Blue Star hadn’t been an accident—it was orchestrated.
The Heaven Demons didn’t destroy the world outright, nor did they allow adventurers peace. Everything was controlled.
After all, the goal wasn’t annihilation.
They wanted weapons. God-crafted weapons. Not corpses.
"Where is this Sea God you mentioned?"
Orson’s tone turned cold.
He was likely on the same level as the Love God or Seraphim—elite adventurers who had undergone full divine modification and become apex beings in the Blue Star–Infinite Dimensions merged world.
According to Endless Rift, Mabubu and the others were adventurers from various Infinite Dimensions galaxies.
But they were still too weak to be weaponized. Just regular adventurers—servants hoping one day to be gods’ tools.
"I... I don’t know..."
Mabubu’s voice wavered.
Bradley, still fuming from earlier, gave him a solid kick.
"You don’t know where your boss is? What kind of commander are you?"
"Please, calm down! Handsome and majestic Blue Star human!"
Mabubu quickly switched to boot-licking mode. Bradley, caught off guard, raised his chin smugly.
"Ahem. Watch your mouth. Don’t get all sarcastic. I’m not gonna baby you."
Everyone around stifled their laughter. No one wanted to ruin Bradley’s moment.
From Mabubu’s perspective, these adventurers weren’t all that different from Heaven Demons—especially with their horrifying face-eyes combo.
Why the hell were their eyeballs on their faces?
But if sucking up could keep him from being turned into sushi, then flatter away he would.
According to Mabubu, he had never actually seen the Sea God’s true form.
His home world in Infinite Dimensions had been destroyed by Heaven Demons years ago due to its low power level.
Only the most loyal god-worshipers survived.
Their job now was to guard the Ninth Abyssal City, using the node devices to guide Heaven Demons into different worlds and force adventurers into endless war.
If any world produced a War Supreme-class powerhouse, those responsible would be rewarded.
And potentially evolve into beings like the Sea God or Love God.
In the hundred-plus years Mabubu had served in Obseria, four Infinite Dimensions worlds had fallen.
Through accumulated merit, he rose from weakling adventurer to city commander.
Madman crossed his arms. "Let’s assume you’re telling the truth... But riddle me this: how come you’ve got a whole city sitting here, and the Heaven Demons never attack you? They could wipe you out in seconds."
Everyone turned to stare at Mabubu, eyes narrowed.
"No need to ask. I already know why."
A flash of light erupted as Endless Rift teleported in using a locked coordinate from Celestial Fortress.
He knelt down and picked up a strange black stone. Its surface was dark, but inside were faint, glowing pink crystals.
[Soul Transfer Stone]
Effect: Unknown Error...
Orson looked to Endless Rift. "Why does the system show an error?"
He knew the Titan wanderer had knowledge far beyond what Blue Star could comprehend. One reason Orson hadn’t killed him was precisely this—he was useful.
Endless Rift explained.
"This stone is a piece of the [Miraya Matriarch]’s shed skin—an ancient Heaven Demon. It’s saturated in their aura."
"Unless a sentient Heaven Demon is present, activating this stone makes whatever it’s attached to look like a Heaven Demon."
"Of course the gods would keep that little trick a secret."
"Miraya... I’ve heard that name."
Orson suddenly remembered a divine monument from his past life, which chronicled a battle where the Aurora Goddess led a pantheon to slay a monster as large as a planet.
An ancient mega-class Heaven Demon that roamed the cosmos, able to spawn infinite numbers of lesser demons—but no one had ever seen it directly.
Orson turned the stone over in his hand, then looked up with a smile.
"So... what if we reengineered this thing to work on us?"