SWNOVELXO Chapter 129: Cocolia
Intense energy fluctuations raged, the surrounding seawater practically boiling. A long, narrow stone bridge extended from above Eye of the Deep down into the abyss, seemingly bottomless.
Eye of the Deep was situated 6,152 meters below sea level, firmly in the deep ocean zone. If not for the barrier inherent to this Previous Era ruin, the water pressure alone would crush a person into paste. Even with the barrier, the terrifying abyss was chilling.
Ren walked alone on the bridge, not yet having reached the Sea of Quanta proper. Eye of the Deep served as both the city and the entrance to this realm.
The Eye of the Deep was a portal, without a fixed location. As Ren approached the seabed, a colossal, pale beast roared from deep within the ground.
Cracks erupted across the floor, and masses of Honkai tissue, like swathes of cloth, spread and wriggled out of the widening fissures. Simultaneously, the crew of the Hyperion detected the appearance of this unusual Honkai beast.
This was the product of the Previous Era's Chimera Project: crossbreeding multiple Honkai genes, attempting to replicate various DNA into a single entity, a mad pursuit of artificially creating a super MANTIS soldier.
It was essentially an imitation of Honkai beasts like Vishnu, which grew through consumption. Their creation was this grotesquely-shaped [Brahma: Kukulkan].
Most of Kukulkan remained within the Sea of Quanta, but half of its body had already emerged, proving that the boundary between reality and the Sea of Quanta had blurred.
Ren didn't provoke Kukulkan. His current Kosma body was purely flesh and blood; its abilities alone couldn't contend with Kukulkan.
Speaking of which, Kosma, one of the thirteen Flame-Chasers, possessed Vishnu's genes. If he could somehow get his hands on that kind of thing, he might actually be able to grow to an incredibly terrifying level.
"Should I borrow a bit of Theresa's genes?"
Of course, this borrowing would be strictly platonic, not other thing...
Nah, better not.
Otto, that granddaughter-obsessed old man, kept too close an eye on Theresa.
Touching her was basically a declaration of war against Schicksal. Although he wasn't afraid in terms of fighting strength, why reveal himself when he could be a sneaky bastard?
After concealing himself, Ren waited for Bronya to save the day.
The aura of the Sea of Quanta was truly unpleasant. Even using a small amount of his Herrscher of Dominance powers felt strenuous, like playing a video game with extreme lag, needing a second or two for his character to respond to controls—utterly infuriating.
Soon, Bronya and Theresa, having noticed the situation, finally arrived. Ren narrowed his eyes, observing the two.
Just a month ago, their combined strength wouldn't have been a match for him in ARC City. Now, however, they gave off a completely different vibe.
Bronya's Drive Suit provided a substantial shield. Punching through her defenses like before was impossible. And Theresa, with her limitations removed, no longer relied solely on Judah. She finally had the bearing of an S-rank Valkyrie.
The battle between the two and Kukulkan was about to erupt. Ren, hidden in a corner, shifted his attention elsewhere.
Bang!
A fist slammed against the wall. Blood seeped from Cocolia's fingers, but she had no time to examine her injuries.
According to the original plan, she was supposed to open the Eye of the Deep herself, letting the Hyperion crew find their own way into the Sea of Quanta to retrieve the Gem of Desire.
But now, the portal had opened prematurely, attracting hordes of Honkai beasts, and, worst of all, Bronya had rushed into the chaos without hesitation.
She knew the dangers of the Sea of Quanta all too well.
Having already lost Seele, she absolutely didn't want Bronya to risk herself again. However, due to the incident with Wendy's capture, where Cocolia had forcibly controlled Bronya, their relationship had fractured. Bronya wouldn't listen to a word she said.
"My, my, Ms. Cocolia, what seems to be the trouble?" a strange voice drawled from the shadows.
"Get lost, Moth!"
Hidden beneath a heavy hood, Ren slowly emerged, dark red eyes gleaming with amusement. "Why do you seem so upset? The plan is proceeding smoothly, and you yourself set it in motion."
"I thought Mr. Gray Serpent's praise for you was a bit excessive, but now I see that your resolve to sacrifice and exploit everything for your goals is truly… admirable."
The hood slid back, revealing the man's crazed expression. "Just like when I personally sent my daughter into the lab. You truly are a remarkable mother."
Moth of Ink's morbid display made Cocolia deeply uncomfortable.
She immediately tried to distance herself from him. "This has nothing to do with you. According to our agreement, you couldn't let my children be put in danger, but you opened the Eye of the Deep without authorization!"
Her outburst was met with silence. Ren glanced around. Gray Serpent wasn't there.
A low, sinister chuckle echoed, laced with mockery. "I thought you were a smart woman, but it seems my judgment was flawed. You didn't actually believe World Serpent would be so kind, did you?"
Cocolia's expression changed. Looking at Moth of Ink, who had gone from acting crazy to mocking her, she felt more and more uneasy.
"The sole purpose of opening the Eye of the Deep is to welcome back our Lord. As for your daughter… I'm afraid the Sea of Quanta tide has long since swallowed her whole. And now, with your assistance, Miss Bronya seems to have entered the Sea of Quanta as well."
Cocolia's face paled. She had assumed Bronya was just dealing with the Honkai beasts, not venturing near the Sea of Quanta itself.
"Think carefully. Your foolish actions are truly too numerous to count. Those twin sisters were lucky to survive an experiment with a success rate of less than 1%. Forgot to tell you, before those two, we conducted thousands of experiments. None of the subjects survived."
"Those children's screams of agony as they were tormented by the drugs were heartbreaking, yet you assumed it was merely the standard procedure for our modifications. Perhaps your own cruel experiments have rotted your brain?"
Cocolia's mind reeled.
"Let me tell you another secret. Years ago, when you were still running that orphanage of yours, World Serpent attempted to capture that girl born with Stigmata. But we didn't expect you to be so insane as to send her straight into the Sea of Quanta."
"And now, you've actively chosen to cooperate with Serpent. Truly…"
The twisted man's eyes widened, staring directly at Cocolia. He even ran his tongue over his lips, a gesture both morbid and grotesque.
"spectacular!"
Under Ren's verbal assault, Cocolia was consumed by overflowing darkness. Every word was like a blade, slicing open her heart, shredding her years of effort, and then ruthlessly trampling upon it.
"Heh, sending your children one by one to their doom. Your motherly love is… touching."
The shadowy voice faded away, leaving Cocolia alone.
Unnoticed, behind Cocolia, the intertwined mark of the Obsidian Concord shimmered faintly.
Almost…
Within the Theater of Domination, Ren pulled the strings, amplifying the darkness within Cocolia's heart.
Taking advantage of Gray Serpent's absence to throw more dirt on World Serpent's name.
Kevin's probably going to swallow him whole when he gets out.