President

After the enormous tail swept through the darkness, the vast space on the underground floor returned to its initial silence. When everyone tried to locate the shadow that had just appeared, they found it had already vanished into the darkness.

Margery quickly cast an illumination spell using her staff.

The area around her was immediately lit up, revealing part of the underground floor.

Luo Wei glanced around. At the center of the hall stood a massive celestial globe. Surrounding the circular hall were dozens of towering bookshelves, filled with countless heavy books and documents. This place seemed to be the research institute's library or archive.

The two elders had been knocked over by the earlier impact. After getting up, they exchanged a look of astonishment.

"Could that have been... the president?"

"Was that him?"

"Brother!" Helena helped Luo Wei up. "Are you alright?"

Luo Wei shook his head and immediately turned his gaze to Tilis, who was standing nearby.

She was spacing out again.

"Tilis?" Luo Wei walked over and asked in a low voice, "Did you remember something again?"

Tilis nodded thoughtfully, her eyes fixed on the direction where the creature had disappeared.

"That's what the Sea God looked like. When I was studying with my teacher, I remember it had a huge, long... tail, like a fish's."

After hearing her words, Luo Wei frowned. "But the Sea God has been dead for a long time. The one who attacked us was most likely the president."

What puzzled him even more was how the president had taken on the form of the Sea God. Had he become a god as well?

If becoming a god meant growing a giant fish tail, that seemed pretty underwhelming...

When he voiced his confusion, Tilis shook her head vigorously, her eyes tightly shut.

"No, that's impossible! His method is wrong! He can't succeed!"

"My teacher told me that the ritual requires the sacrifice of the flesh and blood of these ancient gods! Only by slaying a god can one become a god!"

"And only then will a higher, more powerful being feel pleased, granting us the reward of touching the truth! Only then can we open that door!!"

Tilis seemed to have recalled a lot of memories all at once. Her eyes widened suddenly.

"Yes, yes! That's it!"

She eagerly grabbed Luo Wei's wrist. "I'm almost there. I'm about to remember everything!"

Luo Wei quickly held her hand and lowered his voice.

"Tilis, wait—!"

He immediately looked toward a dark corner of the room, where a strange noise had just emerged.

The sound was faint and rustling, like the slithering of a damp, cold snake across the floor.

Hearing the noise, the two elders decided to strike first this time.

After quickly casting their spells, two powerful magical blasts shot toward the source of the sound.

As the bookshelves collapsed with a thunderous crash, Luo Wei finally saw what had been making the noise.

It was several thick, grotesque tentacles covered in dense, fleshy protrusions. Some of the protrusions could open like mouths, revealing uneven, jagged teeth resembling those of a lamprey.

After being hit by the magic, the creature didn't seem to suffer much damage. Instead, it appeared to be enraged, raising its tentacles high and thrashing them toward the group.

A pungent, fishy stench filled the air. Luo Wei pulled Tilis, who was still lost in her memories, back to safety, while Helena carefully guarded their retreat.

This time, facing the "president's" sneak attack, the two elders coordinated much better.

Elder Roens slammed his staff onto the ground, and a hemispherical magical storm erupted within the circular hall. The intense gusts of wind caused dozens of bookshelves to sway and collapse, sending countless pages and documents flying through the air.

When their line of sight was finally clear, Elder Margery soared into the air, her gaze locking onto the shadowy figure lurking in the darkness.

Behind her, a circle of magic crystals formed a radiant array, shooting beams of light like comets toward the enemy's position.

With the light from the spells, Luo Wei finally caught a glimpse of the president's true form, which had been hidden in the darkness.

It was a grotesque, indescribable body, as if various unrelated parts had been forcibly stitched together. Above a bloated mass of flesh were numerous tentacles covered in mouthparts, writhing and snapping like jaws. It moved on multiple webbed limbs, dragging behind it a long, serpentine or fish-like tail. Amidst the mass of flesh was a vaguely humanoid face.

Luo Wei frowned as he stared at the bizarre, enormous creature. It looked like a chaotic amalgamation of deep-sea creatures, like a grotesque seafood platter.

Tilis, who had been holding Luo Wei's hand, finally snapped out of her daze.

She looked at the scene of the elders battling the monster, her gaze settling on the creature.

"The Artificial God Project..."

She suddenly sneered. "Fools will always be fools. Did he really think he could gain power by merging himself with the Sea God?"

"But he does seem incredibly powerful now," Luo Wei remarked, noticing a shift in the battle.

Under the elders' relentless magical attacks, the massive creature remained unmoved. Elder Margery, puzzled, soon realized that the monster was using a magical shield to deflect the damage. Its body was enveloped in a faint blue glow.

Moreover, many of the scattered tentacles were holding staffs and other magical weapons, almost like human hands. The creature wasn't relying on brute strength but was engaging in a magical duel with the elders.

"A monster that can use magic isn't just terrifying," Luo Wei muttered, watching the elders dodge the creature's relentless attacks. "It's downright horrifying when it has both a monstrous body and magical abilities."

The president clearly hadn't completely lost his human rationality. Not only could he use magic, but he was also cunning. The elders had shifted from offense to defense, constantly evading the storm of attacks.

As the saying goes, "Two fists are no match for four hands," and the president had far more than four.

Tilis, no longer dismissive, furrowed her brow as she stared at the monster.

"We can't delay any longer..."

A hint of frustration flickered in her purple eyes.

At that moment, as if sensing Tilis's gaze, the creature's vaguely humanoid face turned toward her.

Its pale, lifeless eyes locked onto Tilis, and its bloodied face twisted as it let out a hideous, gurgling sound.

"Devour... power..."

"You..."

"More valuable..."

The president stopped attacking the elders and abruptly lunged toward Tilis, Luo Wei, and Helena.