Chapter 712: Peeking at the Truth

The scene was all-encompassing after the exploration team departed from the shallow coastal waters and ventured deeper inland on the mysterious Holy Island. What they were confronted with could only be described as chilling and unforgettable.

All around, they could see shapes composed of a dense, pitch-black substance. These shapes appeared to have been consumed by their surroundings, almost seamlessly integrated into various landscape elements—embedded in the soil, fused with the walls, blended into the roadside rocks, and even assimilated into the bark of trees. These shapes had become one with the objects that had engulfed them, standing motionless like a collection of grotesque and terrifying statues scattered across the desolate Holy Island. Each "statue," frozen in a pose of struggle, silently communicated a haunting truth to the onlookers—these entities" were once living beings.

Shirley's skin crawled at the thought. The sight of those pitch-black, humanoid forms, which could emerge from the mist at any moment and blend into their surroundings, sent shivers down her spine. She moved cautiously alongside Duncan, wrapping her arms around herself for comfort. She did her best to steer clear of the outstretched limbs and heads protruding from the ground. "Could those cult members... did they all perish here? Is this where they met their end? Were those shapes we glimpsed in the sea upon our arrival actually them? Is it possible that the entire Annihilation Sect has been decimated in this manner?"

With a concerned expression and continuously scanning their surroundings, Vanna replied without much hope, "The Annihilators are still operational in other parts of the world, having infiltrated numerous city-states. Exterminating them is not a straightforward task," She then added, "But it seems likely that the members of this place are no longer among the living... This fanatical, dark cult has indeed suffered a significant setback... In that sense, this is positive news."

Speaking with caution, Morris added, "That might be good news, but it's difficult to feel at ease. The crucial point now isn't just about the number of Annihilators who perished here, but rather how they met their demise and what caused them to transform into... this."

He paused for a moment, his gaze drifting towards the shadowy structures looming in the fog. "This place has been their 'Holy Land' for an indeterminate number of years. They used it as a sanctuary to escape the pursuit of the church, even establishing towns and harbors here. This suggests that this remote island was once a safe haven, a stable place for them... that is, until it started consuming them."

"Consuming..." Shirley echoed the old scholar's words, a sense of alarm overtaking her. She glanced down at her feet with a growing sense of dread, "This place won't 'consume' us as well, will it? What if the ground suddenly gives way and we end up transformed into entities like those..."

It was clear that Shirley's fears were not hers alone; a palpable tension had begun to spread among the expedition team members. Although these individuals were the elite of the church, skilled in handling various anomalies in border regions, the eerie atmosphere of this Holy Island made unease and nervousness an inevitable response.

However, just as Duncan was about to offer some words, Alice, who was walking close by, interjected: "It won't."

Not immediately grasping that the doll was addressing her concern, Shirley responded with a puzzled, "Huh?"

"It won't consume," Alice stated matter-of-factly, "Because the restoration program has concluded. It's stable here now."

At her words, the group came to an abrupt halt.

Duncan's realization dawned on him as he gazed intently into Alice's eyes. "Did you 'see' something again?" he asked, a tone of curiosity in his voice.

Alice paused a moment later, her reaction slightly delayed. Upon hearing the captain's question, she looked genuinely puzzled. "Huh?" she uttered, her expression one of confusion.

Shirley quickly chimed in, seeking clarification, "You just mentioned the restoration program ending."

Alice appeared even more bewildered. "...What restoration program? I didn't say anything just now..." She scratched her head, her expression genuinely perplexed (and naturally, feigning such a reaction was beyond her capabilities). "...Why are you all staring at me like that?"

Duncan continued to observe Alice thoughtfully, well aware that the doll was incapable of deceit. After a moment, he simply nodded slowly, exchanging a meaningful look with Morris and Vanna, who were standing by his side.

Morris then noted, "There are no additional mental responses nearby."

Accepting this, Duncan nodded decisively. "We'll keep moving," he said, leading the team further into the island's interior. He remained subtly closer to Alice, keeping a watchful eye on the doll's condition.

The team briskly made their way through the center of the small port. After traversing an area shrouded in dense fog, they arrived at an open square.

Surveying the surroundings, Vanna couldn't help but express her astonishment. "...Hard to believe that those cultists managed to create a place like this. It's anyone's guess how long it took them to build all this."

The square was strewn with black, human-shaped casts embedded into the ground, seemingly fused with the nearby objects.

Observing the positions and distribution of these partially exposed bodies, it was evident that these individuals had a few final minutes, or perhaps even longer, to flee. They had run from the island's interior towards the sea, as all the "bodies" on the square were facing the coast. Some appeared to have tried to use spells or the power of "curses" in a desperate bid for survival. The ground around these human-shaped casts bore evidence of acid burns or explosive damage, indicating that they were still alive at the onset of their consumption, frantically attempting to "dig" themselves out. But their efforts were futile.

They had all transformed into haunting black "sculptures" on the square, a process that likely led directly to their deaths.

Duncan walked slowly among these eerie black figures until he abruptly stopped, his attention drawn to one particular "human-shaped cast."

Vanna immediately took notice. "Captain?"

"This one... it just moved a little," Duncan said, approaching the figure that had only its upper body visible above the ground. He stared at it intently, speaking in a hushed tone.

And right before his eyes, the pitch-black figure moved again—very slightly. It seemed to be laboriously and slowly lifting its head and reaching forward with its hand.

The movement was extremely slow, almost imperceptible unless one was intently watching.

It was still, ever so slowly, "escaping" towards the coast.

Shirley felt a wave of chills wash over her at the sight. She suddenly felt the other human-shaped roughcasts around her begin to move, sensing their slowly and struggling bodies moving towards the coast.

Her heart pounded furiously at this knowledge. The tension building since they landed on the island seemed to soak into her every vein at this moment. Then came the sharp, piercing pain in the arm that was linked to Dog—reminding her of the initial days of symbiosis with Dog when her body was still not accustomed to it, a pain she hadn't felt for many years.

Finally, out of the corner of her eye, she saw chains.

Countless chains, extending from the "human-shaped roughcasts" swallowed by the ground, were slowly growing in the void, seemingly wanting to wrap around her or Dog. She was already somewhat unable to distinguish the "difference" between herself and Dog as their thoughts entangled together.

"...We dug too deep..."

Countless phantom chains spread from all around the Holy Island, quietly linking to her and Dog as a network of consciousnesses.

"...We reached the source..."

Shirley slowly raised her head, somewhat dazed yet instinctively looking in a certain direction inland on the island as if strongly drawn by something there.

"...We are the same as them... The source revealed a truth to us..."

The island was alive.

They had dug into something they shouldn't have—at the time of the sun's extinction.

That layered voice still thundered in her mind, a "truth," a revelation that instantly led to all the Annihilators on the Holy Island being contaminated, transformed into human-shaped roughcasts, was being gradually poured into Shirley's consciousness—

"...Humans are a type of highly differentiated shadow demons. Shadow demons are the original molds contained in the deep waters of the seas because they couldn't be infused with humanity and intelligence..."

Shirley's eyes slowly widened.

Through the shared vision with Dog, she saw the world clearly for the first time, but only for a glimpse moment.

In the instant when humanity and sanity were about to collapse, she felt a warm flame ignite in her soul—the dark writhing things and the incomprehensible flood of information before her eyes suddenly shrank and collapsed into the small island in the mist, and then, she felt a rough, large hand gently pressing on her hair.

She and Dog were suddenly jolted awake, their instincts kicking in immediately. They felt an overwhelming urge to get as far away as possible from the numerous, eerily human-like statues that surrounded them.

She didn't notice a chain on the ground in her haste to retreat. Her foot got caught in it, causing her to stumble backwards in a clumsy, ungraceful manner.

However, before she could hit the ground, the captain swiftly reached out and grasped her slender arm, steadying her.

"It seems like you've stumbled upon something quite startling," Duncan commented, his voice calm and reassuring. He could sense a change through the special flame mark they shared. Confirming that Shirley was regaining her composure, he gently prodded, "What exactly did you see?"

Shirley's eyes suddenly widened with realization as if she was seeing the world in a new light. "The island... it's not just an island!" she exclaimed, her voice a mix of awe and fear. "We're actually standing on a part of the Nether Lord's own flesh!"