Goki fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Vaguely, he felt as if he had returned to the Hunter's Dream in his mind, seeing himself enveloped by white waves in the familiar sea of bright flowers.
Goki returned to the familiar little hut; the annoying old man, Gehrman, who used to feign disability in a wheelchair but was actually quite formidable, was gone. Only Goki's own soft, comfortable bed remained.
Moreover, his head was resting on the Nona's lap.
"Sleep, kind Hunter. This is a brief respite. Although the motivation is somewhat amusing, it is undeniable that you possess a kind and gentle heart."
Although he had often relied on coaxing and pestering the Nona for a lap pillow before, this time, Goki felt that it wasn't as hard on his head as it used to be; instead, it was quite soft.
"You are willing to fight for strangers, even at the cost of your life. Your actions have saved the entire city. I am proud of you."
Sitting on the ethereal bed, the Nona gently patted Goki's body. Her vibrant blue eyes, once stiff and lifeless, were now filled with tender affection.
"I will always wait, beyond the Dream, to reunite with you."
Then, she gave a firm slap, gently batting away the Hunter's large hand that was softly caressing her knee.
"But not this, not now."
"Mmm..." Goki's somewhat disappointed murmur drifted through the air.
"I also hope your journey in this world is pleasant, kind Hunter."
Accompanied by a soothing lullaby, Goki drifted into peaceful slumber.
However, in reality, it was far from quiet.
"Goki—are you alright? What happened to you?"
Following the earth-shattering purple lightning, the gigantic Seaborn completely lost its life and crashed down like a collapsing mountain.
The sudden turn of events made Skadi, who had just been at the Seaborn's feet, preparing to deliver the final blow, sense that something was wrong.
An unpleasant thought struck her again. With a touch of urgency, she used her greatsword as an ice axe, unleashing unimaginable strength. After leaving several dents in the Seaborn's shell, she finally leaped onto the colossal beast's body.
Skadi frantically scanned the surroundings and finally found the Hunter lying on the ground, eyes tightly shut, beside a massive crater left by an explosion.
"Goki, what's wrong with you! You just said you were fine!"
Skadi still clutched her greatsword, looking around. She didn't know what had happened above, only that she couldn't see a single Seaborn, let alone Quintus.
Skadi didn't know about the existence of the First Speaker. She only knew that Goki had just successfully dealt with Quintus and should be figuring out how to help her and Specter defeat this giant creature more quickly.
But now, he was silent.
Running to Goki's side in a bit of a panic, Skadi didn't notice that she had accidentally crushed a piece of black flesh, which had been wriggling away, into fragments.
Anxiously, she ran to Goki, who was lying flat on the ground. Skadi saw that his black Hunter's trench coat and his original skin were covered in a layer of charred black, as if his skin had been severely burned.
"No way—Goki! Snap out of it!"
Specter's casual words echoed in Skadi's ears... Had Goki really been struck by lightning?
Skadi herself had never been struck by lightning, so she clearly had no relevant experience. However, she had learned in school that natural forces like lightning, even powerful Aegir technology, couldn't withstand a direct hit. If struck directly, there was an eighty percent chance of not surviving.
Look, even such a huge Seaborn was killed by lightning, how could he live!
In short, Skadi immediately came up with an explanation for Goki's current state in her mind and convinced herself to believe it.
Kneeling on the wet Seaborn carapace with her pale knees, carefully, almost pleadingly, Skadi reached out her hand, just as she had the first time she saw Goki on the reef, and checked his nostrils.
However, the first time she saw Goki, Skadi had merely intended to casually rescue a drowning person; whether he lived or died was irrelevant to her.
But now, Skadi genuinely enjoyed the process of traveling with Goki. If he were gone... Skadi felt that she would be very, very, very sad.
"He's, he's still breathing!"
Upon feeling Goki's faint breath on her slender fingertips, Skadi immediately became excited and let out a sigh of relief.
"That, that, first aid, first aid, you need to press down on the chest two to three centimeters..."
Concern made her flustered. Skadi suddenly recalled the first aid techniques taught among the Abyssal Hunters. She clasped her small hands over Goki's chest, preparing to press down forcefully!
"Stop, wait a minute! Skadi! Whale!"
Fortunately, Specter, who had rushed over from not far away, made a flying tackle and pushed Skadi away.
"What are you doing, Specter!"
Stumbling and falling onto her bottom, wrapped in her long dress, Skadi looked at the Abyssal Hunter in the nun's habit with some urgency, her expression even a little angry.
"I should be asking you what you're doing! Are you trying to kill him? If you pressed down with that much force, he'd really die!"
Specter held her forehead, looking at the somewhat naive Abyssal Hunter in front of her.
She had long heard the captain say that there was a slightly simple-minded, super-strong woman in the first squad, and she hadn't expected to actually be lucky enough to encounter her.
"Look closely, little brother Goki is just asleep and a bit weak; he's not dead."
If Skadi had performed chest compressions, Goki would truly be dead.
Turning to look at Goki, who was somewhat charred all over, Specter narrowed her eyes and reached out to gently caress his face.
"Now... we just need to treat him. Do you know the land people's medical methods?"
After being awakened, Specter felt that she and this handsome young man had somehow formed a connection.
She had just felt that Goki's aura had become strong and... bright, and now, it had only slightly weakened.
Slap.
However, Specter's hand was halfway there when Skadi silently grabbed it.
"Land people... Kal'tsit is a doctor, but Goki has his own way of healing."
Specter looked at her hand, then at Skadi, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Hmm?"
Skadi's expression remained calm and unperturbed, showing no flaws whatsoever.
"Alright, alright, what's his treatment method? Ah, I think I know. He was just injecting himself in the leg, and the liquid inside seemed to be... blood?"
Skadi's red eyes lit up. Concern had made her flustered; she had actually forgotten such an important thing!
"Yes, blood vials! He can use the blood of other creatures to heal himself!"
Saying that, Skadi immediately lifted Goki's trench coat and rummaged through it, trying to find his tools.
Whirr—hiss.
However, the next second, Skadi heard the loud whirring of a chainsaw.
"I've never heard of this treatment method, but if it's effective... is it really that much trouble?"
Without hesitation, Specter used her circular saw to cut her own wrist, letting the crimson-gold blood flow freely. At the same time, she grabbed Goki's wrist, made a small incision, and overlapped their wrists, one above the other.
As if by instinct and characteristic of his body, Goki's wound began to greedily suck Specter's blood, not a single drop wasted.
"Specter, you, how could you..."
A faint blush crossed Skadi's pale face.
For Abyssal Hunters, blood held an exceptionally important meaning.
Especially Skadi; she knew that Seaborn would pursue her blood, so she rarely dared to bleed on land.
"Are you shy, Whale? Well then, I feel my blood is enough anyway, so let my blood merge with little brother Goki's inside him—you can just watch, can't you?"
Winking at Skadi, Specter contentedly transfused blood to Goki, showing a somewhat provocative smile.
"Phew, it seems a lot has entered my body too, so comfortable—"
Observing Skadi's expression, Specter deliberately sighed with a touch of exaggeration.
"Hmm—"
Skadi's cheeks puffed out slightly.
"I'll help too. Your blood contains liquid Originium, which is very dangerous."
Making an effort to find an excuse for herself, Skadi used her mechanical sword to cut her wrist, letting the fresh blood flow out, and then also cut Goki's wrist.
"Phew—"
Taking a deep breath, Skadi seemed to have made some decision. She connected their wounds, feeling the pulsation of each other's blood.
Skadi could feel her blood mixing into Goki's body, and Goki's blood flowing into her own body.
And it was completely harmless, as if they were originally one.
The two Abyssal Hunters looked at each other without a word, then both turned their gaze to the deeply sleeping Hunter, a faint smile gracing their lips.
The three Hunters sat silently on the corpse of the giant Seaborn, letting the sea breeze blow.
The heavy rain gradually stopped, and the dark clouds in the sky slowly dispersed. Bright rays of sunlight pierced the horizon, shining down on the now quiet Saltwind City.
And to some surprise, as the tide receded, the blackness from the deep ocean also began to fade.
Vaguely, it seemed that with Saltwind City as the center, within a small radius, the waves had returned to a clear, azure blue.
Splash.
On the sun-drenched sea, a fish suddenly leaped out of the water—a sight Iberia's coast hadn't seen in years.
— — — — — —
Half an hour later, Goki opened his eyes and woke up.
He felt—full of vitality.
"Ah, how long did I sleep—Specter, Skadi?"
Rubbing his eyes, Goki saw the two beautiful white-haired, red-eyed Abyssal Hunters beside him, gazing at him.
Specter was grinning, kneeling beside Goki with a smile.
"Not long at all. We won. You wouldn't believe it, Skadi just—"
Before she could finish, her mouth was covered by a small hand—it was Skadi.
"Mm, I'm here. Welcome back. We won."
Skadi's expression remained utterly calm, but for some reason, Goki always felt that she was smiling.
The two Abyssal Hunters and the Hunter from a foreign land, from this moment on, had their Bloodlines connected.
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