"Continue firing. Ensure you reduce their numbers as much as possible before the next wave of enemies fully lands." Dalton's voice was calm and ruthless. "Especially those attempting to fuse, and prepare for melee combat."
"Yes!"
As the battle on the shore commenced, Karl, hovering above the centre of the lake, had already diverted most of his attention away from the shoreline.
Miali completed the final unsealing, and the barrier located beneath Dagon's island — with its runes on the lakebed — dissipated. Her face was pale, and she appeared somewhat exhausted. She dared not allow herself to remain immersed in the lake water, now contaminated by the evil god's power. So she quickly used the water currents to rise and stand upon the surface. She looked at Karl, trust and faith in her eyes, alongside a deep weariness.
Karl gave her a slight nod, indicating she could temporarily retreat to a safe location.
However, just as Miali was about to move toward the shore, a cry rang out — "ROOOAR!!!"
A roar that could not be "heard" with the ears, filled with malice and madness, exploded directly into everyone's minds and echoed.
"Ah!! My head is spinning!!"
"Ah!!"
What was that sound?!
Foltest's personal guards were the first to suffer; they all cried out in pain. Many dropped their weapons, tightly gripping their helmets with both hands and doubling over in agony. Some even fell to their knees and began to retch violently.
Even Dalton and his knights, as well as Triss and the others standing behind them, frowned and expressed discomfort. Though Karl had provided them with protection in advance, allowing them to withstand the brunt of the assault, this malice still attempted to penetrate within, like a cold wave, causing an instinctive sense of palpitation and oppression.
Geralt's cat-like gaze narrowed to its limit; his grip on his sword tightened, and all his senses sent danger signals.
Simultaneously, drastic changes began to occur in the centre of the lake.
"Bloop-bloop... bloop-bloop..."
An enormous number of bubbles surged violently from the lakebed, as if the lake water were boiling. The water, which had been quite clear, rapidly became turbid and blackened at a speed visible to the naked eye. Like ink dripping into clean water, the black contaminated zone spread swiftly from beneath the island, quickly covering most of the lake's surface. The contaminated waters exuded a repulsive stench and represented an even more potent form of spiritual defilement.
Karl's gaze turned cold. He looked at Miali, who was barely holding herself up, and said quietly: "Miali, leave this to me."
"On the shore... please watch over them, especially pay attention to psychological effects, and do your utmost to protect them."
Miali hastily nodded, her emerald eyes filled with gratitude and determination: "I understand, Your Majesty! Once again... I thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you have done!"
With that, she dared not linger any longer. Manoeuvring through the water like a green arrow, she sped across the lake toward the shore.
Karl averted his gaze and fixed it upon the lake's depths, where the black water churned and emanated terrifying fluctuations. There, darkness was coalescing, and a massive, twisted shadow was rapidly rising.
Karl's figure swayed slightly in the air, then plunged straight down into the churning black lake. Just as his body was about to touch the lake water, a strange sensation arose in his heart — as if he could influence the water. In the next instant, the lake water automatically parted to both sides, forming a cavity of a waterless channel wide enough for him to pass through, isolating the surrounding dark water from the outside world.
Karl's gaze narrowed slightly; a flicker of surprise passed through his mind. This was not controlled by his own biokinetic field. Rather... it was Freya's blessing — the environment actively adapting to him and avoiding him. Even if a storm suddenly erupted and waves raged, they would still make way for him.
This thought merely flashed through his mind; now was not the time for investigation. The channel extended at incredible speed; almost in an instant, Karl reached the lakebed.
Here, there was almost no light, and only Karl's own golden radiance dispelled the dense darkness. He saw an ancient, ominous obelisk and the statues that stood beside it.
This enormous shadow that had just broken free from its seal — the evil god Dagon — turned out to be even more... "impressive" than expected. Its upper body was covered in thick scales, resembling a mermaid with bulging muscles and bone spurs, while its lower half was an even thicker fish tail. Its head resembled an enlarged fish head with a massive maw full of sharp teeth, and its body was enveloped in a viscous, seemingly living black mist.
At this moment, it was slowly swaying, stirring up sediment from the lakebed. Around it, countless mutated fish-men swam and wandered in the water. Their malevolent, red-glowing eyes were fixed on Karl, the uninvited guest.
Upon meeting, there was no exchange of words, not even a withering glare. Dagon's massive, scale-covered claws, slick with mucus, descended upon Karl with the force of a powerful water current. It moved through the water with incredible speed, creating a powerful underwater current.
However, even with Karl's superhuman abilities, the grab still seemed... slow. A mocking smile curved at the corner of his lips. Swaying slightly to the left, he easily dodged the attack, narrowly avoiding the strike. The water current created by the claws impacted his forcefield and was instantly neutralised.
Dagon let out a silent, furious roar, and the countless mutated fish-men surrounding it swarmed forward like enraged hornets. They descended upon Karl from all sides — above and below, left and right. They opened their maws full of sharp teeth and swung their deformed claws, trying to crush and tear the intruder apart through sheer numbers.
Karl remained unperturbed. He made no attempt to attack, but simply charged straight into the surging wave of black fish-men.
"Crunch-crunch-crunch-crunch—!!!"
A series of dull impacts echoed across the lakebed, like the sounds of crushing and exploding. Any fish-man that collided with Karl was instantly reduced to a mixture of flesh and bone. Their bodies simply could not withstand the impact of Karl's charge.
Karl was like a golden meteorite tearing through the black wave of fish-men, paving a path lined with flesh and blood. He encountered no obstacles and instantly broke through the encirclement of fish-men, closing in on Dagon's massive body.
The size difference between them was staggering: Dagon was like a small mountain, and Karl like an ant. Yet in Karl's eyes, there was no fear — only a surging battle spirit.
He clenched his right fist, drew his arm back, and at this moment, concentrated all his strength into a single point. Then the projectile slammed into Dagon's scale-covered chest. Wherever the fist passed, the lake water was forcefully pushed aside, creating a brief vacuum channel.
"BOOM!!!" In an instant, a terrifying spherical shockwave spread from the point of impact.