Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 223 - 198: Cold Air and Dark Tide

Chapter 223: Chapter 198: Cold Air and Dark Tide

Struggling forward amidst tumultuous waves.

The most pressing matter was to find a new foothold, for remaining soaked in the sea was perilous, and Dilnai and other enemies could emerge at any time.

The Innovation had shattered into pieces when Farosa unleashed her Divine Power, and now its remains lay sunken in some unknown corner. Farosa’s condition was also dire; the rampant Divine Power had destroyed the Magic Circuits within her, leaving her unable to recover her Magic Power for the time being.

Just as Farosa was about to say something, she closed her eyes, overcome by exhaustion, and passed out. Xu Yang could feel Farosa’s complete exhaustion, so he did his best to swim on the surface of the sea.

Xu Yang himself was not in great shape either, although he could persist a bit longer, but his Nano Armor was calling for repairs.

——"Cloud Beast" self-check program initiating——

Warning: Armor damage

Cumulative damage area: 63%

Estimated mass loss: 9.7 kilograms

Advice: Recommended depth for marine activity ＜500 meters

——Exit platform——

Xu Yang had previously gone into deep water to rescue Farosa, causing the Nanobots to operate beyond their capacity and suffer heavy damage. The advanced Armor could adapt to a variety of environmental activities, but it still couldn’t fully withstand the extreme environment of the deep sea, and it was now on the verge of falling apart.

Looking around, the scene was bleak, with only the surging tides, making it difficult to keep one’s body balanced.

According to the previous investigation of the Godbinding Plan, there was no island nearby, only large chunks of debris floating on the sea surface. Fortunately, thanks to Lila’s relentless search, some floating construction materials were soon spotted on the sea surface.

Among them, one piece of wreckage was particularly large, approximately 8-9 meters in length, resembling a giant piece of industrial waste, sinking and floating slowly with the waves. This was probably a part of the destroyed Godbinding Plan, now completely deformed. The immense heat released by Yan Duo’s arrival had thoroughly melted it, making it unrecognizable.

Xu Yang swam hard in the sea to avoid being engulfed by the tides. Lila was a better swimmer, responsible for carrying Farosa, and they slowly closed the distance to the floating debris.

It was extremely difficult. The sky was dim, visibility was poor, and the aftereffects of Farosa’s unleashed Ocean Divine Power were still rampant, constantly churning the waves. Clouds filled the sky, dense and thick as barriers, pressing down upon them, making the sea desolate and mysterious.

The "Cloud Beast" still had a large expanse of closely fitted nanofibers left, which helped to maintain body temperature, but Xu Yang could still feel the sea water stealing away his heat. Other than the sea water, the temperature in the air was also dropping rapidly; the chill snaked through Xu Yang’s body like a venomous serpent.

He looked up at the sky, engulfed in a gloomy, lightless sight.

To defeat Dilnai, Yan Duo temporarily stripped away the sunlight. The threat of this act was not to be underestimated; sunlight was as vital to life as air itself. With the disappearance of sunlight, the threat was as terrifying as if the entire atmosphere had been drained. Although it was daytime, the temperature dropped as fast as it did after nightfall. The return of sunlight was indefinitely delayed.

Swimming desperately in the angry sea beneath the night’s curtain, Xu Yang and Lila finally approached that floating building material. Several times, he feared it would be smashed into the sea by a big wave, but fortunately, it wasn’t.

Lila gently laid Farosa on the chunk of construction debris, and only upon approaching could they see the brand and code on its surface. It was a heat insulation panel produced by Ultimate Technology Company, seemingly part of Yan Duo’s cage.

Farosa lay on the piece of construction debris, curled up like a baby in a cradle, quietly closing her eyes.

Due to the violent release of Divine Power, her arms were a bloody blur, with most of her bones and blood already scattered by the tides.

"Yan Duo sank to the nearby seabed," Lila said. "But Farosa’s condition seems to be beyond even her own ability to recover."

"She needs time, she needs rest and replenishment," Xu Yang said, grasping the edge of the debris, exerting force with both arms to pull himself up as well.

The construction debris that bore their weight rose and fell on the vast sea, the heartless waves deforming it, sometimes forming a gentle wasteland, at other times a steep slope, leaving them at a loss. Xu Yang and Lila needed to keep watch at all times to prevent Farosa from sliding into the sea.

Yan Duo lay at the bottom of the sea, Dilnai was nowhere to be seen, likely repelled, while Farosa, too exhausted, had fallen into a deep sleep.

Xu Yang’s Nano Armor automatically reverted to its unexpanded state; the Nanobots needed rest and could no longer function.

All their supplies and medicines had gone down to the bottom of the sea with the Innovation, leaving them at the end of their rope. Xu Yang searched his entire body and found only one Healing Injection, which he injected into Farosa’s chest, but she remained unconscious.

"She’s losing temperature," Xu Yang said, touching Farosa’s shoulder. "...She’ll die of the cold, never waking from this sleep."

Lila didn’t utter a word, overexerting her power supply to heat her body, then tightly hugged Farosa, warming her body like an electric blanket.

The temperature slowly rose, and Farosa’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.

Before Farosa awoke, Xu Yang, gasping for breath, tried to recover his strength. He sat on the ground, gazing at the sky, wary of the presence of enemies. Even a single drone at this point posed a significant threat to them.

This great battle had drained everything from them. To have survived was no small feat, and one couldn’t hope for much more. Xu Yang mused that the clash between Dilnai and Zenith revealed just the tip of the iceberg of the most supreme Mystic powers. If involved in such events in the future, he must prepare more and be even more cautious.

It was now impossible to tell how far they were from the site of the Godbinding Plan, no trace of the battlefield was visible in any direction, and he suspected that the waves might have carried them dozens of miles away from the site, with the metal remains beneath them still drifting with the current.

Farosa gently opened her eyes, and Lila’s power was nearly depleted.

"Where are we?" her voice was weak.

"At sea." Xu Yang lifted Farosa from Lila’s embrace. To avoid shutting down too soon, Lila minimized power consumption, switched to energy-saving mode, and silently released magic power, alerting them to their surroundings.

Farosa lay exhausted against Xu Yang, her shattered shoulder trembling as she tried to move limbs that were no longer there.

"Don’t worry," Xu Yang said in a hushed voice, "take it slow."

"I’m hungry," Farosa said.

Xu Yang searched their personal items again, but as before, most things had been left on the shuttle machine, only a few items were on hand. Lila found a stick of nutrient paste, tore off the packaging, and fed it to Farosa.

Farosa slowly ate the sticky nutrient paste, which had no fragrance or color but provided all the necessary nutrients for life, giving a high sense of fullness, along with the healing injection Xu Yang had administered earlier. Her strength rapidly returned, and the damaged magic circuits began to heal.

"Just wait a little longer..." Farosa took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly, her head pounding.

"We can wait as long as it takes," Xu Yang held Farosa tight to keep warm, as they sat on the metal wreckage.

Gazing out, the sea continued to churn ceaselessly, and as time passed, the sky grew dimmer, the sun was nearly indiscernible, accompanied only by the cold and the black tide, the sense of isolation in the vast world hung over them like a shadow.

Farosa signaled she was ready, and Xu Yang helped her up. She struggled to lift her right stump, focusing her magic power around the area of her missing limb and releasing the Law of Recovery. A pristine, original arm protruded awkwardly. Then she did the same with the left stump, causing her arm to reappear in the blink of an eye.

She kept moving both arms until she was sure they were healthy and functional.

"Where’s Zenith?" Farosa looked around.

"At the bottom of the sea in that direction." Lila raised a finger, "The waves have pushed us about 4700 meters away from Zenith."

"We have to go there, no matter what," Xu Yang said, "It would be great if we could establish contact with Zenith ahead of time."

"I’ll try," Farosa called out mentally.

No response.

Zenith must have been badly injured in the battle with Dilnai, rendered unconscious. They had to return to its side and heal it with the Law of Recovery.

Farosa sensed the state of the Throne of God within her soul. She could enter the Throne of God and use its power to contact all Mystics, seeking their help. But that place was connected to all Mystics, and once back in that dark arena, Dilnai would undoubtedly be present, so the communication function of the Throne of God could not be used.

They had to find a way back to Zenith...

Lila looked into the distance.

"Your ’children’ have arrived," she said.

Five Ocean Descendants of different sizes had swum over. They had been repelled by the defense ships of the Godbinding Plan before, half had been frightened away, but these five, following Farosa’s scent, came to her side.

"Let the Ocean Descendants retrieve the fragments of the Innovation. That should be enough to restore the Innovation to its original form and take us closer to Zenith," Xu Yang eyed these barbaric-looking Ocean Descendants.

"Really? Go back for Zenith? If Dilnai is still there, we’re doomed," Farosa sighed, "We have to leave."

"Perhaps not," Xu Yang said, "According to the company’s records, Mystics have one major weakness—they fear being observed by the masses. Such scrutiny diminishes their mystique and reduces their combat effectiveness. The battle with Zenith attracted the world’s attention, Dilnai wouldn’t want to linger there."

"Indeed," Farosa pondered and found the idea plausible, "We’ll first find the pieces of the Innovation, then we’ll hide inside the Innovation and search for Zenith at the bottom of the sea."

"Without Zenith’s help, we’ll freeze to death too," Xu Yang felt his whole body freezing.

Farosa spread her arms, half of the Ocean Divine Power still remaining in her soul, a considerable reserve.

She released a small amount of divine power to control the movement of the sea. If she overused it, she would injure herself just as before.

She did not want to experience that again.

This power was meant for gods, witches were not supposed to possess it, and she had to start learning it from scratch.

With this modest boost of power, the sea around the metal wreckage was stirred, propelling it in the direction of Zenith, while the other Ocean Descendants followed on either side.

—Go bring Zenith back to life!