"PELL! THE SHIP! WHERE IS THE SHIP?!"

Perhaps Pell was the only one the figure saw at first, but quickly, he shuddered and looked at the others. The terror on his face didn't change. He barely acknowledged them at all before continuing to scream at the eyeball:

"IS THIS ALL YOU BROUGHT?"

Pell tried to fly over to the individual, but Savast sent a Charged Stroke into his mind before he could move two inches, stopping him.

"SOMETHING'S DEEPLY WRONG HERE!" said the former Cluster General. "THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE IN THERE, AND THEY ALL SEEM SCARED OUT OF THEIR MINDS!"

The translator in Yuyui's hands did both parties a favor. The figure in the crevice heard what Savast had screamed in a language he could comprehend, and suddenly, he looked affronted.

"HOW COULD WE NOT BE! IF YOU DIDN'T BRING WHAT HE WANTS, ALL OF YOU ARE AS STRANDED AS WE ARE NOW!"

Kintar was scowling. Turning to Pell and pointing at the figure in the crevice, she cried, "WHO IS THAT?"

Pell didn't hesitate. "Intha. My leader…"

…!

He hadn't dared say it confidently, but all the same, the message and its meaning were received.

The Stars and the Void Users were stunned.

The creature before them, somewhat humanoid and chitinous like an insect, certainly exuded a powerful Divine presence, but its slashed and cracked armour, as well as the dirt all over its body, stole some of its glow. This creature… Intha, whom Pell called his leader, looked nothing like what they expected. Instead of the confident, calculated, and powerful pirate boss who had supposedly charged Pell with securing a ship while he defended the loot they'd found, there was only a broken, shaken victim who was speaking for someone else.

'The fuck is going on?' thought Kintar.

If it wasn't the bug who had sent Pell to find a flying vessel, then…

….!!!

The magnificent fury of the Zwein Vortex died abruptly, leaving a deafening silence and stability. All of a sudden, everything was clear, and that clarity became the scariest thing for every living thing around. No one said a thing, but not because they didn't have the agency. No one moved, but not because they didn't feel the need.

The look in Pell, Kiek, and the leader's eyes turned darker than black. Their souls might have stripped them.

…But the Void users and Stars soon followed, sharing in the same haunting feeling of crippling fear.

Some power none of them could fathom fell over like a winter, paralysing, darkening, and chilling in exaggerated measure. It didn't mean to kill – physically, at least – but it stopped all hubris and confidence in its tracks.

Absolute power- the kind of power that could ignore Void Clot and even dispel it casually. Suddenly, the nine were completely defenseless.

…!!!!

Elita dropped Broodweiler below, onto the tongue. Her fingers hadn't slipped. She just couldn't find a reason to continue wielding it. Even she, who had traversed with Void guiding her growth, had never felt the brutal force of this unique power.

Zu'sse.

Strangers… New strangers. Welcome.

The cool, high voice reverberated through each of their souls, subtracting the need for words. The intent was clear as day, and it knocked back the sense into everyone's minds. They could think again, even while steeped in fright bordering on madness.

'FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! I MESSED UP!' was Kintar's first thought. 'Is this giant bastard still alive?!'

The others were thinking the same, beyond bewildered.

The supposed dead Deity was alive indeed. Ignoring all their shock, he continued to spill his intent through their souls:

I am grateful that the ones I allowed to leave returned quite swiftly, and with a fitting vessel to boot. You have my thanks, and I will yet keep my promise to let the rest of you leave.

…!

Uyuniya was the only one capable of making an expression out of everyone there. She grimaced. Suddenly, the true nature of what was happening hit her. But the high voice kept echoing through her soul, unhindered.

The only thing that remains to be decided now is who shall man the vessel and take me to my desired location. Though, I suppose that task may fall fairly upon the new strangers. The brigands may leave.

Pell, Kiek, their leader, and the rest of the crew nesting in the crevice were immediately relieved from the restricting pressure of the Deity's Zu'sse. The cold fear paralysing them vanished, and they were able to move as they pleased while the Stars and the Void users remained frozen.

…The pirates didn't rush to flee, however. The prospect of escaping would take a few minutes to finally reach their appendages. For Kiek, Mongul, and Pell, it had taken them hours to recover from the shock when they were first struck by the Deity's Zu'sse a few Consternals ago.

'So, that's how it is?' thought Elita, close to sweating her life out. 'These pirates were being held hostage, too. The vessel Pell was looking for… was not for himself and his company to use.'

'No wonder he was so desperate and tense,' Savast concluded. 'But what exactly does this Deity want with a flying—'

For the new strangers, what I ask is simple. If you refuse, I'm afraid I will be forced to slaughter some of you inhumanely to motivate those who remain. Be sure of it… weak as I am, I can accomplish that comfortably, even if you happen to have anomalies in your midst.

…!

Now, you will take that vessel of yours and haul me along in the direction I say. Curiously, someone has already gone through the trouble of marking the way.

'What?' Yuyui thought, trying to wrap her mind around the idea.

Grim, Baddan, Savast, Elita, and Uyuniya felt the same way.

Kintar felt a chunk of her fear dissolve in a pool of her bafflement. 'Haul? We have to haul this stupid hea—'

It hit her right after she mulled the Deity's words again. The destination the Deity was talking about…

It couldn't be a coincidence, right?

Shall I trust that you value your lives enough to do as I say without incident?

Graceful as the question was, the reply it got was staunch and cold.

"No."

…

No one recognized the presence of the figure that spoke until it was there, standing among Pell and his company languidly.

Even the Deity was surprised to find that somehow, some wolf-like creature, standing on its hind legs, had invaded its cage of Zu'sse and was addressing him, even though he was speaking to the souls of his targets.

But Ferex happened to be an expert in everything to do with the soul, and also in stealth. He hadn't practiced the latter in a while, but it was still his forte.

What is this? Another anomaly? said the Deity.

Only when he turned his attention to Ferex, annoyed, intrigued, and ready to put him in his place, did Ferex unleash the staggering billions of units of Null Life Essence Skullius had shared with him for physical reinforcement.

…!

"I hope you're prepared for the consequences of taking my master's subordinates hostage."