I'm in Mota, and they all want me to confess my feelings!

"I'm curious, if you were about to die, what would come to mind at that moment?"

"one person?"

"Some things that we never had a chance to say?"

"Or is it... some kind of regret that I didn't have time to make up for it with a little help?"

Duanmu Yan remained silent for a long time.

“To be honest, I don’t know,” he said. “Such questions are too profound for me. Or rather… there is no definite answer. When people actually make a decision, they are not actually that indecisive, but rather they make an instinctive choice in an instant.”

Floro: "..."

The surging death filled the long night, and her heartbeat had long since ceased.

"You came here to have a heart-to-heart talk with me?" Duanmu Yan asked her. "Are you feeling any better now?"

Floro chose to answer his question with silence.

She sighed softly and stood up: "Is that what you think? I'd like to continue arguing with you, but unfortunately... it seems that some things are not going to let us have peace."

Only then did Duanmu Yan notice the faint black mist spreading around him, like a muddy tide surging from the deep sea.

He immediately got up, looked around warily, and then rushed to the shelter to wake Phoebe, who was fast asleep.

"Um... Mr. Duanmu, what's wrong?"

Phoebe rubbed her eyes, still looking sleepy.

She only regained her senses after she clearly saw the afterimages that had suddenly appeared around her.

"Scattered...scattered images? How come there are so many?"

“I don’t know, but…” Duanmu Yan drew the longsword that Koleta had given him. “Now, the battle begins.” He looked at Floro beside him and asked, “What are those black things?”

"Kuroshio".

She answered calmly.

PS: In the background, Yuno meets the Second Miss, and I suddenly have a new iKe TV storyline.

Volume 1: Chapter 65 Magical Girl Xiaofei

"The afterimage tide?"

"These are not ordinary afterimages; they are creations of the Kuroshio Current."

The vast, boundless ocean solidified in the night, a deathly silence rising like mist. Countless sounds, not belonging to this world, were breaking free from the cracks in the night.

Duanmu Yan stared intently at his surroundings—the black tide was clearly distinct from the ordinary seawater. It possessed its own form, yet it breathed like a living thing, constantly disintegrating and regenerating with the ebb and flow of the tide, forming an eternal vortex.

The chaotic frequencies condensed out of thin air, as if peering upwards from the bottom of an abyss.

—They've arrived.

"...This is a huge problem."

Duanmu Yan frowned, staring at the ever-spreading black tide beneath his feet, and subconsciously took a step back.

He absolutely must not attract the attention of those things. Once he gets entangled with them, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"Mr. Duanmu! The coastline... the coastline is disappearing! Is it high tide?"

Phoebe pointed to the beach ahead, which was being swallowed by darkness, her voice filled with barely suppressed panic.

Duanmu Yan looked in the direction she pointed and saw that the black tide was rapidly engulfing the beach, almost reaching the spot where they had just been standing.

"We can't stay here any longer, let's go!" Duanmu Yan shouted. "To the gondolas, quick!"

But the tide of lingering elephants was already upon us.

An arm that could never grow naturally emerged from the black tide, dragging out a twisted body—rough armor plates covered its entire body, bone spikes protruded menacingly, and the flesh had a bluish-gray hue like that of a stillborn fetus.

It had just been born from the frequency and seemed not yet fully adapted to this world, but the pitch-black eyes that opened at the top of its shell were already brimming with boundless malice.

Behind it, more and more remnants are constantly emerging from the black tide.

—They are all different in shape, none of them are the same.

It was as if all the malice in the world had condensed and taken shape here.

Just a glance is enough to send shivers down one's spine.

Om-!

The air was torn apart at high speed!

A slash came straight at him, but Duanmu Yan dodged to the side and swung his sword backhand, piercing straight through the head of the black tide creation.

"Mr. Duanmu, are you alright?" Phoebe asked anxiously from behind him.

"fine."

Duanmu Yan shook his head, his gaze fixed on the ever-surging afterimages ahead.

The gondola is not far away, but to get there, one must cross this twisted surging tide.

If we try to force our way through, there simply won't be enough time.

Moreover, the Black Tide followed them like a shadow.

No, that would take too much time.

“Phoebe!”

"Huh? I... I'm here."

"Is there any way to temporarily disrupt them and open a passage?"

"Let me try!"

Phoebe gripped her staff tightly, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and chanted softly:

“O radiance sleeping in the tides, gather before me into a key, responding to Imperata’s prayer—O crystallization of radiance, bestow your grace.”

The sound marks on her legs began to flicker.

At first, it was just a faint glimmer of light, like a candle burning in the dark, weak and flickering.

But gradually—

The light intensified, eventually coalescing into a solid prism.

The pitch-black sea suddenly surged, and amidst the towering waves, the light she emitted was like a lighthouse, fiercely dispelling the surrounding darkness.

The brilliance that burst forth in that instant was so intense that even Duanmu Yan and Floro couldn't help but raise their hands to shield their eyes.

Even the creations of the Black Tide had to temporarily retreat before that dazzling radiance.

"It's now!"

Duanmu Yan gave a low shout, seized the opportunity, and led Floro and Phoebe through the gap in the afterimage, finally stepping onto the gondola.

Without any hesitation, the gondola sped away from the coast like an arrow, leaving the churning darkness behind for the time being.

"Are we... safe?" Phoebe asked breathlessly, her cheeks flushed from running.

It seems she's not very good at sports.

Duanmu Yan turned to look at the inky black tide that seemed to follow them like a shadow, his brows furrowed: "I'm afraid not, it's chasing us. That thing... is it really the Black Tide? How could it appear here?"

"It's probably some residue from the last outbreak." Floro's voice remained calm and even, as if the upheavals in the outside world couldn't stir even the slightest ripple in her heart.

She paused briefly, then continued speculating, "As for why it only appeared now... who knows? Perhaps it has something to do with the whales that swim upstream."

“…The Whale That Traverses the Sea.” Phoebe looked at the surging black tide behind her, a look of worry on her face. “Could it be…already corrupted by the black tide? I read in the ancient texts of the monastery that the existence of the Whale That Traverses the Sea is deeply connected with the Lord of the Year, Imbrado.”

"Legend has it that guiding shipwrecks and the souls of sailors back to the other side was its duty. But it was unpredictable, and once it was filled with grief and anger, its whale song was enough to stir up storms and blot out the sun. It was not until Imperado appeared and moved it with wisdom and compassion that it became the sea-going whale that protects the seas today."

The situation was critical, and Duanmu Yan had no time to listen to Phoebe's account. He stared intently at the massive, surging waves ahead, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.

“Phoebe, I don’t want to shatter your beautiful image of the whale that travels upstream, but now… I’m afraid we’re in bigger trouble.”

Before she could finish speaking, Phoebe turned around abruptly and saw a huge, dark shadow lurking beneath the towering waves.

"That's... a whale that travels upstream!?" Phoebe exclaimed in surprise. "But why... is its voice filled with sorrow?"

“Now is not the time to explore this.” Duanmu Yan gripped the edge of the gondola tightly. “The key is—we’re about to crash into that wave. Hold on tight!”

Storms, raging waves, and abyssal darkness.

—At this moment, the sea has finally torn off all its disguises, revealing its most primitive and ferocious face.

The gondola was violently tossed about in the raging winds and towering waves, like a fallen leaf, seemingly on the verge of being swallowed up completely. The hull was tossed and turned by the waves, making it almost impossible for anyone to stand up.

"Hurry! If we get through this wave, we'll still have a chance!"

Duanmu Yan gripped the gunwale tightly with both hands, his knuckles turning white from the force. Even the usually aloof and indifferent Floro could not remain calm amidst the earth-shaking turbulence. She bit her lower lip, struggling desperately to steady herself amidst the rocking.

The waves rose higher and higher, and the gondola beneath them groaned under the weight of the waves.

"Don't be afraid, believe in yourself, you can do it!" Phoebe clung tightly to the gunwale, whispering encouragement to the struggling little boat.

However, before she could finish speaking, a giant wave crashed in her face—

The next second, the waves and her voice disappeared into the churning sea.

“Phoebe!”

Duanmu Yan's pupils contracted sharply. He could no longer find that familiar figure in his field of vision; only a white top hat drifted helplessly on the inky sea.

“It’s no use.” Floro’s voice was as cold as ice. “In a storm like this, even the most skilled sailor…”

Her words abruptly ended—

Duanmu Yan had already leaped into the raging sea.

Floro stared blankly at the sea where he had disappeared, his mouth slightly open, but in the end he just shook his head gently.

She looked up at the towering wave that was about to crash down and let out a barely audible sigh.

"Did you make your choice in an instant...?"

"As expected, no matter how many times we start over, you're still the same...obsessive."

Volume 1: Chapter 66 Would You Believe Me If I Said It Was Artificial Respiration?

Cold, suffocating, boundless darkness.

The despair that had once dragged the girl into the abyss was once again playing out in her fate.

As if...

Yesterday happened again.

The girl is falling into the abyss at the bottom of the sea.

And this is not the first time such a situation has occurred.

At that time, she was still young, and in such a desperate situation, she could only let fate dictate her fate.

And at this moment...

The duet of storm and waves still made her struggles seem pale and powerless.

"...glug."

A string of bubbles escaped from the corner of her lips, rising in vain towards the unreachable sea.

"So tired..."

"No, I must go back..."

"There are still unfinished business, unfulfilled promises, I must..."

The seawater, carrying a biting chill, rushed into my senses, my vision gradually blurred, and even the last ray of light disappeared completely.

The only thing that was clear was the thick, ink-like darkness, which had almost become tangible.

In a daze, Phoebe felt something grasp her hand. The warmth from that palm, carrying an indescribable tenderness, was like the wind that had saved her in the past, lighting up a final glimmer of light for her in this deep despair.

She used her last bit of strength to open her eyes.