The surviving elite Gillmen who had followed Gyubarzo, the evil god of dark seas, swam for their lives after witnessing the destruction of their god.

They ordered their mounts to dive as deep into the darkness as possible. They didn’t consider trying to avenge their god, not even for a moment.

Though they were elite, in the end, they were still just Gillmen. Most of them were Rank 5 or 6, and over two thirds of them had met a watery grave from the shockwaves released by the attacks of Vandalieu and his companions.

And it seemed that Vandalieu’s party had no intention of diving into the sea to chase the small fry that had been hiding in Gyubarzo’s shadow. At this rate, over two hundred Gillmen would escape and later come to attack ships, fishing villages and port cities.

But it seemed that there was no need to worry about this.

Flee! Flee! There is a terrible monster… the Demon King, above the ocean’s surface!

A fear had been etched into the Gillmen that overrode their monster instinct to attack humans.

It is said that the Gillmen never again rose from the bottom of the Devil’s Sea, a place where the light of the sun could not reach, and they became a subspecies of Gillman that was adapted for life in deep waters.

Meanwhile, Tristan, the god of the seas who was the Merfolk nation’s guardian deity, sensed that his old enemy, the one that he had sealed away during the age of the gods, had been resurrected.

“In this state, I cannot fight him directly like I did in the age of the gods… I must hurry and tell Vandalieu and Gufadgarn… Huh?”

Dumbfounded, he stood stock-still in shock at the fact that Gyubarzo’s presence had disappeared just a few minutes afterwards.

“His presence… I do not believe Gyubarzo was able to Teleport… Could it be… He was devoured by Vandalieu like Ravovifard?”

Cuatro was shaken by the great whirlpool created by Vandalieu’s Hollow Cannon, but fortunately it was far away enough from the whirlpool to get away with no visible damage.

“Yeehaw! Now I’m a unique monster in this world too!” exclaimed Kimberley, dancing wildly in the air to celebrate becoming a Rank 10 Schwartz Blitz Ghost that was enveloped in black sparks.

Meanwhile, the captains of the ship were giving out orders below.

“All right, you landlubbers, Ane-go* has finished gathering the big pieces of the evil Gillman god! You lot go and gather the small ones!”

TLN*: This is a respectful term meaning “Older sister”

“Aye-aye, Captain!”

“Don’t you miss a single scale or piece of fin! Those things are worth more than their weight in platinum!”

“You got it, Captain!”

“A product is nothing without its freshness! His Majesty the Emperor will cast the Preservation spell for us, but we cannot allow it to be eaten by fish before then!”

“Go and gather all of the flesh pieces! Once we’re finished with all the work, His Majesty is going to treat us to a god barbeque!”

“Do your best, captains!”

The Undead sailors gave enthusiastic responses and jumped into the sea, holding spare pieces of wood that were left over when Vandalieu built Cuatro as kickboards. They were proficient at swimming while they were alive and they didn’t even need to rest while swimming now, but they were made of only bones, so they would sink if they weren’t careful.

“In the end, who is the captain of the ship?” asked the ‘Ane-go’ Gufadgarn, the evil god of labyrinths, who was bending space to send the main parts of Gyubarzo, such as the head and limbs, into storage in Talosheim.

Her vessel had the appearance of a beautiful Elf girl, so she could make a beautiful picture just by standing on the edge of the ship, but there were none nearby who would be charmed by her. All of them were Undead with hollow eye sockets.

For some reason, the four captains of the four wrecked ships that had become Cuatro lined up to respond to her question.

“I’m the captain!”

“I’m the true captain!”

“I am the captain in the shadows!”

“And I’m the captain in the background!”

The four of them struck a pose.

“Together, the four of us are the Four Dead Sea Captains!” they said simultaneously, looking at Gufadgarn as if desiring a response.

“I see. You couldn’t decide who was the captain among the four of you, so Vandalieu suggested this,” she said.

“Ah, yes. That is what happened.”

“You are using the team name of ‘Four Dead Sea Captains’ and those poses at Vandalieu’s orders.”

“Y-you are well-informed.”

“As I thought… As expected of Vandalieu. How marvelous,” said Gufadgarn, remaining expressionless and yet becoming more carried away by Vandalieu’s actions.

The Four Dead Sea Captains, who were once a pirate, a nobleman, a merchant and an adventurer, began to feel embarrassed.

Meanwhile, Vandalieu and the other members of the party had gathered around Pluto.

“Your Rank increased after you saw the eclipse?”

“Yes. Our Level had reached 100, so we were ready to increase Rank once the conditions were met,” said Pluto, who was answering questions while floating in the air.

She looked completely different from Legion’s original appearance of the sphere made of flesh mannequins entwined around each other.

Legion had been able to adjust themselves to take a human’s size and shape, and each of their personalities had been able to separate themselves and act on their own. However, the current Pluto was a human in and of herself. Her face, her skin and her hair were all the real thing.

“We are now a Rank 11 Eclipse Legion. When our Rank increased, our Form Alteration Skill’s Level increased a bunch, and thanks to it awakening into a Skill called Form Shifting, I’ve become able to take this form,” Pluto continued. “We asked Kanako and the others to be sure, and it seems that we’re exactly as we were in Origin.”

“Wow. I saw you after I became an Undead in Origin, and you look the same other than the length of your hair,” said Vandalieu.

In Origin, he had saved Pluto and the other experimental subjects after he turned into an Undead.

Pluto’s appearance now was almost identical to the appearance she had back then.

“How strange, to see you for the first time despite having known each other for over a year,” said Saria.

“By the way, what are these clothes?” asked Rita.

“They look like clothes, but they’re a part of me, just with a different shape and color. Do you want to try touching them?” said Pluto.

Rita grasped the hem of Pluto’s skirt, showing no signs of reservation. “Wow, you’re right. It’s soft! It’s not cloth, it’s like flesh made thin like cloth! Ah…” She suddenly seemed to think of something. “What about underneath the skirt? The parts that we can’t see, are they like how they were originally?”

“… As for the underwear, the clothes seem to have been unconsciously recreated from the things that I wore often in Origin that left an impression on me, so I do think I’m wearing them. Not that I’ve checked,” said Pluto. “I’m different from monsters that transform a part of themselves to disguise themselves as girls, so rest assured. But don’t go checking.”

“I see!” said Rita energetically.

“Rita! Come here. Sorry about that, Legion-san,” said Saria, dragging Rita away.

“My daughter has been terribly rude,” said Sam.

“By the way, what state are the rest of Legion’s personalities in? Are they sleeping?” Vandalieu asked, changing the topic.

“No, we’re awake,” said Pluto in a male’s voice.

Taking no notice of everyone’s shock, different voices spoke one after another using Pluto’s mouth.

“Jack and everyone else are the same as always. Right, Hitomi-chan?”

“Me and Jack have heard everything that Pluto has.”

“We’ve just been quiet up until now. We only have one mouth, and we can’t make more mouths while we’re transformed, either.”

“Our face is Pluto’s face, after all! We’ve been considerate, thinking that it would only confuse everyone if we all talked!”

“Also, Pluto has control over our body right now. Not that it’s absolute control, though.”

According to Legion’s words, Pluto was controlling their body as the primary personality, while the others were simply observing.

“So, can you take forms other than Pluto’s?” asked Pauvina.

Pluto nodded. “We can. Give me a moment.”

In the next moment, Pluto’s body became distorted and turned back into a flesh-colored sphere. The sphere distorted again into the shape of a person, and this time, it was a tall, beautiful woman wearing military-style clothes.

With her golden hair swaying in the sea breeze, she joined her hands together behind her back and puffed out her plentiful chest. “Now then, who am I~?”

“Valkyrie,” everyone said simultaneously.

“H-how did you know?! Even Vandalieu shouldn’t know what I look like!” Valkyrie exclaimed, shocked that everyone, including Oniwaka who hadn’t really spoken to her, had guessed her identity correctly.

“I mean, ignoring your appearance, your tone of speech is exactly the same,” Vandalieu pointed out.

“Also, you often puff out your chest when you speak,” said Sam.

Valkyrie was one of Legion’s more talkative personalities, so her characteristics were well-known.

“I see! It can’t be helped. Next!” she said.

“Eh, we’re still doing this?” said Shade. “I mean, it’s impossible for me. Even I have no idea what form I’ll take.”

“I’ll pass, too,” said Izanami. “My original form is a little…”

“Guoh,” said Berserk.

“Alright!” said Valkyrie. “Shade and Izanami are out, so next is –”

“I think I would recognize Berserk. He’s the only one who’s a bear, after all. Also, if your form is determined by mental factors, it’s possible that my Mental Encroachment Skill could make something happen. Should we try it?” suggested Vandalieu.

Mental Encroachment was ordinarily a Skill that allowed Vandalieu to encroach upon the minds of others and brainwash them, but it was also useful to perform mental healthcare. Vandalieu’s suggestion was to utilize this positive aspect of the Mental Encroachment Skill.

“I’m happy that you’re so eager, but how about you go and change Jobs first?” said Shade, speaking through Valkyrie’s mouth.

By using Dead Spirit Magic to defeat Gyubarzo, the evil god of dark seas, Vandalieu had acquired a vast amount of Experience Points.

“You’re right. I’ve already decided on my next Job, too,” said Vandalieu.

“Has a Job that seems like it will give you muscles or something appeared, Vandalieu?” asked Oniwaka.

“No, I might not gain a lot of muscles, but it’s a Job that other people might see in the near future, so I thought it best that I chose it before that happens,” Vandalieu replied as he entered the Job-changing room in Sam’s carriage that he had installed before clearing the Trial of Zakkart. “Now then, I wonder if it’s still there?”

《Jobs that can be selected: Spirit Warrior, Whip Tongue Calamity, Vengeful Berserker, Dead Spirit Mage, Magic Cannoneer, Dark King Mage, Divine Enemy, Fallen Warrior, Insect Nin, Destruction Guider, Enchanter, Dungeon Master, Demon King, Chaos Guider, Hollow King Mage, Eclipse Cursecaster, String User, Demon Ruler, Creator, Demiurge, Pale Rider, Tartarus》

Vandalieu nodded as he touched the crystal ball and saw the messages displayed inside his head, and then tilted his head in confusion. “I understand Tartarus being there since it’s a part of Saria and Rita’s race titles, but why Pale Rider? I don’t even have the Mount Skill… Maybe it’s because I transform using the Demon King’s fragments?”

He remembered hearing the word ‘Tartarus’ in Greek mythology on Earth. He could understand it appearing in his list of available Jobs, as he possessed the divine protection of Earth’s dark gods. He was also Saria and Rita’s master.

But he couldn’t understand why there was a Job named ‘Pale Rider.’

… He would likely have recognized it if it were written in kanji as ‘The Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse’ rather than in katakana, however.

“Well, in any case, I select Magic Cannoneer as I originally planned.

《You have changed Jobs to Magic Cannoneer!》

《The Level of the ‘Throwing’ Skill has increased!》

《You have acquired the ‘Strengthened Attack Power while activating a Magic Cannon’ Skill!》

Name:

Vandalieu Zakkart

Race

: Dhampir (Dark Elf)

Age

: 10 years old

Title

:【Ghoul Emperor】,【Eclipse Emperor】,【Guardian of the Cultivation Villages】,【Holy Son of Vida】,【Scaled Emperor】,【Tentacle Emperor】,【Champion】,【Demon King】,【Oni Emperor】,【Trial Conqueror】,【Transgressor】

Job

: Magic Cannoneer

Level

: 0

Job history

: Death-Attribute Mage, Golem Transmuter, Undead Tamer, Soul Breaker, Venom Fist User, Insect User, Tree Caster, Demon Guider, Archenemy, Zombie Maker, Golem Creator, Corpse Demon Commander, Demon King User, Dark Guider, Labyrinth Creator, Creation Guider, Dark Healer, Disease Demon

Attributes:

Vitality: 24,530 (Increased by 13,505!)

Mana: 3,919,413,508 (+1,959,706,754) (Increased by total of 452,612,151!)

Strength: 2,334 (Increased by 177!)

Agility: 2,107 (Increased by 300!)

Stamina: 3,009 (Increased by 460!)

Intelligence: 5,581 (Increased by 679!)

Passive skills:

Superhuman Strength: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!)

Rapid Regeneration: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)

Dark King Magic: Level 4 (LEVEL UP!)

Status Effect Resistance: Level 10

Magic Resistance: Level 8 (LEVEL UP!)

Dark Vision

Dark Demon Creation Path Enticement: Level 5

Chant Revocation: Level 7

Guidance: Dark Demon Creation Path: Level 6

Automatic Mana Recovery: Level 10

Strengthen Subordinates: Level 9

Venom Secretion (Claws, Fangs, Tongue): Level 9

Enhanced Agility: Level 5

Body Expansion (Tongue): Level 7

Strengthened Attack Power while Unarmed: Large

Enhanced Body Part (Hair, Claws, Tongue, Fangs): Level 8

Thread Refining: Level 6

Mana Enlargement: Level 5

Increased Mana Recovery Rate: Level 5 (LEVEL UP!)

Strengthened Attack Power while activating a Magic Cannon: Small (NEW!)

Active skills:

Bloodwork: Level 4

Transcend Limits: Level 4 (LEVEL UP!)

Golem Creation: Level 4

Hollow King Magic: Level 2 (LEVEL UP!)

Mana Control: Level 8

Spirit Form: Level 10

Cooking: Level 7