Hughes was merely a mortal body of flesh. The moment Nini flung him out, he felt as if he had been hit by a semi-truck and sent flying.
His whole body ached.
But immediately, a torrent of vitality surged from the Symbiotic Contract. Before he even hit the ground, his injuries had already healed.
The monster Monica saw him, but Ash blocked the attack.
Hughes successfully charged forward, just about to make contact with the monster’s body.
Yet, before he could touch it, the pollution surrounding the monster reached out first, making contact with him.
The Sirens’ hearts leaped to their throats.
"It’s here! Let’s see if my guess is right or wrong!"
Hughes, however, showed no tension at all.
Everyone raised their heads, staring at Hughes with bated breath.
In an instant, the pollution swallowed Hughes.
Hughes felt as if he had fallen into water. The sensation was strange, the dark pollution churned and boiled, yet when it touched his body, it was cold.
Like diving into the ocean, slowly sinking to the bottom.
Layer upon layer of voices echoed in his ears, as if someone was desperately speaking. But the voices were too chaotic to be understood.
A jumble of murmurs carried a frenzied emotion. It was quiet enough for him to hear his own heartbeat, yet it also created an illusion of noise, like standing in a bustling marketplace.
Hughes closed his eyes and remained unmoved.
Outside the pollution, the monster abruptly halted its actions after Hughes charged in. The Sirens grew anxious but dared not move.
Hughes had just given them instructions—if he failed, they would continue to sustain the flesh magic to stall the monster, giving Ash a chance to retrieve Hughes.
With the Symbiotic Contract, Hughes had a high chance of survival.
But if Hughes succeeded...
How could he possibly succeed? That terrifying pollution was something even flesh magic struggled to withstand for long. Yet he had charged in alone with his mere mortal body!?
How was he resisting the pollution?
And how was he supposed to save Monica?
If not for the Sirens’ unwavering loyalty, they would never have agreed to carry out such an order.
Ash bit her lip, staring fixedly at the spot where Hughes had crashed in.
She would rather fight the monster alone than endure this agonizing wait.
Her hands trembled. She knew she couldn’t waver, but her mind couldn’t stop racing with thoughts.
Ash glanced back. It was Nini who had spoken.
"He told me his plan. Trust him. He will succeed."
Ash didn’t reply. She just tightened her grip on her shield.
Will he really succeed?
Not far from the monster, Hughes was surrounded by pollution.
Feeling the state around him, Hughes suddenly smiled, he had succeeded.
"As expected, though I don’t know why—"
"This deep-sea pollution... is afraid of me."
It all started not long ago, when Monica suddenly attacked, knocking Nora away, and Ash blocked the blow for him.
The attack hadn’t hit him, but the dark pollution had splattered all over him.
At that moment, Hughes instinctively wanted to take off his coat to minimize contact with the pollution.
But before he could act, the pollution rapidly dissipated.
Like snowflakes falling into a boiling oil pot, the pollution screeched as it tried to flee, but to no avail.
Moments later, there wasn’t a single trace of pollution left on him.
Hughes was full of doubts but had no time to investigate, his life was on the line. He dodged Monica’s attacks while an idea formed in his mind.
This pollution was afraid of him.
The pollution that had charged at him, attempting to devour him, suddenly wailed the moment it touched him.
Then, at an even faster speed, it recoiled and fled.
As if it had encountered its natural enemy, it desperately retreated.
Seeing this, a thought suddenly surfaced in the minds of those present.
"The pollution... is afraid of him?"
Nini, lying on the ground, murmured in disbelief.
The pollution retreated, and Hughes suddenly found himself face-to-face with the monster’s true form.
Everything had happened too quickly.
Ash had just blocked the attack from the monster that Monica had become, and Hughes was already in front of it.
The massive pollution mass that had surrounded it vanished in an instant, like a punctured balloon, revealing its original appearance.
At this moment, it had only just begun to turn around.
Hughes raised his eyes.
What stood before him was a bloated and hideous body, somewhat resembling the Sirens when they were cursed, only even more grotesque.
Pollution had completely transformed Monica’s flesh, leaving no trace of what she once was.
Before him stood a mountain of swollen flesh.
There was no sign of rationality left in it.
Could he really still save Monica?
Hughes’ eyes flickered as he recalled what had happened not long ago.
He had reached his hand into the sea.
One by one, the Sirens had signed contracts with him. Soon, only one remained in the water.
She hesitated as she looked at the hand Hughes extended toward her.
"My lord, I have just been tainted by some pollution."
Her abilities were relatively weak. When Monica lashed out earlier, she had been struck head-on.
The flesh magic had briefly faltered. Though she hadn’t exploded and died, she couldn’t stop the pollution from invading her body.
It wasn’t much, and it didn’t affect her too greatly, but...
Would it spread to the others through the Symbiotic Contract?
Hughes’ eyes flickered as he recalled how the pollution had rapidly dissipated earlier.
Without hesitation, he grasped the Siren’s hand.
The contract was formed.
"The pollution... disappeared?!"
The Siren looked at her arm in disbelief, the darkness that had wrapped around it was completely gone.
What had just happened!?
Hughes felt the anomaly transmitted through the Symbiotic Contract.
A surge of emotion churned in his heart.
When the contract had been formed, he had distinctly sensed the pollution within the Siren’s body. It had even tried to spread to him through the contract.
But the moment the tainted life force touched him, an unknown power purified it instantly.
This power even extended back through the contract, cleansing the pollution within the Siren as well.
It seemed... he truly was the nemesis of pollution!
Hughes snapped back to reality and looked at "Monica" before him.
The pollution within the Siren earlier had been minimal—something he could purify.
She had already completely transformed into a monster.
For a moment, Hughes felt as though he was back at the docks.
A strange fish, its voice weak, had pleaded for his help.
The same grotesqueness, the same distortion, the same swollen and nauseating form.
Without hesitation, Hughes reached out his hand, just as he had in the past.