I am deeply honored

Chino opened his eyes. "The era of peace for humanity, unfortunately, was very short. It was like a morning glory, blooming and withering quickly."

Hoo!

Several figures carried a stone statue and approached Chino. "Sea King, this Fish-Man was cursed by an Ancient Artifact and turned to stone. Can you help him?"

Chino looked at the stone Fish-Man and casually flicked out a green ray of light.

Crack.

Vespa, who had turned to stone, was hit by the ray of light. His stone body began to revert to flesh and blood, but the enormous monster before him still filled him with fear.

This must be the Sea King the Dagons spoke of.

And the Sea King himself saved him. Vespa felt unexpectedly honored.

In his understanding, these kinds of monsters never cared about the lives of lower-ranking monsters.

Just replace the dead ones with new ones. There are plenty more.

What merit did he, a small Fish-Man, have that would cause the Sea King to save him?

Seeing Vespa's confused expression, Chino extended a finger. "Children of the sea, you are my brothers and sisters, my descendants."

"Every life in the ocean deserves respect. Accept the new rules, accept the new order. This is the beginning of a new era."

"Child, don't be surprised."

Chino's giant finger touched Vespa's head. Tentacles split off and entered Vespa's body, starting to transform his body!

At the same time, his Fish-Man body began to show different individual characteristics. A coral scepter appeared in his hand.

This is?

Dagon?!

Vespa was shocked. He felt his flesh and blood sublimate. Forbidden knowledge was infused into his mind!

Chino actually made him evolve into a Priest?

Vespa really couldn't believe it, but remembering Chino's words, he calmed down.

Every life in the ocean deserves respect.

The children of the ocean are his children.

Clearly, this Sea King is far greater and more tolerant than he had imagined.

Vespa gradually began to worship Chino. The Dagons who brought him here also felt the same.

They all have an almost fanatical worship of Chino.

It came from within, not influenced by external factors, a genuine reverence for his personality.

Vespa excitedly kowtowed to Chino, but Chino lifted him up with a tentacle. "Child, no need."

"A great transformation is about to begin. You don't need to kneel before anyone. You deserve to be respected."

"My existence doesn't mean that the lower ranks must obey. My existence only represents the immortality of our race."

"This is the life-or-death struggle between beings. You've joined this glorious evolution. Your future will have a place."

Meanwhile, under the deep sea.

Chino closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

He was reliving a very long dream.

He dreamt about his own birth, his rise to power over the ocean, and then the future age of warring gods, an era of great conflict.

No one could control the world. Everyone had to struggle to survive, facing countless hardships.

Some died the moment they reached the throne. Others fell on their way to becoming supreme.

Monsters weren't immortal.

Even the future gods and demons would eventually die.

Humanity even created many mechanical lifeforms based on monsters.

Chino saw a light blue mechanical lifeform with tentacle patterns on its body.

They called these things holy armor, forged from the flesh and blood of monsters.

That era, a distant and ancient future, was an era where humanity was almost extinct.

But at least before that era, there was a single person, using their fragile mortal body, who sealed away monsters that were like gods.

He created a prosperous era, an era of peace for humanity.

Unfortunately, that prosperous era was very short, just like his life.

"Of course, not just you, but you, them, the future belongs to us. We are like the sun rising over the sea. We will rise at a certain moment and reach the peak at a certain moment."

Vespa's expression changed. He suddenly felt that becoming a Fish-Man wasn't so bad.

No, he was honored to be a member of the deep sea!

Chino put Vespa down. He saw 007 Siren suddenly swim to his side. "How is it? Did the song recording work?"

Chino fell into thought. "It worked, but there's one person whose ability directly counters yours."

"That person can absorb sound. He's an unknown lifeform."

Mei created many monsters. Even Chino and the others didn't know exactly how many monsters there were.

Many things are unknown.

Not only the number of monsters but also the monsters' abilities.

Chino was wary of this. Most of the monsters are on land. If he wanted to rule the land, conflict with these monsters was unavoidable.

What had stopped him until now wasn't humans, but these monsters with their strange abilities and unpredictable forms.

These were his biggest enemies.

In war, strength is important, but information is equally critical.

The saying goes, know yourself, know your enemy, and you can win a hundred battles.

Chino didn't understand the monsters created after 009, nor did he have any information on them. Launching random attacks would be very disadvantageous to Chino.

Chino's previous foray into North America was a reconnaissance mission. He wasn't trying to conquer all of North America.

He was using this to force North America to reveal their hidden monsters.

So far, besides vampires, there is also an angel in North America.

As for why he didn't start with Asia, it's because Asia has the largest number of monsters and the most complicated situation.

If he'd started with Asia, the number of monsters and forces involved would be an unknown variable.

Chino didn't dare risk starting with Asia, so he chose the furthest place, North America.

Chino wants to fight a protracted war. The first step in a protracted war is information gathering.

Thinking, Chino lowered his head and looked at Vespa. "Our biggest challenge is Asia. We know too little about the situation in Asia. So I hope you can collect as much intelligence as possible."

Vespa responded without hesitation. "I, Vespa, shall be at the forefront!"

Chino looked toward the darkness in the distance. "Next, it's your turn, little brother."

...

Dark night, strong winds.

A member of the Serpent's Hand sprinted through the darkness, his breath ragged, his eyes wide with panic. Something was chasing him.

As his boots pounded against the pavement, a blood thread sliced through the air with a whisper.

Splat!

The thread struck his calf, piercing through flesh and bone. He stumbled, collapsing to the ground with a cry of pain.

"Coagulate Blood into Threads... a royal vampire?!" he hissed through gritted teeth, clutching his wounded leg.

He twisted around to see his pursuers. The deserted street was now crowded with black-robed figures, their forms shifting eerily in the dim light. Their steps were slow, deliberate, like predators savoring their hunt.

At the forefront, a figure loomed beneath a hood, his blood-red eyes glowing with an unnatural intensity. But it was the figure beside him that made the man's stomach churn—scales glistened under the pale moonlight, and the pungent stench of the sea rolled off him in waves.

Vampires and Fish-Men? Together?

Before he could process the sight, the blood thread tugged violently, dragging him across the street. In moments, he was face to face with the blood-eyed figure.

Shino gazed down at him, his expression cold and unyielding. "Where's Adam?"

The man clenched his jaw. His voice was resolute, tinged with fanaticism. "The Serpent's Hand shall rebuild the world!"

Then, with no hesitation, he bit into the poison capsule hidden in his cheek.

Crack!

His body convulsed before slumping lifelessly to the ground.

Shino sighed, his expression unreadable. "Here we go again."

These fanatics always chose death over capture. He'd lost count of how many had bitten down on their poison before he could extract any answers.

"Keep searching," he ordered curtly.

A Priest standing nearby turned her scaled face toward him. "Master, these people have been thoroughly brainwashed. Asking them is futile. Better to let the corpses speak."

Shino raised an eyebrow. "Let the corpses speak? Can you do that?"

The Priest hesitated, her expression uncertain. "I can't. But I know of a Priest who can force the dead to reveal their secrets."

Shino's gaze lingered on her, his thoughts churning. Make the dead reveal their secrets...

Before he could respond, the corpse at his feet jerked violently.

Its lifeless eyes snapped open, clouded and dull, staring blankly into the void. Its jaw quivered as it began to mumble incoherently, the words tumbling from its lips like fragmented whispers of a forgotten language.

Shino's head snapped toward the Priest. His voice was sharp. "Was that you?"

The Priest froze, her scales glinting as she shook her head in disbelief. "I... I think… it wasn't me."