A humanoid creature with snow-white skin, fur, blue eyes, and ears that were shaped like elf ears. Its face was hard to make out properly, but it was undeniably beast-like, and its muscles weren't as refined as the Sinners Halo had seen. The body was built for both water and land, and it was very agile and adaptable.

It was a White Scavenger. Which, unfortunately, was not a comforting discovery.

Where Halo had stood moments ago, the creature now loomed, clutching a bone-white spear. Its blue gaze swept the mist with predatory intensity while its head twitched in all directions, seeking more victims.

In its eyes, Halo was already a wounded game. He would have disagreed, but lying on the floor didn't help his argument.

Halo sprawled across the floor, hands pressed to his stomach, teeth clenched against the pain. Saint attempted to distract the creature, but that only hurt the Child of Misfortune's pride more.

The Sinner was only interested in humans, not the living dead.

"You bastard!"

Saint reached down and summoned a white sword, extracting it from the deck as if from her own shadow. The weapon gleamed brilliantly, its light cutting through even the dense fog.

She launched herself at the creature, sword arcing down. The White Scavenger caught the blow on its spear. The anger pouring off Saint was overwhelming, unavoidable, even for Halo in his wounded state.

If rage alone could kill gods, the fight would've ended there.

That was his final glimpse of them. After that, only the sound of clashing blades carried through the murk. Halo struggled to his feet, trying to pierce the fog with his gaze. It was useless.

Their speed was remarkable, even accounting for the mist potentially warping his perception. More surprising was the sheer weight behind each strike given their physiques, Saint most of all, as she was significantly shorter.

This was Halo's first glimpse of Saint in battle, and her opponent was divine. The White Scavenger could massacre the whole ship if it wanted. That danger felt distant.

Right now, nothing mattered except seeing Saint's technique. Possibly his last lesson, but a lesson nonetheless.

Unfortunately, their fight continued only a bit longer before the White Scavenger began releasing irritating steam. As if the situation needed atmosphere.

The next moment, Saint narrowly dodged the tip of its spear and delivered a strike so powerful it sent the Sinner plummeting back into the sea. She even damaged the ship's railing in the process. The ship, unlike the deity, did not regenerate.

"Whoa… you took down a deity? That's impressive. Guess I'm sticking around… partly to be terrified of the infamous Dark Saint too."

Saint turned to Halo.

"You're just pathetic. One strike, and you couldn't even get back up quickly."

Annoyance flickered across Halo's face. The Sinner was invisible in the fog. How could he fight what he couldn't see?

"What makes them deities anyway? It fought just like any Beast Sinner I know."

Saint barely got the words out when Hazard's voice sliced through the distance.

"So reflecting attacks is your thing, huh? I've heard the infamous Dark Saint was formidable, but I didn't think your True Ability would mirror mine."

Neither Saint nor Halo responded. Hazard had materialized without warning, and more absurdly, he still wore his blindfold.

At this point, Halo wasn't even surprised anymore.

'The Eye of God, huh? I wasn't expecting it to see through all this thick mist.'

Saint made her sword disappear.

"You don't need to tell me about your True Ability, I already know about it. And I'm aware you've been hiding it from your team."

Hazard let out a soft laugh.

"Don't misunderstand me, Saint. I had no intention of keeping my True Ability from my crew. We are family, after all."

Halo decided that word meant very different things to different people.

Saint shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, break a leg."

Halo let out a weary breath. Saint's hatred for Jihriel and his people wasn't subtle, her tone alone broadcast it with every sentence. She could probably weaponize sarcasm if given time.

"White Scavengers are considered deities due to the sheer scale of their immortality. Nothing within this sea can kill them, not even the OverKing who created it. The same holds for all Sinners across the seven seas. They can defy every law in their domains… yet they are not invincible."

He added.

"It's said that someone burned a White Scavenger to a crisp, reduced it to nothing but ash, and yet it regenerated. This is their little domain."

Hazard moved casually toward where the wheel stood. Halo, however, had lost interest in the conversation, and hypothermia was setting in fast. Death by exposition would've been warmer.

"A new White Scavenger would appear each time, growing stronger than the last. This cycle would continue, relentless, until we were either destroyed or managed to escape the sea."

Halo swallowed hard and looked around the ship nervously. The vessel's speed was fixed, and the crystals that controlled navigation were pre-programmed with everything: destination, route, and speed. Flexibility was clearly not one of their many blessings.

"But don't worry, we will be just fine."

As soon as Hazard spoke, Saint also spoke up.

"If you say so."

Another shiver wracked Halo's body. The temperature was dropping fast; he'd die out here if he didn't find heat soon. He dismissed them with a wave and stumbled toward his room, Saint trailing after him.

Even the relative warmth inside wasn't enough. Halo's entire body had frozen solid, and ice clung to his facial hair. He immediately submerged himself in the hottest bath he could draw.

If he survived this, he'd never complain about lukewarm water again.

Three months that were supposed to be restful. Nearly two had passed, and all Halo had to show for it were his meetings with Liam and Jihriel, plus the mercy of hot water.

Rest, it seemed, was a theoretical concept.

He shivered at the thought, maybe next he'd be swimming in the ice sea to survive. But his priorities remained clear: he hoped the gods' hatred for him would count and curse him with an Assassin-ranked Purpose. Even if it didn't, he'd save Delilah before dealing with that.

'I hope you are okay, Delilah.'

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