Who Is the Robber

The art style shifted abruptly.

The green liquid in the basin emitted a faint, eerie glow, reflecting off the little girl's delicate, cute face. It made her twisted, sinister smile appear even more grotesque. Her soft, long hair and crisp, pleasant voice instantly became ethereal, layered with an illusory, haunting tone that sounded uncannily like a whisper from the Dreamlands.

The little girl, who had just been soft, tender, and tearful, suddenly turned so dark and malevolent that the intense contrast nearly gave Lynch a heart attack on the spot.

I was scared to tears, okay?

Although he did not know what she was doing, his instincts told him this bizarre transformation was anything but good. As his brain recovered from the shock, Lynch immediately stepped forward and swung his cane down at the little girl.

I have to stop her.

However, just as he closed the distance, the doll in the basin suddenly opened its eyes, revealing a sinister smile that mirrored the one on the girl outside. Both the large and small girls opened their mouths, and chilling, frigid laughter spilled from their delicate red lips.

Boom.

The green light in the basin erupted with intensity, slamming into the approaching Lynch like a solid object. Lynch felt as if he had been hit head-on by a steam locomotive. He flew back like a cannonball, his back slamming heavily into the bulkhead. He felt intense pain throughout his body, and even breathing became incredibly difficult.

“Giggle, giggle, giggle.”

Amidst the girl’s eerie laughter, she had released the doll, but the doll now seemed alive. It stood atop the churning green liquid, its body hovering on the surface, staring at Lynch with the same sinister grin.

As the laughter rang out, Lynch’s eyes burned with rage. He noticed a strange shadow emerging from the green liquid, and then several tentacles stretched out from the basin.

The tentacles were incredibly thick, yet they emerged from the tiny basin. The concept of scale was distorted here and now, and the resulting mental dissonance made Lynch feel a surge of irritability and near-madness in his chest.

In just a moment of distraction, these tentacles snaked rapidly toward the doll, wrapping around it bit by bit. The little girl outside the basin giggled, her hands stroking the rim of the basin gently, each movement making the water inside churn more violently.

The doll in the basin also began to move on its own. It stepped onto the surface of the water, spread its arms to its sides, and held its head high. A raspy, low chant emanated from within its tiny body.

“la, la, Cthulhu, fh tag nl. la, la, Cthulhu, fh tag nl.”

“Screw your candy.”

Hearing the familiar chant, Lynch gritted his teeth against the stifling pain in his chest and fired his pistol. After six continuous shots, he didn't even bother to check the results before swapping to the fire and acid rounds provided by Miss Valente, emptying his magazine once more.

Yet, the little girl only giggled and stroked the basin, while the doll in the water continued its chanting.

The twelve bullets, having entered the range of the green light, seemed to strike some viscous liquid. Their speed slowed rapidly until they stopped moving altogether, drifting and suspended in the air. A moment later, a tiny hand pinched one of the bullets.

The doll had begun to move.

The shadow in the basin and the doll on the water were connected by the tentacles. The doll now radiated a pressure so twisted and violent it felt despairing. The thick tentacles writhed and climbed behind its tiny body, occupying nearly half of the captain’s quarters.

“Uncle, go help me find Mom and Dad, hehehe...”

Accompanied by the crisp child’s voice, the doll suddenly opened its mouth wide, and a shrill, piercing shriek erupted from it. Just as Lynch was rattled to the point of nearly vomiting blood, the tentacles behind him, as if receiving a signal, entangled him with lightning speed.

Damn it, how is a human supposed to deal with this?

Never mind the tentacles themselves; even the powerful pressure naturally emanating from them made Lynch’s limbs go weak. He could barely even lift his cane, only managing to stay upright by leaning against the wall.

Yet, just as despair filled his heart, a fierce, malevolent spirit surged from his chest.

Damn it, who do you think you’re looking down on?

I am Lynch Levive, the neighbor of the Crimson Lady for ten million years, and a transmigrator from my homeland.

“If you want me dead, a little monster like you isn't enough. At least bring down a few evil gods first.”

Spurred by the arrogance of a transmigrator, the pressure brought by the bizarreness and distortion was forcibly shattered, and strength returned to his body. Lynch roared and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the entanglement of the tentacles at the last moment.

The tentacles slammed hard into the bulkhead. The thick wooden wall was pierced like paper, and the planks were torn apart with ease. The tentacles twisted in the air and pursued Lynch tightly.

But Lynch didn't even glance at them. After dodging the attack, he flashed a grin just as sinister as the little girl’s.

Then, he threw the strange statue in his hand.

“Did you really think I was holding onto your leg for nothing? I have a doll too.”

The statue from the Yellow Apostle, small enough to be held in one hand, was hurled directly at the little girl beside the basin. The green light that had blocked the bullets seemed nonexistent before the statue, allowing it to fly straight toward the girl behind the basin.

The girl’s expression changed drastically. She seemed to want to block it, and the tentacles controlled by the doll rushed to assist, but it was a step too slow. The girl and the basin seemed to possess a power that attracted the statue, and it collided with them at high speed.

Thump, thump.

The space seemed to vibrate violently.

The statue, the tentacles, the doll, and the girl all appeared to freeze in place.

The next moment, the statue shattered into fragments. A bizarre mark composed of light appeared out of thin air where the statue had exploded.

The Yellow Sign, the gaze from the King in Yellow.

A malicious gaze permeated from the mark, and countless eerie, rustling whispers echoed in his ears.

Then, countless rays of light erupted from the Yellow Sign, like intense stage lights, crashing head-on into the pursuing doll and tentacles, entangling them tightly in mid-air.

Hm?

The unexpected change left Lynch stunned. He instinctively looked toward the girl. Her eyes met his, and the smugness and malevolence on her face had long since vanished. Her eyes were filled with panic. Upon realizing Lynch was looking at her, she suddenly turned and ran.

Where are you going? You haven't spat out the gem yet.

Lynch flicked his wrist, and his cane transformed into a multi-segmented whip, accurately wrapping around the little girl. He pulled hard, dragging her back, then reached out to grip her neck tightly and pressed his pistol against her head.

“Behave yourself, or I’ll send you to see your mom and dad.”

However, the little girl ignored the pistol entirely. Her eyes turned bloodshot, and she struggled like a madwoman, even lowering her head to try and bite the arm Lynch was using to restrain her, leaving him momentarily at a loss.

I’m actually going to shoot, aren't I? If I do, I’ll just have to start over from the beginning.

His thoughts were ruthless, but in truth, he couldn't bring himself to do it. As a shut-in transmigrator from a peaceful world, facing a doll-like human girl—even if he knew she might be a monster—would require a psychological struggle to pull the trigger. Especially now...

Boom.

The wall leading to the seabed suddenly burst open with several large holes. Tentacles composed of human heads, permeated with gray fog, drilled inside, followed by several deep ones who rushed in.

It seems the deep ones realized something was wrong and finally returned to assist.

Through the holes, he could see a humanoid creature made of flesh-clumps pursuing them closely, but it had failed to stop them.

“Don't move, or I’ll shoot immediately.”

Restraining the little girl, Lynch retreated a step to lean against the wall, putting distance between himself and the deep ones and head-monsters that had burst in. The enemies stopped, standing in a standoff and not daring to approach.

He wasn't blindly guessing. In fact, after the events of the last few minutes, he had recalled the information West had given him about the deep ones. It mentioned that young deep ones were identical to humans from the inside out, only much prettier than human children.

Lynch hadn't understood the significance of that 'identical' at the time, but now he realized what kind of creature he had encountered. And looking at her ease in accessing important areas, she was likely a high-status underage deep one.

It’s a good thing I didn't pull the trigger earlier. At least now I have a hostage and room to negotiate. Otherwise, with so many monsters surrounding me, trying to hold out for even a second would be a lack of self-awareness.

The Yellow Apostle outside also noticed the situation and did not attack rashly, instead keeping a quiet watch from the side. However, the little girl never stopped struggling, and she became increasingly frantic, shouting at the returning deep ones:

“Don't listen to the nonsense of this robber’s accomplice! Don't worry about me, kill him and take our gem back to the tribe! Quickly!”

Hm? Who is the robber here? And, your gem?

“Don't interrupt when adults are talking, kid. Keep your mouth shut for now.” Lynch felt a flicker of unease in his heart. He tapped the little girl’s head gently with his pistol, then turned to the white-haired elder deep one who had returned to rescue her: “Let’s get this straight first. Don't go around labeling people as robbers. We didn't rob your merchant ship, and back on the beach, it was you who attacked us with dream magic first. We didn't provoke you.”

“What beach? Who attacked you?” The old and young deep ones spoke in unison, their voices filled with astonishment. “We have an agreement with others; we have never stepped onto the coast of Lande.”

Hm?

Lynch’s heart sank. He realized that an invisible hand seemed to be leading him toward an uncontrollable situation.