A ribbon of Evangeline’s Spiritual Power lifted Buck from the crowd.

With a tap of her finger, Spiritual Energy burrowed into Buck’s body. In an instant, her Divine Sense pierced into his brain like a blade.

Inside Buck’s skull, a blood-red Sandwurm was writhing menacingly.

The creature had no eyes or nose, only a mouth containing a sharp, straw-like proboscis. The proboscis was plunged deep into Buck’s brain tissue. As it sucked greedily, the appendage pulsed, emitting a gruesome GURGLE.

And with every suck from the Sandwurm, Buck’s brain matter and Life Force were gradually drained away.

Evangeline’s gaze sharpened. Without another moment of hesitation, she focused the Spiritual Power at her fingertips, weaving it into a fine net that wrapped around the Sandwurm in his brain, layer by layer. She controlled the spirit silk, carefully avoiding the more fragile areas.

"Ngh..." Buck suddenly began to convulse violently, a pained, muffled sound catching in his throat.

Coral Cetus trembled as she watched from the side, clamping a hand over her mouth, terrified of making a sound that might disturb Evangeline.

With a flick of Evangeline’s wrist, a long, slimy, blood-red worm was forcefully yanked from Buck’s mouth.

The moment the Spiritual Power-bound Sandwurm touched the ocean current, it began to twist and struggle madly. The inside of its straw-like proboscis was lined with countless tiny, sharp teeth, and gruesome beads of blood still clung to them. The sight was enough to send a chill down one’s spine and make their scalp tingle.

Coral Cetus pressed her hands tightly against her mouth, her face ghastly pale. She couldn’t bear to think that this thing had actually come out of Buck’s body.

Just then, Buck’s body arched violently, and a terrifying GACKING sound erupted from his throat.

The next moment, he began to vomit uncontrollably. But what spewed from his mouth wasn’t food—it was tiny, transparent eggs, each one streaked with blood. They landed on the snow-white inner wall of the Sea Conch, twitching bizarrely.

Evangeline discreetly cast a Protective Body Restriction on herself and Danton. It wasn’t that she was afraid of the eggs—she was just disgusted.

"BLEGH—cough, cough, cough..." Buck spasmed for a while longer before finally spitting out a black blood clot and collapsing limply. He had quieted down, but the sound of sobbing rose and fell all around him.

Quinn Cetus’s expression was incredibly grim. Everyone knew how dangerous Sandwurms were, but to witness it firsthand was still terrifying.

Stellan’s arm was wrapped securely around Coral Cetus’s shoulders. Once Buck’s breathing had steadied, he stepped forward and said, "Buck?"

At Stellan’s soft call, Buck slowly raised his eyes. His unfocused pupils gradually sharpened, but his eyes were filled with broken blood vessels.

His eyelashes fluttered, and his lips parted slightly. Before he could speak, Coral Cetus could no longer hold back. She rushed forward and threw her arms around him, clutching his still-weak body as she sobbed, "Buck! You scared me to death!"

Buck breathed in the scent of his female and slowly raised his arms, gradually wrapping them around her as well.

As Stellan gravely explained that he had been parasitized by a Sandwurm, Buck’s expression froze. He had no memory of the infestation. He turned to look at the constantly struggling, twisting Sandwurm, and his face, too, became incredibly grim.

"Buck, how do you feel now? Does your head hurt? Do you still feel like throwing up? Can you see clearly?" Quinn Cetus placed a hand on Buck’s shoulder, studying him closely, his tone edged with anxiety.

Buck shook his head and wiped his face with a rough palm. "Just tired," he said in a muffled voice. "Like I’ve been completely hollowed out."

"Being tired is normal. Eat up, replenish your strength." Evangeline didn’t even look up as she placed the Sandwurm into a transparent glass bottle. She gave it a little shake, making it hit the glass with a loud THUD. She definitely had to study this thing.

Buck opened his mouth, but in the end, all he could manage was a stammered, "...Thank you."

Coral Cetus also turned to look at Evangeline. She didn’t speak, but her eyes were as red as crushed coral, and the gratitude swirling in their wet depths was so thick it threatened to spill over.

Evangeline waved a hand dismissively and put the glass bottle away.

Quinn Cetus let out a breath of relief. He bowed his head and pressed a hand to the Scale Armor on his chest, the small scales trembling slightly with his breathing. "Thank you, witch. It’s just... my other tribespeople..."

He looked hesitantly toward the other tribe members bound by seaweed inside the Sea Conch.

Evangeline glanced up. "Don’t worry. If I could save Buck, I can save the others." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

She stretched out her five slender fingers as if pulling invisible threads. A moment later, crimson Sandwurms were drawn out one by one from the mouths of the parasitized Beastmen. Their long, thin bodies twitched in unison in the current—a truly disgusting sight.

Danton stood by Evangeline’s side, quietly gazing at her focused profile. He watched her handle the Sandwurms with practiced ease and calm composure, and a subtle ripple disturbed the surface of his light blue eyes.

’Is she really the same Evangeline from before?’

The Evangeline he remembered was arrogant. She was a female of the Oasis Tribe who had been spoiled since birth, taking whatever she wanted without a single thought for others’ feelings. She treated her own partner like a disposable accessory and loathed The Swarm more than anything.

But the Evangeline before him now?

She was powerful, gentle, and eager to help.

She could be a little coquettish with him, yet when faced with these hideous Sandwurms, she was remarkably calm and composed. Contradictory and vibrant, she was like a beam of light piercing The Deep Sea, making his heart burn and his eyes follow her unconsciously.

Evangeline noticed Danton’s intent gaze and suddenly curved her lips into a smile.

Her narrow eyes tilted up slightly, their glittering light utterly captivating as she looked, smiling, deep into Danton’s eyes.

Caught off guard, Danton felt seared by her gaze. His ear fins flushed red with a SWOOSH, and faint blue scales even appeared at the corners of his eyes. He averted his face, almost in a panic, trying to suppress his wild heartbeat.

Their brief exchange of glances went unnoticed by the others, who were all focused on their parasitized kin.

One by one, the Sandwurms were pulled out, but the outcome was not entirely what they had hoped for.

"This... What’s happening?" Quinn Cetus stared at the few bodies that had collapsed inside the Sea Conch, his face deathly pale.

Evangeline collected the Sandwurms and sighed softly. "These people were infested too long ago. The Sandwurms have already hollowed out their brains, leaving nothing but an empty shell. In other words, they were already dead. I can’t save them."

A faint clattering sound came from Quinn Cetus’s Scale Armor as the plates shifted, his eyes filled with pain.

Coral Cetus looked at the bodies, her arms trembling where she held onto Buck.

’If she hadn’t sent that message to Evangeline, would he have...?’

Evangeline paid no mind to the dead Beastmen. She looked at the grim-faced Quinn Cetus and said, "Alright, I’ll need you to arrange a place for me to stay, leader. I need to focus on researching a medicine to repel the Sandwurms. Hopefully, I can solve this terrible problem."

Before Quinn Cetus could speak, Coral Cetus wiped her eyes, stood up, and said to Evangeline, "I’ve already prepared it!"

Evangeline nodded, carrying the glass bottle full of Sandwurms in one hand and naturally taking Danton’s hand with the other.

The pair followed Coral Cetus through the swaying Coral Grove. Suddenly, a giant, silvery-white Sea Conch came into view, surrounded by gently glowing sea anemones. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful.

"This is the place," Coral Cetus said softly.

She glanced worriedly at the bottle in Evangeline’s hand. "Should I stay and help you?"

Evangeline raised an eyebrow. Her gaze drifted to Danton beside her, lingering on his lean, powerful frame. She shook her head with feigned seriousness, but a sly curve played on her lips. "I’m afraid not."

"You know... certain processes can’t have bystanders."

Coral Cetus’s face instantly flushed red. She stammered, "W-Well, if you need anything, just, just call for me."

Danton, standing to the side, shot Evangeline a helpless glance.