Of course, with the help of that damn forest god, her voice had already returned, but Livia was determined not to speak to Triton.

What kind of conversation could happen between two people trying to kill each other? Furthermore, if she mentioned ‘Mumu’ or the assistance of other gods, he would undoubtedly interfere.

Besides, if Triton discovered that Livia could speak again, he might steal her voice once more. Perhaps he would bind her tongue even more thoroughly to prevent any further divine intervention. She couldn’t allow that to happen.

Livia defiantly pressed her lips together.

At that moment, her perspective flipped, and her position changed. Suddenly, she found herself beneath Triton.

Startled, she looked up at him, who tilted his head with a satisfied smirk. His silvery-blue hair, shining like starlight, cascaded over her.

“That’s right.”

With one hand, he held her wrists above her head, while the other cupped her cheek, his fingers brushing over her eyelids.

“That’s how you should look.”

The pressure of his hand was quite rough.

“In truth….”

His fingertips lightly scraped over her thin eyelids, as if….

“I’m aiming for your eyes….”

A chill ran through her body. For some reason, the fear of having her eyes gouged out was more terrifying than the thought of dying.

Livia tried to turn her head away from his touch. Or at least, she attempted to.

But the hand gripping her cheek was strong, and she had to endure it, unable to move an inch.

“If you have no intention of speaking, Livia.”

Startled, Livia looked up at Triton.

Livia.

Hearing her name from Triton’s lips felt strange.

How did he know? Was it because he was a god? Could gods know everything? But if that were true, he wouldn’t be unaware of ‘Mumu’s’ existence. So how did he find out? Triton’s lips curled into a smile, seemingly pleased with her confused expression.

“Try crying more beneath me.”

His smooth hand slid from her cheek down to her neck, tracing the insect bites with his fingertips.

“Don’t look away from my eyes.”

As a sharp sensation caused her to wince, the pressure on her wounds increased. It felt as if moving even slightly would tear her apart.

‘…Maybe this is for the best.’

Athena had said she needed to die in Triton’s grasp. If so, this was the opportunity. The reason she had struggled to survive among the leech-like creatures and crawled all the way here was precisely this.

Livia deliberately avoided his gaze. Doing what she was told not to do would surely provoke him. With his fiery temper, he might kill her again.

Perhaps he would even gouge out her eyes. That was a bit concerning. Would they regenerate if they were removed? Losing her eyes would certainly be inconvenient.

At that moment, her chin was forcibly turned again.

Livia squeezed her eyes shut. She was determined not to look. Absolutely not. That stubborn resolve was etched across her tense face.

Triton, watching her with disbelief, briefly considered plucking out her eyes. Her defiance, doing exactly what she was told not to, was truly infuriating.

When he had scraped her eyelids, she seemed genuinely frightened, yet now she was back to resisting, having lost her fear. Did she lack sense because she was a foolish human? Or did she despise her current situation so much that it outweighed any fear of losing her eyes?

With a cold gaze, he stared intently at the ragged-looking woman before lowering his hand to press on her side, where the flesh was half torn away. He felt her body flinch, but she kept her eyes tightly shut.

Look at that.

As the woman persisted in her stubbornness, Triton felt an odd determination arise within him. He resolved to make her open her eyes on her own.

Triton’s hand moved past her wounds and reached her ankle. Her feet had suffered the most during her climb up the cliff.

Several toes were nearly severed, and bite marks covered her soles and ankles. Additionally, she had lain in a shell grave, covering herself with sand to mask the smell of blood, leaving her in a pitiful state.

Triton gently grasped her ankle. A faint light wrapped around her slender ankle, and the scabs clinging to Livia’s body began to flake away.

Livia shivered at the strange sensation. She couldn’t grasp what he was doing to her. She tried to focus and understand, but the buzzing sound in her ears made it impossible to concentrate.

“Leech bugs have venom in their teeth, Livia.”

His low voice, reminiscent of the dawn waves, seeped into her ears. Despite the noise, it was remarkably clear and distinct.

“That venom penetrates deep into the body, gradually softening flesh and bone. It makes it easier for the bugs to devour you.”

The touch on her ankle was now incredibly gentle, unlike before. With her eyes closed, her sense of touch became more sensitive, and the buzzing sound transformed into musical notes. Something was off, but she couldn’t figure out what it was.

“And at the same time, it induces hallucinations and auditory illusions, preventing the host from feeling pain.”

Dwoong—

Was it the sound of a conch or a flute? Or perhaps the strings of a giant harp? Or maybe a combination of all those sounds?

Livia shook her head, trying to shake off the hallucinations clouding her mind, but it was futile. The sounds only grew louder.

Everywhere Triton’s fingers touched, the leech bug bite marks vanished, and her original pale skin returned, but Livia couldn’t feel it due to the intensifying hallucinations and auditory illusions.

Before she knew it, Livia was submerged in the deep blue sea.

She floundered helplessly, unable to sink into hell or rise to the heavens. In the distance, she saw a silver fish. No, upon closer inspection, it wasn’t something that could be called a fish.

A shark.

The very giant shark she had only heard about through sailors’ tales, with its beautiful silvery-blue body and fierce teeth, turned to look at her. She was caught in the shark’s gaze.

I have to escape.

…But where to?

Livia frantically thrashed her limbs, but the more she did, the deeper she sank into the ocean.

“Only when their entire body is devoured, leaving only their eyes, does the host realize.”

The giant shark, the Megalodon, twisted its body powerfully, causing the sea to churn. The swirling currents seized her, and the predator of the sea charged at her fiercely.

“Ugh…!”

Triton’s hand moved past Livia’s flailing knees and reached her thigh. As he caressed the outside of her fleshy thigh, his hand gradually moved inward.

“That they are truly going to die….”

I’m going to die, that shark is going to eat me.

Livia struggled violently, trying to break free from Triton’s grasp.

No, I can’t die here. I have to save Lete.

“Ugh, huh…!”

“Livia.”

Triton’s voice seeped into Livia’s ears, as if it were gently sinking in. Could a siren’s voice, known for luring sailors, be this sweet? She shook her head vigorously to resist the enchantment, but the touch that alleviated her pain left her powerless.

“Come on, open your eyes. That’s the only way to escape the hallucination.”

Hallucination? Was the shark swimming vividly before her eyes just an illusion?

Was this fear that shook her soul truly fake?

Livia shook her head again. In response to her denial, Triton’s grip on her thigh tightened.

“Just how far did they bite you…?”

With a sigh, he forcefully parted Livia’s tightly closed legs. He traced the inside of her thigh, marked by the bug bites, with his fingertips.

“Ah…”

Livia flinched noticeably. Triton couldn’t miss that subtle reaction. After a moment of silence, he let out a quiet laugh.

“Aha.”

This is it, your weak spot.