Sea foam covers the water's surface as the colossal duke monster and the relatively small deimos move in deadly pursuit.
The undead whale gracefully swam forward as its tail propelled it and its brave passenger.
But what followed behind him was a monster of enormous size, the duke monster.
'I can't believe he can swim so fast even though he's so big!'
(Kid! One more! Behind you!)
After glancing back to see what Pier was talking about, Simon quickly ducked.
The monster duke's breath passed thinly above him, carrying a few strands of hair with it. It was like a flash of blue light splitting the sea.
'Ah.'
At that moment, Simon realized something.
'His breathing rate is slowing down.'
Of course, his own breathing did not slow down, but it felt slower to him. As he came close to death over and over again, his nerves were working hard, and he began to focus intensely.
The world slowed down for him.
"Long time no see."
He is in pretty good shape.
Simon controlled the deimos and spun them around. When the creature that had been running away suddenly changed direction, the duke monster also slowed down, looking surprised.
'Now that everything has become like this…'
Simon's eyes turned cold.
'Maybe I should try fighting him properly.'
When the deimos opens its mouth, a ball of mana spins inside it, sucking in the surrounding seawater.
'Tidal Cannon!'
Rivaling the attacks of creatures many times their size, the deimos roared as they released energy from their mouths, the power exploding on the face of the duke monster. The duke grunted in pain, then charged at them with renewed anger.
Simon didn't back down either, charging with the deimos while sending jet black blasts at the bones he was sitting on.
Jet black runs through the skeleton, concentrated on the bones in the side fins. It sharpens the tips of the fins into razor-sharp blades.
'Now!'
Just before the duke monster and deimos were about to collide, the baby whale dove straight down, stabbing its sharp dorsal fin into the duke monster's stomach.
Using that position…
Slaaaaaaaaaash!
The deimos swam in a perfect arc following the duke's belly, carving a red line across the giant's belly that filled the entire area with the metallic scent of blood.
(Grrrrrrrrrrrrgh!)
As the duke monster groaned in pain, the deimos quickly fled to the side with Simon on its back.
Simon smacked his lips in disappointment.
'I can't get the right results. It's too big!'
The skeleton, now on the other side of the duke, darted just below the surface of the water. So as not to lose sight of them, the duke monster dragged his massive body towards them.
Using the creature's large size to his advantage, Simon took the opportunity to fire a smaller tidal cannon behind them.
The deimos' mouths glowed with each shot, sending out wave after wave of high-speed water, but the duke monster absorbed all the attacks and charged forward without any regard.
Then, not long after, he opened his mouth.
'Down!'
Zooming downwards, another giant breath attack hit the area directly above them, tearing a hole in the ocean. Simon felt sick at the thought of taking an attack from one of them, knowing that it could very likely tear through his barrier suit and kill him instantly.
'Now, I only have one choice left.'
He decided to leave the evasion entirely to his summons.
Simon closed his eyes and placed his hand on the deimos' head. He could feel the whale's summoning circle binding to his mind.
'I need to find something Diego tried to save…'
Tidal cannons aren't the only skill the deimoses possess.
The real reason why deimosis is known as the 'Lord of the Sea'…
Simon activated the powerless formula in the corner of the summoning circle.
Ba-Buk!
He could feel the consciousness of the deimos expanding into him. Thoughts raced through his mind, and every nerve in his body worked overtime.
Ba-thump! Ba-thump!
"Kughhhh!"
A pained groan escaped his lips as the immense pressure of the frame pushed against his mind. The entire world felt distorted, like an abstract painting.
'…Concentrate!'
He didn't care about the breath attack coming from behind him.
He just focused on this moment so he could bring out everything the deimos had to offer.
The jet black of Simon and the deimos boiled simultaneously.
(Kid! If you push yourself any harder, you'll strain your mind!)
No, Simon felt he could do more.
He doesn't question it, he doesn't see its limits, he doesn't draw lines he can't cross.
He just believed that he could do it.
'I…'
A wave of energy flowed through his head, dragging his chaotic thoughts in one direction.
Go out.
Simon felt his consciousness expanding endlessly. He could feel everything, all creation, the entire world beneath his feet.
Simon's pupils turned brilliant gold.
'Almighty.'
* * *
* * *
Broken.
Simon felt like a hole had been pierced through the black ceiling that contained his mind, letting in an unknown ray of sunlight.
(Ksssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!)
A voice came from within, amplified by the summoning circle, and carried through the roars of the deimos.
Wriggling wriggling.
At the bottom of the sea.
Above the surface.
In the underwater caves.
Under the rocks.
Countless creatures responded to the sound, rising to the surface. Fish and monsters gathered where the sound was made.
"What is going on?"
The disciples hunting in the outer sea retreated in fear. Countless schools of various types of fish glided past them.
"Wh-Where are you going?!"
Meilyn, who was hunting pulpae, also froze when she saw the monster she was fighting suddenly run in the same direction as if possessed by something.
The other monsters did the same.
The empty sea that had held its majesty upon the emergence of the immense force of death—the monster duke—suddenly began to pulse with life and fill with beautiful colors and patterns.
Whisper whisper!
The audience watching on the viewing screen became excited.
"CC-Can you see this?! Are your eyes open? All of them!!"
More excited than ever, the MC shouted with a red face.
"What the heck is going on?! The fish and sea monsters are starting to move as if they're starting a mass migration!!"
Before the MC knew it, the usually calm Jane was already standing, staring at the screen.
"Professor Jane! What the heck is this..."
"Deimos."
"What?"
"Deimos is the 'Alpha'."
"A-Alpha? I'm not sure what you're talking about! Is that a scientific term? Can you explain it so the audience can understand—!"
That means he is a creature who has control over marine life!
Jane raised her voice.
Deimos are called 'Lords of the Sea' not because of their immense strength and size, but because of the many sea creatures that follow them like bodyguards.
'However…'
The power to control the ocean, 'Alpha', is only possessed by deimos, and it is known that the process of turning them into undead whales takes away an Alpha's powers.
'How could he recreate that power?'
(Kiiiiiiiii!)
(Grrrg! Grrrg!)
(Pruuurrgh!)
Countless sea creatures of various shapes, sizes, and colors swam freely as one, gathering around Simon and the Deimos.
It felt like a big, beautiful rainbow was swirling around them.
Sublime. The only way to describe it is 'sublime'.
Even the duke monster looked confused, unable to approach. This shoal of marine life was bigger than him.
'Okay.'
Sensing the presence of tens of thousands of entities, Simon activated the magic circle of the deimos.
He only issued one of the simplest commands.
(Follow me.)
Koooooooooough!!!!
Moving as one, all the sea creatures swarm towards Deimos, led by Simon to crash into the Duke monster.
Fish chewed on the flesh of the duke monster, and monsters like wulf and gamban sank their sharp teeth into it. There was also a horde of squid monsters that spewed poison, pulp, which spewed poison.
The Duke Monster struggled in pain as every inch of exposed flesh was attacked at once.
But the monster duke didn't just sit back and take it.
Holes opened all over its body like pores, and white worm-like parasites emerged to fight the monsters and fish.
Then the duke monster himself looked around to find Simon and the deimos, charging at them with his mouth wide open.
'Get down! Avoid that!'
Simon moved deeper, the duke monster coming at them with its hungry jaws while hundreds of thousands of fish and monsters followed behind. The sight was so stunning that even the most talented artist would struggle to recreate its awe.
"Kuhh!"
The depths became too much for Simon's body to handle. He activated Operation Jet-Black and held out as long as he could.
At the same time, the deimos—who had prepared another tidal cannon—turned around. It then charged toward the duke monster, heading straight for its open mouth.
Explosion!
Explosion!
Explosion!
Three tidal cannons exploded inside the duke monster's mouth in quick succession, creating thick clouds of smoke as they burned the flesh.
Simon's eyes lit up.
'Cloud!'
Simon activated the magic circle he had prepared on his back. Blue-green smoke billowed and began to envelop the deimos.
The white whalebone shone like a brilliant emerald in the dark depths of the sea, illuminating the ocean.
'Get in there!'
Simon and the deimos entered the monster duke's still open mouth.
'Proceed!'
Simon ordered, while maintaining his fading consciousness.
It was an act beyond human capabilities, something no sane person could do, but he kept going.
All he could see was dark red.
Wherever there was a gap, they dug it wide enough to pass through, and if there was a wall, they tore it down.
As they moved, the deimos unleashed bursts of tidal cannon at any organ they came across before relentlessly charging further into the dark depths.
Destroying and tearing apart everything in his path, Simon saw a glimmer of light in the distance.
'There!'
Finally breaking through the pile of flesh, Simon and the deimos reached the light.
Grrgh!
They were in the water again.
Simon shook off all the blood and guts from his body before looking back at the destruction they left in their wake.
They had escaped through a small gap in the duke monster's spine.
And.
Rumble!
The enormous duke monster collapsed, sinking to the dark seabed.
'Pant! Pant! Pant! Phew!'
Simon shuddered as he finally regained consciousness. His recent memories felt hazy, as if they were more of a dream than reality.
He slowly looked at the tongue pad.
The numbers don't lie.
'I did it!'
Her body was tingling with immense pleasure.
But Simon was not satisfied.
He and the deimos rose to the surface, followed by countless sea monsters and fish.
The sea shone with beautiful light.
* * *
On a remote island in the open sea.
Splash!
Plop. Plop.
Surrounded by countless palm trees, Hector, equipped with his carrion dragon scales, landed ashore. He was soaked to the bone.
'I'm going to die of exhaustion…'
Luckily he found an island along the way. He took a deep breath, let the dragon scale fall to the ground to dry in the sun, and took the pad of his tongue to check its rank.
'I'm pretty sure I took first place with this.'
He scrolled down the rankings.
4th Place – Chatelle: 7,980 Points
Hector clicked his tongue.
'This bastard looks like he can't do anything in the water, yet he's at the top of the list.'
3rd Place – Elissa: 8,100 Points
Elissa from the Phantom Ship.
'This woman made a ship using necromancy, so it can't be helped if her specialty is the sea.'
2nd Place – Hector: 8,240 Points
'Why am I number two? You mean there's someone else above me?'
Hector scrolled up in frustration to see who dared to be above him. Then…
"Kaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!"
He shouted in burning rage, throwing the pad of his tongue to the ground.
1st Place – Simon: 106,850 Points