Wendy had been prepared. At the fastest speed possible, she manipulated the seawater into a razor-sharp blade and viciously severed the tentacle as it rapidly withdrew.
The severed tentacle fell toward the seabed, foul-smelling blood spreading through the water.
The Sea Hunters guarding the perimeter rushed forward, swiftly bringing all of the young seafolk back into the center and protecting them.
Wendy looked toward the mountain ridge on the ocean floor.
She could feel its fury.
Under the tense gazes of the seafolk, a gigantic shadow crawled out from behind the underwater mountain. Crimson tentacles lashed wildly in every direction, smashing the surrounding reefs into pieces, as if announcing its burning rage to every living creature nearby.
It was an enraged adult Splithead Crow.
The instant they saw its full form, Tuo Liesuola and Naqimushe, the commanders leading the Sea Hunter Army, visibly tensed. Every muscle in their bodies tightened, and the golden-brown glow in their eyes deepened.
Before the Cataclysm, the Splithead Crow had been one of the few sea beasts that refused to submit to the seafolk.
These creatures were enormous, nearly sixty meters long. They possessed tremendous offensive power and even hunted seafolk deliberately.
Before the appearance of the Aberrations, they had been among the very few marine species capable of threatening the lives of the seafolk.
Of course, that was only true for lone seafolk.
Even an enraged adult Splithead Crow was nothing more than prey before a well-trained Sea Hunter Army. It was simply that, after evolving in the darkness for countless ages, the creature had become somewhat different from the species they remembered, making the Sea Hunters unusually cautious.
“Your Majesty, there is no need for you to intervene. Allow us to present you with a magnificent performance and demonstrate our strength!”
The new monarch had only just ascended the throne. The structure of the royal court was bound to change. As members of the main branches of two great clans, both of them understood that accompanying the Queen to rescue the young seafolk was both a dangerous mission and a valuable opportunity.
The Queen had grown up in an unfamiliar world and knew little about the seafolk. Since they already held the advantage, they had to seize this chance to prove their worth before her.
Tuo Liesuola gave a loud cry. Naqimushe immediately understood. The two curled their tails respectfully in request.
Wendy looked at them and gave a slight nod.
Perfect.
She also wanted to see just how powerful the Sea Hunter Army truly was.
The next second, the two figures shot forward like lightning.
Apart from the Sea Hunters remaining close to protect Wendy, every other Sea Hunter followed closely behind.
Startled, the Splithead Crow whipped its massive tentacles toward the rapidly approaching Sea Hunters with enough force to overturn mountains and seas.
Every single attack was effortlessly dodged.
The Sea Hunters weaved between the flailing tentacles at incredible speed, leaving behind nothing but afterimages.
Tuo Liesuola and Naqimushe had already reached the creature’s head.
The Splithead Crow’s two enormous eyes were located beneath its mantle, connected to its arms, meaning it could only see its surroundings.
The top of its head was an absolute blind spot.
But that did not make it a safe place.
The two exchanged a glance before issuing orders to the rest of the Sea Hunters weaving through the forest of tentacles.
The moment the command was received, every Sea Hunter raised their spirit-powered weapons.
Spiritual energy shimmered across their blades.
As the sharp weapons pierced flesh, the energy surged into the Splithead Crow’s body. Nearly a hundred tentacles were instantly paralyzed, shriveling where they hung.
However, because the Sea Hunters from the two clans were off by a few seconds in timing, two tentacles escaped immediate paralysis.
Driven purely by instinct, the beast swung those last two mobile tentacles.
Wracked by pain and consumed by rage, they erupted with unprecedented strength.
The turbulent waves they stirred crashed toward Wendy and the gathered seafolk with crushing force.
Naqimushe’s expression changed.
Her grayish-brown tail immediately wrapped around the Splithead Crow’s mantle in tight coils before violently constricting.
At the same time, Tuo Liesuola rushed forward to intercept the attack.
Using her own body, she absorbed the majority of the incoming waves. Then, with a powerful sweep of her tail, she redirected the remaining force back at the Splithead Crow while using the momentum to propel herself instantly into the waters above.
Naqimushe’s powerful tail squeezed the monster’s body until it was on the verge of bursting.
Its two giant eyes bulged outward as blood poured from them.
Shrieking in agony, the Splithead Crow thrashed violently.
Finally realizing that its head was in danger, it quickly split open the fin atop its head.
The moment it opened, dozens of venomous, fang-lined arm-tentacles burst out, lunging toward Tuo Liesuola above.
But she had anticipated it.
With flawless precision, she dodged every strike and darted directly toward the opened head fin.
Then—
She pulled.
The male Splithead Crow, which had been living parasitically inside the female’s body, died the instant it was torn free.
Seizing the opportunity, Tuo Liesuola drove her razor-sharp claws deep into the female’s exposed, vulnerable abdomen.
A massive torrent of blood erupted.
The Splithead Crow let out one final mournful cry before crashing lifelessly onto the seabed.
Wendy smiled faintly and applauded softly, looking with satisfaction at the returning Sea Hunter Army.
A wonderfully savage battle.
Highly entertaining.
There were still some imperfections, but they truly were born warriors.
She liked them very much.
The young seafolk who had survived the disaster finally relaxed.
The emotions they had been desperately holding back burst forth like a flood.
They were still children.
They had endured the apocalypse, awakened only to become stranded in the desolate sea.
Even the older seafolk could not bear to scold them and instead gently comforted the frightened youngsters.
“Is it… over?”
Amid the peaceful atmosphere, however, Wendy felt something was wrong.
Her eyes remained fixed on the corpse of the Splithead Crow.
Her temples throbbed.
Something wasn’t right.
Ever since entering the depths of the Desolate Sea, she had sensed a cold, sticky feeling of being watched.
The deeper they went, the stronger it became.
At first, she had assumed the Splithead Crow was the source.
But now it was dead.
Yet that unsettling feeling had not disappeared.
Their true enemy…
Had yet to appear.
The other seafolk noticed her silence and gradually fell quiet as well.
【Be on guard!】
The command from the highest bloodline echoed silently through their shared psychic network.
The instant the order was issued, before their minds could even react, every seafolk instinctively entered a combat stance.
Even the young seafolk did the same.
It was as though the hidden enemy realized it had been discovered.
The next moment, the previously faint sensation of being watched exploded upon them like a collapsing mountain.
The adult seafolk held their ground.
But the young seafolk protected within the formation reacted like frightened kittens with puffed-up fur.
They huddled together, trembling as they nervously looked in every direction.
Some of the young Sea Hunters instinctively bared their blade-like teeth.
Wendy slowly steadied her breathing, focusing all of her attention on the subtle movements of the surrounding water.
As her state shifted—
Basic Talent — Hunting Instinct activated instantly!
It was as though she had become one with the ocean itself.
The swaying of seaweed.
The flow of currents.
Even the movement of a single grain of sand.
No matter how slight the anomaly, nothing could escape her perception.
“Behind us, at an angle—strike!”
The instant she gave the order, Tuo Liesuola and Naqimushe shot toward the indicated direction like arrows released from a bow.
Their streamlined tails effortlessly cut through the water.
Black crystal maces and battle-axes wrapped in dazzling spiritual energy smashed toward what appeared to be an ordinary rock.
At that very moment—
A puddle of black, slime-like gelatinous substance suddenly spread out from beneath the rock with a faint rustling sound.
Apparently caught completely off guard, part of it was struck directly by the spirit-infused weapons.
It immediately let out a burning screech, melted into black liquid, and seeped into the sand on the ocean floor.
At the sight, Tuo Liesuola and Naqimushe’s pupils contracted sharply.
Goosebumps spread uncontrollably across their bodies.
【You have discovered a B-Rank Aberration — Devourer.】
The system notification sounded in Wendy’s mind at just the right moment.
She hadn’t expected the consciousness interface to identify every type of Aberration they encountered.
But only a fool would complain about having too many cheat abilities.
Without revealing anything, she subtly narrowed her eyes and leaned slightly forward.
B-Rank?
Her Dominion power was only E-rank, and her beginner-level Spiritual Purification could only purify up to C-rank. Against anything above C-rank, it could only inflict severe injuries.
“What a bullshit matchmaking system.”
Wendy immediately activated her Dominion power, shielding the terrified young seafolk behind her.
Earlier, while slaughtering the fish-scale monsters, she had sensed that the creatures before and after their mutation were two completely different ranks. Before mutating, they had only been E-rank. After absorbing large amounts of blood, they had evolved to approximately D-rank. That was why using her E-rank Dominion power to kill D-rank fish-scale monsters had felt so strenuous and uncomfortable.
If Huaijiang City had been her beginner’s village, and those fish-scale monsters had merely been low-level mobs for practice…
Then judging by the rank difference, this Devourer was an unmistakable boss monster for her current self.
Yet abandoning this advancement mission wasn’t an option.
The Sea Sirens and Sea Hunters guarding the Queen paused for a moment after hearing her incomprehensible remark, but their attention was immediately drawn back to the battle as another horrifying change occurred.
The section of the Devourer’s black gelatinous body that had been burned away by spiritual energy regenerated instantly at an unbelievable speed.
It grew larger.
Larger.
Larger still.
As if holding a grudge, it rapidly spread toward Tuo Liesuola and Naqimushe, intent on swallowing the two of them whole.
The other Sea Hunters hurried to reinforce the attack.
At first, their spirit-infused weapons had some effect.
But against the Devourer’s terrifying regenerative abilities, the portions destroyed by spiritual energy were as insignificant as a single hair from nine oxen.
The Devourer remained completely unaffected.
Instead, it forced the seafolk to retreat while defending themselves.
Suddenly, one Sea Hunter’s weapon was swallowed into the monster’s body.
Without thinking, the Sea Hunter instinctively reached out to retrieve it.
The instant his fingertips touched the Devourer, the strange black gelatin surged into his body like a beast catching the scent of fresh flesh, moving so fast it was almost impossible to follow with the naked eye.
“No… I… guh…”
The Sea Hunter seemed to want to say something.
But after those first few words, all that remained were strange, wet sounds, like someone choking on phlegm.
His body convulsed violently as he turned his head.
In just a few seconds, it seemed he had already gone blind.
He stretched out a trembling hand toward the nearest presence, helplessly groping through the water.
Every seafolk’s pupils contracted sharply.
His entire body was melting like dripping candle wax.
Wendy’s expression darkened.
She immediately mobilized the spiritual energy within her body, enveloping the Sea Hunter in a layer of radiant power.
But…
She was too late.
The melting continued.
It had only slowed.
The Sea Hunter, now little more than a shapeless lump of flesh, slowly shifted toward Wendy as though sensing her presence.
From within the mound of decaying flesh, a single cloudy tear rolled from his once-brilliant golden-brown eye.
【Your Majesty… let me go.】
The seafolk were a race united beneath a single ruler.
When facing an external enemy, the Queen could connect to all her subjects through their shared psychic network and issue instantaneous commands.
Now, through that same connection, Wendy received the Sea Hunter’s final thoughts.
She remained silent for several seconds.
Then she withdrew the spiritual energy she had been using to sustain him.
Infection.
Decomposition.
Assimilation.
Almost instantly, the Sea Hunter collapsed helplessly into a puddle of black gelatin and merged with the Devourer’s body.
In the blink of an eye, the Devourer swelled once more, becoming a colossal shadow that engulfed half the gathered seafolk.
Wendy’s eyes grew completely cold.
First the Splithead Crow.
Then the Devourer.
The stark contrast finally made her realize the true difference between the two.
A sea beast…
Was still just a beast.
No matter how ferocious it was, it could still be wounded.
It could still be killed.
But an Aberration…
An Aberration was a true monster.
It obeyed no natural laws.
It was as though it had never belonged on this planet in the first place.
Something this disgusting…
Had no right to exist in her ocean.
Acting purely on instinct, she spread her spiritual energy outward in every direction, forming a massive barrier large enough to shelter every seafolk present.
With the Sea Sirens’ sonic attacks buying them precious time, she ordered every Sea Hunter to retreat behind the barrier.
Watching its prey escape, the Devourer let out an enraged shriek and slowly crawled onto the barrier.
Black liquid, burned by the barrier’s spiritual energy, continuously dripped downward.
Yet the creature seemed completely unfazed.
Ignoring the damage, it relentlessly spread itself across the barrier, little by little.
All they could see was the enormous Aberration writhing and creeping over the glowing barrier, as though it would never stop until it had torn it apart and devoured everyone inside.
“Your Highness… we… we should find an opportunity to retreat.”
Tuo Liesuola finally seemed to make up her mind.
Lowering her head, she stepped forward through gritted teeth.
Retreating in the face of battle was never the way of a Sea Hunter.
If she had been alone, she would rather have fought to the death than flee to save herself.
But this Aberration was too bizarre.
The slightest touch was enough for it to consume you.
Even the tiniest contact—no more than a fingertip brushing against it—meant there was no escape.
The hastily assembled Sea Hunter Army simply had no way to deal with such a creature.
Their Queen was here.
The young seafolk were here.
The future of the entire seafolk race was gathered in this place.
She had to think of the bigger picture.
Retreat?
Wendy stared coldly at the writhing mass of black slime covering the barrier.
Retreating now might indeed allow them to escape.
But this Aberration had clearly set its sights on them.
If they returned now…
They would only be bringing this disaster straight to the Royal City.
Besides…
She could clearly feel the murderous intent blazing within her chest.
It burned so fiercely it threatened to consume her whole.
Her pitifully few remaining subjects…
Had died agonizing deaths right before her eyes.
If she could kill above her rank once…
Why couldn’t she do it a second time?
Tuo Liesuola kept her head lowered.
After waiting for a long while without receiving an answer from her Queen, she looked up in confusion, intending to ask again.
But the moment she raised her head…
She saw the young woman, her face as cold as frost, suddenly smile.
A trace of madness flashed through Wendy’s eyes.
“No.”
The corners of Wendy’s lips curled upward.
Her voice was soft.
Yet it sent a chill down Tuo Liesuola’s spine.
“I’m going to kill it.”
Author’s Note:
To all my silent readers lurking out there—come chat with me! Don’t just read in silence~