The large ship sailed eastward, cutting through the gentle waves as the blood moon cast its constant crimson hue over the ocean. Its light painted the waters with a shimmering layer of red, making it impossible to tell whether it was day or night. The horizon remained a blurred line between the sea and the sky, both dyed in the same ominous shade.
A few kilometers ahead of their route, deep beneath the waves, a lone figure sat cross-legged on the ocean floor. His form remained unaffected by the crushing pressure or the cold, murky waters. His long, dark hair floated sluggishly around his face, and his eyes, dimly glowing violet, remained closed in meditation. Before him, a black rod was embedded into the ocean bed, its shaft pulsing with a steady purple light. With each pulse, a faint ripple of energy surged from its tip, seeping into the ocean floor, vanishing beyond sight.
The water around the rod was strangely still, unaffected by the ocean currents. Schools of fish that drew too close stilled mid-swim, their eyes turning dull before their bodies drifted lifelessly away. Even the flow of the sea itself seemed to slow, as if bound by some invisible force emanating from the rod's core.
The figure opened his eyes slightly, glancing toward the west. His lips curled into a faint smile, revealing sharp, inhuman teeth. The purple light in his eyes deepened as he whispered to himself, his voice carried by the water in a haunting murmur, "A ship is headed here."
He remained still, his expression indifferent, but his thoughts turned dark. 'Are they coming for the node?' The possibility crossed his mind briefly, but he quickly dismissed it. It did not matter. Whether they came seeking the node or were merely unfortunate travelers, he could not allow them to leave alive.
Without lowering his gaze, he raised his palm. A worn parchment appeared, floating just above his hand. Its surface was etched with twisted symbols that writhed unnaturally, as if the ink itself were alive. The parchment flickered with a dim purple light, and from its edges, a sickly fog began to seep. The miasma spread outward, darkening the water in a wide radius.
Suddenly, the parchment ignited. Despite being submerged, it burned with cold, violet flames, crumbling into ashes that drifted toward the seabed. The purple fog thickened, expanding in all directions, coiling around the lifeless fish scattered near the ocean floor. Slowly, the eerie mist sank into the dead flesh, seeping into the scales, bones, and eyes.
The stillness of the ocean shattered. One by one, the lifeless fish began to writhe. Their bodies jerked violently, trembling as if their flesh resisted the corruption. Then, without warning, they burst apart from within. Thousands of tiny, grotesque explosions painted the water with trails of flesh and blood.
The blood and shredded flesh did not dissipate. Instead, as though guided by an unseen hand, the fragments drifted toward one another, congealing unnaturally. The gore melded into massive, pulsating orbs—each one roughly two meters in size. The blood eggs floated eerily in the water, expanding and hardening as they absorbed more flesh.
Moments later, the first egg quivered violently. A jagged claw, covered in slimy fish scales, pierced through the shell. The claw twitched once, then tore the egg open. From the ruptured sphere crawled a hunched, nightmarish creature.
Its misshapen body was covered in glistening fish scales, its long limbs ending in webbed, clawed hands. The creature's head was misshapen—partially human in shape, yet dominated by two large, bulging fish eyes. Slits resembling gills lined its neck, and sharp fins protruded from the ridge of its hunched back. Its legs were long and thin, jointed awkwardly, with webbed fins sprouting from the calves.
One after another, the remaining blood eggs hatched, unleashing identical monsters. Hundreds of them swarmed through the ocean, their eyes vacant, yet filled with mindless bloodlust.
The figure sitting before the rod gazed at the monstrosities with cold satisfaction. He opened his mouth and spoke in a tongue not meant for mortals. The words, guttural and wet, slithered through the water, incomprehensible to human ears. The fish monsters shuddered at the sound, their bodies trembling as if bound by the voice itself. Then, without hesitation, they turned toward the west.
Propelled by powerful, webbed limbs, the creatures surged through the water. Their scaled bodies moved with terrifying speed, closing the distance between them and the ship sailing unknowingly into their path.
The figure lowered his hand and closed his eyes once more. The violet light pulsed faintly from the rod, sinking deeper into the node. The ocean floor trembled ever so slightly beneath him.
The ship was now only a matter of time.
Ji Min, a water elemental warlock, glided through the ocean ahead of the ship, scouting the way to ensure no large sea beasts threatened the vessel's path. His sharp eyes scanned the depths as he moved effortlessly through the water, a thin bubble of swirling water enclosing his face, allowing him to breathe.
Suddenly, he paused. His eyes narrowed. *Was there movement?* He wasn't sure, but the faint disturbance in the distant darkness made him uneasy. Without hesitating, he dove deeper, the water around him parting slightly with his warlock control. The ocean grew darker as he descended, but then—he saw them.
Tiny, sinister red glows flickered in the distance, dozens of them. *Eyes? No...* As they drew closer, he spotted the twisted, inhuman forms moving swiftly through the water—the fish monsters.
His eyes widened in horror. Without wasting another second, he turned and shot upward. The water beneath his feet twisted into a powerful spiral, propelling him toward the surface. His heart pounded as the freezing pressure lessened. With a final burst of power, he broke through the water's surface, slightly ahead and to the side of the ship's path. His voice rang out in desperation, "Monsters ahead!"
The crew and passengers on the deck turned toward him, their faces contorting with alarm.
Kanoru, standing at the bow, instantly recognized the urgency in Ji Min's voice. His sharp eyes locked onto the ocean behind the warlock, noticing the dark shapes rising. Without hesitation, he roared, "Pan Lian, follow the plan!"
Pan Lian, the team leader of the water elemental warlocks, responded immediately. "Team, start to work!" she shouted.
The warlocks in her team, positioned along the ship's edges, raised their palms toward the ocean. Their elemental energy surged in unison. The water below the ship began to crystallize, rapidly freezing into thick sheets of ice. The icy layer spread outward, expanding swiftly, creating a protective barrier over the surface.
Ji Min, running across the water, glanced back and exhaled sharply in relief as he saw the ice stretching toward him. 'I'm out of danger.' With a final push, he leapt toward the forming ice, aiming to land safely on its surface.
But just as he jumped, three fish monsters burst out of the ocean behind him.
Kanoru's eyes narrowed. From the bow of the ship, he saw the horrific scene unfold in an instant. Ji Min's body was still in mid-air when the monsters lunged, their jagged teeth clamping down on him. The warlock let out a strangled gasp as their jaws tore into his flesh. Blood sprayed across the ice as more fish monsters leapt from the water, sinking their claws into his body.
"Ji Min!" A heart-wrenching cry erupted from the ship as the warlocks and crew watched helplessly.
The monsters dragged Ji Min down, shredding him mercilessly. His blood stained the frozen surface crimson, and his lifeless body sank beneath the water.
Kanoru's eyes turned cold, his fury surging. He raised his arms, mobilizing his spirit. Hundreds of wind arrows materialized around him in an instant, crackling with sharp elemental energy. With a wave of his hand, the arrows screamed through the air, slicing into the fish monsters. The ocean turned red as dozens of them were torn apart, their lifeless bodies floating above the surface.
The fish monsters were only middle-ranked creatures, and Kanoru's attacks were more than capable of damaging higher-ranked monsters. Most of the monsters above the water were cut to pieces, and even those still beneath the surface were pierced by the barrage of arrows.
For a moment, it seemed like they were gaining the upper hand.
The ocean churned violently as hundreds more fish monsters surged from the depths, their twisted forms breaking through the surface with unnatural speed. Their glowing eyes burned red with bloodlust, and they swarmed forward, their grotesque bodies writhing as they charged across the ice.
The blood of the slain monsters seeped into the water, spreading unnaturally. The floating corpses of the fish monsters quivered violently, then burst apart in a grotesque explosion of flesh and gore. Chunks of meat and blood sprayed in all directions, staining the ice crimson.
The corrupted blood slithered through the water like living tendrils, slamming into the hundreds of charging monsters. The still-living creatures convulsed as the tainted blood merged into their bodies. Their eyes darkened into a deeper, more menacing red. Their scales blackened and thickened into jagged, armor-like plates. Their bodies swelled grotesquely as their strength surged.
Ten of the fish monsters suddenly shrieked in a shrill, ear-splitting cry. Their auras spiked violently, and their power burst upward—they had evolved, becoming higher-ranked monsters.
The crew on the ship barely had time to react.
Without hesitation, everyone above middle-rank leapt onto the ice. Their feet landed heavily on the frozen surface, and without delay, they unleashed a barrage of spells at the oncoming horde.
But no matter how many fell, more came.
From every direction, fish monsters leapt out of the ocean, scrambling onto the ice. Their claws raked across the surface, their webbed feet pounding as they closed in.
Even worse, the monsters that died upon the ice did not remain still. Their corpses quivered violently, then exploded into a cloud of flesh and blood fog. The mist slithered unnaturally toward the surviving monsters, merging into their bodies. The living monsters roared as their power surged further, their movements growing faster, their scales thicker.
Lou Chen, his eyes blazing with fury, stretched out his hand. A surge of purple flame erupted from his palm, swirling violently. With a swift motion, he swept his arm forward, and the flames roared across the ice. The hellish fire engulfed the nearest wave of fish monsters. The creatures screeched in agony, their scales blackening as they were incinerated into ash.
Asuna, moving gracefully, brandished her sword. With a flick of her wrist, multiple wind blades shot out, slicing through the approaching fish monsters. One of the creatures lunged at her, but her sword danced in the air, cutting the monster into thousands of pieces before it could reach her.
But then, she noticed something. The fish monster she had just slain did not burst into flesh and blood fog. Its dismembered body simply lay still, lifeless and unmoving.
Her eyes narrowed sharply as realization struck her.
She turned toward the others and shouted, "Use the power of nature from your element to kill them!"
Her voice cut through the chaos, and the others instantly understood.