After a week-long voyage, and amidst the dense fog that veiled the horizon, the small boat continued its slow advance across the tranquil waters. Travis watched through his device, his eyes fixed upon the screen as the outline of an island gradually began to emerge.
He narrowed his eyes, attempting to focus more clearly, then said calmly, "I think we're close to—"
But before he could finish his words, his ears caught the sudden roar of surging water, and he turned swiftly, only to see in the distance a massive ship advancing toward the island.
A man appeared upon the deck of the other vessel, waving his hand as he shouted excitedly, "We've arrived, lads!"
It was obvious that the ship carried a group of explorers who appeared to share the very same destination.
As they drew nearer, a horrifying sight began to unfold before their eyes; the wreckage of ships scattered across the shore, shattered wooden planks, and torn sails fluttering in the air like wandering specters. Yet the worst thing was not merely the wreckage itself, but what lay among it. Mangled corpses and severed bodies were strewn along the coastline. Some had been ravaged by savage bites, while others were drenched in blood, their faces forever frozen with the terror they had endured in their final moments.
Everyone stood in silence, their blood turning cold within their veins, and even the air itself felt too heavy to breathe. Then a dreadful roar thundered from the sea!
One of the men aboard the other ship screamed, "What is that?!"
From amidst the wreckage and corpses, a colossal beast emerged with a monstrous form, its face a grotesque fusion between a hippopotamus and a crocodile, covered in thick and hardened hide. Its eyes overflowed with a savage yellow glow, and blood dripped from its fangs!
Without hesitation, the beast lunged at the ship with its enormous jaws and tore through the crew mercilessly. Some of the men attempted to leap into the sea, yet the monster allowed no one to escape. Their screams mingled with the sounds of splintering wood and shattered weapons! Several of them fired upon it, but the bullets ricocheted harmlessly from its hardened skin.
After finishing its slaughter aboard the ship, the beast slowly turned, fixing its gaze upon the boat carrying the three of them, its eyes locking with theirs… then it unleashed a mighty roar and leapt toward them with terrifying speed!
At that critical moment, Basil stepped forward, raising his arm.
"Amtors!"
The instant he uttered the name, the iron gauntlet appeared upon his hand, after which he pulled the bracelet backward to secure additional force before dashing forward at blinding speed, driving a violent punch straight into the beast's jaw.
The monster was hurled backward, retreating several meters beneath the force of the blow, staggering for a brief moment.
Travis, who had been watching from behind, muttered in astonishment, "Holy hell… what kind of strength is that?!"
As for Hamza, he stepped back, staring at Basil. "Impossible… I can't believe it. Is that really Basil?!"
Basil gave them no time for amazement, saying, "No time to stand there shocked! I need both of you to help me so I can control it!"
Without hesitation, he unraveled the bandages covering his left hand, revealing the mark beneath, then extended his hand in an attempt to dominate the beast. Yet when he tried to activate it, nothing happened!
Basil recoiled in shock, staring at his hand where the mark glowed brightly without affecting the creature in the slightest. "What?!" he exclaimed.
At that very instant, the beast roared once more and charged toward them with overwhelming speed!
Hamza raised his sword and prepared to strike, but the moment he swung his blade, the monster lunged forward and clamped the sword between its jaws, shattering it into scattered fragments!
Hamza's eyes widened in shock, and he had no time to comprehend what had happened, for the beast immediately leapt toward him, raising its gigantic claws!
Basil moved swiftly, intervening with skill as he delivered a powerful punch to the side of the monster's head, forcing it to stagger backward slightly!
At that moment, Travis seized the opportunity, drawing the twin pistols from the wheel strapped upon his back and springing forward with acrobatic speed, spinning gracefully through the air with his eyes fixed upon his target, before aiming directly at the beast's eye and firing. The bullet struck the monster's eye, causing it to unleash a thunderous scream of agony as it recoiled backward, yet the wound did not stop it; rather, it only drove it into greater savagery and fury, forcing the three of them to retreat while struggling to catch their breath as the creature growled violently, blood pouring from its wounded eye.
Basil, breathing heavily, said, "That damned creature won't fall easily… we need to think of another plan!"
Travis wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at him seriously. "You're right. Its strength and durability are beyond belief!"
Hamza tightened his grip around the hilt of his broken sword. "We have to finish it now… or we'll be the next victims!"
The beast unleashed a furious roar that shook the very surroundings, while the three watched it cautiously, preparing themselves to confront it once again.
Then suddenly, a gigantic card appeared in the sky and shot forward at blinding speed toward the beast, piercing straight through its body and cleaving it in half in a single instant!
Silence dominated the scene for several moments, the beast still standing in place as though it had yet to realize what had happened to it. Then its body collapsed and crashed heavily into the sea, creating an enormous thunderous splash.
Basil, with shock clearly written across his face, muttered, "What was that thing?!"
Before they could even comprehend what had just occurred, a man cloaked entirely in black appeared standing above the remains of the beast. The massive card he had used slowly began to shrink before returning calmly into his hand.
The man lifted the hood from his head, revealing his mysterious face. He possessed long hair split into two colors, one half black and the other white, while his eyes bore opposing colors as well, one black and the other white. In his right hand, he held a card bearing the image of a grotesque creature carrying a torch blazing with blue flames, while his left hand gripped another card depicting a statue of a woman holding her own severed head within her hands.
He let out a short laugh tinged with mockery, then spoke in a deep voice overflowing with mystery:
"Welcome… to the Islands of the Other World."