Chương 209: Chapter 207 - Second Ascent (XI)

I accelerate, weaving through the tendrils, dodging the spikes one after another. The salty spray crashes against me, seeping through the gaps in my armor, clinging cold to my skin. The wind roars past, whipping through the open spaces in my gear as I push forward. The tentacles strike in rapid succession—erratic, fast, huge. More than eight. Their lengths vary, their speed shifting, the spikes launching at staggered intervals and angles. So many variables, so many shifting elements happening at once, but…

the longer the battle drags on, the clearer it becomes. I can see it now—the rhythm hidden within the chaos. The next tendril about to strike, the slight tension before it lashes out. The subtle shift before it swings. The twitch in its movements that signals which spike will be launched and where. My perception maps everything, every motion around me drawn in absolute clarity. Wang moves at my flank, his bursts of acceleration sharp, efficient, allowing him to slip through the onslaught.

Chiara fires again, her bullets now targeting its many eyes. The others are closing in, leaping from one broken cliff platform to another, moving into position. It's all there. Every shift in the air, every ripple in the water, every vibration running through the battlefield— I can see it. A spike whistles past, barely a fraction from my neck. I twist, my body tilting as I let it graze by. A tentacle slashes at me from below.

I react instantly—rolling mid-air, my right blade coming up to intercept the spike attached to it. I redirect its momentum, sliding past the strike, using the force to twist away. A gust of wind and seawater crashes against my mask, the impact rattling through my armor. But I'm already moving again. I notice another bullet penetrate an eye—the thirteenth so far. Dark, bluish blood spills into the churning waters below, its stench thickening the already foul air radiating from the creature.

But I know this is just the beginning. Massive, powerful, but if it keeps up like this… it'll fall too easily. Just the three of us are pushing it back. A tentacle slashes toward me from the side. I twist, slipping past it, my body angling downward in a controlled drop. Two spikes shoot past, one skimming near my left side, the other missing the top of my head by mere millimeters. The attacks keep coming—relentless, erratic—but I match them.

My waves shift, channeling through my armor, small bursts of force adjusting my trajectory in mid-air. I glide between the massive tendrils, my body sliding past each deadly strike like water flowing through a crack. Another round of shots. Another eye bursts open, dark fluid spraying outward like a ruptured vein. I count them now. Twenty. Twenty-one. Twenty-two. The number keeps rising. I see Chiara preparing the next one, her shots precise, calculated, each impact taking another eye out without a single miss.

Wang moves through the air beside me, dodging in sharp bursts, forcing the beast to focus on multiple threats at once. And then—another shot. Not from Chiara. A bullet rips through the air from the distance, striking deep into another eye with pinpoint accuracy. My waves catch on the source. Arjun. He's perched slightly far from the battlefield, arm outstretched, releasing the bullet after a perfect rotational acceleration. No hesitation, no wasted movement. That was a hell of a shot.

Meanwhile, on a separate fragment of land, Imani, Ayu and Lukas work in sync, their coordination seamless. Imani's and Ayu's waves fuel the bullets, accelerating them in tight spirals before release, while Lukas times each shot with surgical precision, his calculations flawless. Each impact lands exactly where it needs to, whittling the creature down piece by piece. The eyes keep on being blasted one after another. We are not sure if this is the way, but given the pattern so far, it is our best bet. Thirty.

Thirty-five. Forty. The creature's roars become desperate, its thrashing more erratic. It's losing its vision. Losing control. Another round of shots. Forty-eight. The thing is a wretched mess now. Blood seeps from many gaping wounds where its eyes once were, thick streams of dark liquid running down its hide in grotesque rivers. The once menacing, monstrous gaze it held is now nothing but a shredded, dripping mass of torn flesh and ruined sockets. But it's not done. Not yet.

It screeches, its voice no longer deep and resonant—but a gurgled, enraged wail. And then, it comes. The screech intensifies, splitting the air with a deafening shriek. But there's something else. Beneath the sound, I feel it—a massive pulse rippling outward, one after another, like an ocean of force crashing against my mind. I grit my teeth as it slams into me, but my defenses hold firm. I don't retreat. Wang does. He stumbles back, struggling under the intense pressure. Then, movement—sharp and fast.

A wave of spikes hurtles toward me. Five at once. I shift instantly, my body twisting in mid-air as I push my waves in sharp bursts. The first spike grazes past my shoulder. The second and third come at different angles—one high, one low. I dive, letting my momentum carry me downward, my legs bending just enough to shift my center of gravity. A slight wave-burst from my gauntlets redirects my trajectory, allowing the fourth spike to whistle past my ribs by a fraction of an inch. The fifth is dead ahead.

I don't dodge. Instead, I push my waves in a controlled burst, sliding around it as if caught in a spiraling current. My body whirls past the projectile, my swords flicking out just enough to tap its jagged edge, using the force to spin myself back into control. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work. Wang is still staggering, struggling against the overwhelming pressure of the creature's EM waves. The series of pulses doesn't stop. I see it.

A brief tremor in his flight pattern, his movement faltering for just a fraction of a second. Not good. Another set of tendrils rise from below, laced with fresh spikes, primed to strike at him while he's still recovering. I don't hesitate. I push everything into a forward burst, reaching him in an instant. My arm snaps out, grabbing his shoulder just as the first tendril lunges. I throw him, launching him back into safer airspace.

The tendrils crash through where he had just been, spikes impaling nothing but empty sky. I pivot, twisting my body to evade another incoming spike. My soaked armor drips as the wind howls past, the scent of salt and blood thick in the air. The battlefield shifts once more. The beast's screeching intensifies, its remaining eyes rolling wildly in rage. Blue blood spills in thick streams, trailing down its monstrous body, staining the water below. We've wounded it. So… this is the second stage.

My defenses can handle its pulses without issue, especially thanks to Chiara's technique, but… A tendril snaps toward me from below, jagged spikes glinting in the light. I twist mid-air, letting my momentum carry me over it, barely clearing the tip as it slashes through where I had just been. The wind from its movement sends a sharp spray of salty water against my mask. But if this keeps going… A barrage of spikes hurtles toward me from multiple angles.

I shift, accelerating into a sharp spiral, weaving through the deadly projectiles. One grazes my shoulder plate, the impact sending a jolt through my arm. I kick off with a controlled burst, breaking free from the encirclement. I would either fall or need to push Overdrive higher. Either way… A tendril lunges, faster than the others. I barely manage to redirect its force with my blade, sliding alongside its length before vaulting off its side, flipping back to create distance. I cannot keep like this for long."

Alonso, disengage if you can't keep up. We'll keep shooting it from afar and whittle it down. Save strength for the next stages—if it has them." I take a deep breath, dodging another sweeping strike, then push back through an opening, stepping out of range. The bullets keep coming, now even faster as Wang joins in on the assault. More eyes burst apart, the dark blue blood raining down into the churning ocean below. Its eyes are dropping fast. Even faster than before.

But as I pull back, the creature starts moving toward me. It's faster than I expected—but still too slow to keep up. It launches more spikes—relentless, endless—but at this distance, they're easy to evade. I charge my own bullets, joining the onslaught. But it doesn't take long for the next shift to happen. The creature suddenly lets out a deafening shriek, its maw splitting open, revealing rows of jagged spikes the size of trees. A grotesque sight. Then, without warning, it begins to sink. Dammit.

I surge forward, but it lashes out with a flurry of tentacles and spikes. I dive low, twisting between the strikes, my momentum carrying me through the gaps. A tendril sweeps in from the side—I angle my body sharply, cutting through the air, skimming just barely above it before flipping back upright. But the creature isn't paying attention to me. It keeps descending, vanishing beneath the waves. Shit. Would it be like the dragon? Retreating to heal? As my thoughts race, the water distorts.

Ripples surge outward, warping unnaturally. This—" Everyone brace, the octopuses are coming!" Before I can fully send the transmission, a tentacle slashes toward Imani, Lukas, and Ayu. They react just in time, narrowly dodging. The impact crashes into the cliffside, tearing through solid rock, sending shards and seawater exploding in all directions. They barely regain their footing before another tentacle lunges—then another. They're surrounded. And not just them.

Arjun, on the other side, is in a similar situation. I fly toward Ayu, spotting Chiara moving in as well. Wang starts to follow but then abruptly changes direction—toward Arjun. Out of the three, Ayu is faring best. She bursts forward, dashing across the water, her boots barely breaking the surface tension as she accelerates, waves surging around her leg armor. But Lukas—and especially Imani—are in trouble. Imani's massive frame means his waves can barely counter a fraction of his weight. If he falls in…"

There is no need to help," Lukas transmits as he leaps off an attacking octopus, using its writhing body as a stepping stone to propel himself toward a higher cliff." Chiara, Wang, Alonso—focus on the boss. Be ready for when it resurfaces. These smaller ones aren't a real threat, but we'll need to keep moving between cliffs, which will limit our engagement with the main target." I hover mid-air, scanning the battlefield. The others are adapting fast—dodging, countering, shifting positions.

Even Imani, despite his size, leverages the momentum of an octopus's thrashing strike to propel himself to another stable platform. Ayu, on the other hand, is completely in her element.

She moves like she was born for this, dashing across the water as if it were solid ground, her movements a blur as she dodges effortlessly while cutting down anything in her path. I exhale, lowering Overdrive to full-state to conserve energy, but my senses remain sharp, my focus locked on the water, waiting. Waiting for it. Seconds pass. Then a full minute. Still nothing. The smaller octopuses continue their relentless assault, tearing apart what remains of the cliffs.

The others are being pushed closer to the edge of the battlefield, possibly regrouping with the squads for additional firepower. Then—everything shifts. A massive shadow rises beneath Imani. No warning. No build-up. The water beneath him detonates as a colossal tentacle bursts forth, spiraling straight for him. Fast. Too fast. Boom! The sound detonates through the battlefield as the massive tendril slams into Imani, shaking the very air.

He barely manages to bring up his gauntlets, crouching low in a desperate brace— It isn't enough. The sheer, monstrous force hurls him off the cliffside. His colossal frame is launched, flipping mid-air like a ragdoll, metal screeching against metal as his armor strains under the impact. The ocean rushes up to meet him. I push everything into acceleration, a violent burst of force propelling me forward. The wind roars past my ears as I chase his trajectory, but— I already know. I'm not fast enough.

A streak rips across the ocean's surface—a brief, unnatural disruption—then with a deafening splash, he vanishes beneath the waves. The water churns, swallowing him whole. Then—silence.