Chapter 18: Thalassian!
---
Days had passed since my first defeat.
If it weren't for Liora, I wouldn't have survived.
Sure, she whined about pulling out the spikes embedded in my body, but she still saved me.
For that, I was grateful.
And now, here I stood once again, grinning like a fool before a guillotine.
This opponent was nothing like the one before.
Its body radiated raw battle intent, seeping with a thick, murderous aura.
For the past hour, we'd been locked in a tense standoff.
It circled me again and again, like a phantom awaiting its moment to strike.
It was furious.
Understandably so.
I had invaded its territory just hours ago and slaughtered everything in it… even its offspring.
It was regal in stature, sleek-bodied, its silk-like fins flexing with coiled muscle.
Even in its rage, there was nobility in its bearing.
Then it vanished.
Pain exploded across my face.
Its maw shattered my exoskeleton with ease, tearing through my flesh like paper.
Then...
Another burst of agony.
This time to my side, as it rammed into me.
It reappeared and vanished in blurs, raining down a storm of bites.
I couldn't keep up.
The armor protecting my stomach cracked, and I howled as it tore into my abdomen.
A berserker.
This bastard didn't care what happened to itself or its enemy.
Blood poured from its own gills, but it didn't slow.
No... like the spawn I devoured, it only grew more savage.
Thalassians… were truly merciless.
My guts spilled out as its jaws dug deeper.
Its once-gray scales now ran crimson, slick with our mingled blood.
Still, it didn't stop.
Rage was its fuel, and I was its crucible.
Its scales splintered.
Its flesh ruptured.
Still it came, relentless as the tide.
It was dying, and it knew it.
But it would drag me with it.
I endured.
As long as my heart and brain stayed intact, my bloodline would regenerate the rest.
Minutes passed.
Crack.
A sound echoed, not from me, but from the Thalassian.
Its bones were breaking.
It continued anyway, biting through pain and blood, driven by vengeance.
But its power waned.
Its movements slowed, dulled by the weight of its rage.
Phantom Shift.
In a blur, my body twisted.
My maw snapped shut.
But I bit nothing.
What!?
No… impossible!
A berserk skill.
Just as I feared.
Meters away, its body had turned a deep, pulsing red.
Its fins flared.
Its presence surged.
It moved.
Pain.
My tail... mutilated.
My fins... shredded.
My gills... ripped open.
I had believed Thalassians could only amplify their strength through adrenaline.
But this one… it was different.
It was burning its very lifeforce, pushing its skills beyond all limit.
Overdrive.
And I was dying.
I could feel my consciousness slipping.
Then… like sunlight cutting through a storm… I heard her.
Liora's voice, sweet and absurdly innocent, echoed across the battlefield.
"GO GO GO, Handsome! Kill that bastard! Go GO GO, Handsome! Mutilate that bastard like a future E-M-P-E-R-O-R!"
…What?
Tears welled in my eyes, not from pain, but laughter.
I couldn't help it.
Her words were foul, but her tone was pure.
The absurdity of it snapped me back.
The tension shattered.
Her cheering was gold.
Liora… you truly are a wonder.
I grinned.
How could I disappoint a lady's cheer?
Have I, Alister von Fai, ever disappointed those who believed in me?
Of course not.
My grin widened.
Muscles compacted.
Bones cracked under the strain.
Blood poured freely from the wound in my stomach.
But I didn't care.
I wouldn't disappoint her.
Accel Dash.
Then again.
And again.
My skill groaned under the strain, nearing its limit, but I pushed harder.
My body blurred as I repositioned.
Time slowed.
I moved behind it.
Its eyes locked onto me, and it moved behind me.
I'd already predicted that.
My tail, twisted and torn, coiled tight like a spring drawn to the brink.
…and struck.
Pierced.
Shock rippled across the Thalassian's face.
It couldn't accept it.
It refused to.
Time resumed.
Its body flew back, crashing into the seabed, reduced to fragments, an explosion of gore and shattered bone.
Then, in the quiet aftermath, a faint shimmer bloomed.
…a hologram blinked to life before me.
---
[You have slain.]
• A Stage 1 Tier 6 Level 23 [★★★ Thallasian Betta.]
[You have gained 272,000 EXP.]
[You have gained a level.]
[You've Successfully Devoured]
• Stage 1 Tier 6 Level 23 [★★★ Thallasian Betta]
[You have gained a skill.]
• Blooming Wrath
• Dazzling Display
• Fleeting Aegis
---
It seems I lucked out this time.
Gaining three skills from a single opponent, along with a level-up, was more than doable.
It was a windfall.
Blooming Wrath, a berserk-type skill, multiplies my strength and speed, scaling with how far I push it.
It was this very ability that allowed the Thalassian to drive me to the brink of death.
And I acknowledge it, truly, a ferocious opponent.
Then there's Dazzling Display, an active skill that lets me strike a pose so fearsome it instills terror in foes with weaker wills.
Though honestly, finding weak-willed opponents in this realm is more miracle than luck.
Lastly, Fleeting Aegis, a mutation that transformed my fins into something resembling the Thalassian's.
Silk-like.
Elegant.
Regal.
That said, I doubt I'll be smashing enemies with them anymore.
Maybe I'll whip them instead, more finesse than brute force.
I couldn't help but wonder.
What exactly am I supposed to do with these now?
The mutation was less painful this time.
Maybe because my fins barely had any nerves left to scream?
Most likely.
Then, without warning, Liora squatted and leapt toward me, her naked folds flashing for an instant as her chest bounced rhythmically.
Her clit pressed softly against my exoskeleton as she landed on my back.
I sighed.
This sister of mine desperately needs something to wear.
I may be a creature of war, but I'm still a man of integrity.
And seeing her like this again and again is... problematic.
Not that she seems to mind.
In fact, that's the real problem.
Liora caught my glance, of course she did, and grinned mischievously.
"Oh my~ Are you developing sapience so fast you're now peeking at your ancestor's sacred places?"
I gave a dry smile in return.
I'm already sapient.
I'm just concerned about your utter lack of clothing.
She giggled.
"Fufu~ Don't stare at a woman's private parts so shamelessly, dear. What you saw was a special case—I don't have clothes, and I've no idea how to make one without mana."
I sighed again.
Then stop squatting in front of me and flashing your folds.
It's morally troubling, Liora.
But since I can't speak, there's no way she'd truly understand.
She let out a boisterous laugh.
"Fuhahaha! If you want to sneak a peek at my voluptuous, curvy figure, go right ahead.I fully understand how a monkey stares at a beauty!"
I groaned internally.
This girl is devious.
Shameless.
Sure, her body is tempting, but I have no intention of doing anything improper.
Liora hummed cheerfully, then laid down across my back.
Her eyes drifted closed.
Her voice… divine, soothing, light.
Despite everything, I worry too much about her.
But maybe that's just part of being an older brother.
If I ever gain hands, or anything like them, maybe I'll try crafting her some clothes.
Eventually.
For now, the ocean currents were calm.
My body glided peacefully across vast underwater dunes, and a soft tune played in my mind.
---
Hours passed.
Now, I found myself in a precarious situation.
Liora's voluptuous legs whipped upward, intercepting the crushing claws of a titanic crab.
Her folds flashed again and again, unintentionally revealed with every motion, and her ample bust bounced, whether she moved forward or back.
She shifted from a block to a sweeping kick, then unleashed a flurry of powerful strikes.
Her hands intercepted several incoming claws with ease and precision.
She was fending off ten Stage-1 crabs, and yet, despite the relentless barrage, she hadn't sustained a single injury or scratch.
And somehow, she still had time to chat with me.
"Good luck with your revenge, dear!"
I rolled my eyes.
I need to end this quickly, before she gets worn out.
A crack echoed from my neck as I tilted my head, my blood starting to boil.
Blooming Wrath, activated.
My battle intent surged, and a murderous aura pulsed from my form, unchecked and intense.
My body twitched, erratic and primal, as I locked eyes with the behemoth before me, the very bastard who nearly ended me just days ago.
Its gargantuan claw descended like a meteorite.
But I smiled.
Accel Dash.
Before the claw could reach me, my form had already blurred, flickering straight into its blind spot, right in front of its face.
My maw opened wide.
CRUNCH!
SHRIEEEEK!
The exoskeleton around its mandibles shattered completely, crushed beneath the force of my bite.
Its claws retaliated, slashing toward me, but I only laughed.
Accel Dash.
Again, I flickered at the last second.
Its own claw struck its face instead.
CRASH!
SHRIEEEEK!
While it staggered mid-current, I followed up with a crushing bash to its abdomen.
The impact echoed through the water as its massive body reeled.
---