Gurnuiba's voice rumbled with a sinister excitement, his many eyes gleaming. "Now I see it, you managed to hit a Golden Burst? Your aura is massive!"
Toruri wiped the blood from his mouth, his own aura swirling around him like a storm. "Yeah, and I intend on beating you to hell with it!" Without hesitation, he launched himself at Gurnuiba, unleashing a barrage of vicious punches and kicks. His attacks were rapid, precise, but each blow was met by Gurnuiba's fifteen tentacles, blocking every strike effortlessly.
Why does this thing have fifteen tentacles? Toruri thought, his frustration growing. And why the hell do they have claws?!
Suddenly, two of Gurnuiba's tentacles coiled around Toruri's arms like constricting serpents, locking him in place. The remaining thirteen slashed relentlessly at his stomach, their claws tearing into his flesh. Blood spilled into the water, clouding his vision.
"You're a tough one," Gurnuiba growled, his voice filled with cruel admiration. "I'm honestly surprised none of this is cutting you clean in half. But don't worry, I might just rip your guts out!"
Toruri coughed violently, blood spewing from his mouth. His body was screaming in pain, but he wasn't done yet. "Zilla...!" he growled, orange magic crackling in his throat.
Gurnuiba's eyes widened in sudden panic. "Oh-"
"REX!" Toruri roared, the beam of orange energy firing straight from his mouth. But Gurnuiba was quick, uncoiling his tentacles and dodging to the side just before the blast could make contact. The beam missed, crashing into the ocean floor with a violent explosion.
He's quicker than I thought... Toruri had barely finished the thought when one of Gurnuiba's tentacles lashed out, smacking him across the face with brutal force. His body recoiled, but something stirred within him, a dark instinct that kept his adrenaline flowing.
But this feeling... Toruri's heart raced faster, his mind clouded with rage. It feels so good, this urge... this need to kill him!
With a sudden burst of energy, Toruri weaved through Gurnuiba's flurry of tentacle strikes. His movements were fluid, like a dance, and with a swift backflip, he punched the air in front of him. A shockwave of unseen force blasted into Gurnuiba's stomach. However, the monstrous creature barely even flinched.
"Elemental Fist?" Gurnuiba mocked. "And a Soriteoi hybrid? What's next, you gonna use Saraoka claw techniques on me?"
Toruri's eyes narrowed, and without a word, he extended his own claws, razor-sharp and gleaming.
Gurnuiba's laughter died in his throat. "Oh my god, no way."
Toruri lunged, unleashing a relentless onslaught of slashes, his claws slicing through the water with deadly precision. But Gurnuiba took every hit, his scaled body enduring the blows with ease. With a surge of power, Gurnuiba retaliated, slamming Toruri in the chest with all fifteen tentacles at once, sending him crashing backward.
I... I can't cut him...Toruri's mind reeled as he floated in the water, trying to steady himself.
Gurnuiba grinned, his teeth glistening like polished blades. "I'm just on a whole other level now!" His mouth opened, and from the depths of his throat, he spat out a thick cloud of black ink. Toruri instinctively crossed his arms to block it, but the ink splattered across his body. Immediately, it began to hiss and boil, burning into his skin like acid.
"GAAAH!!!" Toruri's body tensed, his veins bulging as he screamed in agony. His aura flared violently, golden energy erupting from him and blasting the acidic ink off his skin. He floated there, panting, his eyes blazing with fury.
"Acidic ink?! WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU?!" Toruri shouted, his voice raw with pain and rage.
Gurnuiba chuckled, his tentacles swaying ominously around him. "I am the apex predator! And I'll devour you whole!"
Toruri scoffed, his eyes narrowing as he looked at his opponent. "Corny," he muttered, his voice dripping with disdain.
Gurnuiba's face twisted with rage, his voice booming with indignation. "I'm not corny!!!" he roared.
Without warning, Gurnuiba lunged toward Toruri with a vicious ferocity, his tentacles flailing through the air, slashing at him with deadly precision. Toruri's body twisted and turned, barely evading the onslaught. His reflexes were sharp, but not flawless—several of Gurnuiba's strikes nicked his skin, drawing thin lines of blood.
This… thing is ridiculously strong, for no reason! Toruri thought, frustration boiling within him. He could feel the power in Gurnuiba's attacks, and yet, something inside him stirred with hope. But this rush... from that golden burst earlier—maybe that can cover the gap!
Toruri narrowly dodged another lethal slash, the wind from the strike brushing past his cheek. With a burst of speed, he countered, his fist flying upward in a swift uppercut, glowing with his own chi. The impact connected with Gurnuiba's chin, the energy crackling as it lifted the creature's head ever so slightly. Toruri's eyes widened, expecting more from the blow.
But Gurnuiba only smiled.
Before Toruri could even process what was happening, a powerful punch slammed into his face. His vision blurred, and the world spun as he was knocked backward, his body crashing into the ground.
Even that isn't enough? Toruri's mind raced, disbelief mixing with pain. His body screamed in protest, but he forced himself to stand, blood dripping from his nose.
Gurnuiba didn't waste time. A torrent of black ink spewed from his mouth, rushing toward Toruri like a flood of darkness.
Toruri's eyes narrowed as he began chanting under his breath, his chi flowing. "Enhancement Magic…" He opened his mouth, a faint glow beginning to form inside. With a sudden shout, he released the spell. "Fireball!"
The fireball erupted from Toruri's mouth, dark blue and seething with power, completely infused with enhancement magic. It tore through the ink like it was nothing, searing the air as it crashed into Gurnuiba head-on. An explosion followed, a massive fiery sphere engulfing the area in its intense heat.
When the flames finally cleared, Gurnuiba stood there, his arms ablaze. And yet, with a casual flick, he shook off the fire like it was little more than an inconvenience.
Toruri stared, dumbfounded. "What the actual hell!?"
Gurnuiba laughed, a wicked grin splitting his face. "You're not supposed to win!"
Without warning, Gurnuiba surged forward again, this time faster, more relentless. His fifteen tentacles whipped through the air, battering Toruri from every direction. The blows came hard and fast, and though Toruri tried to block, he couldn't keep up. A punch sent him sprawling to the ground, pain throbbing through his body. He could feel his transformation beginning—his face growing scaly, his eyes turning reptilian, his teeth sharpening into fangs.
Damn it, Toruri cursed internally, wiping blood from his mouth as he struggled back to his feet. This thing—of all things—can't seriously be pushing me this hard!
He got back into his stance, though his limbs felt heavy. His breath came in ragged gasps, but he wasn't done. Can I beat anyone without transforming? The doubt gnawed at him. I did it all during the promotion test, but none of those were to the death... except maybe Haiamu...
Suddenly, a memory flashed in his mind—a moment from not so long ago. It was just after the mission with Ryoshi and Kuroshi, where they had faced off against vampires.
Toruri had been lounging atop a large rock by Fuyu's lake shrine, watching Ryoshi, who was shirtless, training with his sword on a wooden training dummy. Fuyu, ever relaxed, sat nearby in a lawn chair, lazily observing the scene.
Ryoshi swung his sword with frustration, his brow furrowed. "How the hell do you make these things so goddamn invincible?! I know I'm not weak—I think—and I should be able to cut through this... thing... right?"
Fuyu, unfazed, gave a nonchalant shrug. "That's the power of magic!"
Ryoshi glared at him, clearly unimpressed. "You say that like I know what that means."
"But you do know what that means," Fuyu countered, his tone teasing.
Ryoshi threw up his hands. "No. No, I don't."
Fuyu blinked at him, one of his hollow eyes narrowing as a fly buzzed into it, then out the other side. His face twisted into an almost cat-like expression. "You're basically a professional."
"You're full of shit," Ryoshi muttered under his breath.
Toruri chuckled from his perch, amused by the exchange, and hopped down from his rock.
Fuyu glanced over. "Look who finally woke up."
Ryoshi looked Toruri up and down. "I will never understand how you get so comfortable on a rock."
Toruri stretched his arms, trying to shake off the grogginess. "Ever since that run-in with Atanasius, my eyes have been burning."
Ryoshi nodded sympathetically. "You're only just now feeling that? With the amount of blood attacks that bastard threw at me, I've been feeling it since the moment I woke up! Speaking of which, Fuyu, do you know if Kuroshi's okay?"
Fuyu leaned back, his eyes half-closed. "She's been real angry since she got her ass handed to her by that vampire lord guy."
Toruri frowned. "Where is she?"
Fuyu waved a hand dismissively. "Kuroshi ain't really the 'people' type. Between the three of you, she's the hardest to figure out. Anytime I ask her father, all he says is 'she's just shy.'"
"But... where is she?" Toruri pressed.
Fuyu yawned. "Dunno, probably off training somewhere."
Toruri sighed. "G-good enough answer."
Fuyu's voice interrupted Ryoshi's ongoing frustration with his training. "You and Ryoshi should spar," he suggested casually, as if it were the simplest solution in the world.
Ryoshi's eyes went wide, his response coming out in a quick, panicked rush. "Nnnnoooo, he has fire, and an unfair second wind."
Toruri frowned, confused by the sudden objection. "What do you mean by that?"
Ryoshi gave him a knowing look. "You know how, like, every time you get your ass kicked, you transform into some dragon-demon thing? Yeah, I'm not fighting that."
Toruri blinked, surprised by the description. "I look like a demon when I transform?"
"Uh, yeah," Ryoshi said, nodding emphatically. "You get horns, scales, and glowing eyes. You literally parted some clouds. When am I ever going to be able to do that?"
Toruri scratched the back of his head, clearly taken aback. "I'm not aware of what I do in that form. Instinct just takes over."
Ryoshi crossed his arms and sighed. "Exactly! If I accidentally impale you or something, you might transform and, I don't know, nuke me."
Toruri paused, the thought slowly dawning on him. "I... actually might."
Fuyu chuckled, shaking his head. "Guess you shouldn't spar, then."
Toruri's mind shifted away from the fight and back to something that had been nagging at him. "Wait, Ryoshi, where do you live? You don't have family in the Negative Point, right?"
"I live with Fuyu," Ryoshi replied, his tone casual. "But I do have an uncle and a cousin around here."
Toruri blinked, surprised. "You do?!"
Ryoshi nodded. "Yup. From what my cousin's told me, he seems like a pretty strong upper-class guy."
"Is your cousin a Purotekuta?" Toruri asked, his curiosity piqued.
Ryoshi thought for a moment before answering. "Last time we exchanged letters—almost a year ago—he said he was somewhere up there."
Fuyu perked up, his voice a little more serious now. "What's his name by chance?"
"Uh…" Ryoshi hesitated.
"Uh?" Fuyu echoed, leaning forward.
Ryoshi scratched his chin, clearly straining to remember. "His handwriting was pretty bad, so I never actually figured out his name. But if I try to piece together what I could read... it should be... Lunlra?"
Fuyu squinted, thinking. "Doesn't ring a bell. But wait... bad handwriting… I might know who you're talking about!"
Ryoshi's eyes widened in surprise. "You know his name?"
"Not off the top of my head," Fuyu admitted, rubbing his temple as if the effort to remember hurt.
Toruri chuckled lightly. "There's a good chance he's just some one-off soldier, Ryoshi."
Fuyu shook his head, still thinking. "No, the guy I'm thinking of is an Ofensu at the moment."
Ryoshi gave him a skeptical look. "So you know his rank, but not his name?"
Fuyu's exasperation was palpable. "I don't remember every person I see! I'm old, okay? What about your uncle?"
Ryoshi shrugged. "Don't know much about him. My cousin never really talked about him much."
"Deadbeat, I assume," Fuyu said, sounding unimpressed.
"Probably," Ryoshi agreed with a sigh.
Toruri grinned suddenly. "My cousin is also a pretty cool person!"
"Poseidon, right?" Fuyu said without missing a beat.
Ryoshi's jaw dropped. "POSEIDON?!"
Toruri nodded proudly. "Yep!"
Ryoshi shook his head in disbelief. "I'm... not in the mood for an explanation."
The memory began to fade, slipping away like water between Toruri's fingers, but not before a final thought crossed his mind. Damn, I'm getting so off-topic right now…
The present snapped back into focus with brutal clarity. Gurnuiba's tentacles slashed toward him once again. Toruri moved instinctively, dodging the initial strike, but his movement left him exposed. Before he could react, seven of Gurnuiba's other tentacles crashed into him, delivering a barrage of punches that knocked the wind from his lungs.
Gurnuiba's voice echoed in his ears, a cruel laugh laced with malice. "You're losing focus, prey!"
Toruri grimaced, struggling to shake off the blows. His body ached, his mind was scattered, and Gurnuiba was relentless. But despite everything, something inside him refused to give up. His mind cleared, focusing on the next move, ready for whatever was coming next.
Nilala, Holoi, Uila, Hoku, October, and a group of Atlantean guards raced through the deep waters toward the chaotic clash ahead. The pressure of chi radiating from the fight was intense, shaking them to their core.
"What am I sensing?!" Nilala blurted, his voice strained with disbelief.
Hoku, tense beside him, glanced toward the source of the disturbance. "This chi… it's disturbing. Feels like it's coming from three different life forms."
October's voice, robotic and steady, cut through the tension. "Affirmative. Q-001, Q-002, and Q-003 have the ability 'Fusion.' They can combine into one."
Nilala's brow furrowed. "Q-001?"
"Affirmative," October confirmed without a pause. "Q-001: Nui."
Hoku's eyes widened. "So there were three of them?"
Nilala shook his head in frustration, piecing it together. "And now that… thing is up against something with a massive aura."
October's tone remained robotic. "Master Toruri."
"Toruri?! He's fighting?!" Panic laced Nilala's voice. "Deity Poseidon would have my head if anything happened to him!"
Hoku pushed forward with renewed urgency. "Then that gives us all the more reason to hurry!"
Nilala's mind raced. "I'm so stupid... that's what the Saraoka meant."
Hoku glanced back, puzzled. "What did they mean?"
Nilala thought back to a moment during his confrontation with Baya, the crocodilian beast, where he first heard the cryptic message.
Flashback
Nilala stood in the thick of battle, facing off against the hulking figure of Baya. His breathing was ragged, and the heat of the fight was all-consuming. "Will you ever tell me why you're here, crocodile?" Nilala demanded, sweat dripping down his brow.
Baya's cold, reptilian eyes gleamed with menace as he growled, "I'm here to take some test subjects... and murder a threat."
Nilala snapped back to the present, his eyes filled with worry. "But Toruri has a lot of chi... maybe he'll be fine."
Hoku gave him a sharp look. "We struggled with those things one-on-one! What makes you think Toruri is going to fare any better?"
Nilala couldn't help but chuckle nervously. "He's from the Negative Point. On average, he's better than us. But just in case... let's get there fast."
Back at the battle…
Toruri knelt in the bloodied sand, gasping for breath as blood poured from his nose and eyes. His body trembled from the overwhelming pain, but Gurnuiba, towering over him, was far from finished.
"Pathetic hybrid," Gurnuiba spat, his voice dripping with disgust. "You're only half as strong as a true Hachto."
Toruri gritted his teeth, struggling to push himself up. His muscles screamed in agony, but he forced the words out. "Shut up—"
Gurnuiba's laugh was cruel and sharp. "You're not in control, boy!" His tentacle reared back, launching a ball of acidic ink that splattered across Toruri's back, burning through his flesh. The force knocked him to the ground, face-first into the dirt. His scream echoed through the water.
"AAAAgh!!"
Gurnuiba looked down at his writhing opponent with a smirk. "What makes us stronger than you is that you need to transform to even stand a chance. Without that, you're nothing but a human."
Toruri's aura flickered for a moment before vanishing altogether. He was drained.
"A human with what? Fire breath?" Gurnuiba sneered, circling him slowly. "You're just another run-of-the-mill fire user. You can grow wings, but so what? You're just a freak. No human—even with the advantages of a Hachto—can contend with the real thing. It's impossible."
But through the blood and pain, Toruri smiled. It was faint but defiant. "I was kicking one of your asses earlier," he rasped, forcing himself to his feet. "So that can't be completely true, can it?"
His legs wobbled, but he stood his ground, glaring at Gurnuiba. "It's taking the three of you together just to pose a threat."
Gurnuiba's eyes narrowed, his patience wearing thin. "Last words of the prey?" he hissed, venom in every syllable. "You're only still breathing because I didn't hit you hard enough. But that's easy to fix."
Raising his tentacles high, Gurnuiba's voice roared like thunder through the water. "Magical Weapon: Saigai No Ikari!"
With a menacing pulse, fifteen glowing anchors materialized at the ends of Gurnuiba's tentacles, swirling around him like a deadly storm. The chains clinked and hummed with raw energy, ready to deliver the final, devastating blow.
Gurnuiba's grin twisted into a sneer, his eyes locked on Toruri's bruised and battered form. "Can you do this? Do you have a magical weapon?" His voice was taunting, almost mocking, as his tentacles writhed, the chained anchors glinting menacingly in the dark waters.
Toruri's hand tightened, fingers digging into the cold sand beneath him, frustration boiling in his chest. "I did... but I don't need one to beat you," he growled through clenched teeth, his voice full of determination, though his body screamed in pain.
Gurnuiba's tentacles swayed as he laughed. "Did? Enough of your stupid banter. You're dying right now!" His voice exploded with sudden fury, and with a powerful thrust, he roared, "Skill 1: Global Sea-nado!!!"
The anchors began spinning violently, stirring up whirlpools of chaotic energy, each twister pulling the ocean around it into a frenzied storm. Toruri was sucked in, his body tossed mercilessly through the currents. He was flung in and out of the underwater twisters, unable to regain control. One twister merged into another, until all of them formed a single, towering vortex, a monstrous cyclone of churning water and energy.
Gurnuiba smirked darkly. "I'll make sure to season you well." With a savage motion, he directed the massive sea-twister downward, slamming it—and Toruri—into the ocean floor with devastating force.
The impact sent shockwaves through the surrounding area, and Toruri's body crashed into the ground, creating a massive crater beneath him. As he lay there, barely conscious, Gurnuiba summoned his anchors. One by one, the fifteen massive chains came crashing down, each hitting him with a deafening clang. The weight and power of each blow crushed him further into the sand. Blood spilled from beneath the pile of iron anchors, pooling around the wreckage.
Inside Toruri's mind, darkness enveloped him. He found himself seated in a pitch-black room, a cold and heavy silence surrounding him.
"Where am I?" Toruri's voice echoed in the void.
Before him, a two-headed dragon appeared. Its metallic skin gleamed, eyes glowing a sharp, piercing yellow. Its tail swayed, covered in soft fur that contrasted its hardened scales.
The Two-Headed Dragon's voice rumbled, deep and ancient. "Toruri, we meet for the first time."
Toruri stared in confusion, wiping the blood from his face. "Who are you?"
The dragon tilted both its heads, regarding him with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. "You don't recognize me?"
"I've never met a dragon in my life," Toruri replied, his tone sharp, frustration creeping in.
The dragon chuckled softly, a low, resonant sound. "Am I really a dragon?"
Toruri's patience thinned. "Stop playing around. Who are you?"
The dragon's eyes glowed brighter. "If you don't know who I am, then you don't deserve to know my name," it hissed, both heads speaking in eerie unison. "But understand this—you're still alive. You can take over, Toruri."
Toruri's heart raced. "Shit, am I dead?!"
The dragon's heads shook slowly. "Not unless you allow yourself to be. It's time you start taking accountability for your own victories. I'll see you again soon, Master."
Before Toruri could respond, the darkness shattered like glass, and he was yanked back into the real world. His body convulsed, and suddenly, an explosion of white fire erupted from him, radiating pure, unbridled energy. The flames surged upward, bursting through the surface of the ocean and into the sky, parting the clouds in a brilliant display of power. The sheer force of the explosion sent Gurnuiba's anchors flying, crashing far away, each one clattering into the sea like discarded toys.
Gurnuiba's eyes widened in horror. "What?!"
Through the roaring pillar of white fire, a pair of glowing, predatory eyes emerged. The flames slowly receded, revealing Toruri in his transformed state—his body now adorned with long, twisted horns, massive dragon-like wings, and scales that gleamed in the fiery light. His eyes had shifted into bright, glowing yellow orbs, filled with a burning intensity that pierced through the ocean's depths.
Gurnuiba staggered backward, disbelief clouding his features. "This… this can't be!"
But Toruri, now standing tall and powerful, spread his wings wide, casting a shadow over his opponent, his gaze locked and unyielding. The battlefield had changed, and Toruri was no longer just a human caught in a losing battle. He was something far more dangerous.
Toruri's voice erupted with newfound power, shaking the ocean around him. "This feels... GREAT!!!" His booming words resonated like thunder beneath the waves.
Damn, he thought, I could practically scream this guy to death with this kind of force.
Gurnuiba, unfazed by the display of raw energy, snarled, "This changes NOTHING!!!" With a roar, he swung all fifteen of his anchors in a massive arc towards Toruri. The water churned violently as the enormous chains hurtled through the ocean, but Toruri remained unmoved.
With a simple motion, Toruri caught the deadly strike with a single hand, stopping the force of all the anchors as if they were weightless. His grin widened. "Jeez, I'm strong as hell too. Why can't I be like this in my human form?"
Gurnuiba's confidence wavered. "What's happening?"
Toruri chuckled, his aura brimming with confidence. "New form, baby!"
Before Gurnuiba could react, Toruri vanished from sight.
"No way—" Gurnuiba began, but in the next moment, Toruri materialized directly in front of him.
"Jose," Toruri quipped, and with a blur of movement, he slashed through Gurnuiba's tentacles. Nine were severed in a single swipe, blood spraying violently into the water, and with another swift motion, the remaining six fell away. Crimson clouds of blood oozed and gushed from Gurnuiba's mutilated form as he recoiled in shock and pain.
"Hybrid... too strong!" Gurnuiba cried, but his regenerative power quickly kicked in. The severed tentacles regrew in an instant, writhing back into place with disturbing speed.
Toruri smirked, unaffected by the sight. "You didn't expect that, did you?"
He began charging up a massive ball of white fire in his mouth. The sheer intensity of the energy crackled around him, distorting the ocean currents. Gurnuiba's eyes widened, and he immediately swam to the side, narrowly avoiding the blast as Toruri unleashed a colossal beam of white-hot fire.
"Still too—" Gurnuiba started, only to find himself inexplicably pulled back, reverted right in front of the devastating beam.
"Slow," Toruri finished for him, as the fire engulfed Gurnuiba completely, sending him careening backward, his entire body set ablaze. Gurnuiba screamed in agony, writhing under the unrelenting flame.
Even underwater, this flame isn't going out! How hot is this?! Panic gripped him as the fire ate away at his skin, burning hotter than anything he had ever experienced. Desperately, Gurnuiba charged up his chi aura and blasted the fire from his body, the intense energy finally extinguishing the flames.
I gotta get out of here!!! Gurnuiba thought frantically, his survival instincts kicking in. Without hesitation, he turned and swam at top speed, becoming a blur as he fled from the battlefield, racing away from Atlantis as fast as his regenerated tentacles could carry him.
I must tell Dr. Jibun!!!
But just as he thought he was clear, Toruri's voice echoed above him, cold and unrelenting. "Going somewhere?"
Gurnuiba's heart dropped into his stomach as he looked up and saw Toruri flying effortlessly through the water, keeping pace with him. His jaw hung open, words failing him.
Before he could even process it, Toruri surged ahead of him, cutting him off in a swift motion. Turning around mid-flight, Toruri now rushed toward Gurnuiba at full speed, eyes blazing with the fury of his transformation.
"Time for a little bit of payback!" Toruri roared, his wings propelling him forward with terrifying speed.
### Toruri's Power Unleashed
Toruri's fist glowed intensely, engulfed in fiery orange magic that twisted into the shape of a claw with three sharp fingers. His eyes were locked on his target, and his voice dripped with power.
"Zilla Top."
As he spoke, another layer of magic enveloped his fist, this time a cool azure glow that pulsed with energy. The two magical forces swirled together, amplifying his strength exponentially.
"Enhancement Magic."
Toruri smirked, feeling the energy build up inside him. His fist, now crackling with raw power, was ready to deliver its final blow.
"And finally... just one satisfying feeling."
Across from him, Gurnuiba stood paralyzed, utterly consumed by fear. His mind screamed for him to run, but his body was frozen, refusing to obey. Before he could even react, Toruri's fist crashed into his face with blinding speed and overwhelming force. The impact obliterated Gurnuiba's teeth, reducing them to nothing more than dust, pain shooting through every inch of his body.
Toruri's aura surged skyward, growing more potent, like a beacon of unstoppable energy.
"Golden…" His voice echoed with an authoritative power as his energy reached its peak, the atmosphere around him trembling.
"BURST!!!"
Golden chi erupted from Gurnuiba's eyes and mouth, flooding out like a river of molten energy. The force of Toruri's punch sent Gurnuiba flying backward, breaking the sound barrier with each devastating second. The sheer speed tore the ocean apart beneath him, the water itself unable to recover from the impact, leaving a split that refused to heal.
Gurnuiba's body hurtled through island after island, each landmass crumbling in his wake. Huge, forested islands—complete with mountains—split cleanly in half as his body sliced through them like a blade through paper. The devastation spread for miles, the ocean and land both permanently scarred by Toruri's attack.
But just as Gurnuiba's broken body prepared to crash into yet another island, Toruri appeared, moving even faster than Gurnuiba had been launched. In one swift, brutal motion, Toruri impaled Gurnuiba from behind. Gurnuiba's momentum was so intense that his body slid up Toruri's arm, impaling further until even Toruri's shoulder pierced through him. Unfazed, Toruri shoved Gurnuiba off, letting his body drop into the ocean's depths.
Hovering over the aftermath, Toruri surveyed the destruction. The once lush, vibrant islands had been torn apart, split into fractured pieces. A massive, unnatural stream of water stretched through the remnants, a permanent scar left on the ocean. This place would be known forever as the Atlantic Split Archipelago, a collective of shattered islands with a gaping stream of water running through them, defying all natural logic. The destruction was so great that it would attract scholars and scientists from around the world, all desperate to understand this new phenomenon.
Descending beneath the ocean's surface, Toruri landed effortlessly, his body moving as if the water didn't exist. Waiting for him were Nilala, Hoku, Uila, Holoi, and several guards, with October standing silent among them. Nilala was the first to step forward.
"Is that you, Toruri?" Nilala asked, his voice a mixture of concern and relief.
Toruri grimaced, his body shifting as he reverted to his human form. He winced as the transformation completed, feeling a deep ache throughout his muscles.
"Let me go back to normal," he groaned, his voice strained. "Ow... that hurts. Feels like one big cramp."
Nilala exhaled, clearly relieved.
"I thought so… You're alright."
Uila, however, wasn't as calm. His eyes blazed with anger as he shouted,
"YOU DESTROYED SO MUCH UP THERE!!!"
Toruri didn't flinch, his tone calm and even.
"How? There's no need to scream at me."
Nilala stepped forward, attempting to calm the situation.
"We probably couldn't have stopped that abomination without deity Poseidon's help. We're lucky you were here."
Toruri's expression softened, his guilt clear in his voice.
"That thing only showed up because of me. I'm sorry for bringing this chaos to your city."
Hoku quickly interjected, his voice warm and reassuring.
"No, no, you didn't do anything wrong. There's no need to apologize."
Nilala chimed in, his tone more thoughtful now.
"I'm also sorry for not bringing your robot to the water gate."
Toruri shrugged, waving it off.
"It doesn't matter. We can leave now. October!"
October silently stepped forward behind him, always ready. Toruri nodded, prepared to go, but before they could leave, Nilala, Uila, Holoi, Hoku, and the guards knelt down before Toruri. It was a gesture of deep respect.
"It's been a pleasure, Toruri. Good luck with your training," Nilala said sincerely, his voice full of admiration.
Toruri paused, taking in the sight.
Is this what it feels like to be royalty? The thought crossed his mind, but before he could dwell on it, something else came to him.
"Wait… where did that monster go?!"
Nilala's eyes widened in realization.
"Wait—he must've turned invisible and is using his chi to hide his presence!"
A smirk crept across Toruri's face.
"Heh, I guess the fight's not over. I'll finish him next time."
Nilala, still worried, asked,
"You look tired. Are you sure you don't need any help?"
Toruri shook his head confidently.
"October's strong enough to back me up."
Nilala hesitated but nodded.
"Very well. Farewell."
Elsewhere, at the water gate, Gurnuiba limped forward, his body ravaged and bleeding. He was barely holding on, but his fury kept him moving.
He beat me… but I'll kill him on the island, he vowed, his eyes burning with hatred.
As he reached the massive vault door, a shadow fell over him. Gurnuiba looked up to see Kaiju Man, standing tall and imposing in his black armor. One of his eyes glowed red, casting a chilling light on Gurnuiba's battered body.
"It's you…" Gurnuiba rasped, his voice weak but filled with spite.
Kaiju Man's voice was cold, filled with an eerie calm.
"Who let you escape?"
With what little strength he had left, Gurnuiba screamed,
"You... WON'T STOP ME!!!"
Suddenly, Hecate buzzed around Kaiju Man's head, his voice echoing in the water.
"KAAAAAAAAIJU MAN!!!"
Kaiju Man's foot erupted in dark flames, the energy swirling with a dangerous pink aura. His voice remained cold and detached.
"Kaiju…"
In a swift motion, Kaiju Man delivered a devastating kick to Gurnuiba's chest.
"Kick!!!"
The impact sent Gurnuiba flying backward, his body engulfed in black flames. The fire burned with an intensity unlike anything Gurnuiba had ever felt.
This fire… it burns worse than the white flames! What… what is this!? I'm… I'm actually—
His thoughts dissolved into pain as his skin melted away, liquefying under the heat. His body, once strong and fierce, crumbled into ash, his last word a scream of disbelief.
"MELTING!!!"
And then, Gurnuiba was no more.
Hecate zipped around Kaiju Man's helmet, his voice high and triumphant.
"KAIJU VICTORY!!!"
Kaiju Man, ever the enigma, stood upside down, balanced perfectly on one finger. His body was rigid, his other hand clenched into a fist and pointed toward the sky. His legs were crossed at the ankles, his entire form defying gravity. His glowing eyes were locked on the ashes of Gurnuiba, his aura swirling like tendrils of raw power around him. Even his cape flowed in the opposite direction, giving him an ethereal, otherworldly presence. Kaiju Man stood victorious, an indomitable force.