The arm, severing cleanly from the Umibozu's shadowy mass, seemed to dematerialize before their eyes, becoming one with the blood-red sea. Yet the creature itself was undaunted by the loss; its form writhed in the ocean, a horrific display of resilience as another limb began to regenerate, rising from the viscous liquid like a specter reborn.
Yamato's eyes narrowed critically, watching as sinew and obsidian flesh wove together in the sea's crimson embrace. The rebirth of the limb was an abomination to the laws of nature they knew—an affront to their understanding of life and death.
The trio's hearts pounded in tandem with the rhythmic swells of the sanguine sea, the cadence of their shared fear and anticipation. They were statues, carved from the very essence of tension. The intensity of the moment was a palpable thing, a miasma that filled their lungs and clouded their thoughts.
The beast's newly-formed appendage curled and flexed, a gruesome show of its monstrous vitality. The Umibozu's eyes, however, seemed to burn with a renewed focus upon Yamato, a silent acknowledgement of his earlier defiance.
Yamato, standing resolute before the looming colossus, was undeterred. His stance shifted, one foot moving back, body aligned with the ethereal blade in his hand. Though the odds were daunting, determination replaced any flicker of doubt within him.
"Maybe…We need to target its core," Yamato whispered, a tactical hush amongst the roar of the blood ocean. "It must possess a heart, a center of its being where the regeneration stems from. Sever that, and the creature will cease to be. Maybe.."
'I can't think straight. This gut wrenching stare…'
Gunjo absorbed Yamato's suggestion, the gravity of the task ahead weaving a heavy cloak upon his shoulders. Yaien's eyes flitted across the massive expanse of the Umibozu, attempting to discern a weak point amidst the abyss-like exterior.
'This is bad…real bad. So this is what true fear feels like?!' Gunjo thought.
Yaien said, "The Umibozu…it guards the oceans of hell..only those worthy to pass it will let through..or if not, it will kill them. It usually stares at them for a long time, but sometimes a short time, but in the blink of an eye before anyone notices, it will kill those who aren't worthy."
Gunjo asked, "Y-You heard of this beast?"
"…Y-Yeah. I'm surprised you haven't…and you're a former demon king…"
"I didn't go many places around…stayed in one area..avoided many others. Since due to the rebellion of many demons trying to go against me and the Demonic Order…I was ordered not to go in certain areas because…well.."
"They must've known you would kill them. Those rebels."
"Mhm.."
'Yes. I avoided areas because the 5 Thrones ordered me to. Am I sure they weren't just trying to keep me away from THIS MONSTER?! Wait, I still have skill points I haven't used. I can possibly use them now to add to my stats..'
Level : 2 (70/100)
[Next Level : 3. Rewards, 5 skill points]
SP : 12 [Skill Points]
Strength: 250 /10000
Speed: 250:10000
Magic : 250/10000
Dexterity: 250/10000
Constitution: 250/10000
Intelligence: 250/10000
Wisdom: 250/10000
Charisma: 250/10000
Toughness : 1,000/10000
'I still have those twelve skill points. 30 more of that XP stuff and I'm level 3, gaining 5 skill points. Last time it was three, does that mean the higher in levels I go, the more skill points I earn? That's definitely helpful. What should I do here..? Put my skill points into my magic maybe? No, wisdom? Charisma? Toughness? Or I just spread them out somewhat evenly like I did last time. But this is probably one of those moments where I'll need one more attribute than another. Shit! It could strike any moment, I gotta act fast! I'll spread them out evenly, but I'll aim more towards intelligence. The more I know about what's going on, the more we can figure out how to beat this thing! I'll add some to gain new skills! 12 skill points…each point worth 50 attribute points in itself…that means I have 600 attribute points in total!'
[Level 2]
SP : 12 [Skill Points]
Strength: 300 /10000 (Added 50 skill points)
Speed: 350:10000 (Added 100 skill points)
Magic : 300/10000 (Added 50 skill points)
Dexterity: 280/10000 (Added 30 skill points)
Constitution: 270/10000 (Added 20 skill points)
Intelligence: 500/10000 (Added 250 skill points)
Wisdom: 300/10000 (added 50 skill points added)
Charisma: 280/10000 (added 30 skill points)
Toughness : 1,000/10000 (added 17 skill points)
Attribute points remaining: 3
'I'm gonna use that to unlock skills!'
[Skill unlocked: Death Punch. Strike your foes with a punch covered in your own blood. Effects - Staggers enemy backwards taking a heavy blow that stuns them for 2 seconds.]
[Skill unlocked: Charred Ascendance- Your body becomes an avatar of destruction, your skin hardening like volcanic rock. Increasing speed and damage given, but form only lasts for 3 minutes until upgraded with skill points. One horn will grow, increasing awareness to 30% for the same amount of time]
[Skill unlocked: Reality Sunder – Each pulse of the cultivator's heart cracks the air and ground and reality with a violently shaking thud, a vibration that stuns the enemy for two seconds. It's cooldown time is your able to use it every 20 seconds]
No points left.
[Scythe weapon upgraded to level 3!]
[Due to the fact that you increase your magic attribute]
'I guess the magic attribute applies to all my weapons and magic, increasing them…now then.. with these skills how can I win..? How can I beat it? What about Yaien and Yamato..? Should I use my skills to cause a distraction.'
The trio's silent communication was disrupted by a series of chiming pulses—a notification from Gunjo's game-like system, an intrusion that seemed both alien and necessary amidst the otherworldly danger they faced.
System Notification: [New Data Acquired. Analyzing Umibozu's Regenerative Capabilities. Possible vulnerabilities detected.]
Gunjo's focus shifted to the overlaid window, his heart a thunderous drumbeat echoing in his chest. The display flickered with three highlighted points, three potential natural weaknesses that could be key to their survival and the creature's demise.
Option 1: [Photophobic Retina: The Umibozu's eyes may be susceptible to intense light, blinding the creature and hindering regeneration.]
Option 2: [Necrotic Saltwater: Salt has been known to corrupt and cleanse evil. Introducing large quantities could disrupt its vitality.]
Option 3: [Tidal Resonance: Strike at times when the blood tide is low to weaken the Umibozu's connection to the ocean, its source of power.]
'Is this due to my increased intelligence and wisdom attribute?!'
Each option carried with it a gamble, a chance for triumph, or the brushing kiss of death. Gunjo's gaze darted from the system text to the shifting form of the Umibozu, weighing the odds, his mind a whir of strategic contemplation.
Yamato's voice, a heaven-sent mantra, broke through Gunjo's internal deliberation. "We need to be cunning, to exploit what the beast cannot change about itself. Its heart beats in tune with the sea. We disrupt that; we may have our chance."
A heavy silence descended upon them as the implications of each choice weighed heavily on Gunjo's mind. Yaien's breaths came shallow and quick, eyes locked on the churning arm of the beast, the manifestation of relentless malice.
"Hey, Gunjo, what are you looking at? You're in a daze.."
Gunjo thought, 'So he can't see the stalker window..good.'
The Umibozu, for all its horrific majesty, waited with the patience of the ancient and unfathomable—a sentinel guarding the threshold between life and the blood-ridden depths.
System Notification: [Checklist for Weakness Exploitation. Choose one to implement. Correct choice grants skill point.]
The air grew thick with the tension of an impending decision. A decision not just of tactical importance, but of existential consequence. The blood sea seemed to hiss with a carnivorous hunger, eager for the results of this mortal challenge.
'So out of the three options, only one of them is Umibozu's true weakness…how the hell am I supposed to know it..'
With every heavy heartbeat, the pressure mounted within Gunjo; his mind raced fiercely, navigating the treacherous crossroads of fate laid out by his system. Yaien glanced at him, a silent plea for guidance in his eyes, the reality of their circumstance a tangible chain about their minds.
The Umibozu's gaze remained fixed, an eternal stare that bore into their very souls, as if challenging them to unlock the enigma of its demise.
System Notification: [Choose wisely. Observation of enemy patterns and environmental conditions may guide your decision.]
A bead of sweat traced its way down Gunjo's temple, a herald of the physical and mental exertion he was enduring. Time seemed to dilate, every second stretching into eternity as he faced down their abyssal adversary.
They stood there, locked in this deadly impasse—a game of predator and prey where any move might be their last.
The ocean gnashed its teeth around them, bloodied waves crashing against the vessel that had become their reluctant bastion. All the while, the Umibozu's stare was unyielding, as if it could impale their very will to fight.
System Notification: [Awaiting Player Decision. The choice will shape the outcome of the confrontation. Choose and act, or face the consequences of inaction.]
'Wait! Wait! I can't decide! What if I ask the others?!'
Gunjo's mind buzzed with the weight of consequential decisions. Time was dissolving like salt in the Umibozu's red sea, every moment edging them closer to resurgence or ruin.
Gunjo asked Yamato, "Do you know anything about this creature..?"
Yamato replied, "…It's a part of my people's legends, the Japanese. According to legend, Umibozu is a giant sea monster that lurks in the ocean depths. It is often described as having a bald, featureless head and a towering, humanoid figure covered in a black cloak. Umibozu is believed to have the power to create massive waves and storms, wreaking havoc on ships and sailors unfortunate enough to encounter it. The legend of Umibozu has been passed down through generations. One popular tale tells the story of a brave fisherman who encountered Umibozu during a violent storm. Despite the terrifying presence of the sea monster, the fisherman managed to outsmart it by offering it a large barrel to drink from. The monster drank so much that it became intoxicated and fell into a deep sleep, allowing the fisherman to escape. I used to tell my son those stories."
Yaien commented, "But does it look like we have ANY barrels of water around?"
Gunjo said, "No, he's into something."
"Hm?"
Gunjo thought, 'The three options. All have different properties. Option 1: Photophobic Retina: The Umibozu's eyes may be susceptible to intense light, blinding the creature and hindering regeneration. Option 2: Necrotic Saltwater: Salt has been known to corrupt and cleanse evil. Introducing large quantities could disrupt its vitality. Option 3: Tidal Resonance: Strike at times when the blood tide is low to weaken the Umibozu's connection to the ocean, its source of power. We don't have any salt on hand, and only Yamato's sword can flash light when he pulled it out, but that didn't do anything. And if the story he told had something to do with water, then I'll put two and two together, and go with option 3. We heard of Youkai's, they are evil spirits, so that would tie into option 2. And option one, it ties in with that, the Umibozu is a creature of darkness, and lightness drives out darkness no matter how dark it is, but it was proved earlier that that wasn't its weakness.'
Gunjo said, "Okay, I think we—."
The Umibozu started to slowly float forward towards them, its horrific blank appearance still blending in with the shadows of the ocean.
Yamato's grip on his sword tightened, his readiness an anchor amidst the churning fear.
As the Umibozu's stark gaze bore down upon them, the atmosphere around the trio crackled with tension, charged like the air before a storm. This was the calm before the climactic battle—the silence that preludes the cacophony of war.
'I choose option three—!'
Amidst the hum of decisions and dangers, Yamato stepped forward, his hand firm on the hilt of his sword, a punctuation in the silence. His stride was poised and deliberate, commanding the attention of both Gunjo and Yaien.
"Fear," Yamato began, the timbre of his voice cutting through the thick atmosphere, "is the mind-killer, the little-death that brings total obliteration." He quotes the famous lines, not Japanese in origin, but resonating across cultures with indomitable truth. "But as the Tokugawa saying goes, 'One who is prepared has no fear.'"
Yamato's gaze didn't waver from the shadowy behemoth before him. "I have stared death in its hollow eyes and spat defiance in its face. Fear is a shadow that thrives in the absence of courage. We give it shape; we give it power over us. But true courage is knowing fear, walking with it, and choosing to stand strong despite its whispering dread."
Yamato said, "Hey, hey, what are you doing?!"
As Yamato's feet carried him closer to the thrashing border where water met shore, his philosophical discourse on fear was a mantra, a battle chant to fortify his resolve. Gunjo and Yaien's voices shattered the air, "Don't go out there!"
Yaien exclaimed, "Fool!"
But Yamato moved as if ensnared by a purpose greater than their pleas, propelled by an inner force that defied the danger escalating before him. His sword glinted, a silver streak under the dimming sky.
His death march came to a halt as his eyes caught a haunting, wavering reflection in the undulating crimson waters. The image of a young boy, his dead son, rippled amidst the blood-red waves—a spectral reminder of what once was. Memories surged like a maelstrom; sunny days spent in laughter, serene evenings wrapped in the warmth of family—all painfully distant, yet agonizingly near.
A tear, a shard of his soul's anguish, traced a path down Yamato's weathered face. His gaze lifted, just in time for him to be confronted by the dreadful visage of the Umibozu, its ghastly face a void that threatened to swallow him whole.
A visceral fear clenched Yamato's heart like an icy fist, his feet moving of their own accord as he leapt backward, a desperate escape from the grip of terror that sought to ensnare him. Landing skilfully, he slid across the ground to rejoin his companions, his retreat a clash of skill against the overwhelming dread that pursued him.
He breathed heavily, saying, "I thought…I could show myself worthy, maybe it wanted us to be scared, and the test is that those who aren't scared can pass through. But I was wrong. I'm always fucking wrong..even with my son…"
The creature loomed larger than ever, its amorphous shape a canvas of nightmare that seemed to mock their struggle. The air trembled with the palpable intensity of their impasse, the thunderous silence hanging between each heartbeat.
Gunjo walked forward, saying, "Tch. Stop beating yourself up like that. There was a time where I was never wrong, or so I thought. But after getting stripped down to a skeleton, I realized what fear, being wrong, and weakness truly felt like. I still got my inner shit to work on, but I'm getting the hang of it."
Yamato said, "Pissboy.."
Yaien said, "You have a plan don't you?"
"Yep. We're gonna kill the fucker. We strike at times when the blood tide is low, to weaken its connection to the blood ocean, the source of its power."
"The waves…you're right…it's going high and low every few seconds. It's like it's body is reacting to it.."
Yamato added, "It's worth a shot. Let's do it."
Yamato thought, 'How did he manage to come up with that plan…? And that aura of confidence..where did it come from?'
Gunjo, Yamato, and Yaien stood side by side, and Yaien had grown to his full power form, the same form he took when fighting Gunjo.
They all stood there, sweating, ready to advance. The Umibozu watched in silence, it's face blank in the shadow of darkness.
..
…
FWOOSH! The Umibozu's arm extended from its own mouth in the literal blink of an eye in speed.
CLANG!
Gunjo blocked the attack with his scythe blade, Yamato blocked the attack with his sword, and Yaien pressed his arms against the Umibozu hand, holding it. All three of them held it together, the force pushing them back.
Gunjo exclaimed, "Alright..now then.."
Yamato added, "Let's kill this bastard!"
Yaien commented, "Go!"
FWOOSH! In light speed, the trio darted towards the air as black shadow spikes came from the water, almost piercing them. As they floated in the air, falling, the Umibozu had a large black halo hovering over its head, but it still sat there silently.
Gunjo used the skill [Charred Essence], and his body became hard as hardened rock, with slowly moving lava coming out of it, his eyes glowed bright orange, and he had a magma made demon horn come out of his right eye, increasing his awareness for about 5 minutes. Gunjo's body was covered in a red and lava colored aura, and his scythe blade pulsates with red energy.
"HAHA! Let's go!"
Yamato held his katana, whispering, "Guide me, son."
As He held his blade, a glowing white spirit form of his son hovered behind him, holding the blade as well.
Yaien was falling down towards the Umibozu in his ball form, flames spiraling from its body like a meteor.
"Whoever kills it first wins!"
'I'm talking like we're going to win. Are we?'