(POV – Protagonist)
My thin, flexible arms, almost like they were made of marshmallow, struck repeatedly at the "T"-shaped weak spot on the creature's forehead. With each impact, some of the color, shimmering in rainbow tones, was sucked into the sphere gently rotating above my head. To be honest, these colors remained a complete mystery to me.
What were these colors supposed to represent in anomalies? Were they their lives? Their "hearts?" Or maybe something even deeper? I honestly didn't have that answer. What I did know, though, was that if all the color was fully absorbed by the orb above my head, the creature whose color it belonged to would die instantly.
That's why I kept striking the creature. With every hit, a scream echoed, as if coming from the depths of the ocean. But I simply ignored it. To be honest, even though the sound was strange, it didn't affect me at all. It was like listening to someone singing out of tune: slightly annoying, but nothing I couldn't tolerate.
I raised my hand to deliver another punch, but before I could execute it, something grabbed my wrist, stopping my movement. Looking at my hand, I realized one of its tentacles had wrapped around it tightly, as if its existence depended on it.
I blinked briefly before creating a portal between the tentacle and my arm. Although the creature seemed to notice the action, its movement was too slow. I quickly closed the portal, cutting the tentacle in half.
Without hesitation, I threw the part still attached to my arm aside and refocused on the "T"-shaped weak spot. With determination, I raised my hand again and brought it down forcefully onto the symbol.
The impact reverberated through the creature's colossal body, tearing out another deafening roar, as more of the multicolored glow was sucked into the orb above my head.
More tentacles were sent out to try and stop me, but they were all immediately cut off the moment they entered my line of sight. Honestly, my proficiency with my anomalous ability to move through shadows was on another level.
I could practically open and close portals with a simple glance. Also, even if some tentacle somehow managed to reach me, it wouldn't matter: my bone armor, which covered my entire body, made any attack useless.
"Grr'khhh... thuuuu'l... Krrr'aaaaghh'nn... Ph'hzzztthhh!!!"
Another distorted sound echoed from the creature as I delivered another blow. From its perspective, I was probably the worst flea it had ever encountered in its entire existence. Though, thinking about it, it's a bit weird to call me a flea, considering my appearance... Does this thing even have any sense of aesthetics or beauty? I mean, we're talking about a colossal octopus head, surrounded by a smoky, black mist. Not much to expect in terms of aesthetic standards from something like that, right?.
Back to the situation around me, I couldn't say it was going well. Some time ago, purple lightning started falling from the sky, striking everywhere. To make things worse, the creature really came out of the lake and started moving on land.
Since when can giant octopuses walk on land? I couldn't even see its full body, but does it have legs? Honestly, I can only hope that Laura, Emily, and, of course, Victor are alright, given the chaos happening around.
(I think it's time to step up my punches)
I decided it was time to finish what I started. Personally, if that thing escaped the area of Base 17, it would be the start of the apocalypse. Of course, I had no idea where we were or if there were any nearby cities, but it was undeniable that something this size could be seen from miles away.
Honestly, I had no idea if my punches were really making a difference. After all, it's not like anyone expected someone my size to make a significant impact, right? Still, the "T"-shaped symbol on the creature's forehead was slowly losing its color. Also, I noticed that its movements seemed significantly slower and more sluggish compared to before.
I had no idea how much time had passed since I started punching the creature. Maybe almost an hour, considering the time it took for us to emerge from the lake. However, our little clash was clearly coming to an end.
The color of the symbol on the monster's forehead was almost completely gone, becoming practically colorless. I raised my arm, fist clenched, ready for what would likely be the final blow. But before I could act, I felt something grab my leg.
I turned my face and saw a tentacle wrapped around my foot, holding it as if its survival depended on it. Before I could react, it yanked me backward, throwing off my balance and knocking me face-first into the ground. I lifted my face, blinking my eyes, which shimmered in rainbow hues. Honestly? It didn't hurt. But for some reason, I felt a pang of embarrassment.
(... Seriously? I just got tripped by a tentacle? I just hope no one saw that)
Although the scene was embarrassing enough, unfortunately, it was far from over. The tentacle that had knocked me down started pulling me, but honestly, a single tentacle wouldn't be able to drag me.
That arrogant thought lasted only a few seconds before I deeply regretted it. Before long, six tentacles — three on each leg — wrapped around my feet and, together, finally managed to drag me.
I tried to hold onto the creature's body, but it was practically impossible due to the incredibly smooth surface where I was. Before I could react, I felt my body being thrown away. As I distanced myself, the creature's colossal size became even more apparent.
In the middle of the thick darkness, the only visible features were its bright red eyes, which seemed to glow intensely. Its giant silhouette emerged briefly whenever purple lightning illuminated the surroundings, striking nearby the creature.
Unfortunately for him, that wouldn't be enough to stop me from punching him. The being, it seemed, still hadn't figured out how my portal ability actually works. To start, I'm not exactly "opening portals" in the conventional sense; after all, I can't teleport.
But anyway, how could he know that... I guess. In the end, even if he managed to get me off him, getting back was easy. The sky was covered by dense, smoldering smoke that enveloped his body, creating an almost infinite darkness around me — the perfect environment for me to move freely.
I turned my gaze away from the being and focused on the ground below me. I was falling at an incredible speed, but oddly enough, my face remained completely expressionless, as always. Maybe it was because I knew that, even if I collided with the ground, I wouldn't feel a thing. Still, I didn't think the result would be pleasant to witness. Imagine a pudding falling off a building — probably a very similar sight.
With a simple thought, I opened a portal beneath me and passed through it. On the other side, my speed was completely nullified, as if I had plunged into water, but without the usual sense of weight. I ignored the weirdness and began "swimming" toward the being.
My bright golden eyes followed every movement as the being lifted its tentacle wings to the sky. I moved smoothly until I was positioned just a few meters above it, directly over the "T"-shaped symbol.
The moment I saw an opportunity, I leapt out of the portal that opened before me, reappearing in the normal world. I won't lie, the height was absolutely massive. There was no way to guarantee I'd survive a fall from this height... or would I? I mean, if my body turned into a puddle of jelly, would I still be alive? Just considering that as a possibility left me torn between fear and bewilderment.
Anyway, the being noticed me almost instantly as I emerged from the shadow realm. Its octopus-like head spun directly toward my position, tracking my fall.
Its glowing red eyes were even more terrifying from this angle. Around it, tentacles began to emerge in a terrifying frenzy. This time, it definitely wasn't playing around — there were thousands of them, and I'm not exaggerating.
The moment the tentacles advanced toward me, I opened a portal and jumped into it. As soon as I closed it, I watched the tentacles pass through the space where I had been just moments before, missing me completely.
The environment around me was immersed in darkness; it felt like the world itself had turned into a shadow domain. In this setting, I could move freely anywhere and pass through any barrier. This was, without a doubt, the most powerful use of this ability I'd ever experienced.
Also, the being's reaction to my disappearance confirmed something: it definitely couldn't see me. Given its appearance, it would be easy to assume it was some sort of god from another dimension or something like that.
However, this realization only made me more intrigued. After all, it made the lake it came from even more mysterious... and maybe even scarier.
While it was possible to get closer to the being in the shadow world, the lack of speed there was a frustrating limitation. I could move fast, but not with the intensity needed to deliver the final blow.
So, I waited patiently until it got distracted, searching the environment for me. At the right moment, I launched myself out of the shadow realm once again, determined to end the fight.
This time, my approach was much faster, bringing me considerably closer to the being than before. While it did notice me, there was no time left for it to launch all those tentacles at me. Only four came at me — still a considerable number, but nothing I couldn't handle.
As the first tentacle neared, I raised my arm to intercept it. My bone armor covered the limb in an instant, protecting it as the tentacle bit down hard. Without hesitation, I opened a portal at the same moment and closed it quickly, cutting the tentacle in half.
Seeing the tentacle retreat, I quickly turned and looked up, where the other three were coming. This time, I covered my entire body with the bone armor. The tentacles lunged at me, biting with force, but it wasn't enough. As before, I opened and closed portals with precision, slicing them in half. The next moment, I raised my fist and spun my body sharply. In the motion, my hand made direct contact with the "T"-shaped symbol on the being's forehead.
"Grr'khhh... thuuuu'l... Krrr'aaaaghh'nn... Ph'hzzztthhh!!!"
The being's signature scream echoed once more, but I didn't care about that. I stayed focused, watching closely as my eyes shimmered with rainbow-colored light while the last traces of color were absorbed by the sphere gently spinning above my head.
I blinked briefly, and my eyes returned to their golden color as soon as the light was completely absorbed. I didn't feel any different in my body, which wasn't uncommon, but a being like that... I figured it would be impossible not to notice some change. However, apparently, nothing happened. Lost in my thoughts, it took me a moment to realize that something was actually happening.
(By the way... why do I suddenly feel my body falling?)
Confused, I looked down and saw the smoldering smoke surrounding the being dissipating. My body suddenly became heavy before I started falling toward the ground. While my altitude wasn't as extreme as when I used my power to swim upwards, it was still considerable.
Moreover, the sky was starting to return to its normal state, probably because the being responsible for that artificial darkness had been defeated. Of course, that was good news—but for me, it meant something else: there were no longer any shadows for me to use. In short, I was about to plummet straight down until my beautiful face smashed into the hard ground. Definitely, not the most pleasant experience.
(... by the way, what the hell is that in front of me?)
I was referring to a dark, smoky haze that seemed to fall along with me. I blinked my golden eyes, tilting my head in confusion as I watched the shadow in front of me. That's when I noticed a ripple in the shadow. The next moment, it trembled and began to take shape—more precisely, my shape. I was literally seeing myself in front of me, but instead of being white and translucent like I was, it was a dark, translucent version of me.
It was identical to me in every detail, even the lack of expression on its face and the gesture of blinking as it tilted its head, as if it were just as confused as I was. A casual thought crossed my mind as I observed this thing that looked so much like me.
(Honestly, I have no idea if I should be worried about this bizarre situation or not)