Going on Vacation (5)
My task was incredibly straightforward. Raid the cruise ship and punish the fanatics bold enough to steal the stone slab. If they had been Go-seo or Yogri-ne's minions, I might have hesitated for a second... but unfortunately for them, neither knew these clowns.
[Surge.]
"Surge."
⟨ Deep Sea Manifestation ⟩
Before diving in, I needed to change the battlefield. I could take down a Legend-rank without collateral damage, but Saga-rank was trickier. I pushed the fanatics back with waves and shoved the cruise ship far away.
[Bite.]
Deep Sea Tentacle
"Incoming! Everyone, get ready!"
"Why is a Saga-rank mage here?!"
With distance secured, I unleashed my full power. I spread my overwhelming will in all directions, seizing control of the sea. Razor-sharp waves crashed fiercely. They surged toward the fanatics at my command, who desperately erected barriers to hold them off.
"Damn it! It's breaking...!"
"Gaaah!"
—Krraaang!
But rank-and-file cultists couldn't block my attacks easily. And this was the ocean—my home turf. Block one wave? I'd send ten. Block ten? A hundred.
[Great One! Protect us!]
"Great One! Protect us!!"
"Oh?"
Something surprising happened. They pooled their power into a chant, and somehow wrested partial control of the sea from me. I still dominated the surrounding few kilometers, but the waves calmed around them.
Real believers, huh.
I'd thought they worshipped a nonexistent god. Apparently, they did serve some sea deity. Not Shin-nim, of course. Probably someone impersonating her.
"Cult leader! How much longer?!"
"Hold out just a bit more."
"Nngh...! Understood!"
My magic didn't stop amid the thoughts. I relentlessly manipulated the sea, assaulting them and picking them off one by one. The leader still hadn't joined in. Did he have some ace up his sleeve? If he didn't act soon, he'd die first.
[O God! We offer these as sacrifices!]
"O God! We offer these as sacrifices!"
"Gaaah!"
"Cult leader?! What is this?!"
Suddenly, the leader chanted. But not at me—at his own followers. Tooth-lined tentacles sprouted from their bodies, devouring their hosts.
"...."
—Crunch, crrrunch!
Eerie tearing sounds echoed as the sea turned red with blood. I watched silently. That sight felt familiar.
Where have I seen that before?
Unlike the cute deep-sea tentacles, these were grotesque, beastly things. Intelligent, devouring their own hosts. I recalled something similar in my memories...
"Ah. The arena!"
I remembered the Ansan incident. Ambushed at a Han-seong Electronics meeting. I'd faced a dark mage there, and the tentacles sprouting from him felt just like these.
[Is the tribute sufficient?]
"Pathetic humans..."
"If insufficient, there are more tributes over there!"
The tentacles ballooned after devouring the fanatics, drooling hungrily. The leader directed its gaze at me.
"Hi."
[....]
A bizarre gaze prickled me, so I waved. It seemed to be a fragment of the god the leader served. As it eyed me, I appraised it with my magic eyes.
"Oh... so it's you?"
[!?]
The ocean is my inner sanctum. No matter how vast, I can grasp it all; no matter how chaotic, I see through it. That's how I spotted it—and learned one fact.
It reeks of Geujeo.
Everything clicked. How the fanatics knew of deep-sea fish. Why they'd pull off this insane cruise raid. If their god was tied to Geujeo, it made sense.
"Location... not too far."
I pinpointed it instantly. Right in the heart of the Bermuda Triangle—not far from here.
"Shall we pay our neighbors a visit?"
[Sounds good! Been wanting to see Bermuda!]
[Curious about Earth's oceans...]
[I'm free anytime.]
Shin-nim, the usual pair, and Yogri-ne who'd just dropped by—all good to go. Decision made: teleport.
Excuse me for a sec.
[Nng...]
With Geujeo involved, no holding back. I gently took Shin-nim's hand, drawing her into my embrace. Her power flooded me—infinite energy, omnipotence like a god myself. The sea felt like clay in my palms.
"Die first."
"Gurk!"
[!!!]
Business before pleasure. I sliced the leader and pulped the tentacle beside him. The possessing consciousness had already fled, probably scampering away from me.
"Pointless, though."
Earth's oceans are one vast connected body. Run all you want—you're trapped.
The blue planet Earth. Its oceans, covering most of the surface, still hid countless mysteries. Sunken cities, deep-sea monstrosities, alien traces. Among the storied legends was the Bermuda Triangle.
Rumors abounded: bizarre magnetic fields, curses on ships and planes. The truth? A god dwelled there—an evil one that loathed life.
[Grooo!]
In the unexplored deeps, untouched by man, a massive shape fled through the darkened waters. It was Bermuda's evil god, Abyssaradon. No big name—just a yokai from Pacific island tales. Weak originally, it had absorbed Bermuda lore to reach god-tier. A success story, sort of.
[Damn. Goddamn it. Fuck!]
Abyssaradon's curses echoed through the sea. Transcendent being though it was, terror twisted its face. Why? It fled a monster that devoured even gods!
[How did it come to this?]
Abyssaradon pondered. The seas teemed with monsters, some too mighty even for it. They eyed Bermuda covetously... so it needed more power to hold its turf.
[Borrowing Geujeo's strength. Not a bad call.]
Deeper seas bordered the abyss. Many sea yokai heeded Geujeo's call—including Abyssaradon. They lent power to contractors, taking loyalty and minor aid in return. Profitable deal. Should've been.
[All for sinking one damn ship!]
Geujeo messaged recently: Impersonate the Deep Sea, form a cult, hijack a ship. Scary, honestly. Abyssaradon, born and bred in these waters, knew what Deep Sea meant.
[Parallel worlds... right?]
Dozens of seas across parallel worlds—their sum was the Deep Sea. Unlike Earth's, it birthed endless horrors: eternally evolving beasts, undying aliens, continent-devouring hordes. And they kept expanding.
[Earth should've been safe!!]
By its knowledge, Earth was secure. Geujeo had long meddled here, yet Deep Sea never appeared. So why—in its first op—did it show up?!
[Flee. To land. Must reach land.]
Land was Geujeo's domain. Flee there, and even Deep Sea couldn't pursue. Abandoning Bermuda hurt, but better than death.
"Where you rushing off to in such a hurry?"
[...Huh?]
Full speed toward land—then a voice. Tiny. Turning, it saw a human. Pathetic, insect-sized. But...
Despair crashed in.
[T-t-tremble tremble tremble.]
Because it wasn't human. A monster cradling three more. One glance crushed eyeballs, bored brain holes. Abyssaradon halted, eyes shut in prayer. Let this be a dream—or mercy from the beast.
"No grudge here, really. Just one thing to say."
[What is it?]
"You picked the wrong side."
The man snapped his fingers. A hole tore open mid-sea. Monsters crawled endlessly from its depths, devouring the area, its aura eroding everything around.
[Fuck.]
Abyssaradon cursed one last time and closed its eyes. That day, a god died in the Pacific's heart.