Faust was swimming toward the surface when something shot out of the darkness below.
A long tentacle, its tip sharpened like a spear, came straight for his chest.
Agony reacted before it could reach him. The black mass covering Faust's body expanded into a thick shield, catching the attack with a heavy impact.
The force pushed Faust several meters through the water, but the shield remained intact.
He looked down toward the source of the attack.
Deep beneath him, an enormous shadow was moving.
At first, Faust could only make out several thick tentacles. As the creature rose from the darkness, the rest of its body gradually came into view.
It resembled a giant octopus, although its appearance was far more disturbing than any ordinary marine creature.
Dozens of eyes covered its massive body. They varied in size, with some no larger than a human fist and others almost as large as a grown man.
At the center of its body was a huge mouth filled with rows of sharp teeth. The mouth constantly opened and closed, revealing more teeth hidden behind the first row.
Even its tentacles had undergone strange mutations.
Their tips had hardened into sharp points, while the suction cups along their undersides had been replaced by a mixture of small eyes and mouths.
Faust observed the creature for a moment before a smile appeared on his face.
"Now that's interesting."
As if responding to his interest, Agony began moving.
The black substance gathered above Faust, expanding rapidly until it formed an enormous hammer.
With a thought from Faust, the hammer descended toward the octopus.
The creature reacted immediately.
Several tentacles shot upward and wrapped around the hammer before it could strike its body.
The tentacles tightened, their sharp tips digging into Agony's surface as the creature attempted to crush it.
However, Agony's surface suddenly began to move.
Large mouths opened across the hammer, each one lined with rows of jagged teeth.
The mouths snapped shut around the tentacles.
Chunks of flesh were torn away as Agony began eating through the limbs restraining it.
The octopus immediately released its grip and pulled back.
Several of its tentacles had been reduced to bloody stumps. However, before Faust could examine the damage properly, new flesh began growing from the severed ends.
Within seconds, the missing sections had completely regenerated.
Faust raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
The octopus didn't give him much time to observe.
Having learned that restraining Agony directly was ineffective, it changed its approach.
Its tentacles spread apart before rushing toward Faust from several directions.
They moved much faster than before, twisting through the water to avoid the giant hammer.
Unfortunately for the creature, Agony was just as capable of changing its form.
Several black arms extended from Faust's body, each ending in a long blade.
The blades swept through the surrounding water, cutting apart every tentacle that approached him.
Purplish blood spread through the water as pieces of flesh drifted away from the creature.
Faust was about to examine the regeneration again when he noticed something strange.
The severed pieces were moving.
One of the larger chunks twitched before its flesh began twisting around itself.
Its shape gradually changed, becoming longer and thinner. A mouth appeared at one end, followed by rows of teeth.
Within moments, the chunk of flesh had transformed into something resembling a small eel.
The same transformation was occurring throughout the surrounding water.
Dozens of severed pieces began taking on similar forms. Their mouths opened, revealing sharp teeth, and their newly formed bodies started swimming toward Faust.
"Interesting. Even the separated tissue can develop into an independent organism."
Faust watched one of the creatures complete its transformation.
'But where does all that additional material come from?'
The amount of flesh produced through the regeneration and transformation was far greater than what the octopus had originally lost.
Under normal circumstances, producing new tissue required nutrients and energy. Yet the creature was generating enormous quantities of flesh within seconds.
'Are its cells reproducing at an extraordinary rate? Or is something else supplying the material?'
His gaze returned to the giant octopus.
'If it's converting energy directly into matter, that would explain the regeneration.'
That possibility caught his interest.
He had already encountered Agony's unusual biological properties, but the creature before him seemed to possess an entirely different method of producing new tissue.
Faust continued observing while Agony dealt with the attacking tentacles.
Every time a limb approached, a blade intercepted it. Every time the severed flesh transformed into another creature, Agony tore it apart.
Meanwhile, the octopus continued regenerating.
The process seemed almost endless.
However, after watching several cycles of regeneration, Faust noticed something he had initially overlooked.
Among the countless eyes covering the creature's body, one was different.
It was positioned slightly above the central mouth, surrounded by smaller eyes.
Unlike the others, which reflected the faint light from above, this particular eye emitted a weak blue glow.
Faust narrowed his eyes.
'There.'
He couldn't determine whether it was the source of the creature's regeneration, but its unusual appearance made it worth investigating.
"Agony, keep those tentacles away from me."
The black substance covering his body shifted in response.
Faust then propelled himself forward, heading straight toward the enormous octopus.
The creature immediately reacted.
Several tentacles swept across his path, their sharpened tips approaching from different directions.
Agony intercepted them with its blades.
The first tentacle was severed near its base. The second was split lengthwise, while another was caught by a large mouth that emerged from Agony's surface.
Faust continued forward without slowing down.
As he approached the creature's body, its enormous central mouth opened.
A thick cloud of dark red ink suddenly poured from within, spreading rapidly through the surrounding water.
Within moments, the octopus had disappeared behind the dense cloud.
However, Faust's eyes could still see through it.
He maintained his course, keeping his attention fixed on the glowing blue eye.
The surrounding water began moving violently.
More tentacles came from below, while dozens of eel-like creatures rushed toward him from the sides.
Agony responded by splitting into several blade-covered arms.
One arm swept through the group of eels, cutting their bodies apart. Another extended toward a tentacle approaching Faust's back and severed it before it could reach him.
Blood and pieces of flesh scattered in every direction.
Despite the constant attacks, Faust continued closing the distance.
A moment later, he emerged from the red cloud directly in front of the creature.
Its enormous blue eye was now only a short distance away.
"There you are."
Agony immediately changed shape.
The blades surrounding Faust merged into a long, curved scalpel, its edge narrowing until it became thin enough to make a precise incision.
Faust guided the blade toward the eye.
The octopus reacted violently.
Several tentacles twisted toward him, but Agony's remaining arms intercepted them.
The scalpel pierced the flesh surrounding the blue eye.
A terrible screech erupted from the creature.
The sound traveled through the water, accompanied by violent movements from its enormous body.
Faust ignored the struggle and continued cutting.
The creature's tissue was unusually dense, and the eye was deeply embedded in its body.
Removing it without damaging the contents would require some care.
"Stop moving."
More of Agony spread outward, forming thick restraints around the octopus's tentacles.
The creature struggled against them, but every attempt to break free was met with another mouth or blade.
Faust continued his work.
The eye itself was almost as large as an adult human. Its outer surface was covered by a thick membrane, beneath which Faust could see the faint blue light pulsing.
He carefully separated the surrounding tissue.
Several minutes passed as he worked around the enormous organ.
Throughout the process, the octopus continued struggling, occasionally breaking free of Agony's restraints before being caught again.
Each time, Faust simply waited for Agony to secure the creature before continuing.
Finally, the last connection was severed.
The enormous eye came free.