Several alien-like slime creatures merged together, fusing into one especially massive entity.
Droplets like liquid began to appear along the ship's hull, trickling across the deck and through the rooms.
It looked like jelly, yet flowed like liquid—seeping through every crevice, wrapping the ship entirely.
A ship resting on the surface of the sea—unable to fly, with no heating or lifting mechanisms—how could it possibly evade these water-born monsters?
The entire vessel became enveloped, suspended midair like a handcrafted art piece sealed in wax, but because of its enormous size, the effect was overwhelmingly awe-inspiring.
Everyone on board had already evacuated when the ship started to malfunction.
Maro was carried by Sora, hovering in midair, while the catwoman was lifted into the sky by Youpi, who had grown wings.
Shaiapouf had wings from the start, and Cyr could stand in the air.
Not a single person was injured.
The only problem was… they had lost their ship.
The massive creature sank beneath the waves, dragging the ship it had engulfed down with it.
Because the creature shared the same color as the water, it looked as though the ship was silently and inexplicably sinking on its own.
"...Don't even think about leaving!" Maro shouted as he reached out instinctively. Breaking free of Sora's grip, he dropped down toward the water.
The moment before he would have fallen in, his hand touched the surface—and layers of ice began to form beneath his feet.
At the same time, the sinking ship and the creature surrounding it were frozen in place.
A massive, frost-colored chunk of ice still radiated cold. Maro exhaled in relief, a smile creeping onto his face.
But the next second, a cracking noise—crack crack crack—filled the air, and his smile vanished.
He had only managed to delay the creature briefly. It wasn't enough to stop it.
"..." Maro activated his ability again.
The creature, having just tasted freedom, was frozen once more.
"Not bad at all, Maro," Cyr called out from atop the ice, addressing the blonde figure below.
"I think I know how to deal with them now." The white-haired boy chuckled lightly, his eyes sharp and wild with manic confidence.
He formed hand seals and murmured: "Domain Expansion—Malevolent Shrine."
In an instant, the blue of sea and sky was replaced by a blood-red world.
A dark red moon hung overhead. Bleached bones—of beasts and men—littered the ground. Scarlet torii gates towered above stagnant, shadowy pools of blood.
It felt as though gods or demons resided here, whispering constantly in cryptic, unintelligible voices.
The sea vanished. The monster and the ship it clung to were fully visible within the domain, with nothing left to support or conceal them.
The water-colored monster was now tinged faintly with red by the domain's influence.
"Hotter than molten magma…" Cyr's left hand twitched slightly.
"Flames that could swallow entire volcanoes…"
The heat distorted the air around him, and both white mist and black smoke began to rise simultaneously.
Blazing, radiant flames writhed like wild beasts, roaring to consume everything in their path.
But after just a few bursts, they settled down obediently—resting docilely in the boy's palm like a well-trained pet.
The white-haired boy raised a finger, then stretched the flame between both hands, forming it into a glowing ring that encircled the monster gripping the ship.
"[Fuga]."
The technique known as [Fuga], gained only after acquiring a domain, was a flame-manipulation ritual.
Sukuna had once used this move against the Volcano Curse Jogo, a special-grade cursed spirit who specialized in fire.
And then… Jogo, with his Mt. Fuji-shaped head, had his flames completely overwhelmed and annihilated by Sukuna's.
That particular special grade had lost thoroughly—and died swiftly.
The flame leapt from Cyr's palm, rising high with the wind, growing from a spark into a blazing inferno.
The alien-like slime was scorched by the flames. Though its watery body didn't seem visibly damaged, a thick surge of steam erupted from it.
Its form began to shrink rapidly, and within less than a minute, it could no longer fully envelop the ship.
"Dulululu—!!" The bubbling sound grew shrill and piercing.
The slime-like creature's body suddenly expanded again, violently, sucking the moisture out of the air around them. The environment grew arid in an instant.
Even the blood pools within the domain evaporated—consumed as fuel for the monster's growth.
And worse… even Cyr and the others began to feel something change within themselves.
Roughly 70% of the human body is water. So what happens… when the body loses that water?
Dry and brittle—like sun-dried fruits and vegetables—so fragile they'd crumble with a pinch.
Cyr looked at his twisted limbs, the torn skin, and… the blood in his body flowing toward the creature. His sky-blue eyes lit up at once.
This monster… it doesn't just manipulate seawater—it can control moisture itself?
It can absorb water from the air… and even from the human body?
There are very few organisms in the world that don't contain water… This skill—this is basically divine.
"This damned thing…" Maro glared fiercely at the monster, which had swollen even larger than before.
Having absorbed the blood from the dark pools, it had changed from pale aquatic blue to a vivid, garish red.
"Damn it…" Maro reached out, but could only summon a few scattered shards of ice.
The creature had drawn away almost all the moisture in the air! His ability was practically useless now!
Crack… came a brittle sound.
Limbs, now like withered plants from dehydration, shattered upon hitting the ground, crumbling to ashen powder.
"This kind of ability…" Cyr activated Infinity, stopping his blood loss and healing his wounds.
The style, the aura of this power—it was practically divine authority.
By extracting the water from a person's body, it could so easily strip away life itself.
Strange, isn't it? Humans always have countless restrictions, costs, and conditions to use their abilities—yet these non-humans all seem absurdly gifted, barely paying a price at all.
The dazzling scale-dust from the butterflies had also been absorbed by the monster, now making it look like a red slime encrusted with gems.
It lay there, motionless, as if in a deep sleep.
Shaiapouf reverted from his butterfly form into a cocoon, hiding inside until the monster stopped moving, then finally broke out.
Youpi and Neferpitou kept attacking the sleeping creature, but it had little visible effect.
After all, at its core, the creature was still made of water. And to inflict real damage on water…
"Tch…" Cyr still wanted to observe a bit longer, but seeing that Sora and Maro were nearly sucked dry, he finally made a move—grabbing one man and one tiger by the scruff.
If a fluffy pet turned into skin and bones, it'd just be ugly.
People might even think he couldn't afford to feed his tiger and starved it into that state.
"Fuga." He raised his right hand in front of him, making a circle with his thumb and forefinger, then gently blew a breath through it.
Boom— A torrent of fire surged from the ring formed by his fingers, endless and intensifying.
This wave of flame burned hotter than before, ferociously shrinking the monster by more than half in a single burst.
Half of the ship that had been trapped inside the creature now fell to the ground, like a stranded sea beast.
Scalding steam poured out in waves, and then the creature suddenly exploded from within—transforming into a fine, drizzling rain.
Except this rain… was blood red.
Those caught in the rain didn't recover at all.
Instead, it was like being splashed with highly corrosive acid. Every drop burned a new hole into their skin.
°°°
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