The air was heavy with moisture, the sky bruised with rolling clouds. The floating village swayed uneasily as waves grew stronger, slapping against the wooden stilts with an anger that felt unnatural.
Kaizen stood on the pier, watching the horizon. The sea was never still, but this was different. Each wave seemed to pulse with intent, as if the abyss itself was breathing.
Renji walked up beside him, carrying a net slung over his shoulder. "You see it too, huh?"
Kaizen nodded. "The water's wrong. It's… waiting."
Renji shifted uneasily. "You just got out of Bang's crazy death-shrine and already we're dealing with this? Doesn't this world ever rest?"
Kaizen smirked faintly. "Not for people like us."
The bell of warning clanged across the village. Elders shouted from the watchtowers, their voices trembling with urgency.
"Movement in the deep! Something's rising!"
People scrambled, hauling children into shelters, securing nets and ropes. The floating platforms creaked under the sudden weight of panic.
Bang appeared, cloak snapping in the wind, eyes narrowed at the sea. "It comes sooner than expected."
Kaizen glanced at him. "What does?"
"The abyss never forgives," Bang said darkly. "Defeat one fragment, and it sends another. Stronger. Smarter. It tests us until we break."
The words sent a chill through Kaizen. He thought back to the shrine, to the whispers of his false self. Monster. Weapon. Danger. He clenched his fists. He couldn't let those voices become reality.
The waves parted.
From the depths emerged something vast an armored leviathan, scales glistening like oil under the gray sky. Its body writhed with spines that dripped seawater like venom. But worse were its eyes: pale, empty, reflecting no life, only hunger.
The villagers gasped in horror. One child screamed before being hushed by his mother.
Renji muttered, "That's not just a beast… it's something woken."
Bang's voice was grim. "A herald of the abyss. It hunts not to eat, but to destroy."
The leviathan opened its maw, releasing a soundless bellow that sent ripples through the air. The sea answered, waves rising in sudden fury.
"Kaizen," Bang said sharply. "This is your trial as much as the shrine was. You've tamed yourself now tame your storm."
Kaizen's pulse quickened. "You want me to fight that?!"
Bang's gaze was steel. "Not alone. But your strength will turn the tide. Renji and I will support. If you lose control, we all die. If you master it…" His lips twitched into the faintest grin. "We live."
Renji slapped Kaizen's shoulder with forced cheer. "No pressure, huh?"
Kaizen managed a tight smile. "None at all."
The leviathan lunged. Its massive tail struck one of the outer platforms, shattering it into splinters. Water surged through the gap, dragging crates and tools into the sea.
"Move!" Bang barked.
Renji leapt into action, pulling villagers to safety, while Bang struck at the monster with a blur of strikes, his fists cracking like stone on steel. But even his blows barely dented the leviathan's armor.
Kaizen inhaled, sparks crawling over his skin. His training echoed in his mind. Control. Focus. Choice.
He extended his arms, letting lightning arc across the water's surface. The leviathan recoiled, hissing as the current seared its scales.
The villagers stared in awe and fear. Whispers rose.
"That boy… the storm answers him.""Is he saving us or dooming us?"
Kaizen gritted his teeth. He couldn't let their fear break him now.
The beast roared, plunging beneath the waves. For a heartbeat, the sea was still.
Then it erupted upward, mouth wide, aiming straight for the central platform where dozens of villagers huddled.
"NO!" Kaizen shouted, and the storm obeyed.
Lightning surged down like a spear, striking the leviathan square in its gaping maw. The force staggered the creature, its scream shaking the platforms. But the recoil blasted Kaizen off his feet, sending him skidding across the wood.
Renji caught him. "Careful, idiot! You'll fry yourself before you fry that thing!"
Kaizen coughed, pushing to his feet. His hair stuck to his face, sparks buzzing faintly around him. "Better me than them."
Renji froze, eyes widening at the words. Then he grinned fiercely. "Then let's make sure it's neither."
Bang struck again, fists glowing with controlled force. He targeted the creature's joints, slowing its movements. "Kaizen! Its scales are too thick. Aim where I weaken!"
Kaizen focused, lightning dancing between his hands. He could feel the storm within him, restless, wanting to burst free. But instead of unleashing it wildly, he shaped it, molding it into a single point.
"Then take this!"
He hurled a concentrated bolt into the spot Bang had struck. The scales cracked, smoking as the lightning burned through.
The leviathan shrieked, thrashing violently. Waves exploded outward, rocking the platforms dangerously.
Villagers screamed as the wood buckled. Renji dashed across the planks, hauling ropes and shoving supports back into place. "We can't let the village break apart! Kaizen, hold it still!"
"I'll try!" Kaizen roared, lightning wrapping around his arms. He extended his power like chains, lashing them to the beast's body. Sparks hissed as the arcs dug into flesh, binding it in place.
The effort tore at his body, every nerve screaming in protest. Blood dripped from his nose, but he held on.
Bang's voice cut through the chaos. "NOW, BOY! END IT!"
Kaizen summoned everything. The storm within howled, but he bent it, shaped it, forced it into his will.
A single spear of lightning formed above him, glowing white-hot, brighter than the sun piercing the storm clouds.
The leviathan thrashed, but the chains held. Kaizen's voice was raw, shaking, but filled with unyielding resolve.
"You don't get to take them!"
He brought the spear down.
The lightning struck like judgment. The leviathan convulsed, its body seared through, light bursting from its cracks. With one final screech, it collapsed into the sea, waves thrashing as its massive form sank into the abyss below.
Silence fell.
Only the sound of rain remained, pattering softly against the wood.
The villagers stared at Kaizen. Some in awe, others in fear.
Renji approached, panting, and clapped Kaizen's shoulder. "You did it, storm-boy. You actually did it."
Kaizen swayed, exhaustion washing over him. "No… we did."
Bang stepped forward, studying the smoking sea where the beast had fallen. His face was grim. "This was only the beginning. The abyss is awake now. It knows his power." His eyes met Kaizen's. "And it will not stop."
Kaizen's breath came heavy, sparks still crackling faintly at his fingertips. He looked toward the horizon, where the clouds seemed darker than before.
"…Then neither will I."