Smoke churned violently across the ocean floor.
From within it, a head slowly emerged.
El-Mond.
His black skin absorbed the surrounding light,
as though the abyss itself bowed to him.
Each subtle movement released a
menacing pressure, dense and suffocating, rippling through the water like a silent
warning.
The Orca's massive body stiffened.
It sharply turned around.
Its pupils shrank.
"H–How is this possible…?" The Orca's voice trembled, fear leaking through despite its
monstrous form."You should be dead!"
Crimson light flickered.
El-Mond's eyes glowed red.
Then
He vanished.
In the next instant, his presence materialized behind the Orca, close enough for death to whisper.
"Remember the pain," El-Mond said coldly.
"And answer my questions truthfully."
His voice echoed unnaturally through the surrounding space.
"Where did you things come from?"
A deafening, anguished scream tore
through the depths.
One of the Orca's fins was severed,
cleanly sliced so fast
the creature hadn't even perceived the attack.
Blood spread like ink.
The Orca spun around in panic
But El-Mond was gone again.
"I'll give you one more chance,"
El-Mond's voice reverberated from
everywhere at once.
"Answer me… and I will let you live."
Rage exploded.
"YOU BASTARD!!"
The Orca roared, veins bulging.
"I'LL RIP YOU APART!!"
The sea answered its fury.
"TIDAL WAVE
WHIRL-WIND!"
Four colossal tornadoes slammed
into the ocean's surface, drilling downward
with apocalyptic force.
They pierced the depths,
colliding with the ocean floor and erupting
outward.
Water pressure and violent winds fused into a merciless vortex.
El-Mond was caught.
The force dragged at him violently,
tearing through the sea like a divine
punishment.
At the center, the Orca hovered
boxed in and shielded by the rotating
tornadoes.
A wicked grin twisted across its face.
"I will drain every ounce of your energy,"
it hissed.
"And at the very last moment… torture you
to death."
Its eyes gleamed with greed.
"Then I'll use your core… to enhance myself."
El-Mond struggled.
"Dammit…! I gotta swim!"
"No NO NOOOO!!"
His curses echoed for a full minute.
Then
Silence.
Ten minutes passed.
The tornadoes weakened, their fury slowly dissolving back into the dark sea.
The Orca drifted unsteadily, its massive body trembling, energy nearly exhausted.
It closed its eyes and exhaled.
"That skill took a lot out of me," it muttered.
"But it was worth it."
A pause.
"That bastard… was strong."
"…Urg." A voice Echoes from the depths.
A chill crawled down the Orca's spine.
Its entire body froze.
Deep red eyes shimmered into existence
within the fading currents.
"Sure took your sweet time."
"I almost died of boredom."
"T–YOU…!"
The Orca stuttered violently, terror overtaking
its exhaustion.
"H–How are you alive…?
W–Who… are you…?"
El-Mond Emerges forward.
Tiny scratches marked his shark-like body
faint damage etched across his pectoral fin
and armored skin.
"Your ability is strong," he said calmly.
"You almost broke through my diamond body."
The Orca trembled.
"You made it hard to land a decisive strike
with my current skills," El-Mond continued.
"So the only option was to let myself get
sucked in… and endure it." A low laugh
escaped him.
"Crazy, but brilliant, right?"
The laughter faded.
His expression darkened.
Memories surfaced
A trusted friend.
A wife used like a tool.
A betrayal unseen until death itself.
"…Sigh."
"I guess I died because I was easily
fooled too, huh?"
His eyes ignited.
Red mixed with pitch-black.
The surrounding water screamed.
"NO WAIT!"
The Orca panicked.
"I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING YOU
WANT TO KNOW!"
El-Mond's gaze hardened.
"I'm no longer interested."
His voice dropped into something absolute.
"I don't care who you are.
I don't care where you came from."
A violent killing intent erupted.
"Come what may…"
His form glitched, flickering out of existence.
"I WILL
SLAUGHTER
YOU ALL."
He reappeared instantly behind the Orca.
A thin, perfectly straight line formed
From the Orca's head…
To its tail.
A heartbeat passed.
Then
The body split apart.
Blood gushed violently as the Orca's
massive form tore in half, descending slowly
into the endless deep.
The abyss swallowed it whole.
El-Mond stood alone.
Eyes glowing.
Silent.
To Be Continued…