It didn't even take a second.
A massive brown fish, its mouth filled with lion-like fangs and a thick mane of fleshy spines. Burst from the ground and lunged at the group. It opened with a brutal bite, slamming straight into Klark's already damaged armor.
Its teeth sank deep into his stomach.
Klark roared in defiance, "Ṫ̷̬H̶̠̒Ȇ̶͎R̸̫̆E̴̯̒ ̷̥͐A̵͓͘R̴̨͑E̴͑͜ ̷͉̀N̵̟̄O̵̪̊ ̷̝̌G̸̬̊Ò̴̺Ḍ̸̽S̶͖͋!"
He activated Ironsing—summoning a massive greatsword made entirely of steel behind him. As he swung his warhammer forward, the greatsword followed, crashing into the monster's side and cutting deep into its organs. The creature howled and retreated, dragging itself backward.
"It's a Lionfish! Get ready!" Lix shouted, panic lacing her voice.
The creature's body lifted, rising until it stood upright. Unlike the rest of the Depths, where gravity felt strange and only people and monsters floated lightly, the Lionfish moved as if it were truly underwater, gliding with perfect control.
It turned its gaze upward, staring into the fog above the Depths. Then it opened its mouth.
A swirling ball of black and purple energy began to form between its jaws, pulling power from the air around it. The orb pulsed with raw magic that was dense, unstable, and clearly deadly.
Its focus dropped back down to Klark.
Klark's body glowed briefly as he used Ironsing again, this time reinforcing his skin with steel. He planted his feet and didn't move.
The energy ball fired.
A huge beam of dark energy surged forward, straight toward him. The others dove to the sides, narrowly avoiding the blast, but Klark stood still, taking the full force of the attack.
It went on for seconds, tearing through everything in its path.
When it finally ended, the Lionfish stopped hovering, its mouth closing slowly.
Smoke rose from Klark's body. His armor was scorched, blackened. Pieces of it had melted away. He was still standing—but only barely.
"KLARK, NO!" Cole shouted, fury rising in his voice.
He raised his palm, and in an instant, a dark beam fired from his hand, clean and sharp.
The blast struck the Lionfish's neck.
Its head separated from its body and slammed into the ground with a wet thud.
The battle was over.
As light began to rise from the evaporating corpse of the Lionfish, a new threat emerged from the fog.
A towering, shark-like creature stomped into view, its body a deep, dark blue, with jagged gray coral jutting out from its back like twisted spines. It had two thick arms, each ending in three brutal claws, and two powerful legs, also clawed and built for sudden bursts of speed.
It moved with weight and purpose, every step shook the ground beneath it.
Before anyone could react, it was already in front of Klark.
With a single, vicious swing, it slashed through his neck. Klark's head flew from his shoulders, hitting the ground with a wet thud just like the Lionfish. His body followed a moment later, collapsing in silence.
The creature let out a roar that was deep and raw. The sound echoed across the Depths, shaking the air like a quake.
Nakate froze.
That roar didn't just strike his ears—it crawled inside his skull. It twisted everything inside him. The madness of the Depths surged like a wave, and something inside him started to break.
His breath caught. His hands began to tremble. Blood trickled from the corners of his eyes as he tightened his grip on the dagger and dropped into a fighting stance.
Lix was the first to charge. She inhaled sharply and activated Galebreathe, wind swirling around her as it wrapped her spear in green energy. With a yell, she stabbed the monster's shoulder."How the fuck are we supposed to kill a Megalodaunt now?!"
She jumped back, leaving the spear embedded in the creature's shoulder. Holding out her hand, she shouted, "Wind Gun!" A green spiral of air formed around her arm, firing three concentrated pellets of energy. They shot forward like bullets, piercing into the monster's right arm just as it ripped out the spear.
The Megalodaunt vanished.
It reappeared behind Cole, slamming its claws deep into his back. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he cried out, but he quickly retaliated, activating Shadowcast. A burst of shadow blasted the creature away, forcing it to pull its claws free."Shade Devour!" Cole roared, sinking into a pool of pure darkness beneath him. The Megalodaunt hesitated, then turned its attention away, suddenly ignoring his presence entirely.
It lunged at Nakate next, driving a brutal kick into his chest. The force knocked the air from his lungs as he coughed up blood. Before he could recover, the beast spun around and slashed across Lix's stomach just as she tried to strike again.
Grimacing in pain, Lix staggered back and called out, "Gale Wisp!" A glowing wisp of green wind began to circle her, slowly knitting her wounds together.
The Megalodaunt appeared behind Nakate once more and unleashed another vicious kick, this time to his back. A sickening crack echoed through the air as his bones shattered.
Nakate looked around. In the distance, he saw a shifting blob of darkness—Cole's body barely visible within it, barely holding on. Nearby, Lix was collapsed on the ground, clutching her side as she struggled to heal herself.
'Why? Just why… Why do I have to save all of these people? They're more experienced than me, stronger than me—but they're all useless. So why am I the only one who can stand against a Megalodaunt?'
"Why? Just why... Why is it on me to save these people? They're more experienced, stronger, yet utterly useless. Why am I the only one standing against a Megalodaunt?"
"Why am I the one forced through this?! What the hell did I do to deserve this?!"
'Why can't someone else save me. Please, let me rest... Even a little. I can't.'
'All I did was go to a store. Then suddenly I was in a desert. Out of nowhere, a city. I went with two people who I thought could help—and watched them die. I was burnt alive. I drowned. And now, somehow, I'm still breathing, just to be killed by some soulless shark-coral mutant.'
'I just want to go home. I miss them—my family, my friends, my life. I miss the boring life I had! It was all ripped away for no reason, and I'm supposed to just... accept that? Accept that my life is gone?'
"I... I really don't have a choice. No other choice but to fight until you kill me—"
"—or I kill you."
Nakate rushed forward, his storm-enchanted dagger glowing with crackling purple lightning. The Megalodaunt swung one of its massive claws at him, but Nakate parried the strike, using the force of the blow to leap onto its arm. He ran up the creature's limb, closing the distance to its head.
In retaliation, the Megalodaunt fired a spray of sharp coral needles. They tore into Nakate's body, but he didn't stop. Gritting his teeth, he pushed through the pain and drove his dagger into the creature's eye.
With a sharp pull, he yanked the blade free, then rolled down the Megalodaunt's face and slid along its back, dragging the dagger deep through its coral-plated spine. Dark blue blood spurted from the gash.
Roaring in fury, the monster whipped around and lashed out with a devastating kick. Nakate barely dodged, countering with a clean slash that severed the creature's leg entirely.
Taking advantage of the opening, Nakate launched himself forward and plunged the dagger into the Megalodaunt's stomach. The storm enchantment flared, an electric blast erupted from within, crackling violently inside the beast. Finally finishing it off.
With bright white light erupting from the monster's body, Nakate finally got a few seconds to rest, only to be interrupted by a deep burrowing sound coming from the ground beneath him.