The wind tore across my face as Lilith and I sprinted through the soaked, metallic ruins of the coastline. The sky was a toxic gray, lit only by flickering lanterns half-buried in the sand. Behind us came the shrieks—wet, warping, wrong.
A whole swarm of overgrown blue flowers uprooted themselves, twisting into grotesque, sinewy shapes. Petals peeled back like teeth. Tendrils writhed where roots should be.
Seaborn. Lots of them.
[Adam]: I told you NOT to let them see you! But NOOO, you just HAD to touch the weird glowing flower!
Lilith kept running, boots splashing through ankle-deep water, her expression simultaneously guilty and annoyed.
[Lilith]: In my defense, it looked interesting!
A distorted howl echoed behind us as one of the Seaborn dragged itself over a broken shipping crate, its spines twitching in agitation. The entire horde surged forward, drawn by the scent of spilled blood and the corpse Lilith had—purely accidentally—turned into seawater mist.
[Adam]: Interesting? You killed one of them, and now every cousin in a three-mile radius wants our souls!
[Lilith]: Oh, come on, that was barely my fault! It lunged at me!
Another blue-petaled monstrosity burst from the tide beside us, forcing me to duck and swing Crescent Rose in a sharp arc. The blade hissed, cutting through the watery flesh. The creature burst like a balloon full of bioluminescent ink.
The others shrieked louder.
Great. That definitely made it worse.
[Adam]: We need to reach the rendezvous point before they surround us!
Lilith's eyes glowed brighter, her wings twitching as she forced herself not to take flight.
[Lilith]: Then run faster!
Behind us, more Seaborn clawed their way out of the surf—dozens of them—blue, glistening, twisted, and sprinting on too many limbs. Their shrieks bounced off the corroded ship hulls around us like a choir of drowning nightmares.
I skidded to a halt just long enough to draw Lawbreaker and Lawbringer. The runes Vlad had carved into the metal were still glowing a deep molten orange, pulsing like a heartbeat.
[Adam]: Alright, you eldritch seafood—time to get cooked.
The moment my fingers wrapped around the grips, the enchantments kicked in:
[Mending II] — the guns repaired themselves between shots.
[Power Shot V] — every bullet hit like a truck with rocket boosters.
[Inferno II] — anything solid turned into fire, and anything not solid regretted it.
[Fast Hand IV] — my arms moved faster than I could think.
[Infinite I] — bottomless magazines. Bless Vlad forever.
I pulled both triggers.
The little revolvers roared with fire.
A continuous stream of bullets poured out—far too fast for anything their size should allow—ripping into the Seaborn horde. Everything they touched ignited instantly, blue petals twisting into blackened ash before they even hit the ground.
Lilith shielded her face from the heat.
[Lilith]: ADAM! Those are revolvers, not anti-air turrets!
[Adam]: Then why do they WORK like anti-air turrets?! Lilith knew this, a wise man by the name of Todd said It just works.
Only to evaporate when a burst from Lawbreaker caught it midair.
The tide of monsters hesitated, hissing, screeching, recoiling from the wall of fire.
But only for a moment.
From the deep fog, a MUCH larger silhouette began to rise… shifting, towering, humming with a sound like a whale song dying slowly.
Lilith's eyes widened.
That's not a normal Seaborn.
The water around it boiled.
Vlad gave me machine-gun revolvers…
But not a tutorial for that thing.
Lilith grabbed my wrist.
[Lilith]: RUN. NOW.
We sprinted under the crumbling cliffside, sand spraying behind us as the giant Seaborn's roar shook the ground. Pebbles rained down. The ocean seemed to tremble as hordes of Seaborn ran at us.
I skidded to a stop and threw my bag open.
[Adam]: Alright—Plan Blocky Stupidity, activate!
[Lilith]: What?
I didn't answer. I pulled out stacks of stone blocks—compressed, enchanted, Minecraft-grade reality nonsense—and started placing them with rapid-fire clicks.
Stone appeared as fast as I could slap it down.
clack-clack-clack-clack-clack
A pillar rose beneath our feet, lifting us away from the shoreline inch by inch.
Lilith grabbed onto my arm as the tower swayed.
[Lilith]: Adam—ADAM—this is not a stable structure!
[Adam]: I'm panicking! Panic building is my SUPERPOWER!
Beneath us, the giant Seaborn dragged itself onto the beach. Its form was wrong—half fish, half coral, half nightmare—with too many glowing eyes pulsing like lighthouses gone mad.
The entire structure jolted violently, nearly throwing us off.
Lilith clung tighter.
[Lilith]: WHY ARE YOU BUILDING STRAIGHT UP?!
[Adam]: Because Todd said—THE MAN SAID— It. Just. Works!
The Seaborn roared—loud enough that the pillar cracked halfway.
Lilith's voice dropped to a deadpan whisper.
[Lilith]: You are going to get us killed. With blocks.
[Adam]: Hey, it's either this or let Fish-Cthulhu down there chew my face off!
The monster slammed into the cliffside again, chunks of stone falling around it.
Lilith's eyes narrowed with sudden realization.
[Lilith]: It's climbing.
I paused.
[Adam]: …What do you mean it's climbing?
She pointed down.
Two of the creature's massive, webbed claws were digging into the cliff wall, hauling it upward like some aquatic horror version of a rock climber.
[Adam]: Oh, COME ON! You're supposed to stay on the ground! Respect the META, damn it!
Lilith looked at me with grave seriousness.
[Lilith]: We need a new plan. A good one. Preferably, one that doesn't involve gravity deciding our fate.
I holstered the revolvers, stared at the rising monstrosity…
…and smirked. As I took out some TNT.
[Adam]: New plan. We drop the whole cliff on it.
Lilith went pale—paler than usual, considering she was already half-glowing in stress mode.
She pointed at my leg, voice almost squeaking.
[Lilith]: Don't. Look. Down.
Naturally, I looked down.
And instantly regretted every life choice that led to this moment.
A cluster of slick, blue tentacles had wrapped around my ankle—thin, spined, pulsing with faint bioluminescence. They twitched eagerly.
…THIS IS BAD.
[Lilith]: Understatement of the century.
I have seen TOO MUCH ANIME to let this play out.
A sharp yank nearly pulled me off the pillar.
[Lilith]: It's dragging you off—CUT them!
I kicked, but the tentacles held firm, slithering higher.
[Adam]: OH NO YOU DON'T! I know EXACTLY what comes after this step in every cursed animation ever— AND I REFUSE!
The Seaborn below let out a gurgling roar, the tentacles snapping tighter—like it was offended I'd spoiled its evil plan.
Lilith grabbed my arm, anchoring me while I reached for my weapons.
[Lilith]: ADAM—NOW would be a GREAT time to shoot something!
I tried to pull out Lawbreaker—
—but one of the tentacles SLAPPED it out of my hand with a wet splat.
[Adam]: DID IT JUST—?! It just DISARMED me!
[Lilith]: Focus!
I grit my teeth, reached into my pack again—
—and this time pulled out something far more stupid.
A block of TNT, fizzing faintly.
Lilith's expression twisted into sheer horror.
[Lilith]: Adam. Adam no. Not while the tentacle is STILL ATTACHED to you!
[Adam]: Lilith, listen. If we're going down, we're taking this hentai reject WITH us.
[Lilith]: Adam—
But it was too late.
The fuse was already hissing.
The giant Seaborn below paused…
as if realizing its plan had backfired catastrophically.
[Adam]: NEW PLAN! We blow up the cliff, the tentacle, the monster—AND WE HOPE WE LAND SOMEWHERE SOFT!
[Lilith]: This is the worst plan we've ever— fine. I'll stabilize the fall.
The TNT dropped.
The world lit up white.
The TNT shockwave punched the sky.
Stone, dust, and chunks of the cliff spun around as gravity seized my ankles and yanked me downward.
The seaborn giant roared—a sound like a ship's hull tearing in half—just as the collapsing rockface smashed into its shoulder. Its tendrils thrashed wildly, sweeping entire swarms of lesser monstrosities into the foaming waters below.
I fell through the chaos, revolvers already in hand.
Every instinct screamed brace, shield, survive, but I did none of those things.
I aimed. And grinned. And yelled it.
[Adam]: LEEEEROOOOOY JEEEEEENKINS!
The revolvers spat fire mid-fall, twin blasts tearing through the air. Potions of Harming II strapped to my chest shattered in a perfect storm, releasing clouds of corrosive energy that singed everything that dared approach. The smaller seaborn screamed, its limbs flailing as it tried to dodge the avalanche of rock and fire.
Lilith's voice pierced the chaos.
[Lilith]: ADAM! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!
I didn't answer. Didn't have time. Every shot, every vial, every movement was instinct, adrenaline, chaos incarnate. The giant's tendrils whipped past me, missing by inches, while my coat whipped violently in the wind, snagging on jagged stone as I twisted to line up the next perfect shot.
The seaborn giant swung an arm, trying to crush the falling debris—and me—but I rolled in mid-air, landing a glancing hit with Lawbreaker that sent a searing line of fire across its armored carapace. Sparks and molten seawater hissed as my shots ignited exposed wounds.
The smaller hordes scattered, retreating from the deadly combination of TNT, revolvers, and pure insanity that rained down from above.
I landed on a jagged slab of rock still teetering in the collapse, barely catching myself, breath ragged. Below, the giant's eyes—huge, glimmering like deep-sea lanterns—fixed on me.
I grinned again, revolvers raised.
[Adam]: Round two, baby.
The fight wasn't over. Not by a long shot. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Above, the cliff continued to crumble, sending more stone tumbling toward the waters where the remaining Seaborn flailed. The battlefield was chaos incarnate, but I was alive, armed, and ready.
Lilith landed beside me, eyes wide, still holding her potions.
[Lilith]: …You're insane.
[Adam]: …And probably the only thing keeping us alive.
The giant let out a howl that shook the ocean. It was coming for me. And I was ready.
I jumped.
Straight to its face.
Revolvers blazing, screaming something between a battle cry and an unhinged laugh. The world became flashes of fire, sprays of blue gore, explosions, and way too many tentacles slapping me in places I will never emotionally recover from.
Then—
White.
Noise.
Impact.
And nothing.
[Later]
I opened my eyes to the wonderful sensation of every inch of my body being in terrible pain.
My vision swam. I blinked until things stopped doubling… then immediately wished they would start doubling again, because the scene around me looked like a crime against nature and physics.
I was lying on the cliff. Don't know how. Don't think I want to know how.
I sat up.
I was covered—absolutely drenched—in blue Seaborn blood. And tentacle bits. And possibly one whole eye. I'm not checking.
Half the sea was on fire.
Half the other half was filled with floating monster corpses.
And my health bar?
Half a heart.
Half. A. Heart.
[Adam]: …Okay. What the hell happened? Why is the ocean on fire? Why are there bodies everywhere? Why am I here? And why do I smell like someone microwaved sushi in a chemical plant—
That's when I saw her.
Lilith.
Standing three meters away.
Covered in scratches and dirt, hair a mess, breathing hard…
…and aiming a Potion of Harming at me like she expected me to get back up and start screaming LEEEROY again.
[Lilith]: Did you finally come down?
I blinked at her.
Then at the potion.
Then at her again.
[Adam]: …Lilith. Why are you aiming the murder juice at me?
She lowered the vial slightly, but only slightly.
[Lilith]: Because you—went full barbarian berserker, jumped into a giant's mouth, blew it up from the inside, punched your way out, fell fifty meters, and then crawled across the rocks laughing like a madman.
I stared at her.
I stared at the carnage.
Then at Lilith.
Then back at the carnage.
[Adam]: …That doesn't sound on-brand for me.
My voice cracked like someone trying to deny a murder charge while standing in the middle of the crime scene.
Lilith lowered the potion of harming but didn't stop aiming it in my general direction. Her expression was somewhere between worried and deeply concerned for her safety.
[Lilith]: Yeah. You think? Even your eyes changed color. Like—not just the normal "one golden, one blue" thing. The blue one is red now.
She poked at the air like she was pointing at an unstable bomb.
I blinked.
Then blinked again.
Then rubbed my eyes because that's apparently what you do when your eyeballs randomly shift their entire identity.
[Adam]: Hold on—
I pointed at my face.
[Adam]: When did my eyes color change? I remember both being blue. Perfectly normal. Standard-issue. Two matching eyeballs.
Lilith hesitated. Which was never good.
Her wings drooped a bit.
[Lilith]: It… happened after you came back from the doctor who turned you into an angel.
Then she frowned.
[Lilith]: …Wait. Did you seriously not know?
I stared at her.
She stared back.
The silence could've been cut with a spoon.
[Adam]: …No? Lilith, HOW would I know? Do you think I look in mirrors?
Lilith opened her mouth—then froze.
Behind her, a soft thump… thump… thump echoed from the shoreline below.
Something big was still alive.
Her pupils narrowed.
[Lilith]: Adam. Not to alarm you—
The cliff trembled.
A massive, mangled Seaborn limb dragged itself onto the rocks, boiling water hissing around it.
[Lilith]: —but the giant one is NOT dead.
The ground vibrated again—deep, wet, and heavy. Pebbles rolled past my boots as the Seaborn giant hauled another limb onto the broken cliffside.
A shadow loomed over us.
Lilith's wings twitched in panic.
[Lilith]: Adam—
[Adam]: Nope! Nope, nope, nope—LET US RUN BEFORE IT FINDS US!
I grabbed Lilith's hand and sprinted.
Behind us, the creature let out a warbling, gurgling roar—like a drowning whale trying to scream curses.
Chunks of cliff collapsed as it pulled itself higher.
[Lilith]: How is it STILL moving!?
[Adam]: I DON'T KNOW! MAYBE BECAUSE I HIT IT WITH TNT AND NOT A NUCLEAR WARHEAD!
Another limb slammed down just meters behind us, spraying seawater and writhing blue flesh everywhere.
Lilith nearly tripped; I yanked her forward.
[Lilith]: Adam, I swear, if we survive this—
[Adam]: COMPLAIN LATER, RUN NOW!
The creature screeched again, the sound echoing off the cliffs like a broken horn.
We bolted toward the forest edge, lungs burning, every step shattering the ground beneath us as the titan gave chase.
And for a brief, horrifying moment…
…I swear I heard it whisper my name.
[Pictures]
[Chapter end]