A chilling silence fell over the entire arena. The previously turbulent lake surface seemed to have been dampened.
The competitors in the other canoes, who had been busy crashing into each other, froze in their movements, staring in astonishment at the canoe that had been effortlessly split in two and the black monster that slowly retracted its giant axe, returning to its original form, and licked its lips as if still savoring the moment.
It was unclear who was the first to let out a frightened breath. The next instant, as if by prior agreement, the two other canoes that had attempted to approach the "black cat" - "Crow Swarm" and "Red Death" - acted as if they had seen a ghost.
The helmsmen frantically spun their wheels, and the rowers panicked, paddling backward to create as much distance as possible between themselves and the treacherous waters. Their faces were etched with fear, seeming to say, "We're out, you have fun on your own.
" For a moment, a menacing no-man's land emerged around the "black cat." "Wow," Vic exclaimed, gazing at Venom, his voice filled with newfound admiration.
"Dude, you're a master at cutting wood." Venom snorted proudly, his large white eyes narrowing.
"Next time, we can try splitting something harder." Wednesday took a deep breath, forcing herself to recover from the simple yet brutal visual shock.
She glanced at the opponents who had given them a wide berth and the "Golden Beetle" in front, which seemed to be gaining speed as well.
"The target remains unchanged," her voice returned to its icy calm, although a keen listener might detect a tightly suppressed hint of...
excitement? "Full speed ahead. Let's go." The "black cat" shot forward like a black arrow released from all restraints, cutting through the water, heading straight for the yellow patch.
Venom seemed completely thrilled by the feeling of cutting through wood - and canoes - and was in a state of high excitement. His large white eyes sparkled with a wild light as he suddenly poked Vic with a tentacle, his voice filled with excitement at finding a new toy: "Hey, buddy!
Can I use... use that? Right now! The perfect mood!" Vic was taken aback for a moment, then, as if a switch had been flipped, a manic grin spread across his face, his eyes sparkling with the same light as Venom's.
"Oh! Great idea! You're a genius!" He laughed, his voice somewhat hoarse from the lake wind.
"If not now, when?" Venom growled with enthusiasm, his massive body writhing like a bag of black tricks.
The next instant, several black spherical objects "spat" out from within him, landing firmly in the palm of his outstretched hand.
He coiled some of his tentacles and, with enthusiasm, inserted the remaining ones into Vic's arms. "Hey! Girls! Want some? Let's play together!" He even "politely" asked the petrified Wednesday and Enid, shaking the black balls menacingly in his hand.
Enid's hair stood on end! A chill of fear as cold as ice shot down her spine to the crown of her head!
Hand grenades?! Even for a "no-rules" competition, this was overkill!
Were they trying to blow up the entire Black Lake?! "Don't worry ~" Vic, as if seeing through their terror, explained with a casual tone, like talking about the weather, while deftly pulling a small pin from one of the black balls.
"Homemade! Cocoa powder, potassium nitrate, sugar... and a bit of my secret ingredient! Very, very low yield! Just like a big firecracker! Mainly for bang, to scare people..." Even before he finished speaking, his arm swung in a standard throwing motion - Oh my god - BOOM!!!
The black ball traced a beautiful arc, landing on the water's surface less than five meters behind the "Red Death." Immediately after, a dull yet highly intimidating roar erupted!
A thick column of water shot into the sky, reaching a height of two or three meters. The murky lake water flowed down like a heavy rain, soaking everyone on the "Red Death," who screamed in terror.
Their rowing movements became completely distorted, and the canoe began to wildly spin on the water. Vic and Venom tilted their heads in unison, observing the effect.
"Seems the potassium nitrate ratio was a bit too high?" Vic scratched his chin.
"Perfect!" Venom roared with enthusiasm.
"That was the right kick!" "I didn't see anything 'low yield' about that at all!!!" Enid finally found her voice, shrieking while crying.
Wednesday's expression could no longer be described as icy; it was a dead silence on the verge of unleashing destructive power. Her fingers gripped the steering oar tightly, the joints emitting a faint cracking sound from the tension.
The explosion was stronger than the military-grade hand grenades Enid used for fishing in the lake outside the palace. Could a small workshop have achieved this?
She wanted to stop it, but it was too late. Venom and Vic, having received their "permission" and "boost," were like two huskies caught up in a chaotic carnival, unleashing mayhem.
"Watch this!" Vic exclaimed.
"Hahaha! Over there! 'Crow Swarm'! Give them a heavenly bath!" Venom roared, as they started hurling grenades one by one.
"Take this! Depth charge of chocolate flavor!" Vic yelled, tossing another grenade.
BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM!!! The surface of the lake seemed to be under intense bombardment.
Water columns erupted one after another, with deafening explosions and murky water churning as if boiling. The competitors became completely unhinged.
This was no longer a competition; it was a reenactment of the Normandy landing. The instinct to survive flooded their desire to win.
Every boat that could still move gathered every ounce of strength, paddling frantically away from the "black cat" crew with record-breaking speed.
Their faces no longer held a competitive focus, but pure, primal fear of the two maniacs behind them and their monster, who could conjure weapons out of thin air. "They're all crazy!" a crew member from "Crow Swarm" shrieked, crying while paddling for his life.
"I'm done with this competition! I quit! Mom, save me!" The entire arena descended into total chaos.
Order disappeared, leaving only the sounds of explosions, wailing, and Vic and Venom's increasingly enthusiastic laughter. Meanwhile, in the distant spectator stands, the deafening cheers and screams had long since disappeared without a trace.
All the spectators, including the teachers and Principal Larissa Weems, had fallen into a terrifying and deadly silence. People stared with their mouths agape, shocked by the war-like scene unfolding on the lake: the dark "black cat" crew continuously firing "shells," water columns erupting around them, and other boats rushing to seek shelter.
Many faces were expressionless, filled only with confusion and surprise. This...
had far exceeded the bounds of "no rules." It was merely...
a performance of... terrorist proportions?
Principal Larissa stood on the observation platform, her gray-silver eyes slightly narrowing as she gazed at the central boat causing the chaos. Her face was expressionless, and no one could guess what she was thinking at that moment.
Only a slight tightening of the corners of her mouth betrayed the extremely subtle emotion that could be called... a headache.
On the "black cat" boat, Vic pulled another pin, eagerly targeting the yellow spot in front – Bianca's "Golden Beetle" – which was also accelerating in panic due to sheer terror.
"Hey, Captain!" Vic looked back at Wednesday, his face beaming with childish, pure joy of destruction.
"Next target?" Wednesday gazed at the chaos they had created, at their opponents crying for their parents, then at Vic's grinning face full of "praise me" and the enthusiastic Venom beside him.
She remained silent for two seconds. Then, she issued her new command, slowly, coldly, and clearly: "Aim better. Don't waste ammunition."