I swim forward so that I could thrust Coinchenn with my spear. He puts both his hands forward. I see a shock wave or whatever-it-is attack coming, so I swim backward instead. He claps his hand, and I feel a vibration at the spot I was at a second ago. Thankfully, the attack has a short range, so it didn’t hit me. I’m really glad that we’re inside the aquatic sphere. Moving around while you’re being submerged is so much easier compared to dry land when you don’t have to worry about lack of oxygen or getting flattened by water pressure.

Curruid tries to punch Coinchenn, but the latter gave him a kick to the face which made him fly backward. Coinchenn was about to do something to Curruid until I intervened. He settles with trying to kick me on the stomach. The kick didn’t connect as I block it with my spear. He then tries to pierce me with his icicles. I dodge two and blocked three with my spear.

While I was distracted, Coinchenn leans back and inhales deeply. Whatever he was planning to do, Curruid foiled it by kicking his stomach from above. The kick made Coinchenn propel downwards. He almost reached the edge, but managed to avoid going out of the sphere and into the dangerous Styx water.

On a side note, I’ve already flushed out the black smoke and the fishmen Coinchenn summoned. There’s only the three of us inside the sphere right now.

Curruid and I swim forward to engage him. Instead of fighting us head-on, Coinchenn chops off his right arm with his left hand.

The arm floats away like the detached limb that it is. Lots of blood come out from both joints. As I have half-expected, Coinchenn grows a new arm in an instant. Blood veins appear from the severed arm like tentacles, and they quickly and surely turn into a human form. Five seconds later, the blood veins became another Coinchenn. It’s even in his partially transformed form.

‘Let me guess. One of your friend was able to do this?’ I ask Curruid with my mind.

‘Indeed.’

I didn’t bother to ask the name of the sea monster who had this ability. It’s probably a mouthful, and I won’t be able to memorize it. Besides, I have a bigger problem right now. Or should I say problems.

‘You take the one on the right. I’ll take on the one on the left.’ I tell Curruid.

‘Does it really matter?’ he asks.

‘Of course it does. I’m a left-hander, remember?’

‘And?’

‘It’s a matter of principle.’

He rolls his eyes in annoyance.

‘Humans and their tendency to complicate things when there is no need for it.’ he mutters.

Of course, I have a reason for picking the one on the left. That’s the one that grow out of the limb. I want to find out whether it’s any weaker than the original. If it is, we could exploit it. There’s also a reason I request it out loud and gave Curruid a random excuse. If I asked Curruid through telepathy, Coinchenn will tell that I’m planning something. I know that I lied to Curruid, but I can’t help it. I’ll just apologize after the fight is over.

And so the fight resumes. Me against the clone Coinchenn. Curruid against the original.

Clone Coinchenn tries to give me a kick to the stomach. What a nice timing. I block the kick with my spear. Good. Compared to the kick of the original, the kick from the clone is slightly weaker. Then again, it could be acting since he’s cunning. And I better watch out for its attack that involves its right arm since it got it from the original.

As if on cue, it claws the air in front of him with its right hand. Five shock waves appear and fly towards me. I didn’t have the time to think whether I should dodge or block them. All of them travel in great speed, and they split up when they were about to reach me. Worse still, clone Coinchenn is also charging towards me like a launched torpedo. I have less than three seconds to do something before I got hurt or worse.

I raise up my spear. A small whirlpool appears with me at the middle of it. The shock waves got bounced away by the whirlpool, while clone Coinchenn halts its charge two feet away from me. I swing my spear downwards and diagonally. Its tip manages to leave a gash at its chest.

I look at the real Coinchenn. He’s not showing a single reaction despite the fact that his clone just slashed. I guess they’re not sharing a single nervous system.

Next, I use my strengthened ears to check for any heartbeats. I hear three including my own. So the clone is like a starfish that doesn’t have a heart. If I want to stop its movement, I would have to stab its head.

‘Can I trust you to finish it off?’ I hear Curruid’s voice directly inside my head.

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘As far as I know, you have zero experience in fighting another human with an intention to kill the said human being.’

‘But it’s not a human. It’s not even a real creature!’ I point out.

‘Still, it has the outlook of one.’

‘Don’t you worry. I can handle this.’ I assure firmly.

‘Good. Just make it quick. We still have the real one to deal with, after all.’

‘Of course.’

Based on how much the original was bleeding when he first split himself up, he probably couldn’t do the same thing too many times. Otherwise, he would bleed himself to death. Unless he has way more blood than he looks.

Wait a second. I still have one more thing to check on.

‘Curruid, I need you to keep the real Coinchenn busy. Like, really busy.’ I tell my partner.

‘What is this all of a sudden?’ he asks.

‘I don’t have time to explain. Just swim around as fast as you can. A quick jab, a drop kick. Whatever you do, make sure that you got his full attention.’

‘I do not understand where you are going with this, but rest assured that I will see it through.’

‘Thanks. I’m counting on you.’

I was so engrossed in communicating telepathically with Curruid I almost got hit by the clone Coinchenn’s tail whip. Thankfully, I saw the attack coming and swam backwards at the last second and managed to avoid it. I charge forward and kick its stomach. It took it without bothering to block the kick. It was then I remember that there isn’t any point in trying to hurt it since it doesn’t react to injuries and wounds, and it’s not going to affect the real Coinchenn in any way. I did it completely out of reflex.

The clone does a rapid fire of the icicles and the shock wave claws. I said rapid, but they’re not really coming at me with an insane speed, so I could more or less cope with them. Again, I’m glad that we’re underwater since moving around is much easier.

And then, there was a whole two seconds where it just stopped moving. I look at the real Coinchenn. He’s busy with fending of a rush of attacks from Curruid. As I had requested, Curruid is keeping up with his barrages of attack to distract Coinchenn. He’s doing such a good job that Coinchenn could only block the attacks by crossing his arms.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Coinchenn notices me staring at him. Immediately the clone starts moving, but it’s movements are way slower than before. Just as I thought.

‘Coinchenn is remotely controlling this clone of his.’ I tell Curruid through my mind.

‘Splendid. I will make sure that he is so occupied that he will not have the time to control his puppet.’

True to his words, Curruid did make Coinchenn so occupied that the clone isn’t moving anymore. It’s basically an empty shell now. I lift my spear above my shoulder level. I then pierce the clone’s head with it. The spear went through the head like a hot knife through a butter. Upon having its head pierced, the shell shrivels like a dry husk. Only the right arm remains intact.

However, my spear isn’t stopping. It continues to travel towards Coinchenn who’s still busy taking on Curruid. I made sure to position myself so that my it’ll reach him when I throw it, after all. I see Coinchenn noticing the spear coming at him. His eyes widen in shock. His tail was moving, so he was probably trying to swat it away with it or something. Unfortunately for him, Curruid is having none of it. Before Coinchenn’s tail could do something, Curruid’s tail which is much longer than the former, swats it down like a whip.

With the only source of interference out of commission, the tip of my spear manages to pierce Coinchenn’s right chest. Curruid wastes no time in kicking the butt of its shaft so that the tip can go even further. In fact, he kicked so hard it pierced through his chest. His right lung is definitely punctured now. Coinchenn vomits out blood form the injury. He tried to pull out the spear, but Curruid is faster. He proceeds to use his right hand and pierces Coinchenn’s left chest.

I don’t want to take any chances, so I quickly swim towards them. However, I realize that my worry was unfounded. Curruid is holding Coinchenn’s heart in his right hand. I doubt even Coinchenn could survive this.

Curruid slowly pulls out his hand, while I retrieve my spear.

‘Well, I guess this is it for me.’ Coinchenn says in a faint whisper.

Blood are trickling out of his mouth, and the crimson liquid is immediately mixed with the water around us. His right hand has shriveled up just like the clone. His face, on the other hand, is getting paler and paler by the seconds. To be honest, I’m surprised that he’s still alive even though he literally had his heart ripped out.

Curruid grunts. ‘And the score is 1-1 now.’

‘Guess we’ll never get to have a Round 3.’

‘What are you talking about? Now that you are dead, you will be a permanent resident here. We can continue our fight any time we want now, yes?’

That last question was addressed to me.

‘We’ll come and hang out every once in a while.’ I assure Coinchenn. ‘Provided that we’ll be lucky in finding the entrance every single time.’

Coinchenn slowly shakes his head. ‘There’s no need for that.’

‘Again, what are you talking about?’ Curruid asks.

‘I was, tired, you know? Back in the days, all we did were fight, and fight, and fight some more. By the time I realized, I was the only one left. It was so lonely. When I caught news of master-kun, I caused trouble on purpose in the hope that he’ll stop me. And stop me you did. Thanks.’

‘Hold on, wasn’t it because you wanted to settle the score with Curruid?’

He lets out a few coughs. More blood come out of his mouth.

‘That was part of the reason. But the main reason? I just wanted someone to end my life.’

‘...Why?’

‘Us sea creatures are literally born to fight, you know? Why else do you think that all of us are one of a kind?’

I look at Curruid.

‘Is that true?’ I ask him.

He nods in confirmation. ‘None of us had another that we could call brother or sister. Coinchenn is right. Our creator wanted us to kill each other for purposes known only to him. Peace was never an option, as we need a huge supply of food to compensate our huge appetite that comes with our body size. The only way to ensure our survival is killing other similar to us.’

‘That’s just…sad.’

Curruid lets out a sigh. ‘I agree with you. Unfortunately, there was no other way.’

‘Well, at least all of you are dead now. That means you’re released from the curse, and you guys get to live here freely.’ I say optimistically.

‘Yes, everyone except me. I am stuck with you, remember?’

‘The same goes for me too.’ Coinchenn adds.

‘Once again, you are not making any sense.’

Coinchenn points at something behind us with his left hand. We turn around. He’s pointing at his husk. Or more precisely, his right arm.

‘Take it. It’s your spoil of war. Use it and make a Regalia, just like the humans used Curruid’s bone to make your spear.’ he tells me.

‘Are you sure? If that really happens, your soul will be trapped in there just like Curruid’s.’

‘Fine by me. Between you and me, I had a hard time dealing with all the loneliness. I would really appreciate it if you would take me in.’

I look at Curruid. He shrugs.

‘Got it. I’ll be in your care after the Regalia’s finished.’ I tell Coinchenn.

He shows me a smile. He made a lot of fake expressions before, but this one is definitely genuine.

‘Like…wise…’

With that, the slight sparkle he had in his eyes were gone. Curruid reaches out his hand and closes those eyes. A few seconds later, the entire body shrivels and withers away. I turn around to check the body of the clone. Only the bones of the right hand remains.

‘I guess all of us are officially extinct now.’ Curruid mumbles.

‘Are you regretting that you didn’t call him a friend one last time before he died?’

He scoffs. ‘Why would I? It is not like we won’t be seeing each other. Now get his bones. I had enough of this place.’

‘Sure, sure.’

I swim over and grab the bony arm. Now that I have a closer look, it looks just like the arm of a human. Huh.

When I’m done, I lower the altitude of the water sphere so that we won’t clash land after I make it disappear.

‘Do you know how to get back to the real world?’ I ask Curruid once the sphere is gone.

‘I do not. Perhaps you could ask Scáthach.’

‘I wonder if she’s still at the same spot where we left her…never mind. There she is.’

Lady Scáthach is standing a few feet away from us. She’s looking over here impassively. I go to her and bow at her.

‘Do you know how I could go back to my world, Lady Scáthach?’ I ask her.

‘I do. I was the one who allowed you to come here, after all. That means I can send you back too.’

That surprised me.

‘Wait, you did? I thought it was Coinchenn.’

‘Nope. It was me. He was causing mischief, and I noticed you swimming around in the ocean of the real world without any goal. So I decided to help you out.’

‘If so, thank you very much for your assistance.’

‘You’re welcome. Now let us go. You can go by by swimming the ocean again.’

I start to follow Lady Scáthach. After a few steps, I notice that Curruid isn’t following.

‘What’s wrong?’ I ask.

‘I will remain here. Once you leave, my soul will return to my bone, anyway.’

‘Oh come on. This might be the last time we’ll be able to hang out while you’re in your human form. Don’t you want to spend as much time as possible with me?’

‘I do not! Now hurry up and get out of my sight.’

‘Don’t listen to him. He’s just bad at saying goodbyes.’ Lady Scáthach whispers at me.

‘I heard that!’

‘Well, I won’t force you if you insist. Let’s talk again sometime in my head.’ I say while waving at him.

All he did was scoff loudly and turn his head away. Smiling to myself, I follow Lady Scáthach to where I came from. On our way there, I make a piece of cloth appear and use it to wrap Coinchenn’s skeleton arm.

‘Another spear, perhaps?’ Lady Scáthach asks.

‘Definitely. I’ve used a spear for so long I pretty much can’t use any weapon now.’

She smiles at me. ‘Perhaps you could visit me again. I could teach you to wield them effectively.’

‘Thank you for your kind offer. I’ll definitely try my best to visit you someday.’

Once we reach the beach, I walk directly towards the ocean. Before I submerge, I turn around and look at Lady Scáthach. As we wave at each other, I dive into the ocean.

I don’t know how long I swam. Eventually, I reach an area of the ocean where there are underwater plants and other creatures of the sea. That’s when I know that I’m back. I swam some more before reaching the beach where Amesaki-senpai and the rest of the civil servants were. There’s no one here, and I’ve forgotten to exchange phone number with Amesaki-senpai. I can’t even call her to tell her that Coinchenn has been defeated.

‘Is really that you, Kagenashi-kun?’ a voice says.

I turn to see who spoke. It’s Motome-senpai.

‘Hello there Motome-senpai. It’s so nice to see you.’ I tell her cheerfully.

‘Where have you been? You had been gone for a week now!’

I feel my jaws drop.

‘...A week, you say?’

‘Yes. Miu was worried sick, you know? So are Sakuya and the rest of your girlfriends back in Japan. They called everyday to ask about your whereabouts.’

‘Oh man, they’re so going to kill me. I’ll call them with my phone right now. Can you call Amesaki-senpai for me please?’

‘Right away.’

I video call Sakuya. She picked up immediately. Her and everyone else were gathered at my room. I could tell because I recognize the huge kitchen of mine at the background. Needless to say, all of them were worried sick. Their relief quickly turned to anger. Even Kuromi looks extremely upset.

‘I’m sorry for worrying all of you, girls. I really am. A lot happened, you see-’ I tell them before the yelling begins.

‘Save your excuses, Akira-kun.’ Sakuya interrupts me coldly. ‘We’ll hear about them after you got back while we punish you.’

I gulp audibly. ‘Yes, ma’am.’

‘Just tell us one thing, Akira. Is the mission successful?’ Ichika asks me.

‘Ah, that. Yup. I should be able to go back soon enough.’

‘Good. We will be preparing your punishment while you are leaving Ireland.’

I let out another audible gulp. I’m in so much trouble.