The moment the Void Orga emerged from the abyss, a powerful shockwave blasted through the cavern, shattering Merlin’s silence spell.
Then came the scream.
It was not a sound but a force—an all-encompassing vibration that tore through the air, rattling bones and shaking the very walls of the cave.
Merlin dropped instantly.
His body convulsed as his eyes rolled back, blood seeping from his ears, nose, and the corners of his mouth. He barely had time to gasp before losing consciousness, collapsing against Seraphine’s arms like a puppet with its strings cut.
Even Yun Jin and Reva felt it—an unnatural force reverberating through their very organs. It wasn't just sound; it was raw, destructive frequency, shaking them from the inside out.
If we take another hit of that, we're done.
"I don’t have time to deal with you!" Yun Jin gritted his teeth, eyes darting toward Merlin’s limp form. His little companion was unconscious, his body barely clinging to life. He couldn't let this drag out.
[Aura Surge] flared to life, amplifying his speed as he shot toward the closest Mutated Abyssal Mermaid.
[Mana Eyes] activated instantly.
He could see it—every weakness, every unstable core.
Light Blade Sovereign Style: Sixth Form—Starlight!
His blade became a blur, piercing through all three of the monster’s mana circuits in a single rapid succession. Its structural integrity collapsed in an instant.
One down.
But it didn’t end there.
The [Elder Abyssal Mermaid] raised its staff, and the remains of the fallen creature trembled—flesh and ichor rippling as they merged into another abomination. The still-living Mutated Abyssal Mermaid fighting Reva was pulled into the mass, its body forcibly consumed into something even more grotesque.
The new monstrosity barely held itself together, its rotting flesh dripping from its own malformed body. Its multiple mouths screamed without pause, its arms extending into grotesque, pulsing limbs that lashed out at Reva in an overwhelming flurry.
Seraphine gritted her teeth, forcing herself to maintain focus.
"I can only focus my healing on one person at this rate! I’m sorry!"
"Then focus on them," Yun Jin said, his voice firm. "I’ll handle this myself."
His gaze snapped toward the [Elder Abyssal Mermaid] and the towering [Baby Void Orga] under it, now eerily still.
The moment their eyes locked, the Orga’s own massive, glowing red eyes flashed—its body stiffening as the Elder exerted its influence.
It was controlling it.
[Mana Eyes] revealed everything.
The connection between them was incomplete. The Elder had forcibly rooted itself into the Orga’s breathing hole, leeching from its very life force to establish dominance.
If Yun Jin could create an opening, the Orga would finish the Elder itself.
But the Elder saw through him.
The moment Yun Jin's gaze flickered with understanding, the Elder’s expression twisted.
It screamed.
And the Void Orga screamed with it.
A soundless, massive pulse of destructive vibration burst outward, obliterating the coral under Yun Jin’s feet. He barely dodged, the attack missing him by a hair’s breadth—but the sheer force carved through the terrain like a blade.
A single direct hit would rupture his organs instantly.
I need to be faster. This thing is built to fight in an open space, but we’re underground. If I can use the terrain…
The Elder wasn’t reckless. Despite wielding the overwhelming power of the Orga, it didn’t rush in. Instead, it maneuvered carefully, subtly herding Yun Jin into a corner.
He didn’t even realize it at first.
But he was running out of room.
The Elder had lived in this cavern for an eternity. It knew every twist, every dead-end—
And Yun Jin was walking straight into one.
The light around him dimmed as he moved further from the others, until only his [Aura Blade] remained to illuminate his surroundings.
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Shit.
Blast after blast tore through the air, each getting closer. The Orga’s movements grew more coordinated, its attacks sharper—
And then he saw it.
A solid, unscalable dead-end.
The Elder’s crystalline eye gleamed as it let out a final, triumphant shriek.
The Void Orga’s mouth opened, energy gathering within—
And Yun Jin had nowhere left to run.
The Elder had made one mistake.
It assumed he would run.
[Ice Conjuring]—instant. A dozen ice swords materialized mid-air, launching toward the Elder.
It flinched.
For the first time, the Orga’s attack faltered.
And that was all he needed.
Yun Jin exhaled. His sword pulsed with Qi.
He condensed his energy—not into a crescent blade, but into a singular, piercing line. He had studied Kravtsov’s lightning ray, combined it with his own condensed strikes—
And made it his own.
Light Blade Sovereign Style: Fifth Form—Moon Piercer!
A blinding beam shot forward, slicing through the Elder’s forehead by mere millimeters.
But it was enough.
A hairline fracture appeared in its crystal.
And then—
It shattered.
A surge of mana erupted from the wound as the Void Orga convulsed violently, smashing itself against the walls, the ceiling, the floor.
The cavern trembled under its raw power.
Yun Jin’s eyes narrowed. That thing could kill me in one hit.
He needed another shot.
But aiming a long-range attack without an opening was nearly impossible for him. His swordsmanship was precise, but he lacked experience in ranged combat.
He had to wait.
The Elder twitched, its fractured gem leaking mana uncontrollably. With an agonized expression, it yanked the remaining shard from its forehead, black ichor spraying from the wound.
Then, with shaking hands—
It shoved the gem into the Orga’s skull.
The Orga’s body spasmed, its massive, whale-like form distorting as its eyes flashed red once more. Black tears dripped from its sockets as its very body began to melt, its form fusing grotesquely with what remained of the Elder.
For a moment, its control flickered. The two entities struggled for dominance—
Yun Jin took his chance.
Light Blade Sovereign Style: First Form—Arc Lightning!
He dashed, blade aimed directly for the parasite-infested gem.
The Orga tilted its head—
And blocked his strike.
Its skin was too dense. Oily, reinforced, protected by a thin magical barrier.
He couldn’t cut through.
Gritting his teeth, Yun Jin grabbed onto the cracked gem, forcing his Qi into it to try and shatter it from within—
But the Orga went berserk.
It slammed him against the coral wall. Then again. And again. Each impact sent waves of pain through his body, making it impossible to strike.
Then it suddenly stopped—
And hurled him.
Yun Jin barely had time to react before his body was flung violently across the chamber. He stabbed his sword into the ground to slow his momentum, but his grip trembled from the sheer force.
And the Orga was already charging again.
Its massive maw opened wide, prepared to swallow him whole.
[Aura Surge]!
Yun Jin barely dodged, but his sword wasn’t so lucky.
Steel crunched between the Orga’s teeth, his weapon reduced to scrap metal in an instant.
Yun Jin landed, immediately opening his system menu—
[System offline. Cannot connect to server.]
His stomach sank.
Shibai!
His hands clenched.
No sword. Almost out of Qi.
The Orga was overwhelming. Its strength was beyond anything he could physically cut through.
Unless—
His mind raced.
What is its weakness?
He needed to break the gem. But he had no weapon that could pierce it.
Unless he didn’t need a weapon.
Yun Jin exhaled sharply.
Merlin’s words echoed in his mind.
"Mental attacks manifest through the force of one's ego, imposing it onto another."
The Elder had done it so many times.
Which meant—he could too.
He stopped running.
The Orga lunged.
At the last moment, Yun Jin jumped, twisting mid-air—
And grabbed the gem on its forehead.
[You have learned a new skill: Mind Attack (Rank D)]
Darkness consumed his vision.