Siren clasped her hands in front of her stomach, her posture hesitant and shy. "Um, I'm a little nervous. Can I sing a song?"

"…No need," Chino's voice rumbled from the darkness.

Through the Kitsune's records, Chino knew precisely what Siren’s ability was—a concept-level mental contamination.

Though Chino possessed similar powers, they fell far short of being concept-level.

"007, do you recognize me?"

Siren scratched her head, her green hair swaying slightly. "Um… not really."

"You don’t recognize me, but I know you."

Chino’s tone deepened. "Your abilities are immensely tied to me. I am the origin of the sea monsters. The things in the sea are all my creations."

From the darkness, a colossal hand emerged, formed entirely of writhing tentacles. Eyes blinked and shifted across its slimy surface.

"Please, have a seat."

Siren glanced at the grotesque hand and the corners of her mouth twitched. “No, no need. I like standing. No, I like swimming.”

Chino retracted the wriggling hand. “Is that so? I heard you want to go home. Do you really wish to return to the mainland?”

Siren nodded vigorously. “Yes.”

Chino tilted his head slightly, shadows shifting as if he sat atop a massive, indistinct object. “But on land, there’s no place for us to rest.”

“It’s not just the Kitsune; even the bees reject us. You can’t go back to your familiar life.”

His golden eyes gleamed faintly. “I think you already know this deep down.”

Siren fell silent, her voice soft when she finally spoke. “But I hate water. I hate the endless sea. I hate the feeling of being directionless….”

Chino fixed his gaze on her. “But the sea keeps you away from conflict.”

“Under the ocean, you can live carefree as a fish. But the moment you step onto land, you become a monster to humans, an object to the Kitsune.”

“In this world, your space to exist is as narrow as a cage. You’ll be watched, studied, and eventually discarded when deemed useless.”

“Do you still want to return to such a vast land?”

Siren was quiet, her expression troubled.

Chino extended a single massive finger. Siren hesitated before perching on it, her tail swaying with nervous energy. Her mood darkened further.

“Don’t you have family? Someone on land you care about?”

Hearing this, Chino shook his head. “Family and friendship are but basic pleasures of life.”

“I follow in the footsteps of that Being. Evolution and rule are my only destinies.”

“You should break free from your shackles and cast aside your current obsessions. Then you’ll see that life is more than this ocean or your memories of land. There is also the vast cosmos, the endless universe.”

“One day, we will rise to the clouds and observe the cosmos.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“But first, you must survive the coming natural selection.”

Chino’s voice grew cold. “The rules of this world are immutable. The strong survive; the weak perish.”

“You might think you’re powerful, that your strength overwhelms humanity. But your might is nothing but a drop in the ocean.”

“Those who wield great power must clash. Among the many victors of this war, there will also be countless losers.”

“But if you’re strong enough, there will be only one true victor.”

Chino leaned forward slightly. “I’ve already claimed dominion over the ocean. The next step is the land. I will build a new kingdom, a new civilization, a new order on the surface.”

“Even if the biblical flood descends again, my kingdom will endure. Ocean or land, my race will replace humanity as the new intelligent species.”

“If you join me, you’ll find a place on the ocean’s throne.”

Siren hesitated, her voice uncertain. “What do you… want to do?”

Chino waved his hand, stirring massive currents in the water. “Raise a great flood to drown the continents. Like the gods of old, I will erase the life on land.”

“Of course, with your help, this process will be far easier.”

“Our first target will be Hong Kong.”

“I…” Siren began, but before she could finish, Chino frowned sharply.

His golden eyes flashed, projecting a shimmering image into the murky darkness.

The projection displayed a small fishing village where a group of Fish-Men encircled a figure with bat-like wings.

Chino’s eyes narrowed as the figure’s face became clear.

“Shino.”

His tone was sharp, cold. If Chino was not mistaken, that was the work of a vampire.

Abruptly, Chino rose. Enormous waves churned through the sea, nearly knocking Siren from her perch. She clung desperately to his massive finger.

Chino’s voice rumbled like distant thunder. “You’re truly relentless, little brother.”

...

Asia.

In a certain auction house in Hong Kong, an air of tension simmered beneath the glitz and glamour.

A man wearing a golden mask reclined in a VIP seat, his posture leisurely as his gaze swept over the golden statues displayed below. A smirk tugged at his lips, his aura radiating both wealth and mystery.

Behind him, a group of women whispered among themselves, their curiosity barely contained.

“Who is this guy?” one murmured.

“Not sure,” another replied, glancing at his extravagant attire. “But he’s really rich.”

Their hushed conversation was cut short as the door to the VIP room was suddenly and violently kicked open.

BAM!

Several men in black suits and sunglasses stormed in, their hands gripping firearms with practiced precision.

The man wearing the golden mask turned his head slowly, unfazed by the intrusion. His voice was calm, almost mocking. “If you’re the police, I hope you’re aware of one thing.”

Before anyone could respond, he moved.

The man’s attack was swift, but the leader of the intruders was faster. With an almost inhuman reflex, the suited man caught the golden-masked figure mid-strike, slamming him to the ground with brutal efficiency.

Yet, as his body hit the floor, the man wearing the golden mask laughed—a low, chilling sound.

His hand shot out, grabbing the leader by the wrist. The moment their skin made contact, the suited man froze, his body convulsing as a shimmering gold hue spread across his flesh.

In seconds, the leader’s entire form had been transformed into a solid gold statue.

“Naive,” the man in the golden mask hissed.

Bang!

A gunshot shattered the tension, the sound echoing in the confined space. The bullet struck the golden mask directly, sending a sharp crack through the air.

The women screamed, their voices shrill and panicked.

The man’s body stiffened, blood seeping through the cracks in the mask. His smirk faltered as he crumpled, lifeless, to the floor.

The room fell silent save for the muffled sobs of the women.

One of the intruders stepped forward, his movements precise and calculated. Without a word, he removed the golden mask, revealing the pale, lifeless face beneath.

Carefully, the mask was placed into a reinforced box, sealed with quiet efficiency.

They were Kitsune operatives—B-level agents tasked with retrieving Ancient Artifacts from the sea.

One by one, they began clearing the room. The gilded corpse was carried away, the man’s transformation serving as both a warning and a trophy. The women were subdued and escorted out, their fates uncertain.

“Retrieval successful,” one operative muttered into a comms device, slinging a bag over his shoulder as he headed toward the door.

But before he could leave, something shifted in the shadows.

With a sickening squelch, a claw emerged from the darkness, piercing through his throat in an instant.

Splat!

The operative dropped, blood pooling at his feet as chaos erupted.

The remaining agents spun toward the source, guns raised, but it was already too late.

From the pitch-black corners of the room, countless tentacles slithered forth, their slick surfaces glinting ominously in the dim light.

They struck with precision, each tentacle piercing the chests of the Kitsune soldiers like spears.

Splat. Splat. Splat!

In seconds, the elite team lay crumpled on the floor, their blood mingling with the fine carpet.

“…It’s the Dagon Alliance,” one dying operative rasped, his voice barely audible before his life ebbed away.