"Ssssss..."
"This is Cruiser 3."
"Report the latest progress."
"Thus far... no signs of the Sea Demon."
"A month, and still not a single clue?"
"That’s right, I—wait… what the—oh, grass!"
“God…"
"Hey! What’s happening over there?"
"We, we saw a—"
BOOM!
"Ssssss…."
…
"Headquarters, this is Cruiser 2!"
"Report the situation immediately!"
"We... we just encountered something. An enormous… squid, maybe an octopus. It’s massive, horrifying!"
"How big?"
"Bigger than two blue whales put together. My god, it’s—it’s beyond comprehension!"
"We need photographic data, now!"
"We… we just hit—"
BOOM!
...
Two cruiser fleets from an undisclosed nation had sunk in rapid succession. Not a single photo made it back. All they left behind were two distorted audio recordings.
Along the coast, uneasy silence spread between countries.
"So, it’s really bigger than a blue whale? This… thing?"
"What do you think it is—a mutant giant squid?"
"No squid’s body can rival a blue whale’s, let alone double it. Maybe… some sort of prehistoric survivor?"
"Something from the Cretaceous?"
"Impossible. Nothing from that era could survive this long. Even assuming it was somehow trapped in ice, forty million years is beyond plausible."
"What if it’s some unknown, primordial species, hiding in the deep?"
"Octopus or squid… but neither could destroy two warships in an instant."
"Should we alert the GPA?"
"Already tried. But the GPA is going through a… reorganization. Resources are thin."
"So we’re on our own, then?"
At that moment, an unexpected image flickered onto their screen.
"Good morning… or perhaps good evening," came a cold, composed voice.
"I am Zero, former chief of the O5 council of Kitsune. Currently, I serve as the sole Supreme Commander."
One of the men at the table, a cigar smoldering between his fingers, leaned forward. "Kitsune, huh? I’ve heard of you. But I don’t recall extending an invitation."
Zero clasped his hands behind his back. "Forgive me if I speak plainly, gentlemen. Whatever entity lurks in your waters, rest assured, you’re not equipped to handle it."
A heavy silence fell as Zero’s words sank in.
"The Kitsune will take part in this operation," he continued, his gaze unwavering. "Of course, I’m not seeking your permission—only informing you."
The man with the cigar narrowed his eyes. "Commander Zero… just whose authority do you think you’re wielding here? Are you speaking for yourself, or is there a nation behind you?"
"If it’s the latter, we would expect a representative with actual authority to approach us."
Zero’s expression remained unmoved. "Who I represent would be… too complex for your understanding."
His tone softened, almost mocking. "I’m not here to debate. If you value your lives, pull your men from the ocean."
With that, Zero ended the transmission, leaving the stunned officials in dead silence.
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...
In the shifting void of the crack space, Mei closed her eyes, tilting her head as a sharp image filled her mind.
A dissection diagram.
Earlier, she had sent 002 on a hunt to capture blue whales, the elusive giant squid king, and other titanic sea creatures. From each of them, she meticulously extracted cells, splicing and recombining until she had forged the first iteration of the Giant Potion.
Its initial effects had not fully met her expectations. 002’s form had swelled and stretched with frightening speed, his human shape barely intact. He stood towering, almost eighty meters high and nineteen meters wide, a twisted amalgamation of forms. Slabs of flesh and scales rippled over his frame, each a canvas for strange marine life—fish, coral, sea flora, embedded and growing as if part of his body. His head had elongated, resembling a bony lizard’s skull, yet covered with a tangle of tentacles that splayed from his back, wrapping and twisting around his limbs and torso.
Countless layered mouths now occupied his head, gaping in twisted rows. The closest resemblance Mei could find was to the dread Nautilus, its form alone enough to stir terror in any creature smaller than itself. And terror was indeed an unexpected bounty.
Mei had long studied the mysteries of fear, and here, in 002’s new form, fear had evolved into a potent weapon. Those weak of will would collapse upon sight of him, unable to resist the primal terror that radiated from his hulking mass. Their bodies would seize, and their minds would unravel.
It was a discovery Mei hadn’t anticipated. 002’s transformation offered not only raw power but profound insight.
Beyond this, his original and secondary powers had undergone fierce amplification. Now, 002 could split off parts of himself, spawning advanced sub-beings. Mei named these entities Dagon, after the ancient legend. Unlike regular Fish-Men, these Dagons retained no human form, remaining locked in their grotesque, scaled state. They had powers that far outstripped the standard Fish-Man and could control the tides to a limited degree, channeling strange rituals through their abilities. Even more fascinating, they could mass-convert others into Fish-Men, bringing entire villages under their sway.
Ironically, 002 himself could not wield this tidal control. But his sheer size and presence stirred the sea into crashing waves at his every movement. His sonic abilities, too, had become colossal. Now, his echoing voice could span half the earth in a single pulse, its vibrations reaching selectively. Mei noted, impressed, that he could silence his voice for specific individuals, letting his words remain unheard by some while striking others with brutal clarity.
Even more sinister was a new trait in his sonic wave—a subtle mental disturbance. Prolonged exposure would push minds to the brink, dragging them into a spiral of delirium and despair.
These revelations filled Mei with satisfaction, and yet, to ensure she had observed every nuance, she raised her magnifying glass, scrutinizing 002 for overlooked details.
And there it was—something unexpected, something even they had missed.
Deep within the murky depths of his transformation, Mei caught a glimpse of a new awakening.
[The mysterious is stirring in the ocean.]