Chapter Eighteen: The Shattered Flying Fish

"Success!" Makado suddenly opened his eyes wide and pointed into the distance.

Tetsuya had already been watching the Ancient God. Just as the torrent of light was about to burst forth, the entire surface of the sea seemed to boil, as if countless fish were swimming just below the waves, densely packed and seemingly endless. In the blink of an eye, innumerable flying fish shot out from the ocean, crashing hard against the body of the Ancient God. These flying fish were only a dozen meters in length, but they always appeared in tightly knit schools.

The multitude of flying fish struck at the Ancient God, their pectoral fins transforming into scythe-like blades that, when they collided, inevitably left fresh wounds upon the Ancient God’s body. Individually, a single flying fish was not particularly powerful, but together, their collective assault was enough to interrupt the Ancient God’s torrent of light.

Tetsuya froze in astonishment. Makado explained, "The Reaper, Baikuhe, actually represents a species. Their forms are not enormous, but their speed is astonishing, and they always attack in swarms, striking swiftly and then retreating. They excel at harassment warfare."

Tetsuya opened his mouth, but words failed him. These were unmistakably the Cataclysmic Flying Fish that appeared in the Gaia World—a mid-tier boss, not the strongest but formidable enough. It was clear that in this era, the worlds of the Heisei Triumvirate had merged. The Ancient God, so reminiscent of Agul, and the appearance of the Cataclysmic Flying Fish, left no doubt.

With a thunderous crash, the Ancient God was sent tumbling, slammed to the ground. He crouched warily, watching these creatures, the energy blade in his palm poised to strike. Seizing this opportunity, Tilagus hurriedly fled the scene, fortunate that the Ancient God, beleaguered by the flying fish, did not pursue.

The Ancient God instead unleashed his energy blade skyward at the swarming flying fish, but their speed far exceeded his expectations. They thrived both in water and air, and in the sky, they moved with blistering velocity. Silently, the mass of flying fish evaded the energy blade with agile maneuvers.

They darted through the sky in dense clouds, as if swarms of locusts were passing overhead.

The Ancient God launched himself after them, soaring into the sky, unleashing volley after volley of energy blades.

After watching for a while, Tetsuya turned to Makado and asked, "How do you think this battle will end?"

Makado smiled. "Unless another Ancient God intervenes, the fate of this one is all but sealed."

The Ancient God’s blue, streamlined form streaked through the air as the flying fish swarmed ahead. The Cataclysmic Flying Fish moved with perfect coordination; not a single one darted off course. With their leader at the fore, despite their numbers, they moved as a single organism.

As the school of flying fish disappeared behind the clouds, the Ancient God accelerated, diving headlong into the thick, white mist. He halted cautiously, scanning the haze. Suddenly, a small group of flying fish burst forth from the clouds, streaking toward him.

Prepared for this, the Ancient God hurled his energy blade into the oncoming school. The resulting explosion filled the air with a blood-red mist, and fragments of fish rained down.

But as the Ancient God withdrew his hand, another group of flying fish swept in from behind. Their scythe-like fins slashed his body, carving deep wounds and scattering particles of light energy.

This successful strike seemed to signal the others. The cloud was suddenly alive with flying fish darting in all directions, each pass cutting into the Ancient God’s body, turning the entire cloud into a chaotic dance of shadows and blades.

Though the Ancient God was massive, his foes were countless. His energy timer swiftly shifted from a steady ocean blue to a frantic, flashing red.

Crossing his arms in an X, the Ancient God gathered his internal energy to his head. A torrent of violet-tinged light erupted, sweeping through the clouds. As he turned his head, the beam carved a circle through the mist, its shockwave dispersing the clouds. Countless Cataclysmic Flying Fish plummeted from the sky, falling like rain.

Looking around, the Ancient God nodded with grim satisfaction—yet even as he did, his blue form was violently struck aside. A giant flying fish revealed itself in midair, an oversized, bloated version of its kin, its red eyes gleaming with malice.

The giant flying fish smashed into the Ancient God, clamping its jaws onto his shoulder. Light particles spilled from the wound, and the red energy timer on the Ancient God’s chest flashed ever more urgently. The pale yellow glow in his oval eyes grew dim.

A sudden impact—another Ancient God shot down from above, adjusting his posture midair. With a powerful kick, he sent the giant flying fish hurtling away, then landed beside the blue Ancient God. Gathering light energy in his palm, he transferred it to the blue Ancient God, halting the frantic flashing of the red energy timer.

This Ancient God was slightly shorter but appeared even more robust and powerful. Red lines traced his form, emphasizing his explosive strength. The energy timer on his chest was encircled with golden patterns.

"Gaia, I don’t need your help!" the blue Ancient God snapped, turning toward Gaia without a hint of gratitude, his tone even tinged with irritation.

"Agul, you’re too reckless. If I hadn’t arrived, you might not have survived this time," Gaia retorted, accustomed to Agul’s pride.

"That is the Reaper of the Old Ones—the Cataclysmic Flying Fish, Baikuhe. Their specialty is massed assaults; more than five Ancient Gods have fallen to this swarm already. And you’ve only encountered a fraction of their full numbers. Drag this out any longer, and you’ll be following in their footsteps."

As Gaia spoke, he intercepted the charging giant flying fish, flinging it away with a surge of strength.

Agul’s gaze was cold and resentful. Without another word, he left Gaia behind and pursued the giant flying fish into the sky.