Chapter 25: Innocent Victims

"Ranger! I’ll fight you to the end!"

Zhenjiao’s voice was utterly devoid of emotion, and Tiga’s imposing figure turned as well, his cold, prideful gaze fixed on Dagon.

“Come on, then!”

But Dagon only shook his head, a strange smile spreading across his fish-like face.

Tiga’s strength was simply overwhelming. Even though they were both classified as A+, Tiga could face both Dagon and Hydra, who were also A+, without showing any weakness. He could even defeat Hydra with ease.

No matter how desperately Dagon fought, it would be futile.

But—

“Let’s die together!!!”

Dagon’s entire body swelled up like a toad filling with air, violent surges of energy rippling within him. The colliding forces churned inside, waiting only for a single trigger to set off the explosion.

An A+-level self-detonation was no less powerful than a nuclear blast.

Even Zhenjiao’s voice wavered as he urgently shouted toward Tetsuya, “Get out of here, now!”

Tetsuya had been watching the battle from afar, already disturbed by the sudden, bizarre turn of events. At Zhenjiao’s warning, he wasted no time—his massive form immediately turned to flee.

But he had only just begun to move when a tremendous shockwave erupted from Dagon’s location, the explosion so intense it churned the sea into chaos. From the surface, one would see the entire ocean boiling, then violently erupting, with jets of water shooting a hundred meters into the air.

On the seafloor, the blast spread even farther, its force vastly surpassing that of an underwater volcano. It was as if a nuclear bomb had been detonated on the ocean bed—mountain ranges were leveled, the sea floor within a thousand-mile radius flattened completely. Waves surged outward, the surface splitting apart, and every fish and marine creature caught within vanished in an instant.

Jilokas hadn’t managed to escape far enough, and was instantly caught in the cataclysmic blast. The raging energy tore through everything, striking Jilokas’s body in a heartbeat. Darkness spilled in all directions, and the energy timer on his chest flashed an urgent red. Tetsuya’s mind went blank, his thoughts frozen.

But Tiga reacted differently. The instant the explosion began, his body tensed—and a brilliant surge of light poured down upon him.

As the shockwave reached him, Tiga vanished from his spot in a flash.

Tiga’s teleportation!

When the blast had subsided, Tiga darted back from a distance, Zhenjiao’s gaze sweeping the surroundings. There was no trace of Tetsuya; it seemed Jilokas’s massive body had been obliterated in the explosion as well.

A strange sensation welled up in Zhenjiao’s chest—not sorrow, but a peculiar, unsettled feeling.

Perhaps having no heart was a blessing—no grief, no pain, no guilt.

His cold gaze swept over all living beings, emotions as unmoving as those of a sage.

Suddenly, Zhenjiao let out a loud, roaring cry, though he didn’t know why—just an expression of his stifled unease.

Without lingering, Tiga’s enormous form soared away, speeding toward Queen Monella.

Queen Monella was a colossal presence, her body stretching two hundred and fifty-eight meters—fully five times Tiga’s size. Her appearance was bizarre, resembling a gigantic, oddly shaped coral cluster, with five tentacles, each over a hundred meters long, extending from either side of her body.

She dwelled in even deeper waters, far below the surface. Normally, her ten enormous tentacles would reach upward, making her seem almost plant-like. Yet no creature ever dared approach her—her S-class aura was simply too terrifying. Even the Doom Flying Fish kept their distance.

But now, another titanic creature stood at her side—one that looked like a mutated, monstrous nautilus, over a hundred meters tall.

Its massive, boulder-like body bore energy-absorbing tendrils. Its eyes and mouth were reversed from the human arrangement.

Its form was mostly withdrawn within its shell, whose defenses had never been breached. From the shell, enormous pincer-like tentacles extended toward Queen Monella.

Between these two beings—apex predators of their age—a battle was nearing its end.

Queen Monella’s ten tentacles had been reduced to only a few, while Gatangeir’s shell was covered in scars, with some spots broken open to reveal its vulnerable body beneath. All around them lay the wreckage of Doom Flying Fish, mingled with the corpses of Deep Divers, their bodies lifeless and strewn across the sea—a carpet of death so dense there was no place left to land. Crimson blood stained the ocean floor, carried away by the currents.

At that moment, Tiga’s powerful form arrived, the heavy stench of blood thick in the water, turning it red. Tiga’s gaze swept the area, seeing only a few Doom Flying Fish feebly swimming in the distance.

As for the Deep Divers, it was clear that with Dagon and Hydra dead, they had lost their advantage and been hunted down here by the Doom Flying Fish.

From afar, Gatangeir and Queen Monella’s forms were already visible, and Tiga quickened his pace. Zhenjiao felt no real confidence in eliminating these two once and for all. In truth, S-class creatures were nearly impossible to destroy; most simply slumbered when defeated.

All Tiga needed to do was defeat them.

The closer he drew to the battlefield of the two S-class monsters, the fewer Doom Flying Fish remained. The entire seabed looked as if it had been trampled—mountains overturned, trenches filled—their battle had reshaped the undersea world.

The first to notice Tiga was Gatangeir, who turned in shock to face him, its thunderous voice echoing underwater.

“Ranger, why have you come here?”

Queen Monella was already near her limits. Though the Doom Flying Fish had won, she was not so fortunate. Gatangeir’s shell granted it overwhelming advantage; she could barely scratch its thick armor.

But seeing Tiga arrive filled her with hope.

“Ranger, let’s join forces and finish it!” Queen Monella called out urgently.

“Oh… heh…” Zhenjiao gave a silent, cold laugh, then replied, “So be it!”

Yet in his heart, he thought, First I’ll help Monella take down Gatangeir—then I’ll deal with Monella herself.

With that, all four of the Old Ones would be vanquished by his hand.

“Ranger! This isn’t your fight!” Gatangeir cried in panic. He had almost won after untold effort, and Tiga’s arrival threatened to overturn everything.

Tiga’s gaze locked onto Gatangeir, vast dark energy gathering in his hands, and Zhenjiao’s icy voice rang out:

“Gatangeir… since you refuse to sleep beneath the continent of Mu, then slumber forever in these seas near R’lyeh!”

But in his heart, another sentence remained unspoken:

“Queen Monella… as for you, it’s best if you disappear for good!”