Tetsuo was slumped deep into his chair, completely out cold, his head tilted back and his arms hanging loose at his sides as if the world had simply shut off around him. The quiet hum of the private room carried on without him, the low light casting long shadows across the table as Shunjiro, Itsuki, and Yoshinori continued their conversation with Vil. The mood had settled into something calm after everything that had been discussed, the weight of Shunjiro’s situation still present but no longer suffocating, replaced instead by a quieter understanding between them all.

It was Yoshinori who finally broke that calm.

He didn’t raise his voice or shift dramatically, but his eyes moved toward the door, then back to the table, his expression tightening just slightly as a thought settled in. “They’ve been gone for a while,” he said.

Shunjiro blinked, his mind taking a second to catch up. “Who?”

Yoshinori looked at him, unimpressed. “Aiko and Ryuji.”

Shunjiro straightened a little, glancing around the room as if they might somehow still be there. “They said they were just going to the bathroom.”

“That was a while ago,” Yoshinori replied calmly.

Itsuki’s hands tightened slightly in her lap, her concern surfacing almost immediately. “Do you think something happened?”

Yoshinori shook his head once, not dismissively, but logically. “If something serious had happened inside the bar, we would have heard it. Aiko doesn’t handle situations quietly.”

“That’s true,” Shunjiro muttered, exhaling as he ran a hand through his hair. “She probably dragged Ryuji somewhere.”

“More than likely,” Yoshinori agreed. “And he followed to keep her from getting into trouble.”

Vil, who had been leaning casually against the counter, let out a quiet chuckle at that. “Sounds about right,” he said. “The girl’s got a way of pulling people along whether they want to go or not.”

Shunjiro huffed a small laugh, though it didn’t fully reach his eyes. “Yeah… that’s Aiko.”

Still, the concern didn’t fade completely.

He pushed himself up from his seat, the decision settling in without much debate. “We should go find them,” he said. “It’s getting late anyway.”

Itsuki nodded immediately, already standing as well. “Yeah.”

Yoshinori rose more slowly, but there was no hesitation in it. “Agreed.”

Shunjiro turned toward Vil, his expression shifting into something more sincere. “Thanks for everything,” he said. “Really. You didn’t have to help us like this.”

Vil waved a hand lightly, brushing it off without effort. “Don’t mention it,” he replied. “Any brother of Takeshi’s is welcome here.”

Shunjiro smiled faintly at that, though it carried more weight now after everything they had learned. “Still… I appreciate it.”

Vil’s expression softened just slightly, something genuine slipping through his usual composure. “You’ll always have a place here,” he said. “If you ever find yourself back in the Coastal Kingdom, this bar’s open to you.”

Shunjiro held that for a moment, then gave a small nod. “Then I’ll take you up on that,” he said. “Until next time.”

“Until next time,” Vil echoed.

Behind them, Tetsuo let out a loud, half-choked snore, his body jerking slightly in the chair before going still again.

All three of them turned.

“…We’re not carrying him like this,” Yoshinori said flatly.

Shunjiro walked over and nudged Tetsuo’s shoulder. “Hey,” he said. “Wake up.”

No response.

Tetsuo didn’t even twitch.

Itsuki stepped closer, hesitating for a second before gently shaking his arm. “Tetsuo…”

Nothing.

Yoshinori sighed.

Then, without warning, he reached down and flicked Tetsuo sharply in the forehead.

Tetsuo jolted upright instantly. “I’m up!”

His eyes darted around the room, confused, disoriented, his body tense for a split second before everything caught up to him. “…What happened?”

“We’re leaving,” Shunjiro said.

“Oh,” Tetsuo muttered, rubbing his face as he pushed himself up to his feet. “Yeah. That makes sense.”

They didn’t waste much more time.

After a quick final exchange with Vil, the four of them made their way out of the private room and back through the main floor of the bar, the noise and energy still alive but beginning to settle as the night pushed further on. The air outside hit differently again, cooler now, the streets still active but not as overwhelming as before.

Shunjiro stepped out first, glancing around instinctively, his gaze moving across the surrounding buildings and streets as if trying to piece together where Aiko might have gone.

“…This place is huge,” he muttered.

Tetsuo stretched his arms over his head, letting out a low groan. “Yeah, no kidding. She could be anywhere.”

Itsuki looked around as well, her concern more visible now that they were actually out searching. “Aiko was pretty drunk…”

“And Ryuji was stuck babysitting,” Shunjiro added with a small sigh.

“That narrows it down to… nowhere,” Tetsuo said dryly.

Yoshinori stepped forward slightly, his eyes scanning the layout of the streets, the direction they had come from, the flow of people even at this hour. He was quiet for a second, thinking.

“She mentioned something earlier,” he said.

The others turned to him.

“What?” Shunjiro asked.

Yoshinori’s gaze shifted slightly, recalling it. “Night swimming.”

Itsuki blinked. “Oh…”

“That’s right,” Shunjiro said, the memory clicking into place. “She did say that.”

Tetsuo let out a short breath. “So she dragged him to the beach.”

“Most likely,” Yoshinori replied. “Given her state, she wouldn’t consider the time or conditions. And Ryuji wouldn’t leave her alone.”

Shunjiro nodded once. “Then that’s where we start.”

No one argued.

They turned together, moving through the streets with more purpose now, following the path that led toward the lower layer of the Coastal Kingdom. The energy of the upper sections began to fade as they descended, the louder nightlife giving way to quieter streets, fewer people, and the distant sound of waves growing clearer with every step.

Shunjiro slowed slightly as they stepped onto the sand, his eyes scanning the coastline.

“…They’ve gotta be here,” he said.

Yoshinori didn’t respond.

He was already looking.

The lower layer of the Coastal Kingdom felt like a different world at night, the noise and color of the upper streets fading into something quieter and more distant as the ocean stretched out beneath the dim glow of the moon. The light was soft, just enough to outline shapes and movement without fully revealing anything, turning the shoreline into a place of silhouettes and shadows where the waves rolled in with a steady, rhythmic hush. The air carried the scent of salt and cool water, brushing against their skin as they stepped onto the sand, their boots sinking slightly with each step as they moved forward.

Their eyes adjusted slowly, scanning the shoreline, taking in the scattered driftwood, the darker patches of wet sand near the water’s edge, the faint glimmer of foam where the waves broke. It was quiet enough that the sound of the ocean filled everything, steady and constant, grounding in a way that almost made the earlier tension feel distant.

“…Spread out a bit,” Yoshinori said quietly, his voice low but clear, already thinking ahead. “If they’re here, they won’t be far from the water.”

Tetsuo nodded, though his movements were slower now, the remnants of sleep and alcohol still clinging to him. “Got it,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he veered slightly to the right.

Itsuki stayed closer to Shunjiro, her eyes scanning the sand carefully, her steps light as if she didn’t want to disturb the quiet any more than necessary. “Aiko…” she called softly, not loud enough to carry far, but enough to test the silence.

No response.

Shunjiro exhaled slowly, his gaze sweeping further down the beach. “…She better not have wandered into the water,” he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

“She wouldn’t,” Yoshinori replied, though his tone carried a faint edge of uncertainty. “Not fully, at least. Even drunk, she has instincts.”

“That doesn’t make me feel better,” Shunjiro said.

They continued moving.

The sand shifted under their feet, the faint glow of the moon catching on uneven shapes ahead, pieces of driftwood and scattered debris left behind by the tide. For a few seconds, everything blurred together, shadows overlapping in a way that made it hard to tell what was what.

Then Tetsuo stopped.

“…Hey,” he said, his voice low but immediate.

The others turned toward him.

He pointed.

Not far ahead, just beyond where the sand dipped slightly toward the water, there was a shape that didn’t belong to the natural scatter of the shoreline. Something longer. More solid.

A log.

And on it were two figures.

Shunjiro didn’t wait.

He moved first, his pace quickening as he crossed the remaining distance, his eyes narrowing slightly as the shapes became clearer with each step. Itsuki followed close behind, her concern rising the closer they got, while Yoshinori approached more steadily, his gaze sharp, taking in details even before they fully reached them.

Aiko and Ryuji were both there.

Passed out.

Aiko was leaned slightly against Ryuji’s side, her posture loose, completely relaxed in a way that made it clear she had no awareness of anything around her. Ryuji was slumped as well, his head tilted forward slightly, his arm resting loosely behind her as if he had been keeping her steady before he lost consciousness himself.

“…You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Shunjiro breathed, the tension in his chest finally releasing as relief hit him all at once.

Itsuki let out a small breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “They’re okay…”

Yoshinori stepped closer, crouching slightly as he observed them both. “No visible injuries,” he said after a moment. “Just unconscious.”

“Drunk,” Tetsuo added.

“Likely,” Yoshinori agreed.

Shunjiro reached out, lightly tapping Ryuji’s shoulder. “Hey,” he said. “Wake up.”

Ryuji didn’t respond at first.

Shunjiro tapped him again, a little firmer this time. “Ryuji.”

There was a small shift.

A breath.

Then Ryuji stirred, his brow tightening slightly as consciousness dragged itself back into place. His eyes opened slowly, unfocused at first as he blinked against the dim light, his mind clearly struggling to catch up with where he was.

“…What…” he murmured, his voice rough.

Shunjiro crouched slightly in front of him. “Took you long enough,” he said, though there was no real bite behind it. “We’ve been looking for you.”

Ryuji blinked again, his gaze shifting around until it landed on the group, recognition settling in gradually. “…Oh,” he said, his voice still heavy with sleep. “You guys found us.”

“Yeah,” Tetsuo said, crossing his arms. “After you disappeared.”

Ryuji let out a slow breath, lifting a hand to his face as he rubbed his eyes. “…Aiko wanted to come down here,” he said. “I just made sure she didn’t do anything stupid.”

Itsuki glanced at Aiko, who hadn’t moved at all, her breathing slow and even as she remained completely out. “…She looks like she passed out instantly.”

“Pretty much,” Ryuji said. “She was fine. Just… tired.”

Yoshinori studied him for a moment longer. “And you?”

Ryuji gave a small shrug, though it lacked its usual sharpness. “Same.”

Shunjiro shook his head lightly, a faint smile pulling at his expression. “You really got dragged into this, huh?”

“…Yeah,” Ryuji admitted, glancing down briefly at Aiko before looking back up. “But she’s okay. That’s what matters.”

There was something simple in the way he said it.

Yoshinori straightened slightly, glancing out toward the water before looking back at the group. “We should head back,” he said. “It’s late.”

Shunjiro didn’t answer right away.

Instead, he looked out at the ocean.

The waves continued their steady rhythm, the faint glow of the moon stretching across the surface in broken reflections that shifted with every movement of the water. The air was calm, the tension from earlier gone, replaced by something quiet and almost peaceful.

“…Give it a minute,” he said.

Yoshinori glanced at him. “A minute?”

Shunjiro stepped back slightly, then lowered himself onto the sand, letting out a slow breath as he leaned back onto his hands. “Yeah,” he said. “Just… a minute.”

Itsuki watched him for a second, then followed, sitting down beside him, her gaze lifting toward the sky as well. The stars were faint compared to the light of the kingdom, but they were there, scattered across the darkness in quiet clusters.

“…It’s nice,” she said softly.

Tetsuo dropped down a few feet away with less grace, letting himself fall onto the sand with a low exhale. “Way better than being inside,” he muttered.

Ryuji shifted slightly, adjusting his position so Aiko remained supported before slowly sliding down from the log to sit on the sand as well. “…She’s not moving anytime soon,” he said.

Yoshinori remained standing for a moment longer.

Then, after a brief pause, he sighed quietly and sat down as well.

“…Five minutes,” he said.

Shunjiro smirked faintly. “We’ll see.”

Silence settled again.

But this time, it wasn’t tense.

It wasn’t heavy.

It was calm.

The sound of the ocean filled the space between them, steady and unchanging, the cool air brushing against them as the night stretched on. One by one, their postures relaxed further, the exhaustion from the day catching up to them now that there was nothing left demanding their attention.

Shunjiro lay back fully, his arms resting loosely at his sides as he looked up at the sky. “…You ever just… forget about everything for a second?” he asked quietly.

No one answered right away.

“…Right now?” Tetsuo said.

Shunjiro smiled slightly. “Yeah.”

Itsuki shifted just a little closer, her gaze still fixed upward. “…It feels like that,” she admitted.

Ryuji didn’t speak.

But he didn’t move either.

Yoshinori closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, his expression softer than usual. “…It’s temporary,” he said.

“Everything is,” Shunjiro replied.

The minutes passed.

Or maybe longer.

No one kept track.

The conversation faded into silence again, their breathing slowing, their bodies sinking further into the sand as the calm of the night settled over them completely.

One by one they drifted.

Tetsuo first.

Then Ryuji, his head lowering slightly as sleep took him again.

Aiko didn’t move.

Itsuki’s eyes closed not long after, her breathing evening out as she leaned slightly into the quiet.

Even Yoshinori eventually gave in, his posture relaxing as his awareness dulled.

Shunjiro stayed awake the longest.

Just a little longer.

His gaze still fixed on the sky, the faint stars above, the sound of the ocean grounding him in the moment.

Then even that faded.

And under the quiet glow of the moon, with the ocean at their side and the weight of everything else set aside for just a little while.

The Illumina guild fell asleep together on the sand.

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Far from the shoreline, beyond where the lights of the Coastal Kingdom stretched across the water in faint reflections, two men drifted quietly atop the dark ocean in a small wooden fishing boat. The sea had been calm for most of the night, the kind of calm fishermen learned to appreciate after enough years spent on rough waters. The waves rolled gently beneath them, steady and rhythmic, barely strong enough to rock the boat as it drifted under the moonlight.

One of the men sat near the edge of the boat with a fishing line loosely wrapped around his hand, his posture relaxed as he stared out across the endless dark water. The other leaned back against a crate near the center of the boat, lazily adjusting the hook on another line while occasionally glancing up toward the sky.

“Quiet night,” the older of the two muttered.

“Too quiet,” the other replied with a faint smirk.

The older man snorted softly. “You say that every time the ocean isn’t trying to kill us.”

“Because it usually means it’s thinking about it.”

That earned a low laugh between them as the boat continued to drift onward, the lantern near the mast swaying faintly while its warm glow reflected off the water in uneven ripples. Beyond that small circle of light, the ocean became endless darkness stretching toward the horizon beneath the pale glow of the moon.

For a while, nothing happened. There was only the sound of water against wood, the occasional creak of the boat shifting with the waves, and the distant cry of some unseen seabird somewhere far off in the night. It was peaceful in the way the ocean sometimes tricked people into believing it was harmless.

Then they heard it.

A heavy splash echoed somewhere out in the darkness.

Both men looked up immediately. The sound had been distant, but large enough to stand out against the calm.

“…You hear that?” the younger fisherman asked quietly.

The older man nodded slowly as he set his line aside. Another splash followed a few seconds later, this one closer than before. It still wasn’t violent, but there was weight behind it now, something unnatural in the way the water moved afterward.

The younger fisherman leaned slightly over the side of the boat, squinting into the darkness beyond the lantern’s reach. “Probably a big fish.”

“Big enough to sound like that?” the older man muttered.

The younger shrugged, though the confidence in his voice had faded.

The ocean shifted again. Not visibly at first, but enough that the boat rocked harder beneath them. Both men felt it immediately. The older fisherman reached for the lantern hanging near the mast and lifted it higher, raising the warm light above his head as he scanned the water around them.

The surface was moving strangely.

Not like normal waves.

It looked like something underneath the ocean itself was displacing the water around them.

“…That’s not normal,” the younger fisherman said quietly.

Several yards away, the surface bulged upward before settling back down. Then another section shifted. Then another. The movement circled them slowly, the water rising and falling around the boat like something enormous was gliding beneath them just out of sight.

The younger fisherman took a slow step backward. “…We should head in.”

The older man didn’t answer immediately. His eyes remained fixed on the water, listening now more than looking.

Then the boat jerked violently.

Both men stumbled as the ocean around them suddenly surged, the calm water breaking into rough movement as waves slammed against the sides of the boat. The lantern swung wildly overhead, throwing distorted shadows across the deck while the wood beneath them groaned loudly.

“What the hell-?!”

The younger fisherman grabbed the railing to steady himself as another wave crashed into the side of the boat, nearly throwing him off balance. The older fisherman’s face had gone pale now, his grip tightening around the lantern.

“Move,” he said sharply. “Now.”

But it was already too late.

The ocean beneath them rose.

Not a wave.

Something underneath them was lifting.

The boat tilted upward violently as water exploded around the hull, both men losing their footing instantly as the boat climbed higher and higher at an impossible angle. The lantern slipped from the older fisherman’s hand, crashing against the deck before tumbling overboard into the sea below, its light vanishing instantly into darkness.

For one horrifying second, they saw it.

Not clearly.

Not fully.

Just shape. Mass. Something impossibly large moving beneath the surface, its dark body stretching beneath the boat like part of the ocean itself.

The younger fisherman’s breath caught in his throat. “…No…”

The boat balanced there for a brief, impossible moment atop something alive.

Then it shifted.

The boat dropped violently as whatever lay beneath them moved again, and the entire hull slammed back into the ocean with devastating force. Wood splintered instantly as the impact tore through the boat, throwing both men into the freezing black water.

The younger fisherman surfaced first, gasping hard as panic overtook him completely. “Where are you?!” he shouted into the darkness, spinning wildly as waves crashed around him. No answer came back. Only the sound of the ocean surrounded him as he struggled to stay afloat, his breathing ragged while his eyes searched desperately through the darkness.

Then something moved beneath him.

It passed under the water so quickly he barely caught the outline, but the sheer size of it made his blood run cold. The ocean around him churned violently as the massive shadow circled underneath, displacing the sea itself. Panic finally overtook him completely. His scream barely had time to leave his throat before something grabbed him from below and dragged him violently beneath the surface.

The second fisherman surfaced only long enough to see the water several yards away explode red beneath the moonlight.

Then the ocean swallowed him too.

Slowly, the waves settled once again. The broken remains of the fishing boat drifted silently across the dark water beneath the pale glow of the moon.

And somewhere beneath the surface, something enormous continued moving toward the shore.

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Several hours passed beneath the quiet glow of the moon, and the Illumina guild remained scattered across the shoreline exactly where exhaustion had claimed them. The ocean rolled steadily beside them, the sound of the waves blending into the calm rhythm of the night while the first faint traces of dawn still lingered far beyond the horizon. None of them noticed how much time had passed. None of them noticed how silent the lower layer of the Coastal Kingdom had become.

Their guard was completely down.

The ocean changed.

At first, it was subtle enough to go unnoticed. The waves began to lose their rhythm, the steady crash against the shore fading into something uneven. The water slowly started pulling away from the beach, retreating farther and farther back into the sea as if the ocean itself were inhaling.

The sand darkened where the tide receded unnaturally fast.

Then the wave came crashing down.

The impact thundered across the shoreline as freezing water surged violently up the beach, swallowing the sand where the guild had been sleeping and drenching them instantly. Shunjiro jolted awake first with a sharp gasp, his body jerking upward as cold water rushed around him. Itsuki startled beside him, nearly slipping in the wet sand as she scrambled backward in confusion, while Tetsuo sat upright with a loud, half-awake yell.

“What the hell?!”

Ryuji coughed as he pushed himself up off the sand, completely soaked, while Aiko groaned loudly from where she had been sleeping, immediately annoyed before she was even fully conscious.

“…Why is the ocean attacking me…”

Yoshinori was already standing.

His expression was sharp instantly, all traces of exhaustion gone as his eyes scanned the shoreline and the ocean beyond it. Water dripped from his clothes as he narrowed his gaze toward the sea.

“That wave shouldn’t have reached this far,” he said quietly.

The others quickly realized it too.

The water had surged nearly all the way to the edge of the lower layer itself. The shoreline around them looked wrong now, disturbed in a way that immediately set their nerves on edge. The calm atmosphere from earlier had vanished completely.

Shunjiro wiped water from his face as he looked toward the horizon. “…Was that a tsunami?”

“No,” Yoshinori answered immediately.

His tone made everyone look at him.

“A tsunami wouldn’t behave like this,” he continued, eyes fixed on the water. “And the ocean…”

He stopped.

The water was still retreating.

Even now.

Farther and farther away from shore.

The exposed seabed stretched unnaturally outward beneath the dim blue light of approaching dawn, revealing rocks, broken wood, and patches of ocean floor that should never have been visible from the beach.

Itsuki’s expression tightened. “…That’s not normal.”

“No,” Yoshinori said quietly. “It isn’t.”

The lower layer was completely empty now. The lively nightlife that had filled the kingdom hours earlier was gone, replaced by eerie silence broken only by the sound of shifting water and the distant groaning of docked ships farther down the shoreline.

Shunjiro looked toward the city behind them. “How long were we asleep?”

Yoshinori glanced toward the faint light beginning to touch the horizon. “…It’s an hour before sunrise. Maybe less.”

Tetsuo rubbed the back of his head, still trying to fully wake up. “You’re kidding…”

But even he could feel it now.

Something was wrong.

The air itself felt heavier.

The guild instinctively moved farther away from the waterline, stepping back toward the edge of the beach as their attention remained fixed on the ocean. The retreating tide had become impossible to ignore now, and the deeper the water pulled back, the more unnatural the silence became.

Then came the sound.

A loud metallic groan echoed from the docks.

Everyone turned immediately.

The boats anchored along the lower layer had begun rocking violently against one another, ropes straining as the water beneath them churned erratically. One of the smaller fishing vessels suddenly lifted nearly halfway out of the water before slamming back down hard enough to splinter part of its hull.

Another followed.

Then another.

“What is happening…?” Itsuki whispered.

Aiko’s expression had completely changed now, all traces of drunken laziness gone as she stared toward the docks. “…That’s not a wave.”

The ocean surged again.

Not toward shore this time.

Upward.

Something beneath the water was moving.

The realization hit all of them at once.

Yoshinori’s eyes narrowed sharply. “Back up. Now.”

None of them argued.

They retreated farther from the shoreline just as the water near the horizon began to rise unnaturally high, the surface bulging upward in massive waves that rolled outward around something enormous approaching from below.

Then it emerged.

At first, all they saw was shape.

A dark mass rising from the ocean itself.

But it kept rising.

Higher.

Higher.

The creature slowly pulled itself from the water, and the sheer scale of it made the entire guild freeze in place.

“…No way…” Tetsuo muttered.

The beast towered over the shoreline as seawater poured from its massive body in violent streams. Its form resembled something between a sea serpent and a monstrous humanoid creature, its entire body covered in dark blue scales that reflected faintly beneath the moonlight. Jagged fins protruded along its back and shoulders while its massive legs dug into the ocean floor beneath it as it moved closer to land.

It had to be at least thirty meters tall.

Its mouth stretched unnaturally wide, lined with rows of uneven, jagged teeth that looked more like shattered blades than anything living should possess. Two glowing blue eyes stared toward the kingdom, cold and animalistic, scanning the shoreline with terrifying awareness.

The creature rose fully onto two massive legs as it neared the beach, its shorter arms hanging at its sides while enormous claws dragged against the wet sand beneath it.

Every step shook the shoreline.

The guild stood completely still for a moment.

Not because they wanted to.

Because fear had rooted them in place.

Shunjiro could feel his heartbeat pounding violently in his chest as he stared upward at the creature. His instincts screamed at him to run. Every part of his body understood immediately how outmatched they were.

Itsuki looked pale beside him, her fingers tightening around her staff.

Tetsuo swallowed hard.

Even Aiko had gone silent.

Yoshinori’s eyes were calculating.

Thinking.

Already trying to understand something this overwhelming.

The creature let out a low roar that vibrated through the air itself, deep enough that they felt it in their bodies more than heard it.

Then it began moving toward the city.

That snapped them out of it.

Shunjiro looked around quickly, finally realizing something important.

The beach was empty.

Completely empty.

No civilians.

No crowds.

No guards.

The lower layer had been abandoned during the night.

Which meant “If we stop it here…” Shunjiro said, his voice tightening as the realization formed. “…It won’t reach the middle layer.”

The others looked at him immediately.

Behind them, beyond the lower district, the higher sections of the Coastal Kingdom still slept peacefully, completely unaware of the nightmare approaching from the ocean.

If this thing reached the upper layers, thousands would die.

Tetsuo exhaled slowly, his fear still obvious despite the grin he forced onto his face. “…That thing’s huge.”

Aiko stared upward at the creature. “…I hate this.”

Ryuji clenched his fists as his hardened skin slowly spread across his arms. “Running’s not really an option anymore, huh?”

Itsuki looked between all of them, fear still visible in her eyes, but something steadier began to rise beneath it.

Determination.

Yoshinori finally spoke.

“…We hold it here.”

The words settled heavily between them.

None of them felt ready.

None of them truly believed they could win.

But as the sea beast took another step toward the kingdom, shaking the shoreline beneath its weight, the Illumina guild understood something all at once.

They were the only thing standing between that monster and everyone behind them.

The moment the decision settled between them, Tetsuo moved.

He didn’t hesitate. Didn’t second guess. The fear that had frozen all of them only moments earlier seemed to burn into excitement inside him instead. A wide grin spread across his face as spiritual energy flared visibly around his body, faint cracks of glowing light pulsing beneath his skin.

“Alright then!” he shouted. “Let’s see how strong this ugly thing really is!”

Before anyone could stop him, he took off toward the ocean.

“Tetsuo, wait!” Itsuki called immediately.

But he was already sprinting across the shoreline at full speed.

He kept going.

Straight onto the water.

Itsuki’s eyes widened as Tetsuo’s feet struck the surface without sinking, bursts of spiritual energy rippling outward beneath every step as he charged across the ocean itself toward the massive creature.

“…How is he doing that?” she asked in disbelief.

Yoshinori’s eyes remained fixed on Tetsuo as he answered calmly, though tension still lingered beneath his voice. “Spiritual reinforcement,” he said. “If your control is stable enough, you can distribute energy beneath your feet and maintain surface tension.”

Itsuki blinked. “…You can stand on water?”

“You can do more than stand,” Yoshinori replied. “At higher levels, terrain becomes irrelevant.”

Shunjiro stared out at Tetsuo sprinting across the ocean, his stomach tightening immediately. “I can barely keep my energy flowing through my arms right…”

“That’s because your control is inconsistent,” Yoshinori answered without looking at him. “Don’t try it unless you’re confident. Falling into the water in the middle of this fight would get you killed.”

That did not help Shunjiro’s nerves at all.

Out on the ocean, Tetsuo continued charging forward recklessly while the sea beast slowly turned its massive head toward him. The creature’s glowing blue eyes locked onto the approaching figure as seawater poured from its enormous body back into the ocean below.

Ryuji clenched his fists, hardened stone-like skin spreading slowly across his knuckles and forearms. “Anybody got an actual plan?” he asked.

Yoshinori’s eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the creature. “Aiko,” he said, “can you swap something that large?”

Aiko stared up at the towering beast for another second before immediately shaking her head. “Absolutely not,” she said. “That thing’s energy is ridiculous. I couldn’t move it even if I tried.”

“Not the whole creature,” Yoshinori replied. “Just me.”

Aiko glanced at him.

Yoshinori continued quickly, already piecing the strategy together in his head. “Tetsuo’s drawing its attention. If you can swap me directly in front of its eyes, I can strike them before it reacts.”

Aiko’s expression shifted immediately into something sharper. “…That I can do.”

Shunjiro looked between them. “You think its eyes are the weak point?”

“Every creature has one,” Yoshinori answered. 

Aiko crouched quickly, grabbing a small rock from the wet sand before infusing it with her spiritual energy. The stone shimmered faintly in her hand.

“Just don’t miss,” she muttered.

Meanwhile, Tetsuo had already entered the creature’s range.

The sea beast moved with horrifying speed for something so massive. Its enormous tail suddenly whipped across the ocean with enough force to split the water itself, creating a thunderous crack that echoed across the shoreline.

Tetsuo’s grin widened. “Oh, that’s fast!”

He leapt upward just before the tail reached him, barely avoiding the impact as the massive tail tore through the water beneath him and launched an enormous spray into the air. Tetsuo twisted midair, spiritual energy surging into his feet as chunks of stone erupted upward beneath him one after another.

Platforms.

A staircase of rock formed instantly in the sky as he bounded upward from piece to piece, climbing higher with explosive momentum.

“Yohohoho!” Tetsuo laughed loudly as he ascended. “Now this is fun!”

The creature turned toward him fully now, its massive blue eyes following his movement as he climbed higher and higher above the ocean.

When he reached the final platform, Tetsuo planted one foot down hard enough to crack the stone beneath him.

Then he jumped.

His fist pulled back as spiritual energy surged violently through his arm, the air around him trembling slightly from the pressure he generated. For a brief second, his silhouette hung against the pale light of dawn before he descended like a meteor straight toward the creature’s chest.

His punch connected with explosive force.

The impact boomed across the shoreline as a shockwave erupted outward from the collision point, water blasting away from the creature’s body while cracks spread through the scales along its chest.

But the creature barely moved.

Tetsuo’s grin faltered slightly as his fist remained buried against the beast’s scales. “…Oh,” he muttered.

The creature slowly looked down at him.

Tetsuo immediately grimaced. “…That feels like punching metal.”

Then he grinned again.

“Alright then,” he said. “Guess I gotta hit harder.”

The creature’s massive arm suddenly moved toward him.

Fast.

Way too fast.

Tetsuo kicked backward instantly as the enormous claw slammed toward him, narrowly avoiding being crushed as he dropped through the air. But instead of retreating, he reached out mid-fall and grabbed onto the creature’s arm with both hands.

“Tetsuo’s insane,” Ryuji muttered.

Tetsuo pulled himself upward immediately, running directly up the creature’s arm while spiritual energy surged more violently around him this time. The glow around his fists intensified, thicker and denser than before as he climbed toward its shoulder.

“You want a stronger one?!” he yelled upward. “Fine then!”

He reached the shoulder and launched himself again, this time aiming directly for the creature’s face. His entire arm glowed now, compressed spiritual energy cracking around his fist as he swung with everything he had.

The punch landed directly against the side of the creature’s jaw.

A massive shockwave erupted outward.

The beast’s head jerked slightly from the force.

But only slightly.

Tetsuo’s eyes widened.

“…You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

The creature roared.

This time the sound shook the air itself.

Tetsuo immediately realized the problem.

“…Ah,” he said while falling backward through the sky. “I think I just made it mad.”

Back on the shoreline, Aiko clicked her tongue. “You are such a pain…”

She hurled the rock.

The moment it left her hand, space distorted around it violently.

Yoshinori vanished from beside the group.

And appeared directly in front of the creature’s eyes.

The timing was perfect.

Electricity exploded around his body instantly, bright blue lightning tearing through the air as both of his hands extended forward.

Twin blasts of concentrated lightning erupted from his palms and slammed directly into the creature’s glowing eyes.

The reaction was immediate.

The sea beast reeled backward violently, letting out a deafening roar as electricity burst across its face in violent flashes. One eye squeezed shut completely while the other twitched erratically from the sudden attack.

“It worked!” Shunjiro shouted.

But the creature retaliated instantly.

Its massive tail swung across the ocean again with devastating force, this time creating an enormous wave that surged directly toward the shoreline.

“Move!” Ryuji shouted.

The wave crashed into the beach like a collapsing wall.

Water exploded across the shoreline, swallowing the sand beneath them as the guild scattered in every direction to avoid being crushed beneath the force of it. Shunjiro grabbed Itsuki’s arm and pulled her backward while Ryuji leapt onto higher stone debris near the docks.

Aiko quickly infused another rock with energy and swapped Yoshinori back beside her just before the wave consumed his position.

Both of them reappeared farther up the beach, drenched but unharmed.

The shoreline was chaotic now.

Water surged everywhere.

The docks behind them splintered as boats crashed violently against one another while the sea beast slowly regained its footing in the distance.

The guild had been separated.

Yoshinori pushed wet hair away from his face as electricity crackled faintly around his fingertips again. His breathing remained steady despite the scale of what stood before them.

“…Lightning affects it,” he said.

Aiko looked toward the creature, then back at him. “Not enough.”

“No,” Yoshinori admitted. “Not enough yet.”

The beast slowly opened its damaged eye again, its massive body turning back toward the shoreline as rage visibly built inside it.

Yoshinori narrowed his gaze.

“But it’s the key.”

Shunjiro’s heart pounded as he watched the sea beast continue forcing its way toward the shoreline. Every movement from the creature shook the ocean around it, its massive body cutting through the water like a living disaster. Part of him wanted to stay back. Part of him knew he wasn’t ready for this level of fight. But standing still while everyone else risked their lives felt worse than failing.

If he stayed frozen, he would accomplish nothing.

So he ran.

“Shunjiro!” Itsuki called after him, but he was already moving.

Spiritual energy surged unevenly through his body as he sprinted toward the water, his focus narrowing entirely onto the crashing waves ahead of him. He remembered what Yoshinori had said. Balance the energy beneath your feet. Stabilize it. Don’t hesitate.

The moment his foot hit the surface of the water, panic spiked in his chest.

Then he didn’t sink.

His eyes widened slightly as ripples burst outward beneath him. The spiritual energy under his feet held just long enough for him to take another step. Then another.

“I’m doing it!” he shouted instinctively.

“Don’t lose focus!” Yoshinori snapped back immediately.

Shunjiro gritted his teeth and pushed forward faster, trying not to think too hard about the fact that he was literally sprinting across the ocean. The unstable rhythm beneath his feet felt strange, like trying to balance on moving glass, but adrenaline kept him going.

Ahead of him, the creature turned slightly, one glowing eye locking onto the approaching figure.

Shunjiro leapt upward before fear could catch him.

His fist pulled back as spiritual energy surged into his arm, though nowhere near as controlled or dense as Yoshinori’s lightning or Tetsuo’s explosive strikes. Still, he committed fully, slamming his punch into the creature’s leg with everything he had.

The impact landed.

And did almost nothing.

A faint shock traveled through his arm as his fist connected with the scaled surface, but instead of flesh, it felt like punching reinforced steel covered in pressure. The creature barely even reacted.

“…Right,” Shunjiro muttered. “That figures.”

The beast moved immediately afterward, its massive claw beginning to descend toward him.

Shunjiro’s stomach dropped.

Then space folded around him.

He vanished just before the claw crushed the water beneath him, reappearing back near the shoreline beside Aiko. In his place, a piece of floating driftwood dropped harmlessly into the ocean.

Shunjiro stumbled slightly after landing, catching his balance before looking toward Aiko. “Thanks.”

Aiko folded her arms, “You’re welcome. Try not to die instantly next time.”

Shunjiro looked back toward the creature, his breathing uneven as he forced himself to think instead of panic. “If we’re actually going to hurt this thing,” he said, “we need to hit the eyes. Anywhere else barely works.”

Yoshinori nodded once, his gaze never leaving the sea beast. “Most likely because of its spiritual defense.”

Shunjiro glanced toward him. “Meaning?”

“The scales aren’t just physically durable,” Yoshinori explained. “The creature is constantly coating its body in spiritual energy. That’s why normal attacks aren’t penetrating. We’re not just fighting scales, we’re fighting a defensive layer of compressed energy.”

Tetsuo snapped his fingers immediately. “That’s what I felt!”

The others looked at him.

“When I punched it,” Tetsuo continued, rubbing his fist, “it felt like my energy hit something pushing back. Like another punch inside the scales.”

Yoshinori nodded. “Exactly. Its energy is reinforcing its defense. Unless our output reaches a similar level, or exceeds it we won’t do meaningful damage.”

“And the eyes?” Itsuki asked quietly.

“They’re softer,” Yoshinori replied. “Less protected physically. The energy layer is likely weaker there as well.”

Ryuji cracked his neck slightly as hardened stone-like texture spread farther up his arms. “Then we stop talking and hit it harder.”

Before anyone could respond, he stepped forward.

“Ryuji wait” Aiko started.

“Swap me.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “What?”

“If Tetsuo can climb that thing,” Ryuji said, rolling his shoulders as spiritual energy began building around his body, “then I can punch it.”

The sea beast roared again in the distance, the sound vibrating through the shoreline as water surged around its legs.

Aiko hesitated for only a second before grabbing another piece of debris from the ground and infusing it with her energy.

“Fine,” she muttered. “Don’t screw this up.”

Ryuji vanished.

And immediately reappeared near the creature.

But the moment he arrived, Yoshinori’s expression changed.

“…Aiko,” he said sharply.

The creature was already moving.

Its tail swept across the ocean with terrifying speed, cutting through the water hard enough to split the waves apart. Ryuji had barely enough time to react before the massive scaled tail slammed directly into him.

The impact sounded like an explosion.

Even with his body fully hardened, even with spiritual energy reinforcing every inch of him, the force launched him through the air like he weighed nothing at all. He crashed violently into a wall of jagged rocks near the shoreline, the impact shattering stone around him.

“Ryuji!” Itsuki shouted.

Dust and debris scattered everywhere as Ryuji collapsed forward onto one knee. Blood spilled from his mouth immediately as he gasped violently for air, his hardened skin cracking apart in several places from the force of the hit.

“…Damn it…” he wheezed.

Every breath hurt.

At least three ribs were broken.

Maybe more.

Aiko froze for a split second, staring at him in horror. “…I swapped him into it…”

Yoshinori grabbed her shoulder immediately, forcing her attention back toward the battlefield. “Now is not the time for that,” he said firmly. “Focus.”

Itsuki started running toward Ryuji without hesitation.

Then another wave crashed forward.

“Tetsuo!” Shunjiro shouted.

The sea beast’s tail had swept the ocean again, creating another massive surge of water that exploded toward the battlefield. Tetsuo tried to brace himself against it, stone erupting upward beneath his feet, but the force behind the wave was overwhelming.

The water hit him like a collapsing building.

He vanished beneath the ocean instantly.

“Tetsuo!” Itsuki stopped in place, panic flashing across her face as she looked between both of her injured friends.

Beneath the surface, everything became chaos.

The wave had swallowed Tetsuo completely, and the moment he hit the water, the current seized him like a living thing. His body spun violently through the freezing darkness as pressure crashed into him from every direction. He tried to orient himself, tried to plant his feet against something, but there was nothing beneath him except endless ocean.

The current dragged him deeper.

Tetsuo opened his eyes briefly, and all he saw was darkness mixed with faint streaks of pale blue light filtering down from the surface far above him. Bubbles escaped his mouth as he struggled to hold his breath, his chest already beginning to burn. 

Damn it…

Water rushed into his mouth immediately, forcing him to clamp it shut as panic clawed its way into his chest. He swung his arms hard, trying to fight upward, but the current twisted around him again and slammed him sideways into something beneath the water.

Pain exploded through his shoulder.

The ocean around him churned unnaturally from the creature’s movements above, every step the beast took creating violent underwater currents that tossed him around like debris.

The terrifying realization that no amount of strength mattered if the ocean decided to keep him.

His lungs burned harder now. His body screamed for air as the darkness around him deepened. Somewhere above, barely visible through the distorted water, he could see faint moonlight shimmering across the surface.

It looked impossibly far away.

Tetsuo kicked upward again, weaker this time. Then the current dragged him back down.

For the first time since the fight began, fear fully settled across the group.

Not nervousness.

Not tension.

Fear.

They were losing.

Fast.

Yoshinori’s jaw tightened as he watched the creature continue advancing toward shore almost completely unhindered. Even after everything they had thrown at it, it barely looked injured.

“We can’t hold it here,” he said.

Everyone looked toward him.

“We are not strong enough to kill this thing,” Yoshinori continued, his voice sharp but controlled. “If we stay on the shoreline, we die.”

Shunjiro stared at him. “…So what? We just let it walk into the kingdom?”

“No,” Yoshinori replied immediately. “We retreat to higher ground, regroup, and buy time. Fighting it recklessly here accomplishes nothing.”

Another roar shook the shoreline.

The creature was getting closer.

Aiko gritted her teeth, forcing herself to focus despite the guilt clawing at her chest. She quickly infused another object with her energy and reached out.

Several agonizing seconds passed. Tetsuo reappeared in a violent burst of seawater, crashing hard onto the sand on his hands and knees. He immediately began choking and coughing uncontrollably, seawater pouring from his mouth as his entire body trembled from the lack of air.

“Tetsuo!” Shunjiro dropped beside him instantly, grabbing his shoulder before he collapsed fully into the wet sand.

Tetsuo tried to speak but couldn’t at first. His chest heaved violently as he struggled to breathe, every inhale ragged and uneven while his body instinctively fought to recover from the panic of drowning. His hands dug hard into the sand beneath him, shaking badly as he coughed again.

For the first time since they had met him, Tetsuo looked genuinely terrified.

“…I thought…” he gasped, his voice breaking slightly between breaths. “…I thought I wasn’t getting back up…”

Shunjiro’s expression tightened immediately. “Hey,” he said quickly. “You’re alright. You’re here.”

Tetsuo lowered his head again, still coughing as water dripped from his hair and clothes. His usual grin was gone completely now, replaced by shock and lingering fear as he fought to steady his breathing.

“…That thing…” he muttered weakly. “The water… it just kept pulling…”

Meanwhile, Itsuki finally reached Ryuji. She dropped beside him immediately, healing energy glowing faintly around her hands as she stabilized his breathing enough for him to stand.

“You’re hurt badly,” she said quietly.

Ryuji forced out a weak grin despite the blood on his lips. “…Could be worse.”

“How?”

“I could be dead.”

Itsuki did not appreciate that answer.

Yoshinori looked toward the stairs leading upward. “Move,” he ordered.

The Illumina guild retreated together, battered and shaken as they pulled back toward the middle layer of the Coastal Kingdom while behind them the monstrous sea beast continued its relentless march toward the sleeping city.