Joshua was panting uncontrollably. His heart pounded so hard against his ribs that it felt like it wanted to burst out of his chest.
"Damn it, this feeling again… Am I really this weak?" Joshua thought to himself.
"Hey, easy there, buddy," said a deep, steady voice. A large, heavy hand settled on his shoulder.
"Troy, take care of them!" Mikaela ordered as she tossed a pair of black gloves reinforced with iron knuckles toward her brother.
"Troy…? That's Troy?" Joshua froze in shock.
The golden-haired teenager who, just minutes earlier, had been sleeping peacefully with his head resting in Miss Harper's lap… was gone.
In his place stood a tall, powerfully built man with well-defined muscles and an imposing presence.
How the hell had that happened?
How could someone transform like that in such a short time?
"Yes, sister," Troy replied in a deep, calm voice as he slipped on the gloves with precise, expert movements, as if he had done it thousands of times before.
From the dark ocean emerged hundreds of anthropomorphic creatures. Grotesque fish heads, gleaming scales, and sharp tridents shimmered under the moonlight.
Their high-pitched, piercing shrieks tore through the air, raising goosebumps on anyone who heard them.
Troy smiled ferociously. "Good… I was in the mood to hit something after that damn Rohayackt."
He slammed his gloved fists together. The metallic clash rang out like thunder—a promise of death.
Without another word, he advanced toward the creatures with determined steps. The sea monsters continued emitting their infernal screech, but Troy didn't flinch. His blue eyes were pure ice.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
He reappeared instantly behind the creatures surrounding Captain Barrow, just as they were about to attack.
Mikaela stayed by Joshua's side, shielding him with her body.
Her stance was protective, but her green eyes gleamed with lethal intensity as she followed every movement of the battle.
The fish-men's heads fell with a single clean, brutal slash. Their bodies collapsed heavily onto the deck, leaving pools of thick black blood that spread like oil under the torchlight.
"Thank you, lad," said Captain Barrow, still catching his breath, his voice hoarse.
"No problem, sir," Troy replied coldly. "I just ask that you don't insult my sister again."
Barrow tilted his head slightly. "I'll keep that in mind."
Troy extended his hand and helped the captain to his feet.
"My men!" Barrow suddenly shouted, his eyes widening in horror as he saw his most loyal soldiers being mercilessly slaughtered by the sea creatures.
"Don't worry, Captain," Troy said, a dangerous smile curving his lips. "I'll give these beasts what they deserve."
Before he even finished speaking, Troy disappeared again in a blur of impossible speed.
…
The fish-men climbed up the hull and cornered Joshua against a wall.
Just before their claws could strike, Mikaela stepped in. With one arm extended and the other steady on the trigger, she unleashed a symphony of gunpowder and light.
The shots rang out nonstop until a golden glow exploded between them, shaping itself into an impenetrable dome that kept the creatures at bay.
"Impressive," Joshua managed to say between gasps.
Joshua continued watching Troy.
His speed was so overwhelming that Joshua could barely follow him with his eyes. The young man only caught golden flashes and explosions of violence.
Troy moved with astonishing celerity, leaving a blurry trail behind him like a figure out of focus in a photograph. He was so fast that Jeremy's eyes barely registered the moment he dismembered hundreds of those fish-men.
"Impressive," he murmured, mesmerized.
His figure reminded him of a certain scarlet speedster.
With his devastating strength and speed worthy of an antimatter engine, Troy was, in himself, a complete army. If he had been on Earth, they would have already locked him up in a laboratory to study him like an alien, terrified of his immense power.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a manic grin, Troy tore through the creatures one after another.
He ripped off heads with single blows, snapped spines, and hurled bodies into the air. The fish-men's corpses littered every corner of the ship's deck.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several tridents were hurled at him at high speed.
Troy didn't even blink. He leaped powerfully, spun in the air with inhuman dexterity, and kicked the tridents mid-flight. Most of the silver weapons changed trajectory and brutally pierced their own owners, tearing through scales, flesh, and bone.
The creatures' agonized shrieks rose above the roar of the sea.
BOOM!
A brutal crash shook the entire ship. The deck vibrated violently under Joshua's feet, forcing him to grab the railing to keep from falling.
From the black ocean emerged new monsters—much larger and stronger than the previous ones. Their muscular bodies, covered in thick scales like armor, gleamed under the moonlight. They stood over three meters tall, and their yellow eyes glowed with savage hunger.
"Good… I was already getting tired of these weaklings," Troy growled, an euphoric smile twisting his face. "Come to me!"
The giant fish-men roared in unison.
With brutal movements, they began hurling their smaller kin like mere projectiles, while others threw strange, greenish, viscous eggs that whistled as they cut through the air.
Troy moved like lightning.
He dodged the eggs effortlessly, spinning and leaping with lethal grace. Every time one of those projectiles came close, he deflected it with a precise strike from his reinforced glove.
Suddenly, he lunged forward.
His fists slammed with devastating force into the stomachs of the nearest beasts. The sound of cracking ribs and crushing flesh echoed above the chaos.
"Heavenly Lord's Arm!" Troy roared.
A blinding golden light instantly enveloped his body. From the glow emerged a massive ethereal arm—bright and translucent—that materialized beside him like a divine extension of his own power.
The giant arm moved with overwhelming speed.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
It mercilessly struck the burly fish-men, crushing skulls, snapping spines, and sending massive bodies flying through the air like ragdolls. Each impact left a trail of golden light and a thunderous boom that made the deck tremble.
And then…
BOOM!
The golden light expanded violently, engulfing all the remaining abominations still standing.
A burst of pure energy wiped out the entire group. The monsters' bodies disintegrated in an instant, turned into golden ashes that the sea wind carried away.
Silence fell over the ship almost immediately.
Only the sound of waves crashing against the hull and the heavy breathing of the few survivors remained.
Troy stood in the center of the deck, still wrapped in a faint golden glow that slowly faded. His chest rose and fell heavily, but his face still held that wild, satisfied smile.
Joshua stared at him with his mouth slightly open, unable to process what he had just witnessed.
"What… what the hell are you, Troy?" he thought.
…
"The Hunters… they were this strong," Joshua murmured, still dazed, his voice barely audible over the murmur of the sea.
BOOOOOOM!
A brutal tremor shook the entire ship, far more violent than the previous one. The deck creaked dangerously, several planks splintered, and some sailors fell to their knees. The ocean itself seemed to rage.
From the churning black water emerged an imposing, colossal figure.
It was gigantic.
Eight tentacles as thick as ancient tree trunks rose toward the night sky, dripping water and seaweed. The viscous, dark skin gleamed under the moonlight. In the center of that mass of flesh and fury, two enormous yellow eyes filled with malevolent intelligence fixed themselves on the ship.
"Oh no… oh no, no, no!" Captain Barrow screamed, stumbling back with his face pale with terror. "By the Prismak God… it's the Kraken!"
Panic spread like wildfire among the few sailors still standing.
Some dropped their weapons, others began praying quietly.
Troy, on the other hand, simply cracked the knuckles of his gloved hands. The dry sound of his bones echoed clearly through the chaos.
A slow, savage smile spread across his lips, making his blue eyes shine with pure excitement.
"Good…" he said in a deep, calm voice, almost enjoying the moment. "Now we're really going to end this show."
He took a step forward, planting himself in the center of the shattered deck.
The golden glow still surrounding his body began to intensify again, pulsing like a living heart.
The enormous ethereal arm of the "Heavenly Lord" started materializing once more beside him—much larger and more defined than before, shining with an almost blinding light.
The Kraken roared. A deep, resonant, deafening sound that made both air and water vibrate. Its tentacles rose even higher, preparing to tear the ship to pieces.
Troy looked up at the sea beast, no trace of fear on his face. Only anticipation.
"Come on, big guy…" he murmured, flexing his fingers. "Show me what you're made of."
Joshua felt his heart stop in his chest.
Beside him, Mikaela clenched her fists, her green eyes fixed on her brother with a mixture of pride and concern.
The sea wind howled. The Kraken brought its tentacles down with terrifying speed.
And Troy… simply smiled even wider.