Ethan didn't give the enemy even a second to recover.
He tightened his grip and unleashed a final surge of force, shattering the withered body completely. What remained scattered into the air as drifting motes of energy dust.
Silence fell.
Ethan exhaled slowly, the sting across his shoulders still lingering from when he'd forced his way through the energy barrier.
That win hadn't come easy.
In fact, that last charge had been a calculated gamble—one mistake, and he'd be the one dissolving into the sea.
He quickly pushed the tension down and reopened his system interface, initiating a wide-area scan of the surrounding ocean.
But the results were just as unsettling as before.
Beneath the surface, it was like a layer of chaotic fog blocked everything. His perception and scan range cut off completely at around thirty feet, as if the deep sea itself refused to be seen.
It felt like staring at a door that would never open.
Ethan let out a quiet sigh.
