The battle erupted instantly. The humanoid octopus monsters charged at the nearest targets the moment they materialized.
Some lunged at Little Herta, others at Mad Lion, and one singled out SAM.
Despite the wings on their backs, these creatures were undeniably aquatic. With a slight flap of their wings, they propelled themselves through the water at astonishing speed. Dense clusters of octopus tentacles splayed from their faces in all directions, as if eager to devour their foes.
But they were met with an overwhelming barrage of magic attacks. The surrounding Little Hertas unleashed their spells simultaneously, turning the battlefield into a scene resembling a dozen tanks relentlessly shelling a dinosaur. Though the Evil God's Familiar was far more formidable than any dinosaur, the Little Hertas were infinitely more powerful than tanks.
A single coordinated volley of magic riddled the humanoid octopus monster with gaping wounds, its blue blood staining the surrounding sea.
SAM's fight ended even faster. A flying kick from him cracked the creature's skull open. Of the three skirmishes, only Mad Lion's proved challenging.
The situation was reminiscent of Mad Lion's fight against Godzilla. Once again, he was fighting on enemy territory, unable to gain leverage underwater. The humanoid octopus monster that had ambushed him wrapped its tentacles tightly around his limbs, immobilizing him completely. Then, it opened its mouth, lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth in the center of its tentacles, and swallowed Mad Lion whole.
Witnessing this, Firefly's lips twitched involuntarily. For some reason, words like "tentacles" and "vore" flashed through her mind. Is this octopus monster a bit too hardcore?
What should I do? Should I go help him?
Just as she was considering it, the octopus monster that had swallowed Mad Lion suddenly emitted a strange, piercing shriek. Then, its rear end ripped open as Mad Lion violently burst free!
Ew, that's even more grotesque. Never mind, let him handle it himself.
Firefly immediately abandoned any thought of intervention.
Facing an enemy with a ravaged rear and severe internal injuries, Mad Lion quickly finished it off.
The battle had never been in doubt. To be honest, dealing with this mediocre Elite-grade unit was less trouble than handling a large swarm of weaker minions.
Time passed steadily. The Dimensional Rift continued to spawn two or three octopus-like monsters every minute, but these creatures were swiftly annihilated upon their emergence.
The rift gradually closed, visibly filling in. Because the rift in the Main World was significantly smaller than the one in the Evil God World, the time required for complete repair was correspondingly shorter.
During this time, Mad Lion temporarily left the battlefield to catch his breath, but this had minimal impact on the overall situation.
Ten hours later, Mad Lion stood on the deck, casually drying his hair with a towel. This was his fifth trip back to the ship; he seemed to have spent more time swimming through the 1,000-meter depths than actually fighting.
"So, just those monsters? When Elysia asked me for help, I thought we'd be facing some formidable foe."
Herta Herself was also on deck, equally surprised. Logically, at least one Evil God's true form should have appeared. Why hadn't that happened this time?
Was it because the Submarine Dimensional Rift hadn't been open long enough? Or was there another reason?
As the twelfth hour approached and dusk began to settle, the aircraft carrier's radar suddenly detected a massive number of approaching units. These were fishmen, who had been lurking in various locations across the seabed. They seemed to have realized that something extremely unfavorable was happening to them, but the Dimensional Rift was completely surrounded by Little Herta Puppets, making it impossible for them to get close.
Instinctively avoiding the Little Herta Puppets around the Dimensional Rift, yet desperate to find a way through, the fishmen began attacking other nearby targets: the ships on the surface, and even a few fishmen attempting to sneak towards Sakura Prefecture.
"Enemy attack! Everyone be on alert!"
However, having been caught off guard in the Evil God World, Herta was well-prepared this time. Each ship was garrisoned by hundreds of Evolvers, and the shores of Sakura Prefecture were similarly fortified. Even if the fishmen managed to breach the fleet's metal storm and board the ships, they would face hordes of Superhumans.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
The roar of the CIWS guns echoed through the night sky. Previously, the fishmen had retreated within five minutes when faced with such intense firepower. But this time was different; the battle raged for a full six hours.
Within the first hour, the CIWS guns had exhausted their ammunition. From then on, the ship's Evolvers were left to fight the fishmen swarming onto the deck.
Three hours into the battle, the regular Navy soldiers supporting with firearms also ran out of ammunition. At the same time, the fishmen seemed to have completely lost their minds, turning their attacks toward the thousand Herta Puppets guarding the Submarine Dimensional Rift.
By the fifth hour, the Evolvers on deck were nearing exhaustion, yet the fishmen beneath the waves continued to surge endlessly from the depths, as if unkillable.
Mad Lion was also helping on the deck, but lacking any large-scale Skills, his effectiveness in such a vast battlefield was limited to what he could accomplish with his bare hands.
SAM was forced to return to the surface and ignite the sea once more, finally turning the tide of the surface battle. Yet even this couldn't deter the fishmen; despite being incinerated the instant they touched the flames, they continued to leap suicidally from the water, their numbers seemingly inexhaustible.
"How many of these things managed to breed in such a short time..." Herta murmured, hovering above the battlefield as she silently surveyed the carnage below.
By the sixth hour—the eighteenth hour of repairing the Dimensional Rift—the submarine rift had been completely sealed. The fishmen slowly began to retreat, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of corpses.
The underwater battlefield was equally grim. The space around the thousand Puppets was saturated with corpses, and the seawater had long since turned a bizarre shade of blue. Leaving such a mass of bodies unattended would undoubtedly lead to disaster. Herta foresaw that simply clearing the carnage would be an immense undertaking. Moreover, after soaking in the blue sea of blood for so long, the thousand Puppets would need a thorough cleaning upon their return.
"But... in the end, the Evil God's true form never manifested," Herta mused aloud, surprised by this unexpected turn of events. She couldn't decide whether it was a blessing or a curse. "Now, our next task is to locate the source of the Dimensional Rift."