"Two hundred ninety-eight… two hundred ninety-nine… three hundred!"
Jin's voice rumbled deep beneath the sea, counting the seconds. His body coiled with energy, his veins swollen with surging inner force. The whirlpool's crushing grip tried to grind him into fragments, but his eyes—violet, burning with defiance—shone like gems in the dark.
The strain was immense, yet exhilaration coursed through him.
Not even fatigued… he thought, marveling at his own transformation.
In his past life, even at the height of his mercenary career, he had never reached this level. Back then, a full burst of his energy meant only the faint hope of dodging bullets. His flesh had been fragile. His inner force—thin compared to this ocean of power.
Now? His body was a fortress. His core an endless well. He was no longer merely a killer. He was becoming a myth.
"This feeling," Jin roared into the waters, his voice booming like thunder, "is intoxicating! Hahahaha!"
The whirlpool snarled back with its titanic pull, as if insulted by his mockery. Water tore at him in a raging spiral, desperate to consume.
"Then take this! Five-Dragon Fist—Water Dragon Shatter!"
His arms flexed, muscles swelling like steel cables. Twin shockwaves of inner force burst from his fists, twisting into two serpentine dragons of glimmering blue energy. They coiled and spun, fusing mid-strike into a colossal water dragon that slammed into the whirlpool's core.
The sea convulsed. For a heartbeat, it looked as if the ocean itself bowed before him.
Satisfied, Jin twisted free, his body shooting upward like a cannonball.
Enough playing.
With a final surge, he broke the surface—spray exploding around him as he landed back on the deck of the Eternal.
"Finally… through," Tina exhaled, sweat dripping down her temple. The sight of the whirlpool fading behind them let her chest loosen for the first time in hours.
But peace lasted only a breath.
BOOOOM!
The ocean erupted. A geyser of black water blasted skyward, dwarfing their ship. Out of the depths rose a leviathan—scaled hide the color of storm clouds, jaws lined with serrated teeth longer than masts. A crocodilian Sea King, its sheer bulk blotting out the moon.
The Eternal looked like a toy boat against its looming skull.
Tina's face drained pale. "That… that's impossible."
Kuma's fur bristled, his massive frame trembling—but not with fear. His eyes burned crimson, beastly rage boiling over. "Big… too big," he muttered, then bared his teeth. "But I'll try!"
With a roar, his body surged, muscles swelling, fur standing on end. His aura flared savage and primal.
"Wild Rampage—Bear's Mark!"
He hurled himself off the deck, a meteor of fur and fury. His paw, swollen with force, carved the air, manifesting the phantom of an ancient bear's skull that slammed into the Sea King's snout.
BOOM!
The collision shook the sea. Waves burst outward, rocking the Eternal like a leaf in a storm. For a moment, the Sea King's jaws paused, its eyes flickering with surprise. But pain barely registered.
To the creature, Kuma was nothing more than a buzzing insect. An insect that dared bite.
The giant head tilted back, its bellow shattering the night. Then it lunged again—wrath doubled.
On the deck, Kuina gripped her blade, blood-hued steel gleaming in the moonlight. Her jaw tightened. "If we can't flee… then we fight."
Makino's hands trembled as she clutched the railing, eyes wide with terror. But when she looked at Jin, her heart steadied. He stood calm, back straight, watching the leviathan approach with cold focus.
He's not afraid. So I won't be either.
The beast's maw descended, a wall of teeth and darkness.
"Kuina!" Jin barked.
Her eyes sharpened. She stepped forward, body light as a feather, aura sharpening to a deadly edge. The blood-forged sword rose.
"Moon Style—Crimson Crescent!"
Her body spun, blade carving a scarlet arc. For an instant, a blood-red moon appeared in the night sky, mirrored in the sea. That lunar slash cut upward, striking at the Sea King's head.
The giant hissed as a gash opened across its scales, shallow but visible. Blood spattered the waves, steaming.
Kuma dropped back onto the deck, panting, his fur matted with seawater. "Didn't… hurt it much," he grunted, frustration in his eyes.
Tina's knuckles whitened around the wheel. "Its size… its hide is too dense. Even a warship's cannons wouldn't—"
She stopped. Because Jin had already moved.
He stepped to the bow, coat whipping behind him. The sea wind howled around him, but his expression was still, almost serene. He looked up at the leviathan's eye—an abyss of primal hunger—and smiled faintly.
"Perfect test."
Blood-patterned blade slid free from its sheath, humming with restrained violence. His aura bled outward—violet deepening into crimson, a tide of killing intent so heavy it warped the air.
The Sea King faltered mid-charge. For the first time, it hesitated.
Jin lifted his sword.
"Dominating Blade—World-Cutting Flash."
A whisper. Then light.
The sea split. Air itself cracked. A single slash carved across the heavens, silent and absolute. The creature's head jerked as if the world itself had struck it. A line of red blossomed down its face.
With a sound like thunder, half its horn shattered and fell into the waves.
The beast recoiled, shrieking in outrage, thrashing its titanic body. Waves exploded in every direction. But it did not advance. Its abyssal eyes locked onto Jin, registering something it had never known: fear.
On deck, silence held.
Kuina's breath came ragged, but her eyes glowed with awe. "That… was no longer human."
Kuma grinned despite his exhaustion, chest heaving. "Knew it. Boss… strongest."
Tina pressed a trembling hand against her chest, heart pounding. For once, her sailor's logic failed her. What she had witnessed wasn't tactics or skill. It was domination.
And Makino—Makino's knees nearly buckled. Relief and pride warred in her chest, but above all, the weight of realization. He had faced down a god of the sea and forced it to retreat.
Her eyes watered, unbidden. He always protects us. Always carries everything.
Jin turned, sword dripping with seawater and blood, his violet gaze softening as it found hers. "Makino."
She gasped, startled at being singled out. "Y-yes?"
His smile was faint, almost tired. "Go inside. It's over."
Later, when the deck quieted and Kuma slumped snoring in exhaustion, Kuina returned to her drills, and Tina double-checked the systems, Makino lingered near the captain's quarters.
Jin leaned against the doorframe, still bare-chested from the battle, muscles slick with seawater and sweat. His breath was steady, but his body bore the toll—scratches, bruises, strain.
"You shouldn't hide that you're hurting," she whispered, approaching.
"I've had worse." His grin was faint, teasing.
She didn't smile back. Instead, she reached out, fingers brushing a fresh cut on his shoulder. Her eyes lowered. "You always say that. But every time, you bleed more for us."
He looked at her, expression unreadable. Then he lifted her hand from his shoulder, pressing her palm against his chest instead. His heartbeat thundered, strong and steady.
"As long as this keeps beating, nothing touches you," he murmured.
Her face flushed crimson. For a moment, the roar of waves and cries of gulls seemed distant. Tentatively, she leaned closer, resting her forehead against him.
"…Idiot," she whispered.
He chuckled softly, wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her gently against him. The intimacy of the moment cracked the shell of tension built over hours of terror.
Their lips met, tentative at first, then deeper, heat rising between them. Makino melted into the kiss, clutching his chest as though anchoring herself. He tasted of salt and iron, of the battle just survived.
When they finally parted, breath mingling, he brushed his thumb against her cheek.
"Still think I'm reckless?" he asked.
She managed a shaky smile. "Yes. But you're mine."
The Eternal sailed on beneath the battered moonlight. Behind them, the vortex lay shattered, and the Sea King's bellow faded into the deep. Ahead, the seas whispered of new trials.
But for tonight, Jin allowed himself a rare indulgence—warmth, closeness, and the fleeting peace found in her arms.
Tomorrow, the storm would come again.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T/N :
Support me and Access 25 chapters in Advance on my P@treon: [email protected]/GodFic