The Megalodon roared.
Not a sound — a shockwave. The water trembled. The colosseum shook. Ripples surged outward like sonic booms, distorting the sea around them into a blur of pressure and fury.
Tori smirked, golden mana flickering across his arms.
"Looks like we got him mad!" he shouted, voice muffled by the water, eyes gleaming with reckless joy.
The crew surged forward.
Sunless and Issac flanked the beast, spiraling bullets launching from their hands like drills of compressed mana. Each shot slammed into the shark's armored hide, piercing through the rough skin with bursts of azure blood. The Megalodon roared again, unleashing oceanic blasts — concentrated jets of mana-infused water — but the two dodged with practiced ease, weaving through the chaos like dancers in a storm.
Mica dove beneath the beast.
Her spear glowed with pressure, daggers strapped to her thighs. She twisted mid-swim, driving her weapons into the shark's underbelly with surgical precision.
"Sunless! Throw me your sword!" she shouted.
Sunless didn't hesitate.
He spun, sending the blade spiraling through the water — a silver comet wrapped in pressure. Mica caught it mid-dive, momentum carrying her forward as she unleashed a flurry of slashes. Ocean pressure surged with each strike, clashing against the shark's fins in a cascade of light and force.
Above, Tori gathered mana into his palms.
Golden distortion crackled around him — unstable, raw. He fired.
The blast struck the Megalodon's fins, warping them, reshaping them. The blade-like edges dissolved, reverting to the smooth curves of a normal shark.
But the cost was steep.
Tori's mana drained instantly. His underwater barrier flickered — then vanished.
He held his breath.
The Megalodon, enraged, dashed forward with terrifying speed. Its body rippled through the water like a torpedo, slamming Tori into a marble pillar with bone-cracking force.
He didn't scream.
He couldn't.
Issac swam to him, eyes sharp, mana flaring. He pressed a hand to Tori's chest, transferring energy — a shimmering shell of mana wrapped around him once more.
Tori gasped, lungs burning, but alive.
He tried to swim out of the colosseum, but the Megalodon was faster. It lunged, slashing with its now-blunt fins — a reflex born from habit. The strike grazed his chestplate, scraping but not cutting.
"Nice going, Tori!" Issac shouted, dashing forward with a grin.
He slashed.
The blade tore through the shark's eye, blinding it. The other eye already had a knife buried deep — courtesy of Mica.
Tori surfaced, gasping for air.
"Hurry and finish that thing!" he screamed, voice raw.
The trio moved as one.
Issac clashed with the Megalodon's tooth — the impact echoed like thunder underwater. Mica's knives sank deep into its flank, but the beast retaliated, tail-whipping her through the rubble of the colosseum.
Sunless narrowed his eyes.
He activated Sylph's authority.
Speed surged through him — a dramatic boost that blurred his outline. He dashed forward, slashing the shark's jaw. The mouth dangled open, azure teeth glowing like cursed gems.
The Megalodon began to retreat.
It swam toward a narrow pocket in the colosseum wall, seeking escape.
But Issac had seen it coming.
His foresight stigma flared — a glowing sigil across his temple. He fired a pressure bullet at the entrance, sealing it with a burst of force.
The shark twisted, searching for another way out.
Spiraling bullets from Sunless drilled its fin into the ground, pinning it.
Tori didn't hesitate.
He leapt forward, blade in hand, mana burning in his veins.
He struck.
The sword plunged through the Megalodon's skull, slicing through bone and mana alike.
The beast convulsed.
Then stilled.
[The Megalodon has been slain.]
[The Primordial Observers are pleased and are clapping about the performance.]
The water shimmered.
The colosseum fell silent.
Tori and the crew swam upward, lungs aching, mana drained, bodies bruised.
"We frickin' did it… ha…" Tori gasped, collapsing onto the surface of the colosseum.
The Megalodon's body disintegrated — dissolving into particles of light. In its place, a chest emerged, glowing faintly.
Mica's eyes lit up.
She dove back in, swimming toward the prize. The chest was heavy — ancient, sealed with coral and mana. It took her time to drag it back to the surface.
She broke through, hair soaked, armor clanking.
"Okay, next time I am not grabbing any chests," she groaned, tossing her chestplate aside.
Tori stood, body aching, arm cradled against his ribs.
"Okay guys… I won't do anything like this until the exam is over."
Issac chuckled.
Sunless groaned.
"We need a healer. And a strong one at that," Tori muttered, eyes scanning the horizon.
They swam back to the cave entrance, chest in hand, and returned to the surface.
The ship waited.
Sylph was asleep on the deck, silver hair glowing in the moonlight. Beatrice curled beside her, breathing softly.
"Well, so much for watching the ship…" Sunless snarled, collapsing onto the deck.
"I need a break."
The others followed suit, slamming the chest onto the floor. The breeze rolled in — soft, warm, carrying the scent of salt and victory.
The ship drifted.
And so did they — into sleep.
A much-deserved rest.
Their first adventure complete.