The waves surged to impossible heights, black mist entwined within them, crashing down toward the seven Ultra warriors.
Yu Zhou and the others, though shocked by the sheer ferocity of the attack, quickly darted away to avoid being swallowed by the oncoming sea.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The massive waves came crashing back into the ocean, roaring like thunder and spraying towering plumes of foam. And from within that surging water, a colossal shape slowly emerged.
"This… this evil god is way too big!"
Asuka stared wide-eyed at the monstrous figure rising from the deep, at a loss for words.
Huge.
Its maw gaped like a canyon, exhaling thick streams of black mist.
Chaotic.
Countless writhing tendrils sprouted across its body like grotesque hair, lashing out in every direction.
Terrifying.
Above its massive fanged mouth gleamed a single scarlet eye—an eye that radiated an overwhelming aura of evil.
"A one-eyed god…" Yu Zhou muttered, feeling his chest tighten. Even Gatanothor didn't compare in sheer scale.
But dread or not, he had to face it. First came recognition. What exactly was this thing?
"All those tentacles…"
Yu Zhou circled around it, observing. The tendrils weren't appendages—they were its body hair, flowing and endless.
"There's only one it could be…"
Back in his own world, Yu Zhou had studied the lore. Gatanothor, the monster humanity once faced, was inspired by Ghatanothoa, the first son of Cthulhu in the ancient myths. If Cthulhu had a first son, then naturally, he had others.
"Judging from this thing's traits… its prototype is most likely Cthulhu's second son."
His eyes hardened.
"Ythogtha!"
The name rose clearly in Yu Zhou's mind. In Cthulhu's mythology, Ythogtha was a colossal entity—
A body vast beyond reason.
A single eye blazing scarlet.
Imprisoned deep in the abyss near R'lyeh.
And this world's "R'lyeh" was clearly modelled after that same R'lyeh. Which meant—this monster had indeed been sealed in the abyss nearby.
Most telling of all—Ythogtha's head was said to be covered in writhing tendrils.
"Wait… the head?"
Yu Zhou froze. His gaze shifted to where the creature's body met the waves.
"So, this enormous, tentacled mass we see… it isn't its whole body?" His pulse quickened. "This is just… its head?!"
ROOOOAR!!!
Almost on cue, the ocean convulsed again. The evil god bellowed, and the waves split apart as something even larger emerged.
The rest of its body.
Its vast frame rose higher and higher—its limbs webbed like those of an amphibian, its stance more akin to a monstrous toad than anything human.
"Th–this was only its head?!"
Even Asuka and Daigo were left breathless.
They had thought the beast had fully surfaced already. But no—what they had seen was just a fragment of its form. The reality of its body was far greater than anything they had imagined.
"My god… it's horrifying!"
"W–what do we even do against this thing?"
"Is there any hope left…?"
"It looks even worse than Gatanothor!"
"I believe in the Ultras! They'll save us!"
Across the globe, countless people watching the live broadcast trembled between despair and fragile hope. Seven Ultras were fighting this time, not just one. And yet, the oppressive presence of this monster crushed confidence wherever its gaze fell.
Hisssssss…
As they hesitated, thick black mist began to pour from Ythogtha's tendrils, spreading over the already-darkened sea and rolling outward toward the horizon.
"Yu Zhou!" Daigo called out urgently. "Do you know anything about this creature?"
Before, when only parts of it showed, Yu Zhou couldn't be certain. But now that the full monstrosity loomed before them, he answered clearly.
"Its name is Ythogtha."
The others paused, letting the name settle in their minds.
"In the ancient super-civilization era, it was sealed in the abyss near R'lyeh. They called it the Lord of the Abyss."
That was the title Yu Zhou remembered from Cthulhu's myths. Even if the name wasn't known in this world, the meaning was the same.
The beast writhed, exhaling more of its black haze, and the Ultras found themselves struggling to contain it. The number of tentacles was endless—cutting one barely made a difference.
Suddenly—
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
White shapes burst from the pitch-black sea. Huge, flat-bodied creatures, like monstrous worms, hurled themselves into the air.
From their bodies, sharp spikes shot outward, aimed straight at the Ultras.
"What the—?!"
"Move!"
"Watch out!"
Yu Zhou and the others reacted instantly, darting aside to avoid the unexpected barrage.
Asuka raised his arm and fired a beam of light.
BOOM!
One of the pale worms exploded, its broken carcass falling back into the waves.
"White worms…" Yu Zhou muttered grimly.
Daigo narrowed his eyes. "These must be its soldiers—like Gatanothor's Zoigers."
Yu Zhou fired a light arrow from his palm, striking another worm cleanly. The massive creature detonated in a spray of ichor, vanishing beneath the sea.
"…So, these are its vanguard," Yu Zhou growled. "The spawn of Ythogtha."