Marito kept his gaze fixed on the water as he pressed Rio for more details. "How exactly do you see it, Rio? Explain it to me clearly."
Rio narrowed his eyes, focusing on the depths of the lake. "You mentioned Lord Shizen's energy, but it's not rising to the surface. Yet, it's not at the very bottom either. It's just... hovering there, suspended in the middle."
Without a word of warning, Marito leaped into the lake. But instead of sinking, he landed firmly on the surface, standing on the water as if it were solid ground—a feat made possible by channeling AIR into the soles of his feet.
"Tell me more about what you see!" Marito shouted from the center of the lake.
"It's just sitting there, completely still," Rio yelled back from the shore.
"Is there a receptacle? Something holding the energy?"
Rio shook his head. "No. But there's something guarding it. A barrier of some sort is wrapped around the energy, protecting it."
Marito frowned. "What kind of barrier?"
"I'm not sure yet," Rio replied. As the two of them shouted back and forth between the shore and the water, Anne turned her attention toward Rio.
"Can you lure it out, Rio?" Anne suggested, her voice calm. "Perhaps by using something as a bait... like your blood?"
Rio paused, considering the risk. "I don't think blood alone will do it. But there is one thing I can try. I can release a small portion of Neroli's energy from within my body to draw it out. If I show a hint of that demonic power, it might provoke a reaction."
Anne arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's going to work?"Rio closed his eyes, reaching deep into his consciousness to summon the demon within.
"Hey... Neroli!"
"What is it, brat? Stop disturbing my slumber," Neroli replied with a bored, lazy drawl.
"I need your power."
Neroli let out a low, seductive chuckle at Rio's request. "My, my... such big dreams you have, little boy. And why exactly should I grant you anything?"
"Because I'm doing something important!" Rio shot back. Sensing a shift in the atmosphere, Neroli's tone changed. Suddenly, a strange mark manifested on Rio's face, and his eyes morphed into a sinister, inhuman shape.
"Hahaha! I see now. So, you're trying to catch that thing? Fine... I'll play along. I'll act as your bait!"
Rio was instantly relieved. "For real?" he asked. But hidden from Rio's view, Neroli wore a dark, scheming grin. The demon was clearly planning something far more treacherous.
Moments later, a mixture of demonic aura and fragments of Lord Shizen's own energy began to erupt from Rio's body, surging toward the lake like a physical tide.
Watching from the sidelines, Anne realized the danger immediately and shouted to Marito, who was still standing on the water. "Marito! Get back to the shore, now!"
The moment Marito leaped back to safety, a massive, violent vortex tore through the center of Lake Shizen. From the depths of the swirling abyss, a deafening, bone-chilling roar echoed—a direct manifestation of Lord Shizen's raw, untamed power. (🥴😖)
From the violent vortex, swarms of hideous Demonic Fish erupted along with waves of raw energy. These creatures lunged toward Rio, Marito, Anne, Kawsoki, and Gyau with bloodthirsty intent.
Before this chaos erupted, Marito had presented them with an arsenal.
"Since you're determined to follow me and you've learned the basics of AIR, you're going to need these," Marito had said, throwing open the trunk of the car to reveal a pile of weapons.
Kawsoki had picked out a small, unassuming iron rod. Gyau, looking for something with more kick, grabbed a firearm. Rio, however, chose a simple wooden sword. "It's light," Rio remarked. "It suits me."
Back in the present, the battlefield was a mess of energy and steel.
Marito shouted over the noise, "Rio! Is Lord Shizen's energy rising to the surface yet?"
"No! He's still pinned at the bottom!" Rio yelled back, narrowly dodging a snapping jaw. He swung his wooden sword with precision, striking down the demonic fish as they lunged at him.
Gyau was busy pulling the trigger, his bullets tearing through the ranks of the approaching monsters. "Die, you freaks!" he yelled, keeping the pressure on with rapid fire.
Kawsoki provided the heavy support. As he channeled AIR into his small iron rod, it expanded in size, transforming into a massive iron pillar. With a powerful swing, he sent the demonic fish flying in every direction.
Anne didn't even bother with a weapon. She relied on her sheer physical prowess, delivering devastating kicks that sent the creatures tumbling back into the dark water. Meanwhile, Marito moved like a ghost, his black shadows weaving through the fray and systematically neutralizing every threat in his path.The battlefield was getting chaotic. Rio was slicing through the swarms of demonic fish with his wooden sword, but the sheer numbers were becoming overwhelming. Just as one creature was about to lung at Rio's blind spot...
Bang!
The creature was blasted away by a well-aimed shot. Gyau stepped up, blowing the smoke from his gun barrel with an air of superiority. "Hey Rio, we're not playing games here. Keep your head in the game!" Gyau barked in a master-like tone.
Rio took a sharp breath and nodded. "Thanks, Gyau."
"Hahaha! Damn right!" Gyau shouted, clearly enjoying his moment of coolness.
On the other side, Kawsoki was putting on a show. He had extended his iron rod to the length of a spear, spinning and swinging it exactly like Sun Wukong. He smashed through the demonic fish with incredible speed. "Whoa! This is amazing! This power is the real deal!" he yelled, exhilarated by the thrill of the fight.
But the excitement didn't last long. Suddenly, Anne froze, her eyes locking onto the center of the lake.
"I think... I feel something coming," Anne warned, her voice dropping an octave. Everyone followed her gaze in unison.
The vortex erupted with a violent spray of water. Emerging from the depths was a colossal hand, formed entirely of swirling lake water and raw energy. It clawed its way out of the abyss, reaching toward the shore as if to crush everything in its path.
The colossal water hand swept across the shore with a thunderous roar. From within its watery mass, spears made of concentrated liquid erupted, raining down upon the group like a deadly storm.
While Marito and Anne managed to dodge the barrage with effortless grace, the same couldn't be said for the other three. Rio, Gyau, and Kawsoki were struggling, barely avoiding a direct hit.
"Damn it! Die already!" Gyau shouted, unloading his firearm into the giant hand, but the bullets simply passed through the water without leaving a scratch.
As Marito looked up, the sky seemed to open up, and a sudden downpour of rain drenched them all. Through the mist, a figure began to descend—a presence that felt colder and deeper than the lake itself.
The man had mysterious, concentric-ringed eyes. He wore traditional black samurai hakama pants, but his upper body remained bare, revealing a powerful physique. His skin was pale white with a subtle bluish tint, reflecting the depths of the water.
He looked down at them with a chilling smirk.
"Yo... it seems you've brought Lord Shizen's energy right back to me."