A bolt of thunder struck one of the mermaid monsters, paralyzing it on the spot.
It fell into the sea with a splash.
The scattered lightning danced across the water, electrocuting nearby monsters as well.
Buhara slammed his palm into one, sending it flying.
Kaizen quickly evaluated the situation and responded.
Kojiro summoned a massive machete. With a single downward strike, he cleaved a mermaid monster cleanly in half.
Despite her efforts, Sally's offensive strength lagged behind the others. Her bullets couldn't penetrate the mermaid monsters' scales unless they struck a critical point.
She shifted to a support role—finishing off heavily wounded monsters or distracting others to create openings.
Even so, the mermaid monsters couldn't gain the upper hand.
The Gourmet Paradise team clearly held the advantage in strength.
But there were just too many mermaid monsters—and they had home-field advantage in the sea.
Scarlet blood spilled across the ocean surface, fouling the air with a rancid stench.
...
The Fallen narrowed his eyes.
"Still putting up resistance, huh?"
"If this keeps up, who knows how long it'll take to wipe you out..."
"You little pests..."
"Fine. I'll handle this myself."
He turned his gaze toward one of the squads.
A dense, pitch-black aura began to seep from his hands.
Kaizen immediately took notice.
That aura... it resembled the corrosive bomb he'd created with the Hexflare Bomb.
A similar ability—but far more potent.
...
Before the Fallen could act, the leaders of the three squads sprang into motion.
Menchi gripped a cursed silver coin tightly, then hurled it at the Fallen.
The other two leaders did the same.
As if pulled by an unseen force, the three coins accelerated midair, homing in on the Fallen.
He tried to dodge, but it was pointless.
The cursed silver coins were no longer under the control of Menchi and the others—they moved with a will of their own, relentlessly tracking their target.
Even as the Fallen shifted his position, the coins stayed locked on.
Pfft!
Pfft!
Pfft!
One after another, the silver coins pierced his body.
A brilliant surge of light erupted from his chest, interrupting his gathering aura.
Though it didn't force him into an absolute state, it still sealed off his ability to launch any proper attacks.
But the coins came at a cost.
Menchi and the other two leaders felt their aura being drained at a frightening pace.
Still, the trade-off was worth it—they had effectively bound the Fallen in place.
Now only the mermaid monsters could continue the fight.
The Fallen's expression darkened.
"Linne..."
His voice was a low growl, full of venom.
"You're really willing to throw your life away just to kill me?"
"You'd go this far?"
He could only watch as the mermaid monsters fought with Kaizen's group.
He hadn't anticipated this outcome.
The moment he saw the teams form up, he'd guessed that Linne might have tampered with the cursed silver coins.
But he didn't expect this degree of desperation.
Cursing the silver coins in violation of the original contract would already bring Linne massive side effects.
To twist their nature this much... it could very well kill her.
Even if it didn't, her lifespan would be drastically shortened.
Why? Why would she do this?
That unanswered question infuriated him the most.
...
"We need to finish this quickly!"
Menchi's voice rang out, sharp and commanding.
"We only have about ten minutes before our aura gives out!"
She could sense the terrifying power of the Fallen—even now, with his aura sealed.
He wasn't just strong. He was on a completely different level.
...
Everyone accelerated their attacks.
Kaizen held the Hexflare Bomb tightly and flooded it with aura.
Bolts of lightning exploded outward, not at specific targets, but across a wide area—suppressing the movements of the mermaid monsters.
With their coordination disrupted, the others were able to cut them down with greater ease.
The sea around them became a chaotic battlefield, lit by crackling lightning and stained with blood.
The Fallen's eyes locked onto Kaizen.
The surrounding waters pulsed with electricity, turning into a death trap for the mermaid monsters.
Their numbers began to thin.
Suddenly—
...
A suffocating pressure burst from the Fallen's body.
One of the cursed silver coins was forcibly ejected from his chest.
Then the second.
Then the third.
All three coins were expelled.
The spiritual tether Menchi's group had used to bind him snapped—and with it came a violent backlash.
Splurt!
Menchi coughed up blood and collapsed to one knee. The other two leaders were no better off, vomiting blood across the deck.
Kaizen quickly noticed that the Fallen hadn't shrugged off the restriction for free.
His body looked unstable, like it was tearing apart.
...
Crack!
A sickening splitting sound echoed across the sea.
The Fallen... literally split in two.
His body divided—one half youthful and alive, the other mummified and decayed.
The missing sections of each were filled in by a mass of shadowy black aura, vaguely humanoid in shape.
Kaizen froze.
That form... it reminded him of Rosgel—specifically how Rosgel had looked after being "recovered."
The Fallen's power had diminished slightly.
But now there were two of him.
Worse, the curse from the silver coins was completely lifted.
The battle had taken a dangerous turn against Gourmet Paradise.
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Fanfic is completed on patreon.com/FanficsHub (1047 chapters in total)