Under the dark sky, the thread-like raindrops connected the black clouds in the sky with the sea surface, completely merging into one color.
Perhaps sensing the presence of an Old Hunter here, everything—the weather, the enemies, and the scenery—perfectly transformed into the ideal style for a Yharnam Hunter's hunt.
"Societyperde (Lost Ally), Sanguinesatcta (Holy Blood)!"
The Nona's clear and melodious voice echoed in Goki's ears, making the entire scene extraordinarily exciting; though initially reluctant, she sang very seriously.
And Goki, too, entered the state.
"Ha… Let us hunt those who have fallen into darkness."
Goki could feel the blood surging rapidly through his veins; the Seaborn Blood, so quiescent in the blood vial, instantly became active the moment it entered Goki's body.
Goki felt a wild and terrifying power surging within him.
Muscle strength, nerve response, metabolism… Almost instantly, all of Goki's physical abilities increased by at least nearly double.
It was like a speed-boosted dog on stimulants, more than just a little stronger.
Seaborn—Aegir Blood, this was blood extracted from the corpse of the Abyssal Hunter who had been parasitized by the Seaborn. Although she could also speak, it was still through the Hunter's knowledge and flesh, so she couldn't be considered a First Speaker.
To be honest, Goki didn't really want to use this thing.
Firstly, there was only one vial of it, a unique item, gone once used. For a collector like Goki, it was truly painful.
Who would really be willing to use something that disappears after one use? Letting it gather dust in the warehouse until the game is finished is the normal choice!
Secondly, Hunters always like to keep a trick up their sleeve.
When fighting Quintus, Goki didn't need any stimulants; such items were meant to be saved for critical moments.
And the other two superhuman-level Abyssal Hunters could easily deal with such monsters; with just a shout, they could come and chop the First Speaker into mincemeat.
However, for the sake of Skadi and Specter's mental health, Goki decided to reluctantly use the precious unique item.
And now, the Abyssal Hunter's last connection to the world had merged with Goki.
"Thank you, Land Dweller, for my comrade."
Vaguely, Goki seemed to hear a faint sound of gratitude.
Perhaps it was an illusion.
Clang—
With a fierce flick of the short-handled axe in his hand, extending its metal handle to transform it into a long-handled two-handed axe, Goki gripped the weapon tightly, exhaling a puff of white mist into the cold air around him.
Now, he was strong, so strong that he could barely control himself. His blood flowed faster, his heart pumped powerfully, and the Seaborn Blood within him surged with joy, constantly multiplying and propagating, seemingly driving him to embark on a glorious evolution.
"That's enough—you'll die here, First Speaker. Your body won't become nourishment for the swarm; it will only turn into worthless rotten flesh."
But the next second, everything returned to calm.
For ordinary people, such an overall increase in strength would only make them feel like they had rocket boosters strapped to their hands, difficult to control.
But fortunately, Goki had dealt with blood even more terrifying and insane than this; what he was best at was controlling and utilizing such power.
Although he didn't know how long this state would last, Goki would kill him as quickly as possible.
"You, devoured her, you killed her, this shouldn't be, this makes us… afraid."
The muscle tentacles that had been wildly dancing on the First Speaker's body suddenly flattened against him like a startled mimosa.
The Seaborn are one and all, all and one, both 'I' and 'we'.
And now, it was surprised to feel that a previously faint "node" nearby had suddenly vanished. Her knowledge and experience had not returned to the swarm through the vast network, but had been directly excised.
And from the humanoid individual opposite, dense thought signals were also emanating.
The Seaborn prey on other species to nourish the entire swarm, but from Goki, the First Speaker sensed a desire to hunt.
This was something he hadn't felt from the Abyssal Hunters—Seaborn and Abyssal Hunters are like siblings, and infighting within the swarm is like metabolism, even beneficial for the swarm's renewal.
But this person was different; he wanted to… devour the entire ocean!
The emotionless Seaborn felt a profound emotion for the first time—fear.
Following that came "hatred."
This anomalous presence before him must be eliminated.
"Kill—"
With his muscles tensed like a drawn bow, the First Speaker shot out towards Goki like a bullet.
And Goki, similarly lowering his body, charged towards his opponent without the slightest fear.
Clang!
The great axe and the First Speaker's hard arms collided, even sparking a brilliant flash.
Although Goki still retreated a few steps, a smile appeared on his face.
"Ha… It seems our strengths aren't too far apart—then it's time for the brute force approach."
The power between Hunter and prey is never equal.
A BOSS can kill an Old Hunter in two slaps, while an Old Hunter has to chip away for several minutes; the enemy is always stronger than oneself, this is something a Yharnam Hunter is already used to.
However, as long as this gap is slightly narrowed, then the scales of victory will tilt!
Ding—ding—clang!
Again, several sounds of metal clashing; Goki and the First Speaker actually started a blade-to-blade duel, something Hunters rarely managed.
"You are strong; I must eliminate you for the swarm."
No longer caring about the two comrades bound by Aegir flesh, the First Speaker honestly expressed his killing intent towards Goki.
He must kill this presence before him; he made the Seaborn afraid, he was an enemy of the Seaborn, and if left unchecked, it could lead to the demise of the entire swarm.
"You're also very honest, but unfortunately, you're not—Nona!"
Swift and fast, powerful and heavy, the sharp two-handed axe severed one of the First Speaker's wrist appendages. Goki's face bore a ferocious smile as he rolled to dodge a sharp thorn, seemingly intending to clash head-on with the First Speaker again.
The First Speaker was also very straightforward, continuing to swing both arms, one for defense and the other thrusting towards Goki's abdomen.
According to the First Speaker's experience, this would both defend against the enemy's swift attack and also be blocked by the opponent's weapon, but the Seaborn are tireless, and as long as they stall, it's a victory.
Clang————
However, just as both sides were about to clash again in a blade-to-blade duel, Goki suddenly pressed the switch on his two-handed axe, transforming it into a short-handled axe held in his right hand.
Pfft—pfft!
Two sounds of flesh tearing rang out.
One came from Goki bypassing the opponent's defense, precisely cutting into the First Speaker's neck, causing a large amount of greenish bodily fluid to gush out.
The other came from the First Speaker's arm, which directly pierced Goki's abdominal cavity, destroying his internal organs, and even began to churn horizontally.
"Are you seeking death?"
The sudden movement even caused the First Speaker to feel puzzled; in his experience, not even an Abyssal Hunter would dare to confront a Seaborn in such a manner.
"Hey, that's why I say you guys are still too young."
Bang!
The next second, a loud explosion rang out, and behind the First Speaker, damaged body tissue scattered with countless silver shrapnel.
Goki's free left hand pulled out a blunderbuss, and while the Seaborn's right hand was churning inside him, he aimed it at its undefended abdomen.
The Hunter's Blunderbuss, this weapon longer than Goki's forearm, is also for beginners.
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Although its accuracy was very low at long range, if fired at close range like this—then the effect was naturally excellent.
"Cough! Emotions, dense signals, blood, your blood is devouring me—"
His throat choked with bodily fluid, the First Speaker felt countless bullet fragments, wrapped in blood, embedded in his body tissue, corroding his vitality.
And Goki, with a light kick, pushed the First Speaker away, watching the damaged body lose balance and fall to its knees.
And the bodily fluids that gushed from the First Speaker and splashed onto Goki's wound were greedily absorbed by his flesh, healing the wound as if new.
Trading blows, recovering by absorbing the enemy's blood the moment he took damage—this was a power unique to Yharnam Hunters.
Although this tactic was a ploy to lure Hunters into greedy attacks, it was exceptionally suitable for Goki in his current state.
Splat—
Without the slightest pause, taking advantage of the First Speaker's imbalance and fall, Goki freed his right hand and directly gripped its greenish "spine" in the abdomen.
Bang!
Visceral attack!
The Seaborn didn't actually have many internal organs; Goki decided to crush whatever he could!
Kicked away again by Goki, large gouts of blood spurted out; the First Speaker violently spat out a mouthful of bodily fluid, his body largely destroyed.
The outcome was decided.
"Gaa————!!!"
Below, the gigantic Seaborn also let out another wail, and Skadi and Specter's battle was also nearing its end.
He was afraid; the Seaborn swarm felt fear.
"You cannot kill me; I stand in the ocean, with my brothers and sisters. You will weaken, and our brothers and sisters will win."
Countless muscle fibers extended from within his body, drawing nourishment from the Seaborn below. The First Speaker honestly cried for help, and his body began to rapidly repair itself again, even starting to grow more terrifying bone spurs.
And in the distance, on the dark coastline, countless waves like schools of fish began to surge towards Goki's direction; more Seaborn were approaching the shore.
"Ha… Indeed, not as long-lasting as Ultraman, I have to take you down directly."
Feeling the power within him already beginning to wane, having lasted less than three minutes, Goki clenched his fist.
"Looks like I need to go big. If only I had lightning paper—huh?"
Looking at the thick dark clouds in the sky, where purple electric lights were gradually intensifying, Goki suddenly had a bold idea.
Hunters never used such suicidal techniques—instead, someone in the Ashina Castle stage next door was very fond of this move.
But for some reason, Goki felt he could do it; it was a hidden call in his blood, a whisper of knowledge in his mind.
From the Seaborn? From the Originium? Or from the blood of Yharnam? Goki didn't know, but he did it.
"I heard that if you're struck directly by lightning, it's still possible to survive."
Transforming his one-handed axe back into a two-handed axe, Goki stood on high ground in this terrifying thunderstorm, recklessly raising his metal weapon.
Crack—bang!
The next second, the air was pierced, and a lightning bolt, connecting heaven and earth, fell from the clouds. It was a smaller leading lightning bolt, used to connect to a larger thunderclap, but for Mortals, this was still a deadly force of nature!
"Madness, outsider, you are an enemy of the ocean! You—do not belong to this world."
The First Speaker trembled all over; it wasn't just him trembling, but all the Seaborn!
In its final moments, the great being connected to the First Speaker finally discerned the origin of this outsider and stopped its repairs, launching a desperate charge!
And Goki, too, seized the instant the lightning struck, leaping high from the ground.
At this moment, the strongest Six-star Ifrit and Sister Lei's Souls possessed him—nothing unscientific about it, Goki *was* science!
"You guessed right, I told you, I am the Hunter, and you—are all prey! Taste this—Lightning Reversal!"
The Hunter's Hand Axe and Goki himself, wreathed in brilliant and dazzling electricity, chopped into the First Speaker's body, cleaving it directly in two, sending it crashing onto the spikes on the Seaborn's back.
Boom————
A vast electric light connected to the ground, but it seemed to fear Goki, bypassing him and plunging into the shallow sea along the Seaborn's body, spreading into the distance.
In the distance, the rapidly approaching waves paused.
"What the heck! I'm numb—what happened?"
Under the Seaborn, Specter's running muscles suddenly stiffened for an instant, causing her to stumble and almost fall.
Looking up, she and Skadi caught a glimpse of a bright electric light.
"Little brother Goki, got struck by lightning?"
The gigantic Seaborn's vitality instantly vanished, and its barely reassembled limbs suddenly collapsed, crumbling like a damaged tall building, stirring up huge waves.
On the other side, Skadi's eyes suddenly widened; without thinking, she leaped upwards.
"Goki—"
— — — —
On the Seaborn's back, Goki dropped his hand axe and Hunter's Blunderbuss, half-kneeling on the ground, his body stiff. In his eyes, the brilliant white light gradually faded.
"Ha, was I out of my mind? What was I even doing just now?"
He didn't know what he had been thinking just now, to actively invite lightning strikes; truly a death wish.
"Forget it, as long as I win—I'm numb, completely numb."
Before him, the First Speaker's charred body was constantly disintegrating, regressing into useless chunks of flesh.
"Emotions, our kin will learn. Take good care of Ishar-mla; one day, we will welcome her back."
With his last ounce of strength, the First Speaker said so.
"Next time, other kin will find you… We will always pursue you."
This was a heavy curse, representing eternal pursuit; as long as the ocean existed for a day, the Seaborn's pursuit would not cease.
"You are wrong; it is I who hunt you, Seaborn. You have become my prey!"
And his answer was a heavy stomp from a boot.
"I'll give you a message too. Tell your boss: one, no more eating people; two, turn into pretty young girls. Then maybe I'll think highly of you. Otherwise, you'll always be low-level creatures!"
Using his last bit of strength, he stomped on the First Speaker's head, and the power in his blood completely vanished. Goki lay weakly on the ground.
"Finally, and most importantly, to hell with Ishar-mla—Skadi is my wife!"
After saying this, Goki looked at the sparkle on the First Speaker's corpse and relaxed, closing his eyes.
"Goki, are you alright—Goki!"
And before falling into slumber, Goki's eyes saw a splash of vivid red.
"Sleep, good Hunter; you deserve a brief rest—la, la la."
In the dream, the Nona knelt down, gently comforting Goki's blurry dream body, singing a soft lullaby, and stroking his face with her small, jointless hands.
The prey has been slaughtered.
And the Hunter's hunt continues.
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