Chapter Thirteen: Fierce Battle Beneath the Waves

A massive onslaught of tentacles of unknown origin suddenly ravaged Xianggang City.

People who were about to begin their routine, day-after-day lives stood frozen like statues before this nightmare.

Having endured the previous attack on New Spring and Autumn City, the populace soon grew pale with dread.

Escape! The farther, the better!

What should have been a quiet, ordinary morning turned into a hellish scene of panic and flight.

However, this time, the incoming tentacles seemed to lack significant lethality.

Perhaps because they emerged from the sea, areas far from the coastline appeared to be outside their reach.

Citizens who had fled to the mountains looked on in shock, watching the tentacle swarm that sprawled from the sea and clung to the shore.

“Commander, the tentacles in the city seem to be retracting!”

“This... this is good news...”

Even the commander of the United Nations fleet was baffled.

“Shakia, report. You’re in position, observing the target.”

Behind the coastal hills, Shakia, piloting the Traum, was half-submerged in shallow water, peering into the city’s situation.

The Traum’s monitoring system had a powerful telescope feature that Shakia found extremely convenient—almost as if the telescope was a natural extension of her own eyes.

“Also... the navy’s sonar hasn’t detected any special targets. What exactly are these tentacles...?”

Massive tentacles moved unchecked along the coast, yet the navy failed to detect any large approaching objects.

Logically, such gigantic tentacles couldn’t have simply manifested out of thin air, could they?

In the naval command room, Shion began her tactical briefing. “Shakia, be cautious beneath the surface. Watch for any suspicious activity!”

“Shion, the tentacles on the sea seem to be pulling back. Are they retreating?”

If the tentacles quickly withdrew, only the ruined naval base and the coastal districts would be left behind.

“What’s the situation underwater? Can we track the enemy’s location?”

The commander stood alongside Shion, urgently asking.

“No targets. No large objects have appeared underwater!”

This report made both the commander and Shion catch their breath sharply.

“Shakia, did you hear that?”

“I heard... this one’s a bit strange...”

The forces were paralyzed, and the tentacle monsters who attacked the port suddenly vanished.

Faced with this eerie state of affairs, Shakia cautiously submerged into the shallow sea, trying to find some clue.

Using the Traum’s eyes, she could clearly observe the underwater environment.

“Underwater visual search found no large mass.”

Shakia reported as she pondered. From the start, she’d felt an indescribable sense of discord.

Were the sea creatures and plants really this abundant on the seabed?

---

Shakia stepped cautiously along the seabed, one careful step at a time.

“!!”

Something was wrong. Shakia noticed that the flora and fauna where she had stepped before were merging together like liquid mercury, evading her feet.

Indeed, both plants and animals were fusing and then dispersing again.

“Shion, I think those creatures never left...”

Shakia’s report came through the communicator but was quickly drowned out by static.

“What did you say!? Shakia!?”

“Commander! Large object detected suddenly underwater!” The sonar operator was flustered by the sudden signal.

“Damn it! What kind of monster is this!”

The commander of the Allied Fleet clenched his military cap tightly. What was happening was beyond all reason.

Suddenly, great waves surged in the sea, and the monster once believed destroyed by fleet missiles rose from the shallow waters!

It resumed a starfish-like form, and from its body countless tentacles shot out, wrapping around Shakia and lifting her into the air!

“Enemy form identified. Codename ‘Water-Eater’. Its mobility on land is low; we can exploit this weakness.”

The director’s communication cut in.

“Commander, dealing with this creature will fall to us.”

Shion glanced at the sweating fleet commander.

“Yes, I’d also like to finish it on land!”

Shakia drew her short sword, severing the tentacles binding her, and stood firmly in the shallow water, regrouping.

“But the citizens haven’t finished evacuating yet. This is such a hassle!”

Shakia delayed going ashore to avoid causing massive casualties.

Because this wasn’t New Spring and Autumn City, there were no truly safe shelters.

No one had prepared for this kind of attack, leaving the entire city in a state of utter confusion.

“Order all mobile troops to evacuate the citizens immediately! Buy her some time!” The commander, a soldier through and through, knew exactly what the still-operational forces could do.

Shakia tried to distract the Water-Eater, engaging it in a fierce underwater struggle.

Close-range photon missile bombardments shredded parts of the monster’s body, giving Shakia the chance to strike with her ion short sword!

Unexpectedly, the portion of the beast that fell into the sea transformed again into tentacles, tightly binding Shakia’s limbs!

The force was immense! Sparks flew from the Traum’s arms and legs.

Shakia herself felt the agonizing pain of her limbs nearly being twisted off.

It turned out the neural link system also transmitted damage—this thing was far less safe than imagined.

Given that, reckless attacks were out of the question. Shakia decisively shifted from offense to retreat.

She slashed off tentacles and quickly created distance.

The shattered parts of the beast slowly re-fused onto the Water-Eater’s body.

---

“Shion, did you see that?” Shakia panted.

“Yeah... it can split.”

The Water-Eater’s tentacles shot toward Shakia, who barely dodged by diving underwater.

“Exactly. Not only that, its fragments mimic underwater flora and fauna... camouflaging as they advance.”

Underwater, Shakia confirmed her suspicion.

The fragments constantly morphed, moving toward the main body.

“...Is this why we couldn’t detect it?”

The commander and Shion exchanged a glance.

“Also, any explosive attack causes it to split... this one’s different from the hungry ghosts we’ve faced before...” Shakia fought underwater, repeatedly cutting tentacles and tearing at its body, but these parts flowed like liquid, making substantial damage impossible.

Powerful laser cannons and photon missiles were ineffective; close combat was a grueling struggle.

Compared to the thick-skinned hungry ghosts, this creature was like flowing water, embodying the principle of overcoming hardness with softness.

“How on earth do we defeat it!?”

Shakia grew anxious. Movement underwater was inherently cumbersome, and two short swords alone were no match.

The monster’s tentacle lashes had already left numerous wounds on her, and cracks had appeared on the Traum’s hull.

The tentacles could easily pierce the Traum’s armor, suggesting their tips were not mere physical attacks but akin to high-energy particle blades.

“Hold on, Shakia! Five more minutes! In five minutes, all citizens will evacuate the urban area! Then lure it ashore!”

Five minutes.

Shion reminded her.

Hold on.

At least Shakia felt reassured. She could handle this seafood beast for five more minutes.

Just then, the monster suddenly lunged underwater, wrapping Shakia in its tentacles and charging toward the deep sea.

It seemed Shakia had underestimated its underwater mobility.

Without camouflage, its underwater speed was astonishing!

Perhaps sensing their tactics, the beast was preparing for a swift victory.

“!!!”

Severely restricted in the water, Shakia began to panic.

She wildly slashed at the tentacles binding her.

But no matter how many she cut, new ones grew in their place.

Thus, she was dragged rapidly toward the deep sea by the Water-Eater!