Turning Chapter 948

Chapter 948

At the same moment, in the deep sea.

Yuder Aile directed his gaze upward, far above where the aftermath of a massive tremor had passed.

'I've confirmed my suspicion, but... it all hinges on how well Kishiar has understood and responded to it beforehand.'

He contemplated facing the enormous monster trying to escape from the six cracks by dividing its swarm-like clusters into smaller parts, an idea that struck him right after blocking a massive vibration just before dispatching Steiber.

Previously…

In the violently churning currents that threatened to tear his body apart, Yuder, having somehow protected his team members, suddenly discovered something unidentifiable floating nearby.

Initially, he mistook it for a dead fish, jellyfish, or a piece of severed seaweed - casualties of the recent turbulent currents. There were many similar things floating around.

Without much thought, he swatted it away, but then a strange feeling overcame him.

The sensation of strength draining from his body and nausea welling up was unmistakable to Yuder.

'A monster?'

Touching a monster or its byproduct brought a terrible repulsion, sapping strength unpleasantly from the body. This was true even while wearing magically crafted protective gloves. They might offer slight relief, but not fundamental protection. Otherwise, Yudrain Aile would have already covered himself with it in his previous life as a means of defense against monsters.

Despite only a brief contact, everything about him seemed to disperse like mist, a chilling sensation. Reflexively jerking his hand back, Yuder then cautiously examined the object.

Without his luminous bracelet, identification took a moment, but it was indeed part of a monster. Specifically, it seemed to be a piece torn from the monster that had just caused the massive tremor.

'Why is this here...'

Yuder frowned, gingerly handling the transparent, mud-like mass clinging to his hand.

'I never expected to touch it like this... Even with gloves, the texture is unpleasant. Torn off as it tried to escape the crack?'

As he pondered, the fragment in his hand suddenly wriggled.

Before his mind could grasp the situation, his body reacted swiftly. A small shard of a dagger slipped out from his sleeve and unhesitatingly pierced through the monster part, which soon became limp and lifeless.

Holding the now ragged object, Yuder stared down at it intently.

'...Was that movement real, or just my imagination?'

“Yuder!”

Then, his fully alert teammates, pushing through the surrounding debris with their strength, approached. Despite minor injuries due to the fierce currents, they were relieved to realize there were no serious casualties requiring immediate attention.

“It's all thanks to you, Yuder. I also tried to exert some force towards the monster, but a slight mistake could have been fatal…”

“Me too. I knew it's disorienting deep in the sea, but I didn't expect it to be this challenging.”

“But what are you holding? A weapon?”

Yuder, seeing his teammates halt their gestures to pat his shoulder, mouthed a response.

“A monster.”

“...What?!”

Startled, one teammate slightly loosened their protective force, releasing bubbles from their lips. In a fluster, they got entangled in the long seaweed floating around, prompting Steiber to come to their aid.

“Careful there.”

Silently exerted, the unseen force of water deftly sliced the tangled seaweed from the team member's hand and then vanished.

Swoosh...

“Thank you, Steiber.”

“You're welcome.”

Yuder, observing his team members, looked down at the monster's carcass in his hand. It was a palm-sized piece, squishy to the touch, making it difficult to discern its form. However, upon closer examination, parts of it appeared smoothly cut, as if by a sharp knife.

'Now I understand.'

It was evident that Yuder wasn't the only Awakener there.

Yuder had focused solely on protecting his teammates, not exerting direct force on the monster. Had he tried, he would have had to expend several times his usual energy to achieve a comparable effect. Thus, conserving his strength to prioritize his team's protection was the right choice.

Meanwhile, his team members, shielded by him, had unleashed their powers in attacks, trying desperately to stop the monster. For them, using their strength against the monster was an obvious choice, as it wasn't as inefficient as it was for Yuder.

Typically, those who wield water's power, like Steiber just did, find the most effective attack underwater is to harden part of the water into sharp, blade-like forms. It's efficient, doesn't require carrying a separate weapon, inflicts fatal wounds quickly, and is hard for the enemy to detect, given water's nature. They had been trained to use this attack reflexively, so it wasn't surprising it was their most frequent choice in urgent situations.

Although the haphazardly released power might not have significantly impacted the monster in the deep-sea cracks, it seems that some of those blind attacks managed to slice something off.

An unexpected outcome. But thanks to that, Yuder had an enlightening realization.

'This monster isn't a single living entity. Just because it's one body doesn't mean it has only one life.'

Monsters were unpredictable. Even if thousands of small monsters combine into one large entity, it doesn't guarantee they share a single life.

And obviously, it's easier to fight and kill smaller, separated pieces than one giant being whose mere movement shakes the earth and screams the sea. Even a creature as small as the one just dealt with could be quickly killed with a small dagger.

'What if we time it right and combine our powers to slice up the tentacle-like parts that emerge from the cracks?'

If Yuder focused on protection and support from the back, the force he had brought might suffice for such a task. In his mind, he visualized the team members coordinating their remaining strength and abilities, concentrating their powers on the tentacles.

Understanding everyone's capabilities better than they did themselves, Yuder knew this was risky but not impossible.

'Yes, slicing them off is feasible. But killing them will get tricky. We'll need to spread out our forces and divide the personnel.'

But what if he stepped in, pushing the sliced pieces to the surface?

If he was confident that Kishiar and the others waiting above could handle them, then their focus here could simply be on cutting and pushing them upward.

Yuder found it easier to manipulate the sea's currents than to personally slay the barely visible fragments of the monster or have his team members disperse their strength to combat them. After all, the sea, regardless of its location, inevitably becomes waves moving toward the land.

For Yuder, adding a little more force to the natural movement of the sea didn't feel difficult at all. It wasn't as if he was trying to create fire in water, an act against nature's laws. If it was just a matter of scale, there was nothing he couldn't do.

Yuder recalled a memory that perfectly illustrated this whole situation.

It was one of the many stories Kishiar had told him, sitting by his side as he regained consciousness after two weeks. It was a speculation and analogy that had emerged from his thoughts during the hailstorm day.

'Yes, a balance.'

Like balancing scales, if everyone combined their forces to deal with each situation slowly but accurately, the effort required might actually decrease, even if the time spent in confrontation increased. If done right, it might even result in the abnormal cracks disappearing, just like during the hailstorm day.

The coordination between the team members waiting above the sea and those deep underwater, and the timing of their rotation. The aftermath of the monster's next thrashing.

Bright ideas rapidly flickered through his mind.

Yuder made his decision.

“Steiber.”

“Hm?”

“I need you to go up. And to the surface as well.”

“...Alone?”

“Yes. Please.”

Kishiar would understand Yuder's intentions with just a few words and explanations.

What followed his decision was trust and waiting. And now, Yuder Aile understood that waiting itself was something he could embrace.