Chapter 45: The Hospitable Amazons
In the setting of the DC Universe, the unfathomably deep ocean is not to be underestimated.
In the deep sea, beyond the reach of humans, dwell a multitude of unimaginable supernatural creatures. Among them are some exceedingly powerful sea monsters, a few of which have even made fleeting appearances in the ancient legends of giant sea beasts.
And within the Justice League, it is well known that Aquaman, with his ability to 'talk to fish,' has often summoned sea monsters from the deep sea to aid in the League's large-scale battles, putting on impressive displays during major events.
Orin Vale had never seen the sea monster in this massive vortex before, but he could tell how powerful it was just from the sheer force with which the water churned upon its appearance. And it wasn't just the waves; its arrival even triggered the accumulation of dark clouds in the sky. This was enough to show that the sea monster likely possessed some form of magical power and was not merely an ordinary deep-sea animal.
This newcomer had ill intentions and needed to be handled with caution.
A tentacle shot out from beneath the water, tearing through the waves and gale, and swept precisely toward the two figures in the air.
But Orin Vale's reaction was faster. With a flicker of his body, the armor's thrusters fired, and he shot backward, dodging the tentacle's strike. The tentacle, carrying with it a salty spray and a whirlwind, grazed past them by a hair's breadth. Zola let out a shriek.
The next moment, a colossal dark form burst from the water!
Its hideous carapace emerged, and tons of seawater cascaded down, crashing to create towering white waves. Its body was covered in rock-solid scales that were shrouded in a faint, red, ghostly glow. It was twenty meters long, and its massive mouth revealed sharp teeth, like a ferocious shark.
Zola stared at the giant silhouette, completely stunned.
Wasn't this a bit too big?
It was suffocatingly large.
"Pal, take over the armor," Orin Vale said. "Protect Miss Zola. I'll be right back."
"No problem, sir."
The armor entered autopilot, and Pal, carrying the screaming Zola, accelerated upward into the storm. In that same second, a wave of heat washed over Orin Vale as he dissolved into photons, vanishing on the spot. A heaven-piercing pillar of light seemed to descend from the clouds, crashing into the water behind the sea monster and blasting up a huge spray of water.
The sea monster, which had been opening its mouth to let out a heaven-shaking roar, seemed to feel a chill from behind. Its movements paused abruptly. It turned around stiffly and tilted its head up.
It saw the colossal, red-and-silver Giant, the upper half of its body floating on the sea's surface, looking down at it.
Though the Giant was utterly expressionless, it strangely made the monster feel as if it were saying—
—What's the matter with you, little guy?
The sea monster maintained its open-mouthed pose, but its imperious roar that disdained all life came to an abrupt halt. Its mouth hung open, unable to produce a single sound for a long moment.
Half a second later, it closed its mouth and shrank its head back.
Its fang-filled maw actually squeezed out a fawning smile.
As if to say, "Bro, I was just kidding. You didn't take it seriously, did you?"
*Bang!*
Showing no mercy, Orin Vale slammed a fist directly into the sea monster's cheek.
Don't ask him where the lower half of his body was standing in such a deep sea.
Because he could fly.
The sea monster's entire face was knocked sideways, and a sharp incisor flew out with a spray of bloody foam. Its twenty-meter-long body crashed into the water with a splash, and the towering waves were like a series of torpedoes detonating underwater.
The punch left it dizzy and dazed, its brain almost splattering out. It felt like its face must have been deformed; one tooth had flown out, and several others had been swallowed.
Realizing that a fight was inevitable, the sea monster let out a great cry.
Several tentacles shot out from under the water, using the cover of the sea to suddenly ensnare Orin Vale's arms and legs.
A vicious glint flashed in the sea monster's eyes.
Now!
A crimson light flared up around its body, and an electric current surged along its tentacles! The electrical attack, conjured by magic power, struck Orin Vale's body without any resistance, spreading across his red-and-silver form to his limbs...
And then nothing happened.
Not only was Orin Vale completely unfazed, he almost wanted to laugh.
*Are you trying to tickle me with this little electric spark?*
He stepped on the sea monster's body and yanked with his hands. Putting tens of thousands of tons of force into the pull, he brutally tore the tentacles right off the sea monster's body. Inky black blood spewed from the stumps, and the sea monster let out a blood-curdling scream.
Orin Vale followed up with a whip kick. The powerful kick struck the sea monster's massive frame. The monster's body trembled and water exploded upwards. The sea monster felt as if its internal organs had all been displaced, and the pain was so intense it was almost numb.
The final blow.
Orin Vale straightened his right hand and placed his left hand flat against his arm. The light energy in his body circulated rapidly, pouring into his right arm and concentrating at his fingertips. A dense barrage of needle-shaped light bullets shot out continuously.
Ultra Shot!
It's a versatile skill used by many an Ultraman, from Seven to the New Generation, and it's also one of the most common light-ray techniques in the Land of Light. In terms of power, it's considered an advanced finisher on par with the Spacium Ray. Furthermore, with minor adjustments, it can produce a range of effects such as weathering corrosion, paralyzing stasis, or rapid-fire explosions.
This time, however, Orin Vale didn't bother with any of the flashy variations. Instead, he chose its most common and brutish form—pure, unadulterated destructive power!
The needle-shaped light bullets that entered the sea monster's body all detonated. The light energy expanded rapidly, and the sea monster didn't even have a chance to scream before its entire body was blown to pieces in an instant. A massive shockwave spread violently in all directions. A scorching fireball, accompanied by a blinding white light, rose up, the interweaving flames and water painting a picture of destruction imbued with supreme power.
Zola, who had the good fortune of witnessing this scene from the front row, was utterly stunned.
She had thought the sea monster was big enough, but she never expected this Giant to be even bigger.
And it wasn't just big—the laser it fired was so fierce!
It was simply breathtaking.
In Zola's field of vision, after cleanly one-shotting the sea monster, the Giant vanished into thin air.
What she couldn't see, however, was the light particles quickly falling back into the armor beside her, re-forming into a humanoid form.
Of course, she had no idea that the pilot inside the armor next to her had ever left.
Looking at the dismembered sea monster and the rain of water splashing down, Zola was silent for a moment before turning to ask, "That...'Ultraman'? Is he with you?"
"I suppose so."
Zola pondered this, swallowing the rest of her sentence.
*Well, you guys are seriously badass.*
Paradise Island.
After passing through a sudden layer of fog, the island appeared before them, just as the legends described.
The seawater was exceptionally blue and clear compared to the outside world, and the fine white sand on the beach was as delicate as jade. Nearby, the waves gently lapped at the shore, while in the distance, rolling mountain peaks and islands stretched out. The cliffs were precipitous and lush with greenery. Wisps of mist permeated this sea area, and everything was dotted with crystal-clear water droplets.
"This is... this is..." Zola looked around in amazement.
"Paradise Island, yes. Looks like we've arrived."
Orin Vale landed, placing the girl on the ground.
The moment they touched down, the armor's sensors marked multiple approaching heat sources.
*Swish.*
The sound of something slicing through the air.
Orin Vale casually raised his hand, his right hand lightly pinching an arrow that had been shot in ambush from the jungle.
He glanced in the direction the arrow came from, his eyes narrowing inside the armor.
As expected of Paradise Island.
Just as hospitable as the rumors say.
***
*I consulted with my editor, and the consistent readership data for this book has been pretty good so far. If this were last year, it might have had a shot at ten thousand subscriptions.*
*But this year, the fanfiction category took a hit. Original works can get a feature spot with three thousand consistent readers, but last week I heard fanfiction needs at least four thousand.*
*And now that we're about to hit four thousand in consistent readership, I hear that because there are too many big-shot authors over the summer break, the requirement for fanfiction has been driven up to six thousand...*
*It seems like the feature spot is hopeless now. The data is still good, it's just that this book might have been born at the wrong time. QAQ*
*Let me ask for another wave of consistent readership. I hope we can at least have a chance to compete for the Sanjiang Recommendation.*
*Please keep reading! Please keep reading!*
(end of chapter)