Yamato winced, his back pressed against the damp wall of the cave. His skin was wet, but it wasn't the cold that made him shake. It was the thrill of what he felt. Though he was underwater, he could feel the shallow waters crashing against the shores of WELL-SPRING.
Every breath felt like swallowing fire. He looked at his two friends, his tone half-serious, half-spent.
"Wait... do you expect me to get a plan?" he muttered, eyes half-lidded.
"Do some thinking for yourselves. What if we were to face something on this continent? How would they fare? This cat can't be that strong if it prefers to stay underwater rather than on WELL-SPRING."
His thoughts gave him space. This was his masterpiece. Not his brain, but the choice that he could fathom thousands of decisions in a millisecond and choose the best possible outcome still in that moment.
"WELL-SPRING must have some nasty things."
Hahahaha.
Lumei gave a half-laugh, shrugging lazily, his hair floating like strands of ink. "Well, do something. I didn't follow you to fight, just to see stuff."
Smack.
Sora smacked the back of his head with a flat palm. "To see some stuff? Do you even know how dangerous Yamato's style is?"
Lumei grinned. "Well, Yamato won't let anyone who totally trusts his plan die or get hurt. You practically just witnessed it."
Sora couldn't say anything. Lumei was right. Yamato tapped the wall, then touched it, looking at them with a tilted head and a smirk.
"If you two don't get a plan… I'll leave. I can adapt to my surroundings."
Sora gasped. "Yama—"
"I've got one," Lumei interrupted, now serious. "Here's what we'll do. I'll go first. This depth in the ocean should make things pretty dark, leaving shadows everywhere down here. I'll use them to blind the Cat. That'll give us a few seconds."
He pointed toward the cave's opening.
"Sora, you exit the cave first. Do something, anything, to restrain its movement. Yamato, you finish it. Give it the final blow."
Yamato raised a brow. "And what about not drowning?"
Lumei's voice dropped. "Anything not of water floats up after death, so the moment it reaches the surface, I'll teleport us from here directly on top of its body."
Sora blinked, absorbing the plan. Yamato rubbed his chin.
"Mehnn… but okay."
Lumei tilted his head up proudly, whispering in his mind, "This plan better impress Sora..." He wanted Sora's attention.
---
Suddenly, the water shifted. A wave splashed against the cave's opening, but nothing spilled through. A deep, guttural growl echoed through the cave, rumbling through stone and spine. A huge shadow twisted beyond the dim tunnel, slick fur, jagged claws, and eyes that burned faintly beneath the water.
The Mob Cat had regained its strength, tracking them to that spot. It moved with unnatural speed, faster than it had during its fight against Yamato. It wasn't gliding; it was simply cutting through the water, every motion sending sonic waves ahead of it.
Yamato clenched his fists, steadying his breath. They had a plan.
"Lumei," he said firmly. "Now."
Lumei's eyes sharpened. He raised one hand, fingers unfurling like a fan. Shadows crept in, curling around the rocks, coiling through cracks and corners like living ribbons. He snapped his wrist, and the shadows spun together into four dense black spheres. With a sharp flick, he hurled them out.
Each sphere had a reducing effect, working like Shadows Drought—Lumei's attack that drains everything to a specific number: 78. Meaning, if one sphere hits, 22 will be lost from the target. Speed, strength, agility, healing. Everything would suffer a loss of 22. And now he shot four.
The orbs slammed into the Cat's eyes and body, bursting into a blinding smear of darkness. The beast shrieked, flailing violently. Waves pushed off its body as it shook. The cave rumbled with the force of its thrashing.
Even blinded, it twisted in the water, sensing everything. It was losing energy from its reserves, but it could heal. Not just physical wounds, but its energy as well. The Mob Cat was a true menace. It was listening. Feeling. Tracking with waves it shot.
"Go!" Yamato barked.
Sora surged out of the cave, arms raised. The water surrounding her twisted and flowed, rising like tendrils.
BINDING EELS.
The heads formed, their bodies taking the shape of electric eels, but without the electric discharge. Her teeth clenched as she struck. The eels lashed at the cat, coiling around its limbs, chest, and tail, binding it.
The cat roared again, held in place but furious. Its claws shredded the currents, and pressure exploded outward in pulses that cracked the nearby stone.
"I—can't hold it—long!" Sora shouted through clenched teeth as she held the tails, pulling the cat.
Yamato's eyes flashed. His body radiated heavy, intense energy. His fists flickered to life, brighter than ever before. His pupils dilated. The water around him didn't ripple; it recoiled. Even Sora, gripping her water whips tightly, felt a shiver race down her spine.
Lumei paused his sign formation, his voice stuck in his throat. This was the Yamato they knew, but the kind of energy he gave off was different, almost like his Recovery Rank state, but without the bloodlust. No hesitation. He launched himself forward. The water burst around him as he leaped, slicing through it with sharp, explosive force.
The Cat turned, blind but still aware. It opened its jaws, roaring and struggling against Sora's bind. Its claws extended. They collided.
BOOM!
A muffled shockwave rippled outward, shaking the ocean floor. Yamato was thrown hard. He slammed into a stone outcrop, blood streaking from his shoulder, but he started to heal. But the Mob Cat… Dead. Its body twitched once, then slowly sagged. Blood billowed upward in dark, flowing strands. A deep puncture wound beneath its jaw leaked dark clouds into the water.
Sora let go of the Eels' tails, but Lumei's shadow was still on the cat. Sora rushed back to Yamato, raising him up and back into the cave.
"Yamato! Are you okay?"
"I'm… alright," he said, gripping his ribs.
Behind them, Lumei floated in place, hands already forming signs. The Cat's body was beginning to reach the surface.
"Hold onto me!" Lumei shouted.
Water began to hum with energy as he focused. The space around them shimmered. They disappeared. In a split-second flash, the three of them vanished from underwater, teleporting up. Their feet slammed onto something soft—wet fur. They were standing on top of the Cat's massive corpse, now floating on the ocean's surface.
The sunlight was blinding. Fresh air hit them all at once. Yamato gasped, finally breathing freely. Sora dropped beside him, leaning on his arms. Lumei looked down through the water, chest heaving from the strain of teleportation. The distance was too far.
"We made it," he said.
"Did she see that?" Lumei didn't look at Sora, but he hoped she noticed. Above them, seagulls circled. The world was quiet.
---
But not everywhere.
Far across the ocean, on a floating outpost nearby, a man stood at the edge of a wooden deck, his bare feet planted firmly, his cloak still. Still on Worm Desert, but not exactly where Ruvo stood. Toren Yashi. His white hair, danced loosely under the cool breeze.
He dipped his hand into the water, calm and deliberate. The currents curled around his fingers. He closed his eyes. He could feel it. No, he could see it. Then he opened them sharply.
"Binding Eels," he said softly. "Our visitors must be strong, or was it the Madara effect?"
It was a contemplation, but he had his reason and meaning. He smiled, not with joy, but with intention.
"The Guests would need a Host."