The group rode the biting, cold winds. The closer they got, the larger the Eldritch became, and its putrid stench grew heavier. Joker sniffed, his face contorted in a grimace behind his mask. He wondered if the three girls, with their heightened animal senses, felt nauseous from the sight of that grotesque, tentacled monstrosity.

  Bang bang bang!

  Explosions echoed in the sky. Yet, Joker saw no strong winds or lightning. He immediately thought of another possibility.

  "SCATTER!"

  Joker yelled a warning. He reduced the water jet ph?n l?c on his limbs to rapidly descend. Jarek and Yong tilted their wings to change direction. A volley of large, human-sized iron spheres whistled, tearing through the air and grazing the spot where they had just been.

  "What the hell is this thing now!" Galilahi shouted, her voice cutting through the wind. "It's cannon fire," Jarek explained, her Dragon wings gracefully dodging the projectiles.

  Pow!

  Jarek swung a punch, and the cannonball was knocked back towards the Eldritch. The iron spheres bounced back as if hitting a spring, instead of crushing their targets.

  "Jarek is so strong!" Galilahi exclaimed in awe. "Punch those tentacles away!"

  Jarek exhaled forcefully, a wide grin spreading across her face. "Leave it to me."

  The female Shapechanger, in her Dragon form, flapped her wings, stirring the surrounding air into a near-cyclone. The two girls charged forward, swatting away cannonballs like ragdolls hit by a truck.

  "They can shoot things that big?" Góy?ń frowned in thought. "It's certainly not easy."

  Yong replied, a twitching smile on his lips. He threw a kick, and a blade of fire erupted from his heel, cleanly slicing through a cannonball. The iron sphere was cut as easily as soft butter, falling to the ground in two uneven metal pieces.

  "Hold on tight, I'm going to speed up." Yong wrapped his arm around Góy?ń's neck. "Thanks."

  The wolf-girl nodded, then intertwined her hands to hold on tight. The next second, Yong powerfully flapped his Demon wings, his body shooting straight forward. He held his fire knife in front, using its blazing blade to tear through the obstructing cannonballs. Compared to a tsunami wall, these cannonballs only annoyed Yong more because of their strong smell of molten metal.

  In contrast to the other four, who could fly straight towards the Eldritch at high speed, Joker couldn't. He manipulated the water currents, ducking under one sphere, then somersaulting to avoid another. But the barrage was too thick. One grazed his side, the air shock making him reel. The next one slammed into him. Everything went dark. When his consciousness dimly returned, Joker realized he was rolling on a hot iron sphere. He used it as a springboard, launching himself into the air, frantically trying to regain his balance.

  As Jarek and Yong closed the distance, the Eldritch, with tentacles wider than a street, began to reach out to them. Yong switched to a colder knife; when he swung it, the tentacles froze and shattered. As for Jarek, she created something too big, too long, too crude to be called a sword—it looked more like an iron wall. When the Dragon Shapechanger used her weapon, she turned the tentacles into Sashimi slices. Góy?ń and Galilahi inadvertently became unwilling spectators, enjoying Jarek and Yong's spectacular performance.

  Joker was retaliating against the tentacles with steel chopsticks and flour. White clumps of flour stuck to the tendrils and formed connecting bridges. They stretched taut for a moment before snapping immediately like noodles. The steel chopsticks flew swiftly and pierced the large, slimy masses of flesh. Instead of penetrating the target and causing damage, the steel chopsticks looked like tiny hairs on a giant body.

  "...Fck, this sht, I'm out."

  Joker muttered, his gaze sweeping across the vast sky. He began to reconsider: if he couldn't even harm the Golden Leviathan, how on earth would this be effective against these tentacles, which were thicker than the trunk of a thousand-year-old ancient tree?

  Pow!

  Before he could finish his thought, a wall of raw flesh slammed down. The tentacles squeezed Joker tightly. Not a scream, not a flash of light; his body in the black suit simply shattered, dissolving into a cloud of black dust that merged with the air.

  "JOKER!"

  Four shouts broke out almost simultaneously.

  "Damn it."

  Joker gritted his teeth. Around him was a transparent, rigid membrane. It was that damn spherical cage of the gold fish again.

  "...Sigh."

  Joker sighed and immediately did what needed to be done. He released a lot of dry flour and steel chopsticks from his hands, until they filled the sphere. Then he fired the steel chopsticks at each other, creating sparks from the friction.

  BOOM!

  Joker opened his eyes. The sphere that had imprisoned him had shattered from the explosion. Stepping out of the sphere's fragments, he sighed as he looked at his bare feet.

  "My suit is gone again."

  The wolf-boy slapped his forehead. The price of freedom was a suit and a body like newborn, he thought it wasn't expensive.

  "This place... is much worse."

  The pungent fishy smell permeated the room. Joker covered his nose, his eyes scanning around. This room's design wasn't too different from the one in the Deep Gold Kingdom. The biggest difference was that the floor and walls were red, warm, slimy, soft, and slightly moving as if they were the flesh of a creature. His sense of balance clearly told him that this room was swaying, not still at all. He figured his current location was linked to the Eldritch that had captured him. Being here seemed to be due to some form of magic, or Psionic technique of space displacement – something powerful Eldritch could do.

  After analyzing the situation, Joker pulled out another communication earpiece from his Bag of Holding and put it in his ear.

  [Joker, where are you!] Jarek's voice came from the other end. "A room similar to the fish's place," Joker responded, walking towards an entrance. "It smells worse, and it seems to be inside something moving. There's not much sea smell here, and the surroundings are slimy like fish mucus." [Oh, I hear Joker's voice!] [So he's fine.]

  Galilahi and Góy?ń's voices rang out in quick succession. Joker pinched the bridge of his nose at the chaotic sounds in his ear. Putting that aside, he thought about how to confirm his current location.

  "Try punching the Eldritch three times, Jarek?" Joker asked. [Okay.]

  Jarek replied and then fell silent. After a few seconds, Joker felt small tremors transmitting from the floor to his feet, and the sound of the walls gently shaking reached his ears. They vibrated three times, confirming his hypothesis.

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  "Received three vibrations," Joker reported. [I'll be right there, wait for me!]

  Jarek's reply was louder. Joker could imagine her excitement on the other end. He left the room, looking down both sides of the hallway. Last time, the fish led the way, but this time he guessed he'd have to navigate himself. At this point, he thought of simply finding those who controlled this Eldritch and asking them. Pressing his ear against the wall, the sound wasn't really promising, as it was highly likely these beings also floated like the Deep Gold Fish. When both his eyes and ears proved futile, he decided to use the remaining advantage of his canine family – his sense of smell.

  Sniff sniff.

  Joker sniffed around the walls and floor, trying to find a scent stronger than the fishy slime. A faint scent wafted from the floor; he followed it and walked, ensuring his heels didn't touch the ground. The warmth, sliminess, and strong smell of this place made him feel like he was inside a creature's belly. Fortunately, he hadn't seen any stomach acid around, so he was relieved not to worry about corrosive pain.

  BAM!

  The floor suddenly changed position, and Joker found himself pinned against the wall. He immediately glanced around to find the cause. What his eyes caught was a Deep Gold Fish, but it wasn't holding any weapon. Even stranger, he saw tentacles emerging from its mouth!

  Bang!

  Joker raised his fingers and fired steel chopsticks without hesitation. The next moment, he fell to the ground, no longer pinned to the wall. Joker immediately stood up, his eyes wide at the unexpected sight before him—the chopsticks were floating in mid-air!

  "..."

  Joker was silent for a few brief seconds. His mind immediately understood why he was pinned against the wall and why the chopsticks floated. The realization brought a bitter taste to his mouth. "Their Psionic powers are stronger, then..."

  Pow!

  The steel chopsticks flew back towards their owner. They pressed Joker tightly to the ground, immobilizing him.

  Crack!

  The sound of bones cracking echoed beneath Joker's skin. Each easily held steel chopstick now felt perhaps 500 times heavier. If they weren't that heavy, he would have to curse the thinness of his bones and muscles!

  "What tremendous power..." Joker began to use words instead of grinding his teeth. "It makes my heart tremble... my mind weak... and my body weeps..." ... Without the usual expressions of the previous fish, the tentacled Deep Gold Fish was silent, its eyes empty like a swimming corpse. It moved closer to him, its tentacles beginning to reach out, those octopus tendrils weaving into his ears, nose, and mouth.

  The sliminess and fishy stench of the tentacles sent shivers down Joker's spine. He could clearly feel them trying to burrow deeper inside him, perhaps even reaching his brain! Joker struggled, his limbs and back pinned to the ground. Unable to move, he lifted his head, face-to-face with the fish.

  Bang!

  A few chopsticks shot from Joker's mouth. They pierced through the tendril and then through the Deep Gold Fish's head. The sea creature fell to the floor and lay motionless, its octopus tendrils now limp.

  Joker stood up, exhaling clouds of steam from his mouth. His blood and teeth fell to the floor, almost invisible on the red surface. After just 10 seconds, he felt completely fine again, his tongue no longer missing any teeth, and his throat no longer sore or filled with the smell of blood.

  "These... are more abnormal and stronger than the previous Deep Gold Fish."

  Looking at the fish, Joker's face contorted. He looked towards the end of the hallway, where there was a door that looked like a membranous layer. Behind that door were more of these tentacled fish; the thought sent shivers down his spine. He decided he had to take the initiative if he wanted to gain the upper hand. Joker created flour on his feet and walked backward up the wall. This ninja technique would make it harder for the fish to see him, giving him a few small moments to set up an ambush. He approached the membranous door, his feet moving slowly, hoping the sound was faint enough that even his wolf's ears could barely hear it.

  Plop!

  The membranous door automatically opened, and Joker's arm hairs bristled for a moment. He took a deep breath, ready to assassinate whatever was about to step through the door. His hand was raised, ready to fire sticky flour or steel chopsticks. However, a sweet, faint scent reached his nose instead of the stench, followed by footsteps he couldn't have heard from the fish, which only swam in the air.

  "Joker?"

  The person who stepped through the door looked up and spoke, someone familiar.

  "You got here fast." Joker sighed with relief at Jarek's face and lowered his hand. "Why are you naked again?" Jarek tilted her head, her Dragon tail curling up. "Got trapped in that transparent ball again."

  Joker replied, squatting down to land on the floor. Behind Jarek, he saw Yong approaching.

  "Eh," Yong blinked a few times, the corners of his mouth curving upwards. "You've been naked constantly these past two days, haven't you, brother?"

  Joker shrugged silently, his face still grimacing. Jarek placed a hand on his shoulder, and another black suit appeared, covering the young man. After entering the hallway, the two Beastfolk wolf sisters also arrived, accompanied by their wolf and falcon.

  "Are you okay, Joker?" Góy?ń approached, her eyes scanning him from head to toe. "Got trapped again," Joker replied, his thumb pointing behind him. "Over there, I encountered a tentacled fish with even stronger Psionic powers." "Psionic?" Galilahi cocked her wolf ears, questioning. "The kind of power the fish and we use," Jarek explained briefly to the two wolf sisters. "More fully, it's a way to turn dreams into reality." "There's something like that..."

  Góy?ń swayed her wolf ears. Her eyes seemed to stare blankly into space, as if she were deep in thought about this new concept. In contrast, Galilahi tilted her head, scratching her hair furiously. Her face began to contort, her ears perked up, perhaps about to smoke from information overload at any moment.

  "Just understand it as power from the mind," Joker added for the two sisters. "...I see." Galilahi nodded thoughtfully. "But how did you all get in here?" Joker asked. "I stabbed the Eldritch with my giant sword, and then I found this room ~."

  Jarek walked to the membranous door. It opened, showing Joker the large room inside. At the end of the room, instead of a wall, there was a gaping hole revealing the sky, and on the floor lay 'the thing too big, too long, too crude to be called a sword, but more like an iron wall' broken in half. He also wondered when Jarek had broken the wall, and why he hadn't heard any noise? Could it be that the wall was soundproof?

  "That weapon, which easily cut the tentacles of the colossal Eldritch, still ended up like this. Guns and bullets would hardly do anything."

  Joker thought. He turned his head back and saw Yong already some distance away from the group.

  "This fish... it looks so weird."

  Yong frowned as he looked at the dead tentacled Deep Gold Fish. Joker wondered, if that was enough to make Yong uncomfortable, how panicked would he be if those tentacles had crawled inside him?

  "It really does look weird..." Galilahi pouted, while her wolf sniffed the fish. "How are they different from the previous fish?" Góy?ń clutched her spear, her eyes on Joker. "They don't talk... and they threw me straight into the wall instead of throwing weapons. They can even block steel chopsticks without a shield." Joker recounted his uncomfortable experience. "Sounds harder to deal with indeed..."

  Yong rubbed his chin, pinching the bridge of his nose. It seemed his mind was already devising ways to cope. Joker partly understood that reaction, a necessary habit for a warrior when facing a new type of enemy, similar to himself.

  "Don't worry, if anything's needed, I'll handle them."

  Jarek gave a thumbs-up and a wink. Joker made no comment, instead walking deeper into the hallway, silent, his hands in his pockets, ready to draw them out at any moment. The group followed, the falcon waddling and the wolf trotting softly beside their masters. They passed through silent hallways, through membranous doors. More than 10 minutes had passed, and they still hadn't identified anything unusual, except for some inscriptions that Joker's smartphone couldn't translate.

  "The fish are unusually strong, this place feels like a ship inside, and this colossal Eldritch appeared after the fish's call..." Joker commented on what he had seen. "I'm afraid the mastermind is already here." "If so..." Yong's bright eyes scanned the hallways. "This place has too few enemies, hasn't it?" "Indeed, if it were like under the sea, you'd see fish everywhere," Galilahi commented, seemingly based on her experience of being sacrificed. "It really is... very strange."

  Góy?ń commented, stroking the head of the wolf walking beside her. The falcon also flew onto her shoulder, gently rubbing its head against its owner.

  "This place... was probably once home to many creatures," Jarek commented after walking. "The fact that it's empty like this, perhaps some incident occurred." "Well..." Yong let out a somewhat hesitant laugh. "From fish that can control the sea, now this Eldritch..." He spread his hands with a very, very long sigh. "This is too much for our spontaneous trip." "Don't worry, Joker and I are here ~."

  Jarek grinned and patted his shoulder reassuringly. Yong just managed a wry smile in response.

  "Take them all down, or force them to cooperate." Joker replied concisely, his pace unchanged. "...Is there anything in this world that could make you tremble?"

  Góy?ń wondered about someone unafraid of Deep Gold Fish, the Golden Leviathan, or the Eldritch. The question made Galilahi press her temple in thought, while Jarek and Yong chuckled. Joker saw a silhouette at the end of the hallway; he stopped.