"B... Benjamin Mark... has died...?" he whispered hoarsely, the words barely escaping his lips as shock rooted him in place.
[Hold it right there! The monster is going to strike you again any second now, you know. And I’m still alive. Only playing dead for the mont to buy us so ti.] Benjamin’s voice echoed clearly through their ntal link, surprisingly steady despite everything.
[Eh? You truly are alive after that? But your body was crushed to a level that it would normally be censored with mosaic in any decent depiction?!] Tensei responded internally, his thoughts frantic and filled with disbelief as he remained outwardly still.
[That’s not important right now. Because apart from the excruciating pain from my ribs stabbing into my heart and all my broken bones grinding together, I’m mostly fine and functional.] Benjamin replied with a hint of strained humor filtering through the connection.
[That’s not fine at all! You need imdiate help and healing right away!] Tensei shot back, his ntal voice rising with urgent worry as the monster began to shift again in the distance, its tentacles rising higher into the air with clear intent.
[Hehehe. This should be a great ti to show off to that stuck-up raven that I’m even more aweso than he thinks! Should I regenerate first and look all cool and composed? Or should I defeat the monster right now, even while my body is still in this wrecked, broken state?!] Benjamin thought with clear excitent bubbling through their telepathic link, his ntal voice filled with mischievous energy despite the pain radiating from his crushed form among the bloodied boulders.
[First of all, I can hear every single one of your dirty and unclean thoughts loud and clear, since we are still fully telepathically connected right now. And second, please just regenerate properly if you can manage it. Our viewers are probably getting tired of seeing your bones sticking out in such strange and grotesque angles.] [Ten]
[It’s a novel, though. By the way, that monster seems extrely sensitive to sound. I think it just wants us to shut the hell up and get off its beach imdiately.] Benjamin continued internally, his thoughts remaining surprisingly light even as his body began knitting itself back together with faint cracking sounds.
[Sigh. So that was the reason behind all this aggression? I got pretty worked up for nothing important. But it’s good news in a way. I will open a portal for us right away and we’ll quietly run through it without causing any more trouble, yes?] Tensei suggested, his wolf ears twitching nervously as he glanced back at the towering creature, already preparing to channel his spatial abilities.
[Eh? What’s the fun in running away like cowards?] Benjamin whined internally, his tone turning childish and disappointed as his regeneration finally completed.
He slowly sat up on the bloodied stone pile, wiping crimson streaks from his regenerated skin with casual indifference. [Let’s kill it properly and give its flesh to the won back in the village as a trophy. It did technically kill , after all. I want proper vengeance for that!]
[What?! You’re being completely unreasonable right now! And I’m telling you this monster will be incredibly hard to kill, no matter how strong you think you’ve beco lately. It’s much easier and smarter to just run away, and mind our business, while we still can!] Tensei shot back, his ntal voice rising with frustration as his wings rustled anxiously behind him.
WHEEEEEEZZZZZ!!
A loud, piercing sound suddenly resonated across the entire beach area, vibrating through the air like a million nails scraping against glass.
The high-pitched noise cut sharply through the salty breeze, making Tensei instinctively clamp both hands over his sensitive wolf ears, his face twisting in discomfort as the sound drilled into his skull.
The ocean waves themselves seed to ripple unnaturally from the intensity of it.
And understandably, the massive monster began to lose its mind from the high-pitched noise Benjamin had sohow created with a casual upward blast of energy.
Its yellow-slit eyes widened with rage, its tentacles thrashed wildly in the air, sending sprays of seawater flying in every direction, and its square humanoid torso twisted violently as guttural roars mixed with the deafening whine.
"Good. Now it’s really mad and will DEFINITELY follow us back to the village if we try to leave," Benjamin said out loud with deep satisfaction, folding his arms across his chest and nodding his head slowly as he sat among the bloodstained rocks.
He watched the creature’s frenzied movents with a pleased smirk playing on his lips, the ocean wind whipping his brown hair around his face.
"Why? Why are you so reckless and impulsive all the ti?!" Tensei yelled aloud in clear distress, his voice nearly drowned out by the monster’s growing roars.
He was the closest to the rampaging beast, forced to stumble backward across the sand as its thick tentacles slamd down repeatedly, shaking the ground beneath their feet and sending tremors through his legs.
"Shut up, weakling! If we do not kill this thing now, it shall threaten innocent lives later on!" Benjamin feigned a sense of noble duty, his expression overly dramatic as he gestured grandly toward the monster.
Though his blue eyes sparkled with pure chaotic enjoynt.
Before Tensei could even protest that he had no weapon on him, a shimring golden and silver substance began to materialize and float gracefully around his right hand.
The ethereal material swirled and condensed rapidly, forming a sleek katana that glead under the sunlight.
The blade kept alternating fluidly between a brilliant golden edge and a cool silver one, shifting colors like dye spreading through clear water, casting dancing reflections across the white sand.
Tensei understood exactly what Benjamin was trying to do by providing the weapon, but he still called out to him urgently. "Join the fight then! We can finish this together!"
"Huh? No way, no way," Benjamin waved both hands in front of him in clear decline, while shaking his head. "If you can’t beat it on your own, THEN I’ll step in like a true her—"
SPLASH!!
The monster struck yet again with blinding speed toward the source of the irritating noise, its heavy tentacle flattening everything in its path.
The impact turned Benjamin’s freshly regenerated body into one ssy paste of at and bone, sending him crashing once more into the boulders with a sickening wet thud.
Blood sprayed across the nearby sand in vivid arcs.
[Tsk! That guy really hates noise, doesn’t he? And he killed again? That hurts like absolute hell... He’s too dangerous to be left alive now, Agent Ten! I will guide you properly from at paste world. Assassinate the sea king once and for all!] Benjamin’s ntal voice rang out, strained with pain but still determined.
"Oh, just shut up already!!" Tensei shouted in frustration, crouching low on the sand as his large wings opened wide with a powerful whoosh.
He launched himself forward toward the rampaging beast with the newly ford katana gripped tightly in his hand, hoping to hurt it enough to force it back into the deeper waters.
His wolf tail stread behind him as he moved, golden eyes focused sharply despite the fear gnawing at him.
All while Benjamin chuckled weakly in the background from his mangled position, his body already beginning the slow, painful process of regenerating once more amid the crimson-stained stones.
The ocean waves continued crashing loudly nearby, mixing with the monster’s furious roars echoing in the air.
[Hmph. I will have no "other half" of be so weak and uncool in battle. Even if he dies fighting that thing, it is for the best in the long run. Right, Stem?] Benjamin thought internally, directing the question with a hint of dark amusent.
{In... deed... it would... be... for... the best... I think} Stem replied in her usual slow, drowsy drawl.
[Again, I can hear those dirty thoughts of yours clearly!] Tensei interjected sharply through the link while dodging a sweeping tentacle, his katana flashing golden then silver as he slashed at the monster’s scaled arm, drawing a thin line of dark ichor.
{Master... has been speaking too much with Stem lately. I do not like it.} Sys added in a noticeably jealous tone that cut through the ntal conversation.
And so, Tensei found himself locked in a desperate, futile battle of mostly defense against the enormous black octo-humanoid creature.
Its arms whipped through the air with devastating force, forcing Tensei to twist and leap repeatedly across the beach, his wings providing quick bursts of evasion while the alternating katana struck out whenever an opening (extrely few of them) appeared.
Sand flew in large clouds with every movent, and the salty sea spray mixed with the monster’s dark blood as the fight intensified.
Benjamin continued watching through the pain in the background, his body slowly reforming as he waited patiently for the perfect dramatic mont to shine and turn the tide completely.
...Little... did he know that when he finally decided to shine, he would shine far too brightly—so intensely that people will literally start to go blind from the overwhelming display of power.
And in doing so, he would unwittingly attract all kinds of dangerous attention from gods and powerful spirits alike.
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