Finally - a Murderer!
What could he call it other than a Sea-Dragon?
Kai could have never guessed that the random Side Mission Hint he had given before asking for a team would materialize in this way. It was just a code word, he rationalized, but the word Luck kept prickling the back of his head.
Kai grinned, holding his breath. 'For others it could have been an unlucky encounter,' he thought, leveling himself to the Pokemon's eyes. 'But for me, it is nothing short of a blessing.'
It was indeed a blessing. An opportunity. And, yes. A prey.
ROAR!!!
The beast roared. Look at me! It seemed to cry. Look at me, you puny thing!
The sheer amount of Mana surrounding the Pokemon overwhelmed him. Kai stared at it, taking in its every curve. It was over 20 ft long with a serpentine body covered in overlapping scales. It was mostly blue with a yellow underbelly, and its mouth was large and gaping, bearing four pointed teeth and yellow lips. Its small red eyes seemed to pulse like gurgling lava, and on its head, there was a three-pointed, dark blue crest.
Its entire figure spoke of a tale of violence, rage, and destruction.
Kai knew this Pokemon. It was in his Pokedex.
'Gyarados!' Kai recalled. 'The dual Water-Flying type Pokemon. Evolution from a worthless fish causes changes in its brain structure, resulting in its violent nature. Its magical scales are harder than steel, and it's known for its fierce temper and wanton destructive tendencies since ancient times. That's why, in some regions, Gyarados is called the "Deity of Destruction".'
The Pokemon thrashed its tail, sending strong, bombastic waves toward Kai. Yet, not even Gyarados could match Golduck-Kai's speed this deep in the water. Kai kicked and pushed the water, easily dodging the attack, and was about to lunge at it for a long, brutal fight, when a silver mist burst out of him.
-It's mine!- Selene hissed threateningly. -Haha! Hahaha!-
Kai heard her maniacal laugh and knew Selene's own destructive personality had taken over her mind.
'For a 4th-floor Contestant to have this Pokemon,' Kai thought, reflecting for a moment, 'this particular Gyarados must be a D- or D graded magical beast. Hmm…'
-/Don't kill it,/- Kai told her telepathically, grinning. -/I need it for my Title and other materials./-
Not waiting for a reply, Kai banged his tail, stirring himself in the galley's direction, and fired himself towards it like a bullet. The water glided around him, and even before the Pokemon could notice, he had run out of its sight. A roar and a hiss hidden behind it reached his ears, making his grin even more demonic. This would be a genuine test of Selene's newly gained Skills and Abilities, he knew.
And if she couldn't show him a favorable outcome, then she would do him a favor by dying here now.
When he leaped out of the sea, the air was sizzling with furious shouts and cries of victory. The entire deck was strewn with 3rd-floor Contestants, Kai guessed. Some had their longswords out, waiting for the galley to reach Actaea before taking action. Some were holding bows, arrows nocked and waiting for the orders to let them loose. They all seemed to be a disposable force given to the Pokemon Trainer in place of ordinary labors.
Kai even saw at least three with wands, pointing at Item-M, and chanting some incomprehensible spell.
Like a phantom, Kai landed in between them.
Shock, doubt, and fear weren't near enough the words that could hope to describe the expressions on the faces of Contestants. Not all even sensed that something completely out of their expectation had just happened, and only a few had seen Kai coming out of the waters like a monster from the deep sea.
The grin on his face made them lose hope instantly.
Kai's hand flicked, and a steel-like cigarette case appeared in his palm. When he opened it, over 50 needles flew out, covered in a red shine. Their surfaces glowed gold under the sun as if they had been dipped in some kind of strange, cool liquid. Blue, frosty vapor rose off them in thin, smoky strands.
These were the ungraded weapons Kai had ordered Item-M to bring with her. And he had already coated every single one of them in Selene's venom, Ghost Neurotoxin.
"What are you doing?!" the 4th-floor Contestant bellowed, turning around to look at Kai. "Attack him, you bloody fools!"
Too late.
These needles weren't Items. They had only one specific purpose, and for that, their being of the toughest steel available on the 3rd-floor was enough. Kai only needed the needles' tips to make the tiniest scratch on the Contestants' bodies, after which, the needles would become useless. Ghost Neurotoxin would take care of the rest.
The nearby Contestants lunged at him, raising their swords high.
A chill burst out of Kai's body, freezing the nearest four Contestants. Four needles rushed towards them, the pointy, poisoned tips entering their eyes effortlessly. Four Contestants died in an instant.
And then Kai slithered. With each slippery step, he sent a needle flying towards a Contestant, sending him to oblivion. His breath kept rattling, sucking out happiness, turning their rage into despair. This, too, was followed by needles. Left and right, dull thumps of bodies, and clanks of steel hitting the musty galley's deck bore through the survivors' hearts like a death knell.
'Too weak!' Kai commented, charging toward the three wizards. 'Were the 3rd-floor Contestants always so weak?'
The three wizards raised their wands, their mouths opening to chant the spell. Kai's bean-sized gem burst out with a red flash simultaneously. All three wands jerked out of their hands, and the wizards stumbled, losing their balance.
Three needles finished them like pigs.
The notification appeared with a pale, stony expression as if it had tired itself out in wait. What took you so long? It seemed to ask.
[
Congratulations Contestant Kai Stormborn…
You have achieved a Title
Title: Murderer
Specification: Kill 10 Contestants in a single random world. The Contestant must be from the same or higher floor than yours.
Status: (10/10)
Effect: Perception +2, Worth +1
Note: Only 1 Title can be equipped at a time
Conditions to upgrade this Title…
Title: Serial Killer
Specification: Kill 20 Contestants in three different Random Worlds/Timelines consecutively. The Status will reset if the kills are not done in order.
Status: (0/3)
Effect:
1. Perception +5
2. Worth +3
3. Skill: Murderous Lust
Congratulations you have unlocked the Title Serial Killer…
Status: (1/3)
]
Kai stopped. His eyes were closed as he lusted after the newly gained Title. From every direction, the remaining Contestants dashed towards him, and the archers fired their arrows, aiming at his every part.
They had forgotten what kind of creature Kai was long ago; it seemed.
This was an enemy, they must have thought. A butcher. What else could he be?
The mind-gem glowed bloodiest, and everything seemed to stop. In 10 meters, the sword-wielders slowed as if their feet were buried in a mire, and the arrows quivered as if unseen strings were attached to them, forcing them to change directions.
In this stillness, only the needles revolved furiously. Starting from Kai, they moved out in a spiral, becoming a hurricane. Whomever they kissed, died. Eyes lost focused all around him, and Contestants, who were powerful enough to lead their own teams of lower floors Contestants, died like flies, swatted away by the monstrous Advance Ability.
Someone had truly said right.
Skills make soldiers, Abilities make Kings!
The 4th-floor Contestant couldn't keep himself away any longer, and rushed for Kai, holding his two-handed greatsword high. He had short red hair, a big belly, and a thick mustache. Kai knew his enemy's MP was getting eaten away by the use of Pokemon, so he wasn't worried about any powerful Skill. The moment the opponent closed on him, needles failing to puncture his sturdy skin, Kai's eyes narrowed.
A burst of chill exploded out of him again, freezing the 4th-floor Contestant's charge. But this didn't end here. Another equally powerful cold burst happened instantly, but in the reverse direction, starting from the swarthy body of his sword-wielding enemy.
Cold Reversal had finally shown its true might.
A blue frost appeared all over the Contestant's body, freezing his skin, muscles, and even his thoughts. A few unlucky 3rd-floor Contestants near Kai died instantly, becoming a solid block of ice. When Kai finished the remaining crew, his Kill Count was flashing the number 80.
'Two more,' he thought, cracking his neck and thrashing his tail. 'Just two more.'
In the distance, he saw the large blue Pokemon churning the entire sea, firing Hydro Pumps at Item-M, as a silver mist kept trying to burst its way in through its steel-like scales. From high in the sky, Item-M was firing steel-tipped arrows at it, trying to keep it away from the unmanned ship.
Ignoring this all, and the notifications related to his Abilities, Kai approached the 4th-floor Contestant, who was trying hard to fight the chill seeping into his bones. He wanted this one alive, Kai knew. He couldn't afford to lose the Pokemon.
But just as Kai was about to use Advance Emotions Manipulation to suck out this red-haired man's happiness, the man lifted his head, ice-chipping away off his face, and smiled.
The hair on Kai's neck stood up. Danger! An unavoidable, and vastly powerful, danger surrounded him, making his heart pound against his chest.
A boom rang out from his behind, throwing him off like a twig. Kai spun in midair, landing on his feet, and saw the thing exploding out from below the deck. Through the mass of splintered woods and frozen bodies, Kai saw a giant robot taking shape, its color dull gray, glistening silver.
Kai's pupils became points like the tips of the few needles revolving around him.
Things have taken a daring, pleasant turn.
There was not one, but two 4th-floor Contestants on the ship it seemed. And one of them, this person in the robot, was someone even Kai had failed to perceive.
*********
AN: The well-known Pokemon, Gyarados, is now roaming into the waters of my server, waiting to be caught. Come see it. Haha!