Chapter 14: 14. At Last, He Could See the Animal Spirits

Casildo's fury spiked as he watched his sand serpents, created with his Sand Serpent Construction move, get crushed like worthless earthworms. The serpents had slithered toward the sea monsters, but the creatures met them head-on, gripping them tightly with their watery hands.

The serpents tried to retaliate with coils and sharp fangs, but their attacks were useless. As predicted, their bodies passed right through the liquid forms of the monsters, only to be beaten down moments later. Some serpents were trampled, some slammed into the ground, and others were ripped apart.

"Tsk! I told you to piss on them!" Kairav snapped in frustration.

Casildo shot him a lethal glare. "Shut your mouth, or I'll slap you!" he retorted. "I'm not going to pee! Why are you so obsessed with that? You do it!"

Kairav wiped his face in exasperation. "Their bodies are liquid! Solid objects won't work—you'll just go right through them!"

"Argh! So what do I do?" Casildo exclaimed, his patience running thin as his mind raced for a solution.

Kairav, equally frustrated, slapped the back of Casildo's head. "Use your brain! You can make them vaporize or disappear like boiling water! You can also stop their movement by making them freeze into ice!"

"Damn it! I'm not a master of all elements! Terra's the only element I control!" Casildo growled, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't have fire or ice abilities!"

Kairav sighed deeply, his hazel eyes darting toward the sea monsters, who were regrouping and moving toward them again. "Should we just run?"

"You think we can outrun them?!"

Suddenly, the ten sea monsters dissolved into water and sank into the sand, disappearing from sight. The two young men stared at the ground in confusion.

"Eh? Where did they go?" Casildo muttered.

Kairav, eyes flashing with suspicion, quickly assessed the situation. "Something's off! We need to move—now!"

"Failed Product! What's going on?!" Casildo shouted, bewildered but still followed Kairav's lead, sprinting away.

Kairav glanced briefly at the sky, noticing the subtle shift in the horizon as dawn approached. The light slowly filled the eastern sky, guiding them toward the distant forest. As they ran, the faint dawn light revealed a clearer path through the wilderness.

But they had no idea that beneath the sand, the sea monsters were silently tracking their every step. The Euntei Iek had melted into the ground and were waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

As the two ran, their breathing grew heavier, and the forest's edge seemed impossibly far away. Any hope of escape faded as a sudden explosion shook the ground beneath them.

Boom! Growl! Growl!

The ground split open, and the two young men froze in terror as the ten sea monsters erupted from the sand and launched a ferocious attack.

"Arghhh!" Kairav cried out in agony as five of the creatures grabbed him, squeezing his body with bone-crushing force. He felt as if his entire body was being crushed under their grip.

"Damn it! I couldn't even land a hit, and now they're about to turn me into mush!" Casildo cursed. Blood dripped from his broken nose as one of the sea monsters pressed its watery hand against his face. He struggled to breathe, his growls of pain growing louder as four more monsters shackled his arms and legs, imprisoning him completely.

Kairav's vision dimmed, his breath weakening as the monster's hand tightened around his neck. Despite the suffocating hold, he managed to call out one last desperate plea.

"Casildo! Do something!" he screamed, his eyelids fluttering shut. His mind was readying itself for death as he saw the mouth of one of the monsters open wide in front of him.

Growl!

"Arghhh!"

A loud scream echoed in Kairav's ears as the cold grip around his neck suddenly vanished, allowing his fading consciousness to slowly return. His limp body collapsed onto the beach, the gritty sand cushioning his fall. Blinking rapidly, his hazel eyes, though still blurry, focused on the dawn horizon above. A strange sense of déjà vu washed over him.

For the second time in his life, Kairav saw the appearance of colorful light waves, much like auroras, dancing on the horizon at sunrise. The red Luminous Remnants star in the constellation of the bull blinked brightly, its light radiating across the sky. At that moment, the Cosmic Resonance Radiation began to rain down on Lushterra, its blackish rays piercing through the atmosphere and finding their mark.

Casildo, standing nearby, felt the energy surge through him as he activated Radiant Soulforge Awakening. The black mist enveloped his body, and the Bull totem engraved on his back flared to life. The ethereal bull stomped its feet, its head bowed for a moment before it roared to life. The spirit, a massive black bull, erupted from Casildo's body with a thunderous cry.

Bellow!

The bull spirit galloped with ferocious strength, its muscular body thundering across the sand. Its fiery eyes, full of determination, searched for an enemy to charge, its sharp, spear-like horns poised to strike. But there was no target in sight. The sea monsters had vanished into the sand the moment Casildo unleashed his Radiant Soulforge Awakening, sensing the overwhelming magical power he now wielded.

"Tch! Cowards!" Casildo spat, frustration mounting.

Kairav, still recovering, watched in awe as the black bull spirit rampaged across the battlefield. "What... what is that?" he asked, still seated in disbelief at what he had just witnessed.

Casildo turned toward him, startled. "Wait, aren't you blind? How the hell are you seeing my animal spirit? Did your vision clear up because you were about to die?!"

Kairav, slowly rising to his feet, kept his eyes locked on the bull. "Why does your cow look like some kind of dairy cow gone mad? Look at it, pacing around like it's lost its mind!" He jabbed his finger toward the black bull, its massive form pacing erratically in the sand. The spirit, clearly agitated, circled aimlessly, its hooves digging into the ground as if unsure of where to charge next. Just as dumb as its master.

"It's a bull!!!" Casildo exploded, his patience finally wearing thin. "How can you be so annoying when you're on the brink of death?!"

Boom! Kaboom!

Growl!

"See! Every time you speak, bad luck follows!" Casildo cursed as the ground trembled beneath their feet. A massive explosion rocked the beach, sand flying in every direction. From beneath the sand, a giant water monster emerged, its form a terrifying combination of the ten sea creatures that had merged into one.

Kairav's eyes widened in horror as the creature loomed closer. "What are you doing standing there?! Get your stupid dairy cow to attack it!"

"Shut up! It already knows what to do without me telling it!"