บท 13: 13. Terra Elements Couldn’t Touch Those Sea Monsters

At that moment, Kairav found himself staring straight into the gaping mouth of one of the water monsters. His body froze in terror as the creature's massive maw loomed before him, and for a second, he thought this would be the last thing he'd ever see.

But just as his head was about to enter the creature's mouth, Casildo's strong hands grabbed his shirt and hurled him out of the water with ease. Kairav landed hard on the sand, the pain radiating across his back.

"Damn it, Casildo! Couldn't you be a little gentler?!" He snapped, wincing.

"I just saved your life! Still want to complain?!" Casildo shot back, his voice strained as he struggled to fend off ten monsters attacking him from all sides.

Without wasting time, Casildo slammed his foot into the ground. Immediately, the large rocks nearby floated into the air, suspended by his command. His fists tightened, and the air echoed with the sound of a cracking stone.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The suspended rocks splintered into large chunks. With a powerful motion, Casildo crossed his arms, then opened them wide, unleashing a surge of energy that sent the rock fragments hurtling toward the creatures. His Rock Rupture Assault rained down like a storm of stone.

But the attack had no effect. The rocks passed straight through the monsters' bodies, which were composed entirely of water. The liquid nature of their forms meant they couldn't be touched or destroyed by solid objects.

Casildo gritted his teeth, furious that his attack had failed. He kicked off the ground and leapt toward Kairav, landing beside him just as the creatures began emerging from the water. Their gaping mouths were aimed straight at them as they advanced with eerie precision.

"What the hell are those things?!" Kairav shouted, panic creeping into his voice.

"The sea monsters! Euntei Iek!" Casildo responded quickly, eyes darting between the creatures.

Hearing the name triggered something in Kairav's mind. His thoughts raced through the catalog of cryptid creatures he'd studied. Then, it clicked.

The Euntei Iek—a monster thought to be a myth, supposedly ruling the waters of the Mystic Tides Strait. The creature was often described as a cluster of blue jellyfish floating among the waves, slipping onto fishing boats through their anchor ropes. Once aboard, they would silently crawl to the top of the sail, their bodies expanding into massive blobs of water that crashed down, sinking the boat to the depths below.

But there were other stories. Some said the Euntei Iek could take the shape of watermen, much like the monsters now stalking Kairav and Casildo, devouring their prey alive.

"Failed Product!" Casildo shouted, snapping Kairav out of his thoughts. "Instead of standing there like an idiot, how about doing something useful?!"

Kairav's eyes widened with realization. "Bro, piss on them!"

Casildo whipped his head around, staring at Kairav in disbelief. "Eh, have you lost your mind?!" he cursed, utterly incredulous.

Kairav pressed on, shouting with urgency, "My friend went on an expedition to research these creatures!" His eyes followed Casildo, who was still engaged in a fierce struggle with the advancing monsters. "The legend says fishermen who encountered these sea monsters used their urine to drive them away!"

Casildo was silent for a second, looking between Kairav and the water monsters, unsure whether to laugh or yell. "Do you really think urine is more useful than my terra elemental moves?!" Casildo snapped, frustration written all over his face.

"You see, even my punches are useless! They can't touch these Depths Abominations at all!" He lashed out as his powerful strikes, both punches and kicks, kept passing through the bodies of the 10 water creatures, leaving no impact.

Smack! Smack! Splash!

Frustratingly, the monsters didn't face the same problem. Despite their watery composition, their blows carried the force of solid objects, allowing them to easily grip and strike Casildo. He found himself taking hits from their massive water hands while struggling to counterattack effectively, relying on his agility to dodge as much as possible.

Growl!

"Damn it!" Casildo cursed as one of the sea monsters seized him by the neck, lifting him off the ground with a crushing grip.

"Casildo!" Kairav called out, rushing towards him.

But Casildo managed to warn him with a strangled voice, "Stop! Don't make this worse!" His face reddened as the grip tightened, cutting off his air supply.

Casildo, struggling to breathe, raised his hands slowly, channeling his Terra elemental powers. A gust of wind swirled around him, pulling beach sand into his palms. With intense concentration, he molded the grains into ten sand serpents, their bodies long and coiled, poised to strike.

The sight of the serpents infuriated the sea monsters, causing the one holding Casildo to loosen its grip just enough. Casildo capitalized on the moment. With a swift motion, he summoned a nearby boulder, levitating it beneath his feet to serve as a springboard.

Thud!

With a powerful kick, Casildo propelled himself upwards, breaking free from the monster's hold and landing near Kairav, gasping for breath.

"You alright?" Kairav asked, concerned, as he patted Casildo's back. Casildo waved him off, still coughing as he struggled to catch his breath.

Hiss... Hiss... Hiss...

The sandy shoreline split as the ten sand serpents slithered swiftly towards their watery targets, prepared to constrict and crush the sea monsters with their coils. The serpents hissed menacingly, closing in on their enemies with lethal precision.

"That won't work," Kairav said flatly, watching the scene unfold.

Casildo shot him a glare, still wheezing. "A blind man like you doesn't get to insult my creations," he grumbled.

Kairav smirked, crossing his arms. "But at least my brain isn't dull," he retorted. "You're probably expecting your sand serpents to wrap around them like pythons, aren't you? Tch! Even a punch can't touch their bodies, and you think that will work?"

Kairav's grin grew as he watched the inevitable unfold. Just as he predicted, the sand serpents slithered straight through the liquid bodies of the monsters, leaving them unscathed. "Told you," he said smugly.