Just as the edge of the sword of light was about to connect—
The core suddenly moved.
It shifted downward with unnatural speed, dodging the fatal strike by a hair’s breadth.
Jake’s eyes widened as his body froze for a split second in shock.
But he could no longer change the course of his strike.
FLASH!
The pure sword of light completed its arc.
A brilliant white-gold crescent tore through the regenerated Drowned Stalker from shoulder to hip.
SPURT!
Black flesh parted cleanly as the creature was once again sliced into two separate halves, dark energy and residual mist exploding outward from the cut.
But Jake felt no relief at all.
He immediately twisted his body, attempting to follow up with another strike aimed directly at the exposed crimson core.
Before his blade could reach it—
The severed halves began regenerating at extreme speed.
Black flesh stretched, reformed, and solidified in the blink of an eye.
Within less than a second, two complete Drowned Stalkers now floated in the dark water, both bearing the same menacing third-phase appearance.
Jake’s eyes widened in pure disbelief.
’Two...!?’
Before he could fully process the situation, one of the Drowned Stalkers swung a thick black tentacle with brutal force.
BAM—!
The heavy strike slammed into Jake’s side, sending him tumbling through the water as pain exploded through his body.
Jake’s figure was sent flying deeper into the dark depths.
He coughed out a mouthful of blood, the crimson liquid mixing into the surrounding seawater as he struggled to stabilize himself.
Gritting his teeth through the pain, he looked upward—
And froze.
...What he saw was a scene he would likely never forget for the rest of his life.
The two regenerated Drowned Stalkers floated side by side, both spreading their arms wide.
At the same moment, the countless mouths covering their black bodies opened simultaneously.
Then, like a dam bursting open, a flood of those grotesque neck-things erupted outward from every mouth, filling the dark water with a writhing, endless swarm.
Within moments, the swarm had completely surrounded him.
Countless elongated necks and gaping mouths formed a dense, living cage around Jake, leaving almost no path of escape.
The dark water was filled with their silent, stretched smiles from every angle.
Jake’s expression turned grim.
He finally understood... he was truly screwed.
To make matters even worse, at that exact moment, the white-gold aura surrounding his body suddenly flickered... then vanished completely.
Jake’s eyes widened as a strange, suffocating emptiness washed over him.
And the steady rhythm of his Aura Breathing technique also began to falter, on the verge of collapsing entirely.
’Shit...! The fusion mode and all of this fighting must have drained my aura far faster than I expected...!’
Jake’s thoughts turned frantic.
’Damn... damn...!’
He looked around desperately, trying to find even the smallest opening in the living cage of necks and mouths surrounding him.
But there was none.
The swarm pressed in from every direction, completely sealing him in.
His chest heaved as he struggled to draw in what little oxygen remained.
Without the support of his Aura Breathing technique and the white-gold aura that had been sustaining him underwater, the crushing pressure of the deep sea began to take full effect.
Suddenly, Jake’s vision started to blur at the edges.
The lack of oxygen made his head feel heavy, and the once-clear glow in his golden eyes gradually dimmed as darkness crept in from the corners of his sight.
Through the haze, he could still make out the two Drowned Stalkers floating beyond the swarm.
Both of them had the smiles on their bodies stretched even wider, as if mocking his current helplessness.
He was truly screwed as his consciousness began to fade.
The pressure of the deep water, the complete lack of oxygen, and the crushing despair of the situation all weighed down on him at once.
Strength drained rapidly from his limbs, and the sword of light in his hand flickered weakly before dimming further.
In those final moments, as his thoughts grew distant and hazy, one face appeared clearly in his mind.
Grace.
...Her golden eyes... her soft smile.
The way she had looked at him with complete trust and devotion.
’Ahh... I shouldn’t have been so reckless...’
’I’m sorry, Grace...’
With that, the last remnants of his consciousness slipped away, and Jake’s body went limp in the dark water as the swarm of necks closed in around him.
But the moment his awareness fully faded—
Something deep within him refused to die.
[Instinct] and [Battle Adept] roared to life at the same time, both skills pushing themselves into complete overdrive.
Even without Jake’s conscious control, the two passives desperately searched for any possible way to keep him alive in this hopeless situation.
...And one power answered their urgent call.
[Light Manifestation].
Without Jake realizing it, the dormant white-gold energy still lingering inside his body began to surge violently.
The flickering remnants of his aura suddenly stabilized, then rapidly expanded outward in a silent, radiant explosion of pure light.
[Ding!]
[Light Manifestation has evolved!]
[Light Manifestation → Wielder of Light]
[Ding!]
[Ultimate Skill has been learned!]
[Ultimate Skill: Avatar of Light, "Nameless".]
[Ding!]
[Unique Skill has been learned!]
[Unique Skill: The Final Stand.]
_
_
_
The two Drowned Stalkers watched as Jake’s body floated limply in the dark water.
Their countless smiles stretched even wider as they slowly drifted closer, ready to... consume him.
But then they paused...
Jake’s finger suddenly twitched.
Both creatures tilted their heads slightly in confusion.
In the next moment, something even stranger occurred.
Starting from the roots, Jake’s black hair began to lose its color.
Strand by strand, the darkness drained away, replaced by pure, radiant white that slowly spread across his entire head.
A faint white-gold glow began to leak from his body once more, far purer and denser than before.
The surrounding swarm of necks instinctively recoiled, as if sensing a dangerous shift in the very nature of the light they had previously overwhelmed.
The two Drowned Stalkers remained frozen in place, their countless smiles now carrying a rare trace of wariness.
And deep within Jake’s fading consciousness, something new had taken root.
"..."
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