"And in the instant I left, I could clearly feel that as the space collapsed, that door was also rapidly receding. I imagine it was the spatial collapse that revealed this world's aura, allowing that fellow to catch the scent, which is how I discovered it!"
"So, the monster before us is what the entity you sensed before transformed into?"
Aside from the matter of traversing dimensions, Kong Tai concealed nothing from Gu Yina, so she was aware of all of Kong Tai's abilities, including his black energy.
"Most likely," Kong Tai nodded, continuing, "the patterns on the pair of demonic horns on its head are identical to the patterns on the door I saw in the depths of space."
"I suspect the so-called virus this fellow accidentally obtained was not a virus at all, but rather a special power leaked into this world from the demon behind that door. Due to the immense level of the power, only a small wisp was enough to prevent this fellow from being completely transformed into a true demon."
"I believe this world should contain more of this energy. That being behind the door would undoubtedly need a coordinate to come over, and a complete demon should be the coordinate they desire."
As he spoke, Kong Tai's face was etched with seriousness.
The power of a mere pair of horns had made Quinn so formidable; one could imagine the true might of a complete demon.
It seemed the aura he had sensed at the time was merely a trace of the demon's presence seeping through the door.
He possessed the spatial coordinates to the location of that door. If he wished, he could break through space at any time with his black energy to travel there. He had even been contemplating, after dealing with Im, venturing there alone to see if there was anything interesting to be found!
But now, it seemed his thoughts had been a bit too simplistic.
"Roar~"
At this point, the monster seemed to have completely evolved, letting out a great roar, no longer human, but a true demonic cry emanating from the abyss.
The immense sound, forming a shockwave, surged skyward, and with a "bang," it dispersed the clouds overhead, allowing the orange-yellow light of the setting sun to instantly pierce through the gap in the clouds and illuminate this dim sea, casting long-lost warmth upon the area.
Strong, very strong.
To Gu Yina, the monster now felt no less powerful than Charlotte Linlin.
However, as the monster's blood-red, fierce eyes turned towards them, Gu Yina breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as Kong Tai had said, she saw no emotion in those blood-red eyes that a sentient being should possess, only madness and brutality, devoid of any reason.
No matter how powerful a beast might be, before a sapient being, it was merely a lump of unfeeling flesh.
Facing the current monster, despite its immense power, Gu Yina believed she could dispatch it with a single move.
Thus, Gu Yina released Kong Tai, her entire being crackling with arcs of electricity, exuding an overwhelming sharpness.
Then, without any discernible movement, her figure transformed into a streak of lightning, vanishing from her original position.
*Zing!*
A crisp sword cry drowned out the roar of the surging waves and the monster's bellow, as if it had replaced all other sounds in this world.
Following closely was an ultimate blade light, as if it were about to cleave the entire sea.
At this moment, time seemed to stand still. The ultimate blade light, accompanied by thunder, instantly formed a single line, slicing through the monster's front before it could even react.
The roar ceased.
The monster, tilting its head back, froze in place, just like the pirates who had been sliced by the blade light before.
*Ding!*
Behind the monster, Gu Yina's figure materialized from the lightning.
The monster, lacking any reason, possessed immense physical strength, but in terms of reaction and combat, it was utterly helpless against the speed-oriented Gu Yina.
Just as she had thought, an irrational beast was no match for her, and a single sword strike was enough.
Having been struck by Gu Yina's blade light, the monster ceased its roar. Of course, the reflection of the orange-yellow sunset in its blood-red eyes was also rapidly fading.
At this point, a flicker of sentience, characteristic of intelligent life, finally appeared in its emotionless eyes, but this color was also quickly dissipating.
Quinn had returned, but only for an instant, before quickly sinking back into boundless darkness.
*Boom!*
The monster's body split down the middle, a gash that rapidly spread throughout its entire form, dividing it into two. The upper half plunged into the sea with the force of a meteor, creating a tidal wave dozens of meters high.
The monster was dead, but there was little blood. After all, it was merely a balloon inflated by demonic power, its flesh entirely mutated cells.
Gazing at the upper half of the monster rapidly sinking, Kong Tai stepped forward, his figure vanishing from his spot and reappearing atop the monster's head.
He reached out and touched the colossal demonic horns, now devoid of their blood-red hue and only displaying their intricate patterns. A cold glint flashed in Kong Tai's eyes.
"It appears these blood-red patterns, with their crimson threads, are the primary energy of this type of demon."
Behind him, Gu Yina flew over. She looked up at the massive demonic horns, as large as a small mountain, and offered her conjecture.
"Likely," Kong Tai nodded, retracting his hand and smiling. "Now that this fellow is dead, the energy dissipates. It seems the demon's energy is not inexhaustible. Once used, it cannot be replenished; it's like a rootless duckweed."
"This suggests that in ancient times, a demon must have connected to this world through a passage we are unaware of, sending its energy."
"Perhaps at that time, there was a race in this world called demons, who could amplify their power through mysterious rituals by channeling this energy."
"And the demon was their totem, their god."
"However, in the subsequent years, that passage must have closed for unknown reasons. Otherwise, this energy, after being used, would not simply dissipate and be consumed, but rather, like a coordinate, it would have drawn the demon's power."
"That's the only explanation," Gu Yina's electrical arcs vanished, and she linked her arm with Kong Tai's again, tilting her head to look at him and smiling. "Who knows about such ancient matters?"
"Perhaps in those ancient times, such demons... no, they should be called gods by the ancients, were these beings!"
"Gods?"
Kong Tai pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Yes! What you say makes sense. In ancient times, this world was likely filled with all sorts of miraculous powers, and the source of these powers might have been similar to the being behind that door."
"But then, for reasons unknown, all those gods severed their connection with this world and abandoned it."
Having said this, Kong Tai glanced down again at the monster, now completely submerged in the sea with only a tip of its horn visible, then averted his gaze and, taking Gu Yina's hand, soared into the sky.
After the two departed, this sea area gradually returned to calm. Even the clouds pierced by the monster's roar quickly filled in with surrounding clouds, restoring everything to its previous state.
Were it not for the shattered wooden planks drifting on the surface of the sea and the massive dark silhouette gradually sinking into the deep ocean, everything here would have seemed as if nothing had ever happened.
No one knew that the last vestiges of the Beast Pirates' strength had vanished in this uncharted sea.