A grotesque giant, over two meters tall and utterly indescribable, emerged from the jungle!
It inspired both terror and revulsion.
Its eyes lacked whites, the irises filled with bloodshot veins. Its head was bald, covered instead in a tapestry of purplish-blue tattoos in an unknown script.
Only its lower body was covered by a crude animal hide skirt, barely sufficient for concealment.
Its blood-red chest was a dense mosaic of over thirty scars, the color indicating they were ancient.
Its strength was terrifying; with every step, it left deep impressions in the ground.
Zhuoya seemed to recognize this monster. As soon as it appeared, her hand, which she was gripping tightly, began to tremble uncontrollably. Cold sweat streamed down her face, and she was clearly terrified.
I gently tapped the back of Zhuoya's hand. Did she know this monster's origin?
Zhuoya swallowed hard, her gaze fixed on the monster's movements. Then, she leaned close to my ear and whispered, "This is a Sea God's Servant from the tribe. Only the most devout followers of the Sea God can transform into such inhuman monstrosities after the High Priest receives the Sea God's decree! They are immensely strong and feel no pain. They have always obeyed only the High Priest's commands."
Looking at the terrifying, monstrous giant before me, the long-held questions in my heart were finally answered.
Why could the Kasa tribe survive and thrive on this island filled with terrifying beasts, relying solely on cold weapons!
Why did the leader, who commanded the tribe's military might, serve under the High Priest!
This horrifying monster was the answer!
As Zhuoya whispered to me, the Sea God's Servant seemed to detect our location. It roared and charged directly at us!
Trouble!
I had intended to hide with Zhuoya and make plans after the monster left.
But the monster's senses were so acute! Based on Zhuoya's description, running would surely be futile against this Sea God's Servant.
Our only chance was to fight to the death right here to escape!
My mind made up, I exchanged a look with Zhuoya. I rolled out, aiming a shot at the Sea God's Servant's leg.
If such a terrifying giant were allowed to unleash its full power, a single touch would leave us dead or severely injured!
It was better to cripple it from the start, rendering it immobile!
Amidst the monster's roar, the bullet pierced its thigh, leaving a gushing wound.
The terrifying giant roared again, stumbling slightly. But it quickly regained its balance and charged at me.
My heart tightened. Its grotesque, giant hand lunged for me, the air seeming to tear as it descended.
I quickly ducked and rolled under the giant's arm.
The Sea God's Servant's hand struck the tree we had been hiding behind, shaking leaves loose. When it lifted, a deep palm print remained!
This brush with death, this thrill, paradoxically banished the initial fear I felt upon seeing the monster.
Damn it, as long as your body can be pierced by bullets, I will kill you!
While I was drawing the Sea God's Servant's attention, Zhuoya had crept behind it and fired several shots into its back.
I knew our advantage lay in the Sea God's Servant's massive size and clumsy movements.
We could exploit the size difference and inflict damage with our agility.
Though it sounded easy, facing the Sea God's Servant felt like dancing on the edge of a blade, an experience few could endure.
The bullets struck the Sea God's Servant, eliciting continuous roars of fury.
Its pair of deformed, giant hands flailed at us like a windmill.
Zhuoya and I attacked from front and back, flanking the Sea God's Servant. Whenever it tried to close in on one of us, the other would relentlessly shoot at its weak points.
Our tactic proved highly effective. Under our crossfire, the Sea God's Servant was riddled with wounds, not a single patch of good skin remaining.
At this rate, within minutes, the Sea God's Servant would collapse before us through our coordinated efforts.
However, things did not unfold as smoothly as we anticipated.
Time dragged on. Just as the scales of victory began to tip in our favor, the Sea God's Servant suddenly went berserk. Disregarding its injuries, it lunged ferociously at me!
A critical moment!
I abandoned firing and instinctively rolled to the side, attempting to evade.
But as a glimpse of the Sea God's Servant registered in my peripheral vision, my eyes suddenly welled with blood!
It took only two steps forward before abruptly stopping. It seized the momentary lapse in my attack.
Unexpectedly, it lunged at Zhuoya!
Damn it, the Sea God's Servant was feinting!
Caught off guard, Zhuoya had no time to dodge, and could only watch helplessly as the monstrous giant closed in!
The terrifying presence was now mere inches away, a massive shadow engulfing her. Zhuoya closed her eyes in despair.
No!!!