Malphegor
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Ch. 169: The Shark: Father-of-All-Sharks
🕑 Added 2024-12-03 22:04:57 +0000 UTCThousands of fish-headed beings lurked just beneath the murky sea surface. Although it was only for a fleeting moment, Kisame caught a clear glimpse of their faces.
At first glance, Kisame even felt that these fish-headed beings bore a striking resemblance—seven-tenths, at least—to his own shark-like features.
"Look! They're our kin! Our kin are all watching you!"
With a wave of his massive hand, Kojiro commanded the thousands of fish-headed beings, who let out hoarse, piercing cries before surging toward the shore.
At the shore lay one of the major ports of the Land of Water, a harbor where over a dozen large ships and several dozen mid-sized fishing vessels were docked.
"This is…"
Kisame was stunned by what he saw. It appeared that Kojiro could control these fish-headed beings.
"Now it's time for you to prove your loyalty."
Kojiro turned to him, patting his shoulder before glancing at the Black Pharaoh.
The Black Pharaoh stepped forward, pulling a bright white object from his cloak and placing it before Kisame.
"Drop your blood onto this."
Kisame focused his gaze on the object in the Black Pharaoh's hand—a massive, razor-sharp shark tooth.
This shark tooth was larger than a fully outstretched human hand and emitted a faint white glow. It was hard to imagine the size of the shark from which this tooth had come.
Under the expectant gaze of Kojiro, he knew he could not refuse. Resolutely, he unsheathed the katana on his back, sliced a cut into his palm, and let his blood drip onto the shark tooth.
To his surprise, his blood was immediately absorbed into the tooth, leaving only a faint red stain on the glossy, pale enamel surface.
The Black Pharaoh raised the shark tooth high with one hand, chanting an obscure and complex incantation, before throwing the tooth into the sea.
A small splash rippled across the calm surface of the water before it returned to stillness.
But in the next moment, Kisame heard a deep hum emanating from the ocean depths—a sound akin to a titan of the deep swinging a colossal anchor.
Just hearing the sound seemed to pull his thoughts into the vast abyss of the ocean. In the depths of the sea, he felt as though his eyes were shrouded by a veil of hazy green.
The veil drifted and swayed freely with the ocean currents, until distorted rays of sunlight pierced through, dissipating it.
Behind the green veil lay a shadowy figure lurking in the darkness of the ocean depths.
He could not discern the precise form of the shadow but could make out a rough silhouette: bloated and massive, with skeletal, malnourished wings and long, tentacle-like appendages swaying chaotically like the limbs of an octopus.
Suddenly, the shadow stirred from the darkness.
The enormous green body lumbered out of the abyss, shoving its way into his line of sight.
He saw its slick, slimy surface, scale-like gelatinous substance, and enormous clawed feet.
In an instant, a green light enveloped the grotesque, bloated figure, making it resemble a colossal green mountain striding between heaven and earth.
Back on the surface, a massive whirlpool began to form, rapidly expanding as though stirred by the hand of some unknown giant.
At the center of the whirlpool, a gloomy white light pierced through the deep, shadowy waters, casting an unearthly glow across the entire sea.
The sailors on the ships were drawn to the sudden luminescence on the water's surface and rushed onto the decks to see what was happening.
"Look! The sea is glowing!"
"What is that?"
"I'm not sure, but something seems to be coming up from the depths."
Their attention fixed on the distant glow, the sailors failed to notice the chaos unfolding right under their noses.
It wasn't until a scream tore through the night that they realized something was amiss.
The sailors turned to see hordes of Deep Ones surging toward the port like a relentless tide.
"Ahhh!"
"What are those creatures?"
"Monsters! Run for your lives!"
"Help! Someone save me!"
The merciless Deep Ones, armed with customized iron picks and anchors, stormed into the crowd, slaughtering indiscriminately. They were as relentless and emotionless as humans chopping down trees.
The sailors, never having encountered such a horrifying sight, were paralyzed with fear. Most could do nothing but flee in panic.
Only a few calm individuals thought to sound the alarm, alerting the entire port to the invasion.
Through the experienced observation of some veteran sailors, it was noted that the fish-headed creatures climbed ashore from the sea and then boarded the ships docked at the harbor.
As long as the ships could sail out to open waters, they could escape these fish-headed attackers.
"Get out to sea! Hurry!"
The crew resisted the Deep Ones' assault in the narrow corridors while simultaneously pulling up the anchors, preparing to sail away from the port, which had been overwhelmed by the invaders.
This decisive and calm strategy proved effective. Within a short time, over a dozen ships managed to leave the harbor. The Deep Ones didn't pursue; they merely stood at the harbor's edge, silently watching the ships sail into the open sea.
Not only that, but the Deep Ones that had already climbed aboard the ships seemed to grow fearful of the resilient human resistance. They stopped fighting, scrambled over the railings, and fled back into the ocean.
With the Deep Ones driven away from the ships, the vast numbers remaining at the harbor could do nothing but look on in frustration. The surviving crew felt a glimmer of hope—victory seemed within reach.
The news of the port attack had already been relayed to the Land of Water, and they trusted that ninja reinforcements would soon arrive. All they needed to do was wait on the ships until dawn to survive.
"We made it!"
The survivors were ecstatic. The overwhelming relief of escaping death filled the air with cheers and shouts of triumph.
Yet, one observant sailor stood quietly, replaying in his mind the expression on the faces of the fish-headed creatures as they fled.
On their grotesque fish-like faces, there seemed to be an emotion resembling fear—perhaps even terror.
What were they afraid of?
Were they afraid of us?
Why would they fear us?
After all, they had been the ones who launched the attack.
Suddenly, a flash of realization struck the sailor. It was as though a puzzle piece clicked into place in his mind.
Without hesitation, he pushed through the crowd and sprinted from the stern to the bow.
At the bow, he was gripping the railing, his eyes fixed intently on the ocean.
The murky white light they had first seen on the surface was now growing brighter, its intensity swelling as the whirlpool at its center spun ever more violently.
Upon closer inspection, the observant sailor realized that the light wasn't static—it was moving in a spiral-like pattern, with its brightest point constantly shifting.
The fish-headed creatures weren't afraid of humans—they were afraid of it.
In an instant, a colossal figure burst forth from the whirlpool.
The body, surging skyward. For a fleeting moment, the sailor could clearly make out the form of the massive being.
It bore an uncanny resemblance to the prehistoric Megalodon, the ancient ancestor of the great white shark, but its size was at least twice as massive.
Ethereal white light radiated from its enormous form, casting a haunting glow across the pitch-black night, spreading its terrifying presence far and wide.
It was the Father-of-All-Sharks.
It was an avatar of Cthulhu!
This avatar symbolized violence and destruction.
It possessed a terrifying bite, capable of tearing through warship steel plates and the thick hide of whales as effortlessly as biting into a cracker.
With its massive form, it could swallow objects several meters long with ease. No living creature in the ocean could escape its attacks.
Its colossal size often leaded to it being mistaken for a whale and served as the prototype for the demonic sea monster Leviathan described in the Bible.
As a result, this avatar of Cthulhu was revered as a deity by primitive civilizations and tribes for a long time. However, this reverence stemmed not from worship but from a plea for protection against its wrath.
The method of summoning the it was well-known among the Deep Ones, but they couldn't control its actions.
When the Deep Ones faced threats from humanity, they summoned the Father-of-All-Sharks to attack human ports, coastal cities, or even naval fleets.
In this particular world, however, it was summoned using a mysterious artifact.
The tooth of the Father-of-All-Sharks.
This item allowed the summoning of the Father-of-All-Sharks.
This avatar was too savage and incapable of communication, making it uncontrollable by anyone.
By dripping blood onto the surface of the tooth, one can summon the avatar at will. However, the summoner was inevitably consumed by the avatar itself.
Its size decreased in non-aquatic environments but increases significantly in the ocean.
At that moment, Kisame's shark-like face bore an incredibly complex expression, his eyes reflecting three parts anticipation, three parts fear, and four parts confusion.
Although the Black Pharaoh had only made Kisame drip his blood onto the tooth to establish a connection with the Father-of-All-Sharks, to the average person, it appeared as though Kisame had summoned the avatar with his blood.
The Black Pharaoh even told Kisame as much, explaining that summoning the Father-of-All-Sharks required the blood of the Hoshigaki clan's shark lineage, and Kisame's blood was the most suitable.
Thus, this hasty ritual came to fruition.
In reality, any human blood would have sufficed.
Although shark-like in species, the avatar's activities were not confined to the ocean. However, it was in the ocean that its powers reach their peak.
Its body emitted a glow that illuminates the dark sea, allowing both onlookers atop cliffs and sailors aboard ships to witness its emergence.
"What is that?"
"It's a shark, right?"
"How can a shark be that enormous? It's the size of a whale!"
Before the sailors could process the sight of a shark so massive and glowing with white light, the Father-of-All-Sharks was already attacking the fleet.
Using its enormous body, it repeatedly rammed into the vessels, creating chaos as the sailors were thrown off balance. Clinging desperately to the railings, their grips slipped, sending them plunging into the sea below.
Some medium-sized ships were capsized outright by a single lash of its tail, tossing the sailors into the water—only to be devoured one by one in its gaping maw.
The Father-of-All-Sharks was insatiable, consumed by an unending hunger that drove its frenzied devouring of everything around it. It existed purely to feed, ceasing its rampage only when the waters it visited were void of prey.
Much like an eternally starving predator, it would continue hunting relentlessly.
The screams of pain and terror echoed endlessly across the sea, yet there was no trace of sorrow on the faces of those watching from the shore—Kisame, Zabuza, and Kojiro.
Their expressions were devoid of pity.
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On the docks, thousands of Deep Ones stood motionless, gazing at the Father-of-All-Sharks as it tore through human lives. Even the sailors attempting to flee in lifeboats were consumed, boat and all, by the monstrous maw.
Despite their loyalty, none of the Deep Ones dared to enter the water. They knew all too well that the Father-of-All-Sharks would not spare any potential prey, even its most devoted servants.
"Is this truly my ancestor?"
In that moment, Kisame felt a sense of clarity dawning within him.
For years, as a ninja of Kiri, he had been forced to carry out vile tasks under the orders of his superiors, often slaughtering his own comrades. This life of deceit and bloodshed had driven him into a spiral of existential doubt.
Was he friend or foe?
What was his purpose?
Where did he stand?
Where was he heading?
Where would he find peace?
The only thing he could truly feel was his own falseness—a hollow existence defined by lies and betrayal.
But now, for the first time, he felt as though he might escape the pain of his emptiness.
The Father-of-All-Sharks, a being that could only be summoned by his blood—this was his ancestor, his origin!
The place he was destined to return to could only be where his ancestor dwelled: the underwater city of R'lyeh.
Only there could he find a sense of peace and belonging.
In that city, his shark-like visage would no longer mark him as an outcast.
In that city, he would be among countless kin—his father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and countless others awaiting him.
