The battleship captain stared in shock as the black fireball—which had been moments away from hitting his ship’s deck—vanished, along with the flying abyssal monster that had launched it. All of it disappeared in a beam of white light.
This was the first time the captain had witnessed such a phenomenon, and he stood there dumbfounded.
After a moment, he snapped out of it and quickly turned his gaze toward the deck where the white beam had originated. There, standing before him, was a medieval knight clad in European plate armor, gripping a massive sword.
“Who the hell is this cosplayer?” the captain muttered in disbelief.
As if sensing the captain’s stare, the knight—who had been basking in the crew’s awed attention—turned and gave him a slight nod. Then, in one swift motion, the knight leaped off the ship and plunged straight into the sea.
The captain’s heart lurched. Did he just jump overboard?!
But before he could react, a winged figure swooped down from the sky, snatching the falling knight mid-air and soaring back up with him.
The captain, who was en route to reinforce other ships, watched the winged girl and the knight ascend into the sky. This was his first encounter with supernatural beings, and the sight left him deeply shaken.
“Our world really is changing… No, it already changed the moment the Abyss appeared.”
“Hana, can you go any faster? At this rate, those abyssal monsters are going to break through the fleet’s defenses!”
The knight, whose shoulders were gripped tightly by the winged girl’s talons, urged her impatiently as he spotted several flying abyssal monsters nearing the fleet’s perimeter.
“I could fly faster if you weren’t wearing that damn armor, Anderson,” Hana, the harpy girl, shot back with clear annoyance.
Anderson sighed. “You know I can’t use Holy Light without this armor.”
“Then shut up and let me get you to the next ship,” Hana retorted.
As the two zigzagged between battleships, providing reinforcements where needed, the five shark-like abyssal monsters spawned by the Flesh Bloom finally reached the edge of the fleet.
Watching the warships continue their relentless bombardment of the Flesh Bloom, the shark monsters activated their supernatural abilities. In an instant, dozens of towering water pillars erupted from the sea, surging toward the fleet.
Everyone aboard the ships tensed—until an overwhelming psychic force shattered the water pillars, sending them crashing back into the ocean.
“Sally, mark the abyssal monsters’ positions for me,” said a white girl holding a bow, turning to the girl beside her.
“Got it, Katie,” Sally replied flatly, immediately using her powers to relay the coordinates of the shark monsters lurking beneath the waves.
With Sally’s guidance, Katie nocked five arrows, infused them with her supernatural energy, and let them fly.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Five thunderous explosions erupted underwater, and just like that, the shark monsters were obliterated, their remains sinking into the depths.
“Hahaha! You disgusting freaks! How about I shove you all back into your mama’s ass? Take this!”
A Black man, his body transformed into a cloud of corrosive mist, cackled as he floated toward the remaining flying abyssal monsters. Unfazed by the fleet’s anti-air fire, he effortlessly wiped out an entire swarm.
“So this is the Superhuman Squad… No wonder you were so confident earlier, General.”
James, having reviewed reports from the fleet and witnessed the spectacle firsthand, spoke in awe to General Allendale.
“Indeed. Without their power, I wouldn’t have dared make such bold claims,” Allendale replied with a smile.
“General, how did they gain these abilities?” James couldn’t suppress his curiosity.
Allendale saw no reason to hide the truth—it wasn’t exactly a secret anymore. “They fused with Monster Crystals.”
“Monster Crystals? You mean the residue left behind when abyssal monsters’ bodies evaporate?”
“Exactly.”
James finally connected the dots. He recalled past operations where specialized teams had always collected those mysterious crystals.
“So that’s what they were for…”
“General, if Monster Crystals grant superhuman abilities, why not create an entire army of enhanced soldiers?”
“I’d love to. But do you know the success rate of fusing with them?”
“No, sir. Please enlighten me.”
“Less than 20%.”
“That low?!” James couldn’t hide his surprise.
“If it were any higher—and if the Flesh Bloom’s monsters actually dropped crystals—this operation wouldn’t be mostly manned by regular humans.”
As James and Allendale exchanged classified intel, the Superhuman Squad outside continued their relentless extermination of the abyssal monsters. The Flesh Bloom’s barrier was on the verge of collapsing under the fleet’s bombardment. Victory seemed assured—until an unexpected complication arose.