Chapter 180: The Thing That Emerged Into the World (2)
At first, neither Aquaz nor Baker could truly comprehend the scene that was unfolding before them. The reality of what they saw seemed impossible—the corpse of a Demon Realm monster was being devoured by another creature, right before their eyes. The sight was so grotesque and bizarre that for a moment, their minds simply refused to accept it.
“W-what...?” Aquaz stammered, her voice faint.
The sound of flesh being torn echoed through the murky water.
The creature feasting on the leader ape’s corpse looked, at first glance, like a small monkey. However, there were significant differences between this thing and the apes they had faced above. The first thing Aquaz noticed was its size. This creature was much smaller—only about as tall as her waist, roughly the size of an ordinary continental monkey.
Its most striking feature, however, was its claws. Long, knife-like talons, each one as long as its forearm, gleamed menacingly in the pale light. Every time the creature moved its claws, the tough hide of the ape—normally resilient enough to withstand a Transcendent’s attack—was shredded as easily as cooked meat.
“Is that... is that a baby ape?” Baker whispered, horrified.
“I don’t think so,” Aquaz replied, shaking her head. She studied the creature more closely.
Unlike the brown, fur-covered Demon Realm apes they had battled, this one had no fur at all. Its body was smooth and white, the skin stretched tight and glistening as if it had been painted on. Stranger still, the creature’s skin rippled and writhed, moving in odd, unnatural patterns, as if something beneath it was alive and trying to escape.
Aquaz felt a chill run down her spine. “This is... even more alien than the Demon Realm apes.”
It didn’t feel like a monkey at all. It was as if some twisted, monstrous thing had disguised itself in the shape of a primate—a mockery of the familiar form.
“Wait, does that mean all these corpses...” Baker’s voice trailed off as he realized the implication. “Did that thing kill all of them?”
“It... it seems likely,” Aquaz answered, her own voice unsteady.