Chapter 143: Gills
The passage to the gill chambers became increasingly treacherous as they climbed higher through the Leviathan’s anatomy. What had started as rhythmic pulsing in the creature’s blood vessels was now becoming violent spasms that threatened to crush them the longer they stayed inside.
"She’s fully awakened," Shen Lao said grimly, as another massive tremor shook the entire structure. "After millennia of dormancy, the BloodGate’s energy is warming the water too much."
Through the translucent walls of the blood vessel they were climbing, Grim could see other parts of the creature’s anatomy beginning to move. Massive muscle groups were starting to contract, and somewhere far below them, he could hear what sounded like the grinding of enormous bones as the Leviathan began to stretch its limbs that had been dormant for who knows how many years.
"How big is she?" Lin asked, her voice strained as she maintained her ice barriers against both the rising temperature around them.
"Larger than any living thing has a right to be," Shen Lao replied. "When I was first imprisoned here, I spent decades exploring her anatomy. Her heart alone is the size of Ao Shun’s throne room."
A sound unlike anything they had heard before echoed through the creature’s body—a deep, resonant call that seemed to vibrate through every molecule of water around them. It was the sound of something vast moving about.
"The other creatures will hear that," Suanni warned, his flames flickering uncertainly in the increasingly chaotic environment. "Every monster in the deep waters will know she’s awake."
"And they’ll either flee in terror or come to investigate," Shen Lao agreed. "Either way, we don’t want to be here when they arrive."
The blood vessel they were following suddenly contracted violently, nearly crushing them before expanding again. The Leviathan was struggling to resume function after centuries of dormancy, creating pressure waves that made progress increasingly dangerous.