Chapter 173: CH: 172 Ice And Rock
{Chapter: 172 Ice and Rock}
A massive, nightmarish entity loomed before them. It had the general structure of an octopus—but calling it an octopus would be an insult to the sheer terror it evoked. No octopus was this grotesquely enormous, nor did they inspire such an instinctual dread. The creature's colossal head, which took up most of its bulk, was dominated by a gaping maw filled with rows of razor-sharp, jagged teeth that gleamed with unnatural hunger.
It had seven—no, eight—immense tentacles, each as thick as an ancient tree trunk. But these were no ordinary appendages; each one ended in a grotesque secondary mouth, brimming with serrated fangs, twitching hungrily as if eager to latch onto prey.
Ada's voice trembled slightly as she took a step back. "What... what is this thing?"
William's gaze remained locked on the monstrosity. "A sea monster," he answered, his voice steady. A memory surfaced in his mind—an old movie, Deep Freeze, where a similarly monstrous creature terrorized its victims. But even that paled in comparison to the horror before him.
The sea monster let out a guttural, echoing roar that vibrated through the frozen landscape, rattling Ada's bones. Without warning, one of its enormous tentacles lashed out, whipping through the air with terrifying speed, aiming directly at William.
In the blink of an eye, William vanished.
The tentacle struck empty ice, the impact sending a violent tremor across the surface, causing fissures to spread outward.
William reappeared a few meters away, eyes narrowing. He turned to Ada. "There's no avoiding this fight. I wanted to get you to safety, but that doesn't seem possible here."
Ada hesitated for a split second, then shook her head, frustration and concern flickering across her face. "William, are you serious? That thing is massive. I know you're strong, but this is insane! Let's get out of here while we still can!"
William exhaled slowly, his lips curling into a smirk. "It would be a shame to just leave. No... I think I'll kill it."