Abyssal Sovereignty

Amidst an endless ocean, a young girl sat on a small boat, clutching a fishing rod.

"When will something bite..." she muttered.

She had been fishing for hours without any luck, leading her to suspect that the sea was devoid of fish.

"I’ve heard that fishing is an art," she mused. "Now it seems true."

Someone who frequently visited the orphanage had mentioned the various factors involved in fishing—rods, bait, reeling speed—but she never quite understood it and had never tried it before.

"Puu puu."

"Hmm? Are you hungry?"

Looking at the small tentacle creature beside her, she sliced her palm, letting her blood flow towards it.

The scent of blood filled the air, and the small tentacles eagerly absorbed it.

"You really do love my blood... Wait!"

She stood up, revealing her clothes stained deep red with blood and riddled with holes from countless battles. Beneath them, her body was wrapped in bandages like a mummy. Without these bandages, some parts of her body would have been exposed.

"I heard some fish react to blood. Maybe if I..."

Before her wound healed, Yverantheia let a few drops of blood fall into the sea.

"Puu!"

"That’s not food; don't jump in."

Yverantheia held the small tentacle creature, which was about to dive into the sea to absorb her blood, and waited.

Before long, a shadow emerged from the depths.

Splash!

"Oh, a fish. A big one."

A huge tiger-striped shark with sharp, jagged teeth leapt from the water. Yverantheia thought, Looks like today's meal is sorted.

 

---

Slices of fish floated in the air over a fire, roasting and releasing a delicious aroma.

The tiger-striped shark was several times larger than Yverantheia, but it didn’t survive even a single strike from her. She held a piece of fish, devouring it in a few bites.

For higher-level beings like Yverantheia, storing energy was natural. She had acquired the ability to consume large amounts of food relative to her size without gaining weight or feeling stuffed. If other girls obsessed with their weight knew, they would likely be envious—though they could achieve similar abilities if they reached a certain level of strength.

In less than ten minutes, Yverantheia had eaten the entire fish. It could have been quicker, but cooking the tiger-striped shark thoroughly took some time due to its toughness, despite its inferiority compared to Yverantheia’s power.

As for the small tentacle creature, it had absorbed all the shark’s blood and now seemed to be napping, full and content.

"How vast is this abyssal sea..."

They had been drifting for... Yverantheia couldn’t remember. The abyss had no clear day-night cycle, making timekeeping impossible. She couldn’t count seconds endlessly, after all.

Suddenly, numerous shadows appeared beneath the water and burst out from the sea.

These creatures had fish heads and human-like bodies covered in scales. Yverantheia recognized them as fishmen, a type of monster.

It was important to note that mermaids and fishmen were different. Mermaids were classified as demi-humans, sometimes even called Sea People due to their organized societies. In contrast, fishmen were considered monsters and were typically much more aggressive.

The fishmen stood on the water's surface, pointing their tridents at Yverantheia.

"Is this... an attempt to challenge me?" Yverantheia asked.

The fishmen didn’t reply. Instead, they thrust their tridents towards her.

"…!?"

Just before the tridents could reach her, an invisible force stopped them cold.

"It seems having a fish’s head comes with a fish’s brain."

A heavy pressure descended upon the fishmen. The air thickened, and the gentle waves lapping against the boat ceased instantly. The fishmen found themselves unable to move.

"You must be mere foot soldiers. Bring out your leader."

As soon as she spoke, a larger shadow surfaced and emerged before Yverantheia.

"Why has the calamity grown so small?" the larger fishman said in broken language, addressing her.

"Calamity? Are you talking about me?"

"Who else could it be?"

Yverantheia pondered this. She had never been here before, nor had she heard of any "calamity."

"Show your true form!" The stronger fishman brandished a finer trident, pointing it at Yverantheia.

"Tell me, what does this ‘calamity’ look like?" she inquired.

"Green, with many hands, and immense regenerative power."

"…"

That sounds like the Plant Cthulhu.

Yverantheia had fused a piece of the Plant Cthulhu's crystal. It made sense that the fishmen could sense its presence in her.

"I killed that thing."

"…What!?"

The fishman was visibly shocked.

"The calamity… but it lacked intelligence. If that’s true…"

The fishman lowered his trident and bowed to Yverantheia.

"If you truly defeated that calamity, we owe you our thanks. Otherwise, our tribe would have suffered greatly. We must offer you our gratitude."

Following his lead, the other fishmen also lowered their weapons and saluted Yverantheia.

What caught Yverantheia's attention wasn’t their gratitude.

"You mentioned ‘our tribe.’ Does that mean there are more of you?"

"Yes, there are. Why?"

"Hmm... No need for thanks. Just take me to your settlement."

"This…"

"I’m lost. If you can provide information about this ocean, it would be helpful."

"If that’s the case, we can help. Please, follow me."

The lead fishman then dove back into the water, leaving Yverantheia behind.

"…Your settlement is underwater? Well, of course, you’re fishmen."

"Ah! Apologies, you’re a land creature. Please—"

"No worries. I have a way."

Yverantheia picked up the small tentacle creature and leaped into the sea.

Looks like it works.

A transparent membrane formed around Yverantheia and the creature, keeping the seawater at bay. This was a spell she had developed using her magical knowledge, allowing her to breathe underwater. She had been designing it ever since she saw the vast ocean.

"Let’s go, then. Take me to your settlement."