Chapter 582

Chapter 582: Fish Are Good Fish, But Why Are They Gnawing on My Crops?

"Diet-wise, it wasn’t strange that you ate plants."

"But the problem was…"

"You guys lived in the sea!"

"Had the Marine Invasion gotten that bad!?"

Trilobite saw a fish that was a "herbivorous fish," and this fish was very ancient—so ancient it wasn’t a cartilaginous fish or a bony fish, not a lobe-finned fish or a flesh-finned fish.

It was still a type of shield fish!

"You were…"

"Holonema!"

Once again, Trilobite used some English or Latin letters, not to show off, but because some ancient creatures had no Chinese name.

Since this old shield fish was found in New York state in the United States, he simply called it "whole pipe fish."

It didn’t mean "managing everything."

The prefix "holo" meant "whole," and "nema" meant pipes, so he named it "whole pipe fish."

The whole pipe fish "Holonema" lived in the Devonian period.

They came from jawed fish hitting sea scorpions, kicking big hornstone, and ruling the ocean, then adapting widely.

They weren’t big—the holotype specimen was just 18 cm—but later finds were larger.

But the ones Trilobite saw weren’t big either.

Most were about thirty centimeters long, with a few reaching half a meter.

That was a big fish at the market, but to Trilobite, a six-meter-long "dinosaur," it seemed like a tiny catfish.

Yet it matched the whole pipe fish’s look: wide wing-like pectoral fins, an armored head and chest, and a tail covered in thick scales.

That made it look like a World War II piston fighter jet.

It had a unique beauty.

Still, there were small differences between these whole pipe fish and the real Devonian ones.

Scale size and head skeleton coverage varied a bit—that could be from individual or group differences. But the beak-like part from the upper and lower jawbones wasn’t just variation.

"This was probably another new species."

"I’ll call it ‘beak-like whole pipe fish.’"

"This beak-like structure of bony plates was much like the scissor of Duncker’s fish."

"But its sharp edges, like a grass cutter, were mainly for slicing plant roots."

"Sure, it could handle some predatory soft animals, but it couldn’t fight other predatory shield fish."

"So, the beak-like whole pipe fish likely ate things like kelp, or swam into river mouths to chew on water plants."

"If that was true…"

"Them being in this swamp wasn’t a big issue."

One could imagine these armored fish calmly swimming in the ocean during the Devonian period, eating the algae and other plants on the ocean floor and at river mouths; they moved in schools, searching for food together and avoiding being hunted by the tailbone fish, which looked like Duncker’s fish but was much smaller.

These graceful fish must have been a beautiful sight in the Devonian period.

Unfortunately, at that moment, in Trilobite’s eyes, this "sight" was far from beautiful or graceful.

Trilobite could only say: You were once lovely, but now you’re a thief!

These fish that had sneaked into the swamp were actually chewing on the fine roots of the red tree fern!?

"No…"

"Why not stay in the sea and eat kelp? Why come here to suffer!?"

"Hurting others doesn’t help yourself."

This was unbearable!

Luckily, Trilobite had a few tricks ready.

"This time, the little things I had just made should be useful."

"But…"

Trilobite quickly felt frustrated.

Because, under the system vision, this group of whole pipe fish showed deep red!

This meant these things were full of high-density Chaos Energy!

"And with so many ‘whole pipe fish,’ those ‘small things’ would probably get full fast!"

"Chaos energy… they were paying it all back."

"Oh…"

"My interest! My interest!"

Trilobite watched the excited little fellows howling around, and his heart felt broken!

"No!"

"The good stuff can’t all go to these small clowns!"

"I need my share too!"

Normally, with Trilobite’s head as a Saber-toothed Beautiful Nodosaurus, handling such small fish was a bad fit; chasing them would be as clumsy as a bear grabbing corn.

But luckily, Trilobite didn’t plan to use his own head.

"Mask of the Shape-Shifter, I’m counting on you!"

—-

"Ka—ah—!"

The turtle-shaped deity howled and crashed suddenly into those clumsy fish-shaped deities covered in armor.

This time it was…

Like iron hitting steel!?

Not exactly…

Because those "turtle-shaped deities" were much larger than the Secondary Chaos Demon Gods!

They were also far more agile!

Their Length was at least 1.5 times that of the fish-shaped deities!

Though mortals saw them as "turtle-shaped deities," they bore no massive shells.

If a turtle shell is heavy plate armor with supreme defense, then these strange deities wore "chain mail"—less protective but far more flexible.

Their clear size advantage granted them greater strength!

"Screech—!"

"Urgh…"

The clash outcome was decisive—the "armored fish-shaped deity," once dominant before mortals, was sent tumbling. Its fall stirred massive floods of ether, sweeping demons and chaotic ether beasts along.

Deities and their followers shrieked as they plummeted toward the Bottom of the Ether Sea.

Victors screeched, driving downward relentlessly while swinging pillar-like four legs.

"Screech—!"

They cried again, sinking hard beaks into the armored fish-shaped deity’s enchanted bony plates.

"Screech—!"

"Crunch—!"

The turtle-shaped deity focused Magic Power into its beak, generating immense pressure!

Power from the Giant God also corroded the armored fish-shaped deity’s bony plates, especially the chaotic Magic Power coating them.

Soon…

"Zzt—!"

Cracks split the magical hard shell formed by chaotic Magic Power.

"Snap…"

"Rip—!"

Shattered chaotic Magic Power flickered with eerie light before the Ether Sea’s restoration force purified it into pristine Magic Power crystals.

Translucent crystals cascaded downward in waves toward the ocean floor.

Chosen Warrior submerged at the Bottom of the Ether Sea looked up. Above, the deities’ battlefield shimmered with haunting halos—like ethereal auroras blooming in the Ether Sea.

Then, snowflake-like Magic Power crystals drifted slowly downward. They soon dusted the barren seabed in silver frost, veiling sluggish worm-shaped primal deities.

Yet their greatest wonder was their bodies absorbing this "pure" Magic Power.

Though less nourishing than the Giant God’s "Holy Light from the Sun," it healed minor wounds.

Swiftly, less-injured Chosen Warriors rose, regrouping for renewed combat.

"I am Dekhaka, war leader of the First Paratroopers war organization! Chosen Warriors in Ether Sea Bottom Sector B-56, rally at Assembly Point C immediately!"

"Sergeant Capero of the Solar Knight war organization’s 15th Grand Company, 6th Combat Unit. Five Chosen Warriors with me."

"I am the Twelfth Sword Saint, Zhao Huang of the gladiator war organization; I reported to you."

"I am Kaka Bummkasu, the ‘Fifth Dragon Leader’ from the jungle lizard war organization; reporting in."

…

In the Soul Network, strange titles and ranks from various war organizations echoed, enough to bewilder anyone.

Fortunately, this didn’t disrupt command hierarchy.

Only one war leader had arrived this time.

Within the "Giant God’s spawn" system, beneath the Giant God, only five Living Saints and one Eternal Chosen outranked war leaders.

The Soul Network drastically lowered communication barriers, enabling swift formation of flexible command structures.

Soon, Dekhaka—war leader of the First Paratroopers—assembled nearly all available troops.

Their forces had dwindled to a quarter of their original strength.

"But now, our moment has come."

"The God’s War has begun."

"Though deities sent by the Giant God faction hold overwhelming advantage, total victory eludes them."

"Thus, I propose a plan."

Dekhaka scanned the brothers encircling him and uttered two deliberate words: "Boarding action!"

"Immediately secure propulsion packs—one for each warrior."

"Then we ascend! Charge onto those ‘chaotic armored fish deities’! Engaged against the Giant God’s envoys, they’ll never notice us."

"We’ll scale Their bodies, find existing wounds, and invade!"

"Reaching Their Souls would be ideal."

"If we fail…"

"We wield the Giant God’s corrosive gift to weaken Them—securing victory for our divine allies!"

"Understood!?"

"Move out!"

—-

Countless thin streaks pierced the drifting "Magic Power crystal snowflakes," ascending toward the Ether Sea’s mid-level battlezone.

No deity detected these minuscule specks.

Even as they swarmed the "chaotic armored fish deities," the embattled gods remained oblivious.

Insignificant mortals began shifting the tide.

Soon, the stalemate fractured!

"Urk…"

"Pshhh—!"

One battling "chaotic armored fish deity" convulsed, violently spewing divine blood across Its opponent’s face. The splattered "turtle-shaped deity" froze in utter bewilderment.