Chapter 403

Chapter 403: The Arrival of the First King of Ichthyosaurs!

The "Birgeria fish school," or the Assassin Gods, finally sensed that something was off.

Their assault against the “usurper of powers,” the “shameless invader,” the thief Chaos Demon God Baimeng, gradually weakened. The earlier typhoon-like offensive had pressured Baimeng so relentlessly that she couldn’t fight back at all, though it was scarcely more effective than futile scraping.

Even the two injured comrades had been hurt by the backlash from Baimeng’s unyielding "divine bone armor."

Now, things changed.

The typhoon-strength onslaught dwindled to a mere "tropical depression"-level attack.

It still made Baimeng struggle.

But now, she occasionally retaliated once or twice.

*Shing—!*

Thick teeth flashed with cold, violent light in the Sea of Ether.

Dents and wounds began appearing on the bodies of her attackers.

One comrade retreated to the rear as a reserve force, resting briefly and healing his injuries with divine power before rejoining the fray.

Truthfully, this strategy was why the Assassin Gods persisted in their shamefully ineffective "scraping" tactic despite knowing their "assassination" had failed.

Though humiliating, this rotation allowed reserves to rest—enabling sustainable scraping.

But now, injured and exhausted comrades who withdrew to the second line mysteriously vanished, never returning to relieve others.

Soon, distracted and sluggish Assassin Gods sustained repeated injuries, forced to retreat.

Fewer attackers weakened the assault, giving Baimeng openings to strike back. Her counterattacks drove more Assassin Gods to the second line, further weakening their offense.

A vicious cycle began.

The collapse of their assault was now inevitable.

“Damn it!”

“Someone’s attacking us from behind!?”

After losing four comrades, the Assassin Gods finally realized something was wrong.

The threat came from the second line!

“But who!?”

Two Assassin Gods abandoned the front lines, leaving their comrades straining to hold ground.

Though this further crippled their crumbling assault—allowing Baimeng to unleash fiercer counterattacks—the sacrifice was necessary.

Unless the hidden enemy stabbing them from behind was eliminated, their offensive would crumble faster.

They stayed vigilant in the second line, watching.

Soon, they spotted the killer.

*Gurgle…*

A bloodstained "void bubble" rose from the abyss.

It carried not only the metallic scent of divine blood but also the fallen deity’s dread and unwillingness.

“Enemies were hiding in the deep sea!”

“That was…”

“It came!”

“Boom——!”

A massive fish-shaped divine body shot out from the deep sea!

It had big eyes, which Trilobite found somewhat cute.

But now, those big eyes were filled with crazy bloodshot!

“Blood sacrifice for the Giant God!”

“Skull offering!”

Its streamlined form sliced through the Sea of Ether and quickly arrived before one “Assassin God.”

“Ah——Ugh——!”

“Pshhh——!”

Since the Assassin Gods took the speed path, they wore light armor.

They had no bulky items like bony plates; instead, they wore light, tough “Scale Armor.” This armor defended well against magic, and its patterns created small whirlpools when hit by chaotic ether currents, helping them move faster.

But this armor’s flaw was poor defense against physical attacks.

Of course, this flaw shouldn’t have been a big issue.

After all, they were “Assassin Gods,” meant for agility and speed; letting enemies get close wasn’t what assassins did!

But what if they faced a being as fast but far stronger!?

No escape—just wait for death!

“Uh…”

The Sneak Attacker bit through the “Assassin God’s” belly, sending scraps falling to the Bottom of the Ether Sea.

It wiggled its tail fin, trying to swim away.

But it was useless.

The Sneak Attacker’s attack wasn’t over!

“Swish——!”

The fish-shaped Sneak Attacker swam off, leaped from the Sea of Ether, twisted in the void, and splashed back into the ocean.

“Splash——!”

With strong tail fin moves, it lunged at the struggling “Assassin God!”

“Puff——!”

Swimming, it bit the skull, twisting its neck hard to shake it twice, then threw the shattered “Assassin God” at rescuers.

The bloody scent spread through the Ether Sea.

The head-crushed body sank to the Ether Sea bottom—not deep for gods—as companions watched in shock.

"Roar——Arooo——!"

The massive fish-shaped attacker bellowed, reeking of terrifying blood and frenzy as it lunged at the Assassin Gods.

Swiftly, the assassins’ assault crumbled!

Baimeng and Shaks prepared to strike back!

—-

"Splash——!"

Trilobite’s head swayed as the male Chaos Demon God vaulted from the Sea of Ether, watching Him plunge back beneath the waves with a loud *plop*.

Now he gazed admiringly at his own creation.

"This is the ‘ancestor round conical ichthyosaur’ (as dubbed by the black alpaca)… though ‘ancestor unusual-toothed ichthyosaur’ also fits."

"Not one to trifle with!"

The ancestor round conical ichthyosaur belonged to the "ichthyosaur" family and the round conical ichthyosaur subfamily.

"Ichthyosaurs" – as the name implies – bridged primitive and advanced fish-dragon types, blending "evolved" and "basal" traits.

These creatures boasted streamlined fish-shaped bodies, though their slanted tail fins fell short of modern "true tails." Their silhouettes closely mirrored today’s dolphins.

Clearly built for speed.

Their snouts tapered into slender snouts like later ichthyosaurs, while enlarged eye sockets granted them endearingly cute big eyes.

But the round conical ichthyosaur subfamily modified their teeth differently.

They evolved specialized teeth: needle-sharp in front for snaring prey, blunt in back for crushing shells.

A sagittal crest also emerged, anchoring extra jaw muscles to boost bite force – perfect for tackling the era’s abundant "shelled squids," or ammonites.

Most ichthyosaur family members stayed small (2-3 meters), petite for marine vertebrates.

Not the ancestor round conical ichthyosaur.

It stretched five meters or longer!

Every tooth stood conical and uniform – weapons honed for hunting fellow marine vertebrates!

Here stood a true predator: the vanguard of ichthyosaurs’ rise toward ocean top predators!

"Bravo! Bravo!"

Trilobite straightened, clapping with Bopolong’s stubby limbs.

He applauded partly for his own craftsmanship,

But mostly for his clients.

His modified "customers" – the ancestor round conical ichthyosaur and Machimosaurus – were shredding swarms of Birgeria fish.

The "sea" ran red with Birgeria blood.

Meaty chunks bobbed on the waves, wafting Chaos Energy’s savory scent.

"Gulp…"

Trilobite swallowed hungrily.

With clients this ferocious, his final payment seemed assured.

Better yet, both grasped his plan – teaming up to herd the Birgeria fish toward his lagoon-shaped sandbank.