Eishi made sure the aquatic monsters began retreating before returning to his villa. He didn't even have the leisure to greet others as he entered his bedroom; collapsing in the next second.
The [Stamina Restoration Pills] took care of his physical and mental fatigue. However, it is akin to a partial cure. It could not completely remove fatigue, reducing them to miniscule amounts to the point they are barely noticeable.
For Eishi, he used his [Time Dominator] for twelve hours straight!
These miniscule amounts kept stacking on him. Worse, these 'leftovers' are the ones immune from the [Stamina Restoration Pill]'s effects. Only his exaggerated constitution as well as his non-exclusive recovery talents could deal with it.
In the end, the power of his Buffs proved to be unmatched. Eishi sustained the twelve-hour-long consumption and successfully killed a seventh-order lifeform.
'Fuck…'
The whale's blood stained his white bed sheets red. The strong fishy smell spread all over his bedroom. Yet he could not care about all of it as he lost consciousness.
Click-!
The door to his bedroom was opened, revealing Saya with her typical pink twintails. She wore nothing but an oversized shirt, exposing her legs.
"He really…"
Thinking of the pressure that made her blank out, Saya felt lingering fear. The whale's appearance atop Yokohama City shook almost everyone. They all felt they would die in the next moment, and she was no exception. Her talent is the SS-rated [Genetic Analysis]. It allowed Saya to experiment with the attributes and characteristics of any biological lifeforms. This included the activities sported by mutated zombie crystals, the evolution fruits, and the genetic energy integrated onto one's body.
The moment she sensed that whale, all Saya saw was a mind-numbing analysis—
Seventh-order, S-rated talent, possesses human-like wisdom, extremely strong life activity.
To put it into perspective, everyone currently at Yokohama City could not compare to the whale, be it in terms of life order, mental capacity, or genetic energy. It is a comparison between a coughing baby and a nuclear bomb.
Yet…
Eishi had done the impossible.
Saya's eyes turned complicated the moment she saw the collapsed Eishi. Not once had she seen him this… vulnerable. His clothes were torn into pieces. They are barely hanging onto his perfectly-sculpted muscular body. The bloody footprints on his sixth-order shoes dirtied the carpeted floor. The entire room stank of fishy smell. With a simple look, she determined it was the blood of the whale—a seventh-order blood beneficial for espers like them.
Saya first tried to take off Eishi's shoes, but to no avail. It clung into his feet like glue.
"Hmp..!"
After a few minutes, she began panting. The soles of her feet had been stained with the whale's blood.
"What kind of thing is this..?"
His pair of shoes was something from the first-time rewards. It could perfectly withstand attacks from sixth-order lifeforms, not to mention its unique features such as running onto walls and speeding up one's movement speed via air drag. Other than that, there was a function that recognized its owner. Only they could remove the shoes.
'First, it was the land rover. Then there's that invincible pair of stockings…'
Saya shook her head at the 'black technology' brought out by Eishi. Everyone in this villa held guesses towards their sources, but none spoke out. They aren't insensitive to the point they would openly ask about Eishi's secrets.
Since Saya could not take off the shoes, she focused on the 'rags' he wore. Fortunately, they were just ordinary clothing. That was the main reason they could not withstand the whale's extremely hot blood. His physical body is more durable compared to his clothes.
"A mysterious and handsome man…"
She inadvertently used her [Genetic Analysis] on Eishi. She traced his fine muscle lines in a daze.
"A physical body that embodies the concept of perfection…"
The golden ratio is a concept proposed to explain the mathematical proportions apparent in nature, art, and so on. The closer an object is to the golden ratio, the less faults one could find.
In Saya's eyes, Eishi's physical appearance is as perfect as it could be. She didn't even notice herself drooling as she carried this special examination. The strong fishy smell of the whale intertwined with his own body scent. The strength emanated by the whale's blood mixed together with Eishi's addictive pheromones. It wasn't exactly fragrant, but it turned her on.
'W-what am I doing?!'
Just as her hands were about to reach onto the thick slumbering python beneath his waist, Saya woke up from her daze. She swiftly wiped off the drool on her mouth with the collar of her oversized shirt. To put her mind off of it, she cleaned off the carpets first. Then, what came next were the bed sheets. She tried to pull it off, only for Eishi's weight to stop her. Her eyes soon landed on his peacefully sleeping face, and then his thick weapon.
This time, she could not escape from the temptation.
Sweat clung tightly on her shirt. Though her physical attributes reached the fourth-order—making cleaning negligible—she still sweated. It was a normal physiological process. Even after consuming the "beauty pill" that got rid of most unwanted things in her body, it did not prevent her from sweating.
'Today… I… initiative…'
*****
"..."
Motoi placed the landline back to its original position. He was silent for a full ten seconds, his face frozen with fear and complexity.
It has been six hours since the attack began. On Tokyo's side, the pressure gradually grew more unbearable. The aquatic monsters seemed endless. Even if they kill a dozen first-order monsters, another two dozen would pop up. Not to mention, there was also the zerg vanguard pod causing more trouble. Fighting on two fronts—both inside and outside—stretched their newly-cultivated forces thin.
After ten seconds, Motoi lifted his head up. He met the grave look of the JSDF's Chief-of-Staff before deciding to ask the crucial question.
"How long until our supplies last?"
"Judging from the current intensity, the safest estimates are two days."
Everyone fell silent on that. They all knew about the deteriorating situation outside. The projected two days would definitely be shortened further!
"What about him? Can we ask for his help?"
One of them could no longer hold back. Eishi's strength became the nuclear button in their eyes. The moment he appeared in Tokyo, their problem would be mostly solved.
To that, Motoi relayed the information he had heard a few hours ago.
"Yokohama City faced the attack of a huge whale. Its physical body covered the entire city. It disappeared within a second. It is evident as to who dealt with it."
In short, Eishi already had his fair share of troubles. Asking him to assist in Tokyo's defense has a low probability of succeeding.
"Two days…"
"I suggest we start evacuating."
"To where? We all know those sea monsters are targeting humans. Beyond the city's walls are zombies and mutated animals we haven't seen before."
"Several countries launched nuclear weapons. The radiation is bound to spread across the sea…"
"That means they would get even stronger!"
The quiet conference room gradually fell into chaos. Only Motoi and the Chief-of-Staff remained quiet. The reaction of the rest of the world made them high-strung. Coupled with the desperate situation they were facing, they were truly at a loss on what to do.
The only fortunate thing was that not a single one of them voiced out the will to escape by themselves. Everyone who could turn traitor had long been rooted out by Amane's [Omniscient Brain]. They all thought of solutions that would save everyone, or at least the majority of Tokyo's population.
"There are three things."
Motoi was close to shouting when he spoke. Everyone quickly shut their mouths and listened to him.
"One, the flesh and blood of aquatic monsters act similar to evolution fruits. They can be used to help espers raise their power. Two…"
He looked at the Chief-of-Staff who understood what he wanted to say.
"The convoy sent by Hiraoka-san consisted of an SS-rated esper with planting abilities… and a suspected SSS-rated esper with terrifying combat power."
Up until now, Takashi was fighting relentlessly. The flesh and blood of the aquatic monsters served as the greatest tonic, with his innate talent plundering their power completely. The more he killed, the stronger he became; the longer he lasted on the front lines!
At first, nobody thought much of the 'guard' brought over by the convoy Eishi sent. Little did they know, Takashi turned out to be as formidable as Hachiman, if not stronger. He was a human meat grinder who reduced his enemies to bits of flesh. Even a wave of artillery strike couldn't compare to his destructiveness.
"Finally, Hiraoka-san looks forward to the God Farming Project. As long as we can produce the results he wants, he will come here."
Everyone knew Eishi wasn't a selfless hero who could give up his life for others. They haven't forgotten that everything he gave to them is his investment. He expects them to bring something in return. In this case, it was the God Farming Project. It tilts their resources towards Kaguya and Miko, helping them 'grow' stronger evolution fruits faster.
Motoi was betting on the fact that Eishi would come straight to Tokyo once they succeed with the fourth-rank evolution fruits. They could also take the chance to have Eishi take action. Even if that request would anger him, they have no other choice but to try.
'They should have heard of the information about the rifts…'
*****
The situation in Yokohama was the exact opposite of that of Tokyo. The death of the seventh-order whale happened in an instant. It was the leader of all the aquatic lifeforms besieging the city.
Seeing their leader die inexplicably and instantly, they felt the most instinctive fear. Though they did not possess human-like intelligence, they knew how to value their lives.
By the end of the day, the majority of the aquatic lifeforms had dispersed. The same went for the zergs who came out of the sinkhole.
Although there are a lot of questions about these strange actions, nobody could spare the time to think about it. The sea breeze carried the strong scent of blood across the city. The sea had long turned blood red. Countless aquatic lifeform corpses floated freely across its surface, though dozens of fishing boats had already begun to set off and pick them up.
During the battle, more and more people discovered that the flesh and blood of these monsters act similar to evolution fruits, but better. It could restore their lost energy and push their 'life level' towards a higher stage.
The order to acquire them was delayed for a while. It was partly due to the lack of manpower, but most of it was a tacit compensation for everyone who fought to defend the city. There were also some people who sought the city-sized whale's blood, but to no avail. The monsters' siege was a disaster, but also a blessing. Hundreds of people died in this war. In exchange, the survivors grasped the opportunity to become stronger.
'Such a powerful ability…'
Saeko continued to wipe off the blood sticking onto her blade. Normal blood and weaker enemies won't typically 'stain' it; their flesh and blood would slide off the blade instantly. Things were different with the enemies they fought today. They are far stronger than anything they faced. The 'Death Shield' provided by Eishi's buff were all activated amongst his confidantes. There were even instances of them receiving serious injuries more than once. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that they owe half of their lives to Mahiru.
Hum-!
It took Saeko more than a dozen torn fabrics to barely wash off the sticky blood on her blade. The issue of chipping wasn't addressed yet, either.
'What a pity…'
Her exhausted body never stopped wiping the sword. The dried crimson blood on her body spoke for itself—Saeko also leveled up several times.
Just then, her keen senses caught onto something.
The entire process was selective. Saeko's sharp senses could be contained at will. Otherwise, it would have been troublesome to perceive so many unnecessary things every day.
It was Mahiru's voice, followed by Saya's lazy whimper.
"You…"