My Overpowered Bunny Girls

The temple’s heart was a giant room filled with blinding green light.

The Tide Crystal floated on a stone stand in the middle. Its pale blue glow fought hard against the dark green rot surrounding it. Living coral covered the walls, beating slowly like a giant, fleshy heart. Water dripped from the ceiling in thin lines. Drip. Drop.

And a priest stood guarding the crystal.

He was twelve feet tall, and his body was completely twisted. Thick coral grew out of his shoulders like heavy armor. Thick green vines wrapped tightly around his arms and legs. He had no face left—just a messy lump of green growths and one giant, open mouth. He held a staff made of twisted coral that beat with the same slow rhythm as the walls.

He spoke. His voice was wet and bubbly, like a man drowning.

"The Deep has left us. The Shepherd opened our eyes. There is only growth. Only hunger. Only the endless now."

Nathan stepped forward. "We don’t want to fight you. We just need to take the crystal and leave."

The priest’s giant mouth stretched into an ugly smile. "Leave? No one leaves. There is only becoming. The Shepherd’s seed grows in all of us. It will grow in you, too."

Garrett stepped up next to Nathan. "He’s too far gone. There’s no reasoning with him."

Nathan knew Garrett was right. The man was completely swallowed by the rot, body and mind. There was no saving him.

"Then we give him peace," Nathan said quietly. "It’s the only kind left."

The battle began.

The priest slammed his staff into the ground. THUD! The coral walls burst open. Thick stone vines whipped out at the team. They scattered. Mirko cast [Impenetrable Fortress]. CLANG! Her green shield blocked the first wave, and she swung Dragon’s Fang, slicing through the heavy vines with a loud SHINK. Shiro jumped forward, punching a coral wall with [Tyrant Dragon Fist]. KRAK-BOOM! Garrett and Red held the center of the room, Garrett swinging Volcan as the hot mace burned the air.

The priest pointed his staff. A heavy blast of green water shot out, hitting like a solid brick wall. Elise quickly cast [Mana Shield]. CRASH! The water slammed into the barrier. She followed up with [Glacial Lance], freezing the wave into solid ice with a loud CRRR-ACK! Up above, Dillon and Cloudy swooped in, shooting bright lightning through the wet air. CRACKLE-ZAP!

Nathan used [Nimble Feet] to keep moving. He dodged heavy strikes and fired [Mana Arrows] at the monster. THWIP-THWIP. He activated [Hunter’s Insight]. His eyes scanned the giant priest, seeing the dark magic flowing through the creature. It all pumped from one spot in the center of its chest.

"The heart!" Nathan yelled over the noise. "The corruption is coming from his heart!"

Shiro heard him. She ducked under a blast of water and rushed in, her golden eyes flashing. She threw a heavy [Tyrant Dragon Fist] right into the priest’s chest. KRAK-THOOM! The punch cracked the thick coral armor wide open. The priest let out a wet, gurgling scream and stumbled backward.

"The crystal!" Nathan aimed and cast [Death’s Homing Compass]. A glowing silver mark appeared right on the priest’s exposed heart. Nathan pulled his bowstring back and started charging [Focus Shot]. Thirty seconds. The priest shook off the dizzy feeling and charged forward. Nathan summoned his clones. They jumped in the way, and the priest smashed them to pieces with loud CRUNCHES, looking confused. Forty seconds. Mirko and Shiro grabbed the priest from both sides, pinning his arms down. Fifty seconds. Sixty seconds.

Nathan let go.

FWOOSH!

The bright arrow ripped through the air. It chased the silver mark perfectly. It punched right through the priest’s chest, breaking the armor and destroying the dark heart. KABOOM! The priest jerked once. Then, his giant body melted away into a cloud of green mist.

The Tide Crystal still floated on its stand, completely safe.

Nathan walked up and grabbed it. The second his fingers touched the cold stone, the room changed. The green light vanished. The coral stopped beating. The water turned clear and fresh.

Then, Nathan felt it. Someone was watching.

He spun around. At the far end of the giant room, a figure stood in the dark. It was tall and very skinny. Its skin was the color of old, dry bones. It had empty holes for eyes. Its mouth was sewn tightly shut with thick black thread. It wore ripped, dirty white robes that might have been clean before the World died.

And it was staring right at Nathan.

Nathan checked it with [Hunter’s Insight]. It didn’t feel like the corrupted fish-people. It didn’t feel like the priest. It felt ancient. Cold. It did not belong in this World.

"What is that?" Garrett asked, gripping his mace. He saw it too.

The bone-white figure tilted its head. It slowly raised one skinny finger and pointed right at Nathan.

"The Shepherd’s eyes are everywhere," Smithy whispered. His voice was shaking slightly. "That... is a Watcher. They don’t fight. They just watch. And they report."

The Watcher lowered its hand. It stepped back into the shadows and completely disappeared.

The room was totally quiet. The Tide Crystal glowed softly in Nathan’s hand, but it didn’t feel like a win anymore. The victory felt cold.

"The Shepherd has too much influence over the towers," Nathan said. "Like he already knows our predestined path."

Dillon gulped loudly. "That is... not great."

"No," Nathan said. "It is not. But it doesn’t change anything. We still have two more crystals to find."

He turned toward the door. The temple was quiet, but it didn’t feel safe. It felt like something was holding its breath. Waiting.

"Let’s move."

They walked out of the Sunken Temple. Coral was waiting for them with the boat ready to sail. The green sea stretched out in front of them, and far in the distance, the giant shadow of the Leviathan was still following them.