The Diamond Demon strode from the center of the lake to the opposite shore and brought the Kraken down to its knees. He shrank the crystal chains, released the beast, and set it into the water.
The Kraken gulped greedily, drawing in massive quantities of lake water to replenish itself—then, without learning its lesson, snapped at the Diamond Demon.
"I was too busy subduing you to tickle you," the Diamond Demon said casually as he scratched his cheek, barely bothered by the attack.
Before the Kraken's jaws could close, the demon flashed upward. In an instant he rocketed more than ten meters into the air, appearing above the beast.
"Your back looks sore let me give you a massage," he joked.
Crystals erupted from the Demon's foot and fused into an oversize, diamond-like boot—more like a hammer than a shoe. He brought it down with a thunderous strike.
The Kraken howled as a concussion of waves slammed it into the depths. Time and again the monster lunged, only to be slammed back by the Diamond Demon's crystal strikes.
The Demon used the Kraken's own body as a springboard, kicking off it to stay airborne—each blow sending the beast skidding into the water.
Soon the Kraken learned not to show its head. It slunk beneath the surface, refusing to give itself away.
The Diamond Demon removed his crystal boots and stepped lightly ashore as huge waves crashed against the bank.
"You want to use waves to push me under?" he asked, amused. "Fine—let's go for a swim."
He dove. The lake dropped twenty or thirty meters to black water below. The Kraken charged from the deep, furious.
"Diamond… Spider Lance!" the Demon intoned.
Spines bristled along his back. Hundreds of thin crystalline spears—like a shower of spider-legs—shot toward the Kraken, stabbing and pinning at every vulnerable spot.
Water resistance slowed them but could not stop the onslaught. The Kraken was driven deeper and deeper toward the lake bottom, where the spear-web tightened around it until it could hardly move.
One final spear lodged in the beast's brow. The Kraken froze.
The Diamond Demon slowly retracted his spears, then ascended. When the monster burst free and surfaced, it stared at his back with a pleading, almost childlike expression.
"Ding. Mission complete: 'Attack of the Giant Lake Monster – Kraken.'"
"Host awarded 10 points."
The Diamond Demon regarded the Kraken with a softer tone. "You're smart. You attacked because your eggs were stolen, right?"
The Kraken nodded fiercely.
"I'll help you recover your eggs," the Demon said. "But promise me you won't hurt anyone else until then."
The Kraken thrashed its tentacles in assent and dove away—an apology in motion.
As the Demon walked back toward the fishing boat, a thought crossed his mind. "By the way—how do Kraken eggs get fertilized around here? There's no other water monster in this lake."
He paused and cocked his head. The Kraken's embarrassed dive told him the answer; he snorted and walked on. Some mysteries could wait.
When the Diamond Demon climbed onto the boat, it was empty.
"Where'd everyone go?" he muttered—and then he saw the big ship anchored nearby.
On the deck, Jonah Meier smiled down with a thin, greedy grin. "You returned. I never expected you to transform like that. Truly priceless…"
"Drop your weapon and surrender," Jonah called. "Or they die."
His crew pointed out Ben and the others—tied and helpless—smirking with the mean certainty of poachers who thought they'd won.
"Ethen!" Gwen cried. "They tied us up—this was a trap!"
Jonah's voice hardened. "Drop it, or they die."
The Diamond Demon sighed, as if indulging a bothersome child. He moved toward the pattern on his chest—the Demon Watch's sigil—apparently to remove it. Everyone watched the glowing motif; certain the fight was over.
They didn't notice the spikes along his forearms shifting.
In the next instant, the spikes exploded outward, converting into colossal crystal fists that hammered the ship's hull like battering rams. The vessel lurched; Jonah and his men were thrown off balance.
"I'm faster than a flash!" the Demon declared as he sprang across the water. In a blur he crossed the short distance from the small boat to the larger ship and was on deck in the same heartbeat.
As Jonah's crew fumbled for their guns, they were swept off by surging arcs of purple energy. One by one, the poachers were flung back onto the water; the Demon's power created huge diamond platforms beneath them that marched steadily toward the shore—dozens of meters at a time.
"Retreat! Retreat!" Jonah's bravado dissolved into raw panic. The realization hit him: they had failed to control the situation. He barked orders to open fire, but no one wanted to be first to confront a crystal colossus.
Back on the shore, the Diamond Demon slowed and half-kneeled, winded by the sprint. He had pushed himself to the limit to haul Ben and Gwen to safety. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath.
"Ethen, you, okay?" Ben panted, rubbing his wrists as the ropes were cut.
"I'm fine," Ethen said, voice steady though his legs trembled. "You look after the others. Turn into a support alien—keep civilians clear. Don't let anyone get hurt."
The Demon's eyes were cold as he spoke. The lake was crowded with tourist boats now; any stray bullet or rock could hit an innocent person in a flash.
A new system chime rang in Ethen's mind:
Ding. New mission issued: "Blood and War."
Objective: Eliminate Jonah Meier's poaching gang by any means necessary.
Reward: 15 points.
Jonah Meier's face registered the truth: the lake's "monster" wasn't a rampaging animal—this was an avenger. The men on his ship swallowed fear and braced for a fight that had just become very personal.