God Of War System : Apocalypse King

CHAPTER 10: CROSSING THE BALI STRAIT

The speedboat engine roared, cutting through the turbulent surface of the Bali Strait. The sun had just risen a spear's length, illuminating the sea foam with a deceptive golden light. In the distance, the silhouette of Java Island looked pitch black, shrouded in thick smoke that rose high enough to cover the peak of Mount Ijen.

Satria stood at the bow of the boat, letting the sea wind hit his face. His hair whipped wildly. His arms were crossed over his chest, displaying hard, prominent biceps every time the boat rocked against a wave.

Behind the wheel, Andy held the steering wheel with a sour face. His eyes were swollen and red, not just from lack of sleep, but from suppressing anger all night. He looked at Satria's back with a gaze full of envy.

"Why does he have to stand there all the time? Trying to look cool," Andy muttered softly, barely audible over the engine noise.

"He's keeping watch, Andy. Don't start again," Cindy retorted, sitting in the passenger seat next to Andy, cleaning her fillet knife with a rag.

Meanwhile, Abigail moved.

The petite girl carried a bottle of cold mineral water that Satria had retrieved from his Inventory earlier that morning and walked toward the bow. She deliberately made her steps slightly wobbly, following the rhythm of the waves, giving her an excuse to seek support.

"Satria," Abigail called out in a sugary voice.

Satria didn't turn around. His golden eyes continued to scan the horizon. "What is it, Abigail?"

"Have a drink. You've been standing here for an hour without moving," Abigail said, offering the bottle.

Just as Satria turned to take the bottle, the boat suddenly hit a large wave.

"Kyaaa!"

Abigail let out a small scream and fell toward Satria. Her body slammed into Satria's broad chest. Reflexively, Satria's left hand caught Abigail's slender waist to prevent her from being thrown overboard.

The position lasted a few seconds longer than it should have. Abigail pressed her body tightly against him. Her thin shirt, wet from sea spray, clearly outlined her modest *Twin Peaks* against Satria's bare chest.

"Sorry... the waves are so big," Abigail whispered, looking up at Satria's handsome face. Her eyes fluttered flirtatiously. She could feel how hard Satria's chest muscles were, so different from Andy's skinny body.

Behind the wheel, Andy squeezed the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. "Look at that! Look at that slut! Right in front of my eyes!"

Cindy snorted, her eyes narrowing sharply at the scene at the bow. "Focus on driving, Andy. If we capsize, no one survives."

Satria released Abigail's waist with a firm but not rough movement. He straightened the girl back up.

"Be careful. Hold onto the railing," Satria said flatly. There was no interest in his eyes, only the vigilance of a guard.

"Thank you, Satria. You're... so strong," Abigail praised, her hand 'accidentally' stroking Satria's arm before she retreated.

Just then, the system in Satria's head sounded loudly.

[DANGER DETECTION WARNING]

[TYPE: AIRBORNE]

[QUANTITY: MASSIVE]

[DIRECTION: 12 O'CLOCK]

"EVERYONE DUCK!" Satria suddenly roared, his voice booming over the engine noise.

"What?" Andy gaped. "What now?"

"DUCK, YOU IDIOT!"

Satria roughly pulled Abigail down onto the deck floor.

SWOOOSH!

Something fast and sharp sliced through the air where Abigail's head had been a second ago. A black shadow darted past, embedding itself in the ship's awning pole.

It wasn't an arrow. It was a bird feather. But the feather was hard as iron and sharp as a razor, the length of a grown man's arm.

"Birds?" Cindy stared wide-eyed at the sky.

From behind the black smoke clouds in the direction of Java, hundreds of black dots appeared, moving at supersonic speed. They swooped down toward the small speedboat.

They were a flock of seagulls. But they were the size of giant eagles. Their beaks were sharply serrated like saws, their eyes glowed red, and their wings were no longer covered in soft feathers, but hard, sharp scales.

[IDENTIFICATION: STEEL-FEATHER SEAGULL (MUTANT LV. 3)]

[WEAKNESS: WING BASE]

"Andy! Zig-zag! Don't drive straight!" Satria commanded, summoning his large crowbar from his Inventory.

"Crazy! There are so many!" Andy panicked. He slammed the steering wheel left and right violently.

The boat lurched heavily. Cindy was thrown from her seat.

CRACK!

A mutant seagull landed on the cabin roof, its razor-sharp talons easily tearing the thick tarp. Its beak pecked toward Andy, shattering the windshield.

CRASH!

"AAAAH! HELP!" Andy screamed, covering his face with his arm, letting go of the steering wheel.

"Hold the wheel, damn it!" Cindy yelled. She jumped up, stabbing her fillet knife into the bird's neck.

SQUELCH!

Green blood spurted. The bird flapped, but the rest of the flock came swarming. Three of them simultaneously swooped toward the rear deck where Satria and Abigail were.

"Don't stray far from me!" Satria stood firm amidst the boat's rocking.

One seagull lunged at his chest. Satria didn't dodge. He swung his crowbar like a baseball bat.

THWACK!

The bird's head shattered into pieces.

[EXP +30]

Two others attacked from the left and right sides. Satria leaped, performing a spinning kick in the air. His heel struck the neck of the first bird, breaking it, while his left hand caught the neck of the second bird, crushing it, then throwing its carcass into the sea.

"Kyaaa!"

Abigail screamed. A seagull managed to land on the deck floor and pecked at her leg. The sharp beak tore through Abigail's jeans and calf skin.

"It hurts! Satria, help!"

Satria turned around. His eyes glowed gold.

"DIE, YOU DAMN BIRD!"

Satria threw his crowbar. The iron bar shot like a spear, piercing the chest of the bird attacking Abigail, pinning the creature's body to the wooden deck floor.

However, the attack was not over. The sky grew darker with the beating of wings.

"They're targeting the engine!" Satria shouted as he saw a group of gulls pecking at the outboard motor in the back.

If the engine died here, they would become food for fish (or birds).

"Cindy! Take the wheel!" Satria yelled.

He ran to the back, leaping over the bird carcasses.

"Andy! Shoot! Use your Flare Gun! They're afraid of fire!" Satria commanded while punching a bird ten meters away.

Andy, who was curled up trembling under the dashboard, lifted his head. "B-but there's only one flare..."

"SHOOT IT INTO THE SKY! BLIND THEM!"

With a trembling hand, Andy aimed the flare gun upward through the broken glass.

BANG!

A red fireball shot into the air, exploding brightly in the middle of the bird swarm. The blinding light and sudden heat threw the mutant birds' formation into chaos. They shrieked in pain, their sensitive eyes burned by the magnesium light.

"Now!"

Satria took advantage of the confusion. He jumped onto the cabin roof.

[SKILL ACTIVE: WAR CRY]

[EFFECT: INFLICTS 'FEAR' EFFECT ON LOW-LEVEL ENEMIES]

Satria took a deep breath, gathering energy in his lungs, then roared with all his might toward the sky.

"ROAAAAARRRR!!!"

The sound was not human. It was the sound of an Alpha Predator. The resulting sound wave was so powerful that it made the seawater around the boat vibrate.

The remaining mutant birds felt pure terror. Their animal instincts told them that the prey on this boat was more dangerous than a predator. With fearful screeches, they turned around, flying away back to their nests on the cliffs of Bali.

Silence returned, broken only by ragged breaths and the sputtering sound of the engine.

Satria jumped down from the roof. He landed lightly. His body was covered in green blood and iron feathers.

"Is everyone safe?" Satria asked coldly.

Abigail cried, clutching her bleeding calf. "My leg... my leg is torn..."

Cindy emerged from behind the wheel, her face pale but unharmed. She immediately grabbed the first aid kit.

Satria walked toward Andy, who was still curled up on the cabin floor. He grabbed Andy's collar, forcing him to stand.

"You..." Satria hissed. "You had one job. Drive. Why did you let go of the wheel?"

"I-I was shocked! The glass shattered right in front of my face!" Andy defended himself, his legs shaking. "Besides, I fired the flare, didn't I? I helped!"

"You shot because I told you to. If I had stayed silent, you would be dead," Satria shoved Andy back into the driver's seat roughly. "Listen carefully. From now on, there is no democracy on this boat. I am the captain. I am the king. If I say turn left, you turn left. If I say die, you must die. Understand?"

Andy looked down, hiding his hateful gaze. "Understood."

"Treat Abigail," Satria ordered Cindy. "We're almost there."

The journey continued in a chilling silence. Abigail whimpered softly as Cindy poured alcohol onto her wound. Andy drove with stiff hands. Satria returned to the bow, washing the green blood from his body with seawater.

One hour later.

The stench that had been noticeable earlier now became overwhelmingly pungent. The smell of rotting flesh baking in the sun, mixed with the odor of sewage.

"Andy, slow the boat down," Satria commanded. His voice sounded wary.

"Why? We're close to the beach. That's Ketapang Port, right?" Andy asked, pointing to the buildings in the distance.

"Look at the water," Satria said.

They looked down. The seawater, which had been clear blue, had turned into a thick, reddish-brown color. Trash floated everywhere.

"That's not trash..." Cindy whispered in horror, covering her nose.

Their boat moved slowly.

THUD.

The hull hit something soft yet dense. The boat engine sputtered and died.

"The propeller is snagged!" Andy exclaimed.

They all ran to the side of the boat to see what they had hit.

The sight before them made Abigail vomit instantly.

They hadn't hit a reef. They had hit a dam of corpses.

Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of human corpses floated tightly packed together, stretching from the shoreline two hundred meters out to sea. The bodies were bloated, their skin peeling, linked together to form an island of rotting flesh blocking the entrance to the harbor.

On top of the pile of bodies, thousands of mutant crabs the size of motorcycle helmets were crawling, feeding on the soft flesh of unrecognizable faces.

"Oh God... the whole city... the whole city died and was dumped into the sea..." Cindy mumbled, tears streaming down her face.

"We can't pass through here," Satria said, his face hardening. He looked toward the mainland. There, behind the pile of bodies, lay the silent city of Banyuwangi. Buildings were scorched, black smoke rose, and there were no signs of life.

But Satria knew that was wrong. His system had just given him a new notification.

[ENTERING RED ZONE: JAVA ISLAND]

[DIFFICULTY LEVEL: HELL MODE]

[WELCOME TO THE SLAUGHTER ARENA]

"Prepare your weapons," Satria said, summoning his crowbar again. "We have to walk across these corpses to reach the beach. And I'm sure... those crabs won't like their meal being disturbed."

Andy stared at the expanse of bodies moving with the waves, his face filled with despair. "We have to step on them?"

"Unless you have wings, Andy," Satria replied coldly. "Come on. Java welcomes us."