God Of War System : Apocalypse King

CHAPTER 5: THE PRICE OF POWER

Time seemed to stop.

In Satria's now blazing gold eyes, the movement of the Mutant Shark leaping from the water's surface seemed slow. Extremely slow. He could see the droplets of seawater thrown from the creature's spiny fins. He could see the rows of serrated teeth rotating inside the gaping maw, ready to swallow half the stern of the speedboat.

He could also see Andy dropping his flare gun in a tremble, his mouth open in a silent scream. Cindy covering her face with both hands. And Abigail frozen stiff.

[Enemy Analysis: Hammerhead Mutant Shark - Type B]

[Threat Level: Medium]

[Weak Point: Brain Stem]

[Suggested Action: Annihilate]

A stream of hot, alien energy exploded within the muscles of Satria's right arm. It felt like gasoline had been injected directly into his veins and then ignited.

"DIE!"

Satria roared. It wasn't an ordinary human shout, but a bone-shaking bellow.

His body, which had been completely paralyzed moments ago, suddenly shot forward. The wooden deck floor where he stood fractured, leaving deep footprints. Satria leaped into the air, meeting the sea monster's mouth.

This was madness. This was suicide. A human fighting a two-ton monster with bare hands.

But Satria didn't care.

He clenched his right fist. The air around his fist distorted, as if solidifying due to immense pressure.

*BOOM!*

Satria's fist struck precisely between the mutant shark's eyes, on its hard snout.

The sound that followed was not the sound of flesh being struck, but the sound of a battleship cannon firing.

Black blood sprayed everywhere like a rainstorm. The Mutant Shark's head didn't just crack—it exploded. The skull, as thick as concrete, shattered into tiny fragments. The shockwave from the punch traveled through the giant fish's entire body, crushing its spine all the way to its tail.

The headless monster carcass was thrown backward, as if struck by a high-speed train. It slammed back into the sea with a massive crash, creating a ten-foot wave that violently rocked their small speedboat.

*BYAARR!*

Seawater mixed with blood and pieces of shark flesh drenched the boat deck.

Andy slipped and fell, tumbling against the cabin wall. Abigail screamed hysterically. Cindy was thrown sideways, but her hand gripped the boat's canopy pole tightly.

Satria landed back on the deck, resting on one knee. His posture was perfect, like a superhero in a comic book. Hot steam billowed from his right hand, which was smeared with black blood.

Silence.

Only the sound of the slowly calming waves and the ragged breathing of his three friends could be heard.

"W-what... what was that?" Andy mumbled, his eyes wide as he stared at the remnants of blood in the sea, which was now dark red. He looked at Satria's back with a fear far greater than when he had seen a zombie. "That... that can't be human..."

Satria slowly stood upright. He felt an intoxicating strength flowing through his body. He felt like he could split the ocean if he wanted to. He looked at his own fist. No injury. No scratch. His skin was as hard as steel.

"I... I'm strong," Satria whispered. He felt like a God.

But that feeling lasted only three seconds.

[WARNING!]

[Attack Output: 120% Capacity]

[Energy Completely Depleted]

[Energy Remaining: 0%]

[SYSTEM SHUTDOWN INITIATED]

*ZINGGGG!*

A high-pitched ringing sound pierced Satria's ears. The world, which had been sharp and slow, suddenly spun fast and blurred. The intoxicating power vanished instantly, sucked dry by the starving system, leaving behind an empty body.

Satria's knees buckled. His bones felt like jelly.

"Ugh..."

Satria collapsed forward. His face slammed into the wet, fishy deck floor.

"Satria!" Cindy immediately scrambled closer, ignoring the stench of shark flesh clinging to her clothes. She turned Satria's body over.

Satria's face was deathly pale, paler than a corpse. His lips were blue. His golden eyes dimmed, flickering like a dying lightbulb.

"He's cold... he's so cold!" Cindy cried out in panic as she touched Satria's skin. "Andy! Help me! Get him into the cabin! The wind is too strong out here!"

Andy was still sitting in the corner, clutching his flare gun. He stared at Satria with a mixed look: horror, envy, and hatred.

"Did you see that, Cin? Did you see?" Andy's voice trembled. "One punch. He destroyed a giant shark with one punch. He's a monster, Cindy! If he gets mad at us... he could kill us with a flick of his finger!"

"He just saved your worthless life, you bastard!" Cindy snapped with explosive anger. "If it weren't for that punch, you'd be fish food right now! Hurry up and help me, or I swear I'll stab your eye out this time!"

Cindy's threat and residual adrenaline made Andy move. Reluctantly, he stood and held Satria's legs, while Cindy and Abigail held his shoulders.

"He's so heavy..." Andy complained. "His body is heavier than before. His bones feel like iron."

They dragged Satria's limp body into the small *speedboat* cabin. It was cramped inside, with only a U-shaped sofa and a small table. They laid Satria on the synthetic leather sofa.

"His breathing is gone again..." Abigail sobbed, placing her finger under Satria's nose.

"No... no..." Cindy patted Satria's cheek. "Satria, wake up! Don't leave me! You just won! Satria!"

In the darkness of Satria's mind, the blue screen appeared again. This time it flashed maroon, a sign of extreme danger.

[CRITICAL CONDITION: HEART FAILURE IN 300 SECONDS]

[ENERGY RESERVE EMPTY]

[CONVENTIONAL RECHARGE METHODS (EATING/SLEEPING): INEFFECTIVE]

[EXTERNAL PURE ENERGY SOURCE REQUIRED]

Satria tried to scream in his mind. *'What do you need?! Just take it! Don't let me die!'*

[ONLY SOLUTION DETECTED]

[Nearest Yin Energy Source: Human (Female) - Quality A (Virgin)]

[Transfer Method: Bodily Union (Dual Cultivation)]

[Instruction: Engage in sexual intercourse until peak resonance is achieved to absorb pure Yin Essence to recharge the System Core Battery.]

Satria's eyes opened slightly. He saw Cindy's tear-streaked face above him.

The System was cruel. The System was amoral. But the System was honest. Satria realized that the great power he had just used was not free. It was a loan, and the interest had to be paid with life energy.

"Cin..." Satria whispered. His voice was tiny, like sandpaper scraping.

"Satria! Can you hear me?" Cindy brought her ear close to Satria's lips.

"System... needs..." Satria coughed, fresh blood emerging from the corner of his mouth. His body began to convulse again, a sign that cardiac arrest was imminent.

"Needs what? Medicine? Water? Food?" Cindy asked frantically.

Satria shook his head weakly. He didn't have the strength to explain in detail. He also felt ashamed. Deeply ashamed. How could he ask for that at a time like this? But the pain in his chest intensified, as if his heart were being squeezed by an iron hand.

Suddenly, a blue holographic projection shot out from Satria's eyes into the air above them, startling everyone in the cabin.

*BZZZT!*

The holographic screen floated in the air, displaying large, blood-red, flashing text, complete with a diagram of male and female bodies in union.

[DEATH WARNING: 4 MINUTES REMAINING]

[SURVIVAL REQUIREMENT:]

[YIN ENERGY TRANSFER MUST BE PERFORMED IMMEDIATELY]

[SUITABLE TARGET: CINDY AURELIA]

[METHOD: FULL INTERCOURSE]

Total silence descended upon the cabin.

Andy gaped, his eyes darting from the hologram to Cindy's face, then to Satria's body. A small, insane laugh escaped his mouth.

"Wow... insane..." Andy laughed, shaking his head. "Absolutely insane. So this is your power, Sat? You become a powerful monster, but your fuel is sex?"

Cindy's face flushed crimson, as red as a ripe tomato. She stared at the text in the air with disbelief. She read the technical words: "Yin Energy Transfer, Full Intercourse."

"This... this is a joke, right?" Abigail asked faintly, covering her mouth.

"The System is not... joking..." Satria groaned. Every word was painful. "I'm sorry... Cindy... forgive me... just leave me..."

Satria tried to turn his face away. His pride as a man was shattered. He would rather die eaten by a shark than have to beg his girlfriend for sex to survive in front of his friends. It was humiliating. It was disgusting.

But Cindy saw something else.

She saw the Satria who had just punched a giant shark to save them. She saw the man who held the hotel's glass door alone. She saw the man who leaped at the mutant Professor.

And now, that man was dying. The time on the holographic screen kept counting down.

[03:45... 03:44...]

"Andy, Abigail... get out," Cindy's voice was low but firm.

"What?" Andy looked at her in shock. "You... you're going to do it? Seriously? Here? With him dying like this?"

"GET OUT!" Cindy yelled, her voice echoing in the cramped cabin. She snatched the fillet knife she had placed on the table and threw it toward the door. The knife embedded itself in the wooden frame, inches from Andy's head.

Andy raised his hands, his face pale. "Okay! You crazy couple! Do as you please! Enjoy your living corpse!"

Andy grabbed Abigail's hand and dragged her out of the cabin, slamming the wooden door shut.

The sound of their footsteps faded toward the bow of the boat.

Now it was just the two of them. Satria and Cindy. Accompanied by the low hum of the hologram and Satria's increasingly ragged breathing.

Cindy looked at Satria. Her tears fell onto his cheek.

"You're an idiot, Satria..." Cindy whispered as her trembling hands began to unbutton the beach shirt she was wearing. "You're a complete idiot if you think I'd let you die just because of shame."

Satria looked at Cindy with blurred vision. "Don't... you don't have to..."

"Be quiet," Cindy cut him off gently. She let her shirt fall to the floor. Beneath the shirt, she wore only a sea-blue bikini top that highlighted her smooth white skin.

She leaned down, kissing Satria's forehead, which was cold as ice.

"If this is what it takes to keep you alive... then take it," Cindy whispered right into Satria's ear. "Take everything, my God of War."

[02:30 SECONDS REMAINING]

[HEART RATE SLOWING]

[PREPARE FOR UNION]

Cindy moved up onto Satria's body, her legs straddling the young man's waist. She looked into Satria's dimming golden eyes, then with trembling hands, she reached down toward the waistband of Satria's torn jeans.

"I am yours, Satria," Cindy whispered.

And with one slow but certain movement, she submerged herself.

[UNION INITIATED]

[ENERGY TRANSFER: 1%...]