Chapter 155: The Crab King Emerges [2] Doubt crept into Moon’s mind about whether the strategy they deployed was even correct. "Yara, are you absolutely certain that killing large numbers of crabs was what triggered the Crab King’s appearance last time?" Moon asked, ensuring he hadn’t missed any crucial details or misunderstood the mechanism. "Because if there’s some other condition we’re not meeting, we could be wasting time here." Yara’s expression showed uncertainty mixed with conviction. "Yes, that’s what our people recorded and what the survivors reported. A large hunting operation killed many crabs over several days, and then the Crab King emerged with fury. But..." She hesitated before continuing honestly, "There could be additional hidden factors or triggers we simply don’t understand. We’ve never deliberately tried to summon it before, the previous encounter was accidental. The exact mechanism might be more complex than just numbers." Moon nodded, accepting the limitation of their intell. They were working with incomplete information, but it was the best available. Mirage neighed contentedly as he continued his enthusiastic feeding on the crab corpses, his appetite seemingly bottomless. From his constant consumption over the past two days, Mirage had already reached level eighteen, leveling up numerous times in an incredibly short period. His recent evolution had fundamentally enhanced his growth potential, which directly contributed to his rapid improvement rate. Moon was pleased with Mirage’s progress. A stronger mount meant better mobility and flexibility. As they stood waiting and watching the calm ocean surface, a sound began emerging from somewhere in the deep water. Thoom... Thoom... Thoom... The sound grew steadily louder, like massive rumbling far below. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎 "Do you hear that?" Moon said sharply, immediately standing at full alert. His heart began beating faster with anticipation and adrenaline. Everyone turned their attention toward the ocean, weapons readying instinctively. The sound was getting closer and louder. THOOM... THOOM... THOOM... The water began disturbing unnaturally. Something massive was moving beneath the surface, displacing the enormous volumes of water as it approached shore. Yara’s face went pale. "That sound... I’ve heard it described. The survivors spoke of footsteps that shook the earth." Her voice dropped to a whisper filled with a sense of fear. "The Crab King is coming." Moon’s grip tightened on his staff, a huge grin on his face. The ocean water began churning violently, waves crashing against each other unnaturally as something massive rose from the depths below. Then the Crab King emerged. The creature was absolutely colossal, standing at four meters tall when fully extended, its body covered in deep crimson armor plating like polished rubies. Where normal crabs possessed two claws, the Crab King had four massive pincers arranged in pairs. Its eyes were enormous and perfectly round, bulging from its carapace. Those inhuman orbs stared directly at Moon and his companions with unmistakable hostility and annoyance. Water parted dramatically wherever the Crab King moved, flowing away from its body as if the ocean itself acknowledged its dominance and made way for its passage. Each thunderous step onto the beach created tremors that Moon could feel through the soles of his feet. THOOM. Behind the crimson titan, nearly twenty additional crabs emerged from the surf in formation, like soldiers following their commander into battle. They formed a line around their king. The sight was simultaneously magnificent and terrifying. Moon watched the dramatic entrance with growing excitement rather than fear, a fierce grin spreading across his face. "You’ve finally decided to show up, huh? I was starting to think I’d need to eat even more of your people before you finally emerged from hiding." Yara’s mouth twitched involuntarily at Moon’s sarcastic tone despite the scene before them and the immense danger they now faced. Moon turned his head towards his companions, although his eyes still remained on the approaching Crab King, "I’ll handle the big guy. Can you all manage the rest of his escort?" Selene studied the twenty accompanying crabs with calculating eyes before nodding confidently. "I can handle approximately ten or so without major issues. As for the remaining ones, I think Yara and the warriors can take care of them." Yara gripped her bow tighter and nodded with determination despite the fear clearly visible in her expression. "We can each handle two opponents without major problems, so the numbers should work out. Just... please be careful with that monster, Moon." The Savi warriors moved into defensive positions, their weapons ready despite the obvious terror the Crab King inspired. Moon’s grin widened as he summoned his staff, mana already beginning to surge through his body in preparation for the most challenging fight of his life. "Don’t worry about me, I’ve been waiting for this." Moon said with absolute confidence. The Crab King released a deafening screech that echoed across the beach, challenging Moon and declaring his dominance. SKREEEEEE! Then it charged. Moon immediately channeled his lightning element through his left hand and released a crackling bolt toward the approaching behemoth, the electrical energy arcing through the air. ZAP! The lightning struck the Crab King’s armored carapace, causing it to screech and stumble mid-charge as electricity coursed through its body. The creature was momentarily stopped, its massive legs locking up from the shock. Moon took advantage of the brief opening to issue commands. "Spread out! Handle the others!" His companions immediately complied without hesitation, scattering in different directions to engage the twenty escort crabs and prevent them from disturbing Moon during his confrontation with their king. Moon’s full attention returned to the crimson titan before him. Unlike its initial arrogant charge, the Crab King was now visibly cautious. It had felt genuine pain from that lightning attack and possessed enough intelligence to understand that another mindless rush forward would result in serious harm. The Crab King’s strategy changed immediately, taking on a safer approach. Water began rising from the ocean behind it in an unnatural column, defying gravity as it gathered into a massive wave. The Crab King gestured with one of its four pincers, and the accumulated water rushed forward toward Moon with tremendous force. Moon’s eyebrows rose with interest rather than alarm. "So it can control water...interesting."