Slaying the Whale

Beneath the azure expanse of the Pacific Ocean near Japan, a fishing boat drifted gently, swaying with the rhythm of the waves. At the helm stood an old man, weathered by over forty years of fishing experience, dedicating much of his life to the vast expanse of the sea. He was a skilled fisherman, returning year after year during the spring and summer transitions, always with a bountiful catch.

Accompanying him today were his two sons. The elder son, inheriting his father's craft, was destined to take over the helm someday. The younger son, however, was a well-known live streamer in Japan.

The old man was oblivious to the concept of live streamer and remained largely ignorant of the online world. However, he took solace in his younger son's filial piety and his ability to earn money by sharing snippets of their fishing adventures online while occasionally aiding him in his fishing endeavors.

Today, as the younger son returned with the finest sake to aid in their fishing expedition and to record some footage for an upcoming online video, the old man sighed as he noted the meager haul. "It's a pity that luck isn't on our side today. The catch has been sparse these past few days," he lamented.

"It's alright, Dad. The footage we've captured is sufficient for me to create a video," the younger son consoled, albeit with a hint of puzzlement. "But it does seem like there are unusually few fish today."

"You're right," the elder son chimed in. "It's strange... Wait, what's that over there?"

As they scanned the distant horizon, their initial sighs turned into astonished gasps. Emerging from the depths below was a colossal shadow, dwarfing even their entire fishing vessel.

"A whale!"

"It's a whale!"

The old man exclaimed in disbelief, drawing upon his extensive experience to identify the creature almost instantaneously. There was nothing else in the sea that could cast such a massive shadow.

However, something seemed amiss. The shadow appeared larger than any ordinary whale; estimated to be over fifty meters in length, it defied all logic.

"A whale of this size is extremely rare!" the old man exclaimed, his excitement palpable. 

"Quick, let's capture this on camera! If it's truly a whale, this video will undoubtedly go viral!"the younger son urged eagerly, his excitement matching his father's. "Help me set up the camera, big brother!" 

Despite his doubts, the elder son obliged, maneuvering the boat to a safer distance to avoid being engulfed by the ocean currents.

Yet, as the minutes passed, the old man's expression darkened. "Why does the shadow keep expanding?" he muttered, growing increasingly apprehensive.

The shadow continued to swell, reaching over a hundred meters in diameter with no sign of halting its expansion.

"This is even better! It might be the legendary king of whales! The ocean is vast, and who knows what creatures inhabit its depths!" the younger son exclaimed, his excitement undiminished.

Ignoring his apprehensions, the elder son powered the boat further away, wary of the surging waves.

But then, the old man's face contorted with terror as realization dawned upon him. "This isn't right! We need to leave, now!"

His warning came too late. With a deafening roar, the ocean erupted in turmoil as a colossal blue whale breached the surface, its majestic form contrasting with the tranquil sea.

Witnessing this spectacle, the three men aboard the boat were awestruck, momentarily forgetting the imminent danger.

"Such beauty..." one of them murmured.

However, their awe was short-lived. In an instant, a massive hand pierced through the waves, crushing the whale's skull with unimaginable force, drenching the surroundings in a gory spectacle.

Splattered with blood, the men remained frozen in shock, unable to comprehend the enormity of the creature before them.

Meanwhile, Lithos stood atop the ocean's surface, holding the decapitated head of the whale effortlessly. The forty-meter-long creature seemed weightless in his grasp as he conjured flames in his palm, preparing to consume his meal.

After a few bites, he discarded the whale's bones into the sea, unleashing a torrent of waves as they sank beneath the surface.

"Now, off to Mount Fuji. Only the power core there can truly sate my hunger," Lithos declared before turning towards Japan, his colossal figure disappearing into the horizon.

As Lithos departed, the men on the fishing boat, spared from the raging waves, remained dumbfounded, their minds struggling to comprehend the reality of what they had just witnessed.

"What... What was that creature?" one of them finally managed to utter, his voice trembling with disbelief.

The old man wiped the blood from his face, his expression twisted with disbelief. "We almost died here today," he muttered, shaken to his core.

His younger son, still in shock, mechanically retrieved his camera and, without alteration, uploaded the footage to the internet.

As the video spread like wildfire across the web, viewers were initially captivated by the sight of the enormous whale, but their fascination turned to disbelief as the colossal figure of Lithos emerged from the depths.

Comments flooded in, expressing awe, disbelief, and a hint of terror at the surreal events captured on camera.

Despite the skepticism, the video garnered millions of views within minutes, surpassing all other trending content on the platform.

In the aftermath of the video's release, discussions raged across the internet, but the consensus remained skeptical. The existence of a three-hundred-meter creature seemed utterly implausible.

Yet, despite the disbelief, the impact of the video was undeniable. It left an indelible mark on all who witnessed it, blurring the lines between reality and myth.

Meanwhile, far away at sea, the broadcaster who had captured the footage sat in stunned silence, staring at his phone as the reality of what he had witnessed sank in.

"This... This is all real," he whispered, as the flood of online reactions washed over him.

In the end, amidst the chaos and disbelief, one thing was certain – the world would never be the same again.