The tunnel beyond the great cavern descended into the depths, and with every meter, the air grew heavier, more stale. The bioluminescence lost its vibrant colors, turning into sickly shades of green and dark purple. The energy Jiraiya felt, once wild and potent, was now tainted, a sickeningly sweet and corrosive presence that churned his stomach and made his own energy channels twist uncomfortably. It was the "Darkness" Father Mountain had warned about.
The underground vegetation became grotesque: mushrooms oozing a viscous liquid, plants with black spines that moved at the approach, crystalline formations that seemed to scream with negative energy. The ground itself seemed to vibrate with a latent malevolence.
Guided by Leader Kong and the ever-intensifying resonance of the corrupted energy, they arrived at an immense natural caldera. There was no visible roof; instead, a dense, dark fog hung overhead, punctuated by flashes of crimson light. In the caldera's center, a lake of dark, bubbling liquid emitted fetid vapors and pulsed with visibly corrupted energy. This was the source. The source of the "Darkness," a place where the primordial energy of the Hollow Earth had rotted and twisted.
And at the edge of the corrupted lake, a figure loomed. Not as colossal as a Greater Titan, but towering, it exuded an aura of power that made the Kongs growl in unease. It resembled a Skullcreeper, but altered, magnified, and twisted by corrupted energy. Its skin was a dull black, its claws and teeth dripped with the lake's dark liquid, and its eyes held no glow, only pools of infinite darkness. This was the Agent of Darkness, the orchestrator of the incursions.
The creature spotted them immediately. Its elongated, eyeless head turned toward them, and it emitted a shriek that echoed through the cauldron, a sound of pure malevolence that gnawed at the nerves. The corrupted energy in the air intensified, becoming tangible, pressing down on them.
"This is the one responsible," Jiraiya told Leader Kong, though he knew the ape understood him through the resonance. "The source... and its guardian. We have to stop him."
The Agent of Darkness charged, moving with surprising speed despite its size. It didn't attack randomly; it headed straight for Jiraiya, perhaps sensing the echo of Father Mountain and the energy of the pact in him. It was a calculated attack, not just brute force.
"Get ready!" Jiraiya shouted.
The battle began. The Kongs stood between Jiraiya and the Agent, using their massive bodies as shields and delivering powerful blows. But the Agent was different from the lesser Skullcrawlers. His attacks were infused with corrupted energy; a claw swipe not only dealt physical damage but left a sensation of corrosive cold that seemed to try to drain life energy. His bite not only tore flesh, but dark energy latched onto the wound, preventing it from healing easily.
Jiraiya entered his adapted "Titan Mode," the island's primordial energy, now purified and focused by the pact, glowing around his body. He moved across the battlefield with blinding speed, using his agility to dodge attacks from the Agent and lesser creatures emerging from the cauldron.
He attempted to use his energy techniques. A Primal Rasengan struck the Agent in the flank, but the creature's corrupted energy seemed to absorb some of the impact, mitigating the damage. Dark energy was resistant to his own pure form.
He needed a different approach. Remembering Father Mountain's revelations about balance and purification, Jiraiya attempted to channel the primordial energy in a way that would counteract the corruption. Not just brute force, but harmonization. He focused on the energy flowing through him from the pact, an energy that came from the very heart of the island, before it was corrupted.
While the Kongs kept the Agent engaged in a titanic struggle, Jiraiya moved around the caldera, touching the rock formations that still thrummaged with pure energy. He channeled that energy through his body, cleansing it, focusing it, infusing it with the resonance of Father Mountain. It was an exhausting process, requiring immense concentration amidst the chaos.
The Agent of Darkness sensed his action. He screamed in fury and launched a blast of corrupted energy from his mouth, a torrent of viscous darkness that headed straight for Jiraiya.
Leader Kong reacted, stepping in to protect his ally. The blast struck Kong, who roared in pain as the dark energy latched onto his skin, burning it.
That act of sacrifice ignited something in Jiraiya. He saw the tribe that had taken him in, the island's protectors, suffering for his sake. The perversion evaporated completely, replaced by cold fury and unwavering determination.
He finished his channeling. In his hands, not a Rasengan, but a sphere of pure gold and green light, pulsing with the purified and concentrated energy of the island, imbued with the protective essence of Father Mountain. It was a technique created in the heat of battle, a manifestation of his role as guardian of balance.
"Primordial Purification!" he shouted, throwing the sphere toward the Agent of Darkness.
The sphere of pure light collided with the Agent. It didn't explode like a Rasengan, but expanded, enveloping the creature in a field of shimmering energy. The Agent screamed in agony, his corrupted energy reacting violently to the purity. The light seemed to burn away the darkness that imbued him, dissipating it. The Agent's body twisted, his skin cracked, and with one last, horrifying screech, he disintegrated into dark ash.
Silence fell over the cauldron again, broken only by the Kongs' heavy breathing and the bubbling of the corrupted lake. The dark energy in the air receded slightly, dimmed by the destruction of their agent.
The battle had been hard. The Kongs were wounded, tired. Jiraiya felt every muscle and energy channel ache; the strain of channeling pure energy in a corrupted environment had been immense.
They approached the lake of corrupted energy. It still bubbled, a gaping wound at the heart of the Hollow Earth. Defeating the Agent had been a vital victory, but the source of the Darkness was still there, and the dark energy still churned in the depths.
Jiraiya looked at the lake, then upward, in the direction where he felt Father Mountain's distant pulse. He realized that this battle wasn't the end. It was only the beginning. They had severed one of the hydra's heads, but the hydra itself still lived in the shadows.
The Agent of Darkness was defeated, but the corrupted source remained. Jiraiya felt the urgency. Father Mountain's seal needed to be permanently reinforced. The "Darkness" must be contained.
Tired but determined, Jiraiya and the Kongs remained in the caldera, the source of the threat. They had faced the Abyss Guardians and overcome them, but the true challenge—that of curing or containing the very source of the corruption—still lay ahead. The initial confrontation was over, but the war for the soul of Skull Island was only just beginning in the depths of Hollow Earth.
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