The Stone Gate opened another two meters.
All eight of the Gatekeeper's tentacles rose at once and slammed into the sea.
It abandoned defense completely, spreading its body across the golden monster's path as its tentacles swept the waters beyond the harbor in turn. Its suckers clamped onto the monster's shell, and great swaths of particles lost their luster and sank into the Old Trench.
It also blocked the channel Gela Jiang had just cleared.
"Hey! Move over!"
Gela Jiang stood at the tugboat's bow, both hands pressing down on the current.
"I need to get people through! How's anyone supposed to pass with your huge bulk in the way?"
The Gatekeeper did not respond.
A second tentacle swept over the tugboat and lashed at the golden monster's waist. A wave shoved the boat sideways. Gela Jiang grabbed the railing as the surfboard beneath his feet went flying.
"Ging! Put it in the report that it obstructed the rescue!"
"Cut the chatter. You're the mature, levelheaded big brother here. Set an example."
"You..."
Before he could finish, a stream of golden particles burst from the water, slipped past the stern, and entered the engine room.
Gela Jiang raised a hand and summoned a current that lifted the entire tugboat. As its hull left the water, the golden particles missed and turned toward the harbor.
Bai Zhu gripped the railing and saw where they were headed.
Husks were collapsing across the city.
Hundreds, then thousands of Skinbags lay sprawled in the streets, their chests and bellies caving in. Golden particles emerged from collars, nostrils, and wounds, then flowed into the drains. They followed the pipes back to the sea and filled the gaps the Gatekeeper had torn in the golden monster.
Every time the Gatekeeper ripped a piece away, the monster