A blood-red longsword condensed in Li Yue’s hand. She quietly watched the distance as massive blackish-red tentacles coiled around Cook’s ship. Various magic beams struck the tentacles, but they seemed to have little effect; as soon as some tissue was destroyed, it regenerated almost instantly.
With a massive figure emerging from beneath the waves, Cook’s pirate ship gradually rose out of the water as if it were being hoisted up. Piercing screams rang out continuously, and people could be seen being tossed off the deck from time to time.
Judging by its movements, the creature seemed intent on destroying Cook’s ship rather than feeding. Li Yue pondered for a moment but couldn't think of a reason why. She held her longsword and gazed into the distance, seemingly prepared for battle.
“What is that?!” Blan forced himself to stabilize the ship. The sea monster’s movements triggered surge after surge of violent, massive waves, causing their vessel to pitch and roll on the sea. Hardly anyone on the deck could keep their footing.
“A Sea King class sea monster, I assume,” Li Yue replied casually. The jolting floor felt as stable as level ground to her, and she seemed completely unaffected.
“But the map shows its territory is several hundred nautical miles away?!” Sharon pulled out the map, pointing to a section marked with an octopus illustration, which apparently represented the creature before them.
“Indeed... how strange,” Li Yue blinked, seemingly puzzled as well.
“However, there are many Sea King class sea monsters in this sea. Their territories should be strictly divided,” Sharon noted, examining the map closely.
“Either the resources in this area are extremely abundant, or there’s another reason. The former is more likely,” Li Yue mused, watching the ship suspended in the air.
“Could it be fleeing from something?” Blan suggested suddenly. They had suppressed their mana fluctuations, only controlling the ship to drift toward the general location on the map. Now, relying entirely on the wind, no one dared to use their magic.
An incredibly thick bolt of lightning struck one of the monster's tentacles. The powerful strike severed it directly, leaving the remaining tissue charred and black, significantly slowing its regeneration.
Though it lost one tentacle wrapped around the hull, the monster’s actions became noticeably more violent. It flailed its remaining tentacles, swinging the ship back and forth in the air. Any ordinary ship would have likely shattered by now, yet Cook’s vessel remained intact.
Li Yue narrowed her eyes. The ship’s performance was very peculiar. Parts of the hull that had been smashed were now gradually repairing themselves, much like human tissue undergoing self-healing.
“A ghost ship. That’s an ability only found in vessels that have been cursed or blessed,” Sharon seemed to notice it too. She tucked away her telescope and silently prayed that the sea monster wouldn't notice their small, weak ship.
Many sailors who had been startled awake rushed onto the deck. After seeing the situation in the distance, they gasped in shock before fearfully covering their mouths. They signaled for silence, afraid to speak loudly for fear of startling the “being” beneath the waves.
The resistance from Cook’s group seemed to be having an effect. While the first destroyed tentacle was still regenerating, they managed to blast away another one gripping the hull. Although several more tentacles were poised to strike from the sea below, the power radiating from their ship seemed to be growing stronger.
At this life-or-death moment, everyone on the ship was doing their utmost to contribute their strength. Over a dozen Mages and dozens of accompanying Magicians were desperately squeezing every drop of magic from their bodies. Some were Cook’s original crew, while others were connections and reinforcements he had called in.
Some had joined purely to curry favor and never expected to encounter such a sudden crisis. Li Yue guessed that this group’s original plan was to ambush them in this open, calm sea, only to be attacked by an even more powerful creature first.
Thinking of this and seeing the terrified faces of everyone around her, Li Yue felt a strange sense of amusement. She pressed her lips together, struggling to suppress a sudden, inexplicable urge to laugh.
Perhaps it was because she felt no personal danger, or maybe it was just seeing Cook’s group go from overconfident to being humiliated and now struggling for survival. Combined with the terrified silence of everyone around her, she felt that momentary surge of amusement being magnified intensely.
“Pfft,” Li Yue covered her mouth, pressing down on her smile muscles. Her eyes, filled with a hint of cheer, met Sharon’s slightly speechless gaze.
Sister, do you have some kind of psychological issue...? If so, I can find you a doctor when we get back... Is it really like the books say? Do people who are numb to death laugh disdainfully when death is at their doorstep?
That really would be a psychological issue. I used to have no concept of death, but this girl is numb to it... Are all upperclassmen who haven't graduated from advanced studies like this?
How terrifying. I need to finish my academic credits and graduate quickly...
“Sorry, how rude of me,” Li Yue composed her expression, trying her best to look serious. Just as the atmosphere between them relaxed slightly, the shadow beneath the sea grew even larger.
Li Yue’s attention returned to Cook’s group. Most of the tentacles on their ship had been knocked off, and they were even struggling to return to the water. Once they were back on the sea, their escape speed would surely be extremely fast. Perhaps there was still a slim chance of survival.
As Li Yue thought this, the giant shadow beneath the water became clearer. Amidst the screams of the onlookers, a head emerged—or rather, its mouth. An abyssal maw appeared, hiding extremely powerful energy fluctuations within.
Everyone’s scalp felt numb. Several tentacles coiled upward, shattering the last hope of survival for Cook’s group. They were lifted high into the air as a magic laser, thicker than their ship, erupted from the massive maw. The entire vessel emitted a strange, creaking sound.
Before everyone’s stunned eyes, the ship began to disintegrate. It vanished into nothingness under the fierce attack, slowly turning into a void until nothing remained.
In those final moments, someone must have abandoned ship to escape.
Li Yue thought to herself as she watched the massive figure in the distance. The creature shifted its body, and its bloated head surfaced. Its gold vertical pupils were filled with malice, as if it intended to destroy everything in its sight.
Given its massive size, the distance they had worked so hard to put between themselves and Cook seemed trivial. And the direction the giant sea monster was looking was precisely toward Li Yue’s ship.
Going for a clean sweep, are you...?
Li Yue frowned. Her sclera instantly turned blood-red, and her pupils gradually became a greyish-white, as if something were missing. Slowly, the sky shifted from deep darkness to a faint crimson, and the surging seawater gradually turned blood-red, as if dyed by countless corpses.
Rate on N.U.
