A massive tidal wave rose up, not from the frenzied dragon Kaivar, but from a Sea Serpent.
However, it was not an ordinary Sea Serpent. It was a King Sea Serpent, twice as large in head and body as the one that had fled from Kuberad's weapon.
The monster, known as the devil of the sea, exuded an overwhelming aura.
Raon bit his lip as he looked at the King Sea Serpent's fangs, longer and thicker than a spear.
'Right. There was supposed to be one of those.'
Raon recalled Lawaine mentioning the King Sea Serpent when discussing the enemy's strength. It seemed the hidden monster had moved now that the others were overwhelmed.
"Ah..."
"K-King Sea Serpent!"
"How can a monster be that big!"
The sailors gulped in fear at the sight of the King Sea Serpent's size.
"No matter how big, it's just a monster! Hold your positions! We can win this!"
Kuberad raised his wrinkled hand, encouraging the frightened sailors, unfazed by the King Sea Serpent's enormous body.
Hoooong!
The King Sea Serpent merely moved its tail lightly, yet a fierce wave surged. The defensive line formed by the twelve battleships seemed on the verge of breaking.
"Fire!"
At Kuberad's command, the sailors moved. Though still shaking with fear, they precisely fired the anti-monster weapons.
Piaaaang!
The harpoons and hooks made by Kuberad pierced the thick scales of the King Sea Serpent and embedded in its flesh.
Though blue blood spurted out, the wounds were not deep. Its flesh and hide were thick due to its large size.
"Kiaaaa!"
The King Sea Serpent screeched and raised its tail. Its sharp scales thickened, looking like a spiked mace.
"Hmm..."
Raon placed his hand on the hilt of the Heavenly Drive as he watched the shadow of the King Sea Serpent's tail on the battleship.
'I can't block that.'
If Lawaine were here, he could have blocked it, but he was currently engaged in a life-and-death battle with the Fog Tribe's leader on the sea. There was no one to block it now.
"I'll go."
As Raon drew the Heavenly Drive to block the King Sea Serpent's tail, Alice shook her head.
"No, we don't move."
"But..."
"Remember what the elder said before we set out? We only focus on the frenzied dragon. This is not our battlefield."
She crossed her arms, indicating she wouldn't move no matter what.
"The King Sea Serpent's attack is coming!"
"Prepare!"
"Magicians, to your positions!"
All the sailors on the battleship looked to themselves for help, not seeking assistance from Raon and Alice, despite their fear of the monster.
Kugugugugu!
Eventually, the King Sea Serpent's tail descended. It was a simple motion, yet it carried the weight of a mountain.
Hoooong!
As the King Sea Serpent's tail aimed to split the Azure Wind, a translucent light burst from the center of the twelve battleships. It seemed to be an amplified shield spell.
Kuwaaang!
The tail clashed with the mana shield stored by the magicians, creating a storm-like shockwave.
"Kiiiii!"
The King Sea Serpent retreated, seemingly surprised, but the shield protecting the battleships shattered like thin glass.
"Kugh..."
"Only once..."
"Damn it!"
The magicians' faces darkened, unable to believe the shield broke with a single blow.
"Now! Fire everything!"
Realizing it was the opportunity to capture the King Sea Serpent, Kuberad ordered all weapons to be fired.
The battleships turned their bodies and fired harpoons, hooks, and sea lances at the King Sea Serpent.
Paaaang!
Dozens of weapons flew like beams of light, embedding in the King Sea Serpent's body.
Though the numerous weapons created large wounds, the monster's enormous size meant it wasn't fatal or even enough to weaken it significantly.
"Kiaaaa!"
Instead, the King Sea Serpent screeched wildly, thrashing about. The ropes connected to the harpoons pulled, shaking the battleships as if they might sink.
"H-Hold steady!"
"Anchor the ships!"
The captains of each battleship tried to withstand it by connecting the ships with chains and mana lines, but the King Sea Serpent's strength was too overwhelming.
Kugugugugu!
The twelve ships began to be dragged by the King Sea Serpent.
"C-Cut the ropes and chains!"
"No!"
Kuberad shook his head at those suggesting cutting the ropes of the harpoons.
"If the ropes are cut, that monster will rampage freely, and we'll all die!"
It wasn't his first battle, as he read the flow of the battlefield well.
But the King Sea Serpent, true to its infamous moniker as the devil of the sea, forcefully raised its tail despite being controlled by the harpoons.
With no time to block, it slammed its tail towards the far right battleship.
Kwaaang!
The battleship split in half, sinking into the sea like wet paper.
"Aaaagh!"
"Monsters are coming!"
"Damn it! Why here!"
"Save us!"
The surviving sailors screamed for help in the sea, but the claws of the monsters reached them faster than the helping hands from other ships.
Kiaaaa!
Marine monsters like the Sharkmaw and Rain Lizard, which thrived in the sea, tore at the sailors' flesh and crushed their bones.
"Fire!"
Kuberad forcibly turned his head and fired the reloaded weapons.
Due to the large target, the harpoons and hooks embedded in the King Sea Serpent's body again, but it only spilled more blue blood without collapsing.
"Kiaaaa!"
The King Sea Serpent screeched, spewing a black cloud from its fangs. It headed towards the left battleship, larger and faster than the poison cloud from the earlier Sea Serpent.
Wooooong!
The yellow iron plates of the battleship couldn't withstand the poison cloud and were perforated. The ship itself began to melt from the poison.
"Jump! If you stay, you'll die from the poison!"
"Damn it!"
The sailors jumped into the sea or onto other ships before the ship melted. They avoided the poison but the breach in defense made the monsters rampage even more.
"Kugh..."
Raon bit his lip as he watched people dying.
Children younger than Yua were dying from Sharkmaw claws, and elders older than Glenn were falling with torn flesh.
The lives of warriors who valued revenge over many things were ending.
Having met all these people during this journey, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing, even though he knew he had to endure.
"I know, but it's hard to endure..."
If it were the assassin Raon, he could have endured it, but living his current life and knowing the value of people made it hard to stay still. His hands trembled.
"Still, endure."
Alice shook her head, indicating now was not the time.
"Endure."
Her lips trembled as if from cold. It seemed she was forcing herself to endure the anger and sadness of the situation.
'Right. She must be having a harder time than me.'
I met the dying people only after starting the voyage.
But for Alice, they were her direct subordinates. It was natural she was having a harder time.
-Well done, thief girl.
Wrath smirked at Alice.
-I hate those who abandon their subordinates, but the thief girl is right this time
'...'
-A lizard may be just meat to me, but it is a natural enemy to you humans. If you're not prepared, you'll be annihilated instantly
'I know.'
Raon sighed and lowered his hand from the hilt of the Heavenly Drive.
"Agh..."
Even on the Azure Wind, casualties were beginning to appear. Nuan, following Kuberad's orders, was stabbed in the shoulder by Balas's rusty spear.
"Nuan!"
Morin threw his hammer to save Nuan and charged.
"Kugh!"
But he, too, hadn't properly trained in martial arts and was struck in the thigh by a spear, rolling on the ground.
The two children, younger than Yua, had said they came here risking their lives to see the frenzied dragon that destroyed their village die.
They looked like they would die before fulfilling that dream.
"Damn monsters!"
Kuberad, realizing strategic orders were meaningless now, grabbed a large hammer and stood in front of the children.
Balas seized the opportunity when Kuberad's hand wavered from exhaustion, thrusting a spear.
Puck!
The rusty spear pierced Kuberad's waist. However, he didn't let go of the spear.
"You won't get past me!"
The deck of the battleship was a chaotic battlefield, with too many monsters for anyone to spare a hand.
Kuberad knew this, so he didn't ask for help, nor did he look at Raon and Alice.
"Ugh..."
Raon ground his teeth, looking at Alice, but she kept her hand on the hilt of her sword and didn't move.
'Endure. Just endure a bit longer...'
As he forced himself to calm down using the Ring of Fire, the King Sea Serpent raised its head.
Its strength was so great that the ropes and chains connected to the harpoons snapped, and the battleships shook.
"Kiaaaa!"
The King Sea Serpent opened its massive jaws. A cloud of poison gushed from its pitch-black throat.
If a single drop of that poison fell on the ship, it would melt completely.
"..."
Alice still showed no signs of moving, even closing her eyes.
Puhuhuhung!
Just as the poison cloud was about to engulf the ship, a massive aura exploded in the air.
Kuuuuung!
The King Sea Serpent's head was more than half blown off and crashed into the sea, creating the largest wave yet.
Cheoeoeoeok!
A fierce storm of waves and a powerful sword wind swept across the ten remaining battleships, slicing all the monsters apart.
It was Lawaine. Having defeated the Fog Tribe's leader and the King Sea Serpent, he returned and bowed before Alice.
"I've returned."
"...You were late."
Alice let out a low sigh, lifting the corners of her mouth.
"I apologize."
Lawaine bowed his head. His entire body was covered in wounds, evidence of the fierce battle he had just fought.
"I will take command again."
He pulled out the spear lodged in Kuberad's waist, healing him lightly, then climbed to the upper deck.
"The King Sea Serpent is dead! Rescue the people in the water first!"
Prioritizing human lives, he swept away the marine monsters gathered around the sea.
Kugugugugu!
As the sailors threw ropes to rescue the people in the water, bubbles began to rise again from where the King Sea Serpent had fallen.
An even larger disturbance erupted from the sea than when the King Sea Serpent first appeared.
Puhuhuhung!
The sea surface exploded as if it would burst, and a leg as large as a battleship rose. Eight legs covered with countless suckers and a head with horns like blades—an enormous marine monster, the Kraken, appeared.
"Ah..."
Raon let out a hollow breath as he watched the Kraken.
'Why is the Kraken here?'
He had thought Kaivar would appear this time, but instead, the Kraken had come out.
With all the monsters dying, he couldn't understand what Kaivar was thinking.
"I'll take the Kraken! All battleships, deal with the monsters!"
Lawaine, barely able to breathe, gathered his aura. Just as he aimed to tear the Kraken's leg with his sword aura—
'Huh?'
An immense chill surged from the deep sea below the Kraken.
It was extremely subtle. Without the Ring of Fire and Glacier, he wouldn't have sensed it.
"Raon."
Alice uncrossed her arms and placed her hand on her sword hilt. Her eyes gleamed with a fierce light.
"It's coming."
Raon nodded quickly.
'My senses were right.'
From the deep sea, the frenzied dragon Kaivar was moving. It was using the Kraken and other marine monsters as bait, trying to annihilate everyone here with a breath of icy death.
Alice and Wrath were right. If they had participated in the battle, they would have died frozen without knowing anything.
Chiing!
Raon drew both the Heavenly Drive and Requiem Sword, running towards the Kraken. Alice was already moving forward.
"Huh?"
Lawaine, who was advancing to capture the Kraken, turned around with wide eyes.
He seemed not to have sensed the immense chill from the seabed, focusing solely on the Kraken.
"No way..."
"Retreat with all the ships!"
Alice nodded her head as she moved forward.
"From now on, we will handle this."
Raon sent Lawaine a look of appreciation and stepped on the Supreme Harmony Steps.
Uwoooooong!
As he stepped onto the water, the entire surface began to turn blue.
Crrrrrk!
The sea froze, and the marine monsters submerged below lost their breath. The breath of death, freezing souls at a mere touch. If it spread unchecked, not only the monsters but also the humans would be exterminated.
Chiing!
Alice stepped into the air and drew her sword. The aura, shimmering without color, twisted space.
Cheoeoeoek!
The spatial sword she unleashed split Kaivar's icy breath rising from the depths in half, but the aftermath still lingered.
Hwaaaa!
Raon enveloped both the Heavenly Drive and Requiem Sword in the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. The breath of the fire dragon, emanating from both blades, collided with the breath of ice that sought to engulf the world.
Kuwaaaaaaang!
The clash of ice and fire on the sea surface caused a tremendous explosion. White steam rose across the entire sea. It was more than the Fog Tribe's mist.
"Kugh..."
Raon bit his lip. The icy breath, true to its nature as the dragon's ultimate attack, penetrated his high water resistance. His bones and flesh felt like they were freezing.
'But I will endure!'
If I don't endure here, it means nothing!
To save many people, he had stood by and watched others die. If he couldn't do anything, there was no reason for him to be here.
Kugugugugu!
Raon released all the energy amplified by the Ring of Fire.
The flames on his sword, which had been subsiding, flared up like the wings of a bird, melting the rising ice entirely.
Hwaaaaaa!
In the end, Kaivar's breath of ice froze only the Kraken and the monsters, not killing a single human.
But Kaivar's attack wasn't over. This time, a powerful flow of mana was felt from the seabed, as if intending to unleash a massive spell.
"Everyone, retreat!"
As soon as Lawaine's shout was heard, dozens of lights burst from the turbulent sea.
Chiing!
Alice pointed her sword at the sea. The red blade twisted space, and the spells rising from the seabed were cut diagonally.
Kugugugugu!
Though they were sliced before emerging, the purity of Kaivar's mana was so strong that a massive shockwave began to erupt from within the sea.
'This time...'
Raon wielded the Glacier, extending both swords. The silver tree that sprouted on the blade grew into hundreds of ice flowers.
It was a Fire Spirit using the energy of frost.
Cheojeojeojeok!
The fragments of ice, like cherry blossoms, sank and froze the sea surface, significantly reducing the power of Kaivar's mana explosion.
"Huu..."
Raon breathed heavily, looking at the Kraken, frozen and shattered.
'I'm glad I endured.'
If he had been distracted by the King Sea Serpent or Kraken, they would have been annihilated by the dragon's breath or magic.
Thanks to Alice and Wrath's advice, he managed to block Kaivar's cunning attack.
"Well done."
Alice smiled gently, indicating she had believed in him.
"If I couldn't do this much, there would be no point in coming here."
Raon exhaled a rough breath and looked back. Fortunately, the battleships had retreated far away under Lawaine's orders.
Kugugugugu!
The waves—no, the entire sea—began to shake.
The King Sea Serpent and Kraken's presence was on a different level. It was as if the whole world was screaming.
Puhuhuhung!
A grand shadow spread over the sea surface like a rising moon, and a neck as long as the combined lengths of the battleships rose into the sky.
"Ah..."
Raon swallowed dryly, looking up.
'That's Kaivar, the frenzied dragon.'
The scales shone with a mysterious light, as if enveloping the sea, and the neck encased by those scales was as thick as the combined hulls of the ships. It was so long it was hard to see with the eyes, like a grand boulevard in a royal capital.
At the top of the sky-reaching neck, fins like fish blades were raised, exuding an aura of elegance like an art piece.
Kugugugugu!
As Kaivar bent its neck, its head was revealed. The diamond-shaped pupils gleamed above the thick scales that seemed to withstand even Astral Energy, blocking out the sun. The world darkened as if night had fallen.
The horns were peculiar. Unlike the right horn, which stood like a spire, the left horn was broken in half.
But that seemed to reveal its madness even more.
"This is..."
Kaivar, the frenzied dragon.
As Alice had said, Kaivar's size was beyond human capability. Even endlessly spreading Astral Energy might not be able to cut its neck.
-Hmm, that lizard looks familiar.
Wrath stroked his chin, looking at Kaivar. He seemed about to say something strange again, so Raon ignored him.
"From now on, focus. This is the beginning."
Alice took a deep breath, gripping her sword tighter. She, too, was tense, her eyes narrowed.
-Anyway, that lizard's meat looks nice and plump
As expected, Wrath started spouting nonsense. It was an insane comment for the situation, but it eased the tension.
Kroooooo!
Kaivar roared at the sun. The sea seemed to be pressed down, and a terrifying storm rose, erasing the sun.
The roar was so loud it felt like his eardrums would burst, and for a moment, he heard nothing.
[You vermin!]
Kaivar, glaring at the sun, turned its head downward. The reptilian eyes bore down on Raon and Alice.
"Hmm..."
Raon's fingertips trembled.
'Is it a dragon word?'
The voice itself seemed imbued with the power of dragon words, filling his heart with terror.
But having endured the aura of other demon kings and Glenn's pressure, it wasn't unbearable.
"You pathetic lizard, sneaking around to ambush because you're scared!"
Raon struck his chest with his fist, shouting.
"Raon?"
[....]
Alice's eyes widened, and Kaivar's gaze focused on them.
"You call yourself a frenzied dragon, but in reality, you're just a cowardly lizard."
Raon's voice echoed arrogantly, as if Wrath had taken over his mouth.
[There's no need for righteousness against vermin that bring danger to this world.]
Hatred and murderous intent flared in Kaivar's eyes.
"That's you. You're the one destroying cities and nature!"
Raon clenched his teeth. He had seen countless corpses in the ruined Aikar and felt a surge of anger at Kaivar's words.
[Human. You resemble that one in the eyes.]
Kaivar's eyes narrowed, filled with loathing.
"That one?"
[Do you know?]
Kaivar pulled its forward-leaning neck back. As it did, the hidden sun reappeared, and the storm receded.
[Only humans can summon the demon king from the Devildom to this land.]
"..."
Raon didn't answer.
'That's...'
He had heard tales of humans summoning demon kings with their negative emotions and had seen one of the actual summoners beside him. But he had never heard of other races summoning demon kings.
"So what!"
Alice also frowned, indicating she hadn't heard anything else either.
[Only humans' filthy emotions can summon a demon king that disturbs the balance of this continent. That's why you are nothing but pests to this land.]
As Kaivar's voice grew louder, the air hummed with vibrations. It felt like his ears would fall off.
[And the demon king is a being that should never exist in any dimension.]
-That arrogant lizard is going to die !
Wrath trembled with rage, glaring at Kaivar.
"You talk as if you've seen a demon king yourself. From what I see, you're more unnecessary than a demon king."
Raon smirked at Wrath.
[That would be because you've never seen a demon king.]
Kaivar's eyes emitted a chilling aura.
[The demon king. The blue demon king killed my kin who moved to maintain the balance of the continent...]
Kaivar ground its teeth as if recalling the event.
[It roasted the corpse and chewed it. If you haven't seen that pure evil and savagery, then shut your mouth!]
"Ah..."
Raon's jaw trembled as he glanced at Wrath.
'The reason this dragon went mad is...'
Was it because of this guy?
Frosty breath escaped Kaivar's mouth. The icy aura seemed to flow out automatically from its rage.
[That thing broke my horn while trying to save its kin, mocked me to grow fatter so it could eat me later! All humans who summon such a creature should die!]
Raon nodded firmly at the realization.
'It's him.'
All because of that freeloader of a demon king...