“Yuriel! Hack that thing to pieces! Now!”
Charlotte shouted as loud as she could at the soldier who was just grabbing a nearby battleaxe. He was considerably taller than the rest of the crew and had the muscles to back it up as he raised the two handed weapon with only one hand above his head.
“On it Captain!” His black irises seemed to emit a dark red glow as he shouted. “Die will you?!”
With one powerful swing of the axe, he sank the blade about two meters inside the red tentacle before it started to thrash around.
“Woah!”
Luka had his saber out on the other side but was almost smacked by the appendage.
“Argh! Stand! Still!” He forced the axe deeper while holding the shaft with both hands as if trying to keep it in place but to no avail. “Huh?! Ahhh!”
Suddenly, the tentacle lifted up and the sheer force flung Yuriel as if it was swatting an insect alongside his battleaxe into the open sea.
“Yuriel!” Charlotte yelled as she was trying to turn the vessel away from the monster but another three of its tentacles started to envelop the ship rendering it practically immobile. “Dammit!
Cecile tried to make use of her own saber as she jumped off the helm in order to slash the tentacle closest to the mast of the ship only for her blade to bounce right off its rubbery skin.
“What the-?!” She used the bounce and flipped the blade upside down in the air as she stabbed the whole blade into it. “I did it! Wai-!”
However at that moment, the tentacle flicked at her legs which caused her to fall over on it which then the appendage coiled around her body and lifted her into the air.
“Cecile!” Luka shouted as he rushed at the tentacle with his saber. “I’ll help you!”
“Let go! Damn you!”
She tried to free herself from its grasp but it was futile. The tentacle was wide enough to grasp her entire upper body but it was still somehow nimble enough to tighten around her without crushing her. It was as if the monster was toying with its prey.
Before Luka could attempt to slice the appendage, a shadow ran past him.
“Huh?!”
“Hmph!”
A single swing was all it took for the tentacle to be cut down.
“Ahhhh!” Cecile fell along the dismembered limb that somewhat cushioned her fall against the wooden deck. “Ugh!”
At least she was free from the tentacle’s grasp as she tossed the lifeless limb aside.
Upon glancing to her side, she noticed Krieg standing there, holding the blue stained longsword parallel to his body with both hands. Lightning crackled nearby and the thunder rocked the air almost instantly as it struck.
Each of the tentacles had a mind of its own and decided to attack the person who was able to cleanly cut one of them down. Krieg readied his grip as he prepared for an onslaught.
Inside the ship, Phoebe was still holding on to Leona but the shaking was getting worse by the second as she was forced to use both her feet against the door frame in order to not be flung across the floor.
“What is going on?!”
She shouted at Percival who was also having a hard time holding onto the door frame.
“We must have been hit by the storm!” He explained as best as he could as the sounds of crashing waves and roaring thunder was muffling his voice. “But even so! This is definitely not normal! Take Lady Leona inside! It’s too dangerous out here!”
He grabbed the doorknob from Leona’s room and opened it. However before they could even move, the ship shook again with incredible force side to side forcing Phoebe’s back off the wooden wall for a split second before slamming her with full force against it again.
“Ugh!”
With a loud thud she hit the back of her head which instantly knocked her out. Her arms became limp and Leona was about to roll off down the hallway if not for Percival to get a hold of both of them by throwing himself on the floor.
“Lady Phoebe! Lady Phoebe?! Get a hold of yourself! Lady Phoebe!”
Meanwhile, inside Leona’s mind, she was having her final conversation with the guest that inhabited her soul. He was slightly taller than her as he stood by her side looking towards the withering tree.
“Akamui, that is what we call this terrible monster of the sea.”
She stared intently at him as if trying to recall anything she might have heard about it but nothing came to her mind.
“Then what do you propose I do?”
“If you can flee, do so without a second thought.” He raised his sheathed blade and stared at the worn hilt, it was almost as if it was beginning to rust right before his eyes. “However if that proves to be impossible, make use of everything you have at your disposal. Even with my skills, I was unable to cut through it.”
It took a few seconds before she pulled the silver longsword from its sheath; raising it similarly to Krieg’s stance. She took a deep breath as her fingers adjusted the grip around the sword’s handle while a light golden glow coursed through her body towards her hands. While the amount of mana wasn’t anything to write home about, she was able to coalesce it in a tiny point at the tip of the blade, thanks to her heightened focus.
This pinpoint accuracy allowed her otherwise ordinary attack to become much denser—something that was required to slash through tougher opponents. Leona took a firm step with her right foot and swung the blade diagonally.
“Hmph!”
The flash of light was brief and the tree began to topple over its left side shortly after. For a moment, Miyamoto was surprised with his mouth half open as he watched the withered tree fall to the ground and lift up dust. His surprised expression slowly gave place to a proud smile.
“Heh… so this is your answer.”
She stood firm and sheathed her blade. Her eyes were sharp and filled with determination while looking at the giant cut stump.
“I, by no means, have surpassed your skill yet. But to protect those I cherish and my ideals, I will embrace whatever power I can to achieve so. You have my word, Lord of Nara.”
In turn, he sat down behind her using his scabbard to support his weight. With a relieved smile he looked at the settling dust with a longing gaze.
“I am but a relic of the past. A wandering shade destined to suffer for eternity and yet… I’m nothing if not grateful to you. Leona.” His body was glowing ever so slightly. As if he was turning into a spirit. “May my experience grant you the power that you need in this journey. Make your mother proud…”
At that moment she turned around only to witness his sword hitting the grass floor of the forest. She briefly walked to where the sword was before kneeling beside it. The moment her hand touched the weapon, her mind was flooded with memories of a forgotten past. The happiness of his marriage, the joy of having a child, the pride of a nation, the grief of loss and the despair of untold destruction. It was intense, violent even. She wasn’t sure if she could handle such ardent emotions until she remembered her mother’s final smile. It was then everything suddenly went white—a blinding light forced her to squint her eyes.
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Suddenly, Leona woke up. The crashing waves, creaking wood and roaring thunder assaulted her senses as she frantically looked around to gain her bearings only to see Percival looking pale.
“Percival?! What is happening?!”
She shouted which seemed to snap the butler out of whatever was plaguing his mind. He looked relieved but worried at the same time while he was trying his best to explain the whole situation.
“There is something attacking the ship! I wasn’t able to confirm but Lady Phoebe was knocked out while trying to protect you my lady!”
A memory came to her mind in that brief moment.
‘Akamui, that is what we call this terrible monster of the sea.’
She turned to him while holding onto the doorknob.
“I’ll head outside! Keep Phoebe safe for me!”
“Yes my lady!”
Upon dashing outside she already noticed a large amount of water coming down the staircase leading to the upper deck. Not only that but water seemed to be entering between the planks of the side walls, as if the ship was being subjected to great pressure outside.
‘This isn’t good…’
She rushed through the dining hall while avoiding getting hit by a stray bottle of wine that went flying down the hallway. Once she stepped outside, a violent storm crackled with lightning, and red appendages thrashed around the deck as if searching for prey.
“Cut it! Cut it to pieces!”
Charlotte’s voice came from somewhere on the deck but with the torrential rain and vicious tentacles flailing about, visibility was nearly impossible.
“Leona! Watch out!”
Krieg shouted from somewhere on her left. She noticed one of the nearby appendages suddenly flick towards her with incredible speed. Thanks to Krieg’s reflexes, he was able to stop it just barely from hitting her by carving his longsword into its rubbery flesh.
Even before her brain could register what was happening, Leona brought her left hand on the sheath before quickly drawing the longsword in an upwards slash that released a thread-thin mana blade, managing to cut through the thick appendage.
‘Wha… what just happened?’
She was dumbstruck. Her body felt light and as though what she just did was out of instinct, her limbs felt much more responsive. Krieg on the other hand, quickly swung his weapon to the side which forced the dismembered extremity of the tentacle off his blade into the ocean.
“Leona are you alright?!”
“Huh?! Ah, yes I’m fine! Thank you Krieg!”
“Be careful!” He shouted while putting his blade up once again in his usual fighting stance. “This thing is wrecking the ship apart! We need to drive it out!”
“I’ll see what I can do!”
Dark storm clouds gathered around as if they were being drawn to this mythical creature. Lightning sundered the air but it seemed to avoid hitting the ship or the monster as if it was being redirected by some strange force.
The creature’s tentacles began to encroach the ship from all sides. It was only a matter of time before it could grab a hold and snap the vessel in two. Cecile and Luka were in a vain struggle trying to fend off the weakened tentacles from the port side with their sabers while Charlotte was attempting to pierce through one by shooting it with her revolver.
“Damn you! Let go of my ship!”
The grim situation needed a solution. It was then when Leona shouted.
“Krieg! Take the left side! Help them however you can!” She grabbed the longsword sheath and ran to the opposite side. “I'll do what I can!”
“Leona!” Seeing her sprint towards danger was like putting a dagger through his heart, but he knew that in a situation like that, fast and decisive action would dictate the outcome of the battle. There was nothing for him but to pray for her safety. “Don’t you dare to get hurt!”
Rain and salt water had soaked her down to the bone. The freezing cold wind assaulted her senses, numbness was beginning to take hold and yet, her conviction was second to none.
Time felt like it came to a crawl as three tentacles had emerged from the waters below and just like before, it decided to attack the closest person to them—Leona.
In the single moment where her right fingers embraced the sword’s hilt, a bright flash of light shone from her scabbard as she drew the blade. Unknown words came to her mind, as if it was a rehearsed act.
“Reveal thy might! Yoshitsune!”
With an uncharacteristic shout, she delivered a diagonal upwards slash that was able to cleave through all of them with a bright blade of pure concentrated mana. But in the same moment as she swung her arm out, the skin from the base of her right shoulder to the very tip of her fingers seemed to burst open from the sudden exertion.
“Ugh!”
Blood splattered across the deck which was quickly washed away by the rain. The cut tentacles flailed about before sinking back into the ocean alongside the others that were attacking the opposite side.
Seeing how they were retreating made Krieg relieved for a second before he heard the sound of metal clattering against the wooden floor. Once he turned he saw Leona kneeling down with her left hand holding her bloodied right arm. Her frostburnt silver longsword was beside her on the floor.
“Leona!” He rushed to her side. “What happened to you?”
She smiled at him, albeit she couldn’t hide the pain in her expression.
“I went a bit overboard… I think… I shouldn’t have used this technique so early…”
A few seconds passed of nothing happening which at first made the rest of them sigh in relief.
“Is it over?” Charlotte held her revolver up before slowly holstering it. “This damn monster, I swear I-”
She couldn’t even finish her sentence as not one, not two, but all eight tentacles emerged from the ocean on the starboard side of the ship. Alongside the tentacles, a giant bulbous red gelatinous head emerged from behind them, its two glossy eyes seemed to be focused on destroying the plaything that caused it so much pain.
“This can’t be…”
Leona quietly uttered as she looked at the monstrosity that was many times bigger than the ship.
Without wasting time, it slammed four of its tentacles on the starboard of the ship. Violently tilting it to the right.
“Aaaaah!”
“No, no, no!”
“Woaaaah!”
Cecile, Charlotte and Luka were thrown from the left to the right side. The half elf hit her face full force against the mast and was knocked out instantly while the young man and the captain were thrown overboard.
Leona and Krieg were already on the right side, but the slam was so powerful that it sent the two against the wooden railing. Luckily for the tactician, her knight was quick enough to use his own body to shield her.
“Ngh!”
“Krieg!”
“I’m… I’m alright.”
He had hit his back full force against the railings that snapped in two with his weight. But thankfully he was able to keep himself conscious.
“We need… we need to drive this thing back!” Leona clenched her teeth in pain. She saw her silver longsword caught against the railings beside them before grabbing its hilt as it was their last chance for surviving. She stood up and raised the blade again in a long point guard. “I will do this… no matter the cost…!”
Krieg noticed what she was planning and wanted to stop her, but deep down he knew if he stopped her, then no one could protect the ship. He stepped in front of her with his sword raised in a plow guard.
“I’ll do my best to protect you, Leona.”
She nodded while adjusting the grip on her weapon.
“Let’s end this Krieg.”
The monster’s eyes seemed to lock in Leona as if it knew who the person who wounded it the most was. One of the unharmed tentacles coiled on itself which made the tactician wonder what was happening to it, but to Krieg it was a familiar sight.
“Stay behind me!”
He shouted and the moment he did, the tentacle lashed forward like a crackling whip. It was a matter of milliseconds when he stepped with his right foot forward before swinging his longsword to his left with all his might. The impact of the blade against the whipping tentacle barely changed its trajectory, narrowly avoiding Leona’s upper body.
For a brief moment she gasped from the cold air that lashed right beside her face.
“Haaaaa!” Though that also served to snap her out of it and in that moment of focus she swung her longsword in an overhead strike. “Huh?”
Unlike before when she unleashed her mana infused slash, her blade made contact with the appendage and simply bounced off the rubbery skin without doing any damage to it.
“WATCH OUT!”
The same tentacle winded up to the side and all Krieg could do was push Leona backwards as the appendage flicked him to the right. He was sent flying down the stairs, violently hitting the dining hall’s table and there is where he stayed, motionless.
“KRIEG! NO!”
She noticed by the corner of her eye, the tentacle raised up as if it was readying itself to slam down on her, however despite the situation, she felt no fear. It was the feeling of helplessness and dread that filled her with untold rage as she picked the fallen longsword off the floor.
The creature seemed to feel this killing intent and brought forth two more tentacles in order to finish the job after playing with its meal. It was the end for her until it happened.
“Fulgent lightning, smite my foes, Chain Lightning!”
A roaring thunder echoed from behind her as a violent burst of electricity surged through nearby tentacles, arcing from one to another as the extreme voltage was enough to overcome the resistance of the air. Dealing enough pain for the tentacles to retreat if only for a little while.
Looking behind her, Leona noticed a familiar black long haired woman clad in the same uniform as the Asteram soldiers. Her deep blue eyes had an intense glare from beneath the hard cap hat she wore, while sparks flew off her outstretched right hand. The tactician couldn’t believe her eyes.
“K-Kaeli?!”