The sound of violent waves crashing upon the ship thundered in the air, along with the racing heartbeats of those that prevailed till now.

They were played like fools in a slaughter. Ruthlessly tearing their bodies and their wills. To think that the very answers to their predicament lie under their nose...

But no more.

Now, the tables have turned.

A gush of red miasma shrouded the ship in its entirety, creeping down to the last crevices of the boat. Devouring everything without mercy.

Passive "feeder" has taken effect! Enemies will gradually feel fear over time!

Crimson Raven feeds on the fear of the enemies...

Crimson Raven feeds on the blood of his enemies...

Samael's grip tightened, his gaze sharp as a finely honed blade. Waves of Void matter delicately gushed out of his body.

Your weapon grows stronger...

An ear-shattering bang reverberated in the air as a black silhouette zoomed forward akin to an arrow, shattering the sound barrier with ease.

The Arfin's felt their blood run cold, along with a cold shiver drilling down their spines. They couldn't move, blink, or speak. They were merely...

Lambs to a slaughter.

One they started.

But now, one Samael will end.

Samael moved in a zigzag, reaching speeds no mundane eyes could follow. Soon, the sound of bodies plummeting down the deck came one after the other.

The drums of death had begun.

Erubin's eyes trembled, his breath hitched as he watched how the Arfin's stood there. As though frozen in time.

Feeling the warm sensation trickling down his body, his eyes shifted down as he fixed his gaze on his calloused palms.

Blood.

A droplet of blood nested in his palm.

It was raining.

Not water, but blood.

Erubin's gaze traveled down to his foot.

Heads.

The heads of the abominations slaughtering them mere moments ago all fell in a parade of death.

As he laid eyes upon the black figure breezing through the wind, Erubin couldn't help but ask himself:

They were traveling with such monsters?

BANG!

A corpse fell.

BANG! BANG!

Two corpses fell.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Three corpses fell.

Soon, the melody of death danced in the air as continuous, resounding bangs resonated in the deck.

Heads after heads rose high in the heavens, only to fall back to hell.

This was no battle.

This was but a massacre.

Devoured Void Essence of "Arfin" [Larvae II]: +170 pts...

Devoured Void Essence of "Arfin" [Larvae II]...

Devoured Void Essence of "Arfin"...

Devoured Void Essence...

Devoured...

Devoured...

Devoured...

Samael's hand weaved back and forth, cleanly severing heads after heads, his blade soaked crimson.

The Arfins failed to react as Samael's passive, Feeder, took root deep within their hearts. They could only watch as their kin were run down like pigs.

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Cold and merciless, Samael appeared behind an abomination. Swiftly, he grasped the grotesque head of the creature, forcefully ripping it in half with one pull, staining his hands in their filth.

Not wasting another second, Samael dragged his arm back, tearing holes through the abominations skulls residing near him.

"Void latch," Samael muttered.

Onyx-black tendrils of Void matter shot forward, tightly drilling down the flesh of the Arfin's.

With one forceful tug, Samael dragged the abominations towards him, their skin peeling off their bodies as they slid off the crimson-stained deck.

The bundle of abominations came to a halt just before him, squirming in a futile attempt to escape.

They shifted their gaze towards Samael's cold, sharp eyes. They could only watch as he raised his foot high in the air.

BANG!

Then darkness took them.

Samael dragged his foot on the deck, effectively wiping the mushed flesh of the Arfin's under his sole.

Expanding his Void compass further, Samael turned his head north, where the last remaining abominations stood frozen in fear.

Their bodies trembled, and their senses bellowed in alarm. Yet, they couldn't do anything. They knew that no matter what they did, he was still coming. He will never stop.

Samael's footsteps resonated in the deck, leaving hushed echoes in the wooden floor as he leisurely made his way towards the Arfin's, torturing them even further.

There was no mercy for them.

None at all.

With one last bang thundering in the air, it was over. Silence prevailed once more.

"That took you long enough," Ajax mentioned as he carelessly sat on the railings, his feet swinging as though he didn't take care of the abominations crawling up the hull.

"When did you finish?" Samael asked, his eyes wide. As far as he knows, there were far more Arfin's in the hull.

"Some time ago," Ajax briefly replied.

Samael kept silent as he approached the railings, his gaze traveling down the water.

It was still and calm. One would think that it was a sight to behold if it weren't for the fact that it was dyed in the blood of their enemies, along with hundreds upon thousands of their corpses drifting off its surface.

So this is the power of a saint? Samael couldn't help but ask himself.

Ajax managed to dispose of thousands of these Arfin's before he could clear the deck. A feat even he finds hard to grasp.

But logically speaking, a saint is a powerhouse many wish to govern. Yet not many attain Samael thought.

Saints are beings on their way to transcend human limitations. They're creatures capable of inflicting severe damage not just to monsters but to nations alike.

This is the reason why saints are so desired. It is also the reason why each sanctuary has one guardian saint to protect them from dangers posed by abominations.

A sanctuary without a saint is nothing but a sitting duck.

Not only that, but saints are highly rare. You can count how many of them exist in Ergo in the palm of your hands.

Samael's gaze shifted toward Ajax.

Ajax was an unprecedented phenomenon. No one expected his sudden appearance and rise to sainthood.

"It's still a mystery to me how no one has offered you riches to join their organizations," Samael mentioned.

He expected that the moment word of Ajax's feat was spread, they would be flocked by powerful people seeking his help. Yet, they barely encountered any.

"My place is in the wilds, Samael; it's not that there aren't any. They're simply unable to find me," Ajax replied.

"However, some are simply unavoidable," Ajax resumed.

Since the moment Ajax reached sainthood, he's been constantly taking quests for a few simple reasons.

He knew that many would wish to govern him, and he's not the type to serve under someone.

Another factor is that his sudden rank-up gave him power far beyond what he could've imagined. This messed up his control, and Ajax despises such changes.

Unfortunately, there have been a few messages that got past him. No matter how much he wanted to avoid them, there was no escaping the fact that he still had to resupply every once in a while.

Still, Ajax stood firm on his beliefs as he shot down one request after the other.

A soft sigh escaped Samael's lips. He hated politics. It was simply boring and complicated. Why does Ajax have to choose a side when he can be his own master?

The mere thought of serving under someone irks Samael for some reason. So much that it may dampen his mood. Perhaps it's because of his past; he simply doesn't know.

"With this speed, we should be able to reach shore soon," Samael said, his hand reaching out as he felt the wind take pace.

Samael's ears perked up as footsteps trailed towards them. It was Erubin. He was battered, pale, and gasping for air.

"Status?" Ajax asked.

Erubin took a sharp breath before replying. "The men are okay. Some Arfins managed to come down, but they were swiftly disposed off."

"Casualties?" Ajax inquired once more.

Erubin fell silent as he bit his lips hard, enough for blood to trickle down his chin. "...We lost two more men."

Ajax speared a glance forward. No one uttered even a single word. It was the only thing they could do for the fallen.

After their short moment of silence, Ajax rose to his feet.

"Shore is not far off; it should take us no more than two minutes to make land. Prepare your men; we do not know the dangers lurking on the other side of this river," Ajax instructed.

Erubin gave a stiff nod before storming off. The battle has rattled him, but he was a warrior nonetheless. He knew that they may grieve, but grieve only when out of danger's reach.

Samael grasped the cold metal railing as he gazed ahead. The icy sensation of the wind caressing his skin

They survived. It was ov—

Samael's Void compass bellowed in alarm, his hair standing on ends as a cold shiver ran down his spine.

Ajax, on the other hand, jerked his head forward as he shot up, blade in tow.

Samael could feel the tremors resonating within the metal railings and the sudden shift in the wind.

A lone bead of sweat meandered down Samael's forehead.

What is this pressure? Samael wondered.

Then came the earthquake.

Samael and Ajax lowered their stance as the ship rocked uncontrollably, opting for Erubin and his men to tumble in surprise.

Erubin came up the deck, his breathing ragged as he ran up to Ajax and Samael.

"What is going on?!" he asked in a panic.

The air was stale and heavy; it was hard to breathe and move. Whatever was causing the disturbance was doing a great job at it.

Ajax remained silent, his atmosphere grim. His gaze remained fixed on the water, his silhouette steady as stone.

Erubin's gaze darted to Ajax and Samael.

"What is going—" Erubin's words were cut off as Ajax spoke.

"Leviathan cub," Ajax said.

Samael shot a glance at Ajax, a smudge of confusion lingering in his eyes.

Leviathan cub...? He asked himself.

It was a familiar word. But where did he see it?

Wait... Leviathan... Samael thought, his eyes frying open. Dread taking root deep in his heart.

Leviathan. An abomination of great horror. It lurks deep in the depths of the water, waiting for the day it rises to the surface.

A beast of legends. An abomination even Saints fear.

Samael's gaze slowly shifted towards the water, his Void compass reaching deep.

His breath hitched.

"LEVIATHAN CUB!" Samael roared.

Erubin and the rest flinched in surprise, confusion dancing in their pupils.

Erubin came forward. "W-what are you doing?"

"PREPARE THE HARPOONS!" Samael screamed, cutting off Erubin as he hastily ran towards the steel spears hanging on the walls.

Erubin sewed his mouth tight. Whatever was causing the absurd pressure was enough to rattle Samael; this was not normal.

Erubin followed Samael closely as they took the harpoons down for preparation. Some of Erubin's men also came up to provide assistance.

Ajax, on the other hand, remained in his position, dark shadow tendrils swirling behind him.

He had no doubt. What was lurking in the water was a leviathan cub.

That foul stench of rotting corpses accompanied by the smell of salt. This absurd pressure and the cold sensation drilling through their bones.

It was definitely a leviathan cub.

Ajax had many questions pestering his mind. How did a leviathan cub get here? When did it get here? Why was it here?

This creature is known to live deep in the ocean's domain, bathing in the darkness from whence it came.

Leviathan cubs may be young, but they're still the offspring of a full-blown leviathan, an abomination of the morph rank, a being so strong it defies human logic.

If the mother is a morph-rank beast, then this leviathan cub...

Is a saint.