Chapter 236: The Tyrant on the Sea (2)
Swoooosh... swoooosh...
I came to my senses feeling the scorching sunlight and the touch of seawater soaking my arms.
Crackle.
After confirming that the mana circuits flowing through my body were functioning normally, I checked every part of my body from the fingertips to the tips of my toes and even the tip of my dick to make sure there was no damage or issues while I was unconscious. Only after confirming that everything was fine did I focus on my physical sensations.
"Haaah..."
As I opened my eyes, my throat burning with thirst, I felt the sting of sunburn on my face under the intense ocean sunlight. But thanks to my instincts surrounding my body with mana while I was unconscious, my skin was mostly protected. Other than a slight stinging, there were no serious problems.
I wasn't injured, and though my ankle had twisted in the water currents, I quickly set it back in place with my hands. It was only a mild dislocation, easily recovered.
Pop.
"Grrgh..."
The ground beneath me was soft, making it hard to keep balance. My lips were parched from dehydration while I was passed out, so I moistened them with saliva and activated my mana circuits to forcibly improve my physical condition, then surveyed my surroundings.
Swoooosh...
"Where am I?"
The seawater lapping against my feet, and the ground beneath supporting my body.
It didn't feel like a typical island—no sandy beach beneath my feet. The ground was slippery and squishy, and in front of me were twin islands that resembled breasts.
Two mounds the size of houses, with a slight gap between them, shaped unmistakably like a pair of tits—except there were no nipples at the top.
'Damn, how starved am I to see floating islands and think of boobs?'
Regardless of how they looked, the important thing was survival. I checked if there was any source of water nearby. Touching the submerged part of the island revealed a smooth texture that likely wouldn't let fresh water seep through—no freshwater to be found.
Knock knock.
Besides, since I thought any battle would take place on the warships, I hadn't brought any water in my canteen, thinking I wouldn't need it. Now I had nothing to drink.
'I'm so thirsty.'
Whether from the seawater or the long exposure to the hot sun, I was dying of thirst. I imagined tangy fruits to stimulate saliva and somewhat ease the thirst while I looked around for any landforms that might provide water.
I walked past the tit-like twin islands, heading downward over a slightly submerged and uneven terrain, then up a small, round hill poking out of the sea.
"So this island is stretched out lengthwise?"
From the tit-like part, I stepped onto a softer area and found a small well-like hole. Sticking my hand inside, I touched the water and felt it dry out my skin with its saltiness. It was just evaporating seawater.
"If there's a hole, I can make water."
I filled my canteen with seawater, shook it to sanitize, dumped the contents, then refilled it and poured it into the small pit.
I firmly pressed the canteen into the hole, covered it with my clothes, then tied my belt around the center to weigh it down. Normally, I'd wait for the sunlight to evaporate the water... but I was about to die of thirst, so I pulled out my Mana Saber.
'If I just boil this water, it'll be too hot to drink... maybe there's another way.'
Instead of heating it, I vibrated it using mana to cause evaporation. I inserted my hand under the tilted cloth and released vibrating mana. Soon, I felt moisture soaking my arm.
Vrrrrrmmm!
'Is there a whale nearby?'
Hearing what sounded like a whale's call in the distance, I managed to distill about half a canteen's worth of water and chugged it down.
Gulp. Gulp.
"Aaah! That hits the spot!"
My sun-dried, salt-covered body was finally coming back to life.
This time I could take my time collecting water. I set up the distillation again and continued exploring the island.
'Flat and comfy, but too squishy.'
The twin island area was solid, but down here, the ground felt like it would sink underfoot. I lowered my posture, spread out my weight with my hands, and carefully advanced.
"Seaweed?"
I saw seaweed growing below. The bluish-green strands swayed under the water.
'Can I eat this?'
I grabbed a piece and tried to pull it, but its roots were too deep. Since the unstable ground made pulling hard, I took out my dagger, cut a few strands, and chewed them.
"What the hell is this taste?"
Thanks to the salty seawater, it was seasoned... but it was rubbery and fishy and didn't break down well. Definitely not edible seaweed.
I spat it out and moved forward. The terrain split like a canyon, revealing parts of the island swaying underwater. With no safety gear, it was too dangerous to go into the water, so this was as far as I could explore.
Swoooosh—
The periodic sound of waves... I considered using my Mana Saber to send a distress signal, but the glare off the water during the day would make that difficult. I'd have to wait for nightfall.
'I got caught in that water pillar during the fight with the fishmen this morning. It must be afternoon now... still some time until sunset.'
No sign of warships nearby. Either the sunlight hid them, or I had drifted too far, or they retreated after the fishmen attack.
Swooooosh...
'Huh?'
Suddenly, the wave patterns changed.
What had been gentle waves now foamed and surged, enough to cover most of the island and even flood the pit I'd set up.
Just like the fishmen's wave that swept me away before.
'It's coming.'
Exactly the same as before.
No killing intent.
It felt more like a panicked swarm approaching. The distant ocean darkened, revealing countless fishmen swimming within.
'How many are there?'
Normally I'd retreat to avoid the incoming wave, but I wasn't an aquatic creature. This wasn't a coastal area. I couldn't just swim away. Getting washed off this island meant certain death.
So I had to fight to defend this spot from the fishmen. And since I was likely to run short on food, using the fishmen as nourishment wasn't a bad idea either.
'As long as they don't come in overwhelming numbers...'
Luckily, the group seemed to be veering slightly away from the island. If I only had to deal with a few stragglers, that was manageable...
"Huh?"
Their trajectory shifted.
They were now converging straight toward the island, aiming to overrun it.
"What the hell is this... and what's that...?"
Killing intent.
A dense wave of killing intent I hadn't felt from fishmen before now surged from beyond the blackened tide.
Not from the fishmen wave itself—but something even stronger pushing behind it. The malice was so thick it made my skin prickle and tightened the muscles in my fingers.
Predators usually don't emit such killing intent when hunting prey.
To them, it's just mealtime. There's no hatred. And if they did, the prey would sense it and run. So they avoid revealing it.
But this was different.
Pure, unfiltered bloodlust.
Not a predator preparing a meal—but something playing with its prey.
Boom!
A sound like a leather pouch bursting, and a fishman shot into the air.
"Guaaaagh!!"
Bright red blood sprayed from its mouth, and its abdomen spilled eggs—like a human's intestines gushing out. A fatal wound.
Boom! Boom!
More fishmen were launched, vomiting blood midair, their bodies torn or split in half upon crashing back into the sea.
'It's coming.'
The source of the killing intent approached.
Six distinct waves of intense malice surged through the fishman tide, dorsal fins slicing through water. Any fishmen blocking them were either bisected or blasted aside and killed instantly.
Swoooosh!
The black wave broke apart and retreated before reaching the island. The six beings causing the slaughter finally appeared, leaping into the air in triumph.
"Ah...!"
I couldn't help but exclaim in awe.
Smooth, black skin. What looked like white eyes were actually patterns on their foreheads. Hidden between those markings were true, murderous eyes. Sharp, serrated teeth. Strong, powerful tail fins.
"Orcas!"
Orca merfolk... no, more accurately, they were orca beastkin. Mammals, after all.
Swoooosh!
The massive wave of killing intent rushed closer. Instinctively, I gripped my Mana Saber and took a combat stance. The orcas' eyes fixed on me—and then, they all leapt onto the island at once.
Flap flap.
"It's a human!"
"A human!"
Including their tails, they were around 5 meters long. Even accounting for tail size, they were about the size of ogres. But the moment they saw me, they completely erased their bloodlust and rubbed their heads against me.
'Huh...?'
They were overflowing with killing intent just seconds ago... what the hell are they doing now?