Chapter 17: | A Worthy Foe
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Hours passed as I glided through the currents, heading toward my destination.
But just moments ago, the ground had begun to tremble.
A terrifying presence loomed beneath the sandy dunes.
A massive sandworm?
A Leviathan?
No.
It was neither.
What emerged from the sands was far more menacing, an exoskeleton, then huge limbs rising, scattering sand in every direction and casting a foggy haze into the water.
I stared downward, and my breath caught.
A being straight from a nightmare.
A Goliath.
A gargantuan crab with a fearsome exoskeleton.
I felt sweat form on my back despite being underwater.
Its chitin was monstrous, thick, layered with stone, sediment, coral, mana stones, and even embedded gems.
Its mandibles opened, unleashing a shrill screech.
SCREEEEECH!
The ground trembled again as heavy, thunderous footsteps followed.
Crabs.
Stage 1 crabs, dozens of them, began gathering before the Goliath.
Their claws clicked and snapped menacingly.
Sweat poured down my back as I swallowed hard.
This… this was overkill. That behemoth alone was enough to destroy me, but now it was summoning its entire legion?
Still, I couldn't help but admire its intelligence.
But I couldn't die here.
And I couldn't run either, could I?
Not after finally finding a worthy opponent.
Accel Dash.
Then again.
Accel Dash.
My body blurred and vanished, reappearing before the Goliath, or should I call it Cab?
Its eyes locked onto mine.
The currents screamed as its massive claw descended toward me at a terrifying speed.
Heh.
Phantom Shift.
With the finesse of a veteran acrobat, I twisted my body just inches away from its strike.
Then my exoskeleton-coated tail slammed into its face.
It shrieked in rage.
SHRIEK!
Then the water rippled, and spikes, dozens of them, rained from above.
I glanced at the surrounding crabs and noticed holes riddled through parts of their exoskeletons.
Heh.
Interesting.
I activated Phantom Shift again and again, dodging or deflecting the incoming spikes with my enhanced shell.
Still, several pierced through, embedding into my hide.
I grinned as I narrowly dodged its claw once more.
But I couldn't play around much longer, this was getting dangerous.
Accel Dash.
Phantom Shift.
I repositioned myself behind Cab.
But my instincts screamed too late.
BURST!
CRACK!
Six jagged spikes burst from Cab's back, piercing deep into my stomach.
The bastard predicted my move, launched a preemptive strike just as I arrived.
Spikes rained from above again.
My instincts warned me, but I couldn't move.
If I did, I'd be cleaved in half by its claw.
Crack!
I endured the agony.
The spikes were lodged deep.
Pulling them out carelessly would only worsen the wounds.
Still, I laughed.
Hahaha.
Impressive.
You really pulled that off, Cab.
But what can you do now?
Your back is exposed.
You've used up your spikes.
Your subordinates can't reach me at this height.
You're doomed.
Accel Dash.
Again.
And again.
I cut through the water, rising rapidly.
Then, hundreds of meters above from Cab, I stopped.
Then.
I plummeted like a meteor.
Accel Dash.
Accel Dash.
I ignored my instincts screaming about incoming spikes.
Pain flared as the spikes pierced my exoskeleton and flesh, but I didn't stop.
Phantom Shift.
At the last second, I twisted, tail-first.
BOOOOM!
CRAAACK!
Cab's spider-like legs buckled.
Its massive body slammed into the ocean floor.
Blood gushed from its mandibles.
Its thick exoskeleton cracked wide open.
I locked eyes on its back, torn open, insides exposed.
But my own vision blurred.
More spikes rained down, stabbing into me.
Some pierced deep.
Pain wracked my head.
Then a claw smashed into me, sending my body flying.
And the last thing I saw.
A massive sphere of bile forming beneath Cab's mandibles, spinning rapidly.
Then.
It fired.
The orb made of bile tore through the water, heading straight for me.
I chuckled bitterly.
How funny.
Cab's was more dangerous than expected.
Then.
Agony.
The bile seared through my exoskeleton, burning into my flesh.
My limbs failed me.
Darkness crept into my vision.
And I fell.
CRASH!
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The Lake of Dreadnought was as peaceful as ever.
Merchant ships cruised across the waters, while pirates raided the unlucky few who couldn't defend themselves.
This was daily life in the Fantasia Continent, a land governed by the Empire of the Sun Emporium, ruled by the so-called Sun God, or the Avatar of the Sun, as some called him.
Yet, only thirty percent of Fantasia was land.
At the center of the continent lay an enormous body of water, the Lake of Dreadnought.
Today marked the day we would hunt the Radiant Leviathan.
Just days ago, the high council received a report from Vice-Captain Gregory regarding the death of Admiral Kalix.
With Kalix gone, Gregory was promoted to admiral.
And I, Thereon, was honored with leading this expedition to slay the Radiant Leviathan, a Sovereign-class monster, and claim its head as my trophy.
Bwahahahaha! How thrilling indeed.
My gaze swept across the vessels under my command.
My authority was absolute.
Five military ships would obey my every order.
Only generals held the right to command such a fleet.
But with all the generals preoccupied with subjugating a Stage 2, Tier 8 Champion Kraken near Puerto Scadia, thousands of miles away from the continent, the council had no choice but to grant me full control.
The waters began to tremble as runic-engraved mithril nets descended into the depths.
I licked my lips, bloodlust pulsing from my body.
My hand gripped the hilt of my sword tightly.
Any moment now, the Radiant Leviathan would appear.
Then.
SPLASH!
BOOM!
The vessels quaked as a massive blade burst from the water, slicing through the mithril net and erupting into the sky thousands of meters high before exploding into blinding light.
BOOM!
The runic cannons roared in unison as they launched enchanted cannonballs into the air.
SPLASH!
A horrific creature emerged.
The Leviathan roared.
ROOOAAAAR!
Impressive, this beast stood several hundred meters tall.
Admirals aboard each vessel shouted their commands, their voices synchronized like a symphony of warfare.
Magic and strategy pierced the Leviathan's defenses.
The monster howled in pain as the ships rotated in formation.
Chains wrapped around its body, tightening like a trap.
Just as expected.
After all, how could a mindless beast comprehend the genius of human warfare?
I drew my blade and leapt toward the chains, then leapt again, ascending higher and higher as the battlefield unfurled before me.
Mages and swordmasters surged like moths to a flame.
Bloodlust exploded from me.
With one final leap, I closed my eyes.
---
"Jake… it can't be, right?"
Jake stood stunned, his eyes wide with disbelief as he gazed at Thereon, the commander of the expedition.
"Ken, this is real, right? The commander is actually using his infamous Dragon Slash, right?"
Ken nodded rapidly, shouting.
"We're not dreaming, right...?"
But silence fell upon the battlefield.
Thereon never got the chance to unleash the Dragon Slash.
A blinding spear impaled him mid-air, clean through the chest.
The Radiant Leviathan snarled in fury.
"YOU MONGRELS! HOW DARE YOU INVADE MY TERRITORY AGAIN AND AGAIN!"
Jake trembled violently, his voice cracking.
"Hey Ken? What just happened?"
Ken smiled, but his eyes were hollow.
"I don't know… where that spear came from. But… hey Jake, is it just me, or is it getting really bright..."
Jake could only watch in horror as Ken's body was split clean in half, cleaved by a falling spear of light.
"Heh? Heh? This… this can't be real… right?"
Paralyzed in shock, Jake couldn't process what had happened until a burning pain tore through his shoulders.
A spear of light had severed both his arms.
Before he could even scream, darkness consumed him as blood pooled around his dismembered body.
Within seconds, the entire fleet was annihilated.
The expedition ended in failure.
The Leviathan snorted in disdain.
"Pitiful mongrels. Be more reserved in your next life, and don't stick your noses where they don't belong."
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A soft chuckle echoed through the waters.
"Huhu, it seems this young one overestimated himself a bit too much."
Liora smiled as her eyes settled on the battered body of her descendant.
With graceful hands, she began to pull out the spikes embedded in his flesh, carefully, gently, precisely.
"Such tedious work for a lady as beautiful as I am... but I suppose I can't fault you for being ambitious."
Another chuckle escaped her lips as she looked down at him, her expression softening with faint affection.
She continued to pluck the vicious barbs one by one, admiring the resilience of the one before her.
How had he survived a battle with a Lord-class monster?
Even if it was just a crab, it still carried the power of a Lord-class beast.
Was not something to scoff at.
It wasn't like the creatures she once fought in her past life, monsters powerful enough to rival Deities themselves.
And yet, here she was, reduced to this state due to a single miscalculation.
"But if I hadn't made that misstep,"
she mused aloud.
"I wouldn't have met such a handsome, monstrous descendant."
She giggled, a strange contentment in her voice, as if death had led her to something worthwhile.
"I wonder… are you the one prophesied, from epochs ago?"
Her grin widened.
"Or maybe just a mistake with potential beyond even that prophecy. Either way, I don't really care."
She tilted her head thoughtfully, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"I wonder what your progeny will be like in the future."
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