Kal'tsit was just an ordinary person; at least, that's how she saw herself.
Extremely weak, without power, always powerless despite wanting to change things.
If not an ordinary person, then what was she?
A month ago, she finally found time to visit this coastal city in Iberia.
For years, she had wanted to travel to the southern continent to investigate the state of the ocean, but major events kept piling up, leaving her no time to Clone herself.
The Victoria throne was vacant, Ursus's internal strife was escalating, Sargon's King Chief and Pasha were not settling down... and the Sarkaz were plotting another rise.
The leader of this plot was even an old friend of Kal'tsit's, so she had originally planned to go to Kazdel.
However, information sent decades ago by a professor who had met Kal'tsit at Leithanien University and had long studied the Iberian ocean, before he passed away peacefully, caused Kal'tsit to temporarily change her itinerary.
The Aegir Sea was completely dead, having lost all coastal life in recent years, replaced by frequent disappearance cases, but the true identity of the attackers could never be found.
That professor didn't know, but Kal'tsit understood what this was.
The ocean's encroachment on the land was accelerating.
But where were the Aegir people, those who were conceited, self-proclaimed chosen ones, who viewed land dwellers as Elementary beings, yet didn't know how insignificant they were in the Universe?
Although Kal'tsit found this race arrogant and ridiculous, the Aegir people objectively still guarded the entire ocean.
Just over a week ago, probes showed an unresolvable energy burst occurring within Aegir.
Even Kal'tsit herself, in that instant, felt as if she heard a sorrowful and lingering song.
Kal'tsit believed it was necessary for her to uncover the truth behind this, and before that, she absolutely could not be encountered by an Inquisitor, to avoid unnecessary trouble.
However, this operation was much smoother than Kal'tsit had imagined.
Before she could even act, the target of her mission came knocking on her door.
Bang—
Another whip kick, like a goalkeeper kicking off, Skadi, in a red dress and green hat, raised her long, firm leg and kicked a half-human-sized gas tank flying into the dense fog directly above.
The sudden stimulation caused this non-attacking Terrorfish to have a violent stress reaction, and corrosive barbs immediately shot towards the girl's fair skin.
Clink—
But that skin, which looked and felt incredibly delicate, now made a 'clink' sound, like armor cast from alloy, deflecting the spikes.
Immediately after, the Abyssal Hunter's slender hand twisted the sword hilt, and a red light flickered on the blade of the dark mechanical sword.
Hummm——CRACK!
Accompanied by the roar of the doctor's mechanical transmission, the greatsword was swung horizontally with a wrist more slender than the sword itself.
The heavy sword was unedged, but the Abyssal Hunter's blade was both sharp and heavy.
Splat—
As if tearing paper, the Nodule Sea Crawler's shell, tougher than alloy, was easily shredded by the greatsword, oozing bodily fluids full of Impurities.
The greatsword did not stop, but continued to indiscriminately slice through the surrounding Terrorfish, tracing graceful arcs in the air.
Skadi wielded the greatsword, spinning continuously like a ballerina, her crimson skirt and the ribbons on her clothes dancing in the air, like the most exquisite dance.
A waltz of slaughter.
"Heh, the Abyssal Hunter is still so excessively powerful, even the Sarkaz and Dragon Clan's physiques can hardly compare."
Kal'tsit knew the Aegir people and their "creations" very well.
This overly powerful combat capability did not come from nothing; it came at a price.
Kal'tsit neither envied nor wished to learn this insane technique in the slightest.
But an Abyssal Hunter walking onto the shore was a significant event.
"Abyssal Hunters are Aegir's vanguard death-squads, militaristically managed, and also strictly guarded by other Aegir armies. Now there's a stray fish..."
Shaking her head, Kal'tsit could roughly guess what was happening.
Aegir must have undergone a drastic change.
"But why is she wearing those clothes? Aegir people are usually very somber—never mind, it's not as bad as I thought."
Still standing calmly, Kal'tsit was not afraid of the Seaborn in front of her.
In her opinion, everything was still under control.
Bang—
Suddenly, a violent sound came from not far from Kal'tsit, making her turn her head.
"Wh—"
That was no ordinary gunshot.
All power on Terra originated from Originium ore; relying on this special energy, even Laterano firearms were essentially gun-shaped staves.
Although there was still a bang when fired, it was different from the sound she just heard.
Subconsciously, Kal'tsit thought it was the man from earlier, who had used some Originium Arts.
But when Kal'tsit turned her attention and saw the large, old pistol, still emitting wisps of smoke, she couldn't help but open her mouth slightly.
"Flintlock?"
Kal'tsit's eyes widened slightly, and from her mouth came a word that did not exist in this world.
Not everything was under control.
The Aegir matter suddenly wasn't so important anymore.
Agile, nimble, swift, efficient; compared to the Abyssal Hunter who had transformed into a crimson storm, the other person, the man who had just called out Kal'tsit's name, employed completely different Martial Skills.
Dodging and weaving, incredibly flexible, he moved through the surging Seaborn like a small boat, constantly seeking the calmest currents, continuously creating one-on-one and one-on-two opportunities.
Whether it was a barb flying from the side or acid spitting from afar, they would be dodged perfectly, almost coincidentally, before they could hit him.
But Kal'tsit knew it was definitely not a coincidence, but experience that was almost instinctual.
The man held a deformable metal weapon, wielding a staff and lashing a whip in the simplest way, slaughtering the Seaborn one by one.
No, it only looked simple.
Kal'tsit could tell that this fighting technique was a combat style honed through long practice.
Gah——
Facing the encircling Seaborn, the man seemed to be constantly retreating, but the enemies dying under his hand were endless.
The man, wearing a mask, engaged in ruthless slaughter, his gaze barely shifting, yet Kal'tsit knew he was thinking, making precise calculations.
He found the weakest point of each monster, knew exactly how many hits it would take him to dispatch them, and wouldn't waste a single strike.
He even accounted for his own stamina in every move and stance; from beginning to end, his mask showed no fluctuation, not even needing to breathe heavily.
Furthermore, no matter the monster, he would seize the moment of its attack to critically wound and paralyze it with his firearm.
"Supreme Art... No, this is not any known combat technique. He has no connection to Iberia."
Watching the long whip he wielded, slicing open the flesh of Seaborn, Kal'tsit searched her memories for Martial Skills from various countries but found no corresponding combat technique.
And facing those distorted Seaborn, which instinctively caused discomfort, even making Kal'tsit feel a bit uneasy the first time she looked directly at them, no matter how they shrieked or roared, this man remained as firm as steel.
"Could it be a special unit from Iberia fighting the Seaborn... No, impossible."
Kal'tsit knew that there wasn't just one type of enemy around Terra, the Seaborn.
Whether it was south of Sargon's Burning Wind Scorched Earth, or north of Sami and the Ursus Empire, there were extraterrestrial demons different from the Seaborn, and various countries had established corresponding forces to contend with them.
However, Iberia had only recently begun to gradually become vigilant about the ocean, and the Inquisitor forces' investigation into the Seaborn had just begun.
And the man in front of her was not an Inquisitor.
If he were indeed some "anti-Seaborn special unit," Kal'tsit wouldn't have repeatedly warned the Iberian authorities to be extremely careful about the threats in the ocean.
Ultimately, Kal'tsit could only make a rough judgment about this man.
This man was a seasoned hunter; his combat objective was to fight and hunt Seaborn, or perhaps... creatures similar to Seaborn.
She called out Kal'tsit's name, but Kal'tsit never remembered seeing such a man.
"How... interesting."
Rarely, Kal'tsit felt a hint of... curiosity, and her gaze towards the man became a bit more fervent.
She hadn't felt this way in many years.
Kal'tsit... wanted to understand him.
To understand him deeply.
Not far away, the number of Seaborn was visibly decreasing, and this hunt was nearing its end.
Kal'tsit was about to lower her guard, intending to continue communicating with the two similar yet different hunters, but her keen senses suddenly detected a familiar fluctuation.
In the dense fog not far away, dozens of bright lights, several slender dots, streaked through the air, attacking the red-dressed Abyssal Hunter from behind.
And Skadi... was completely unaware of this.
To be precise, at this moment, she didn't even know what Originium Arts were!
"Watch out, firearms incoming—Mon3tr!"
Her eyes sharpened, and behind Kal'tsit's white coat, a giant bulge suddenly rose, as if some behemoth was about to emerge from it—facing an unexpected enemy, she had to act.
But the next second, Goki, who had just been far from Skadi, outside the coverage area of her greatsword, immediately abandoned his surrounding enemies and rushed over without considering stamina consumption.
Bang! Bang—Smack!
A shattering sound rang out. The belated Skadi, seeing the bright lights, then horizontally placed her greatsword, blocking a few bullets.
Pfft—
Then, Skadi's eyes widened as she saw the gushing, vibrant blood.
No, it wasn't her blood. The specially made bullet had pierced her skin's defenses, but it only left a shallow graze on her fair arm.
"Ha, well, at least these weapons are more powerful than the old muskets of the Yharnam people—but this is already the best in the whole village, and my body is just sturdier."
In his hand, the broken wooden shield, roughly pieced together with a few rotten planks, now had several large holes. Goki's mouth was bleeding, and he showed a terrible smile.
Then, he softly collapsed into Skadi's arms, unhesitatingly raising his pistol and rapidly firing in the direction the bullets had come from.
"This time, I'll have to replenish my body well with the blood of the Seaborn—my aim is still very accurate!"
Bang!!!
"Goki! What are you doing, Goki!"
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