"It's fine, Alex. A true knight would not go back on his word but we can rest on the Ten Monument Island, right?"
Eder chuckled softly. Hearing this, other knights dropped their hostility but Jed's fury rose. "Sir Eder, you're clearly in no state to move for the next few days! Why—!"
A piercing scream tore through the air as a massive whirlpool formed beneath the ship. Tentacles burst out of the water, wrapping around the ship's hull as the Kraken emerged from the water, more furious than ever, its grotesque form looming right next to the deck.
"My God…" Merari stammered, paralyzed by the sight of the gigantic beast so close.
The ship groaned under the immense pressure of the tentacles. In no time, the ship would be destroyed and they would have nothing to sail the water. This meant nothing more than death!
The Kraken slapped its tentacle at David, hurling him into the water and wrapped its tentacle around Eder. But before it could crush him, a brilliant flash of light sliced through the limb, severing it cleanly.
The Kraken shrieked in agony and turned its enraged gaze onto the man who had dared to harm it. Asher stood there, his short snow-white hair and a brown cloak hiding his physique.
It hadn't paid him any heed before because he didn't seem to have force and it only fed on beings with force. But now, the force radiating from this little being made it feel heavy!
There was a certain gleam in those vibrant golden eyes of his that made it believe that he was no longer a human but a beast, a monster in his own right.
It was like facing a huge land beast that was eyeing it with hunger.
"I'll take it from here," Asher said, his voice low and resolute. "I might not be able to fight the Kraken and protect Eder at the same time, so I trust you will keep him safe."
Alex and Merari nodded without hesitation.
With a powerful leap from his right leg, Asher propelled himself forward before unleashing a massive crimson sword light laced with ice crystals!
The Kraken crossed its heavily scaled forearms to block the incoming slash. After blocking the slash, the creature opened its mouth and let out a shriek that rattled the knights to their core.
Unfortunately, the attack came too late. Asher was already before it. The moment his foot struck its abdomen, a searing, red-hot sigil in the shape of a wolf's head burned itself into the creature's skin!
Empyreal Sigil Stomp!
The Kraken reeled backwards, its massive form staggering from the impact. Taking advantage of the moment, Asher dashed toward its head. With a precise stroke, he plunged his sword into its right eye. The blade pierced clean through to the other side, leaving jagged shards of ice protruding from its skull.
Witnessing the scene, Jed's pupils shook. The Kraken—an apex beast capable of dealing with imperial-ranked knights, even handling several at once when fighting in its domain—had been brought down by one man. A mere noble with nothing but a fine steel sword had done what he never imagined.
The colossal beast crashed into the water while Asher landed on the ship's deck, panting softly. While the battle might have looked easy, it was more stressful than fighting an entire horde. One mistake would have cost him his life.
"How is Sir Eder?" Asher asked, still gasping for breath.
"He's—!" Alex's words were cut short as massive tentacles erupted from the water. They lashed out with terrifying speed before wrapping around Asher and dragging him into the sea with a thunderous splash.
Alex was about to jump into the water but Jed and Jesiah held him back.
"It's pointless!" Jesiah said bitterly, shaking his head.
"What are you talking about?" Merari frowned.
Jed's voice was grim. "You must offer a sacrifice when you want to slay a Kraken. It is said the Kraken will always seek vengeance on those who harm it, even after its death. Its body remembers who attacked it. That's why it came for Sir Eder… but it wasn't dead."
"You knew this and you allowed my lord to be the sacrifice!" Alex's eyes burned with fury and his battle force flared to its peak, manifesting as tendrils of raw energy. The temperature around him increased sharply, forcing Jed and Jesiah to back away.
"What are you doing? Fighting won't help. Let's go before he's taken to the depths!" A deep voice rang causing everyone to turn toward David who had just swam his way to the ship. He looked like a muscular shark man, lethal and ferocious.
Without waiting for a response, David threw himself back into the sea. The others, except for Jed, Jesiah and the unconscious Eder, remained onboard. Being knights, they saw a man who aided them as a comrade.
While this happened on the sea's surface. Deep under the sea, Asher struggled furiously. His face contorted and the veins on his neck and forehead bungled as he struggled to break free from the tentacles, which held him in an iron grip. More than three tentacles wrapped around him, dragging him deeper into the ocean's abyss.
His lungs burned as he sank along with the Kraken's lifeless body. Oxygen slipped away with each bubble that escaped his nostrils.
In a desperate move, Asher summoned his strength. Thick ice spikes erupted from his body, piercing the tentacles from all sides. But instead of loosening the tentacles' grip tightened further. Then, with a sudden burst of force, the tentacles tanked him downward with a terrifying speed.
It was so fast that Asher lost control and in the next moment, he slammed the seabed heavily! Dazed, he turned his head and froze. The Kraken's body loomed before him, its eyes locked onto him. His eyes narrowed to the limit.
Only after realizing that the creature was already dead that his rapidly beating heart calm. That slam was its death throes—its last, vengeful attempt to make sure he dies.
Asher's face turned more red and more bubbles left his mouth as he began to suffocate. With no other choice, he quickly slit his palm with his sword.
A ripple of energy surged through the water and ten meters away, a figure materialized—a man clad in gleaming armor. Almost instantly, the gray-haired man raised a hand and in an instant, a dome of shimmering energy formed around them, forcing the water away.
Asher collapsed to his knees, coughing violently as he gulped down some precious air.
The man turned toward him, his glowing white eyes fixed on Asher's trembling form. Although weak and puzzled, Asher swiftly realized that Atticus couldn't appear inside of him because right now he had no flesh.
Right now, he was a spirit.
"Lord Atticus," he rasped, rising unsteadily to his feet.
Atticus averted his eyes from Asher. "You are not supposed to be here."
Asher's brow furrowed. "I am here for Sirius."
Atticus's expression became solemn, his tone turning grave. "I don't mean that. You should not be standing where you are."