William spun around, his gaze searching for Lia amidst the pandemonium. He saw her lying on the ground, trembling, and knelt beside her, urgently checking her body. "Are you okay, Lia?" he asked, his voice hoarse with worry.
"Yes," Lia replied, her voice barely a thread. "I had to come out... the ceiling collapsed." Her eyes were wide with fear, fixed on the tentacles lashing the deck.
"Follow me," William instructed, taking her arm. They ran, dodging the chaos around them, the ship tilting and groaning beneath their feet. Their goal was the cafeteria area, the only structure that seemed to still be standing, where some were already taking refuge. Upon arriving, William gently pushed her inside. "Get in and don’t come out. Be careful."
Inside, the cooks and the other mage aspirants looked at Lia with a mix of fear and hatred, but none dared to do anything to her. William turned and went back to the deck, plunging into the madness. He began to help the wounded sailors, dragging them to safer spots, away from the tentacles that continued to lash the ship. Captain Thenerev kept cutting the Kraken’s limbs with relentless fury, but the battle seemed impossible. The Kraken had thousands of tentacles, and the fight seemed endless.
William approached the captain, yelling over the din: "Captain, be careful!" Just in time, Thenerev dodged a surprise blow from the Kraken, a tentacle that lunged from a blind angle. Thenerev turned, sweat and blood covering his face. "Thanks for the help, kid," he said, his voice tense. "But you must flee. This place is too dangerous."
"I know," William replied, sword firmly in hand, "but I must fight to kill that thing."
Thenerev let out a bitter laugh, seeing the recklessness in the young man’s eyes, but nodded. "Alright. We just have to hold out a few more minutes, kid. And this will all be over."
William stared at Thenerev intently, and an idea formed in his mind. The mages weren’t here. That meant they must have planned something, a strategy that was about to be executed. They just had to survive a few more seconds against the great beast’s attack.
The few sailors still standing desperately defended themselves from the tentacles, while most of the instructors lay on the ground, half-dead. Even Captain Drevlan had lost an arm and was bleeding out, his body inert.
Eldrin and Roderick attacked the Kraken, but only superficially, their eyes scanning the deck. "Look, Eldrin, there’s that bastard," Roderick whispered, pointing at William. "Let’s kill him. No one will miss him with that thing’s attack."
"Let’s find the opportunity," Eldrin replied, his voice low and cautious. "But it must be stealthy, or we’ll have trouble facing Aurus."
Carefully, they positioned themselves near William, feigning dodging the Kraken’s tentacles to avoid drawing attention. Thenerev yelled to his men: "Buy me a few seconds!" The few sailors formed an arrow in front of him, defending him from the attacks. Thenerev knelt, holding his sword with closed eyes, concentrating. William, beside Thenerev, cut some tentacles that got past the other sailors, his sword gleaming with each strike. A spark of greed flashed in several people, including Eldrin, who couldn’t believe how that brat had a weapon capable of hurting the Kraken.
Thenerev’s voice made the ship tremble, "Everyone, move aside...!" as he launched himself head-on against the Kraken, "Eight Hell Strikes!"
Thenerev began, unleashing a horizontal cut that sliced through dozens of tentacles. Leaping into the air, he continued with a sequence of attacks. Each blow seemed to cleave the air in front of him, but the Kraken intelligently dodged the direct impacts. The cuts barely grazed the beast but left deep, bloody gashes. The last strike left a giant trail that headed directly towards the Kraken’s head. At the last moment, the Kraken opened its eye as wide as possible, releasing a blinding blue ray that easily destroyed the red beam of light, as if it had never been there. The ray continued its trajectory towards the deck, and everyone began to scream and run to dodge the impact.
William also tried to run, but he felt an impact that sent him flying backward. Looking up, he saw Eldrin, who was looking at him with a scornful smile.
The impact sent him flying several meters backward. A blinding blue glow surrounded him, filling him with a sense of calm, like the last time he was about to die. Resigned, he didn’t swing his weapon and just waited for the pain that never came. Opening his eyes, he saw a red dome surrounding him that seemed to stop the blue ray without issue. In his chest, a burning heat made him pull out the necklace he had bought in that abandoned little shop.
In William’s mind, the necklace’s name resonated: "Crimson Shield Level 3."
The bubble cleanly intercepted the attack, but the necklace’s bright red color faded, turning gray, while the large ruby embedded in it exploded, turning into red dust. His life had been saved, but the necklace was completely destroyed; it had been single-use, though it had been worth it. His gaze searched for those responsible for the attack, but they had already run far away. William clenched his teeth, whispering, "Sons of bitches, I’ll destroy all of you and your damn families." William’s rage exploded like a volcano, but he couldn’t do anything to them for now; he could only pretend everything was fine and wait for his opportunity.
Seeing that its attack had been inefficient because of a brat, the Kraken let out a roar that echoed to the heavens, causing even the sea itself to tremble. The power unleashed was so great that everyone on deck fell to their knees, holding their heads as blood poured from their ears and eyes.
Suddenly, a powerful, resonant voice cut through the air, "Enough, beast! Drakthor’s Seal!"
At that instant, four mages appeared in the sky above the ship, their forms illuminated by the chaotic flashes of lightning. They moved with synchronized precision, their hands weaving intricate patterns in the air. A vast, brilliant blue diagram descended from the heavens, expanding rapidly until it enveloped the colossal Kraken, trapping it within its shimmering confines. "You slippery little beast," bellowed the ancient voice of Agis, echoing across the tumultuous sea. "Today will be your end!"