Chapter 241: The Demon of the Sea
Jude and Cordelia had experienced all kinds of things in less than a year after they remembered the memories of their previous lives.
They met face-to-face with a sealed Demon Prince, fought against several demonic humans, and starting with the Bicorn, they confronted numerous monsters and low-ranking demons.
When they closed their eyes, they could still vividly remember even until now the figures of the demons that poured out of the Hell Gate.
But they were fine with it.
Until recently, they had not met any new monsters or demons that had made them stiffen with fear.
But it was different this time.
They were petrified for a moment.
The sight of giant octopus legs, which were several meters in diameter, soaring up as it broke the water surface and then fell down towards the pirate ship, was enough to cause an instinctive fear.
“Kiaaa!”
The Serpent that had a giant octopus leg wrapped around it then screamed as it was dragged below the water surface.
At the same time, the octopus legs struck the pirate ship!
“Avoid it!”
Bababababang-!
Kajsa’s cry was overshadowed by the series of roaring sounds. The sails and the deck were destroyed. It wasn’t destroyed in one blow, but that was irrelevant. The Kraken’s legs wrapped around the pirate ship just like how it did with the Serpent.
Kwashiiiik-!
The deck and the walls of the ship were crushed at the same time. Standing by the helm, Kajsa raised her head and saw Jude and Cordelia.
“Kajsa!”
Cordelia was hanging by Jude’s side as he rode on a Phantom Steed.
To be exact, Jude was holding Cordelia by the waist.
“Get on!”
“What?!”
The moment she asked out loud, the air seemed to twist. Green smoke burst, and another Phantom Steed appeared.
Neeeeigh-!
“S-save us!”
Bentham’s voice was heard at the same time the Phantom Steed neighed.
Kajsa reflexively looked back and swallowed her breath for a moment. Because she saw Sebastian being carried by Bentham on his back as his limbs drooped.
“Kajsa!”
She didn’t have the time. Kajsa jumped high at once and hugged the Phantom Steed’s neck, rotating her body as she climbed onto the back of the ghost horse.
“M-me too!”
“Catch!”
Kajsa immediately responded to Bentham’s scream.
She quickly untied the rope at her waist and threw it at Bentham and Sebastian.
Kwashiiing!
Actually, it was a huge and heavy chain.
Such an object carried Kajsa’s powerful strength, so it became an attack that could break someone’s body if they were hit or caught it wrongly.
But beggars couldn’t be choosers.
Bentham evaded the swinging chain by almost lying on his stomach. He followed the chain with his eyes before a miracle happened at that moment.
Claaaang-!
The chain that swung with a force that could crush a body then shook at some point and moved like a living snake, wrapping around Bentham and Sebastian’s waist at once. It was Cordelia’s telekinetic power.
“Pull it!”
Kajsa automatically reacted to Cordelia’s shout. Pulling the chain as strong as she could, Bentham’s rock-like body was pulled up at once.
“Aaaaaah!”
Bentham screamed as the chains tightened around his waist, but what mattered the most now was him staying alive.
He tried to open his eyes despite the pain that seemed to break his back, so he was able to see the pirate ship being broken into three.
Cruuuuush-!
The pirate ship being squeezed by the Kraken’s legs was completely crushed.
Jude immediately seated Cordelia in front of him and drove the Phantom Steed into the sky, while Kajsa also spurred the horse towards a higher place instead of putting Bentham behind her.
But it was at that moment.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The surface of the water broke again, and several legs of the Kraken soared.
The white legs of the Kraken were like pillars supporting the sky amidst the dark sky and sea.
Boooom!
As the Kraken’s legs struck the water surface, thunder boomed.
Bentham was frightened to death, tightly grasping the chain as he screamed, while Kajsa let out a curse. Because the Kraken’s legs were falling down over their heads.
“Shit!”
“Neeeeeigh-!”
The Phantom Steed was surprised upon seeing the shadows covering its head and hurriedly tried to fly, but the Kraken’s legs were unusually fast and huge. It was accurately following Kajsa as if it had eyes at the ends of its legs.
“Jude!”
By the time Cordelia shouted, Jude was already moving his hands. He used his sword-like hand to fire a black sword made from his energy.
Shaaak-!
The sword cut the Kraken’s leg. It wasn’t a completely straight cut, but it cut more than half and succeeded in twisting the trajectory of the leg.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtSplaaaah!
The half-cut leg fell into the water. Kajsa managed to evade the attack because of the twisted trajectory, so she rolled up the chain and hugged the Phantom Steed’s neck at the same time.
And Cordelia sensed it.
The flow in the air was changing. A tremendous roar was then heard under the sea.
Roooooooar-!
Real thunder struck along with the harsh winds. At the same instant, dark clouds covered the sea of stars, and the sky and sea began to fluctuate.
It was a storm.
The demon of the sea had called forth a storm.
Kwashiiiik-!
The sky flashed white with lightning. As the rain poured down, the demon of the sea finally appeared.
Booooom!
An immensely huge monster.
The Kraken’s head that was half revealed above the water was incomparable to a pirate ship.
Jude and Cordelia’s breathing naturally became rough at the sight that was something like an island rising from the sea.
Booooom!
The sky and the sea lit up as lightning struck again.
Three eyes glistened between the head of the giant octopus – the Kraken, that seemed to be dozens of meters wide.
Its huge yellow eyes and black slit pupils were fear itself.
It seemed like it would crush the fragile human mind at once just by facing it.
The rain and wind grew stronger.
Unlike an ordinary octopus, dozens of tentacles wriggled over the mouth of the Kraken, and the torn body of the Serpent and the fragments of the broken ship swayed in between.
Kajsa’s mind went blank.
Bentham fainted after wetting his pants, and the two Phantom Steeds couldn’t overcome their fears and began to run frantically.
Shaaaa-!
Dozens of Kraken’s legs shot up the water. In an instant, it felt like they were blocked by huge white walls on all sides.
“Neeeeeigh!”
The Phantom Steeds neighed in fear and headed to the sky in order to somehow escape.
“It’s coming.”
Jude reflexively said. And the sky seemed to fall down. The Kraken’s legs swiftly fell over their heads, and the world appeared to be collapsing.
Kajsa closed her eyes in that overwhelming and despairing situation.
But Jude and Cordelia kept their eyes open. The two then simultaneously shouted.
““Shield!””
Cordelia turned to Kajsa. She widened the translucent shield and then reduced it not only include Kajsa and the Phantom Steed, but also Bentham and Sebastian.
Jude invoked the ring’s magic.
Count Chase’s magic in the ring covered and protected Jude and Cordelia. Jude then hugged Cordelia.
Boooooooom!
The world shook.
Heaven and earth turned upside down.
They were unable to distinguish the directions, nor were they even able to see what was in front of them.
Cordelia clenched her teeth and closed her eyes. She came to her senses at one point and found herself under the sea.
She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t even open her eyes.
The sea was so cold that she had become numb and unable to feel anything.
“Hang in there!”
Cordelia opened her eyes.
A black sky. Erratic sea waves. The pouring rain.
Nothing changed. She still couldn’t breathe properly.
But Cordelia did not panic. Because Jude was here. Because she felt Jude’s arm holding her waist tightly.
“Kaaak.”
Cordelia vomited water. She tried to figure out the situation as she deeply breathed.
Their heads were barely out of the water.
It seemed like they somehow survived because of the magic, but that was it.
The Kraken was still alive, and she could feel its gaze.
“Haa… haa…”
She couldn’t see the Phantom Steed. Nor did she know on what happened to Kajsa, Bentham, and Sebastian.
The storm did not stop. The waves continued to sweep the water surface, hitting their heads and making it hard to breathe.
“Ha-… ugh.”
Her body temperature dropped. Her body felt cold. Her white skin was now like a blank sheet of white paper.
Jude tightly hugged her and looked straight ahead.
He did not avoid the Kraken’s yellow eyes.
‘Why?’
The Kraken is the lord of the deep sea.
Why is this monster here?
Is it a coincidence? Or something inevitable?
Is it aiming for us in the first place and not chasing after the Serpent?
If so, why?
Why is the Kraken aiming for us?
I doubt that the demon followers incited it.
Is that even possible?
If it is, how do they know that we’re out in the sea?
Countless thoughts came to his mind at the same time.
Normally, Jude would have stopped his thoughts at once, but he couldn’t.
Their situation was so dire that he had to continue thinking of a way out.
What should we do?
How will we get out?
The Kraken can see us. It seems unwilling to give up.
Is it angry because I cut off its leg?
Or perhaps someone incited it?
Is it the destructive instinct of a demon?
The monster was really huge.
Jude couldn’t inflict much damage to such a huge opponent because his own skills were based on interpersonal warfare.
Moreover, the fact that they were in the sea was a problem.
If they were on ground, he could somehow fight it, but they were in the sea where mobility was extremely limited because he had no place to step on.
Jude continued to think.
What should we do?
How can we get out of here?
What must I do to protect Cordelia?
What the hell should I do to at least save Cordelia-
“Jude.”
Cordelia spoke.
She interrupted Jude’s thoughts. She turned her head and looked at Jude.
Just like always, she came up with an answer.
Instead of making some mental calculations, she instinctively arrived at an answer the moment she was faced with a problem.
She looked at him without explaining, and said with a beautiful smile.
“Let’s merge.”
How many people can smile in a situation like ours now?
A smile spread across Jude’s stiff face. He kissed Cordelia’s forehead and then moved her body. As she hugged his neck, he grasped Cordelia’s thighs as she clung on his back.
‘We have one chance.’
There wasn’t a second time. So Jude concentrated. Amidst the downpour of rain, he used the energy of the black dragon to soar into the sky.
Kwazzzzik-!
Lightning struck. The Kraken moved at the same time. Its legs rose again, and dozens of tentacles stretched out towards Jude.
“Uoooo!”
Jude ran up the air. He let out the energy of the black dragon from his feet and cut through the air just like Landius.
Booooom-!
They had to make a breakthrough at one point.
Cordelia was doing some preparations. Jude then flew straight to the Kraken and at the moment when he was about to crash into its tentacles, he released the power of the Black Sun at once.
Sky Shattering Black Dragon!
It pushed away the tentacles. Its purpose was to create a space by pushing away the tentacles.
And so it happened. The tentacles that were blocking the space between Jude and the Kraken were pushed away in an instant, creating an empty space.
Jude released his hands from Cordelia’s thighs. He rotated his body so that she would fall on his head, and Cordelia used his head to launch herself. She rushed towards the Kraken through the gap created by the Sky Shattering Black Dragon.
It was reckless.
Her rushing at the dozens of meters Kraken was like flying towards a tall building.
Moreover, the demon’s magic resistance was really powerful. In particular, it had eyes that had a paralyzing ability that was powerful enough to destroy any magic spell with just its look.
All three of the Kraken’s eyes stared at Cordelia.
It then attempted to tear apart Cordelia’s body with its magic power.
Cordelia unleashed her witch’s power. She resisted the paralyzing ability. She spread out her angel wings and clenched her fist.
The solution Cordelia found.
Her secret plan to utilize the Spirit King who she couldn’t summon even if she exhausted all her mana.
‘It’s not magic.’
Spirit Arts was not magic.
But it wasn’t a superpower like telekinesis.
It would have been more of a summoning skill if one had to argue.
So there was a way to do it.
She was able to gain momentum because of the storm.
Cordelia put her strength on her fist and cried out the name of the spirit.
“Ynix!”
The Spirit King of Storms and Lightning.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHe responded.
He lent his power to his contractor.
So Cordelia smiled.
She shouted her thanks in her mind and struck out her fist.
“Spirit King Punch!”
It fully consumed her mana at once. And at that moment, lightning struck. The huge and enormous fist of the Spirit King appeared as it broke the space. It made its way through the storm and headed to the Kraken’s eyes. It smashed everything in its way!
Booooooooom!
Kiaaaaaaaaaaa!
The Kraken shrieked.
Its yellow eye in the center was injured. Green blood that was poisonous in itself then gushed out like crazy. The Kraken was greatly pushed back by the devastating blow of the Spirit King, and struggled as it flailed around the water with its dozens of legs.
Because it was the first time for the demon.
It was the first time that it had suffered such an injury because it had always reigned as a superior being.
The unimaginable pain soon gave rise to fear, and it did not stay any longer. The wounded demon chose to flee instead of fighting back like it always did.
Boom-!
It was the last lightning bolt.
The storm weakened at once, and the rain clouds scattered.
And in the meantime, Cordelia fell to the water surface. She had lost her consciousness right after the Spirit King’s blow because she had used up all her magic at once.
“Cordelia!”
Jude desperately flew towards Cordelia.
If she couldn’t summon the Spirit King, she would then summon only its right arm – at this truly Cordelia-like idea, she had managed to repel the Kraken. Jude then snatched her from the air and carried her in his arms. He protected her from falling on her back.
“Ugh.”
The unconscious Cordelia didn’t budge.
Jude hugged her small body and continued to move his feet. He looked around as he stuck out his head over the calm water.
They defeated the Kraken, but the situation was still dire.
The coldness of winter could be prevented by the Great Protection of the Four Seasons. But if she continued to stay in the cold sea despite the protection, she would eventually lose her body temperature and die.
What Cordelia needed now was a place to rest her body.
It there was even a piece of board, it would have worked out somehow.
But unfortunately, even the fragments of the pirate ship were not visible. The whereabouts of Kajsa, Bentham, and Sebastian were also unknown.
Jude took a deep breath.
He tried hard to maintain his composure.
Their worst crisis was over.
Cordelia found an answer.
So it was his turn this time.
He had to somehow figure out a way to get out of this situation.
Kraken.
It was a monster that did not originally live in the sea.
It didn’t just appear out of nowhere.
In the first place, it would have been a big problem for those who lived in the sea.
Kraken.
Those who originally lived in the sea.
Serpent.
The Kraken’s escape.
Sudden storm.
Jude raised his head. Because his numerous thoughts were then connected into one.
“Cordelia.”
Saying it like a spell, Jude kissed Cordelia’s forehead which had turned cold.
He hugged her again and sang in a trembling voice.
“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Shining beautifully.”
He wasn’t calling the fairies.
They did not live in the sea.
“In the eastern sky. In the western sky. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Shining beautifully.”
His voice grew louder. He sang with all his might so that everyone in the surrounding area could hear it.
The race that lives in the sea.
They respond to songs as much as the fairies.
They must have been watching the Kraken’s movements.
They should have also been surprised by the sudden storm.
So they should be nearby.
They definitely should.
“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star!”
“You look good.”
An answer came back.
Jude roughly breathed and turned to the direction where he heard the voice.
Siren.
The elves of the sea.
Women poked their heads out of the water and came singing towards Jude and Cordelia.