Chapter 12: | Leviathan???
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She covered her mouth with her hands and whispered,
"Fufufu, how cute, how interesting. I, Liora, haven't had this much fun in quite a while."
Then she waved, her voice rising.
"Best of luck, young one!"
She chuckled, her gaze locked onto the chaotic battle below.
"I wonder if you have the capability to control that thing."
"Fufufu."
"It would be interesting to see those dead bastards witness one of their descendants control it. I wonder... how interesting her future will be."
I snorted.
Then let out a thunderous bellow.
The currents trembled as they charged toward me, reckless and blind.
But how intriguing...
This girl, Liora, seems to hide some secrets about our race.
Perhaps I should stick close.
Bear her antics.
For now.
My gaze swept across the surrounding Wharks.
My eyes twitched from side to side, dodging attacks after attacks.
And then, I noticed it.
I had grown.
Drastically.
Thirty meters.
Slightly larger than that bastard.
...What was its name again?
…Forget it.
I couldn't be bothered to remember it.
The bodies of my kin, my siblings, were pathetic in comparison.
Their frames? One or two meters, at most.
A few larger, perhaps.
But none matched me.
My senses flared.
There was no danger.
No Stage 1 among them.
Yet some lay motionless, crouched low, sleeping, evolving.
Maybe a few hundred.
Or a few thousand.
Their auras were increasing with every passing minute.
A smart move.
Evolving before facing me?
Fighting me at Stage 0 would be a death wish.
I let out a sigh and stayed still.
Tens, no, hundreds of Wharks bit and tore at my scales.
Their tactics reminded me of how a swarm of bees kills a wasp.
Surrounding, suffocating, heating it to death with friction.
How intriguing.
Their howls, the grinding of teeth against my flesh and scale, the constricting pressure.
But my health didn't waver.
Their attacks were far too weak it was futile.
Seconds passed.
Then minutes.
Then hours.
And during that time.
I felt my body undergo refinement.
Each bite?
Hardened my scales.
Toughened my flesh.
Ding.
My Apex Predator Physique continued to level.
Holograms appeared and vanished in succession.
Then, I felt her.
Liora vanished.
Repositioned.
Then struck.
Whark after Whark fell by her hand.
Seconds apart.
Her control.
Every muscle, every movement.
Was precise.
Impressive.
It was beyond mine.
Her hand blurred, vanished.
Then reappeared, stabbing through an unsuspecting Whark's gills and into its brain.
Her combat style was fierce.
And I.
…I liked that.
Her abnormal senses.
Her movements.
The sound she made as she darted through the water.
It helped me.
Taught me how to move my body more efficiently.
Clenching my jaw, I opened my maw.
SNAP!
Like the gates of hell, it clamped shut.
Holograms flooded my vision.
As countless wharks was devoured.
Another batch replaced them.
But my maw was ready.
I bit.
And bit.
And bit again.
Ding.
More holograms.
More devoured skills.
My Apex Predator Physique leveled once more.
It was endless.
I devoured yet another batch.
And a question formed in my mind.
How many siblings do I have?!
I had been slaughtering them for hours.
And yet...
They kept swarming.
Their weak bites did nothing.
I laughed.
CHOMP.
CHOMP.
GULP.
Again.
And again.
And again.
My body adapted.
My physique refined beyond its former limits.
With every passing second.
My flesh compacted.
Grew denser.
Harder.
Stronger.
And the ecstasy.
The sheer, intoxicating pleasure of growth...
It was beyond understanding.
I felt superior.
My mind, clouded by arrogance.
One word echoed endlessly.
Invincible.
I was Invincible.
The more I devoured.
The stronger it grew.
And the more my ego inflated like a balloon.
And I liked it.
Corruption.
Was that what this feeling was?
If Elara were here.
She would've smashed my head with her book.
Berated me.
Called me pathetic.
It was a pity.
She wasn't here.
A pity indeed.
This reincarnation…
Had been nothing but ecstasy.
Elara...
---
Dark clouds swallowed the sun.
The air hung heavy with humidity.
Rain was coming.
Then.
Drip.
Drip.
Raindrops began to fall from the sky.
The ocean roared louder as thunder cracked.
A jagged bolt struck splitting the sea as if struck by the wrath of Heaven's forefather.
Winds howled like beasts.
Commander's barked orders above the chaos.
Trainees scrambled under the fury of the storm, yelping as their commanders smacked heads and shouted corrections.
I had been restless since last night.
Perhaps…
Patrolling the Luminescent Trench today had been a mistake.
But orders from above were absolute.
I raised my hand, voice booming.
"Enemies incoming! Prepare the runic cannons!"
The crew moved quickly, dragging cannons into position, while others carried crates of magic-enhanced gunpowder with shaking hands.
And yet…
A smile crept onto my face.
This was how it should be.
This... this was what it meant to be an Admiral of the Sun Empire.
A warrior.
An enforcer of law.
A man of honor.
A title granted by the Sun Emperor himself.
The Avatar of the Sun.
Then.
HOOWWLLL!
Goosebumps.
A shiver raced down my spine.
That sound.
That howl.
This wasn't pirates.
No…
It was that.
The menace spoken of in hushed tones by admirals and generals alike.
A Stage 1, Tier 7 Sovereign.
The Radiant Leviathan.
The ruler of the Luminescent Trench.
Damn it.
Fuck.
I barked again.
"Fire the cannons!"
Chaos.
Trainees stumbled, paralyzed by terror.
The pressure of the Leviathan's presence was too much.
Its Sovereign Aura crushed the Stage 1 trainees without effort.
The ship lurched violently.
Veins bulged in my neck as I roared.
"Regain balance, now!"
The vessel groaned as the helmsman forced it back into motion.
Then.
WHIISH!
I felt it.
Heard it.
A whip slicing the air.
Then.
Impact.
The entire ship shuddered.
My expression darkened.
I locked eyes with the cannons.
"Fire!"
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Runic cannonballs soared through the rain, exploding against the Leviathan's scales.
Some tore into its flesh.
A shriek split the sky.
SHRRRIIIEEEKKK!
But then.
It retaliated.
CRACK!
The ship wailed.
Wood splintered.
A voice called out behind me.
"Admiral! The ship is heavily damaged! Should we use the teleportation scroll?!"
I didn't answer immediately.
Instead, I turned.
Silent.
I walked into my cabin.
To my treasure chest.
I rummaged through its contents.
Then, scrolls.
Dozens.
I grabbed them all and tossed them to Gregory, my most trusted officer.
I took off my bicorne hat and placed it gently into his trembling hands.
I smiled.
"Go with the others."
"Take care of my family, Gregory."
His eyes widened.
His hands shook.
"Kalix, you can't be thinking of!"
But I didn't wait.
I drew my sword.
My body blurred.
And in the next instant.
I stood at the top of the ship.
Proud.
Unyielding.
The storm raged around me.
Below, my trainees and commanders gathered on the deck, their eyes was wide.
I saw it in their gazes.
Desperation.
Helplessness.
Horror.
I exhaled.
My sword began to glow.
Sword Aura.
Raising my blade, I muttered.
"Imperial Sword Art, First Form: Rending Slash."
The wind stopped.
A massive arc of energy carved through the sky.
It tore into the Leviathan's body.
Cutting deep.
It shrieked.
"SHRRIEEEEK!"
A roar of agony.
Then.
Pain.
My breath caught.
I looked down.
A sword made of light pierced my chest, emerging from my back.
Searing.
Burning.
My vision blurred.
And behind the Leviathan.
I saw them.
Swords.
Hundreds.
No, thousands.
Floating behind it.
The Leviathan's gaze was cold.
Familiar.
Its presence, its aura, its eyes.
It was just like the Emperor's.
Blood poured from my mouth as I laughed bitterly.
"So… this is the end, huh?"
The swords pointed downward.
Toward my ship.
Then.
They fell.
Like a divine judgment.
CRASH.
Onto the deck.
Onto my men.
Onto me.
Light swords impaled my arms.
My legs.
My stomach.
My neck.
Into the ship.
I turned one last time, toward Gregory.
He was crying.
Gregory.
Crying.
I chuckled weakly.
"Take care of them… you bastard."
Blood bubbled from my lips.
But it was worth it.
At least I could…
Save the future of the Empire.
I smiled.
"Go, young ones… and replace this old fool."
Then.
Darkness.
A looming shadow.
A final flash of light.
And a voice, deep and furious.
"Pathetic mongrels. How dare you patrol my territory?"
The Leviathan's maw opened.
And my body.
Was devoured.
How futile my life is.
I never even realized.
That today was my last.
And yet…
What I missed most…
Was the taste of my wife's cooking.
---
A familiar scene.
The barracks.
Tears welled in my eyes.
Then.
They fell.
Sliding down my cheeks as I sat on the cold floor, staring into nothing.
Kalix.
My friend.
My brother.
Since childhood.
Since the days we raced through the barracks, chasing dreams of the sea.
Now.
He was gone.
Torn apart by the Leviathan.
Without mercy.
Like he was nothing.
My hands trembled.
My breath hitched.
Then.
I screamed.
"DAMN IT!!"
Fury exploded inside me.
I slammed my fist into the ground.
The floor shook.
It should have been me.
I should've been the one to stay behind.
I had no family.
No wife.
No son.
But Kalix…
Kalix had everything.
His wife.
His boy.
David.
He was supposed to be ordained this week to become a paladin.
What do I tell them?
My voice cracked.
"What do I do…?"
People moved around me.
Comforted me.
I barely noticed.
I turned and grabbed Kurt by the shoulders.
Desperate.
Shaking.
"Kurt! What do I do?! David is being ordained this week! His father, his father is DEAD!
"Do I just tell his wife 'sorry'?! That I couldn't be the sacrifice instead?!
"TELL ME, KURT! WHAT DO I DO?!"
At first, Kurt said nothing.
Just looked at me.
Then.
A soft pat on my back.
Even though he was decades younger, Kurt had always been the most mature.
Our best apprentice.
The one we trained like our own.
And then.
Finally, he spoke.
"Admiral Kalix did what had to be done."
His voice was calm.
Steady.
"Please, Vice Admiral Gregory… don't blame yourself."
I opened my mouth to protest.
But he continued.
"It was because we are weak that... that he died."
"And Admiral Kalix's… accepted his death, for us to live."
"If he hadn't done it, then who would've?"
His words struck deep.
Would we have survived otherwise?
Would we have even lived long enough to tell his family?
Kurt took a breath.
"The least we can do now is honor his wishes."
"To bring them the truth."
"Even if it tears us apart inside."
"Even if it hurts like hell to say goodbye."
Then.
He hesitated.
And in a trembling whisper.
"…I always saw you two as my fathers."
His hands clenched.
"So please, don't hate yourself."
I couldn't speak.
I stood.
Slowly.
Aimlessly.
And walked.
Through the corridors of the barracks.
Until finally…
A door stood before me.
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