068 Pursuit (5)
Krout had been glaring daggers at Cezare Archduke ever since they boarded the ship days ago. Calix tapped the back of his head.
‘Ease up on the death stare. Don’t you realize we’re getting a free ride? Thanks to him, we’re heading to the capital in comfort—don’t screw it up.’
Krout turned his head wordlessly. But the stubborn fury etched on his face didn’t budge an inch.
As Calix massaged his throbbing temples, Cezare Archduke approached with a wine glass in hand.
“You’re the young master of the Szczecin Count family, right?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Planning to enter the Knight Tournament by any chance?”
“Embarrassingly enough, yes.”
“No need for modesty. Reaching Class 4 at your age is a rare talent across the continent—you can hold your head high.”
“I’ve heard Your Highness advanced even earlier than that.”
“Haha, I had every advantage handed to me and the finest mentors. It’s only natural—not because this archduke is anything special.”
“Tch, at least he’s got some conscience… Gah!”
Calix grabbed Krout’s thigh and twisted, silencing him.
Fortunately, the archduke didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he glanced at Laila, her hood pulled low, and nodded knowingly.
“I see… You’re a lucky man.”
“Pardon?”
Cezare Archduke rose from his seat without answering.
“Head butler.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Looks like we have some uninvited guests inbound. Prepare accordingly.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Bwooooo—
With the horn’s blare, the crew sprang into action. Even the women who’d been laughing and chatting received rapiers and got to work.
Their casual sword swings as they warmed up were anything but amateur. At minimum, they matched Calix’s level—or surpassed it.
“What is this, some harem novel protagonist’s entourage…? Doubt I’ll even get a swing in.”
As he grumbled, the sun dipped fully below the horizon, cloaking the surroundings in dusk.
And then the assault began.
Splash!
A grotesque fish, its mouth taking up half its body, leaped onto the deck amid the water’s churn.
“It’s a bidit!”
Clang! Crack!
The bidit’s saw-like teeth shredded a crewman’s sword whole. The sturdy curved blade shattered like glass—a vision of pure terror.
As the disarmed crewman faltered, a nearby woman’s rapier pierced the bidit clean through. Impaled at the gills, it thrashed wildly, bending the slender blade to its breaking point.
Splash!
Splash! Splash!
Splash! Splash!
“More incoming!”
A single bidit wasn’t much. But when they numbered in the tens, twenties, and over a hundred, they became an unstoppable force.
Crunch! Chomp-chomp—chomp-chomp—
Maws that could pulverize steel, vitality to flop for over thirty minutes even bisected, and sheer overwhelming numbers.
“Holy hell.”
Calix peered at the river, his face twisting in disgust. Far more bidits than those on deck gaped from the water’s surface.
Splash!
“Whoa! Watch out, my lord.”
Krout cleaved a leaping bidit vertically in one stroke. He spun his sword to fling off the reeking fluids, then guarded Calix’s right flank.
Stab-stab-stab!
Laila handled the left. She’d fired a few arrows at first, but switched to daggers upon realizing their feeble effect against the beasts’ toughness.
Whenever someone faltered, though, she’d loose an arrow in a blink to disrupt a bidit’s charge.
“Slow!Slow!”
From the rear, Edirn supported the crew with auxiliary spells.
Everyone was holding their own, overall. The problem was the bidits’ numbers swelling relentlessly.
‘Hmm, Dominators… Good thing we boarded this ship. They’d have been in deep trouble otherwise. They came prepared.’
A chill ran down Calix’s spine.
No wonder the pursuit felt lax—they’d deliberately herded him into the waterway.
And their ace in the hole, the Dominators, excelled at deploying monsters tailored to the battlefield.
‘Ugh, of course. If you’ve got the quantity, it’s the cheapest way to take down higher classes. Why didn’t I think of that?’
That was when it happened.
“Tch, whoever you are, this is getting out of hand. Showing me these hideous things? Not beautiful at all. Begone from my sight.”
Cezare Archduke raised his left arm, clenching his fist. Countless magic orbs materialized around him.
He lifted his right hand next, a small triangular prism forming in his palm.
“Multiple Prismatic Arrow!”
As the archduke chanted, one orb was sucked into the prism. Seven rainbow-hued arrows burst forth in all directions.
They curved with exquisite precision, skewering only bidits.
Red arrows set them ablaze in black flames; blue ones froze them bone-white.
With each gesture, another orb fed in, unleashing seven more arrows.
Flash—
Flash-flash—
Dozens of radiant arrows crashed over the bidit horde like waves. Soon, the waters around the ship brimmed with floating corpses.
“This… is Class 7…”
Krout’s face was a mask of awe.
More precisely, a Class 7 magic-swordsman of freakish talent unleashing perfectly suited spells.
Even so, the sheer impact remained staggering.
Despite Cezare Archduke’s display, Calix’s expression stayed grim. The bidits’ true horror was only beginning.
Scrape-scrape—
Crack—
Their real power lay in devouring anything indiscriminately.
Even the ship they rode.
‘And the moment it crumbles, we’ll be torn apart in seconds.’
Cezare Archduke grimaced at the ominous gnawing, muttering.
“Tch, gnawing at my beautiful mobile palace. The bill’s gonna be steep.”
“My apologies first. Seems we’ve dragged you into trouble from those targeting me.”
Calix bowed his head, but the archduke waved it off.
“Not your fault. While this archduke sails her, she’s Somora Archduchy territory. Daring to invade our sovereign waters and threaten the king? Time to teach them a lesson. Captain!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“Open the gunports.”
The captain hesitated, face troubled.
“Your Highness, this is Lock Kingdom territory. Firing mana cannons could spark a diplomatic incident. It won’t be solved with a shot or two—why not just teleport back?”
“You want this archduke to flee in disgrace? Not beautiful. Pretend I didn’t hear that.”
“Ugh!”
Calix, who’d been deep in thought, spoke up.
“Your Highness, this fight won’t end without capturing the Dominator.”
The archduke nodded.
“Correct. This archduke could snag the cowards hiding amid those mad fish. But if I leave, the rest won’t hold long.”
“I have a decent idea, if you’ll hear it.”
“Hm? Speak.”
“What if we freeze a massive area around the ship?”
“…You mean create a giant iceberg beneath us?”
“Exactly. This yacht’s built for river travel with a flat bottom. Freeze the river into a huge ice floe, float the ship atop it…”
“We block bidits on ice, saving the ship.”
Calix nodded.
“Yes. Plus, it’s early winter now, and nights are cold enough to freeze solid.”
“Minimal effort to form and maintain, then.”
Cezare Archduke bared white teeth in a cold smile.
“That’ll let me move freely. Heh.”
Calix glanced at Edirn, who sighed softly.
“Ugh, gonna be a workout.”
“Please.”
“This archduke will assist.”
“Thank you.”
Cezare Archduke and Edirn took positions at opposite rails, palms extended downward.
“Ice!”
“Ice!”
The basic elemental spell, ice. But from a Class 7 magic-swordsman and Class 6 magitech sorcerer, it unleashed otherworldly power.
Crack!
Craaaack!
The river froze from the hull downward, spreading rapidly. Occasional bidit flops cracked it, but the ice mass expanded far faster.
“Kyaaak!”
Chomp-chomp—chomp-chomp—
Frustrated bidits gnawed the ice. But as aquatic monsters, cold sapped their vigor.
Their movements slowed, until they froze solid inside.
Finally, a vast icy clearing formed around the ship. Crew, guards, and Calix’s group disembarked, forming a defensive circle.
The battle shifted from water to solid ground in an instant.
Bidits clambered onto the ice in droves, but lacking limbs, they floundered on land.
Their signature water-propelled leaps? Useless on ice.
“Hya!”
Crush!
“Hah!”
“Yah!”
Shattered bidit corpses piled up swiftly. Watching, Cezare Archduke launched himself forward.
“Back shortly.”
He walked across the water, ripples trailing. Charging bidits shattered into dozens before touching him, staining the river red.
Soon after he vanished, the bidits’ assault shifted.
“Huh? Fewer heading our way.”
The river still teemed, but they no longer fixated on Calix’s group. Instead, they tore into nearby kin.
Krout exhaled a white plume.
“We’re past the worst.”
“Yeah. Once we hit port, the capital’s right there with guards patrolling—no more reckless charges.”
“That was insane. Never knew the gap to Class 7 was this wide.”
“That’s why they call it beyond the heavens, the death valley between classes. Only heaven’s chosen climb it.”
“Fires me up.”
Krout’s eyes gleamed like lasers—the first time he’d witnessed the next stage since hitting Class 6. He’d clearly gained much from it.
Moments later, Cezare Archduke returned, two unconscious men slung over his arms.
“Five total. Didn’t seem worth bringing all, so I grabbed the strongest pair. The rest? Fish food.”
He tossed them onto the ice casually, words dripping menace.
Thud!
“Nngh…”
The impact and icy chill roused the Dominators.
“Where… Gasp!”
Their eyes bulged in horror. Whatever hell they’d glimpsed, they trembled like leaves before the archduke.
He clapped twice, bellowing.
“Sebastian!”
A muscular man leaped from the ship in nothing but triangular briefs and a mask. He strode forward, kneeling.
“You called, Your Highness?”
“These invaders breached Somora Archduchy waters uninvited, threatening the king. Take them and investigate thoroughly—use any means necessary.”
“As you command.”
Calix silently wished them peace in the afterlife.