Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: 19. Deepest Abyss (3)
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Splash―!
A spray of water erupted in a massive dome. As the water surging up his body poured down and scattered, a gigantic, rounded head emerged from within.
A body length of 35 meters. As large as a low-rise building. A two-legged species. Identified rank S―. A colossal squid capable of reducing an entire major city to ruins.
The Kraken.
It raised one of its legs, thicker than a building pillar, high into the air.
"Front guard! Scatter―!"
At Ryunosuke's shout, the superhumans acting as the forward shield dispersed in all directions.
The next instant, the leg that had soared into the sky came crashing down like a massive whip.
The target was a large wooden crate. From the monster's perspective, it must have seemed the biggest and easiest prey.
Boom―!
The wooden crate shattered into pieces instantly. The resulting shockwave sent another water pillar shooting dozens of meters high.
It was an incredible impact. A superhuman caught in the aftermath without fully evading it bled from both nostrils.
The might of a giant species was on full display.
Even a world ranker capable of facing it alone would struggle to survive a direct hit from such a blow.
However, right after the spray subsided, something entangled the Kraken's leg. From the broken wooden crate, an iron framework artifact sprang out, binding the leg like iron chains.
The giant squid tried to shake off the suddenly heavy weight using its other legs. But despite the colossal strength of the giant species, the iron structure wouldn't budge.
"Did you think we'd come all this way empty-handed―?!"
Ryunosuke yelled.
All boss-class or higher giant species could roughly understand an opponent's intent through mana.
The giant squid's black eye swiveled to look at Ryunosuke.
"Attack―!"
At Ryunosuke's command, the superhumans moved in perfect unison.
Flames and lightning assaulted it. A pillar-sized ice spear formed in midair and flew toward it, aiming for the squid's eye but blocked by a massive leg, embedding deeply. White fluid sprayed out.
At the same time, the parasites on the Kraken's body began crawling out, tearing through its skin.
Rooooar......
The Kraken's Fear resounded.
The full battle had begun.
While they fought, the operators fell back and gathered in one spot. In small-scale raids, operators didn't participate at all, but these were bona fide world rankers. Their role was to handle the monsters emerging from the nearby waters.
In other words, mob cleanup.
Occasionally, nagas, merfolk, and sea serpents burst out from nearby. But the monsters didn't target Yoo Ji-tae. It stemmed from instincts more developed than those of humans.
Standing one step back from the battlefield, Yoo Ji-tae watched Morning Star's movements.
A sea serpent surged from behind. It targeted Morning Star's back. She twisted her body and slashed her sword, and the serpent's body split vertically in midair.
The girl who had once feared even daggers now wielded a longsword with masterful skill.
Even as she did, she checked the positions and conditions of the surviving superhumans. Her blessing, [Eye that Detects Danger], could sense enemy threats but also flagged human deaths as dangers.
She was searching for a weakening foe.
Splash―!
At that moment, the Kraken spewed toxic ink.
The target was the leader, Ryunosuke.
He instantly imbued arrows with attributes. Five arrows infused with wind energy. Currents formed in the air. The toxic ink, poured out like from an overturned drum, was deflected, though some splashed onto Ryunosuke's armor, melting it.
Morning Star's gaze lingered on Ryunosuke. From within her plate helmet, her tongue licked her lips.
"What's so regrettable?"
Yoo Ji-tae, who had been watching, asked.
The plate helmet turned to him.
"Pardon?"
"What are you finding so regrettable?"
"......I don't know what you're talking about."
"Must be frustrating. A corpse in perfect condition would be ideal, but if it's completely dead, it's no use."
At that instant, the eyes within the plate helmet turned red.
"You bastard."
A neutral voice emanated.
"What the......"
The entity wearing Morning Star's skin was about to speak to Yoo Ji-tae when―
"Restraint complete!"
A superhuman's voice rang out through the mana.
Seven of the prepared 'black iron restraints' had sealed seven of the Kraken's legs.
The moment had come. Ryunosuke leaped into the air. Immense mana gathered in his hands, forming a glowing 5-meter bow and a massive arrow of light.
Then, behind Ryunosuke, a colossal figure matching the bow appeared.
Finally, his necklace, ring, and earrings resonated with mana, humming.
[Giant God Bow (AA)]
The authority-grade skill that elevated Ryunosuke to his current position unfolded.
"Monster of the deep sea floor."
At Ryunosuke's words, the giant figure drew the bowstring.
"May you enter eternal slumber."
And released it.
Right then, Morning Star, who had spewed black poison gas to obscure Yoo Ji-tae's view, turned and moved.
At the exact same moment, Yoo Ji-tae, peering into the poison gas, moved as well.
The fired arrow whipped up a massive gust. The water surface, pushed by the pressure, parted several meters along the arrow's path, spraying water.
A beat later, dark energy exploded from Morning Star's body like a burst. Simultaneously, her body swelled massively, armor and all. The metal turned into grotesque armored tentacles.
Morning Star targeted Ryunosuke, who had fired the bow.
His rear was completely exposed.
Grrr......
Transformed into a true demon, six tentacles sprouted from Morning Star's chest, back, and shoulders. It resembled a spider. The tentacles propelled her through the sea, then coiled and launched her like a spring.
She shot toward Ryunosuke at near-shell velocity.
The aged archer, panting from the intense skill's backlash, sensed the crisis and turned his head.
The moment his eyes widened―
Bam!
Yoo Ji-tae, following close, grabbed the molted Morning Star's head.
And slammed her massive body into the water.
Screeech―!!
A tearing shriek echoed from the tentacle-covered face.
Yoo Ji-tae pinned Morning Star's head and pushed deeper into 'Heteia's Sea'.
"Y-Youuu―!"
The neutral voice from between the tentacles.
Morning Star thrashed her tentacles to shake off Yoo Ji-tae. Spikes protruded from them, targeting his neck and face.
They left shallow scratches on his skin. But they couldn't halt his movement. Blood sprayed from his stabbed face, neck, and forehead, mixing with the water, yet Yoo Ji-tae dragged her to the very depths.
'Heteia's Sea' was composed of dense mana water. The water here impeded mana flow, and in the depths, it severed demon communications.
Here, no matter what happened, Prototype X's signals wouldn't connect.
This should be deep enough.
Hundreds of meters down in the abyss.
Yoo Ji-tae hurled Morning Star toward the bulging eroded plain. Like a fired missile, she crashed into it. Boom! The ground buckled and shattered repeatedly. The shockwave rocked the sea.
Morning Star, buried in the rocky floor, stopped moving.
But she wouldn't die from just this.
Slowly, her head lifted.
Red eyes gleamed between the tentacles.
A ferocious gaze fixed on Yoo Ji-tae.
A brief silence passed.
After scanning Yoo Ji-tae from head to toe repeatedly, the monster's mouth opened.
"...You know me, don't you?"
The voice rang clear even underwater.
But the neutral tone was gone.
In her old voice, Morning Star spoke.
"You know me, right? That face. It's so familiar. Didn't we meet somewhere before?"
"......"
"Ahh. Yeah. Now I remember where. It's coming back to me. Right? Back in the warzone. Yeah? You know me too, don't you?"
As he didn't respond, Morning Star rose.
"You know me? We knew each other before? And we were pretty close, right? It feels like it. Something's coming back to me now? If you know me, say something. Please?"
"......"
"You definitely know me? We were close. Right? I think we even held hands. Lay together watching the night sky stars. And wasn't it you I kissed? Feels like you. Oh my. What a surprise. It was you. Exactly."
He didn't answer.
The tentacles gripped the eroded plain, lifting her body.
"Right? Back then, I turned my head shyly, and you kissed my forehead. Yeah? I remember clearly. It was my first kiss. Your lips were so rough, I wanted to apply lip balm. But it was sweet anyway."
He remained silent.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Come to think of it, earlier you pretended not to know me? What? Testing me? That was our first kiss. Did you think I'd forget? If I'd known you'd annoy me like this, I should've bitten off your tongue root with my teeth back then. Why did I ever give my heart to a weak, pathetic human like you? The more I think, the more foolish and disgusting those memories are."
From some point, the voice turned neutral again.
Red eyes opened in the darkness. Then split wide. "Kyaaaak!" With a monstrous roar, Morning Star's body began to swell. The transformation was swift. In an instant, sprouting over a dozen tentacles, she charged at Yoo Ji-tae.
"Dieeee―!!"
Morning Star's hand tentacles gathered into a massive stinger shape.
It was a demon's secret art. Demonic energy beyond limits converged at the stinger's tip.
Until then, the regressor hadn't spoken.
He quietly raised his sword.
Kicking off the water in midair, Yoo Ji-tae charged at the oncoming Morning Star.
Until now, he hadn't drawn [Formless Sword (SS)] because he lacked confidence in not killing her.
The Formless Sword was manifested killing intent. It always moved to kill something, sometimes defying even the regressor's control.
But if overlaid on a weapon, it could be fully controlled.
Yoo Ji-tae's killing intent coated the Guardian's longsword.
It took on a jagged form, spinning along the blade.
[Formless Sword (SS) ― Second Form]
Formless Sword (SS) ― Second Form
Ring Chain Form
The technique that once shattered the gates of the demon archduke's castle.
[Ring Chain Form]
A form of killing intent that grinds anything it touches. It spun at high speed.
Resisting the intense friction of the deep sea floor, the killing intent stirred a vortex across the vast ocean.
"Dieeee―!!"
The berserk monster lunged at him, eyes rolled back.
The Guardian's sword, embracing the vortex, shattered the giant stinger.
The whipping 'Ring Chain' killing intent tore away the tentacles that had wrapped her body like armor.
Bewilderment filled the red eyes.
Finally, the sword tip touched her body.
That instant―
The regressor's killing intent repelled the deep sea floor's mana.
A storm erupted in the deep ocean.
The rebounding energy surged upward, reaching the surface hundreds of meters above.
The seawater repelled by the unprecedented killing intent shot up to touch the sky.
For a moment, a massive hole formed in the sea around the regressor.
"Aaaah!"
"D-Dodge!"
The Kraken's corpse, caught in the shockwave, soared into the air.
Fortunately, the superhumans, having completed the raid and distanced themselves on Ryunosuke's orders, avoided it.
But seeing the towering spray, Ryunosuke paled.
What in the world was happening down there in the abyss?
The dungeon outside the rift began shaking as if a massive earthquake had struck.
Meanwhile, the scattered water poured back, filling around the regressor.
Where the tentacles had been stripped away, Morning Star lay half-naked.
At the last moment, Yoo Ji-tae had pulled back the sword, so she lived. But all her demon powers were gone.
Now was the time.
Molting complete.
Powers lost.
Now, he could save Morning Star.
As Yoo Ji-tae finished judging and moved to sheath the Guardian's sword―
A message from the Apocalyptic Clock appeared before his eyes.
It had come.
The sword in his hand trembled violently, trying to extend on its own.
Its target was Morning Star's heart.
Yoo Ji-tae gripped the hilt harder, resisting.
He had foreseen this situation.
Yesterday, while sharpening the sword sitting against a tree stump, Yoo Ji-tae had sensed an alien energy from the Guardian's sword.
The Guardian.
He was the only one who had faced 'it' from beyond the horizon of providence.
Having 'its' mana harboring malice within his body, the Guardian's sword also contained 'its' mana.
Bom had handed over the Guardian's sword despite her anguish precisely because she feared this moment.
With immense power even the regressor struggled to ignore.
The sword moved to pierce Morning Star's heart.
Muscles bulged on Yoo Ji-tae's arm, veins popping. His entire body's muscles strained to burst. The transcendent alloy sword that withstood even a Ring Chain strike began to deform to his fingers' shape.
Soon, his skin flushed red inside. The exceeded force burst the regressor's capillaries.
Yet the absurd 'malice' that repelled even an EX-grade authority slowly dragged the sword toward Morning Star's heart.
More strength poured into the regressor's grip.