Chapter 75
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Kraken's Landfall
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At those words, Beren's face crumpled.
But Leon casually flicked away the sword aimed at his throat with a finger.
Then he started walking.
What nonsense. The Kraken hadn't lost its intelligence, so why would it climb up onto the beach where it would be at a disadvantage? It might in a berserk frenzy like before, but with all the cultists wiped out, there was no reason for it to act that way.
To begin with, if it just stayed in the sea, there was nothing we could do about it.
"We'll go over the details in the briefing."
In the command tent packed with people, I calmly swept my gaze over the map of the area under everyone's stares.
No one responded. Most looked at me with utter disbelief, while only Osberg Mielephon, who trusted me, wore a peculiar expression.
"I figured you'd all have complaints since I did nothing for three days."
"And you, knowing that, still put the entire subjugation force in danger?"
One of the knights sniped at me snidely. From their perspective, my single word had left them on constant alert without rest or proper supplies.
I'd told them to rest easy, but that hadn't landed with them.
"The Kraken rampaged exactly 72 hours ago. Now, we're going to hunt it down."
Snickers rippled from a few spots.
"That's rich. You expect to hunt it at sea when we haven't even repaired the ships?"
The Kraken was a sea king beast to begin with. Cases where it came onto land were extremely rare.
In other words, unlike its previous rampage, we'd have to go out to sea this time to catch it.
"No. We're not going out to sea."
"Then how exactly do you plan to catch it?"
"How...? Right here."
I pointed to the ruins of the village, already half-destroyed by the tidal wave and the Kraken's thrashing.
"First, we'll divide the subjugation force into three units. One: Main Attack Squad. Everyone confident in their skills, including the elders, joins the attack squad."
My words drew half-hearted reactions, as if daring me to keep talking.
"Two: Mid-to-low Expert-level fighters handle disruption and sub-monster extermination. Finally, Support Squad. All the mages go there."
Beren scowled and asked,
"Nothing about this makes sense from the start. Shouldn't you convince us why you're so sure it'll come here first?"
"Listen first, then decide. The operation starts the moment it climbs ashore—no time to waste. Combat could break out any second, so just remember three things."
I held up three fingers.
Then folded them back down.
"One: The instant it hits land, all fighting stays within the designated range. Step outside, and its mental attacks will shred the whole subjugation effort. Don't forget that."
Puzzled murmurs rose around me, but I pressed on.
"Two: The Kraken's exhausted, so it'll probably bring more sub-monsters as shields than we expected. Disruption Squad, take them out as fast as you can. Lady Isna knows the details, so follow her lead."
"Sub-monsters? Sure, it brings some, but just a handful at most..."
"The fact it's coming ashore means it's not normal to begin with. Lastly, three."
I turned to the mages.
"Outside right now, my skeletons have placed five devices. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue—in that order. I'll handle red. Support Squad, pour every drop of mana into orange and onward. Luna here will explain the details."
"What the...?"
"And remember this: Once combat starts, no spells except channeling mana into the devices. Disruption Squad and my skeletons will protect you, so hold your positions no matter what."
With a gesture from me, the tent flap opened, revealing massive devices twice human height in vivid colors.
One-time massive artifacts crafted from every scrap of material Head Maid Misha had bought. I'd reshaped them with the Machine God's Heart, altering their structure and molecules.
Made solely to catch the Kraken, they required insanely complex, precise techniques—but the Machine God's Heart ignored all that and spat out perfection.
I hadn't planned to make gear like this, but with the situation forcing a plan change, I'd stripped the subjugation force's remaining supplies bare.
They didn't look like something whipped up in days, but the Machine God's Heart bypassed the process entirely, turning raw materials straight into finished products.
A heart wielding power rivaling vast mana reserves.
It just needed massive data and knowledge, but I'd researched the Kraken to death, so no issue there.
"What the hell is...?"
"When did he even...?"
"Too hard to explain right now. Come on, what are you all standing around for? Time to greet our guest. Flare your auras as hard as you can."
A thick wave of necromantic mana erupted. The knights exchanged shocked glances, like What kind of monster is this guy?
But soon, the effects rippled out.
"Cr... Kraken!!! The Kraken's coming ashore!!!"
A shout rang out from far off.
"It begins."
I swiftly directed the necromantic mana.
Vast amounts vibrated the air around us, paling faces everywhere.
"Ugh?! What the...?"
"What necromantic mana is this thick...?"
It was unbelievable this came from a teenage boy—gasps erupted all around.
I poured every bit of surging necromantic mana into the red device.
Instantly, it glowed and whirred to life. Spheres protruding from its center spun like a centrifuge, blasting wild green light as it activated.
Right—from the Hall of Sages, we'd hunted the Kraken with these devices.
Back then, I lacked mana, so I'd needed alternatives. Here, we had mages and mana in excess.
A massive translucent green mana sphere began forming over the entire area, from the beach where the Kraken emerged to our battlefield.
"Remember: Step outside that range, and the subjugation falls apart. Stay inside no matter what."
This Kraken hadn't rested or eaten for three days. For an already exhausted beast, that meant severe vitality drain.
Proving it, its skin had turned an eerie red from its usual black.
"What are you waiting for? Let's exterminate. Lunch might've sucked, but dinner's gotta be Kraken sashimi."
It started with raindrops falling.
Splattering at first, they soon turned into a downpour. Thunder crashed over the sea, clouds churning like a hurricane.
The Kraken, now bright red, looked like long-boiled octopus—totally different from normal.
Proof of its dire state: insane maternal instinct, extreme stress, and malnutrition.
Its massive body, tentacles coiling around a huge belly, still radiated overwhelming pressure.
"My god. The Kraken came out of the water on its own?"
Its behavior was predictable.
My magic circles had tormented it in its lair nonstop for three days.
Exhausted beyond measure, it couldn't even hunt—devoting everything to guarding eggs adrift from its body.
Normally, it'd leave them to hunt and replenish, but that was impossible now. In the end, it made its choice.
Kill all these land humans—the apparent culprits—to protect the eggs safely.
Even with instincts dominant, it grasped that much. To compensate for its drained power, it mentally dominated deep-sea monsters and dragged them ashore.
Its mental control had weakened, but those attacks were its signature.
It knew it was the apex predator, yet also that its state wasn't peak.
Climbing ashore was a foolish move it'd never normally make—but it decided anyway.
Woooong!!
A massive green hemispherical barrier envelops the Kraken.
Even knowing it was a trap, the beast had no other options.
The Kraken we faced was mansion-sized.
Each of its eight legs was pillar-thick, suckers bristling with spines sharp and venomous enough to kill on pierce.
Its red skin signaled critically reduced durability.
Yet it still looked tougher than sword auras could dent.
One swing from that bulky frame and legs would shatter any ship.
At sea with storms, those eight legs burst from below, crushing vessels outright.
Even Sword Masters couldn't fight properly in water, making the Kraken one of the hardest beasts its tier to subjugate.
But.
Without its oceanic storms or water advantages, the difficulty changed completely.
It wouldn't have been this easy outside spawning season.
We wouldn't have gone after it at all.
In the end, spotting humans and burning with massive hostility, the Kraken's first move was a earth-shaking roar laced with mental attack across the area.
A force that normally shattered human minds outright—but for some reason, it didn't reach anyone.
Why?
That thought flickered in the beast's mind.
Humans charged at it swords-first.
Tiny prey!