Chapter 78
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Kraken's Berserk Return
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Of course, it was a subjugation that had succeeded by exploiting the creature's weakness to the absolute limit, but it was only natural to be astonished that a single person—a mere teenage boy, no less—had planned it all and pulled it off in one fell swoop.
"The bastard's worn himself out completely, so will you deliver the killing blow?"
Osberg Mielephon yielded the finishing strike, and Leon approached the creature without a word.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he raised his sword and slashed down swiftly.
Kwajak!!!
The sound of something shattering.
What Leon had severed wasn't the Kraken's final vital spot.
It was the device generating the barrier that had enveloped the surroundings.
"Le... Leon?! What in the world?!"
At the same moment, the Kraken convulsed violently, then—as if it had been waiting—unleashed a massive roar that plunged everyone present into a brief stun.
It was a phenomenon commonly seen in ordinary Kraken subjugations, but one that was virtually unheard of in this situation.
However, deeming itself incapable of further action, the Kraken dragged its pathetic form into the depths of the sea and fled.
Everyone stared at Leon in horror at his sudden reckless act.
"Leon! What have you done?! Releasing the Kraken when we had it cornered!"
The subjugation team descended into utter chaos. It had been relatively straightforward, but far from bloodless.
Even weakened, a Sea King was still a Sea King. Countless knights had been injured, some requiring extended recovery.
Of course, Luna had healed them in short order.
Still, letting slip away what they'd captured after all that ordeal was utterly incomprehensible.
Even Osberg, who usually took Leon's side, was furious.
"Leon Cascadia!!!"
Among them, Expedition Leader Beren stormed over and seized Leon's shoulder in a vise-like grip.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! If that thing gets away, my sister...!"
"You mean Duchess Catshi?"
"I just can't comprehend it! Didn't you lose family to the Kraken too!? Why set it free!!"
Sister. Catshi Mielephon.
Leon smiled faintly.
There wasn't a trace of regret.
Instead, a chilling glint crept into his smile.
"If we'd pressed the attack right then, half the people here would've died."
"Wha... what?!"
The Kraken was devilishly clever and cunning.
"Krakens live long lives, so they have all sorts of tricks up their sleeves. It varies by individual, but this one's no different. That's why I let it go."
Leon pulled a pocket watch from his bosom and closed his eyes.
"Explain yourself! In the end, you let it escape!"
Leon nodded quietly at Beren's shout.
"If we do nothing here, yeah."
About five minutes passed after that.
Leon activated an artifact, and the fourth device—infused with mana by the mages—sprang to life.
Then, roughly thirty seconds later...
A colossal vibration rumbled through the entire area.
"Wha-what's that?!"
"Earthquake!!"
The subjugation team faltered at the abrupt phenomenon. Moments later, a horrific resonance emanated from the sea, reaching the shore.
It was a massive roar. One laced with hatred and fury.
"What... what is that sound...?"
"Three conditions. First, the mana fluctuations around the spawning ground had to maintain a specific pattern."
He had already set that up while tormenting the beast for three straight days.
"Second, a catalyst capable of triggering a reaction had to be present within that zone."
In the midst of the battle with the Kraken, Leon had repeatedly jammed something into its wounds.
"Finally, the third: a catalyst to forcibly ignite those two elements."
That was the role of the fourth device.
"When the Kraken swims back near its eggs, the explosion inside its body ensures none of them survive."
Kraken eggs were made of extremely fragile material.
That was precisely why it had raised such a commotion to protect them.
But what if those eggs—awaited for centuries—were all caught in the blast and obliterated?
"So you're saying it'll definitely come back...?"
"Exactly. It'll be completely unhinged, fighting to the death without retreat."
Beren felt a shiver run down his spine at Leon's smile.
"As I mentioned earlier, humans and our ships aren't particularly enticing prey for Krakens. In fact, about ninety-eight percent of their attacks on us are just stress relief... or boredom."
It had shattered his family for fun, so the Kraken deserved to weep blood tears in return.
"It destroyed my family. Simply killing it wouldn't suffice."
As Leon gradually built up his presence, something began rapidly surfacing from the churning sea.
"Wouldn't it make our loss sting a little less if it suffered the exact same?"
Leon strode toward the ocean, showing no intention of backing down.
Peueong!!!
At the same instant, the massive Sea King—driven to the brink of madness—roared ferociously, its gaze locked solely on Leon.
As if declaring: Even if it kills me, I'll take you down with me.
"Come on in. How's it feel to lose your family firsthand?"
Provoked by Leon's taunt, the Kraken lunged at tremendous speed.
Being intelligent, it had surely pieced together where and why the explosion had occurred.
It wasn't some intruder sneaking in to destroy the eggs. The fleeing Kraken itself had approached them, triggering the blast from within its body that wiped them all out.
In other words, the Kraken had slaughtered its own offspring with its own actions.
For a creature with such fierce maternal instincts, going berserk was inevitable.
"What a pity."
Luna murmured bitterly, though she knew full well it never would have come to this if the Kraken hadn't struck down the Cascadia Count and his wife... or their adorable little youngest.
Emerging in a near half-feral state, the Kraken charged Leon without hesitation.
An unidentified steam-like vapor erupted from its entire body.
And blue blotches began sprouting across its form.
Visually, it resembled a blue-ringed octopus.
This was the Kraken's ultimate last resort: forcibly incinerating its entire life force to fuel its power.
In this state, even a near-dead specimen became lethally dangerous—practically immortal.
Its regeneration had doubtlessly surged as well.
Of course, its injuries imposed hard limits on how much stronger it could get, and ordinary attacks wouldn't kill it outright.
Leon shouted, and Luna unhesitatingly flipped the switch on the final device.
Light poured from a brooch-like artifact in Leon's bosom, enveloping the Kraken and him while isolating the space around them.
It didn't stop there—countless magic circles materialized simultaneously across the barrier's surface.
Most of the subjugation team looked puzzled at the sight, but the mages tending the devices were utterly aghast.
"No way."
"Heavens, a six-fold high-circle cast?"
"How is that even possible with a human mind...?"
The more experienced mages muttered, their faces drained of color.
The younger ones, meanwhile, seemed not to grasp the situation.
"Senior, six-fold casting?"
"Are your eyes sewn shut? You just saw a six-fold cast, and that's what comes out of your mouth?"
"I thought even double casting required extreme mastery?"
"Exactly why it's absurd... Historically, the human limit for multi-casting is triple. Anything beyond defies the brain's capacity..."
High-speed multi-casting differed fundamentally from simultaneous casts.
For a mere human—a teenager, no less—to pull off a six-fold? The mages could scarcely believe their eyes.
"Nah, must be an illusion. Maybe simultaneous doubles..."
"Even if you're right, talent like that would make them the next Tower Master for sure."
In that moment of collective panic as they watched Leon trapped alone...
A blue mist began erupting from the Kraken's body.
Even from outside the barrier, an acrid, nose-stinging eeriness enveloped the entire team.
"Damn it! Fall back!! It's deadly poison!"
Sword Saint Osberg was the first to recognize it.
With his overwhelming poison resistance compared to the others, he swiftly pulled the nearby knights to safety.
The team gulped as they watched the virulent miasma melt everything around it in seconds.
"Luna, you'd know, right?"
"Deadly poison, plain and simple. But so potent even Sword Masters can't withstand it."
Luna swept her gaze over the assembled subjugation members and spoke.
"I'll treat anyone showing symptoms. Everyone, gather 'round."
She clapped her hands lightly.
Jjjak!!
A swirl of iridescent lights spread from her, and the visibly pallid team members' complexions improved dramatically.
"It's the venom a Kraken produces by burning its own life force."
"Never even knew such a thing existed..."
"You rarely ever witness this state. Juveniles can't achieve it."
Adult Krakens could, but who had ever subjugated one?
"The barrier only filters it partially. With our current materials, total isolation isn't feasible."
The team recoiled at her words.
And with good reason—one person was trapped inside, fully exposed to that horrific toxin.
"Hold on! Isn't Leon still in there alone?!"
"He's fine. It's his planned strategy. Someone had to be there to lock the Kraken in."
Luna extended her hand calmly.
Her healing energy seeped through the barrier.
"This enough?"
"Sufficient."
Before long, the poison mist thinned to a wavering haze, revealing the interior.
Leon emerged into view, evading the assaults of the massive blue-spotted octopus with minimal movement, and replied.
His voice was soft, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.
But unlike before, a black mist—like a colossal serpent—now coiled around him.
"What sort of magic is that?"
One of the mages muttered, eyes bulging.
"What magic is it, senior?"
"No idea. It resembles the necromancers' six-circle Soul Chain... but sturdier and simpler-looking."