Chapter 80
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: The Fall of the Sea King
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Sss... Paaak!!
The faintly flowing aura exploded outward in an instant.
The aura circulating through his body rapidly transformed in form, structure, and density, bringing about a massive change.
Shattering the wall he had put off for so long, he fully pioneered the realm of Sword Master.
His physical abilities surged overwhelmingly, and everything he had merely imitated until now emerged naturally, as if it had always been possible.
He had wanted to drag it out longer, tempering his body before breaking through the wall, but having come this far, that was impossible.
The wall of Sword Master.
In truth, for a Sea King Kraken, the birth of a single Sword Master was merely threatening, not fatal.
But he wasn't a typical case.
The monster still hadn't fully grasped that the Sword Master realm he had transcended was vastly different in substance from that of ordinary Sword Masters.
Soon, a golden high-heat beam shot from the tip of one of its tentacles, and he immediately sent the signal.
"Now!"
At the same time, sword energy of immense density tore through the air from behind him.
The sword energy targeted a massive magic circle, faintly concealed beyond the curtain above the Kraken's head.
The beast wasn't wielding magic through knowledge. A magic circle simply manifested within its instinctive power.
Kwa-chang!!!!
The sword energy ripped through the barrier and shattered the magic circle in an instant, leaving a massive scar in the air—a reminder that its user was no ordinary Sword Saint.
Not stopping there, it inflicted a colossal wound on the Kraken's body that even it couldn't regenerate.
-Kiaaaaaa!!!
The Kraken staggered in agony from the disruption to its power, its high-heat beam scorching the sky as its focus veered toward the heavens.
It left a black trail across the firmament, like a giant line being drawn.
He folded space once more, slipping right up to the beast as if stepping over a crease.
The creature raised a tentacle for its final counterattack.
But it wasn't the only one with hidden cards.
"Muyoung."
At his call, a black mist swamp formed beneath his feet, from which massive wolf-shaped phantoms emerged, tearing into the beast.
Then, from six magic circles that appeared in the air, black spears rained down, piercing the tentacles and pinning them to the ground.
-Kiiiek?!
The beast urgently lifted its head to glare at him, its limbs now fixed.
But it was too late. He had already drawn his aura blade several meters long, closing into point-blank range.
"Hup!"
What was the most familiar action when raising a sword?
A downward slash.
The most common and basic stance, yet the foundation of every sword art.
His single stroke came crashing down, the aura blade cleaving through the beast's body once.
-Kiaaaaaa!!!
The Kraken spasmed, ripping off one of its own tentacles to counterattack in resistance.
But the creature was completely on the verge of depletion now, so its assault fell short.
As it watched his body recover swiftly, the Kraken's eyes widened.
Seok!!
Moving like flowing water into its gap, another downward slash followed.
The faster the speed, the greater the power.
The immense force-laden aura blade, combined with the inherent sharpness of the demonic sword Electra, struck fatally at the Kraken, which had abandoned defense for all-out regeneration and attack.
Of course, the beast, having lost its offspring, was in extreme rage and attacked fiercely. But even as wounds bloomed across its body, it trusted Luna's regenerative power and swung wildly like some brutish warrior.
Seok!!!
Seok!!
Seok!!!
The Kraken thrashed desperately to escape, but with its life force utterly exhausted, no strength remained.
The emotions in its eyes were hatred and rage... and fear.
Fear of a land human who smiled even against the predator known as the Sea King.
"Scared?"
Leon asked the Kraken in a chilling voice.
His parents must have felt the same.
-Kiaaaaaa!!!
Still, the creature's attack wasn't entirely futile.
Even rotten, it's chub mackerel.
The Sea King's venomous aura was that potent. Despite Luna's recovery and soul-binding chains, it momentarily overloaded his body, disrupting his sword flow.
The Kraken seized the chance, wrapping the demonic sword Electra with a tentacle in sacrificial resolve.
The firmly gripped tentacle kept the blade from pulling free easily, but no dismay showed on Leon's face.
"Caught? Does that change anything?"
He sneered at the Kraken instead.
At the same time, an aura blade of incomparable density and size erupted from his sword.
A technique imitating realms beyond ordinary Sword Masters—impossible for most.
Just as an Expert could mimic sword aura, reaching Master allowed mimicking Mind Master techniques. It wasn't impossible.
Of course, it required buildup, but repeated slashes had already preheated him.
[Overdrive (Realm Transcendence)]
[Acceleration]
[Space Severing]
Perung!!!
With the explosion, the creature's sturdy tentacle burst apart completely differently from before, scattering in all directions.
Having lost its final means of resistance, the Kraken's eyes fixed on Leon.
Was that gaze filled with resignation, or something else?
What mattered was that its opening was now glaringly exposed.
Leon didn't hesitate, driving forward and slamming his left foot down like stomping the earth, anchoring himself.
Kwaaaang!!!
A deafening boom echoed as the ground where his left foot struck formed a massive crater, sinking in. Cracks spiderwebbed out, giving way to fissures tens of meters long.
Then, raising his sword high, Leon brought his aura blade crashing down like lightning.
The light-infused strike slashed across the entire space in a single instant.
The Kraken's resistance ended there.
Its body was torn apart as if raked by giant claws.
No Sea King could survive having its flesh shredded like that.
Its pupils rapidly dilated, its sustaining strength slowly ebbing away.
At the same time, the endless venomous aura gradually dissipated like settling mist.
The death of the Sea King, called the ocean's calamity for centuries, was pathetic and silent.
He didn't particularly care if anyone was watching.
If he had intended to hide his abilities, he wouldn't have acted so openly even within Cascadia territory.
Leaning back against the now-silent Kraken, fatigue washed over him.
Breaking through to Sword Master accelerated the changes in his body.
Most transformations had proceeded as prepared, but remnants lingered.
He probably needed some rest.
"Leon."
Luna pierced the lingering poison mist, gazing down at him calmly.
"Was revenge satisfying?"
What did her question imply?
He closed his eyes in silence, then chuckled softly.
"Refreshing."
With that, he leaned back and shut his eyes.
"Sleep a bit."
"Rest well and get up when you're ready."
Her hand stroked his hair, and sleep overtook him.
Even with soul-binding chains and recovery magic, he couldn't deny the severe strain.
Moreover, the peculiar emptiness after successful revenge kept him lounging in bed for days, doing nothing.
It wasn't futility over the Kraken revenge.
The rebound had hit because he broke through the Sword Master wall far faster than planned.
Lying on the bed, he raised one hand experimentally.
Tssst!!
High-density sword energy formed at his fingertips.
The intact aura blade, symbol of Sword Master.
He had nearly completed preparations to surpass the Master wall, but some regret was inevitable.
Still, handing the finishing blow to the subjugation force would have been too wasteful.
Come to think of it, after declaring he'd hunt the Kraken, he hadn't properly contacted Melissa.
She was probably furious, but there was nothing she could do.
Knock knock.
"Leon, food."
"Pass. Eat later..."
Bang!!
Luna kicked the door open outright, holding a small tray.
Atop it sat some unidentifiable porridge.
"Hey, you paying for door repairs?"
"Quit bullshitting and eat."
She strode over and yanked him up by the collar.
Her strength was greater than expected, but perhaps because his physical prowess had exponentially surged past the Master wall...
Her power now felt somewhat light.
Of course, he didn't resist.
She forced him upright and shoved a baguette straight into his mouth.
"Ghk!"
"Eat quick. Why skip meals for three days?"
"Ah, already three days?"
"Sick maybe? You look fine."
"Nah, just no appetite."
"Hard to eat?"
She nibbled one end of the bread, chewing.
"Need me to chew and feed you?"
"Why so coquettish? Anyway, Melissa? No word?"
"None yet. Coquettish is offensive. Eat this too."
As he swallowed the bread, she poured soup into his mouth.
Hot sensation filled it.
"Ptoo!! Hey, you idiot! Don't ever try nursing anyone, seriously."
"Nursing? This isn't nursing."
"Ugh, you crazy bitch."
"But not unattractive, right?"
Smooth as flowing water.
She struck a bizarre, flirtatious pose before him.
"..."
He knew her antics well, but this was unusually overt.
He was aware she harbored some fondness for him, but the reason eluded even him.
"Sorry, Young Master. Luna insisted on bringing it herself..."
No need to see to know. Her glee at tormenting him was obvious.
"How's the aftermath?"
"Mostly wrapped up, but with the Kraken assault and two tsunamis, most residents will stay in temporary housing until the village rebuilds. Costs seem covered by the family."
"I see."
"Um... Young Master."
"Speak, Head Maid."
Misha the head maid bowed to him.
"Thank you... for saving the Family Head."