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Chapter 52: Pray and Pray Again (10)
Chapter 52: Pray and Pray Again (10)
Chapter 52: Pray and Pray Again (10)
My thoughts quieted as the Window blocked part of my view.
I finally understood why people say it is safer to dive deep when the waves are strong.
Compared to the chaos on the surface, down here was surprisingly calm and cozy.
Blublublub.
I exhaled some of my breath. My soul, which seemed to have left me for a while getting tossed around by waves, eventually reentered my body. Bubbles rose from my mouth.
‘I have to move.’
With the Zweihänder I was barely holding on to, the Longsword on the verge of slipping out of its scabbard, and the weight of a full-grown, muscular adult man carrying all other kinds of objects, it was impossible for me to float up naturally.
If I didn’t want to sink any further, I had to move my limbs somehow.
‘Move already.’
However, my body didn’t comply with my intentions so easily. A ray of light penetrated the gray sea and scattered, forming a kind of aurora. It was calm, but I could hear noises unique to the sea. All the roars and unpleasant noises were tuned out… It was unexpectedly nice.
So much so that I almost wanted to sink like this forever.
?A hostile existence has entered a radius of 30m.?
…Still, how did this happen? I could vaguely see the black dragon I had cut down in the distance.
Did I really almost die because I got distracted by this unexpected moment of peace?
I opened my eyes wide, grabbed my sword, and turned around.
In this world almost entirely tinged in black or white, I could see some distinctly white things all around me: they were all Spartoi.
This situation wasn’t good at all. I would usually just disregard them since they only took one hit to deal with, but right now, I was underwater, short of breath, and low on both HP and Arcane Power.
I couldn’t even use [Survival Instinct] because it was still on cooldown. I had to get out of the water first.
I hurriedly kicked my legs. The Zweihänder was too heavy, but I could solve that simply by stuffing it into my inventory. I kept out my Longsword because I needed something to deal with the Spartoi.
Whoosh, whoosh.
Accompanied by various sounds, my arms and legs finally managed to bring me toward the surface. The higher I went, the stronger the waves were, making it difficult for me to move.
“Puhah!”
And the moment my face left the water, the damn waves dragged me back under. No. It was one of the Spartoi. I felt a burning sensation from my ankles.
?Activating [Indomitable Spirit]!?
“…!”
That damn lizard thing even made me spend my extra life.
I swung around my Longsword, praying the HP restored by Indomitable Spirit wouldn’t get depleted.
My blade struck the Spartoi, meeting some resistance.
Baaam!
Was it because I didn’t have enough strength left or because I didn’t coat it in Arcane Power?
My attack only went halfway through the Spartoi. I forced myself to swing it one more time. Only then did I fully pierce the Spartoi’s head, forcing it to release my ankle.
Kyak!
However, the Spartoi’s attacks had just begun.
I hurriedly swam up, striking at the heads of the new assailants.
Hurgh. Air and water entered my mouth, prompting me to lower my gaze back down below the surface. I saw countless Spartoi attacking me without a single gap.
Slash!
One of them bit my right arm.
Of course, I immediately swung my sword to decapitate it. Screech. That metallic sound, which I hadn’t been paying attention to until now, seemed particularly annoying to me.
Slaaash!
After barely managing to kill the thing that bit my arm, I tried cutting down the next one preparing to attack me.
Crack!
A clear sound reached my ears: the Longsword breaking in two. Shit. It was then that this straight sword became a broken straight sword.
Bubble, bubble.
A string of curses accompanied by bubbles left my mouth. Of course, its durability had decreased a lot, but it was still around 70%.
Not 50%, but 70%!
So, why did it break all of a sudden?
Why did it have to break right now?
This was just unacceptable!
Although I couldn’t help but feel offended, I had to think of something quickly.
Surprisingly, the Spartoi snapped at the water instead of my body. I was very lucky, but a sense of helplessness and uncertainty dominated my mind.
Use the Zweihänder? That wasn’t an alternative. I might not feel it much when I was on land, but in the water, it was much too heavy and long, making it difficult to handle.
Then, should I fight with that broken thing? Was I crazy?! While a sword was more unwieldy the longer it was, less than 10cm was all that remained of the blade, and it wasn’t even that sharp!
Blublub!
I gritted my teeth when I saw the Spartoi approaching me, letting out air bubbles. Baaam! The hilt of my broken sword flew through the water and struck one of those things right between the eyes.
The Spartoi reflexively twisted its body.
Good, this was the right time to attack! I quickly felt around inside my clothes, took out a dagger, and gripped it tightly. It didn’t matter to me what I armed myself with, even just a throwing weapon. I was desperate.
I snatched the broken blade in my right hand. I wondered if I could even fight with it, but I had no other choice here.
Two Spartoi rushed at me with their mouths wide open.
I swung my dagger at the one coming from the left, chasing it away, and hastily pointed the sword fragment at the one close to the front.
Crack!
Thanks to my swift movements, it bit into the blade instead of my body. Screech! It fiercely chewed on the sword and tried to bite off my head somehow.
I wanted to stab my dagger into that thing’s neck, but there were too many of these monsters attacking from all sides. I twitched my arm and swung my dagger.
Uuugh.
To make matters worse, I was just barely holding my breath. I needed air. This situation was really crazy and desperate. My vision began blurring at the edges.
“Mister!”
Splash!
However, even if the sky falls, there will always be a way to rise again.
Something jumped into the water near me, creating a massive air bubble, and urgently approached me.
A harpoon pierced the head of the Spartoi chasing after me with my blade in its mouth from the top. Following the arm holding the harpoon, I saw a very familiar and welcome face.
It was Deb, with whitish-blue chains wrapped around his upper body.
Bubble, blulubb.
Deb moved his mouth as if trying to say something. I couldn’t really hear him, and with my vision leaving me, I couldn’t read his lips, either.
However, one thing was very clear.
“…!”
I threw my dagger and quickly took Deb’s empty hand. Bite! My right arm was bitten by one of the Spartoi.
The next thing that happened was that Deb, his eyes shut tight, pulled at the chains wrapped around his body.
Claaaaaaatter!
With the sound of clattering chains, Deb and I, who was holding onto his body, began to cut through the water. We were a little faster than the Spartoi.
Unless something unexpected happened, we would definitely reach the ship… I had no idea how they figured out where I was, but thanks to them, I would survive.
As long as I didn’t run out of breath.
Swoosh.
If I fell unconscious from the lack of air, they would probably struggle quite a bit to get me out of the water. I suddenly felt something enter my mouth. Something exuding air.
“…!”
Deb, you rascal!
I was moved to tears. I felt so touched that he rushed to save me despite claiming to hate water, and he even brought along a device to help me breathe. How thoughtful.
Kiyaaaargh!!
However, something inadvertently had to interfere.
With my lungs refilled with air, I looked down, my vision clear once more. Naturally, I saw a target mark directly below us while hearing various other sounds.
And then, something incredibly crazy entered my view.
The dragon, its entire lower half (in human terms) cut off, swam toward me using just its upper body.
That disgusting bastard wasn't a zombie, right?!
Actually, looking closer, I saw legs that weren't there before sticking out of its flat stomach and a new tail beginning to sprout from the slashed part.
It seemed similar to a Spartoi. I didn’t know it was possible for them to be born from shorn-off body parts and not just scales and the like.
Wait a second. Then, did the tail I severed really turn into the Spartoi that hit Windhand earlier?
Its persistence reminded me of that wizard who shall not be named, who tried to split his soul to live forever.
Blublub.
In any case, if I stayed like this, we would only get hurt. While cursing and letting out some air bubbles, I made a decision.
Deb, noticing what I planned on doing, grabbed the hem of my clothes tightly. However, it wasn’t difficult to shake him off.
Deb was dragged away by the chains, instantly leaving me alone in the sea.
Fortunately, the remnants of the black dragon were only rushing toward me, not Deb. The distance between it and me rapidly shrank.
Rumble, rumble.
Now, come at me.
I managed to take my Zweihänder out of my inventory. While it was pretty difficult to swing, after regaining some Arcane Power through [Life Force Conversion], that became manageable.
On the other hand, I only had exactly one HP left. It was risky, but what else should I have done? There was no other way for me.
Blub.
Die.
So, this truly was my final, final struggle. My sword, which met some resistance as I swung it, bisected the already cut-apart dragon from where I struck to the tip of its snout, spreading blood everywhere.
As its blood was black, an almost blind battle took place.
* * *
* * *
The Archmage gazed anxiously at the sky and the sea, where the storm seemed to be slowly clearing up.
The young man who said he’d spotted the Demon Knight sticking his head out of the water and volunteered to bring him back had nearly finished crossing the sea. He hurried along the footholds created by the wizards using all their Arcane Power.
And soon, he entered the water. All the adventurers were on high alert.
“As soon as we get the signal, we pull.”
“Shit, this is…”
They had prepared these chains, knowing it would be extremely difficult to get through all these Spartoi. Even if they were just something spontaneously made using Arcane power, if successful, it would be more than enough to save those two people.
“Here it is!”
“Pull!”
And then the agreed-upon signal arrived.
The adventurers and sailors who still had some strength left pulled the chains together. With some Arcane Power added in, their speed was quite fast.
“Cough, cough.”
However, when he saw that only one person had returned, the Archmage fell to his knees without realizing.
“H-Hey!”
“I-It’s not too late yet, cough.”
Someone tried to support the young man. However, it was the young man himself who shook them off.
His clear green eyes were shining through his wet, dark green hair.
Just like the Inquisitor, who didn’t give up and continued praying despite their dire situation, he also had hope.
“It’s not too late!”
“What?”
“We can still save him!”
“Wait, no. The Spartoi are nearby!”
“God damn it, Mister Knight is still alive!”
“The Spartoi are approaching us!”
So, how could he just give up?
The Hero spilled her own blood to save the ship and maintain a sanctuary their enemies couldn’t approach.
This thief, whose physicality was mostly that of an ordinary person, even volunteered to do something this dangerous without any regard for his own life.
And the Demon Knight was fighting a dragon on the ocean floor despite his body being mere flesh and blood.
How could he just sit by?
“Give me ten seconds.”
He had suffered internal injuries earlier when his shield was broken through. He had just recovered a little. However, his body’s safety only mattered if they all survived.
Drip.
“S-Sir Archmage!”
He forcibly gathered his Arcane Power, condensing it. Chanting a spell would have made it more accurate, but as his mouth was full of blood, he had to skip that part.
Still, it didn’t matter.
Arcane arrows, nearly as strong as cannon strikes, pierced through all the Spartoi that came out of the sea. His stomach lurched, and blood stained his white fur, but that was a small price to pay.
“Sir Archmage!”
“I’m… fine…”
The lives of those young kids were a lot more precious than his.
He sat down, his vision blurring. His old, aging body didn’t allow him to do anything more.
Still, it was fine.
Suddenly, a part of the sea swelled up. A beam of light pierced through the clouds, coloring the world in gold.
“That’s…”
“I-I can’t believe it…”
A dragon raised its head from the sea.
An uncorrupted divine beast with blue scales instead of black.
Kiiiiii.
The dragon opened its mouth, unleashing a clear cry. In it, one could see its red tongue and something black grasping onto another thing tightly.
His multi-colored hair and eye patch were particularly noticeable.
“Mister Knight!”
“Demon Knight!”
The divine beast effortlessly stuck its head through the sanctuary. The young man and Windhand fearlessly reached their upper torsos into the beast’s mouth and caught the man inside.
Tok. A dragon’s head, cut in half, fell onto the deck.
“Hey, are you still alive?”
“Mister, are you still alive?”
The Archmage forced his eyes open. He wanted to check whether the person who took on the most dangerous task of them all was safe before falling unconscious, at least.
“Mister, please answer me.”
“Cough.”
“Mister!”
Ah, he knew it.
“Don’t make such a fuss…”
“What are you saying, Mister?! I thought I would lose my mind, you know?!”
There was no way he would die so easily, judging by his temper.
Only then were his worries relieved enough for him to close his eyes. It seemed like… this might be a long rest.
* * *
Ah, damn it.
After confirming that the body I had split apart didn’t revive again for Phase Three—meaning, more Spartoi—I went up to the surface.
While Deb’s report should be sufficient, I should at least show some signs of my survival.
Of course, as I watched the sinking dragon carcass, I thought it was quite a shame: one could only obtain its by-products by butchering its body. I grabbed the split head as I went up.
The item name ‘Dragon By-Products’ was just too tempting for me to let it sink to the ocean floor. It was also surprisingly light relative to its size, which further contributed to my decision.
Furthermore, my Longsword was completely broken. It would be perfect if I could make a sword out of this dragon’s head.
Unless I was sure there was a Quest Reward for this, I absolutely had to take it with me.
However, as I started to swim up, arrows of some kind began raining down on me.
I got scared and dived beneath the water to avoid them, only to witness the Sea Dragon tearing one of the black dragon’s fragments to pieces.
I was quietly swimming to the boat, but when I saw the overflowing Divine Power, I cursed and tried leaving myself to the waves. Then the sea dragon forced me into its mouth—I was so surprised that I almost attacked it, but it misfired due to my lack of Arcane Power and HP—and tried delivering me directly to the boat.
I had no other choice.
I really appreciated the favor, but my HP was very low at the moment.
“Cough.”
Urgh, hey. Look at all that blood coming out as soon as I entered that sanctuary of Divine Power.
Wasn’t the penalty for this far too harsh? Why was it that most of my HP was lost to my allies instead of my enemies?
“Mister!”
Really? Would I really die like this? Right after I managed to survive through all this? I even killed that dragon!
Hah, look at that… I was left speechless as my HP slowly fell to nothing. The thought that I would die so meaninglessly left me weak.
However, every cloud has a silver lining: the moment my HP reached one again, it didn’t drop any further. This was the second time now.
Was it like giving someone an antidote right after poisoning them? Was this their last conscience? Even if my HP was reduced because of Divine Power, would it not go below one?
I really had a lot to say about this, but I couldn’t because of my character setting.
“Don’t make such a fuss…”
“What are you saying, Mister?! I thought I would lose my mind, you know?!”
Still, I was relieved I wouldn’t die right away from that. I slowly immersed myself in my roleplaying again.
“Sigh.”
One of the people who helped me up was Windhand.
“You didn’t lose by any chance, did you?”
Did he think I didn’t hear him? I kept my promise, okay?
Although it was a meaningless promise that had already been delayed by one day. Anyway, I managed to kill the dragon itself in half a day.
“…Yeah, shit. I didn’t. I kept the promise…”
Windhand burst into laughter. That felt somewhat rewarding.
“Shit, man, aren’t you happy that you basically just wrote history?”
It was worth it…
Hey, why was the Archmage getting carried away like that? And what was the Inquisitor doing under that pillar of light? Why were all the other priests passed out?
Could we just take a step back here??
“Th-The dragon!”
At that moment, I heard other people shout. Rattle. The ship’s sounds accompanied them.
“Fish and turtles are carrying the boat…”
“…Are they planning to take us to land?”
“Oh my, Lord Sea Dragon is dragging our ship…”
…I wasn’t sure what was happening, but it seemed like the Dragon was doing something.
?? Corruption Washed Up from the Sea
? Find and Purify the source of the Negative Energy
? Return to Grü Teltz?
So, we could really return now? Phew, what a relief. Had it told me that we couldn’t go back yet, I would have seriously cried.
“Miss Priest!”
“Miss Inquisitor!”
At that moment, the Inquisitor collapsed. The brilliance enveloping the ship completely disappeared.
“Ouch!”
“You mustn’t touch her carelessly!”
“Oh, almighty God…”
This person, breathing heavily as extreme heat rose from her body, seemed to have gone through many hardships I wasn’t aware of, as well. She probably protected the whole ship all this time.
“…As annoying as it is to admit, the Temple people are useful in their own way.”
Otherwise, there’s no way Windhand would say something like that.
“Well, she is a Hero, after all.”
“…What? Hero?”
“This should be enough, Mister. You should get some rest now. Please.”
“Hey, don’t stop right there!”
“Don’t you need to go to your rudder? Aren’t you the one steering this thing?”
“The wheel is broken, or do you not have eyes in your head?!”
Anyway, it seemed like the Raid was finally over.
Although our plan had completely fallen apart, we had achieved everything we wanted.
“Okay.”
“…?”
Of course, I could guess that there were plenty of things we would need to take care of in the city. I also had to go help out Windhand as soon as possible.
“I’ll… rest.”
Still… I could just take a little break for today.
“…Mister, I won’t fall for that. There’s no way you’d ever rest obediently like that, right?”
“…”
“Sigh, if you are in such high spirits, why don’t you just leave instead of giving people a hard time? Seriously, you don’t know when to call it quits, do you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You don’t need to know.”
…Sigh, life sucks.