The shadow engulfed the battlefield like a stormcloud, plunging the area into an eerie twilight. The massive form rising from the sea cast its oppressive presence over the platforms, and a bone-chilling roar vibrated through the air, freezing every adventurer in place.
Elara, still slumped on the ground, barely managed to lift her head as a colossal tentacle arced upward, its glossy surface reflecting the dim light. Her breath hitched as the monstrous appendage descended with terrifying speed, aimed directly at her position.
She tried to move, her hands scrambling weakly for her staff, but her body refused to obey. Her mana reserves were too low, her limbs too heavy. The realization struck her like ice in her veins—she couldn’t escape.
The tentacle crashed down with a deafening BOOM, the platform beneath it shuddering violently. Splinters of wood and icy shards flew in every direction as the force of the impact rippled outward.
“ELARA!” Cedric’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding.
Before she could process what was happening, Cedric was there. He stepped in front of her, his shield glowing with a golden light as he planted his feet firmly on the ground. With a deep, steadying breath, he raised his free hand and channeled his mana.
「Knight’s Resolve」 (3-star shield technique)
A shimmering barrier erupted in front of them, golden and unyielding. The air around it seemed to hum with power, the shield gleaming like sunlight piercing through a storm.
The tentacle slammed into the barrier with a thunderous CRACK, the force of the impact reverberating through the platform. Cedric gritted his teeth, his body braced against the massive pressure. “Hold!” he growled, pouring more of his mana into the shield.
The barrier held, but only barely. Cracks began to spiderweb across its surface as the overwhelming weight of the monster’s attack bore down on them.
“Cedric!” Elara cried, her voice hoarse with panic.
He didn’t look back, his focus entirely on the barrier. “Stay behind me!” he barked, his voice strained but resolute. “I will take care of it!”
The shield finally gave way with a shattering CRASH, and the remaining force of the blow sent both Cedric and Elara hurtling backward. The icy platform beneath them splintered as they skidded across it, the momentum stopping only when they hit the far edge.
Elara gasped, the wind knocked from her lungs as she scrambled to her knees. “Cedric!” she choked, her eyes darting to him.
“I am….. fine.” Cedric said, his voice low and strained.
Cedric’s face remained grim, his expression devoid of the usual reassuring smile. He pushed himself upright, his movements heavy but deliberate. A faint tremor in his legs betrayed the toll of the attack he had just endured.
“Lady Elara,” he said, his voice steady but strained, “you must be careful… That strike just now—it was far stronger than anything we’ve faced so far.”
As if to emphasize his words, Cedric leaned forward slightly, coughing harshly before spitting out a streak of blood onto the icy platform. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his other gripping his sword tightly. Despite his injuries, he stood tall, his shield ready.
Elara stared at him, a knot of panic tightening in her chest. “Cedric, you’re hurt—”
“I’ll manage,” he interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Focus, Elara. You can’t let your guard down.”
Before she could respond, the air grew thicker, an oppressive weight pressing down on the battlefield. The massive creature let out another guttural roar, its monstrous form looming larger as more of its tentacles rose from the churning sea.
Suddenly, figures clad in gleaming armor surged forward—the knights of the Dukedom. Their movements were swift and coordinated as they formed a protective line near the mages and adventurers. Each knight placed a hand over their core, their mana flaring to life as shields of energy shimmered into existence around them.
“Elara!” Cedric barked, snapping her attention back to him. “Stay close to the knights if you can’t hold your own.”
Before she could reply, Captain Eryndor’s voice thundered across the chaos. “EVERYONE! GET READY TO PROTECT YOURSELVES!”
His warning was cut short as the monstrous tentacles began their assault.
BOOM! CRACK!
One tentacle smashed into the nearest ship, splitting its deck with a deafening crash. Sailors and knights were hurled into the air, their screams lost amidst the chaos. Another tentacle slammed into a temporary platform conjured by the mages, splintering it and sending icy debris cascading into the sea.
RUMBLE!
The platforms quaked under the repeated strikes, the mages struggling to maintain the spellwork that kept them afloat. The ground beneath Elara and Cedric trembled violently, nearly throwing them off balance.
Another tentacle, enormous and menacing, surged downward toward Elara and Cedric with terrifying speed. The air around it seemed to warp, the sheer force of its descent roaring like a hurricane. Elara’s heart pounded in her chest as she raised her staff instinctively, but she knew she wouldn’t have time to cast a defense.
SLASH!
A sharp sound cut through the chaos, followed by a spray of blue liquid as the tentacle was sliced cleanly in midair. Elara blinked, barely processing what had happened as a figure darted forward—a flash of dark movement weaving through the battlefield.
SLASH! WHOOSH! SLASH!
One by one, the tentacles were struck down, each cut precise and brutal. The blue ichor of the beast spilled into the air, its grotesque scent wafting through the battlefield. And then, standing amidst the carnage, Lucavion emerged, his blade gleaming faintly with dark energy.
“FOCUS ON THE PORES!” he shouted, his commanding voice cutting through the chaos. “LIMIT THE RANGE OF TENTACLES!”
His words snapped the adventurers and knights out of their stunned stupor. They shifted their focus, their attacks now aimed with newfound precision at the writhing appendages.
“AND IF YOU SEE THE PORES SHINE, EVADE!” Lucavion’s voice rang out again, firm and resolute.
As if on cue, the pores on the severed tentacle he had just cut began to glow, a sickly blue light radiating from them. The warriors closest to it froze for a moment, unsure of what was happening.
“MOVE!” Lucavion roared, channeling mana into his legs. With an explosive burst of energy, he leaped high into the air, a black streak against the dim, chaotic sky.
WHIRR! Stay connected with My Virtual Library Empire
The glowing pores suddenly erupted, releasing a storm of small, needle-like darts that shot upward in pursuit of Lucavion. The deadly projectiles whistled through the air, glinting faintly in the dim light.
Lucavion twisted midair, his movements impossibly fast and fluid. SWOOSH! SWOOSH! He evaded the darts with precision, his body flipping and twisting as he descended back toward the platform.
“THEY’RE POISONOUS!” he shouted as he landed, his blade carving through another tentacle with a single powerful stroke. “DON’T GET HIT!”
Elara’s breath caught as she watched him, her heart racing at the sheer intensity of the scene. His instructions were clear, his movements impossibly swift, but the situation was spiraling out of control. More tentacles surged forward, their glowing pores threatening to unleash more deadly projectiles.
But the her fingers tightened around her staff as her wide eyes followed Lucavion’s movements. Her breath was shallow, her heart thudding in her chest as his voice rang in her ears. His commands were precise, deliberate, as though he wasn’t just reacting to the chaos but knew exactly how it would unfold.
“Does he know what this is?” she murmured to herself, her voice barely audible over the cacophony of the battlefield.
“Elara, stay back!” Cedric said, his voice filled with urgency as he positioned himself beside her, shield at the ready. “You can’t push yourself too far again—”
“He looks like he knows what this is…” she interrupted, her gaze still fixed on Lucavion. She stood, forcing her exhausted body upright. Her frost magic crackled faintly around her, though her reserves were dangerously low.
Just then, one of the adventurers nearby, a burly man wielding a double-edged axe, shouted toward Lucavion. “Hey! You there! How do you know all this? Do you know what this thing is?”
Lucavion, who had just landed from another agile maneuver, twisted slightly to glance at the adventurer. His blade dripped with the eerie blue ichor of the tentacle he’d severed, and his coat swayed lightly in the sea breeze. For a moment, he didn’t respond, as though weighing his words.
Then, his lips curled into a smirk—a grin that bordered on madness, his sharp eyes gleaming with an unsettling mix of excitement and determination.
“Yes,” he said, his voice low but carrying clearly across the chaos. The single word froze the air around them, the weight of it palpable.
Lucavion straightened, his blade resting lazily on his shoulder as he turned to face the scattered adventurers and knights. His gaze swept over them, and the smirk on his face deepened into something more wild, almost feral.
“We are against a Kraken.”
———–A/N————–
My finals have finally ended. I can focus on writing finally…
Freedom!