Lucavion’s sharp eyes fixed on the towering monstrosity before them, its grotesque form casting an oppressive shadow over the battlefield. The word lingered in his mind, heavy with meaning.
A Kraken…
The name echoed through his thoughts like a resonant chime, stirring memories and calculations alike. This was no mere beast of the sea. It was an ancient terror, a force of nature that had claimed countless lives and destroyed entire fleets. And yet, here it was, towering above them, its writhing tentacles a chaotic symphony of destruction.
Lucavion’s smirk faltered briefly, replaced by a contemplative frown as he tightened his grip on his estoc.
‘There’s a reason I came all this way, after all….’
His gaze shifted momentarily, taking in the scattered adventurers and knights, their fear and confusion palpable in the air. But his thoughts were elsewhere, pulling together the pieces of a larger puzzle. By coming here, he stood to gain more than just another notch on his blade.
The first reason, of course, was personal growth. Breaking through to 4-star with his [Flame of Equinox] core had been his priority. Though the exact reason for his previous inability to advance remained elusive, he understood one thing well: opportunities to face life-and-death challenges were the keys to his evolution. The battlefield provided those in abundance.
The second reason was far more delicate. His presence here aligned with his greater goal—to meet certain daughters, one of them a piece of his Master’s legacy scattered across the world and the other one, well….
He had met the first, Elara, fully and properly.
And he had partially encountered the second.
Partially, Lucavion thought, his smirk returning faintly. But that meeting isn’t far off now.
But these reasons right now were overshadowed by the third one.
Lucavion’s hand shifted slightly, his palm brushing against his chest where the faint glow of his core lay hidden. A strange pulse resonated within him, rhythmic and deliberate, like the beat of an otherworldly heart.
“Indeed…” he murmured to himself, his voice low, nearly drowned out by the chaos around him. “[Devourer of Stars]… it’s pulsating.”
The core at the center of his being—a gift, a burden, a mystery bestowed upon him by his Master—was not just a source of his power. It was a link to something far greater. And now, standing in the shadow of the Kraken, that link was alive, resonating with the beast’s monstrous presence.
‘It’s as if it recognizes this thing.’
Lucavion’s dark eyes narrowed, his smirk fading as his thoughts turned inward. The [Devourer of Stars] core was rarely active without reason. For it to react now, in the presence of the Kraken, meant that this creature was tied to its purpose. Its pulsation wasn’t random; it was a call, a connection, perhaps even a challenge.
‘Indeed….In the novel, it was also mentioned that….’
He inhaled deeply, feeling the heat of his [Flame of Equinox] simmer beneath the surface, ready to ignite at a moment’s notice. The strength he had gained, the enemies he had faced, all of it was leading to this moment. And though the sight of the Kraken was enough to make even the bravest tremble, Lucavion’s smirk returned, sharper and more dangerous than ever.
“Let’s see,” he muttered under his breath, his voice tinged with dark amusement. “Let’s see if you’re worthy of stirring my core.”
[You’re insane,] Vitaliara remarked, her tone carrying a mix of awe and exasperation. [That thing’s power is immense, and you’re still grinning like you’re about to open a birthday present.] Continue your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire
‘Why not?’ Lucavion replied inwardly, his smirk deepening. ‘Monsters like this don’t come around every day. It’d be a shame not to enjoy it.’
[There is absolutely no one in this world I’ve seen,] Vitaliara began, her tone teetering between disbelief and reluctant admiration, [who would talk about a Kraken like this. You’re either brilliant or completely mad.]
Lucavion chuckled softly, his dark eyes locked on the towering monstrosity as it roared, sending waves crashing against the platforms. ‘Why not both?’
Vitaliara let out an exaggerated sigh, but her voice turned sharper, more serious. [But this Kraken… It’s not normal.]
Lucavion’s smirk shifted into a faint frown of intrigue. ‘Not normal, huh?’ He tightened his grip on his estoc, the faint shimmer of [Flame of Equinox] sparking at its edge, flickering with anticipation.
‘So you’ve seen a Kraken before, then?’ he asked, his inner voice calm, curious.
[Three times,] Vitaliara admitted, her tone tinged with the weight of experience. [And each time, it was a force of destruction—raw, untamed, terrifying. But this one…] She trailed off, her unease palpable even through their shared connection.
‘This one… what?’ Lucavion pressed, though he already had an inkling of what she meant. ‘Let me take a guess….Otherworldly?’
Vitaliara’s eyes, her glowing form perched invisibly within Lucavion’s mind, seemed to widen slightly at his words. [Otherworldly? How—]
Before she could finish, Lucavion’s body tensed. His sharp instincts screamed at him, and without hesitation, he sidestepped, his movements fluid as a massive tentacle crashed down where he had just stood. The platform quaked violently under the force, splinters of wood flying into the air.
Lucavion’s smirk returned, sharper and more dangerous. ‘Too slow.’
With a burst of energy, he leaped onto the tentacle, his feet barely touching its slick surface before he launched himself upward. His estoc, wreathed in the dense flames of [Flame of Equinox], arced downward in a clean, devastating slash.
FWOOOM!
The flame-coated blade carved through the tentacle with terrifying ease, the flames igniting the ichor-filled appendage. A roar of pain reverberated from the Kraken as the severed piece splashed into the churning sea below, steaming as it dissolved into the salty depths.
[How did you know?] Vitaliara’s voice rang out again, sharper now, tinged with surprise.
Lucavion landed smoothly on the edge of another platform, his smirk deepening as he rotated his blade casually. “I can feel it too,” he said, his tone almost lazy, though his eyes gleamed with a calculating intensity. “That energy… it’s pulsating in the space around us. It’s not native. It feels…” He trailed off, his smirk fading into a faint frown. “Repulsing. Like it doesn’t belong here.”
[You really are sensitive,] Vitaliara remarked, though her voice carried a note of both concern and admiration. [It’s rare for someone to pick up on something so subtle, especially in the middle of a fight like this.]
Lucavion chuckled softly, his dark eyes narrowing as he watched the Kraken writhe in agony, its remaining tentacles thrashing with renewed fury. “I don’t need to be sensitive to notice something that blatant, Vitaliara,” he said. “This thing—whatever it is—doesn’t just feel out of place. It feels wrong.”
The Kraken let out another guttural roar, its monstrous body shuddering as it began to draw more of its appendages upward from the depths. The oppressive aura in the air thickened, pressing against the adventurers and knights like an invisible weight.
“Looks like it didn’t appreciate that,” Lucavion muttered, a glint of amusement flickering in his gaze. “Good. Let’s see what else you’ve got, big guy.”
[You’re enjoying this way too much,] Vitaliara said, her voice tinged with exasperation. [I hope you know what you’re doing, because this thing isn’t going down easily.]
“Wouldn’t want it to,” Lucavion replied smoothly, his smirk returning. He tightened his grip on his estoc, the flames along its edge flaring brighter as he prepared for the Kraken’s next move. “What’s the point of a challenge if it’s not worthy of me?”
With that, he launched himself back into the fray, his movements swift and precise as the Kraken retaliated, its monstrous appendages crashing down with unrelenting force. But Lucavion was already moving, weaving through the chaos with an almost inhuman grace, his blade ready to strike at every opportunity.
‘Otherworldly or not,’ he thought to himself, his smirk widening. ‘You’re going to learn what it means to face me.’
Lucavion’s blade sliced cleanly through another writhing tentacle, flames igniting along the severed appendage as it fell into the churning sea below. The Kraken’s guttural roar reverberated through the battlefield, its rage palpable as its massive body writhed with renewed aggression.
“Focus your strikes on the joints!” Lucavion shouted over the chaos, his voice cutting through the din of battle. “Those are its weakest points—the connective tissue is less armored there!”
The adventurers and knights nearby hesitated only for a moment before following his instructions. A group of mercenaries lunged toward one of the creature’s flailing appendages, their weapons targeting the base where the thick, slick tentacle connected to the main body. Their blades bit deeper this time, eliciting another bellow of pain from the Kraken.
“Watch the pores!” Lucavion warned, leaping nimbly to another platform as a glowing tentacle slammed into the space he had just vacated. “When they glow, it means it’s about to release those darts. If you can’t dodge them, shield yourself with something solid!”
As if on cue, a section of the Kraken’s tentacle began to radiate a sickly blue light. The nearest adventurer, a burly axeman, froze in panic.
“MOVE!” Lucavion roared, his voice sharp with command.
The axeman dove just in time as a storm of needle-like projectiles shot from the glowing pores, embedding themselves into the icy platform with lethal precision.
“You see that?” Lucavion continued, his blade glinting as he parried an incoming tentacle. “That’s the real threat of this thing. It’s not just brute force—it’s those cursed darts. Don’t give it the chance to pin you down.”
[You’re giving quite the lecture,] Vitaliara mused, her tone amused despite the gravity of the situation. [Is this your way of showing off?]
‘Hardly,’ Lucavion replied inwardly, his smirk deepening as he sidestepped another attack. ‘Knowledge is power, Vitaliara. These idiots would get themselves killed if I didn’t clue them in.’
[And where did this sudden expertise on Kraken anatomy come from?] Vitaliara teased, though her tone hinted at genuine curiosity.
Lucavion chuckled, his estoc igniting as he slashed upward, severing another smaller tentacle. “Let’s just say stars are guiding me.”
[Heh….]
The truth, of course, was far more specific. His knowledge came not from study or experience, but from the novel’s detailed description of this exact encounter.
Though it was for another time….