episode_0025

Emma’s leap probably shocked some of the soldiers who were looking at us.

Because she was a centaur, not a pegasus.

No matter how fast and strong her four legs are, how could she move through the air?

If that one leap fails, they will fall straight into the sea, and if that happens, they will also think that it is the end for them, who are in danger.

And we will prove to them how wrong they were.

From the beginning, we didn’t expect to be able to reach her with just one leap.

Therefore, the place where Emma jumped was right above the countless bundles of tentacles.

The moment it lands, the tentacles that served as footholds are crushed with a half-exploding sound by the hooves carrying more weight than a decent warhorse and its knight combined.

-@#%@&!!

The tentacles screamed incomprehensibly, were slippery, and tried to entangle and kill those who climbed on them, but they still served as a stepping stone.

Leaving behind the half-exploded mass that hit her, Emma starts running again.

The tentacles felt the impact of the hooves hitting them and began to charge even more fiercely, but we were ready to meet them too.

When they felt Emma’s hooves step on her and tried to grab her, she had already gone a few steps ahead, so all she could do was grab the air in vain with the tentacles that could wrap around the ship and crush it if many of them came together.

As they continued to lose sight of us, the tentacles blocked our path with their numbers and mass and tried to crush us.

But they came out and were torn apart in front of Emma.

I swung my spear wide and took the opportunity to cut off a bunch of tentacles, and the things that tried to rush at me were bounced off the shield put in front of Emma, and were cut straight in front of her sword and fell into the sea.

As the thick tentacles rush at each other, wielding their mighty power, I hold the spear with both hands and raise it high, signaling to Emma.

At the signal, Emma changes direction at the last moment and speeds up once more.

With its swift movement, the giant gun, which could have smashed the mast, struck only the air, and the moment the wind created by the swung giant passed by my face, I stabbed the spear at an angle with the force of the charging Emma, adding to it.

-Kajijijik!

The moment the spear was pierced, even as the hand holding the spear exploded from the recoil and blood flowed out, I never let go of the spear and simply pushed my numb arm deeper once more.

As if tearing a thick cloth, the deeply dug spear blade cut off the strong muscles of the wriggling tentacles, scattering the severed joints like torn pieces of cloth.

Beyond the now torn curtain of tentacles, we finally saw our target, the shape of a woman whose face was still covered.

We’re almost there now.

That moment.

-Wiggle

Hearing an ominous sound from behind me, I gritted my teeth and quickly turned my head to look behind me.

Unfortunately, the ominous premonition did not come true.

Many of the tentacles we had cut down and pierced through were growing back from where they had been cut.

‘You even play it? Is this some kind of magic or a unique ability?’

“Hmm…”

Paradoxically, the woman who was regenerating countless tentacles on her lower body and erasing her wounds was actually crying louder as if she was in even more pain.

‘…what?’

A certain sense of discomfort I felt there.

But there was no time to look back on it.

So far, once you break through, you don’t have to worry about what’s behind you, so you move quickly, but you have to do something about the tentacles tightening again from all directions while recovering from the abnormal wound that revealed the enemy’s new ability.

‘This… is dangerous…’

Considering their thickness and strength, if they were caught, even if they succeeded in killing the main body, there was a high possibility that their bones would be crushed and they would die together.

Emma, who was the biggest among us, was especially at risk.

‘Do I have no choice but to gamble?’

Even if the distance was still slightly short, I had to somehow insert the spear.

“Owner?! Don’t do anything reckless-”

“I’m sorry. Emma.”

Surprised, she reaches out and grabs me before putting one leg up on her waist and getting ready to run away.

The moment when I folded my body and crouched down, then straightened it out again and tried to jump up.

-licking

Something licked my hand, which was holding the spear tightly.

For a moment, I was startled as if a strand of tentacle that I hadn’t caught had sneaked up on me, but I soon realized that it was much smaller and softer than the tentacle.

As if gently caressing my bleeding hand –

“Uhm… I’m sorry for doing it without permission. Still, I think it was a good idea to step forward now.”

Luvia was talking while licking the blood from the wound on her hand that had been cut earlier.

Unable to move properly due to the poison, she swallowed my blood, which she had collected with her tongue, and stood up again with her red eyes shining even brighter.

“Rubia. Are you okay now?”

“I haven’t fully recovered yet, but I’m feeling pretty good right now. It’s nice that that disgusting taste from earlier has been washed off my tongue.

Shouldn’t you have told the master earlier to ask for some blood?”

Judging from his usual sly demeanor, it seemed like he was feeling better to some extent.

“Then I will ask you a favor.”

“Yes, I don’t think my anger will go away unless I give that bitch who made me feel bad.”

A shadow extends out from under the hood she is wearing.

The black shadow that was creeping and filling the space even under the midday sunlight was bubbling and shaking as if it was about to explode at any moment, as if it contained the anger she had just said.

In the middle of that pitch-black cavity, Luvia licked her black-painted hand.

To cover up the drop of blood still remaining on my tongue.

The red color instantly mixes with the shadows everywhere, and as if things that should not be mixed are mixed together, the power explodes and dark red drops scatter in all directions.

It burrows into all the tentacles that stand in its way and tears them to pieces.

The moment the path literally blazed with blood opens up before me, I jump into the air and bend my knees.

Until Rubia and Emma’s hands each grabbed my foot.

The moment one vampire and one centaur threw me with all their might, I also spread my legs as hard as I could and flew through the air.

Humans wield weapons that replace the claws, teeth, and beaks of wild beasts and birds of prey, and lunge at them, slamming their bodies onto their prey.

The sight of the prey caught in my gaze was truly a contrast.

Above, there is a woman just crying helplessly in front of a spear hitting her.

Below is an endless wave of tentacles rushing towards us, somehow discarding the torn remains and rebuilding the remaining bodies.

Of the two, which one should I stick my spear into?

Since the moment in which concerns were allowed was only a moment, decisions had to be made as well.

The spear hit straight into the monster, tearing off flesh with its sharp blade.

“Aaaah!”

A scream of pain pours from her mouth, which had been crying all along.

‘…I inserted the spear while avoiding the torso as much as possible, but since it was directly connected, wasn’t there bound to be pain?’

At the last moment, the target of the spear in my hand was the place where the human form and the monster form met.

No matter how thick, strong, and numerous the tentacles underneath were, that part could only be about the size of the waist and legs of a human being her size.

The spear blade, which had already pierced countless targets much thicker than that, cut them off in one go.

I caught her and held her tightly as if to soothe her-

-Sigh!

We fell to the surface together.

——

And at the same time as Liber and her fall below the surface, the tentacles around them slowly collapse.

Even the tentacles, whose muscles were still moving and wriggling as they pleased, sank one by one to the bottom of the water with a large splash.

The galley, freed from its bonds, was pushed by the waves created by the spray and even tossed over.

Of course, all of that wasn’t very important to Rubia and Emma.

At least while their owners are under the rising spray.

They didn’t waste time calling for Liber in a voice that wouldn’t be heard anyway.

They too just threw themselves into the midst of the collapsing tentacles.

Beneath the water, which is murky with the remains of the fallen monster and spilled bodily fluids, they desperately chase after the golden light of the medal hanging around Liber’s neck.

And the moment I finally found that light and got closer, cutting through the current.

They also heard it.

A song sung in an unknown language that their owner is listening to.

Nevertheless, I felt like I could know something about the meaning contained within it.

After a while, those who came to the surface looked at each other for a moment and were silent.

Between them, a woman was lying unconscious, held by Liber in his arms.

While the galley was rowing towards them to rescue them, Liber said something and the women nodded quietly.

And they disappeared beneath the surface once again.