He had never seen it in reality.
But there were times when he had heard of it through words, rumors, and stories.
No, there were many times.
It was an existence that famous.
He had thought that it would be horrifying.
But he hadn’t predicted that it could possibly be to such degree.
Sethus was more gigantic than any monster he had seen until now.
Boom!
With a thunderous boom, the forecastle of the left ship was pulverized.
“Uaaak!”
“Run! The ship is sinking!”
The soldiers ran towards the stern as they shouted.
“Throw the ropes! Save our comrades!”
“Leave the sinking ship!”
Tens of ropes were thrown from the ships that were still intact.
“Turn the bow around with the ropes still thrown! Run!”
“Retreat to the lakeside!”
The retreat order quickly fell.
But.
Boom!
When Sethus swung its enormous arm once, another ship shattered once more.
‘Damn it.’
Roan stood on the flagship’s deck and scowled at Sethus.
Sethus almost brought to mind a whale with arms and legs.
There was no difference between the head and the body, and it had a short back legs, a tail, and long forelegs.
It was a monster that usually swam or walked using the four legs to move deep below the lake, and could stand erect using its hind legs and tail.
‘To think it will appear so quickly.’
He knew that Sethus lived in the Poskein Lake.
However, he thought that they won’t be meeting it until they advanced to the Exos Island.
Because it was a monster that lived at much too deep place.
‘Is even the boat light ineffective……’
Sethus was also a monster that was categorized as nocturnal.
But unlike Kutier, it didn’t show any particular reaction to even the boat light.
Boom!
With a sound of explosion, another ship was destroyed again.
Roan quickly called Harrison.
“Harrison. All ships retreat!”
“Yes! Understood.”
Harrison, the captain of the Roan’s direct Amaranth troop and a thousand-man commander, immediately gave the retreat order.
Soon, the sound of horn signalling all fleet’s retreat echoed.
Vvuuuuuu!
As if they had been waiting, the ships that had been panicking turned their bows around and began to retreat.
But.
Boom!
There was no way that Sethus would stay still and watch that sight.
Swinging its long arms, it adroitly strode and moved its steps.
Each time, an amazing swell of water hit the ships.
“Uak!”
“Throw the safety lines!”
“Grab the safety line!”
“Save those who have fallen into the lake!”
Screams endlessly flooded out from here and there.
Watching the ally ships being helplessly destroyed, Roan gritted his teeth.
‘Damn it. Can’t be helped.’
He couldn’t stay and simply watch like that.
Forget retreat, the allies were in danger of being annihilated.
“Kinis.”
[Un?]
“Please create a water column.”
While glaring at Sethus, Roan moved to the end of the forecastle.
[Roan. You aren’t possibly thinking of fighting that bulk, right?]
Kinis asked back with a shocked voice.
Instead of an answer, Roan nodded his head.
‘I will protect my soldiers.’
Although his expression was solid and stiff, a strong determination and an unwavering will could be glanced.
[You really aren’t sane either.]
Kinis grumbled as she shook her head.
But she didn’t repeatedly ask back or stop him.
It was because Roan and Kinis, who were tied with a spirit contract, could share their feelings to a certain degree.
[Alright. Then here I go.]
“Please.”
A short conversation passed.
Suddenly, columns of water soared between the flagship and Sethus.
Roan moved without a delay.
Taat!
He kicked off the bow then stepped on the water columns one after another.
“Aa! My lord!”
“Lord!”
The soldiers shouted with shocked expressions.
Roan shouted without minding it.
“You guys retreat as is!”
The lord Roan’s orders were absolute.
But even so, they couldn’t leave Roan alone in danger and retreat.
Harrison quickly gave a new order.
“All ships besides the flagship retreat!”
“Then what will we……”
One soldier cautiously asked.
Harrison, as he stared at the back of Roan stepping on the columns of water and heading forwards, answered.
“The lord has staked his life for us. We will wait for the lord here.”
“Yes sir!”
The soldier didn’t ask anymore and saluted.
Soon, the sound of horn signalling the retreat of all fleet echoed.
Meanwhile, Roan had neared Sethus.
The sight of him holding the Travis Spear slantingly behind him and kicking and running on top of the columns of water was truly a sight of a hero.
The sight of not stepping back even with the gigantic Sethus in front.
The Tale Legion’s soldiers who were watching trembled in awe.
‘That man is our lord!’
‘Lord!’
‘Lord, please be strong!’
‘We are behind you!’
Burning sensations rose up within their chests.
Their entire bodies shivered and trembled.
They couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Uaaaaaaah!”
“Roan Tale! Roan Tale!”
The soldiers raised their hands high and cheered.
Thunderous voices rang and echoed the Poskein Lake.
The spirits carried on the voices stormed like a whirlwind and pushed Roan’s back.
“You guys……”
Faintly smiling at the spirits felt behind his back, Roan kicked off the last water column.
Sethus’ slick body was right in front of his nose.
Kwaaaaaa!
Sethus too had noticed Roan running towards him.
An incredible scream that felt as if the eardrums would burst exploded out.
Slightly creasing his forehead, Roan stabbed the Travias Spear into the slick and gigantic body.
Ssskuk!
The spearhead skewered deeply.
But no particular reaction came from Sethus.
To it, it was an attack similar to getting bit by a mosquito.
Sethus’ elongated arm flew towards Roan.
“Damn it.”
Spitting out a curse, Roan used the Travias Spear as an axis to turn his body and soar into the air.
Sssuung!
With a powerful gust, the monster’s arm cut through an empty space.
“Kinis!”
[Got it!]
At Roan’s call, Kinis put her hands together into a circle.
Suddenly, a round drop of water appeared in the air.
Quickly stepping on the drop of water, Roan jumped into the air once more.
Turning his body in the air, he climbed up on top of Sethus’ enormous arm.
Kwaaah!
With a horrible scream, Sethus tried to squish down on Roan with the opposite hand.
Looking at the incredible-sized hand, Roan quickly threw his body.
Tatat!
The sight of running on top of Sethus’ elongated and long arm.
To the Tale Legion’s soldiers’ eyes, it truly was a close sight.
Puuuckk!
With an earsplitting boom, Sethus’ hand clapped its arm.
Gulp.
With nervous expressions, everyone gulped.
At that moment, Roan jumped up on top of the hand.
“Ah……”
Exclamations of relief popped out from everywhere.
“Huu.”
Roan too spat out a short breath.
Once again, he climbed the arm and raced towards Sethus’ face.
‘Having a large size is both an advantage and disadvantage.’
To Sethus, Roan was truly an annoying opponent.
He was small and quick.
Of course, that didn’t mean that it was easy for Roan to take on Sethus.
If it was a normal human, it was close to impossible to cause a critical hit on it whether one swung a sword and stabbed a spear.
‘But that is……’
Roan’s eyes flashed and shone with light.
‘Stories of people without the Travias Spear.’
For him, there was the Travias Spear, which could freely change its length and thickness.
‘My mana needs to hold on.’
The problem was only the mana inside his body.
If only the mana was plenty enough, he could change the Travias Spear to almost the size of Sethus.
Tat!
Roan kicked off Sethus’ arm and jumped towards its face.
An eye as big as a ship was right in front of his nose.
“Hahap!”
With a shout, Roan thrusted the Travias Spear.
The mana within the mana hole rose up as if to soar and flowed into the Travias Spear.
Psht!
The Travis Spear, which was the size of a regular spear, flashed with light and then its length and width instantly started to become bigger.
It was a size that was simply difficult to hold with one hand.
Roan held the end of the spear with two hands and aimed at Sethus’ eye.
Sssggk!
The spear that became as thick as the size of a man’s body pierced its eye.
Using the mana within his body, he could increase the length of the spear at best to a length of a ship and a width of about Roan’s body was the limit.
Although it still was absurdly insufficient level compared to Sethus’ size, it was enough to give it a damage.
Furthermore, the attacked area was good.
At the pain of its eye being ripped out, the monster thrashed.
Kuaaaah!
With a horrible scream, the two hands flew towards the face.
‘You dare!’
Roan quickly returned the Travias Spear to its original size, then kicked off its eye and soared into space.
Ppuuk!
Sethus’ two hands hit its own face.
Roan stepped on the tip of its finger and climbed up to the top of its head.
“Die!”
While holding the Travias Spear with both hands, he pushed and stabbed it directly into the top of Sethus’ head.
Simultaneously, he pulled up his mana and enlarged the Travias Spear to its maximum size once again.
Pshshshshk!
As the length became longer and the thickness became thicker, the sound of flesh being pushed out hit the ears.
Kuaaaaa!
With a scream, Sethus swung its arm again.
However, Roan had already dodged that place and moved to another spot.
Once again, he stabbed the Travis Spear into its body.
He thought that if he continued to damage it the same way, the monster wouldn’t be able to last.
‘Stab twice if it doesn’t fall with a single stab, and stab three times if it doesn’t fall with two stabs. I’ll stab and stab again until it falls.’
That was Roan’s method.
But at that instant.
Uung. Uung.
A strange vibration was felt from the place he stabbed the spear.
“Huhph.”
At the same time, the surrounding felt lumpy.
A sense as if the Travias Spear he stabbed into the body was being pulled in.
Roan quickly set his balance and pulled out the spear.
Uung! Uung!
The vibration steadily became stronger.
Suddenly.
[Run!]
Kinis’ panicked shout was heard.
The instant Roan turned his head wondering what it was, the skin below his feet flashed with a blue light.
“Hph!”
Instinctively, Roan pulled his entire mana to protect his body, and simultaneously and repeatedly executed the shield spell amongst the spells carved within the Brent’s Ring.
All the mana within his body soared up.
The moment a transparent membrane covered his entire body.
Paat!
Sethus’ body that had became lumpy widely opened up and an incredible jet of water gushed out.
Puuuuuk!
An incredible impact hit his entire body.
“Kuuk!”
With his teeth gritted, Roan curled up his body.
Just like that, Roan was bounced off as he was hit by the jet of water.
[No!]
With an alarmed voice, Kinis quickly created drops of water.
Tens of water drops appeared.
However, the speed Roan was bounced out at was too fast.
Pop! Popop! Pop!
The instant the water drops collided with Roan, they couldn’t endure the impact and popped.
Puuuuuk!
In the end, Roan bounced and flew off the water’s surface like a skipping stone and soon was pounded into the water.
Ggllllllk.
At the place he sank, bubbles arose.
“My, my lord!”
At the situation that suddenly happened, the soldiers on the flagship gasped and yelled.
“Move! Move! We will go rescue the lord!”
Harrison shouted aloud at the top of his lungs.
Ggiiig.
The flagship that hadn’t moved even a bit even with the Sethus in front of them began to move with a sound of wood twisting.
Meanwhile, Roan was sinking endlessly.
The arms and legs drooped powerlessly and his conscious was faint.
But despite so, he was holding at least the Travias Spear tight in his hand.
‘What happened……’
Thanks to the Brent’s Ring, there was no problem breathing even while underwater.
Of course, even this had a limit with the current state of mana.
‘I remember being hit by something like a stream of water and……kuuk.’
Suddenly, an amazing pain assaulted him.
A feeling as if the bones of his entire body was shattered into pieces.
Also.
‘Did even the mana hole reach its bottom?’
He had spent all the remaining mana to protect his body.
‘If I stay like this, I will die.’
It was impossible to know how deep the Poskein Lake was.
But if he continued to sink like that, it felt like he would forever be unable to go out into the world.
Furthermore, it was also impossible to know how long the effect of the Brent’s Ring that allowed him to breath underwater would continue.
‘I have to move.’
Even though it was painful, he had to endure.
Roan tried to pull in the limbs that powerlessly drooped.
At that moment.
He felt killing intents that electrified and trembled his skin was felt.
Roan turned only his neck and looked around the surroundings.
Thanks to Kalian’s Tears, he could even clearly see the underwater sights that light didn’t touch.
‘Kutiers……’
Kutiers were swarming towards his surroundings.
The monsters remembered Roan, who had ruthlessly massacred their comrades.
They bared their sharp teeth and extended sharp and long nails.
‘Will I die like this……’
The body still didn’t move as he wished.
It was almost impossible to take on all of them.
But he had no plans to giving up and welcome death just like that.
‘There is no impossible in my life.’
He tightened his heart that was scattering.
It was a life that he had stood up from despite falling again and again and had stubbornly walked.
There was no way that he could simply give up even if a foot was caught at the door of death.
‘I will kill at least one more of you.’
Perhaps because of the firm will, the limbs that hadn’t listened moved.
‘Kuuk.’
Of course, an amazing pain assaulted each time.
Roan took that pain as a source of his strength.
With fierce and sharp eyes, he glared at the Kutiers.
‘Come!’
His spirit at least was of a greatest general under the sky. 1
At that moment.
[You really are an absurd guy.]
A sharp and buzzing voice was heard.
It was Kinis.
Roan wished to greet her at the somehow happy feeling, but he couldn’t say any words because he was underwater.
‘Even though it might be the last…… can I not even greet her?’
He felt a regretful feeling.
[What last? Didn’t you say that there is no give up in your life?]
Kinis’ voice was heard.
‘Un?’
Roan made a puzzled look.
‘You can hear my voice?’
Words passed through thought.
[I can hear it. No, not just hear it……]
The end of her words blurred.
At the same time, a current oscillated in front of Roan’s eyes.
A current swaying under the water was truly fantastic.
As if a whirlwind, it spinned round and round then soon burst apart towards everywhere.
At the place the whirlpool disappeared.
A women with a blue colored hair and skin tinted with a red light appeared.
A girl of short height that only reached up to Roan’s waist.
The girl turned her head and looked at Roan.
A face that somehow looked like a mischief.
[You can see me now, right?]
She casually threw those words.
Roan widely opened his eyes.
‘Are you perhaps Kinis?’
At those words, the girl slowly nodded her head.
[Yeah. I’m Kinis.]
Her small and pretty lips moved softly.
Smiling faintly, Kinis shrugged her shoulders.
[Aren’t I prettier than you thought]
Those were words that completely did not match the situation.
< Poskein Subjugation (4) > End.
1. “greatest general under the sky” – a sort of self-explanatory Korean term used as an exaggerated comparison to describe braveness
