Chapter 164: A Strike with All My Might
The tingling sensation deep within my mind only solidified my conviction that it was some kind of Skill. I hoped it was something like Danger Detection. It would be even better if it had effects beyond just my own peril, but I wouldn’t wish for too much.
“Still incomplete, but shall I unleash it?”
“Yeah. There’s no point in just watching from here.”
Once the Sea Emperor Turtle initiated an attack, we couldn’t afford to be leisurely. Even though it could only launch breath attacks from an extreme distance, their power was not to be underestimated. If it turned its attention toward the town, the consequences could be dire.
I soared into the air, flying between the damaged ship still engaged in firefighting and the one preparing to set sail.
“Shu! Rio is here too!”
A familiar voice called out from somewhere. Turning around, I spotted Linford on the ship that was getting ready to deploy.
“Yeah, I’m heading out now.”
“Count on you!”
I waved lightly at Linford and accelerated toward the Sea Emperor Turtle.
“Incoming breath attack!”
Sensing the tingling in my mind, I immediately alerted my companion. Just then, the turtle’s mouth glowed, and two beams of light shot forth. Both of us erected a Barrier to deflect the breath upward.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Knowing that Rio was with us seemed to ease any concerns. We maneuvered around to the side of the Sea Emperor Turtle, which was its blind spot, and prepared the Railgun. I handed Rio the Impact Bullet I had prepared in advance and took up a position to guard her.
We were about fifty meters away from the shell of the Sea Emperor Turtle. It tried to stretch its neck toward us, but it couldn’t quite turn in our direction. Its massive size and formidable shell were intimidating, but this was a glaring weakness, wasn’t it? …Provided we had enough firepower to breach its defenses.
The turtle’s head emerged, which would likely be easier to hit than its shell. With the practice I had put in, I could finally unleash my attack from a safe distance. If this didn’t work, I would aim for its face next.
“I’m going in.”
“Yeah, unleash it!”
Closing my eyes to concentrate, I felt Magic Power gathering in front of Rio. A gun barrel extending nearly twenty meters formed from the gathered Magic Power. I shaped the barrel using Magnetism Magic as well. I marked the impact point with Spatial Magic. While it might not matter much due to the Railgun’s speed, the slight guidance toward the target was invaluable.
As I concentrated my Magic Power, the surface of the sea began to ripple with small waves.
The bullet I created had an explosive effect, scattering smaller explosive magic-infused projectiles upon impact. It was a deadly design.
“Fire!”
The only things left incomplete were the accuracy and the success rate of the launch. Accuracy wouldn’t matter at close range, but if I failed to launch, it would take time to fire again.
With a thunderous explosion, my specially crafted Impact Bullet was launched. The firing and impact occurred simultaneously. The massive body of the Sea Emperor Turtle trembled and staggered back a few meters from the force of the impact. It seemed I had successfully fired.
A colossal wave surged toward the harbor as a result. The two heads extending from the shell straightened and stiffened for a moment before they violently expelled something dark and red from their mouths. Gradually, the heads lowered, crashing down toward the sea.
From the surface, it appeared that the turtle’s shell had been punctured, with large cracks radiating out in a ten-meter radius. However, the Sea Emperor Turtle showed no further signs of movement. Most of the impact seemed to have been absorbed internally, but it appeared that it couldn’t escape the force of its own movement. A massive wave surged on one side, while the other side saw the tide rapidly recede.
“How’s that?”
“Haha…”
To penetrate the turtle’s defenses with a single strike was incredible power. I couldn’t help but let out a dry chuckle as I watched Rio wear a triumphant grin. Even Nil was sporting a smug expression, but he hadn’t done anything at all.
Rio’s MP was just under half, but it was recovering at an impressive rate. As for the Sea Emperor Turtle…
＝＝＝＝＝
Status: Dead
＝＝＝＝＝
“I checked, and we definitely took it down.”
“Alright! We did it!”
After exchanging high-fives with Rio, we embraced and shared a light kiss. I never expected to take it down with a single strike, but in the end, it felt almost anticlimactic.
“Now, what should we do with this?”
Normally, we would store our prey in the Dimensional Box, but this size was likely too much for even Rio to handle.
“What should we do? Should we take just the head? We need proof, after all.”
The sea was murky from the various substances the turtle had expelled, making it hard to see. However, the head seemed to be floating rather than sinking. I could see just the tip of it above the surface. But at five hundred meters long, that head was enormous—probably as tall as a skyscraper.
“That’s true. …Let’s get this done quickly.”
Using magic to levitate it, I severed both heads and stored them in the Dimensional Box. It had been a struggle, but thankfully, it wasn’t as hard as the shell.
As I raced back to the military harbor, I was met with a scene of devastation. The harbor was flooded, and one ship had run aground. Another ship was leaning precariously, and while it hadn’t run aground, it must have sustained some damage.
Touching down on the land, I could see that the chaos had only intensified since earlier. If the ships were damaged due to the waves, it was an unavoidable circumstance. Yes, it was surely the turtle’s rampage that caused this.
“Shu! Rio!”
As I scanned the area, Linford rushed toward me, his expression one of confusion. Behind him, Dogesha approached with a grim look on his face.
“What happened to the Sea Emperor Turtle!? I saw its head fall, but… did you really take it down?”
Though it was far away, it seemed he had seen enough to piece together what had happened. If we returned unscathed right after the head fell, it wouldn’t be hard to guess.
“Of course, we took it down.”
At my words, Linford’s face lit up with joy, while Dogesha’s expression grew even more serious.