novelraw Chapter 142 : Chapter 142
Chapter 142 : Chapter 142
Chapter 142. The Moment of the Decisive Battle (1)
Upon the endlessly unfolding blue sea, over a hundred ships advanced majestically.
The expedition to Reubungwo.
Anonymous sat at the highest point of the flagship's deck, watching the movements of the fleet that followed her.
It would have been much faster and more comfortable to transform into her original form, a huge dragon, and fly freely in the sky, but she deliberately stayed on the ship in her uncomfortable human form.
‘I have to be by Master's side.’
Her gaze was fixed on Frank, who was standing at the forefront, facing the wind.
Protecting him.
That was the most important mission for her right now.
But, to confess, life on a ship in the middle of this vast ocean was not at all suited to her.
‘I feel nauseous…….’
The regular swaying of the waves gave her, who was riding a ship for the first time in her life, a terrible motion sickness.
She felt like forgetting her dignity as the queen of dragons and lying down on the bottom of the ship right away.
Noticing her pale complexion, Frank approached her with a worried face and spoke.
“Are you alright? You don't look well. If it's really hard, wouldn't it be better to turn into a dragon and fly in the sky?”
Anonymous forced a smile and shook her head.
She didn't want to show a weak side in front of him.
“I'm fine, Master. This is nothing. And if any sea monsters jump out from below, I have to deal with them right away.”
Frank smirked and pointed to the old wooden necklace around his neck.
“Don't worry too much with this. They won't dare to approach carelessly.”
He was right.
Since setting sail, the mysterious energy emanating from the Tear of the Sea God had prevented the surrounding minor sea monsters from daring to approach the fleet.
But for some reason, a corner of Anonymous' heart was uneasy.
‘Can that one small necklace perfectly protect this entire vast sea area?’
If it were one or two ships, maybe, but the fleet they were leading now was over dozens of ships.
No, it was a large fleet of nearly a hundred ships.
Was the blessing of the Tear of the Sea God really covering the entire fleet?
Her ominous premonition unfortunately became a reality.
“Aaaaargh!”
It was at that very moment.
A piercing scream echoed from the very rear of the fleet.
“Wh-what! What happened!”
The soldiers on deck shouted in panic at the sudden commotion.
The sailor on the watchtower shouted urgently with a pale face.
“A k-kraken! A huge kraken is attacking the ship at the rear!”
A kraken.
Wasn't that a legendary deep-sea monster!
Just its name alone made sailors tremble in fear.
One of its huge tentacles had already wrapped around a ship at the rear of the fleet and dragged it into the sea in an instant.
“Damn it!”
Anonymous forgot her seasickness and shot up from her seat.
The flames of anger blazed in her red eyes.
How dare they attack the fleet her Master was on?
Without hesitation, she kicked off the deck railing and threw herself towards the vast sea.
But there was no sound of falling into the water.
Because she had transformed into a huge dragon just before hitting the sea and flew into the sky.
Kwaaaaa!
The black dragon Anonymous, who had soared up, parting the sea, moved to the rear of the fleet in an instant with powerful wing beats.
The view from the sky was tragic.
The wreckage of the already sunken ship floated on the waves, and in the sea, a huge kraken was writhing, targeting other ships.
Around it, as if drawn by the kraken's energy, all sorts of hideous deep-sea monsters had gathered in a black mass.
It seemed the power of the Tear of the Sea God was insufficient against an attack of this scale.
“You worthless things, how dare you!”
Anonymous' angry roar shook the sky and the sea.
She opened her huge mouth and, without hesitation, shot a powerful breath, like the flames of the abyss, towards the sea.
The queen's breath that pierced the sea.
Kwa-kwakwakwakwang!!!
The breath of tremendous heat collided with the seawater, creating a huge column of steam.
The seawater boiled in an instant, and the kraken and deep-sea monsters in it evaporated without a trace, unable to even scream.
A moment later, everything became quiet.
The boiling sea became calm again as if nothing had happened, and the shadows of the sea monsters that had been loitering around the fleet were nowhere to be seen.
“…….”
The soldiers on deck, speechless at the overwhelming sight that had just unfolded, stared blankly at the black dragon in the sky.
Soon, starting with someone's shout, enthusiastic cheers erupted from the entire fleet.
“Waaaaah! Long live Lady Anonymous!”
“Long live the Queen of Dragons!”
Anonymous, with the soldiers' cheers behind her, once again scanned the area around the fleet and did not let her guard down.
The cursed strait had only just begun.
She quietly made a vow.
No matter what threat came.
She would surely guide her Master and this fleet safely to Reubungwo.
***
After Anonymous transformed into a dragon and wiped out the sea monsters with overwhelming power, thankfully, there were no more attacks.
Whether the Tear of the Sea God was doing its job, or whether they were frightened by the powerful energy emitted by the Queen of Dragons, it was unknown, but the fleet advanced eastward in relative peace.
But even in the tranquility, we had to pay the price for the first attack.
Due to the kraken's surprise attack, one of the ships at the rear had sunk, and the elite soldiers and sailors from various kingdoms on board had lost their lives.
I held a moment of silence to honor their noble sacrifice.
I realized once again that this journey would not be easy, and that more sacrifices might follow.
But as if to mock my solemn determination, a loud noise soon began to be heard on the deck.
“What? Are you telling us to carve wood now! You pointy-eared things that haven't even grown a proper beard!”
“Hmph! It's a hundred times better for us delicate ones to handle it than you stone-headed ones who are only strong! And what can you do besides drink alcohol every day and stoke the forge fire!”
When I turned my head, it was, as expected.
The dwarves and elves on the same ship were pointing fingers at each other and arguing fiercely.
It seemed they had clashed again over the issue of ship maintenance or role allocation during the voyage.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
‘We're about to arrive at the final destination, Reubungwo, and they're still at it.’
The deep-rooted animosity and rivalry between the two races were much more serious than I thought.
I briefly considered whether to intervene, but then I shook my head.
‘My Rushing to intervene could actually be harmful." (My rash intervention now could be poison instead).’
Conflict between races with different histories and cultures might be inevitable.
It's not a problem that can be solved by me artificially suppressing it.
It might seem fine for now, but it will eventually fester inside and erupt even bigger someday.
Letting them find true harmony through the process of clashing, understanding, and compromising on their own would be the best course of action for now.
There is a natural order to all things, and going against it forcefully was not a good move.
I just sighed and watched them engage in their childish argument.
Just then.
“I-I see an island! An island has appeared ahead!”
The urgent cry of the sailor on the watchtower echoed throughout the deck.
At the sound, the loudly arguing dwarves and elves stopped their movements for a moment and looked at the eastern sky.
I also immediately took out my telescope and looked in the direction the sailor was pointing.
Beyond the horizon, the faint but clear outline of a huge island was visible.
After a long and tedious voyage, we had finally arrived at our destination, Reubungwo.
I lowered my telescope and shouted loudly.
“Destination in sight! Hurry and prepare for landing!”
As my order fell, as if they had never argued, the elves and dwarves, as well as all the soldiers and adventurers on deck, began to move in an orderly fashion.
A taut tension, incomparable to a moment ago, filled their faces.
Each checked their weapons and tightened their armor, preparing for the battle on the unknown land of Reubungwo.
The fleet slowly reduced its speed and approached the island.
The land of the decisive battle we had finally arrived at.
What kind of enemies would we face here?
I once again touched the Tear of the Sea God hanging around my neck and prepared to face the coming destiny.
***
Meanwhile, at that time.
Iris was only one floor away from conquering the dungeon.
The 99th floor.
The space where Mammon should have been originally.
But the one guarding the spot he had vacated was an archdemon with powerful magic.
Nevertheless, for Iris, who had grown even stronger with the power of the blood dagger and her training so far, the archdemon was no longer a match.
She pierced its core with fast and precise movements, ending the battle in an instant.
Finally, Iris stood before the last door leading to the 100th floor.
She caught her breath for a moment and checked her condition.
Strangely, the ominous and fierce energy that had been flowing from the blood dagger after the desperate fight with the 90th floor's Soul Eater was almost gone.
Rather, like when she first challenged the dungeon.
Or like when she had just obtained the Lion Heart, her mind was calm, and a transparent and cold blue energy was faintly enveloping her body.
‘What's going on? Have I gained control of the dagger's power? Or is the Lion Heart showing its power again?’
She couldn't tell.
But now was not the time to think deeply about such things.
Beyond the door in front of her, the final trial of this dungeon awaited.
She gripped her dagger and opened the door to the 100th floor without hesitation.
Squeeeak-
The space that unfolded beyond the door was vaster than imagined.
A huge dome-shaped space with no end in sight.
But that vast space was empty.
It was natural, as Anonymous, who should have been guarding this place, had left for the east with her father.
‘But she must have appointed a substitute.’
Iris did not let down her guard.
She remembered that her father had declared himself the 100th floor master.
It was unlikely that he had left his post without any preparation.
Hadn't an archdemon been guarding the 99th floor instead of Mammon?
‘Where on earth is it? Come out and stop hiding!’
The moment she shouted, on guard in all directions.
Swoosh-
As if it had been standing there from the beginning, a familiar voice was heard from behind her.
No, a familiar being appeared.
“...Father?”
Iris turned around in surprise.
There, without a doubt, stood her father, Frank Pendragon.
But he should have left for the east by now.
‘How is he here?’
The question did not last long.
The moment Iris saw the being in front of her, she instinctively felt a sense of unease.
He looked exactly like her father, but he exuded a cold and evil energy that could never be felt from her father.
On the face of her father, who had always shown her a gentle smile, there was now a fishy and cruel smile.
‘That's not my father!’
Iris immediately aimed her blood dagger and shouted.
“What is your identity!”
But the ‘fake Frank’ in front of her just smiled unpleasantly instead of answering.
Then, he slowly made a gesture of drawing a sword from the air.
And the next moment, in his hand was a dazzling blue Aura Sword, identical to her father's sword energy.