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Turning Chapter 961
🕑 Added 2024-03-05 05:41:10 +0000 UTCChapter 961
"I'd like you to accompany me and observe the sea. To see what lies beneath it, exactly as it appears."
Even though Mick Shuden had only just arrived, his merchant's intuition allowed him to grasp the severity of the current situation quite well. If he hadn't understood how dangerous the situation was after hearing the stories on his way here and witnessing the scenes upon arrival, he would have been a fool. Yet, without any hesitation, he readily agreed to the suggestion to go to a potentially life-threatening place.
"Understood. It's been a while since I've been on a ship."
Kishiar's lips curved into a smile.
"I'm sorry, but we won't be taking a ship."
Before Mick could express his confusion at this statement, Kishiar turned around. He singled out a young man with striking red hair, who stood out among the crowd.
"Gakane Bolunwald."
"Yes? Yes!"
Gakane, who had remained at the forefront even after sending off Kanna, lifted his head in surprise.
"After I depart for the sea, I plan to leave the overall command here to Adjutant Nathan Zuckerman. However, since he's not an Awakener, we need someone else to lead the Cavalry. Kanna Wand, who would normally take on this role, hasn't returned yet. So, I'll entrust you with the temporary command until Kanna returns."
"Me, to command the Cavalry?"
Gakane's eyes trembled uncontrollably.
"There must be someone more suitable than me..."
He looked around in panic, but none of the remaining members wanted to meet his gaze. He realized that none of the three Deputy Commanders, including Kanna, were present, and Kurga, responsible for the southern branch, was also away, leaving no obvious candidate.
"You've already successfully led others in the Western territories to investigate the Great Sarain Forest. You know Kanna and Nathan well enough, so there's no one better suited for this."
Indeed, he had been secretly learning swordsmanship from Nathan Zuckerman, making him the most knowledgeable about Nathan among the Cavalry members, apart from Yuder. Who else would be better to convey opinions between Kanna at the medical unit and Nathan Zuckerman? Finding no reason to oppose, Gakane, sweating profusely, closed his mouth as Kishiar smiled.
"I'm not asking if you can do it. It's an order. You must do it for those who haven't returned yet."
Understanding the weight of those words, Gakane clenched his eyes shut and then opened them. He thought of Yuder, still enduring the unimaginable dangers at the bottom of the sea, and Kanna, swallowing continuous nosebleeds while trying to save even one more person.
As he remembered the faces of these two, his feelings of panic and fear receded.
"Yes. I understand."
He took a deep breath, slapped his cheeks audibly, and saluted.
"I will do my utmost!"
"Good."
Kishiar patted the rigid shoulder of Gakane and turned away.
"Mick, let's go now."
"Ah. Yes."
Mick quickly followed behind Kishiar. At the end of the breakwater, a member who wielded the power of water, who had come to report to Kishiar, was waiting.
"Really? There's no ship...? How do you plan to go...?"
"Just walk after me."
As Kishiar finished speaking, without a moment's hesitation, he leaped off the end of the breakwater. He then stood on the surface of the sea with ease, as if he possessed the power of water like some of his members. Yuder would have understood that Kishiar was merely pushing the surface of the water with his feet, but others, unaware of the reason, were naturally shocked.
"Uh... uh!"
"Could the Commander use the power of water?"
Mick, his mouth agape like the others, soon had a flash of realization in his eyes. Although he didn't understand Kishiar's abilities as clearly as Yuder, his ability to see the essence allowed him to grasp somehow how Kishiar stood on the water.
"Ah... so that's it. Um, huh. Just like in Peletta, you really know how to surprise people."
"Afraid to come down?"
"If I said no, it would be a lie. But I'd rather not be kicked down by Hellem. So... I'm coming down!"
Mick clenched his eyes shut and jumped off the breakwater. His feet, too, landed properly on the sea as if pushed by something. Kishiar, who observed this without a change in his expression despite using his remarkable power, spoke up with a gesture.
"It seems we don't have time to delay any further. Let's depart immediately."
"Ah... understood."
The member who wielded the power of water, just as surprised as the others, descended to the sea and started to run swiftly as if flying. Kishiar followed suit with large strides. Although he didn't seem to be walking very fast, he quickly moved ahead, prompting Mick to run hastily after him.
"My Lord! Are you leaving me behind?"
His loud voice soon got swallowed by the mist and disappeared over the sea. Those left on the shore couldn't take their eyes off the unbelievable scene for a long time until they finally regained their senses.
"Alright! Now that the Commander has gone to the sea, we can't be careless anymore. Everyone, stay alert!"
Gakane, with a deliberately bright voice, refreshed the attention of his comrades and took one last glance over the sea as dawn approached.
'...May they all return safely.'
β
Yuder floated in the water, staring at the pitch-black shadow cast below him.
Rumble... Rumbleβ¦
The last remaining abnormal crack, ominously silent and vibrating, yet giving off no signs. He had to use most of the remaining magic stones to assess its condition.
The conclusion he arrived at was not particularly welcome.
'The last remaining crack isn't like the others that formed in the water; it seems to be half-buried in the ground.'
The other five cracks that had vanished were indeed at the bottom of the sea but still existed within the water. However, this last remaining crack was literally buried at the very bottom.
Until now, it was cunningly overlapped with other cracks, so its true nature wasn't clearly discerned. 'If anything was to vanish, it should have been that one first. Why is the last remaining crack that one?'
With the crack half-buried, it inevitably caused more severe vibrations whenever monsters tried to escape from it. Yuder thought that the tremors that had been happening were mostly due to this last crack being the most direct and significant cause. Not only that, but with part of the crack blocked, the monsters couldn't escape as easily as from the other cracks, and for some reason, the movements of the last remaining cluster of monsters seemed unusually troubling.
'The exit they need to escape through must be much smaller than before, so that makes sense.'
Despite the significant amount of tentacles already eliminated, beyond the crack, there still lurked a mass large enough to produce at least a couple more. Their frantic movements, as they fiercely clung and collided in an attempt to escape through the narrow crack, ironically prevented the proper formation of new tentacles. This was the current predicament.
'But, based on our experience so far, it's only a matter of time before they emerge. And if that remaining mass escapes all at once...'
It would certainly turn the land upside down.
In other words, a submarine earthquake was inevitable.
Given that only one crack remained, such an event, though severe, could be less catastrophic than if all six cracks had erupted. However, the current manpower was grossly insufficient to confront the most dangerously located crack and the remaining monsters, even if it was the last one.
'Everyone is too injured and exhausted. We've reached our limit.'
Turning his head, Yuder saw shadows floating like nearly lifeless bodies. They were members who lacked the strength to even maintain their posture, merely entrusting their bodies to the water and breathing.
Although they received divine power from the priests and were wrapped in special magic bandages resistant to water, these could not restore the extreme physical exhaustion and depleted abilities to their limits.
To Yuder, asking these remnants to confront the last crack was tantamount to sending some to their deaths.
'It's not a situation where we can assure significant results even after taking such risks.'
This predicament, arriving just as they were nearing the end, seemed to mock all their efforts so far.
In the past, Yuder might have felt a sense of futility and despair. However, when he confirmed the state of the crack, the face that came to mind was Kishiar's.
Comments
Lele_Dod
Am I the only one who found funny how the other Cavalry members avoided Gakane's eyes when he was looking for help? Like "Sorry dude, you're alone in this sh1t... ππ" π
Dani
Best part is, I could totally see her doing it, too. π
Nightwindz
I love how Kishiar is casually showing off his power and the multiple ways of utilization π€£ For public knowledge: exploding large tentacles, increase movement speed and now water walking π The instances where the author casually sneaks in humor is adorable. Mick being more scared of Hellem pushing him off is hilarious. π€£
