The waves continued to roll beneath the hulls of the "Knight" and the "Smith." On the surface, nothing seemed different from usual. But Nidhogg sensed the danger lurking beneath.
He looked at Guts at the stern of the "Smith" and pointed downwards. Guts nodded in understanding.
At the same time, many unaware people came to see the commotion. But they were pushed back by Casca, Pippin, Judeau, and the others.
Casca and the others understood that if Nidhogg and Guts had become this serious, it meant a monster had appeared that ordinary people couldn't handle!
CRASH—!
And indeed, the next moment, the sea behind the stern erupted in a column of water!
Monsters, resembling a mix of facehuggers and cactus, emerged from the water, revealing their spines and fangs. They roared terrifyingly at the ship!
The Spirit Tree Company had seen many big scenes. Although a little surprised, under the guidance of Casca and the others, they maintained the necessary calm.
Nordic, Manifico, the bard, Jerome, and the captains and sailors arranged by the Vandimion family—where had they ever seen such a battle? They were all terrified and turned pale!
Nidhogg and Guts didn't say a word. Each stood at the highest point at the stern of the "Knight" and the "Smith," raising their greatsword and Dragonslayer. They remained calm before everyone's eyes.
In fact, Nidhogg and Guts were the main factors allowing the members of the Spirit Tree Company to remain calm.
Nordic, Manifico, the bard, and Jerome also reacted belatedly, recalling the day Nidhogg had fought the Fire Dragon...
Nidhogg could even take down a fire dragon, let alone a monster like this?
But in the end, they had hardly witnessed Nidhogg's and Guts's battle and were still skeptical.
These captains and sailors were left only in terror. They had seen many threats from pirates, but this was the first time they had seen a threat from such a sea monster. It was very difficult for them to calm down.
Soon, the tentacle-facehuggers extended and grabbed the "Knight" and the "Smith," which were at the tail of the fleet, intending to abduct the people on them and capsize the ships.
FWOOSH—!
A flash of silver light erupted. At the stern of the "Knight" and the "Smith," Nidhogg's greatsword and Guts's Dragonslayer traced arcs, literally severing these tentacles and facehuggers one by one as easily as a knife cutting tofu!
THUD! THUD—!
Severed tentacles and facehuggers continuously fell into the sea, sending up jets of water. The monster's blood soaked the ships and seawater, dyeing a large area red.
Nordic and Manifico were stunned for a while.
The bard, on the contrary, was amazed. Inspiration surged. The half of the poem he had written after Nidhogg's battle with the Fire Dragon had been a bit stagnant. But now his thoughts were clear!
He couldn't help but rejoice. He had a feeling that by following Nidhogg and the others, he could create an unprecedented heroic epic!
The monster underwater seemed to still not give up. It continued to extend tentacles to strike at the ships. When it saw it couldn't capsize them, the tentacles climbed up the deck along the hull.
At this time, the members of the Spirit Tree Company also took action. Casca, Pippin, and others used their hammers and swords. Schierke and Farnese used magic to destroy the tentacles one after another!
This was the first time Nordic and Manifico had seen magic. And it was magic emanating from the "devil of the Vandimion family"—Farnese. Both were shocked.
Not to mention the calm and orderly behavior of the entire Spirit Tree Company when the monsters attacked. They were also surprised. There was always a feeling that this group of people was accustomed to fighting such monsters.
Finally, all the tentacles were either destroyed or repelled. The entire sea was covered in the bright red blood of the monsters.
The monster underwater finally couldn't take it anymore. It suddenly leaped out of the sea, revealing its sharp mouthparts, resembling a combination of an octopus and a lamprey. Tentacles protruded from the base of its limbs near its mouthparts.
It arched high, as if about to crash into the "Knight" and the "Smith." The captains were so scared that they repeatedly ordered the ships to accelerate.
CRASH! CRASH—!
Nidhogg and Guts looked at each other. Simultaneously, they leaped high from the stern of their ships, gripping their greatsword and Dragonslayer, and cleaved the monster!
Lion's Claw!
The two heavy blades, combined with a forward somersault, slashed the monster's mouthparts like two lunar arcs. Instantly, they carved two long, bloody gashes!
The monster roared in pain!
Both Nidhogg and Guts landed on the monster, weaving between its writhing tentacles. They continuously swung their blades, severing them as quickly as mowing grass!
The monster continued to resist, but couldn't get rid of the two of them. All its tentacles were completely severed!
FWOOSH—!
With a final roar, the monster finally submerged into the sea amidst gurgling blood and slowly sank.
Nidhogg also submerged into the seawater. The weight of his armor would have dragged an ordinary person into the deep sea. But he was no ordinary person. He just randomly swam a few times and floated to the surface.
He swam to the sea surface and saw someone on the "Knight" and "Smith" nearby, lowering boats and wooden ladders over the ship's side, directed by the captain and Casca.
Nidhogg turned his head again and saw the sea on the other side. Guts was also swimming towards him.
He was also no ordinary person. The bonus from his physique and the Berserker Armor allowed him to easily swim with the heavy Dragonslayer.
Nidhogg slowly swam over to Guts.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
Both had sea water lightly on their faces, waiting for the boat to come for them. Suddenly, they both sensed something simultaneously and stared intently at the sea.
Dolphin-like shadows swam quickly beneath the sea. They even approached close to the two men's bodies, then surfaced, revealing their true faces.
Nidhogg and Guts looked and were both surprised.
They were beautiful women, with long or short hair, their upper bodies bare. But below their waists and abdomens, they were covered in scales.
"Mermaids?" Guts blurted out their legendary title.
At this moment, he was more and more convinced that the countless fantastical creatures, silently existing in legends and tales, could be real. It was just even harder for ordinary people to see them.
They were indeed mermaids. Each had wide-open eyes, curiously looking at Nidhogg and Guts.
Having lived in this area for so many years, this was the first time they had seen humans capable of fighting a sea monster face to face and winning.
One of the mermaids, a mature woman who looked thirty or forty, pointed in one direction and spoke first.
"If you need to rest on land, you can go in that direction. In half a day, you'll see an island where you can stay tonight."
"However, you should be careful with some of the island's inhabitants. They are a little different from ordinary people. The next three days will be nights of the full moon, so it's best not to stay too long."
"If you need someone trustworthy, you can go to the island and find a girl named Isma. She's a good kid."
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