Chương 208: Chapter 11: “Sea of Black Storm”

The journey by ship had continued for about two months. At first, they let the ship sail on its own and took time to spend on land, but soon they went out of the range where they could fly with Teleportation Magic. Esta and Asha, who seemed happy every day at first, began to show bored expressions at the scenery that didn't change much around this time. It had become a pleasure to stare blankly at seabirds flying freely in the sky or to fish. Yu's education was the most enjoyable time for the two.

Asha was taught new words and common sense every day, and Esta was given practical wisdom for living. Yu himself also accumulated training without fail every day, and his ability continued to improve steadily. The sea is often called a monster, but for these two months, it was truly calm, and there were almost no stormy days. However, one day, it happened.

"Hmm-" Asha is straining her eyes to observe the calm horizon full of blue. She was playing lookout on top of the mast. Since she could bathe in the refreshing sea breeze fully here, it was her favorite place.

"No abnormalitieees!" She waves her hand largely toward Yu looking up at her from below. Yu waved back. Esta is sitting on the edge of the ship, dropping a fishing rod. So far, the catch was two small fish. He is fired up to catch a big one today. Pochari, water hit the tip of Asha's nose.

"Rain?" She looked up wondering what it was, but the sky remained lush blue. Her wonder was short-lived. Almost without warning, the surroundings suddenly became dark. Pitch-black storm clouds surged into the sky at once, forming a pattern as if jostling each other. Tension ran across Asha's face. Immediately she calls down.

"Yu! Esta! Storm, coming!"

"Got it! It's dangerous so come down quickly!"

"Yeah!" Responding to Yu's voice, Esta also hurriedly starts retrieving the fishing rod. Then, thunder roared violently. Asha screams.

"Waa-!" Pouring rain begins to fall. Fierce wind slammed the ship, shaking the hull greatly. The waves that were calm are now raging with momentum enough to sink the ship. Asha was surprised by the sudden thunderstorm and tried to go down in a hurry. However, because the wind was too strong, she couldn't climb down. It was all she could do to cling to the edge so that her small body wouldn't be blown away.

"Can't go dooown!"

"Asha! Wait there!" Yu transformed into a woman. Using Flight Magic, she heads to rescue Asha. It was then. Breaking the dark sea surface, something tremendously huge jumped out.

"What...!?" It was a leg. A black, thick leg like a squid or an octopus with many suction cups. Two, four, six, ten... Legs jump out one after another as if surrounding the hull. How many are there? Even the size of each leg far exceeds the size of the hull. Whether the main body is underwater, the figure cannot be confirmed. Yu had never encountered such a huge creature before.

"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Esta screams in fear, but that scream is also drowned out by the fierce thunderstorm. One of the legs extends to the mast at a terrifying speed unbecoming of its hugeness. It entangled the mast from the root and snapped it easily.

"Kyaaaaaaa!""" Asha----!"" Both Yu and Esta screamed. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The black leg that lifted the mast like a toothpick began to retract zuru-zuru as if satisfied. If she is dragged into the sea, its territory, as it is, there is no hope for her survival. Yu transformed into a man in mid-air. Creating a Qi Sword, he puts in the power of the"World of Heart" additionally. The Qi Sword changes from basic white to pale blue.

《Senkraze》 Yu released a flying slash. It struck the leg gripping the mast, severing it cleanly. Furthermore, aiming for the mast now freed from the limb's restraint, he used Short Warp.

"Reach out your hand!" While clinging to the mast, Asha reached out with one hand desperately. Her fingertips brushed Yu's. He activated Short Warp once more. In the next moment, Yu had landed on the deck next to Esta, who was clinging to the floorboards, with Asha safely in tow. It was a close call, but there was no time to breathe. The monster, having lost one of its legs, clearly regarded them as enemies. More tentacles surged from the dark depths. In this situation, Yu was their only hope.

He remained in his male form, brandishing his Qi Sword to fight back. From every direction, the legs undulated and lunged. If even a single strike landed, the ship would be reduced to kindling. The limbs were so massive that the weak magic allowed by this world's Tolerance couldn't hope to blast them away. Moreover, they stayed just outside the reach of a direct sword strike.

Shock-based techniques like 《Qi Severing Palm》 were ineffective against the flexible, rubbery flesh, leaving Yu with no choice but to overextend himself using the exhausting 《Senkraze》. Even with his lethal sword arts, he could only sever a few legs at a time as they shifted positions. And what was visible above the surface was merely the tip of the iceberg. He had already cut off more legs than he cared to count, but the onslaught didn't slow.

New tentacles erupted from the sea, closing in with unpredictable, whip-like movements. Moving under such extreme tension, Yu began to grow short of breath. He racked his brain for a way to break the stalemate. Suddenly, the ship was hoisted from directly below. The creature had attacked from a blind spot Yu couldn't reach. Judging that he couldn't intercept in time, Yu lunged toward the children, pulling them into a tight embrace. 《Deatress》 A transparent blue membrane enveloped the three.

A barrier that completely nullified simple physical attacks was deployed. Unlike Lilna's original version, this was an intentional activation, making the timing critical—but it remained a formidable defense. The black, suction-cupped legs smashed the ship to splinters from underneath. Even through the barrier, the kinetic energy of the impact couldn't be entirely neutralized. A bone-shaking jolt surged through Yu and the children. With that momentum, the three were launched violently into the air.

With no footing left to rely on, Yu used Flight Magic to stabilize their posture, floating softly. Esta and Asha clung to Yu's sides, their faces pale with terror. The view from above was horrifying. A sea of black tentacles writhed below, like some macabre festival beckoning them toward death. Yu didn't want to imagine what would happen if they were dragged into that mess. Without a moment's pause, another swarm of legs attacked. Flight Magic lacked the necessary speed.

To move quickly in the air, there was no choice but to use 《Passtrive》. This is getting busy, Yu thought, switching to his male body to warp and dodge the strike. But then, he couldn't stay afloat. He transformed back into a woman. By skillfully alternating between male and female forms, Yu desperately evaded the pursuit. It felt like being a fly chased by a swatter. With Esta and Asha clinging to him, he couldn't fight back properly—nor did he need to. The priority was simply to escape this death trap.

A flash of lightning flickered within the storm clouds. Perfect, Yu thought. 《Delbart》 He released high-ranking lightning magic. The world's Tolerance wasn't high enough for super-tier magic, but that wasn't necessary here. Yu harnessed the natural power of the storm. Using his lightning magic as a conductor, he guided the trajectory of a real lightning strike. A bolt of immense power thundered down, striking the legs of the black monster. He couldn't see the main body, but it clearly had an effect.

The movement of the black tentacles slowed significantly. Seizing the opening, Yu finally turned his back to the enemy and flew. The unidentified enemy seemed to grow desperate after taking the lightning strike; the pursuit became even fiercer. The giant legs extended like spears, trying to impale them. While desperately dodging, Yu repeatedly cast 《Delbart》 in sync with the natural lightning, stacking the damage. A race against death began.

The storm clouds seemed to follow the monster's movement, dragging the tempest along with them. In the brutal weather, the freezing wind and rain slowly drained the trio's strength. In real-time, it might have been less than a day. But the flight felt like it lasted for many nights. Narrowly escaping death time and time again, they finally began to distance themselves from the creature. If Yu relaxed for even a second, instant death awaited.

Until they cleared the storm's reach, he couldn't afford a single lapse in his flight. Finally, by sheer luck, a new coastline came into view. The tentacled monster was no longer in pursuit. Yu felt a wave of relief and looked at the two children clinging to her. They're safe.

"Thank goodness..." Her altitude began to wobble fura-fura. She had run out of Mana. Seeing Yu's haggard state, Asha called out worriedly.

"Yu, tired? Yu?" Having long since exceeded her limit, Yu lost consciousness and crashed into the sea along with Esta and Asha. With a massive splash, the three sank beneath the waves. Esta was the first to surface with a gasp. Asha popped up soon after. But Yu remained submerged. Esta's face turned pale in an instant.

"This is bad! Asha, we have to save Yu!"

"Yu, danger!"

"One, two, go!" The two took a deep breath and dived together. They found the sinking Yu, supported her together, and dragged her to the surface. Unsho, unsho. Cooperating with everything they had, they pulled Yu toward the shore. The swimming lessons they had been taught were now saving Yu's life.

"Hang in there! Just a little more!"

"Yu, don't die." Finally, they dragged her onto the sandy beach. Yu wasn't breathing.

"Oh no! Not breathing!"

"Umm! In times like this!" Esta attempted the resuscitation method he had just been taught. He began chest compressions.

"No... You can't die! I don't want you to die!" As he pushed desperately, perhaps his prayer was answered. Yu coughed up a painful amount of water.

"Where... am I...?" When Yu opened her eyes, she saw the relieved faces of Esta and Asha. Both had tear-filled eyes, looking like they were about to burst into sobs.

"Asha, love Yu. Love!" Asha buried her face in Yu's chest and began to wail wan-wan. It was the first time she had ever cried.

"I really thought you were going to die~!" Even Esta, who usually tried to be the strong older brother, clung to Yu and started crying loudly.

"... Sorry. I made you worry." Yu hugged the two of them gently. That night, the three of them slept huddled together even closer than usual.