Chương 195

The wind high above the Red Sea was absolutely freezing. Rudra sat cross-legged on Vritra's broad, white back. The giant mutated Storm Serpent glided smoothly through the thick, grey clouds. Unlike raiding a bumpy carriage or a rocking boat, Vritra's flight was perfectly steady. The serpent just coasted through the sky like it owned it. Right next to Vritra, running on the empty air, was Kratos. The half-gold, half-black divine beast had grown massive. He was basically the size of a military tank now.

Every time Kratos took a step, a faint blue ripple flashed under his huge paws. Rudra had taught him the [Abyssal Step] skill a while ago using [Impart Knowledge], and Kratos had absolutely loved it. He bounded through the clouds, playfully snapping his jaws at passing wisps of fog.

"Don't wander too far off," Rudra called out over the wind.

"I'm just stretching my legs," Kratos barked back happily.

"The air up here smells fresh. Much better than the swamps." He is surprisingly light on his feet for a creature of his size, Vritra's deep telepathic voice echoed in Rudra's mind. Though he still lacks proper aerial discipline.

"Give him a break, he's a land animal," Rudra laughed. They were finally heading toward the cluster of islands known as the Orca Archipelago. The map Rudra got from the Ocean God, Asterion showed the next fifteen temples of the Ocean God located right around this specific reef system and this was also the place where Rudra hoped to get a Divine Catalyst for Mumud's Resurrection since there resided some Divine Orcas in this region.

"Alright," Rudra said, brushing his messy black hair out of his eyes and squinting against the cold wind.

"Let's see exactly where we need to land. System. Activate skill."

"[Abyssal Sonar]." [500 Mana consumed.] A massive, invisible pulse of mana erupted from his body. The radar ping washed over the moisture in the clouds and shot straight down toward the ocean below. It spread out rapidly across an eight-kilometer radius, mapping the islands, the underwater caves, and the reefs right inside Rudra's mind. He expected to sense a group of abandoned islands. Instead, the sonar spiked hard. A sharp, chaotic mess of signals hit his brain.

He sensed three large wooden ships grouped tightly together just a few miles ahead. The ships were packed with hostile, human-level mana signatures. But right in the middle of them, trapped in the shallow water of an outer reef, was a dense, panicked burst of pure Divine Energy. Stolen story; please report.

"That isn't a temple," Rudra frowned. I smell blood, Vritra noted. And fear.

"Drop us down," Rudra said. He reached over his shoulder and gripped the heavy, dark metal shaft of his staff, Extortion.

"Keep it quiet. Don't reveal us." Vritra tilted its massive head downward. The serpent slipped silently through the thick cloud cover, dipping below the fog line. The ocean came into view. Down below, the water was a murky, churning red. Three sleek, unmarked wooden ships formed a tight triangle around a shallow, jagged coral reef. The ships didn't fly any kingdom flags. They looked fast and built for hauling cargo. Trapped in the center of the ships was an Orca. But it wasn't an adult killer whale.

It was a juvenile Divine Orca, a sacred beast of the ocean. Its black-and-white skin shimmered with a faint, beautiful golden light. Right now, the calf was thrashing weakly in the shallow water. Heavy, thick steel nets were wrapped tightly around its fins and tail, pinning it against the sharp coral. On the decks of the ships, dozens of men in mismatched, dirty armor were yelling and cheering. They operated heavy, mounted crossbows.

"Pull the lines tight!" a man on the largest ship yelled. He wore a fancy, water-stained captain's coat.

"Don't let it slip back into the deep water!" Thwump. A heavy iron harpoon shot from a crossbow. It didn't pierce the calf's vital organs. It slammed into the thick blubber near the Orca's tail. The harpoon was coated in a glowing, sickly purple magic. The calf let out a high-pitched, agonizing squeal. Its thrashing slowed down instantly. The paralyzing magic was doing its job.

"That's it! Sedate it!" the captain laughed loudly. He slapped the shoulder of a nearby crewman.

"Do you know how much the nobles back on the mainland will pay for a live divine mount? We're going to be richer than the King!" The smugglers cheered, pulling the heavy ropes to drag the paralyzed calf closer to the hull. High above them, Rudra stared down at the scene. He really disliked bullies. And he wasn't the biggest fan of people who picked on things smaller than them for selfish reasons.

And as someone who currently acted as the Guardian of a Divine beast, watching a bunch of greedy poachers torture a baby animal actively rubbed him the wrong way.

"Can I crush their boats?" Kratos asked. The tank-sized lion stopped running and floated near Vritra, baring his sharp teeth.

"They look annoying."

"No," Rudra said flatly. Shall I call down the lightning, Partner? Vritra asked. I can turn their wooden ships into splinters.

"If you blast the ships, the lightning will travel through the water and fry the calf," Rudra said. He stood up on the serpent's back.

"You guys stay here and let me handle this myself." He then stepped right off Vritra's back without using any spells or skills as a back-up. Gravity took over immediately. The cold wind screamed past his ears as he plummeted toward the ocean. He kept his eyes locked on the main deck of the largest smuggling ship. He held Extortion tightly in his right hand. Blue sparks of electricity began to jump across the dark alloy. The drop took about ten seconds.

Down on the deck, the poacher captain was busy tying off a heavy rope. He didn't even bother looking up. CRASH. [You have suffered 300 Damage!] Rudra landed perfectly in the dead center of the main deck.