章 326: The Shadowless King of the Black Sea (3)
[The long-standing conflict between the stag beetle tribe and the rhinoceros beetle tribe resulted in numerous casualties. We collected the remains of the fallen and built a ship, which was light and strong enough to sail even on the surface of the Black Sea. It sank after a dispute over ownership....]
'Why exactly did it sink?'
[Well, that's because... one day a group of Insectking ambushed the ship, seized it, and set sail, only to stop after crossing the center of the Black Sea...]
Vikir remembered the conversation he'd had with the Insectking.
Before diving into the depths of the Black Sea, the Insectking had made him a few promises, promises that a lesser challenger would not have believed.
[I met a monster].
'You're a monster, too.'
['It' was more than that. It was a primordial creature that had been dragged here from a very, very long time ago ... and as long as it remained at the bottom of the sea, it would be impossible to cross the Black Sea, even with the best ships].
From the sound of it, it seemed that the Insectking were trapped in the Black Sea, four levels underground, and it wasn't just because of the winds that swirled around the area.
And now Vikir was seeing with his own eyes that it was true.
Tsutsutsutsuts...
A great darkness loomed before Vikir's eyes.
It looks like a part of the abyss has broken away, like a mass, and is swimming on its own.
But closer inspection reveals it to be a translucent mass that penetrates the darkness on the other side.
A hemispherical mass with an unimaginably large diameter.
It had a translucent, shapeless body and was approaching with countless tentacles dangling from the base of the mass.
A being that floats aimlessly in a dark void that cannot see an inch ahead, with its body stained by the darkness of the deep, deep sea.
<Shadowless King of the Black Sea>
Danger Rating: S
Size: ?
Found in: Polar Hell, the five oceans 'Black Sea', the ultra-deep part of the 'Great Heart Sea'
-aka 'Shadowless King of the Black Sea'
A large jellyfish that inhabits the Black Sea, one of the five oceans in the Polar Hell.
It is a primordial creature that lives in the Great Heart Sea, an area that even high-ranking demons are reluctant to enter, and its ecology is completely shrouded in mystery.
It is also unknown where it came from, where it is going, and why it is floating in the void of nothingness.
'The Shadowless King of the Black Sea'
This massive jellyfish exudes an aura of menace that is almost as intimidating as that of the "Madame of the Eight Legs," a foe he once faced in the Red & Black Mountain.
'...Hmm, I don't think this one can be controlled even with the power of Amdusias.'
Vikir thought for a moment.
The Daylily of Blood Tree that he had faced in the previous stage had been degraded by prolonged starvation.
Also, since the demon Amdusias itself is naturally friendly to plants, it would not have been too much of a problem to catch and control the Daylily of Blood Tree.
However, the Shadowless King of the Black Sea in front of him was different.
It was an absolute power on the same level as the Madame Eight Legs he'd fought before, and even if it was an unintelligent monster, it wouldn't be able to be controlled by a demon at this point.
In other words, the giant jellyfish in front of him is not under the control of Amdusias, but is a pioneer creature that lives here on its own.
As such, it was unlikely that there would be any reward for capturing it.
Then.
Shiriririk...
Suddenly, Vikir felt a tickling sensation on his cheek.
Instinctively, Vikir jerked his head back, and a translucent tentacle fluttered past his eyes.
Crunch!
The tentacle clung to a boulder for a moment, then shattered it with tremendous force.
'This won't be fun if I get caught.'
Vikir quickly stepped back and drew his magic sword, Beelzebub.
Thwack!
He swung the sword randomly, and it hit in several places.
Three tentacles were cut off and fell to the ground.
'They were wrapped around me without a sound.'
They were translucent and hard to see.
Vikir strained his eyes.
Then he saw three tentacles with severed ends, stealthily drawing back.
kkumulkkumulkkumul...
New tentacles sprouted from the severed ends.
Apparently it has the ability to regenerate.
'If so.'
Vikir pushed on the end of Beelzebub's tentacle.
…Snap!
One of the tentacles that had been sneaking up on his back was sliced off again by Vikir's blow.
However, this time, the severed tentacle did not regenerate.
The end of the tentacle dried up and curled into a ball.
Seeing this, Vikir flicked the edge of his magic sword, Beelzebub, once.
'That's good enough for now.'
The ability to dry up a jellyfish's tentacles was a relatively recent skill.
<Binge Fly 'Beelzebub'> / Awl
-1 slot: Deadly Venom -Madame Eight Legs (S)
-2 slot: Unkillable -Basilisk (S)
-3 slot: Starvation Drought – Blood Daylily (S)
The Starvation Drought ability is obtained by capturing a Daylily of Blood.
Beelzebub's sword, which grants dryness through its Drought and Starvation abilities, was evaporating a large amount of moisture every time it grazed the jellyfish's tentacles.
The jellyfish's hydrated tentacles curled up as if they were about to be roasted.
Puff, puff, puff!
The Shadowless King of Black Sea stopped trying to get closer to Vikir and began to whip it tentacles, creating a giant windstorm.
'The waves on the surface are being created by this thing?'
The giant jellyfish's turbulent currents spewed out of its twisting tentacles, creating a whirlpool.
The current, as heavy as molten iron, spun around, creating an effect like a saw blade.
…ppuppug! ujijijijig!
Vikir's flesh bursts open.
His entire body was torn apart, as if he had been sliced open by countless blades.
However, Vikir was able to recover most of his body thanks to the Unkillable ability he extracted from the Basilisk's corpse.
In addition, the large amount of blood that Vikir spilled immediately turned black and flowed into the waters of the Black Sea.
Even the Shadowless King of the Black Sea couldn't help but be stunned as the "venomous" blood of Madame Eight Legs spread around it.
Meanwhile, Vikir took out Decarabira's shield and used it like a surfboard.
…Kurrrrr!
Vikir blazed through the raging water currents.
Vikir swam toward the sunken ship on the ocean floor with his momentum.
Decarabia looked puzzled.
[Human, you don't stand a chance against that jellyfish, not in your current form!]
"I know."
[If you knew, you'd run away, but why are you going towards that ship? You can't even salvage it with your current strength!]
Literally.
A giant ghost ship in front of him, and the Shadowless King of the Black Sea behind him. Neither of them are within Vikir's power.
The ship is too heavy for him to lift alone, and the Shadowless King of the Black Sea is too powerful for him to face alone.
But Vikir was nonchalant.
'We still have a little time.'
Pulling the pouch of air from his arms, Vikir inhaled the last of it.
kkugis-
And with that, the pouch was empty.
-<Oil-blotting paper pouch that does not dissolve easily in water> / Pouch / D
A pouch that is quite tough and does not dissolve well in water.
It has the power to block moisture, so it is good for storing things.
Vikir crumpled it in his hands and tossed it into the hole in the sunken ship's hull.
Shhhhhh...
Even at that moment, the Black Sea Shadowless King was casting countless tentacles toward Vikir.
Decarabia spoke a little more urgently.
[Human, they're coming from all directions, I don't want to be buried in a place like this!]
'Neither do I.'
[What are you going to do, then? Escape is out of the question! We have no choice but to salvage that ship! But you are powerless...]
However, Decarabia could not persuade Vikir to stay.
… Kukung!
With a heavy noise, the ship sunk in the depths of the ocean began to shake.
[Huh?]
As Decarabia rolled its eyes in bewilderment, the ship slowly began to rise from the bottom.
Koo-koo-koo-koo-koo...
Rocks and mud rained down from the bottom of the ship.
The ghost ship, which had been sunk for a long time at the bottom of the deep sea, floated on its own, heading for the surface of the Black Sea without any buoyancy.
'It's about time.'
As if he had been waiting, Vikir grabbed the anchor line hanging from under the ghost ship's dock.
And then it began to rise toward the surface, following the ship at an incredible speed.
Ts-ooooooh...
The tentacles that had been curling toward Vikir flailed about, lost and disoriented.
[Uh, what's going on, human, why is this ship floating on its own?]
Decarabia squinted its single eye at Vikir for an answer.
But soon, Vikir didn't need to answer.
The answer was right there in front of him.
…Pow!
Something jutted out of the hole in the ghost ship's hull.
It was like a giant balloon.
It was filling up the inside of the ship, pushing it upward!
It didn't take Decarabia long to realize the identity of the balloons filling the ship's interior.
[...Air Sacs!]
That's right.
They were air sacs that aquatic plants such as water hyacinth built into their bodies to create buoyancy.
"Daylily of Blood Tree".
Its seeds were now germinating in the belly of the ghost ship!
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