Finally, the tentacles were right before the ship and started to grasp it when.
“Everyone! Prepare to attack!” → Gregor
Gregor used [Axe Kick] with full power on a huge tentacle that tried to get on board and grab me while I was meditating. The tentacle got almost severed, looking now like a broken tail.
“WHOOOONNGGGG~~~!”
The Kraken got furious by the resistance and shot all his tentacles upwards. The ship was getting wrecked and everyone started attacking the tentacles with all they had.
Ronald started using the Dual Sword Dance, summoning wind blades with every swing of the swords, cutting the tentacles to shreds. Marina used her every skill imbued with fire elements, making her every attack even stronger, slashing cutting and burning the tentacles. Lissa used hundreds of [Fire Spears] while Sylvia used [Summon the Sun] and martial arts to keep the tentacles away, both of them frying the tentacles.
Gregor was hitting, breaking and tearing apart at the tentacles with his body alone. Everyone seemed like winning but they knew this is nothing because the tentacles were only separable body-parts that could get regenerated again. What they needed to do was to resist till the Kraken showed its head. The only way to kill the Kraken was to destroy the head which was always hidden under the waters. The problem was, after getting up, the Kraken would enter an enraged state which would form hundreds of tentacles and attack at the same time.
While everyone tried to defend the ship, I was immersed in my meditation. I tried to make myself as sturdy as possible when the time came for me to absorb primordial energy.
Ugh! Even this gets a toll on my body? → Ryu
Strengthening the meridians in quick succession and enlarging them too fast was the same as trying to suddenly want to stretch your legs in a 180 angle when you can barely do a 90 angle, you can risk breaking your tendons. The difference is that you won’t break your tendons but your meridians.
Ugh…I think is enough, I don’t want to gamble too much. Now I must use the protective chi around my meridians, wish it would work!
While trying to strengthen my meridians, the others finally enraged the Kraken.
“WHONG~!”
Huge waves appeared in front of the ship and under them, an even bigger blue head appeared with eyes as huge as a Monster-truck’s tires. The head then reddened and from under it, more than 100 tentacles shot out at the same time and entangled together above our ship.
“No way…What are we supposed to do now?” → Gregor
Gregor looked at the huge mace-like tentacle made from more than 100 tentacles. It looked as if a building with eight floors will fall over their heads at any moment. He was overwhelmed by the pressure showed by the Kraken.
“There… Is nothing we can do now…” → Lissa
Lissa hugged his back and waited for the disaster to descend upon them. Her hands were shaking and covered her face on Gregor’s head.
“W-w-what are we supposed to do…I-I don’t want to die now!” → Ronald
Ronald almost started crying while falling on his knees. The beast exuded a monstrous aura that made everyone feel as if death was right in front of them.
“Why are you like this? Weren’t you the one who told me to believe in Ryu? He seems to be done with what he was doing there, look!” → Marina
Marina grabbed Ronald’s shoulder and pointed at me when I got up from the floor. Dark scales appeared on my skin, 2 round horns on my head, 2 wings at my back and a huge lizard-like tail suddenly materialized.
“Isn’t-Isn’t he somehow a little bit bigger? And he’s still growing?!” → Marina
Marina saw the difference from before and was only more shocked. The huge tentacle descended and a huge dragon-like wing made from black scales and flesh shielded the ship. The contact between the two hits created a shockwave which created half the tsunami going in all directions. That wing came from my back and was close to hundreds of times bigger than my real body.
“Chugh! ROAR~!”
I roared aloud, startling the Kraken. My wings got larger and my body started to transform into a true black dragon. But because Shen was being attacked by the 5 guardians and couldn’t focus on stabilizing the barrier, it was at the end swallowed by the primordial energy and my consciousness faded together with it.
“The mental barrier collapsed?! H-How?” → Sylvia
Sylvia was bewildered after seeing the golden aura around my head being absorbed by a black one.
S-Shen?! Are you there? → Sylvia
Sylvia tried to contact Shen while I was rashly attacking the Kraken.
Every exchange of hits would create shockwaves strong enough to form huge waves of tens of meters height, making the Ship comparable to a little boat in a storm, close to being engulfed by the waves at any moment. Even though I wasn’t in control of my body, I tore and bit the tentacles like they were grass, making for a bloody rain to fall on me and the others. The Kraken created more and more tentacles but every time I would destroy them with a wave of my tail, claw or tear them with my fangs.
I don’t have the possibility to talk through telepathy at the moment! → Shen
The connection got interrupted and reconnected continuously. Shen was in a tight spot and had his mind and soul shacked at every second. He had no possibility to form rational thoughts then send them to Sylvia. In the end, he snapped after having another kick land on his face and created a line of thoughts coherent enough to be understood.
I’m quite busy at the moment, my dear Sylvia. I will ask for you to try something on your own, I’m sure the one who was able to open my soul is also able to come up with a good enough idea to help Ryu. → Shen
After that, he interrupted the connection, not before letting out some curses.
Sacrificing himself only to break my spell. How could someone be an idiot like that?! He should’ve died! → Shen
S-Shen…? → Sylvia
Sylvia was stunned by Shen’s sudden rage but she regained focus and started to think.
All right, leave it to me, I’ll try to help Ryu with forming a mental barrier, you focus on your fight and win! → Sylvia
Sylvia sent the last message then she focused on a plan. She couldn’t always depend on Shen, she ought to think of something on her own for such dire moments, when she suddenly found an idea.
“Everyone! Please leave whatever you are doing right now and come beside me!” → Sylvia
Sylvia shouted for the others who were dazed at the sudden transformation.
“W-what is it?” → Lissa
Lissa was still dazed but asked in a hurry.
“I don’t have enough time to explain but, just close your eyes and imagine how you’re sending some kind of grayish-white energy to me. It’s a way to transfer mental power to someone else, I need it to form a mental barrier around Ryu’s consciousness. Please collaborate with me.” → Sylvia
Sylvia tried to summarize the explanation as much as possible. At that moment, the Kraken grabbed my wings and smashed me on the water. Huge waves appeared, almost making the ship turn upside-down.
“RYU!” → Gregor
Gregor shouted worried. From inside the water, a huge frosty pillar appeared and after that, I shot out from the sea. I was extremely irritated because of the sudden cold bath.
“I-I don’t really get what you need but just focusing on the image you said is enough, right!?” → Ronald
Ronald was still confused at the explanation but still did what he was told; he was too agitated to ask any more than this. From everyone’s foreheads, a grayish-white string of energy reached out and entered inside Sylvia’s forehead.
“Yes. Just like this, keep going!” → Sylvia
After accepting the mental power offered by the others, Sylvia tried to form a connection with my mind that was under the waves of primordial energies.
Ryu! → Sylvia
She finally felt like she touched my consciousness.
S-Sylvia…? What’s happening…? Ugh! → Ryu
After regaining consciousness, I got slammed by 10 tentacles and flew in the sky for around 100 m. Blood was flowing down from numerous open wounds while my body was full of red and bloody lines. Not only was the Kraken able to smash with the tentacles, but he would also use them to whip the enemy, creating bloody and extremely painful bruises.
You are affected by the primordial energy. I was able to create a barrier around your mind so you can retake the control over your body. You are already transformed for a whole minute. How much longer can you resist? → Sylvia
Huff, huff…I might be good for another minute, but it won’t matter how much time I still have if I can’t kill the Kraken… Sylvia, start the engine of the ship and go as far away as you can. Use even the veils and control the wind to take more speed. I’ll try and finish this in one blow. → Ryu
…I understand, please take care and don’t be too rash. → Sylvia
Finalizing the conversation, Sylvia started lowering the veils and made Ronald send some wind waves inside the veils while Gregor was recklessly throwing energy stones inside the engine.
“Not so many! You’ll break the engine!” → Lissa
Lissa was shocked by Gregor’s actions.
“Huh? Ah, sorry…” → Gregor
He was thinking about something else while doing his work.
All this pressure is no good for me, sigh… → Gregor
“Calm down Gregor. If all goes well, we might be able to get over this crisis.” → Lissa
Lissa smiled while grabbing his hand. Gregor grabbed back tightly. He was worried and tried to find a way to help but couldn’t think of anything.
Damn it! Why must I be so useless in such moments… Being the oldest, I need to find a way and help the young ones. Right? → Gregor
Feeling how Gregor grabbed back with power, Lissa understood his train of thoughts. She smiled devilishly while she held his face gently, then, without warning, she sealed his lips with hers in an aggressive manner.
“Mhmpf?!”
Gregor was dumbstruck by the sudden assault over his lips, he couldn’t understand why Lissa was doing such things when they were attacked by a Kraken. After good seconds, Lissa finally let go of his lips and said with a red face while breathing roughly.
“Haah, haah… You worrying over useless things might bring us more destruction. All you have to do is get us out from here, no? Aren’t you the captain here?” → Lissa
Smiling calmly and with a red face, Lissa explained to Gregor what he could do right now. Even though she tried to look calm, her bestial eyes shone like those of a predator, enchanting her allure even more.
“Uhuh…Huh? R-Right! On it!” → Gregor
After getting out from his dazed state, he ran up the stairs on the decks and redirected the ship away from Ryu and the Kraken.
”Damn, what a wild woman. She could’ve just said that without suddenly kissing me… And what a kiss…” → Gregor
Gregor started getting a little bit dizzy but he shook his head and tried to concentrate. He knew what he had to do now. After the ship left with the speed of the wind for more than 100 meters, I was finally able to prepare my last attack.
If this doesn’t work, we’re doomed. → Ryu
I flew high in the sky and started to absorb more primordial energy. After that, I transformed all of that energy in frost element.
[Frost Breath]I launched a dragon breath over the Kraken who tried to hide under the water. The breath had the same proportions as me and lighted up the entire sky with a light-blue color. I was able to freeze his head and some tentacles right before it got half-way under the water, getting him stuck inside a huge block of ice. Then I retracted my wings and looked like a projectile, falling on top of the frozen Kraken by using only the power of gravity. Right when I was about to fall on top of him-
[Seismic Step]I circulated all the earth element from around and inside me, falling hard on all 4 legs of a dragon:
The Kraken got blown to smithereens and huge waves formed from the impact with a strong shockwave that almost turned the ship from far-away upside-down.
“WUUOOOOONNNGGGGG…..!”
The Kraken’s cry of agony was heard, cracking the windows from the ship and making everyone cover their ears. He tried to regenerate but his core inside the head was already heavily damaged. It could only await its death. While I was sinking, I grabbed his core with the least bit of energy I still had. It was round, purple, big as my palm and had a crack on it.
Haha…I did it… → Ryu
I was already transformed back into human form when I started to sink inside in the seas. I was way too tired to swim back up so I was just descending slowly.
When I opened my eyes, I vaguely saw Gregor’s silhouette dripping wet. It seems he was the one who got me out.
Heh…Shen, on this part we’re done…hurry and finish there… After that, let’s meet up and drink something…you hear…? → Ryu
The thoughts were transmitted with telepathy after right before I passed out.
[[[POV CHANGES TO SHEN]]]
“…I heard you loud and clear, brother…” → Shen
My voice was calm but my eyes were ice-cold.
