Chapter 135: Monsters of the Deep Sea

"Hey Naimi Xisi," Gonde shuffles over to the deck and stands beside the eyes‑closed, meditating Naimi Xisi.

"Shut up." Naimi Xisi, without opening his eyes, promptly rejects him before he can speak further, "I don't want to talk to you."

"Um," Gonde scratches his head and continues, "I wasn't looking to chat with you."

"It seems we've encountered another sea beast up ahead."

Hearing that, Naimi Xisi's eyes light up and he sits up.

Over the past year, the fleet has frequently run into massive sea beasts rising from the deep sea; these beasts possess enormous power but very simple minds, and they never consider how formidable the fleet's people might be, launching mindless attacks as soon as they encounter them.

Logically, under the command of Naga and Fish People, these sea beasts shouldn't be so unintelligent, but for some reason the deep‑sea beasts far from the continent seem to lack any sentient caretakers, resulting in their dimwitted behavior.

Kodel once dived to try to negotiate with Fish People, hoping they would keep the sea beasts from disturbing the fleet's march, but found nothing, so he had to deal with them himself.

This is also one of the few remaining amusements for the guests aboard the Royal Dragon Bone Ship—hunting sea beasts.

Kodel, true to his background as a merchant‑turned‑grand general and keen on human nature, not only spares the Golden Legion's troops from dealing with the beasts, but each time yields the chance to confront them to the Royal Dragon Bone Ship's guests.

Many powerful individuals as bored and unsociable as Naimi Xisi always scramble to hunt the sea beasts at this moment, loosening their limbs.

However, because too many wish to join, each beast is slain before it has been out for long, and when another appears, they take turns going after it.

This time it's Naimi Xisi's turn.

"Can you take me with you?" Gonde asks cheerfully as Naimi Xisi rises; although, as a desert giant, the Bronze Dragon despises sea combat, the phrase remains—this is one of the few entertainments on the ocean.

Naimi Xisi shrugs, "Let's go."

The two dragons instantly soar into the sky, assuming their true forms—the first time they reveal their true forms aboard the ship. Many other soldiers on the vessel are startled by the Dragon Might, brandishing weapons, and only relax after realizing they are guests of the Royal Dragon Bone Ship.

A bronze and a silver giant dragon skim across the water's surface; their tremendous speed stirs the air, creating a long ripple, and they quickly reach the fleet's rear, where a massive shadow in the sea is rapidly closing in on the warships.

"Another octopus," Naimi Xisi says. His powerful sight pierces the water, seeing the creature's true form, and he feels bored—he hates eating octopus the most.

"Great Great Dragon!"

The warships at the fleet's rear cause a stir upon seeing the soaring dragons, but soon realize the two dragons are allies.

Excitement flashing in Gonde's eyes, he gapes his dragon maw and exhales a flame dozens of meters long; the searing heat instantly vaporizes the nearby seawater, scorching the octopus below, which, in pain, thrusts a tentacle skyward.

"That's pretty big," Naimi Xisi snorts, deftly circling in the sky to evade the fifty‑plus‑meter tentacle, but Gonde is less fortunate; the clumsy dragon is struck by the massive limb, and the force hurls the Bronze Dragon into the sea.

"Splash!!"

The Bronze Dragon plunges into the sea, spraying a huge column of water; as a desert dragon, the Bronze Dragon is a complete land‑lubber, gulping several mouthfuls of seawater before struggling to lift off again.

Naimi Xisi raises his hand to cast; as he chants, terrifying heat condenses at his fingertips. Five‑ring Evocation spell—Greater Explosion Technique! A massive blaze erupts on the octopus's body underwater, causing a violent explosion; the scorching temperature heats the seawater, forming large bubbles that gurgle up to the surface.

The heavily wounded octopus immediately waves its dozens of fifty‑meter‑long tentacles, trying to seize the sky‑borne dragons.

Yet Naimi Xisi, empowered by Cat's Grace, is extremely agile in the air; he darts between the tentacles unharmed and continuously unleashes Greater Explosion Technique attacks.

One massive burst after another erupts on the octopus; even if it retreats to deeper water, it cannot escape, for the spell is a lock‑on spell—once the caster locks onto a target, an explosion comparable to Fireball detonates on the victim.

Even in the frigid seawater, after being bombarded by seven Greater Explosion Techniques, the octopus cannot avoid death; soon its charred body floats to the surface.

Naimi Xisi flies to the surface, about to taste the octopus, when he suddenly frowns.

He notices many black markings intersecting on the octopus, exuding an evil aura.

"What a foul stench," Naimi Xisi says, covering his nose and, still frowning, gives up on tasting.

Gonde, flying over, looks at the corpse with disappointment and says, "Why is it a Corrupted octopus, a True Qi Dragon."

Corrupted Creatures are among the most numerous Monster species in Frelen; most are ordinary Magic Creatures, but after being polluted by various evil auras, they become poisonous, inedible monsters.

"Tsk," Naimi Xisi spits, disappointed, and flies toward the Royal Dragon Bone Ship, with Gonde close behind.

Yet they fail to notice that after they leave, the octopus's eye suddenly twitches, and a bizarre‑looking insect crawls out.

After emerging, the insect swims toward the deep sea, descending beneath the fleet into an abyss thousands of miles deep.

The insect stops, and a nightmarish creature with a bulbous body and a dozen crustacean‑like legs crawls out of the deep‑sea mud.

The insect appears to communicate with it; the monster becomes extremely enraged and swallows the insect whole.

"Neh-thalggu! Nath-sagu!" the monster roars in a strange tongue, and soon more and more monsters crawl out of the mud, each identical in appearance and shouting the same odd words.

Thousands of monsters emerge from the soil, turning the area's earth almost completely upside down.

The scene within the soil is also revealed.

It is the bodies of Fish People and Naga.

They lie quietly in mud pits, eyes closed, yet their chests rise faintly, showing they are still alive.

Only their skulls have completely lost their protective shells, leaving tender brains exposed to the seawater, partially missing; some monsters, unwilling to leave the brains, open their fang‑filled mouths and swallow the brains whole.

Afterwards, the thousands of monsters drift slowly toward the surface, moving toward the fleet.

(End of Chapter)