Victory and Recovery

Just ten minutes prior, the entire battle’s focus had shifted, centering entirely on the woman who surged forward, her saber arcing before her.

The lesser sea creatures, like “shrimp soldiers and crab generals,” were being relentlessly cleared, unable to breach the designated zone of engagement. Only Leviathan and Kraken remained, facing each other across the turbulent waters.

Her success or failure would ultimately dictate the outcome of this interception.

One moment, a silver figure on the screen moved across the water’s surface, each step sending out patterned ripples that spread in elegant circles as she advanced with measured grace.

The next, she vanished from sight.

The stark contrast between stillness and sudden motion was so profound it seemed to pierce through the screen, striking the hearts of the onlookers like a heavy hammer.

Their eyes were glued to the display, desperate to catch a glimpse of any lingering afterimage, yet all they perceived was a fleeting streak of red and white light.

A crimson arc, seemingly cleaving both sea and sky, plunged into the colossal tentacled beast with an unstoppable force.

After that moment, the satellite imagery lost all trace of her. All that remained visible was the tentacled behemoth’s furious, enraged thrashing, and the severed limbs that periodically detached, plummeting from the air into the churning sea.

****

In the monitored waters.

Through her telescopic equipment, Molly intently monitored the battle. A ripple of surprise went through her when she witnessed Leviathan being dragged down into the depths by Kraken.

Yet, the scene that followed astonished her even further.

Not only her, but the scouts and informants of other factions lurking nearby were equally caught off guard, deeply shaken by the spectacle.

As legendary behemoths of equal renown, Leviathan and Kraken were naturally formidable adversaries.

Through a combination of encirclement, relay tactics, and Kraken’s opportune sneak attack, the Pharos hunters had only just managed to dispatch one of these legendary beasts.

But what were they witnessing now?

There was no coordination, no support, only a single individual, wielding a single blade.

Even with Molly’s exceptional eyesight, she could barely discern the fleeting afterimages of Silver Kite, who briefly lingered as she leveraged her momentum. Her speed during these movements blurred her form, making her appear to merge with the crimson gleam of her blade.

They could only infer the battle’s progress from Kraken’s reactions, discerning its dire predicament from the enraged, cackling roars that erupted from it.

A legendary behemoth, an entity of immense power, was actually being suppressed by a mere human.

Seti gazed at the distant epicenter of the conflict. His expression remained impassive, his eyes seemingly as placid as still water, yet the hands tightly gripping the railing trembled almost imperceptibly.

‘Will she win?’

He had been meticulously devising contingency plans for defeat, never truly anticipating that Silver Kite would actually gain the upper hand.

It appeared both he and Jiang Chen had significantly underestimated Silver Kite’s true capabilities.

Seti turned, his gaze settling on Jiang Chen, who lay on the deck behind him. He did not flinch from the old, gaunt face, but merely sighed inwardly.

‘They were both old. To die on the battlefield would be the most fitting end.’

After retiring from active duty due to illness, Jiang Chen’s health had deteriorated significantly, leaving him plagued by the lingering after-effects of war. Seti had chanced upon him during several of these painful episodes.

Seti could see Jiang Chen’s profound suffering. His old friend seemed incapable of truly integrating into Pharos, finding solace only when he saw the smiles on the faces of the children in the orphanage.

Seti let out a bitter laugh, then redirected his gaze to the distant battlefield.

‘Perhaps he should congratulate his old friend.’

‘Congratulate Jiang Chen on never having to return to this hellish world.’

‘He had passed this burden onto his student.’

When the final, desperate shriek echoed across both ocean and sky, the scattered clouds slowly began to re-form. A fierce gale, laden with sudden rain, lashed down, washing over the vast expanse of crimson staining the sea’s surface.

Kraken lay motionless.

Its massive body began to disintegrate, severed tentacles drifting across the water. The smooth, clean cuts on them bore faint marks of scorching and dehydration.

Seti personally hastened to the scene. Gazing upon the brutal combat scars etched into the severed limbs, he found it still difficult to believe.

On the largest floating mass of its remains, he discovered the unconscious Silver Kite, utterly spent. He immediately ordered the rescue teams to begin emergency resuscitation, emphasizing that her life was to be saved at all costs.

Once Silver Kite had been brought aboard the mothership, Seti instantly gave the command to breach the surrounding sea beast horde, break through the encirclement, and prepare for their return voyage.

The two greatest threats had been neutralized.

The remaining creatures, no matter their ferocity, would never be able to breach Pharos.

****

Molly exhaled slowly, then initiated a call to the Association Headquarters.

“This is Molly. The battle here at Pharos has concluded…”

“Oh? It ended so quickly? What’s the situation?”

A gruff voice queried from the other end of the line.

Hearing this, Molly paused in silence.

“The Pharos hunters have departed.”

“What did you say? Departed? Did they retreat?”

The headquarters specialist paused, then slowly continued,

“Or have they chosen to use the sea fortress as a secondary battleground? No, that’s not it.”

Molly returned to the ship’s cabin, her gaze falling upon the vast fleet sailing past outside the porthole.

“They won.”

“The deep-sea leviathan, Leviathan, and the North Sea Kraken, Kraken, are confirmed dead.”

“Pharos has successfully hunted two legends.”

****

The news of Pharos having slain two legendary beasts rapidly spread throughout the Old World. In an instant, countless wanderers and refugees found a new purpose, flocking towards the venerable sea fortress.

While other armed factions were still grappling with mere B-rank sea beasts, the announcement of Pharos’s successful hunt of two legendary behemoths completely shattered their preconceived notions of the fortress.

‘The Lighthouse of the Old World.’

This new moniker spread far and wide, hand in hand with the astonishing news of their legendary kills.

Regardless of the clamor beyond its walls, the sea beast hunter who had single-handedly forged Pharos’s glory and legend now recuperated in the inner city’s finest hospital ward, lying serenely upon a soft, white bed.

“Beep-beep—”

With a soft chime, the ward door slowly slid open.

Qing Shui Ling Yin entered, carrying two bags of fruit. She placed them on the bedside table, then approached the blonde girl who sat quietly before the bed.

“Little Nightingale, you should rest. I’ll take over here.”

She gently patted the girl’s shoulder, carefully conveying her goodwill.

‘She must be a close relative.’

‘After such an event, this girl must be deeply distressed.’

Qing Shui Ling Yin herself, of course, felt the same.

When members of the Hunter Association came to her, requesting she visit Ming Yu, Qing Shui Ling Yin’s heart had skipped a beat. She followed them to this very ward, where she found Ming Yu, her face ashen, hooked up to a ventilator and an IV drip.

In that instant, she felt as though something within her chest had fractured.

Yet, Little Nightingale had arrived even earlier than her, seated by the bedside, and had not stirred for an entire day.

Qing Shui Ling Yin recognized the girl’s face and name, but she couldn’t place the exact nature of her relationship with Ming Yu, nor could she recall how she had come to possess this knowledge.

Her memories felt shrouded in a thick fog.

Now, seeing Ming Yu again, that pervasive mist seemed to thin, if only slightly.

A dull ache began to throb in Qing Shui Ling Yin’s head.