Chapter 1003: The Tide Ends
"...Thanks."
Making sure that he'd cleared the entirety of the Greater Tidemother's health, it was only then did Valyr let out a sigh of relief, giving an apologetic smile to the two that protected him just earlier.
"... You know what you did was risky, right?" Briefly left at a loss for words at the massive crimson number that appeared above the Tidemother's head, Tristan took a while for him to find the right words to say.
"Of course." Valyr nodded with a slight chuckle. "However, I had a feeling you two would make a move before then."
Though most of his attention was focused on the arquebus after he'd activated [Extended Charge] on it, it wasn't as if Valyr wasn't aware of what the Tidemother was doing.
Seeing that it was about to attack him with one of its legs, the young man was already more than prepared to cast a defensive skill in response.
However, as if the three of them had talked about what he planned on doing a long time ago, Myst appeared in front of the leg to deflect it, utilizing the increased strength she gained from the Gale Wolf Armor to do so.
Not wanting to increase the burden on Myst, Valyr went ahead and rolled away from where originally stood, prompting Tristan to jump in and defend the young man against the Tidemother's attack.
Fortunately, the arquebus had already reached its maximum charge before the Tidemother's third attack could land on him.
Because if not...
'I'd rather not want that to happen,' thought the young man to himself as he briefly went over a what-if scenario, shaking his head as he imagined the arquebus exploding to engulf him and the other two.
Taking in a deep breath to compose his thoughts, Valyr took a brief look at his notification screen, only to notice a lack of them not long after.
Understanding what that meant, the young man began to move away from the underside of the Tidemother, prompting Tristan and Myst to follow suit. "Just a heads-up, I haven't received a notification from the system yet."
"You might have to defend me one more time."
Having already gone through multiple fights in the Void World against Void Rabbits that seemingly had two lives, after hearing that the Greater Tidemother they would be fighting also had a second phase, it went without saying that Valyr's awareness towards the matter was at its peak.
Not wanting to fall victim to the retaliation of his opponent after recovering through their second phase, the young man preemptively made preparations for the fight that was to come, arming his arquebus for firing as he took a look at his status buffs.
"What do you want us to do?" Slightly clicking his tongue as he heard the words that came out the young man's mouth, Tristan immediately got into a defensive stance after Valyr stopped a couple hundred meters away from the Tidemother.
"You already know what to do," said Valyr in response, activating [Extended Charge] once more as he aimed it at the Tidemother.
Sensing that the waning vitality from the Tidemother was gradually beginning to surge yet again, a faint smile appeared on Valyr's face as he looked at the two.
"Just keep doing what you did earlier."
Screeeeee!!!!
Just as half a minute had exactly passed since Valyr landed a deadly blow to the Greater Tidemother, the Tidemother gradually began to stand upright once more as its aura slowly returned to what it was.
Then, in an instant, the aura it radiated surged to an even greater peak, causing many of the people watching the final fight from afar to shudder in fear.
vitality.
Thud.
As its entire body caused the battlefield to quake, Valyr and the others continue to keep an eye on the Greater Tidemother, maintaining vigilance in the off chance the Tidemother would revive a second time.
Ding!
Fortunately, such a thing never happened as a notification sound resounded in the young man's mind not long after, causing a wide smile to appear on Valyr's face as he shared the
good news with everyone.
Within a matter of seconds, everyone that helped defend against the monster tide cheered out in excitement, relieved that their town could remain standing for another day.
Of course, as the one that dealt the final blow that signaled the end of the entire tide, it was no surprise that almost everyone was screaming Valyr's name, idolizing him as an existence that
would keep their town safe.
"The Tidebreaker has made its return!"
"The Tidebreaker has kept Astarto safe!"
"Long live the Tidebreaker!"
And thus, as if it were the ebb and flow of a river, the title he had in the past naturally appeared in the mouths of the tide's defenders once more, causing a slight smile to appear on the young man's face as he looked at the two that helped him out.
"So, how does it feel to be recognized again?" Understanding what was going on in the young man's mind at the moment, Tristan let out a bit of laughter as he asked Valyr a question.
In response, the young man looked at the people behind him that were all cheering his name. Then, looking back at both Tristan and Myst, he gave them a wide grin.
"It feels... great."
...
"..." While the entire town was celebrating the successful conclusion of the monster tide, a white-haired man in his late twenties absentmindedly stared out at the battlefield from atop
the town's walls.
Looking around for a bit, his gaze eventually fell on the Greater Tidemother, only for his expression to turn into disappointment after realizing it had already fallen. Continuing to keep his eyes on the battlefield, the man's gaze eventually fell on a certain
young man that seemed to have become the center of everything now that the tide was over.
"Valyr..." Muttering the name of the young man to himself, the man felt a hint of rage begin to bubble up within him.
"You should've left this town for good when you had the chance."
"...You're going to regret coming back here."