Chapter 115:

Chapter 115:

A ferocious heat burst from the Luadin Key as it collided with the tentacles of the Drowned King, thanks to Isaac’s infusion of the precious holy power he had cherished.

Shock and amazement filled the eyes of everyone watching nearby. All had been preparing to plunge into the sea at the mere sight of the Drowned King wielding his tentacles.

Isaac, too, was no exception.

This realization allowed Isaac to understand that it wasn’t so much his own strength that had increased, but rather that the Drowned King was holding back.

[Impressive.]

The heat emanating from the Luadin Key seared the tentacles white and boiled the moisture within, yet the Drowned King’s tone remained utterly serene.VIssiT n0(v)eL/b(i)(n).com for the best novel reading experience

He simply continued to press down on Isaac calmly.

Already, the deck under Isaac’s feet was on the verge of shattering.

“So you talk of sinking into the depths for a chat, yet you’re loath to sink the ship?”

[Ha ha, there’s no need to harm my followers, is there?]

The Drowned King seemed confident that the followers of his heretical sect, the Council of Salt, would agree with him.

Only then did Isaac realize that the surrounding crew members were not moving at all.

Even those who had come prepared to eliminate the Drowned King were in this state. Hyanis had even said that if they actually met the Drowned King, more than half of their own side would turn against them—a situation they should have been prepared for.

Even Yenkos, who was supposed to protect Eidan, had drawn his sword against Hyanis.

[You do realize this isn’t in your favor. Who exactly are you fighting for?]

Isaac gripped the Luadin Key tightly.

He could see the Drowned King’s massive tentacles writhing ceaselessly. Seeing such a massive being, Isaac had thought Hyanis mad for wanting to fight it, and now he found himself doing the same.

If the majority of the Salt Council agrees with the Drowned King, then for whom is Isaac fighting?

Isaac felt he had unnecessarily gotten involved.

‘Should I have just turned a blind eye?’

But upon reflection, it was Hyanis who had started this by revealing the truth. From the moment Hyanis revealed the truth, the situation had spiraled out of control.

Initially, Isaac had merely reacted to the Drowned King’s attack.

‘Me? Now that I think about it, why did he want to capture me?’

Instead of clashing, the Drowned King withdrew his tentacles and then swung them horizontally with force. If the Drowned King wasn’t intent on sinking the ship completely, there were many ways to avoid his attacks.

But it seemed the Drowned King was not particularly interested in bothering with catching a rat.

[Capture the Grail Knight.]

At the irrefutable command, several crew members in Isaac’s path hesitated and then moved. Isaac was ready to draw his sword at any moment, but in the end, he did not have to. Their lackluster movements could easily be overcome with simple hand-to-hand combat techniques.

Even amidst this, Isaac’s mind raced.

‘He wants to capture me. Because I interfered with the human sacrifice? No. He’s not even paying attention to Eidan, the actual sacrifice.’

Eidan, who was originally supposed to participate in the Moonwell Ritual, was already in Yenkos’s custody. If a human sacrifice was the goal, they could have just used him as is.

‘So the goal is... me?’

Isaac stumbled upon this unsettling possibility. The swaying ship and slippery deck contributed to his misstep.

At that moment, the Drowned King’s tentacles seized the opportunity to strike. Isaac braced himself for the impact.

Then, a cabin door on one side of the deck burst open.

The Drowned King’s tentacles retracted as if shocked.

“What in blazes is this mess?!”

The one emerging, fuming with anger, was none other than Bishop Juan.

***

“Why is the ship rocking so much?! Are we sinking?”

Bishop Juan, who seemed to have intended to sleep off his drunkenness during the ceremony, was unmistakably reeking of alcohol from afar. But in the face of a tempest and tentacles battering the ship, staying asleep was impossible.

The Drowned King violently shook the ship once more, as if there was no turning back, squeezing the ship with his tentacles as if he was willing to sacrifice it.

It looked like they were moments away from being shattered to pieces and falling into the sea.

At that moment, Isaac locked eyes with Hyanis, who was clinging to the railing but still glaring fiercely at the Drowned King with bright eyes.

Isaac remembered that Hyanis had come to capture the Drowned King.

His eyes did not show defeat.

Biting down, Isaac then leaped into the sea.

***

Whirlpools wrapped around him as Isaac saw white hands approaching him in the dark depths below.

They were merfolk.

Thousands of merfolk were waiting under the sea, following the Drowned King’s orders. As soon as they saw Isaac, they tried to pull him down swiftly. However, when Isaac drew the Luadin Key and swung it, they screamed amidst bubbles and fled.

Isaac was propelled out of the water.

Back on the surface, Isaac locked eyes with Hyanis on the deck. Hyanis had blessed him with the Doctrine of Waves, allowing him to protect the ship by jumping overboard. Recognizing Isaac’s actions, Hyanis looked at him with eyes full of apology and gratitude.

However, separate from that gratitude, Isaac now found himself facing the Drowned King without any defenses.

With the ship as his only means of defense gone, the Drowned King lashed out with his tentacles. Using the Doctrine of Waves, Isaac surfed through the rough waves, sliding through them.

But this effort was as futile as the merfolk trying to escape the currents created by the Drowned King. Isaac soon realized the wave he was riding was, in fact, one of the Drowned King’s massive tentacles.

Without any viable strategy, Isaac plunged below the surface.

As a whirlpool formed, the miracle of walking on water was useless; Isaac was dragged helplessly to the ocean’s depths. Fortunately, he had the ability to breathe underwater, having devoured the deep-sea general.

But Isaac couldn’t help feeling dizzy.

It was only deep under the sea that he could fully see the Drowned King’s entire form.

Even though he felt massive from above, the Drowned King’s full size viewed from the dark waters was overwhelmingly oppressive.

[There is a flaw in your story.]

The Drowned King, wrapping his tentacles around Isaac as if cherishing him, whispered.

[I indeed planned to conduct the Moonwell Ritual if the Salt Council brought a suitable person. Human sacrifice was always my last resort. But that changed the moment I met you.]

The Drowned King murmured with a low laugh.

[The children of the Salt Council wouldn’t survive in Urbansus. Their flesh would be crushed purely by the pressure of that world. It’s a realm that does not tolerate the uninvited.]

Only those who have been trained accordingly, received a divine invitation and had their bodies remodeled, or were born suitable for that realm, like nephilim – the hybrid offspring of angels and humans, could return alive from the realm of the dead.

[But everything changed the moment I saw you.]

Plans?

[The Immortal Order’s skeletons promised to break the salt desert if Kalsen became the ninth faith. But that promise was broken. He is no more! But, but!]

The Drowned King, unable to hide his excitement, whispered to Isaac, looking into him with his enormous eyes.

[You could be the sacrifice sufficient for me to ascend to divinity. I will attain divinity right here and challenge the vacant ninth throne! Thus, ending my millennia of waiting!]

There was even joy in his tone.

[The sacrifice I want is you, Isaac!]

“.......”

Isaac felt a chilling flame ignite beneath his heart.

[The Nameless Chaos watches over you.]

[The Nameless Chaos desires you to vanquish the ‘Drowned King’.]

[The reward of Chaos awaits you.]

–TL Notes–

Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to read up to advance 20 chapters or support me, you can do it at /Akaza156