Chapter 125

Chapter 125 Fwooooooo?!

The augmented energy on Leonard’s sword flared tens of meters high, carving a deep, massive injury into Moby Dick’s side.

Kreee?!

Russell and Gordon were shocked by what they saw of course, and so was Moby Dick when it felt the hard impact. Though the wound was several meters long, it wasn’t a critical hit, but if it had gone a little deeper, it could have been life-threatening.

The whale flapped its tail reflexively, and it flew toward Leonard three times faster than the speed of sound.

Even if he offset the force of the attack, he would be injured due to the overwhelming difference in mass.

The Five Elements Augmented Qi bloomed like a red lotus and darkened like ink.

Five Elements Style

Black Tortoise Ninth Form: Great Moon Anti-Yin Mirror

His sword flowed elegantly as if he’d taken a brush to the air, making an enormous swing with enough force behind the attack to instantly take down a fortress wall.

It was the highest manifestation of the Daoist principle “softness overcomes hardness.”

As Moby Dick’s tail took a clear, futile swing, Herman didn’t miss the opening and launched a sharp attack, his four swords already unsheathed.

Blade Dancing

Quartet

Book of Storms

As an attack, Book of Storms made the user themselves into a maelstrom to ram into their opponent.

Though Herman had much less offensive power than Leonard, it was more than enough to injure Moby Dick because the whale was already wounded. As he ripped through its hide, black sticky blood flooded out in a deluge.

It was dangerous.

Both swordsmen instinctively sensed this and activated their augmented energy shields, blocking the droplets of blood flying toward them.

Shhhhh...!

The blood couldn’t pierce through their shields, but the droplets burned through the surface, leaving small holes before evaporating.

It was a chilling sight.

“Acid? No, it looks more like something that causes decay,” Leonard observed.

Herman agreed. “I bet we’d melt in a matter of seconds if we get hit with that while we’re defenseless.”

It only took a few drops to damage their augmented energy shields a little bit. A large spray would be dangerous for even Transcendence Tier fighters. Since they had to fight in close-quarters combat, the blood would be troublesome in multiple ways.

Five Elements Style, One Sword Style

White Tiger Extra Form: Mountain Deity Strike

Blade Dancing

Book of Thunder

The two swordsmen immediately began to swing their blades. Not one or two, but five or six swords were covered in Auras, and they flew around and attacked like wasps. Not even Moby Dick could ignore the injuries done by their attacks. Though the injuries were light, the whale was losing a lot of blood because it was bleeding from tens of wounds.

After being chased onto the shore and being attacked with multiple blades, Moby Dick was scared out of its wits.

Kreeeeeee!!

A spray of water shot out from Moby Dick’s blowhole.

Just like its blood, it only took a few drops to damage their augmented energy shields a little bit. The mucus sprayed in all directions, infecting everything it touched. It seeped into the sand, making the coral and the other sea creatures shrivel hideously.

But that wasn’t the main part.

Moby Dick opened its maw wide and let out a massive exhale, regurgitating something from its intestines. Tens, no, hundreds of mutant worshippers were regurgitated. They immediately stood up, their goal obvious.

“Are those the members who were on the Moby Dick?” Leonard guessed.

Herman nodded. “Haa, that’s right. They’ve become gruesome enough that they’re barely recognizable, but I can identify them based on some of their face shapes and clothing.”

“Will you be all right?”

“I told you. There wasn’t a single person I was close with.”

As they spoke, they sensed the worshippers’ strength.

They were on a different level from the ones on land.

Perhaps they had received a share of the Outer God’s power because they had been inside the Moby Dick. Even though they weren’t on Pablo’s level, it was hard to call it the External Force Tier. They were monsters even Transcendence Tier opponents would have trouble fighting.

“Chaaaaarge?!!”

It was at that moment that Leonard and Herman saw an army of specters run toward the worshippers.

Leonard recognized them and whispered to himself, “They’re from the phantom ship...”

They were the vengeful spirits of Aquamarine, led by the phantom Captain Ahab. Though their egos weren’t fully intact, the bloodlust and resentment they were radiating were more intense than the average person’s.

“We will shred Moby Dick alive and spill its blood! Make it scream, for the sake of our brothers and sisters in arms who have gone before us!” Ahab reached Moby Dick the fastest even though one of his legs was a prosthetic, and thrust his sword forward.

He was a truly vengeful spirit.

Even though Moby Dick’s blood could make all living things decay, it didn’t hurt the phantoms much, perhaps because they were undead. Half of the Pequod’s ghostly crew charged at the whale, while the rest attacked the mutant worshippers. A bloody fight began.

“Wow. They sure are enthusiastic,” Herman mused. The phantoms fought in a way that the living couldn’t: without any regard for their bodies.

“We should be able to catch our breath for a little bit thanks to them,” Leonard agreed. “But Moby Dick isn’t a monster we can defeat by piling small attacks. We have to make a single, big attack.”

“A big attack, you say? Isn’t that their specialty, not ours?” Herman said, looking up into the vast sky.

Leonard followed his gaze. The Archmages looked down at the same time, and their eyes met. He shot them a brief look in greeting.

Now that Leonard had dragon eyes, it wasn’t hard for him to pick up on how Selene and Helios worked, as well as their range. “The two of them have already cast supreme magic. It’s thanks to them that we’re fighting on sand now instead of water... it will be too much to ask them to lend us firepower while maintaining their spells.”

More importantly, supreme magic, by nature, couldn’t even distinguish between enemies and allies. Even if Gordon and Russell tried to cast a powerful spell that could land a critical blow, they would also kill all the phantoms near Moby Dick.

Sure, it would be nice if they managed to kill the whale with it, but because Moby Dick had been brought to life through the Outer God’s power, its magic resistance was very high. Even the most powerful Archmage would not be able to guarantee that they could kill it.

So it’s up to me, Leonard thought.

Ahab and his phantom crew were fighting viciously, but the battle wasn’t looking very good. The wounds that Leonard and Herman had inflicted were gradually healing, and Ahab was the only one who was actually injuring the whale.

In other words, someone would have to be at least as strong as a Master to be considered a fair opponent for Moby Dick.

Herman seemed to know this too. He turned to look at Leonard with a serious face.

“Will you be able to do it?”

“Yes,” Leonard said confidently.

Nothing more needed to be said.

As soon as Leonard gave his answer, Herman charged at Moby Dick with his four swords. Some of the vengeful spirits froze up when they sensed a living being, but when they saw him attack the monster, they realized he was an ally and turned back to the fight.

The boy watched and gradually leveled his sword. He looked into his Mindscape, which was still unstable. I can still see the effects of the 105 fatal battles with the heart devil and from when I expelled the Mind Kraken.

He’d only survived because he was exceedingly mentally resilient. Anyone else would have turned into a shell of their former self. He had used the Northern God Style in his Mindscape once, but if he used a Demigod Tier technique right now, his Mindscape, which was already barely stable, might begin to collapse again.

And yet, if he wanted to overcome this situation, his power had to be half a step above the Transcendence Tier.

After looking into his Mindscape, it didn’t take long for Leonard to make up his mind. I’ll use all the power that I can use without destabilizing it and channel it into one big attack. That’s all I can do.

If it was just one shot that used every last drop of his power, he could do it.

Once he was sure of himself, he moved swiftly.

His eyes completely shifted into their draconic form, allowing his vision to penetrate right through the flow of the world.

One Origin Five Elements Sword Art

This was a mental martial art that he could only use at the Transcendence Tier and then properly refine in the Demigod Tier. It was a technique that rewrote the laws of this world.

He had to create something new with laws of his own.

If the Northern God Style was considered a power that halted causality, what he needed right now was something that would set that Outer God’s mighty, resilient incarnation into flames. His power bloomed like a flower on a stalk of sacred bamboo.

Southern God Style

Single Swing Sweeping Annihilation

Calamity Extinguishing Flame

A single trail of fire burst from his blade. It looked delicate and was as small as a fingernail, but when it came to life, his body began to reinforce itself. Whether it be the flames that turned a vast field into a wasteland or the flames that reduced a forest to a heap of ashes, a fire rarely started as big as it would become.

This was a destructive force that razed all things. It didn’t matter how big Moby Dick was or how great its resilience and healing abilities were.

This was the essence of Leonard’s Calamity Extinguishing Flame.

“Urp!”

One, no, two lines of blood spilled out of his lips, trailing down to his chin.

Even if he was in peak condition, this technique would be difficult to use. The fact that he’d performed it successfully and flawlessly was already very impressive.

No. It’s not over yet.

Only once he burned Moby Dick with the flames would he be able to say that the move was successful and flawless.

He fixed his gaze on the monster. His mental energy was already drained. His vision kept flickering in and out, and even his breathing halted a few times. If he didn’t act soon, he would be hit with qi deviation from the aftershock of using the technique.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long for his opportunity to come.

Now...!

Ahab and Herman’s combined attack gouged out one of Moby Dick’s eyes, and the whale began to thrash from the loss. This was it.

Leonard used the Waning Moon Fleeting Art to erase his presence, his feet moving without a sound. He pierced his sword into the forehead of the frenzied monster.

It was hard to believe that that was the critical blow, and even Moby Dick barely felt the blade stab through its head.

As soon as he landed his attack, Leonard retreated back and created a large distance between them. Not only would he not have the strength to block or deflect if the whale started thrashing, but he also couldn’t estimate how much area the impact would cover.

Krrrrr? Kree?

Moby Dick didn’t react for a few seconds after being stabbed, but sure enough, it felt its body temperature start to rise, beginning with its organs.

At first, it was only a small burning sensation, but it didn’t take long for it to become as intense as the wound it had sustained in its side. Moby Dick, which still hadn’t become used to the feeling of pain, began to roll around in the sand again.

With something as massive as the whale rolling around, not all the mutant worshippers and phantoms could dodge, and some of them were crushed.

The whale’s struggle didn’t last long.

Kreeeeeeeeee??!!

After burning through all its organs, the fire began to overflow to its skin, scorching its flesh. Any other living being would have died the moment their insides were burned up.

The healing abilities granted to Moby Dick by the Outer God’s power fought the Calamity Extinguishing Flame, but the whale would not die an easy death.

The surviving worshippers clustered around it, trying to put out the fire, but the flames spread to them, growing as they pleased. If an opponent wasn’t even in the same class as their opponent, it didn’t matter if they were physically stronger.

And Moby Dick could not be considered a Demigod Tier monster.

“It’s over,” Leonard said.

After going through a cycle of burning and healing for a few minutes, the whale went perfectly still, reduced to an ashen heap.

Leonard twitched as he watched. He wanted to let go of his consciousness immediately, but he couldn’t let his guard down on the battlefield. The ground began to revert to its original, non-decaying state once Moby Dick died, and he stabbed his sword into the sand to pull himself up.

“Hey! Leonard!” Herman’s shout woke him up.

Through hazy vision, Leonard saw something emerge and push its way through Moby Dick’s corpse.

It was a giant man over two meters tall.

Half his body was scorched and crumbling into ashes, and he would become nothing in a few seconds. Yet he glared at Leonard with killing intent raging in his eyes.

It was the Outer God’s apostle Pablo, the sacrifice that had been used to create Moby Dick.

“It’s...your...fault...!” His voice was ghastly and made him hard to understand, as his vocal cords were burnt and shriveled.

But more ghastly was Pablo’s persistence.

He had been used to create the monster, but as soon as he regained his body, he moved solely by his desire to kill Leonard. He was planning to use the last few seconds of his life to take the boy with him.

Even as he watched Pablo approach, Leonard couldn’t lift a finger. This was the cost of pushing himself by using the Calamity Extinguishing Flame. He couldn’t do a thing.

Herman... will be too late. And I don’t think Gordon or Russell will have the time to interfere either.

Though his body was approaching the Vajra Physique, the fact that he was on the brink of qi deviation was a real concern. If he received the slightest external impact, it would be over, just like that.

He would be lucky if he didn’t die, but even if he didn’t, he would lose a great amount of his martial arts abilities and sustain side effects all over him that he would never be able to recover from.

But he had no intention of giving up.

If he survived, he would simply start training as a martial artist again.

When he was met face-to-face with Pablo’s fists, he accepted the consequences and resolved himself to bear them.

Swoosh!

A blade flew into Pablo’s back, piercing through his charred heart and emerging from his chest.

“Wh...What? Who...?”

Pablo’s fist stopped just as he was about to swing. Trembling, he turned around.

Standing there was Ahab, the captain of the phantom ship the Pequod. He was already reduced to a spectral form, but he was sneering.

“Have you been well? I have come to collect an eight-year-old debt.”

“You...! How... how dare... You looooost!”

“Indeed. I acknowledge that you defeated us that day,” Ahab bluntly agreed. He pulled out his sword. His eyes turned cold as he swung his blade. “So today is the day I defeat you.”

With that, Pablo’s head fell. It had already been burning thanks to the Calamity Extinguishing Flame, so it crumbled before it even hit the ground. The only trace of him left was ashes.

Ahab even kicked the pile before turning to Leonard. “So you are the savior our captain mentioned.”

The boy barely managed to open his mouth to answer. “Is that enough for your vengeance, old captain?”

Ahab chuckled and lowered his sword. “Thanks to you. If I saw that son of a bitch die a peaceful death, my rage would have intensified. But I saw that he had a look of despair on his face until his very last moment, so I am quite satisfied.”

“That’s good.”

“In any case, it looks like you have pushed yourself too much. Don’t strain yourself too much for the time being. I want nothing more than to repay the person who saved the Aquamarine Expedition Team, but it seems my time has come.”

The boy and the phantom turned at the same time and watched the person approaching from a distance.

It was a beautiful girl with black hair and cerulean eyes.

The new captain of Aquamarine, Frances.

Ahab had a content smile on his face when he saw her. He raised a hand and gave her a thumbs-up that was visible even from a distance. The gesture was more meaningful than any will could be.

At the same moment, the ghost of Ahab began to disintegrate.

Ah. The spirits of the Pequod’s crew were beginning to disappear now that they had exacted revenge on their enemy. Even still, some of them bowed deeply to Frances, respectfully saying farewell to their captain.

When she finally reached Leonard, she looked at him with damp eyes. “Has the vice-captain—has Ahab already left?”

“Yes. He looked very content when he did.”

Frances chuckled. “Haha, I could tell even from that distance. Why in the world did he just give me a thumbs-up? It would have been nice if he willed himself to stay a little longer and gave me a word...”

She couldn’t keep up the cheerful facade as she usually did and couldn’t help but hang her head.

But the boy understood Ahab better than she did. “The word of the dying can end up shackling the living. The old captain didn’t want that to happen to you.”

Frances flinched, and she turned to look at him. “Leonard... how do you know that?”

“Let’s just say that there’s a bond between martial artists.”

“What do you mean...? Is that supposed to be comforting? What could that possibly mean...” she whispered from his side.

He wanted to comfort her, but Leonard was approaching his limits as well.

His vision was already twice as hazy, but he saw the painted black sky fading into blue again.

The Outer God’s plot had been fully stopped.

“Fran.”

“Yes?” She looked at him with a vacant face.

Leonard looked ashamed. “I’m sorry. I will be in your debt...”

“Wh-What are you saying? Huh? Gah!”

Leonard fell straight into her arms. She hadn’t even been able to fully compose herself yet, but she felt her heart skip a beat.

It was to the point that she didn’t even sense the other members of Aquamarine run toward her. She shoved Gallano when he tactlessly tried to carry Leonard. When the Archmages came down after dispelling their magic, they watched with pleased smiles.

Though the damage was limited to District 3, it was by no means insignificant. The number of casualties would be in the hundreds.

But for just this brief moment, everyone smiled and savored their victory. Sёarᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

They’d defeated the leader of the Outer God worshippers, Pablo; and the monster Moby Dick, which was made with his body as a sacrifice.

They’d won, and the fight was over.