The giant ferociously swung two chains. The already wrecked ship shattered even more, and every time Titan swung his hand, the chains, extending with a clatter, broke through the protective platforms scattered about. The space for rest during battle vanished in an instant. It was as if the mana Kang Sihyun had invested in creating the protective platforms had been completely dissipated in the air.
It was a horrifying situation, but Kang Sihyun couldn’t utter a word. His fingertips trembled. Titan, holding the weapon, was a tyrant, a ruler. Being already minuscule in front of Titan, Kang Sihyun and his companions felt even smaller.
A loop of the chain was as tall as an adult man. Being hit by it was almost certainly fatal.
"Weren’t there reports of it having no weapon?"
"...I haven’t heard anything about that—"
Hahyuk was answering Taeju’s question but couldn’t finish. A chain flew unexpectedly, interrupting their peaceful conversation.
The dark chains were camouflaged by the black sky and were barely visible. Only when it got close did it become clearly visible, but by then, it was too late. Hahyuk was hit by a chain, flew back, and coughed up blood.
"Cough!"
With each cough, he spat out blood. Blood flowed from his cheek torn by the chain, prompting Kang Sihyun to rush to his side and use a heal.
"Are you okay?"
"...They said it was the strongest of the disasters."
Hahyuk wiped the blood from his mouth. Standing up with Kang Sihyun’s support on a newly formed protective platform, he coughed up blood again. This time, the blood circulation boosted by the heal resulted in a natural coughing up of blood.
"If it's too difficult, I can also provide support…"
"How could we fight without a healer? Just focus on healing. We'll somehow manage to take it down."
"...Yes."
"If we can't catch it, it’s not like we have anything to offer to those bastards at IRS."
"What?"
Kang Sihyun looked back at him as if he had heard a hallucination, but Hahyuk immediately rushed towards Titan. The chain sliced through the night, and the sword energy illuminated the sea, turning it into a loud and flashy battlefield as he ran into it. Left alone on the protective platform, Kang Sihyun blankly watched this scene then moved back to Hahyuk’s side, realizing he was alone.
In pairs, they took turns attacking Titan. The differently colored sword energies were deflected by Titan’s chains.
Clang!
"Tch!"
The deflected sword energy instead returned to its users, forcing the group to quickly evade. Chains consecutively targeted the group, plunging down at them.
"So damn fast!"
Haemin cursed as if in admiration, flying forward as if to fall, dodging the chain. The chain that plunged into the sea was pulled back up by Titan, becoming his limbs again for defense and attack. It was just one chain, but its firepower was significantly different.
After all, if Charis had a last resort, it was unlikely Titan didn’t.
It was a mistake not to consider beforehand that Titan, already so powerful, could have weapons or strong skills.
Shshshsh!
As Kang Sihyun continued to heal the wounded members, the dark chain now targeted him. Seeing this, Haemin, Seowoo, and Haru immediately flew to his side to fend off the chain. A single sword was no match, but when three swords simultaneously pushed back, even the stubborn trajectory of the chain twisted slightly.
From then on, Titan persistently aimed for Kang Sihyun. The initial target had always been him, as if it was determined to take him regardless of the damage. Regardless of how threatening and sharp the others attacked, it swung its chain with an attitude of disregard.
Perhaps the saying "the best defense is a good offense" wasn’t wrong, as Haemin, having joined the offense, returned to Kang Sihyun’s side. Seowoo and Haru also came down to act as guards. Seowoo, despite being the youngest, opened his mouth to those still in the attacking team.
"Titan is targeting this side, so we'll protect it. Those above, please focus on attacking."
In any other situation, his words might have been deemed rude due to his young age, but there were no such concerns in the heat of battle. Nodding as if entrusting them, they pressed Titan more aggressively than before. As a result, Titan's chains targeted Kang Sihyun with sharper and faster movements.
Clang!
"Ugh!"
As Seowoo groaned while blocking the chain, Haemin pulled him back by his clothes and raised a shield. The equipment, designed to block attacks more efficiently than a sword, diverted the chain’s trajectory. Seizing the moment, Haru attempted once more to find the weakness he had failed to pinpoint multiple times before. His blood vessels burst, reddening his eyes from the strain.
Yet, whether the weakness remained elusive, Haru let out a low growl, his expression turning to one of dejection as he momentarily hung his head. Then, catching sight of the sea, Haru's eyes suddenly sparkled.
"...It's not above?"
"What?"
In the midst of confusion, Kang Sihyun asked back. Haru, as if mesmerized, mumbled something again before abruptly lifting his head.
"It's the instep!"
That was the loudest Haru had ever spoken.
"The weakness is the instep... Cough!"
As Haru shouted, a curved chain rushed towards him. In a moment of sheer reflex, Haru crossed his daggers to block, staggering backwards. With no footing, he kept being pushed back. Kang Sihyun, having not heard Haru's words, relayed Titan's weakness to those looking his way.
"I'll go!"
Joyeon, fighting in the air, reacted first. Clasping his arms to his body as if he were a rocket, he rapidly descended towards the sea, drawing one of Titan's chains towards him as it sensed the threat.
"Be careful!"
At Kang Sihyun's warning, Joyeon twisted his body.
Swoosh!
The swiftly passing chain barely missed Joyeon’s head, slicing off the hair tied up high, scattering it in all directions.
What was once long hair reaching down to his waist was now messily chopped off, but Joyeon paid it no mind, focusing solely on the sea. As the failed chain attack followed him again, the rest, constrained by the other chain, couldn’t rashly assist.
Clang!
The skill to control two chains simultaneously was worthy of the disaster-class name. Haemin blocked a chain while Seowoo and Haru attempted to cut it, but Titan's chains, harder than its own skin, resisted being easily cut.
"Ugh!"
Gritting his teeth, Joyeon dodged the pursuing chain, twisting and turning, slipping away like an eel whenever the chain entangled him. Taeju, dealing with Titan from above, clicked his tongue.
"We need to pin one down to stop it from going wild."
Muttering to himself, shadows rose and firmly grasped the dark chain. Since Titan's weakness wasn’t above but below, attacking from above wasn’t as effective as targeting the weakness from below.
Thus, he willingly expended the remainder of his mana to grip the chains, even if it meant being bound hand and foot.
Finally free from the chains’ pursuit, Joyeon corrected his course towards the sea. Kang Sihyun, remembering the multitude of Irregulars remaining in the sea, quickly enveloped him in a sturdy barrier and urged Jinhyuk to buff him.
Upon hearing this, Jinhyuk squeezed out his remaining mana to envelop Joyeon in a luminous swirl of light.
Splash!
Joyeon plunged into the sea.
Kang Sihyun murmured that it might be difficult for him alone, and Haru, having cloaked himself, followed behind Joyeon. Since Haru was invisible, there was no need to wrap him in a barrier.
Two forces now headed deep into the sea, leaving eight behind. Two supported Kang Sihyun and Jinhyuk, while four engaged with Titan’s head. Taeju, fully occupied with holding the chains, was practically out of combat, leaving seven effectively in the fight.
As Haru and Joyeon disappeared into the sea, Titan, perhaps becoming desperate, targeted Kang Sihyun more aggressively, as if to quickly resolve the situation. Noticing this, Haemin called for support, and Bandal descended to assist.
Then Titan screamed. Looking up, Hahyuk and Inyeong had successfully collaborated to stab Titan's eye, immobilizing it without its arms to retaliate. With no need to hold the chains any longer, Taeju filled the gap left by the two, and Kang Sihyun quickly thought as he watched them fall.
There was little mana left.
Excluding the mana needed for healing, there was hardly anything left to construct a barrier carelessly.
While contemplating the safest method to ensure their safety with minimal skill use, Kang Sihyun belatedly realized they were surrounded by water.
Not just any water, but the vast, seemingly infinite sea. If water was already present, very little mana was needed to manipulate it. Until now, he had viewed the sea as something to withstand and overcome, not as a resource to utilize, a realization that came just now.
With this new insight, Kang Sihyun immediately swung his staff, causing the sea to rise in waves.
At Kang Sihyun’s command, the sea water formed into a giant tidal wave, spiraling into the air. The blue-tinged water, as it fell, caught Hahyuk and Inyeong, preventing them from crashing into the wrecked ship and safely landing them on the crest of the wave. They stood up on the water's surface, spitting out the seawater they had swallowed.
Witnessing this, Kang Sihyun took a deep breath and turned his attention back to Titan, who was struggling against Taeju's grasp.
Attacking a sea-dwelling Titan with seawater wouldn’t be very effective.
However, if that water turned into ice, the story would change.
Although Titan's skin was too tough for the ice to cause significant damage, it seemed plausible that it could at least harm the mucous membranes. Kang Sihyun infused his staff with mana.
Blue energy dispersed, and ice shards spread in all directions.
Ssshhh!
Water shooting up from the sea transformed into hundreds of ice spikes, rushing towards Titan's eyes.
Thank you for reading this far! You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For $5
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public.
- You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.
- Your name will be featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
For $10
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- You get access to Digital art.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).
For $20
- You get to recommend a Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in blue).
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
