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Chapter 239

Freezing flowing water is quite the challenge. If the surface were calm like a lake, it might be manageable, but with the sea raging like it is now, even Baek In-hwa, the heir to the Ice Palace, faced a true struggle.

Yet, there was no doubt it was a barrier in her expertise that she had to overcome someday.

I recalled the sight of my father standing in front of the towering waterfall, demonstrating his skill. I remembered how the water ceased to flow as he reached out his hand, the frozen droplets shattering as they fell onto the pond below—enough times to engrave that moment in my mind.

With a composed look, Baek In-hwa slipped her fingers into the Ice Palace’s powers.

She knew the method. Having a senior martial artist who mastered the same attributes so close was nothing short of a stroke of fate. When such fortuity met exceptional martial talent, brilliance flourished.

A genius does not need to break barriers; they refine the phenomena to fit their level. They do not lack; they draw the feasible within the realm of possibilities. It’s not necessary to freeze everything—just as much as needed.

“Let’s go, Sister Riley.”

“…Impressive, In-hwa.”

Baek In-hwa stepped delicately off the boat, her toes not dipping a single drop into the sea.

The thick ice sheet rippled with the waves, yet Baek In-hwa casually walked across the surface. A path of ice formed beneath her feet.

Following her, Riley jumped from the boat.

Unlike anyone else, it would be less efficient for Riley and Baek In-hwa to fight on the boat.

Thus, they decided to disembark, opting for Baek In-hwa to pave the way.

What lay before them was one massive octopus leg, as colossal as a mountain. Sensing the cold energy mixed with the seawater, the Kraken’s legs began to twitch toward them, each one moving as if it had a brain of its own.

“Well, when you think about it, it’s just like an octopus.”

“…Wasn’t it because it’s a monster?”

With surprise etched on her face, Baek In-hwa dashed towards the Kraken’s limb.

Riley, who had picked up a hefty hammer that fell from the air, suddenly had a question nagging at her mind.

‘That girl is running, and the ice isn’t shaking; yet, whenever I move even a little, it trembles… Am I really that heavy…?’

Riley shook her head, as if dismissing the thought. It must be because of the hammer, she reasoned, but the idea of needing to exercise crossed her mind.

“In-hwa, now.”

At Baek In-hwa’s voice, Riley jumped up and swung the hammer. Though it seemed like a wild flail, that very wildness made its power remarkably elegant.

The hammer swung through the air, crashing into the space. A section of the Kraken’s blue-tinged leg burst apart with a sound like fireworks.

As the arm began to bubble and regenerate, Baek In-hwa’s cold energy froze the exposed wound.

“Good, In-hwa. Do you enjoy ice sculpting?”

“Yeah, it would make for a rather elegant hobby.”

The eyes of the two women gleamed with a chilling light.

*

Perched on the prow of the Mungmu-ho, Je Gal Seong-ryong fanned himself while a massive octopus leg came crashing down like a guillotine.

Despite that, Seong-ryong simply smiled serenely and continued to fan himself.

Just as the tentacle seemed ready to smother him against the ship, a hollow sound echoed, as if it hit an invisible wall, bouncing off harmlessly.

“Are you trusting me a bit too much, Seong-ryong?”

“Haha, I trust you completely, Sister Nea!”

With Seong-ryong’s clear laughter, Nea let out a deep sigh.

Regardless, having taken on the ship’s defenses, she had to hold her ground. Still, the depth of trust he placed in her was slightly burdensome.

For Nea, who currently wielded only the power of an intermediate monster, each strike from the Kraken posed a heavy burden.

Though she had requested Kim Hang-po to fight as safely as possible, the ship couldn’t accelerate swiftly enough to evade, placing great responsibility upon Nea.

“Mom, can I help?”

“I can help too!”

Hearing Nea’s sigh, Shar and Tae-oh jumped in to assist, but Nea shook her head.

“No, it’s alright. Yeon-woo is fighting down there too. You need to conserve your strength to support Yeon-woo, okay?”

“Uh-huh, but I still want to help…”

“But sister, I think Mom’s right! It’s the way for a good child to endure here…!?”

“Ugh, that might be true…! I want to help, but I’ll endure it, Mom…!!”

Watching Nea’s expression soften as she observed the two children clinging to her sides in a ruckus, a voice echoed in her ear.

『Are you sure you’re alright in your current state, dear?』

In the coldly indifferent voice of the god, who showed no sign of concern, Nea chuckled bitterly.

It wasn’t her well-being he was worried about, but rather the worry he had for Tae-oh if she were to collapse.

“Yes, I’m perfectly fine. How could I not be?”

With such lovely children, she could never collapse. Even if she couldn’t call them the fruits of her love, the feelings she held for them was undoubtedly love.

Sensing the strange ambiance originating from the cabin, Seong-ryong folded his fan. A vague sensation of déjà vu enveloped him. He felt the shadow of a mother, distant yet close at hand.

‘It’s easy to overlook what is familiar and intimate.’

No one understood this more painfully than he did.

“Then I should lighten the burden.”

With a sharp clap of his fan against his opposite palm, Seong-ryong soared into the sky, the name of his mystical fan glistening with droplets of rain.

The technique might appear magical at first glance, yet it’s far from an easy feat.

Unless using it in a simplified manner like back at the pirate hideout, one had to exert their full power to deceive a creature of the Kraken’s caliber.

He surveyed the ship. The mind of the mystical fan began to dissect and dismantle the hull from the outside in, digging deep into the sea. The playful dance of energy within his mind began to yield results.

The energy launched with his theatrically spread fan found rooted locations at the prow, stern, and mast. As he commanded, the energy embedded deep into the Mungmu-ho coiled with liveliness.

“Heavenly Gate Golden Lock Formation. The vision of Je Gal that obscures even the eye of the heavenly pattern, do try to pierce through if you can!”

Wavy and shimmering, the form of the Mungmu-ho vanished like mist in an instant.

Even though he was watching closely, it disappeared without a trace. The Kraken, engulfed in confusion, flailed its legs, striking only the surface of the water.

Boom! Bang!!

With a sudden explosion erupting from the air, a leg of the Kraken was blown apart. Not just any ordinary shell, of course.

These were specialized ammo created to pierce through the Kraken’s tough hide and wound its overwhelming regeneration.

But just ammo, nonetheless. Thinking it would regenerate as usual, the Kraken began to experience a pain unlike anything it had faced before.

Seeing the Kraken’s legs quiver in agony, Captain Kim Hang-po grinned with a smirk.

He was aware that its regeneration was impressive; there was no way such average power would affect it.

The cursed shells, the result of research aimed to deal damage, filled the Mungmu-ho.

Though they could not halt the regenerating ability, the shells would awaken the sensation of the flesh that was regenerated.

“How painful it must be. I know this well since I’ve experienced it myself. Surely, you’d rather wish to die.”

The frenzied gleam in Kim Hang-po’s eyes hid behind the Heavenly Gate Golden Lock Formation.

*

“Oh shoot.”

Free. Too free. The kind of freedom that made it hard to believe she was underwater.

Every sensation in her body felt faint. The water didn’t contact her; rather, it passed through her. Was this what death felt like?

“Looks like I’m practicing pretty hard.”

『Huh? What’s up, Captain!? Did you already die in there!?』

“I’m not dead; I just tried to mimic you guys a bit.”

『…How?』

Honestly, I didn’t have the knowledge to answer that question. It just worked.

Anyhow, what matters is that I’ve gained freedom in underwater combat. I could fight like the ghost pirates, soaring around the ghost ship, attacking the Kraken.

Jetting magic from her heels, Yeon-woo propelled herself like a torpedo, swinging her sword. The golden aura entwined around White.

At this point, she could slice through a limb of the Kraken, but she lacked a means to stop its regeneration.

Using cold might work, but the conversion rate isn’t great, leading to a war of attrition.

Not wanting that, Yeon-woo decided to delve deeper into the Kraken’s domain.

It was the cursed harpoon that penetrated the Kraken’s body that lingered heavily on her mind. While the Mungmu-ho was equipped to vanquish the Kraken, in Yeon-woo’s perspective, it lacked the decisive factors.

Then what caused the Kraken to be defeated before her reincarnation?

As Yeon-woo swam, floating through the water, her gaze lifted to the surface above.

Though the rain obscured her view, the goliath remained intact. With Baek In-hwa and the others holding each of its legs, it made confronting easier for them.

However, she knew better than to let her guard down. This gigantesque creature’s might wouldn’t end with just its size and multiple limbs.

Even if it seemed overwhelmed for now, it surely had some hidden means up its sleeve.

Thinking such as she dove deeper into the Kraken’s embrace, she felt a tremendous wave arise amidst a colossal crash.

The Kraken had seized the goliath’s neck with one leg, dragging it into the ocean.

Caught in the overwhelming mass of bones, Yeon-woo hurried downwards. In this ghostly plight, she could pass through most objects with ease.

Yet, nothing with such high-density magical power was easy to pass through, not even for a ghost.

In other words, if she fell under the weight of the goliath, she would undoubtedly sustain grave injuries.

The startled ghost pirates scattered to avoid it, but some collided with the goliath’s body and shattered.

“Ugh…!!”

So close, yet too far. Concluding this, Yeon-woo hurriedly swung her Doppleganger. The elongated shadow of the Doppleganger clung to the Kraken’s leg, providing extra thrust.

As she safely reached a refuge, she took a breath, realizing that this engagement had likely caught the Kraken’s attention.

The tentacle that had been torn by the goliath’s bite began to regenerate. It wasn’t just simple regeneration.

“…Is the octopus leg supposed to stretch like this?”

Damn, how many losses have I incurred from the octopus sashimi I’ve eaten before?

As the legs began to split into dozens, hundreds of strands, Yeon-woo muttered in disarray.

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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