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Chapter 241

The Kraken instinctively sensed it. It knew that once the harpoon that had been piercing it was removed, that would be the moment of its demise.

It was the instinct of a beast. Even if this object had been a hindrance for decades, it would rather never have it removed than face death.

The Kraken’s fragmented will to live spread like a command. It gnawed at the dark ropes tied to the harpoon and pulled.

Naturally, the main body wasn’t just sitting idly. Although it couldn’t directly strike the hazy ship hidden in the mist, it was possible to tug at the ropes connected to it.

One of the parts of the Kraken, which had been handling other foes, started to pull the ropes with all its might.

It was a tug of war that suddenly began, but neither side had any intention of giving in. Pull it out, and they die. Get pulled out, and they die. It was not a matter to easily give up on.

However, as the standoff prolonged, Yeon-woo’s chances of winning began to dwindle.

In contrast to the Kraken, which was pulling with its own strength, Yeon-woo was only temporarily overloading the crane to produce equivalent output; it couldn’t sustain this standoff indefinitely.

Thus, the only thing that could determine the winner of this battle would be external intervention.

And at that moment, there existed one who seized the decision-making power faster than anyone else. The Dragon Knight, who had been standing still atop the Dragon’s head, finally took action.

It seemed she was engaged in a rather unconventional act, wrestling over the Demon King’s curse and the control of her body.

With a speed faster than sound, the body of the Dragon Knight plunged down through the seawater, grabbed the Kraken’s head, and pulled back her fist with all her might.

The sound of grinding teeth mixed with the soft voice of the Dragon Knight reached the Kraken’s ears.

“You should let that go, right?”

With the fist pulled back all the way, it swung down. The fist, hitting with a speed not fully grasped even by its own eyes, unleashed a storm.

Countless fragmented Krakens were torn apart, and as the Kraken, sensing a threat to its life, drew its arms in to block, its fury erupted.

But it was already too late. The balance, maintained by numerous fragmentary Krakens and octopus-like arms, shattered in an instant. Seizing the moment, Yeon-woo unleashed her mana, causing a deafening sound from the motor.

Dr, r, rrreeeek!!

The ropes created by the Doppleganger began to coil upwards. Gradually, the harpoon that had been embedded was becoming visible as it was drawn out.

In the seconds until it would pull free onto the deck of the Mumuho, the Dragon Knight’s body began to crumble.

Having been wrestling with the curse of the Demon King and control of her body while using mana, it had depleted so quickly that she could no longer hold on.

The collapsing body of the Dragon Knight was gripped by the Dragon and soared into the sky.

The Kraken hastily reached out with its limbs but couldn’t seize them, and Edward’s axe found its way deep into its brow. While it wasn’t exactly a meaningful attack, it drew attention nevertheless.

Clang! The rusted, blood-red harpoon tumbled across the deck. Yeon-woo, having exhausted her mana in the tug-of-war with the Kraken, staggered and fell on her rear.

“Ah, Dad!”

“Emergency! Emergency!”

“Are you okay!?”

“I’m fine, oh, I haven’t pulled this hard in a while, so I was just a bit startled.”

Seeing this, Nea and Shar, who rushed over in shock, calmed Yeon-woo down, and then she turned towards the old man, who was staring at the harpoon with an expression of dismay from a little distance away.

“Do you feel something?”

“…Ah, yes. It really was just as you said.”

Kim Hang-po approached the harpoon at a slow pace, wearing an expression that was hard to describe – it looked like he was crying, yet smiling at the same time.

One could only guess there was a landscape in his eyes, visible only to him.

“…Can you give me a moment? I need to have a conversation.”

“It’s important to take your time to bond with a weapon. Alright, I’ll rest a bit.”

“Thank you for indulging an old man’s whims.”

Saying this, Kim Hang-po bowed to Yeon-woo and placed his hand on the harpoon.

Was he perhaps speaking in his mind? It was impolite to say, but the lightless gaze seemed akin to a dying person preparing for their final moments.

“Exhausting, isn’t it? Hey, Seong-ryong, did you set up the mechanism correctly? It was visible from the start, you know?”

“Isn’t it just a matter of the dragon’s vision being special? At least since the Astral Chains were cast, the Kraken hasn’t managed to hit the ship directly.”

“Really? Well then, I might as well rest a bit before jumping back in. But from now on, it might attack again. If it can’t just hit straight on, it’ll recalibrate its strikes based on the harpoon’s energy.”

“Hmm, if it’s something that had been lodged in for a long time and is even a natural enemy, it wouldn’t be all that likely to miss the energy.”

Seong-ryong nodded knowingly and began reinforcing the mechanism. Though it was unclear how he planned to alleviate the unstable durability, if Seong-ryong expressed confidence, it was likely to be fine.

“Finally, a moment to breathe. Nea, Shar, Tae-oh. Nothing major happened, right?”

“Something major definitely happened with you!!”

Bang! Nea’s delicate fist struck Yeon-woo on the head.

“Ow!? Why did you hit me suddenly!?”

“You! What’s this crazy aura you’re wrapped in? Are you dead? Did you turn into a ghost after dying!?”

“…Huh?”

As Nea, who looked ready to cry, grabbed Yeon-woo by the collar, he realized what he had done and regained his composure.

If one’s lover, who had gone fighting, appeared as a ghost after being thought dead, it would indeed shock anyone.

Furthermore, his lover and children weren’t ordinary humans, but a dragon and a spirit, so they would certainly notice that Yeon-woo had turned into a ghost.

“Wait a moment! That’s a misunderstanding! I was just curious if using stellar mana would turn me into a ghost, that’s all!”

“…What? How could that be… No, if that’s true, hurry and undo it, you foolish child!”

“This is so comfortable since I don’t have to breathe underwater…”

“Of course, such a transformation would naturally come with recoil, and living while dying is dangerous in itself! You must undo it quickly!?”

With Nea’s urgent voice and concerned expression, Yeon-woo realized that while she was angry, she was sincerely worried about him. So, it was dangerous, then.

But if such backlash truly befell him, he questioned whether he could throw himself back into battle after stopping the use of his courage.

In the midst of such hesitation, looking at the worried faces of his family surrounding him, Yeon-woo sighed softly.

“…Alright, I understand. Looks like others will have to suffer for a while. I’ll undo it, right now.”

“…Why are you complying so readily? I thought you’d be more obstinate and fight back…”

With a puzzled expression, Yeon-woo frowned at Nea’s deflated voice. Was that my image?

“My life is cheap, but I don’t want to consider others’ lives as precious. I’m reflecting a bit, you know?”

“Uh, well, I’m relieved to hear that. To be honest, I feel like I’m a bit disappointed too…”

“Now you don’t even appear satisfied when I listen to you….”

While thinking that, as Yeon-woo prepared to withdraw his mana, he flinched and looked at the three.

“Since you said the backlash is that strong, it’s a bit scary.”

“…Hurry up.”

*

Normally, Yeon-woo would never consider stepping back from battle. Yet somehow, he was able to make this judgment.

It was due to the knowledge he had from before his return. The dragon king he remembered, apart from the Mumuho, didn’t use weapons that could be considered weapons at all.

Most of his military achievements came from commanding naval battles rather than his own combat strength.

However, looking back now, that was strange. This harpoon was neither made from the bones of sea monsters nor crafted by great artisans; it was just an ordinary steel harpoon.

Yet, once acknowledged as an artifact, the moment it became an object, it gained resilience by its very existence.

Despite this, no matter how much Yeon-woo searched his memories, there was no record of the dragon king using a weapon.

He could make a few inferences from this, but the two most likely scenarios emerged.

Either he never managed to pull it out of the Kraken’s body, or the battles had escalated so fiercely that even artifacts were at risk of breaking.

The latter possibility seemed the more likely one. He remembered hearing news about battles with the Kraken lasting nearly a week.

But how about the current fight? It had transformed into a battle that concluded in half a day, as events unfolded years ahead of schedule, with Yeon-woo’s preparations and various factions entangled.

Since the risk of the artifact breaking was gone, it was easy to imagine Kim Hang-po wielding the artifact.

This aspect was the main reason Yeon-woo could choose to step away from battle.

Most weapons are created for a myriad of users, yet custom orders for someone specific certainly exist.

Kim Hyun-soo’s spear, Pa-seongchu, could fit this description as well, while the shield-sword Aurum, believed no one could wield correctly, now rested in the grasp of the youngest knight captain.

And this nameless harpoon was similar. This object was practically a specialized weapon spontaneously born for Kim Hang-po.

To wield it, one must share emotions with the comrades who perished decades ago and harbor a deep-seated hatred toward the Kraken.

If there exists a “harpoon that must kill the Kraken” and its owner, Yeon-woo could rest assured.

‘You said you needed some time; I’m sure that will work out somehow.’

While there was a somewhat optimistic part in this, fortunately, as Yeon-woo had expected, other parties took care of buying time in the meantime.

Especially Edward’s contributions were significant. He darted between the dragon and the Kraken, skillfully managing the risk by drawing their ire towards one another.

One could tell he was no ordinary hero, Yeon-woo thought, groaning as he lay with his back against Nea’s thigh.

Sis, I’m gonna die…

Beside Yeon-woo, the old man stood up. The oversized harpoon that once felt impossible for a human to hold had already shrunk to a regular spear size.

“Young folks can’t be left to handle everything anymore.”

With a relieved expression, Kim Hang-po muttered, extending his left arm to take aim at the sea’s lurking terror below. It was an almost familiar posture.

The old man’s arm traced a large, graceful arc, and the crimson harpoon left his fingertips, cleaving through the seawater.

Slowly yet accurately, it bore down on the Kraken, focused on hitting the space between its eyes rather than sheer power.

As the harpoon descended like an anchor sinking into the deep sea, the Kraken desperately tried to evade it.

Yet it could not escape; it felt as if it was destined to die by that very thing. The fate mocked it for not having prevented the removal in the first place.

With a thud, the harpoon struck between the Kraken’s eyes.

Boom!!!

A massive column of water erupted. Countless Krakens, including the main body that had darkened the ocean floor, vanished without leaving a trace.

The only remnants of the Kraken’s existence were a couple of octopus limbs entwined around the gold dragon and the ghost ship.

“…Wow.”

So, it truly was a ‘harpoon that must kill the Kraken.’ Its effect was astounding.

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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