Chapter 13 - Crossing The Sea Towards The Island

When Riyugi and Banki arrived at the dock, the sun had just risen. It was still too early, so they waited a while to see if a boatman would arrive. There was no one to be seen at the dock.

Riyugi watched the ocean and the waves; they were indeed high, and he doubted that any boatman would be willing to ferry passengers to the island.

"Leader, it seems no boatman will come today. The waves are still too high." Banki said to Riyugi.

But the leader remained staring at the sea. Banki couldn't read what was going through his mind, but he hoped Riyugi would change his mind and decide not to go to the island for now.

"Let's wait a little longer. If no boatman arrives, we'll leave for the island." Riyugi said determinedly. Banki's eyes widened at what he heard while watching the big waves in the sea. But there was nothing he could do but follow the leader's orders.

After a few moments, they saw a Ronoru walking towards them from a distance.

"Leader it looks like a boatman is approaching us."

Riyugi looked at the approaching Ronoru until he finally reached them.

"Sorry, but we are not ferrying passengers to the island today. You can see the waves are high. Come back next week." the boatman said.

"I don't care how high the waves are today. Take us to the island." Riyugi commanded authoritatively.

The boatman broke out in a cold sweat out of fear, knowing this was the Leader of the Ronoru and worried he might get hurt if he didn't comply. But given the high waves today, he was certain that if they insisted on crossing to the island, they wouldn't make it. They would all drown in the middle of the sea.

"My apologies, Leader of Venera. But it is extremely dangerous to insist on sailing to the other island today. I'm thinking of your safety." the boatman explained. But Riyugi did not like the boatman's response.

He drew his katana, and the boatman gulped as Riyugi pointed it at his neck. The boatman could see his terrified face reflected in the blade, sharp and lethal, and he turned pale with fear.

"Give us your boat now, and we will leave." Riyugi ordered the Ronoru boatman authoritatively.

The boatman felt a weight lifted off his chest and let out a deep sigh of relief, thinking he would be killed by the Venera Leader.

He quickly moved and hastily prepared his boat, tied to a coconut tree a short distance away. He hurried, fearing Riyugi might change his mind and kill him.

The Ronoru people knew the Venera Leader was ruthless and merciless, known for killing without hesitation. Riyugi, once mocked for being half Ronoru and Aruha, had now earned the respect of the Ronoru, and he was grateful to the Great King for everything he had, including his status.

The boatman pushed the boat to the shore and gave Riyugi and Banki two paddles.

"This boat isn't automatic. You have to paddle manually." the boatman said.

"Banki, get on the boat." Riyugi ordered.

"Yes, Leader."

And they boarded the boat.

"Are you sure about your decision?" the boatman asked.

"We must not waste any time, especially since this is for the Great King." Riyugi replied.

The boatman could do nothing more. Despite his efforts to stop and remind them, it seemed he couldn't change the Venera Leader's mind.

"Just a reminder, there's a rumor that when the waves are high, anyone who insists on crossing to the other island never returns. Strange creatures in the middle of the sea supposedly attack anyone they see, dragging their boats into their lairs." the boatman warned.

"No matter what rumors I hear, it will never change my decision to cross to the island today." Riyugi said, his voice unwavering and fearless.

"The decision is yours. But I've done my best to remind you. I hope you make it to the island alive." the boatman said.

Riyugi and Banki started paddling. As they slowly moved away from the shore, the Ronoru boatman watched them battling the large and high waves.

"They surely won't make it to the island. Their bodies will never be found. The Venera Leader is indeed a fool. They've only pushed themselves to certain death." the boatman muttered, shaking his head as he watched the boat carrying Riyugi and Banki slowly disappear from his sight.

While rowing, Banki continued to worry about what might happen to them. He kept hearing the boatman's words about the strange creatures in the sea that supposedly attacked those who ventured out in high waves.

"Leader, do you think there's any truth to the rumors the boatman mentioned earlier?" Banki asked Riyugi, who was busy and serious with his rowing.

"Only a fool would believe such rumors. Don't scare yourself. Instead, focus on rowing so that we can reach the island quickly."

"Yes, Leader. I'm sorry." Banki said and fell silent, knowing that the chief was getting annoyed with him.

So he followed Riyugi's orders and focused on rowing.

As hours passed, they noticed that the already high waves had become even higher. They were struggling to row and face the giant waves.

The waves hitting their bodies were painful, and their boat was nearly capsizing. The boat was also filling with seawater.

"Banki, bail out the water from the boat. I'll handle the rowing." Riyugi ordered, and Banki immediately complied.

There was a small bucket on the side of the boat, and Banki used it to bail out the water. At that moment, Riyugi realized that if the boat continued to fill with seawater, it would surely sink, and the giant waves would easily capsize their boat.

The Ronoru could breathe underwater, but in big and aggressive waves, they would drown and their bodies would weaken.

Soon, they heard the loud rumbling of the sky due to thunder and lightning.

[thunder claps]

"This is bad, Leader. It looks like a storm is coming." Banki said worriedly.

But Riyugi showed no sign of concern. He was confident that they could overcome this challenge, as nothing should hinder the Great King's mission, and he was willing to face any storm or disaster for it.

"Just keep bailing out the water from the boat. Don't stop. I'll handle the rowing and the waves." Riyugi calmly instructed Banki.

Banki couldn't help but be amazed at the courage and bravery of his Leader. Even in such dangerous and precarious situations, Riyugi remained calm and confident that they could overcome it.

The lightning continued and thunder roared loudly, accompanied by strong winds and gradually increasing rain, starting as a drizzle until it intensified. The boat they were on struggled against the storm raging on the sea.

Despite Banki's nerves, he persisted in carrying out his leader's orders to bail water from the boat. He could almost hear his heart pounding in fear of what might happen during those moments.

Suddenly, something large collided with the boat from beneath the sea, causing it to tilt and both of them to fall into the water.

They quickly grabbed onto the side of the boat, feeling like they were on a roller coaster with the waves rising and falling, leaving Banki feeling dizzy and disoriented.

"Leader, are you okay?" Banki anxiously asked while clinging to the boat's edge.

"Yes, I'm okay."

They tried to climb back into the boat, but another strong force hit them, causing them to lose their grip and fall back into the water. The waves were still strong, accompanied by rain and thunder.

"What was that hitting the boat?" Banki asked.

"Let's dive underwater to see." ordered Riyugi, and they immediately submerged.

There, they saw a creature known as Bakunawa. A Bakunawa is a sea monster it is also known as sea serpent or sea dragon.

The Bakunawa almost causing Banki to recoil in fear upon seeing its immense size, nearly the size of an entire island.

"Leader, it looks like this is the end for us. That creature, it's so huge and terrifying, more frightening than pure Ronoru. It's a monster, a Dragon." Banki said fearfully.

"We have no choice but to fight this monster!" Riyugi shouted at Banki, urging him to find courage and strength.

"I can't muster my power with my blade sword. I might not be able to fight." Banki weakly replied.

"Banki, you have no choice now but to fight. All you can do is give everything you have in this battle. And trust me to help you." Riyugi assured Banki, who seemed to be losing himself to overwhelming fear and despair.

The massive Bakunawa swiftly swam towards them. They could hear its deafening roar, almost shattering their eardrums.

"Banki, you attack first. Use the Ice Blade Surge of your sword so that Bakunawa will freeze. Hold the effect for as long as you can, and then I will follow with my Electrified Blade attack." Riyugi ordered Banki, who nodded in agreement.

Banki jumped and shouted, releasing powerful energy and power from his blade sword.

"Ice Blade Surge Strike!" Banki shouted, and an icy power surged from his blade sword, enveloping Bakunawa's entire body in freezing energy, causing it to halt its advance.

"It's my turn now!" Riyugi shouted.

"Electrified Blade Attack!" Riyugi flew swiftly toward the now-frozen Bakunawa monster.

With each slash of his katana, electricity surged, striking Bakunawa's frozen body.

"Rampage Electrified Strike!" And the strike was activated.

Riyugi attacked swiftly, slashing with his electrified katana, rampaging.

His final attack would be "Lightning Thunderstorm."

Though extremely dangerous, he had no choice but to use it as a final attack to ensure they would defeat Bakunawa.

This power was something he struggled to control even now. He called it Berserker Power because he would lose control whenever he used it. It was powerful but extremely dangerous to him and his surroundings.

"Summoning Lightning Thunderstorm!" Riyugi shouted. He swung his katana in the air, and a tornado-like Lightning Thunderstorm surged upwards, with high-voltage lightning swirling around it. The energy from the Lightning Thunderstorm was overwhelming and terrifying.

"Leader, why did you use that power? It's extremely dangerous, isn't it?" Banki asked, alarmed.

"There is no other way to defeat Bakunawa. We must do everything to win."

Banki could no longer sustain his Ice Blade Surge that enveloped Bakunawa's body.

"Leader, I can't hold my power any longer. I'm exhausted." Banki said with difficulty.

The ice surrounding Bakunawa's body began to crack.

Riyugi realized his final attack needed to hit Bakunawa before the ice shattered completely.

Despite struggling to control his power, which almost pushed him away due to the force of the Lightning Thunderstorm, Riyugi pushed himself. He used nearly one hundred percent of his physical strength, agility, and willpower to control his power.

"L-Lightning Thunderstorm Attack!" Riyugi shouted and aimed his katana at Bakunawa. At that moment, Banki could no longer hold on, and he was thrown away, losing his power. His blade sword was also flung away, and the ice surrounding Bakunawa shattered completely.

Bakunawa regained its strength and became even more aggressive due to their attack.

Riyugi's final attack, the Lightning Thunderstorm, struck Bakunawa's body with immense force before it could attack them.

A blinding light of red, yellow, and blue flashed as the high-voltage bolts struck Bakunawa. The sound of the powerful electricity filled the air, and the lightning bolts struck repeatedly like a rampaging thunderstorm.

Bakunawa's body was pierced and burned by the powerful electricity, causing smoke to rise from the burned parts.

Moments later, Bakunawa's lifeless body fell and sank into the depths of the sea.

However, Riyugi's Lightning Thunderstorm continued to swirl around, rising towards the sky.

He needed to control and stop it, as it could cause great destruction and chaos in the ocean, potentially creating massive tsunamis that could devastate the land and endanger the lives of the Ronoru Citizen. The swirling tornado of his power could also wreak havoc on the land if it continued to move uncontrollably.

If such catastrophic destruction occurred due to his power, King Merif would surely be furious with him, and Riyugi would fail in fulfilling the king's mission, a thought that filled him with dread.