Episode 481: Urban sea battle (3)

The central clock tower, a symbol of the ecliptic.

The central clock tower, considered the second tallest building after the Imperial Palace, was flooded almost to the top.

The captain's ship on which Bikir rides passes next to the clock tower, cutting through the wildly surging waves.

Suddenly, Bikir muttered.

"I think it's been like this once before."

Then Camus, who was next to him, also nodded.

"that's right. "There was."

"… … yes?"

"okay. When we were 8 years old. I was in a lot of trouble because my clothes came off during the fight, but you… … ."

"no. "Not that."

"okay? Then what about the festival? At that time, there was a lot of fighting here in the imperial capital. We wear masks to each other. Oh, now that I think about it, it seems like my clothes were taken off at the end too... … ."

"Not even that. "I'm talking about the smell of the devil."

Vikir was feeling the increasingly intense demonic energy directly on his skin.

at that time.

"Is that the imperial palace? "I can see something."

I can hear Iyen, who has good eyesight, shouting from the top of the watchtower.

Soon, a golden glow appears above the horizon.

A radiance that shimmers like the aurora in the night sky. It was clearly like a symbol of the imperial palace.

The highest staircase in the world, and the golden palace built on top of it.

It looks like a replica of the castle on the clouds where the gods in mythology reside.

Before the Flood, what seemed like a truly celestial castle above the clouds now towered like a solitary castle on the sea.

"The imperial palace. You really came. I never thought there would be a devil in there... … ."

Dolores said with concern in her voice.

The tone was quite tense, but there was no feeling of skepticism or guilt about rebelling against the emperor.

This may be because the life after knowing Bikir feels much longer and more colorful than the life lived before knowing Bikir.

And it was the same for Sinclair, a classmate at the same academy.

"Wow, is that all gold? Was it a waste to build a building like that? "I have to take it all off."

Sinclair's eyes sparkle as he looks at the outer surface of the imperial palace.

The rich hat on her head was already shaking.

Meanwhile.

"… … That's the imperial palace. "Where the emperor lives."

Cirko was looking at the imperial palace beyond the horizon with a complicated mind.

The guards of the Nouvelle Vague in the early days were also always trained to be loyal to the emperor.

However, the emperor in a palace far above and the guards in a prison far beneath the sea never actually see the emperor.

Even for the emperor, Nouvelle Vague is just a quarantine zone that exists on paper, much less he will ever see Nouvelle Vague with the naked eye.

Even if we live our whole lives, we never see each other again.

So Cirko only vaguely imagined what kind of person the emperor would be, but never imagined that he would ever meet him in person.

But right now. Everyone was standing in front of the imperial palace.

Over the sea, where the rain is pouring down and the waves are roaring, the sight of the imperial palace gets closer and closer.

… … Right then.

"It's a tsunami again! Bigger this time! And not just one or two!"

ThindiWendy's warning was heard.

While looking ahead with a telescope, she also sent a warning to all ships behind.

"Will there be another tsunami? "For an unusual weather change, it's strangely frequent."

"Pussssss – look at the scale. "Who made this?"

Orca and Sade also frowned as they looked at the huge water waves rising and falling in front of their eyes.

If waves of that magnitude hit in succession, all boats would capsize before they even reach the imperial palace.

however.

"ha ha ha! Is this the place where the great hero of this body will step forward!"

Despite his young age, Tudor, who skillfully led the Invincible Armada, was not at all discouraged and his eyes were shining.

Tudor's eyes, sparkling as blue as a wide window, serve as a guide to everyone even in the dark.

"One on the outskirts! "Bundle!"

Tudor's orders were clearly communicated to all ships, even in fierce storms.

yet.

… Pak! … Pak! … Pak! … Pak!

The sound of chains breaking could be heard everywhere.

The large sailing ships on the outskirts of the fleet fell out of the Yeonhwangye.

"… … ?"

Everyone tilts their heads.

Tudor shouted loudly.

"The ships on the outskirts are made up entirely of abandoned ships! There's no crew on board! "Only gunpowder and breakwaters are on board!"

And now that they were gone, the fleet's forward speed increased dramatically.

Now that the heavy obstacles have been removed, the speed has increased.

"But wouldn't that make it too light and unstable? "The waves are this strong."

"Why would I drag all this luggage here in the first place?"

Bianca spoke nervously, but Tudor was still confident.

yet.

Tudor raised his spear Gungnir and gave a signal.

OK.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwak!

Flames and explosions erupted all at once from the abandoned ships separated by the left and right wings of the fleet.

Heavy abandoned ships sink to the bottom of the water and scatter hot flames.

The heavy breakwaters that filled it were slowly sinking toward the bottom.

Then a surprising change occurred.

"The waves are gone!"

Orca, which is sensitive to changes in water currents, was the first to notice the abnormality.

Not only did the abandoned ships on both left and right wings of the fleet explode and block the waves, but the breakwaters sinking beneath the water even suppressed the current approaching from below.

The sea became safer for an instant. It opened a straight path leading to the imperial palace.

The Invincible Armada, which had become lighter and faster after removing the abandoned ships, was heading straight for the imperial palace along that straight path.

"It's a bold plan. friend."

"Haha, I'm the matriarch of Changhae Changga, so I have to do this!"

Tudor laughed as Sancho patted his shoulder and praised him.

A fierce tsunami avoids the fleet's path.

The fleet was advancing while winding through tsunami waves that were less than half as large as those in other seas.

at that time.

Another strange event occurred.

[K-Aaaaaagh!]

[Keeeeeeeeek!]

[Hiss! Whoosh-]

The waves seemed to have calmed down relatively, and various monsters began to stick their heads out of the water.

Crabs so large that they could stand with their legs on the floor, ancient placoderms clad in hard iron armor, sea snakes so long that the end could not be seen, and deep-sea fish that were indescribably hideous and grotesque were all attacking the fleet. .

"Well, this is a monster that has been released openly."

Faced with such monsters in front of her, Bianca could only click her tongue.

"Shingungbi! Ready to fire!"

At Bianca's order, the knights of the House of Usher were placed at the head of the ship.

Even on the shaking deck, they lifted their bows and arrows without moving an inch and aimed at the large targets in front of them.

"Start shooting from ready gunners! percussion!"

Bianca's final command was given.

At the same time, numerous iron swords imbued with a gray aura began to fly and pierce the sea monsters.

Each arrow is like an artillery barrage.

Whether you hide under the water or behind the waves, arrows follow you as if they have eyes.

Puff puff puff! Quack! Kwakwakwak!

The sea was dyed dark red with the blood of monsters.

Among the flocking monsters, not a single one penetrated the Usher family's fire net.

"The devil is showing his true colors openly."

"I have no intention of hiding my identity anymore."

"It was said that His Majesty the Emperor passed away, so the First Crown Prince must be the devil."

"Now that his supporters, the Leviathan family, have fallen, there is no need to hide his identity anymore."

"It's darkness and chaos itself. "Is this how all centers where power gathers are always like this?"

Camus, Ienne, Dolores, Sinclair, Circo.

They too took out their own weapons and prepared for the upcoming great war against monsters.

at that time.

Bubbly, bubbling, bubbling, bubbling… …

Signs that are a little different from before are starting to appear.

The swarming sea-type monsters suddenly scattered left and right.

The tsunami that had continued to rage until now has calmed down.

A strange silence that came out of nowhere.

And in the middle of it all, a huge pool of water was rising.

Ku-rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Despite the sniping fire from Usher's knights, the stream of water rising from the center of the seaway and the huge, dark shadow beneath it do not move.

"… … Could it be 'that guy'?"

A change of events that would make even the Orca director of the world groan and groan.

After that, Nouvelle Vague's all-stars, including Dordium, Soiret, BDSM, and Flubber, also showed signs of discomfort.

"Did you follow me here?"

"no. "I think the devil has summoned me?"

"Anyway, it's a bad relationship in many ways."

[…] … .]

A being that originally lived somewhere else, completely unrelated to the ecliptic.

The enemy that the guards of the Nouvelle Vague were most wary of.

While they were fighting over supremacy in the deep sea.

Now that the Nouvelle Vague is gone, 'it' seems to have made the ecliptic its new territory.

Ssssssssssssssssss-

Eventually, the last gatekeeper of the imperial palace pulled himself completely out of the water.

As many as eight tentacles surrounded the sea level like a mountain range.

In the chaos, where the sky and the sea are indistinguishable, and in the thick darkness, two eyeballs shine yellow like the sun.

Kraken.

One of the two strange fish that were born together when light and darkness were created.

At this point, the worst monster you can encounter has appeared.