Natsuki Subaru felt an invisible airflow wrap around his limbs. A sense of weightlessness surged through him like a tide, as if gravity itse
Natsuki Subaru felt an invisible airflow wrap around his limbs. A sense of weightlessness surged through him like a tide, as if gravity itself had been completely subverted at this moment.
"Is this... the power of magic?"
Before Natsuki Subaru could adapt to this strange sensation, the wind's magical power had already transformed into a strong propulsive force, lifting his entire body into the sky. His vision rapidly ascended, his ears filled with the sharp whistle of the airflow. But Natsuki Subaru's dark pupils remained locked on his target—the great white beast swimming leisurely across the heavens.
"I'm going in!"
Natsuki Subaru's figure shot through the night sky like an arrow loosed from a bow, heading straight for the White Whale.
The White Whale calmly looked down upon the war below. The battlefield was neatly divided into left and right sections, centered around the sky-piercing Flugel's Tree. On both sides, the tiny humans were relentlessly tangling with the White Whale's duplicates, stabbing them with their steel implements or throwing glowing stones, putting up a clever but futile resistance. Whenever a wail sounded, it responded by spewing new fog. The milky-white mist billowed and spread, silently erasing the existence of more warriors from the world.
The tiny humans, their numbers are decreasing... continuously decreasing... soon they will reach zero. The milky-white mist spread like a tide; wherever it passed, the existence of the warriors was silently erased. Their shouts, their passion, the proof of their lives—all dissolved into nothingness in this white fog. If this ancient Mabeast possessed human intelligence, it would surely be smiling in victory right now. But the White Whale was merely mechanically executing the commands imprinted on its instincts. Spewing fog, devouring life—as natural as breathing.
Screeeech!!
Another thick pillar of fog erupted from the White Whale's blowhole. Just as the white fog was about to completely envelop the battlefield, a strange fluctuation suddenly touched the White Whale's dull nerves. An abnormal turbulence had appeared in the flow of mana; the magic at a certain location was condensing at an astonishing rate.
Its giant single eye slowly turned, its cloudy pupil refocusing. At the very edge of its vision, a tiny black dot was breaking through the barrier of clouds, approaching at an incredible speed. The shadow cast by that figure on the White Whale's retina grew larger, clearer—
"HAAAAH!"
With an earth-shattering battle cry, the tiny black shadow landed heavily on the whale's back, the muffled thud echoing across the sky.
"You motherfucker! Guess who's back!"
Natsuki Subaru's legs, as if rooted, were firmly planted on the swaying whale's back, the Kasaka's Venom Fang dagger in his hand glinting coldly under the moonlight.
Speaking of which, to completely eliminate its troublesome enemies, the White Whale had chosen to sacrifice its own durability to win with numbers, splitting into three—and this was one of its most despair-inducing abilities. If an ordinary subjugation party faced such a sight, their morale would likely have already collapsed. After all, when the enemy suddenly triples, even the strongest warrior will fall into despair. It was hard to imagine such a psychological warfare-like tactic coming from a Mabeast. But this was the terrifying nature of the Mabeast of Fog that had roamed the world for three hundred years; it had long surpassed the scope of ordinary Mabeasts, possessing an almost cunning intelligence.
However, at this moment, the atmosphere on the battlefield was abnormally calm. Thanks to the intelligence Natsuki Subaru had revealed in advance, the entire subjugation party had already formulated meticulous response strategies for each of the White Whale's abilities, even designing a battlefield-splitting tactic specifically for the potential appearance of three White Whales. This advantage of knowing the future was, in a sense, truly the most powerful cheat.
At this very moment, facing the tiny enemy on its back, the White Whale's single eye, as large as a city gate, suddenly contracted to a pinpoint. Natsuki Subaru's tiny figure was reflected in its bloodshot pupil. The six hidden spray vents above its eyelid simultaneously popped open with a 'click,' revealing the constantly writhing pink mucous tissue within. Accompanied by the nauseating sound of stretching slime, a large amount of viscous saliva mixed with deadly white fog gushed out, forming a continuously spreading white fog barrier under the moonlight.
"I knew you'd pull this trick!" A cold smile touched Natsuki Subaru's lips. His legs suddenly tensed, and he dodged sideways with near-teleportation speed. And, while avoiding the white fog, "Break for me!"
Natsuki Subaru's right hand, holding the Kasaka's Venom Fang dagger in a reverse grip, glowed with a strange purple light. The dagger stabbed at a tricky angle into the weak area near the White Whale's eyelid. Dark red blood shot out like a fountain, drawing a tragic arc under the moonlight.
Puchi!
With the muffled sound of the blade entering flesh, Natsuki Subaru could clearly feel the change in resistance from the tip of his blade. First, the resistance of breaking through the cornea, then the softness of piercing the fatty tissue, and finally, the resilience of touching muscle fibers. Warm whale blood flowed down the hilt, dyeing Natsuki Subaru's right hand completely red.
Although the White Whale was called a Mabeast, its ecology was still within the realm of living creatures; it could be injured, and it could die. Despite the White Whale's astonishing regenerative ability, as long as a sufficiently fatal injury was inflicted, it could be dealt with.
Air superiority was its final reliance! The White Whale clearly understood this. It split out two duplicates to tie down the ground forces, while the main body used its high-altitude advantage to buy time for recovery. This cunning tactic was almost unsolvable in the eyes of ordinary people.
"High magic resistance, thick HP, strong attacks... just slow movement speed." Natsuki Subaru thought to himself, looking at the White Whale. Of course, this "slow" was only relative; for an ordinary person, the White Whale's speed was still terrifyingly fast.
"Just as I expected..." Natsuki Subaru silently mused. The White Whale definitely wouldn't dare to release its white fog around itself for long periods. This lethal fog, which could even corrode steel, would also cause damage to its caster.
Meanwhile, the slaughter on the ground battlefield had reached a fever pitch.
"First squad, hold the formation! Second squad, prepare to provide support!" Crusch, holding her rapier, pointed; wherever her blade aimed, a swath of fog spewed by the White Whale's duplicate would be cut apart.
"I've been dreaming of this day! I'm grateful you've deigned to let me cut you down!" Wilhelm laughed as he swung his sword, each strike accurately landing on the weak points of the White Whale's duplicate, the air itself vibrating wherever his blade passed.
"Mimi's gonna flatten you, meow!" The petite cat-eared girl, Mimi, weaved nimbly across the battlefield. Behind her, the mercenaries of the Iron Fang formed a defensive formation as solid as a bronze wall.
"Sister, to your right! Watch out for the fog!" Hetaro calmly directed his comrades, forming perfect coordination with Mimi.
"SCREEEEEE!!!" A sky-shaking roar created visible sonic booms, and the clouds within a radius of several miles were dispersed by this furious shout. The White Whale had completely entered a berserk state. Its body, as large as a battleship, thrashed madly, its tail fin covered in sharp bone spurs tearing through the night sky, sweeping over with devastating force. The power of this strike was so strong that it even created a scorching vacuum trajectory in the air, instantly vaporizing the fog in its path.
"Nice one!" A sharp glint flashed in Natsuki Subaru's eyes. Instead of retreating, he leaped up to meet the White Whale's attack. At the last possible moment before the tail fin swept over, his figure, like a phantom, brushed past the fatal blow. Using the momentum of his descent, Natsuki Subaru gripped his dagger with both hands, its blade glinting coldly under the moonlight, and stabbed straight down towards the White Whale's vital abdomen.
"Roar—!!" The White Whale let out a pained roar. Although the wound on its abdomen was deep enough to see bone and blood was gushing out, this Mabeast continued to spew deadly white fog from the mouths all over its body, its fighting spirit undiminished.
On the ground battlefield, the situation was equally intense.
"Hold the formation! Third squad, fill the gap on the right flank! Don't give them a moment's rest!" Crusch's rapier drew arcs in the air, each strike accurately cutting through the incoming bands of fog, creating a safe zone for the soldiers behind her.
"I've waited too long for this day... Die, you monster!" Wilhelm showed a grim smile, his azure eyes burning with the flames of vengeance. The longsword in his hand transformed into a silver lightning bolt, weaving between the White Whale's duplicates, each slash accompanied by a piercing whistle.
"Waaah—!"
"Haaah—!"
The cat-person siblings, Mimi and Hetaro, simultaneously opened their mouths, letting out a deafening roar. Two high-frequency sound waves intertwined and merged in the air, producing visible ripples of concussion. This powerful shockwave swept across the plain like a tsunami, even forcibly dispersing the approaching white fog.
"Iron Fang! Charge formation!" Captain Ricardo brandished his massive cleaver, as large as a door panel, and roared, "Let this beast see what our mercenary group is made of!"
"Kill!" Thirty elite mercenaries immediately changed formation, forming a wedge and launching a charge.
Although the members of the subjugation party had temporarily suppressed the two White Whale duplicates with their high morale and tacit cooperation, everyone knew in their hearts that such an advantage could not last. Because if they delayed too long, once the main White Whale body in the sky recovered, the tide of battle would instantly reverse.
"I must end this quickly!" High in the sky, Natsuki Subaru's gaze sharpened, the Kasaka's Venom Fang dagger in his hand glowing with a sinister blue light. He took a deep breath and activated the trump card he had never shown before—
"Killing Intent!"
This was the special skill Natsuki Subaru had obtained in the dungeon last time, now used for the first time.
[Killing Intent]
Cost: 100 MP. Inflicts a "Fear" status on designated enemies for 1 minute with a powerful aura. Can target multiple enemies.
"Fear" effect: All stats -50%.
The moment the skill was activated, a suffocating pressure erupted from Natsuki Subaru, making the very air tremble. As expected, the White Whale's movements instantly faltered, and for the first time, a look of fear appeared in its single crimson eye.
This was the decisive moment Natsuki Subaru had been waiting for!
"Die!" Natsuki Subaru roared, the dagger in his hand transforming into a silver lightning bolt. The blade tore through the air with a piercing shriek, leaving deep, bone-visible wounds on the White Whale's hard hide.
The situation on the ground is deteriorating. Although the mages are doing their best to cast healing spells, the warriors' weary bodies have reached their limit. There's no time... I must finish off the White Whale as soon as possible.
"Sprint!" Natsuki Subaru's powerful physical constitution was on full display at this moment. With his speed attribute exceeding that of an ordinary person by twenty times, his movements were as fast as lightning, his black figure speeding across the White Whale's massive body.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The Kasaka's Venom Fang dagger drew streaks of light, leaving deep, bone-visible wounds on the White Whale's body. The bleed and paralysis effects of the blade continuously took effect, and the White Whale's struggles grew weaker and weaker.
"Scree—ee—" The White Whale's breathing grew fainter, the fog it spewed becoming thinner.
"The calamity that has plagued the world for over four hundred years—" Natsuki Subaru leaped high, channeling all his strength into the tip of his blade. The dagger shone with a deadly light under the moon, like a falling star.
"Ends here!"
With Natsuki Subaru's roar, the dagger in his hand pierced through the White Whale's head, exiting through its lower jaw. A visible ring-shaped shockwave erupted from the blade as its center, a violent blast wave sweeping in all directions, instantly clearing the clouds within a hundred-meter radius, revealing a sky as clear as if washed blue.
"Scree—GACK—!" The White Whale's shrill wail was cut short. Its massive, sky-obscuring body bizarrely froze in the air for a moment. Its single crimson left eye gradually dimmed, finally turning a lifeless greyish-white. Then, the giant body began to fall uncontrollably.
At the same time, "Screee—"
The two White Whale duplicates fighting the subjugation party on the ground suddenly let out heart-wrenching wails. Then, their massive bodies began to convulse violently, their hides cracking and peeling at a visible rate. White mist spewed from the cracks, forming a bizarre haze under the moonlight. Gradually, these two terrifying Mabeasts, like sand sculptures blown away by the wind, turned into scattered white particles, finally dissolving completely in the night wind.
"The White Whale duplicates disappeared. Could it be..." Crusch abruptly raised her head, her emerald pupils contracting violently, her usually calm voice carrying a rare hint of uncertainty. "Knight Natsuki Subaru... did he really do it? Did he really kill the White Whale?"
Time froze at this moment. Everyone on the ground involuntarily looked towards the sky. Under the reflection of the moon, a black figure stood proudly upon the falling White Whale, like a king reigning over the world.
In that very instant—
[Notification: Level Up...]
[Notification: Level Up...]
[Notification: Level Up...]
A series of crisp system prompts sounded in Natsuki Subaru's mind. A surging power, like a tide, washed over his entire body, and all his consumed stamina, mana, and HP were restored to their peak in an instant.
"It's over." Natsuki Subaru whispered coldly, the White Whale's corpse beneath his feet smashing towards the earth with the force of a thunderbolt.
BOOM—!!!
Amidst the deafening impact, the ground exploded into a crater dozens of meters in diameter. The shockwave kicked up a monstrous cloud of dust, even uprooting distant trees.
At this moment, history was forever changed. This White Whale subjugation, which had lasted for over four hundred years, taken countless lives, and been called an impossible task, had finally come to an end.
The battlefield fell into a brief silence. Everyone was so shocked by this scene that they were speechless.
Until—
"The Mabeast of Fog, the White... the White Whale has been eliminated!" A middle-aged soldier, his face covered in blood, suddenly knelt on the ground, his voice so choked with emotion he could barely form a complete sentence. "I... we won..."
This sentence was like opening a floodgate, instantly igniting the entire battlefield.
"By the gods! He really did it!"
"With his power alone, he killed a calamity-class Mabeast!"
"A hero! He's a true hero!"
"Long live Lord Natsuki Subaru!"
"We won!!"
"Yeah, we won..." Cheers rose one after another from the soldiers. Some excitedly hugged their companions, some knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly, but most raised their weapons in their hands, offering their highest respect to the black figure standing on the beast's carcass.
And in the center of this sea of celebration, Natsuki Subaru slowly leaped down from the White Whale's carcass, his face showing no pride, only a sense of relieved calm.
"The White Whale subjugation... is finally over." Natsuki Subaru murmured softly, but his gaze was already cast towards the gradually whitening horizon in the distance. However, the subjugation of the White Whale was only the beginning. Next, there were even more arduous challenges—the Witch Cult lurking in the shadows, and those insane Sin Archbishops, each one a more dangerous enemy than the White Whale.
"Next, it's your turn." Natsuki Subaru tightened his grip on the dagger in his hand. The undried blood of the White Whale on its blade dripped to the ground, reflecting a demonic red light in the rising sun, like a blooming spider lily.
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