In front of us, the harbor water churned as if something colossal were emerging. And indeed, among the waves and flashes of lightning, the creature I feared to see again reappeared.
Its armored body, surrounded by tentacles as long as the harbor streets, lashed through the water and swept away boats and piers as if they were twigs.
"This must be a joke…" I muttered, but the next moment I was forced to roll away, dodging just in time a tentacle whose impact sent me flying forward.
"RETREAT!"
At Erik's shout, we all ran inland.
Turning back, I saw the bafael rise from the shore and begin to pursue us, walking on its long, razor-sharp legs, like those of a giant crab.
Fortunately, on solid ground, its movements were slower, but its pace was steady, and nothing could stop it.
I had to think of something, anything.
That creature was in hunting mode, which meant it would massacre the whole island.
I had a vague idea of fighting it together with Erik and Alfred, but I discarded it immediately. With two Grade 2s, maybe mid-level, and one peak Grade 1, what could we possibly do to that creature?
The moment we entered its range, we'd be dead before even realizing what had happened.
The second option was to wait for the bafael to calm down, but seeing the rune on my wrist glowing an unsettling black, I doubted that.
"Looks like we have to use that."
"Seems like there's no other choice."
Seeing the two of them arguing while running, I cut in.
"What are you talking about?"
They exchanged a glance before nodding.
"There's a weapon on this island capable of killing that monster."
"Then what are you waiting for?!"
If they had something to stop that monster, why waste time on pointless talk?
"Because there are three problems. First is the cost, which we can bear. Second, it takes ten minutes to charge. Finally, the third… the monster must stay still, or at least stable."
This made things much more complicated, and judging by Erik's expression, he knew it too.
We both knew there was no way to immobilize that thing; someone had to slow it down somehow… basically a suicide mission.
"Leave it to me."
Turning, we saw a man with a resolute look.
"Do you know what you're walking into?" Alfred asked.
"Yes, but I'm a Grade 1 with a blessing that boosts my speed. I'm pretty sure I can handle it."
Seeing the man's determination and confidence, there was no reason to refuse.
"Fine, but be careful," Erik urged.
"Don't worry. This island is my home too. Besides, I promised my girlfriend that once I got back I—"
The next instant, as if a wrecking ball had been fired from a cannon, we were swept away like leaves in the wind. What followed was the sound of collapsing buildings and desperate screams.
I got up, disoriented, coughing with a dry throat from all the dust.
Putting my hand to my head, I saw blood. I slapped my face to clear my mind.
"Alfred! Erik!"
"We're here!"
Hearing their voices, I navigated through the cloud to reach them.
Erik and Alfred were helping some of their men who had been trapped under debris.
"What the hell just happened?!" Erik screamed hysterically, and despite the pathetic display, I didn't comment.
I had no idea either. All I knew was that we couldn't stay still.
"We need to move, now!"
Understanding the urgency, they hurried to rescue the last few people, and we escaped the dust cloud, only to freeze after a few steps.
The bafael, which had been far behind us, was now only a few dozen meters ahead. But the strangest thing was its stance.
The tips of its tentacles dug into the ground as its body slowly retracted, its limbs stretching so far that it seemed ready to snap.
Every danger alarm in my head went off.
"MOVE!"
The next instant, the bafael hurled itself forward at insane speed, leaving nothing in its path.
Luckily, this time I was prepared and had also activated Scale Armor. Even so, I couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
"Hah, what a sick joke…"
A bafael that launched itself? That was new, even for me… this had to be some kind of joke.
"Adel!"
Erik called me, approaching with Alfred injured.
Damn it.
The wound was bad, but not fatal. Still, with one Grade 2 down, things got a lot harder.
"What the hell do we do?! With that thing dashing around, we'll never kill it!"
I racked my brain as hard as I could in that miserable situation, but in the end, there was only one solution.
"Ten minutes to activate it, right? No chance of delays, not even by a second?"
"Exactly. I might shave off a bit of time, but we still need someone to distract it."
"I'll do it."
"You?!"
Even Erik looked shocked, but unlike the wild ideas forming in his head, my choice was purely rational.
Alfred was wounded, Erik was needed for the weapon, the other Merchants lacked experience, and most importantly, that monster was hunting me. That explained why the rune was active. For this final reason, only I could do it.
"Stop wasting time and get going. I'll keep it busy."
He looked at me for a moment, then nodded seriously. "Be careful."
As they ran toward the base, I pushed Quick Step to its limit and charged into the rubble while the bafael was still recovering from its last launch.
As soon as I got close enough, the monster spotted me instantly, and a tentacle lashed out. I dodged the impalement, but it grazed my left side. The scales softened the blow, but I still felt the flesh tear beneath the armor.
I gritted my teeth and forced myself to keep running.
I used the ruins to hide, jumping and sliding through debris to make it harder for the monster to hit me. I even broke beams to drop rubble on it, but it barely slowed it down.
Then came the bad luck; whenever I tried to catch my breath in cover, it collapsed a second too soon, or every foothold turned slippery.
This time, I could really feel misfortune trying to kill me, even more than during my first encounter with the bafael or the corpse golem.
I darted into a narrow alley, hoping the creature couldn't follow—
VRRRR!
The ground shook. A tentacle slammed down in front of me, blocking the exit. Another crashed from above, smashing through rooftops.
I hurled my halberd at a nearby oil barrel. Its tip sparked against the iron rim, igniting the contents. The smoke and flames blinded the monster for an instant. That moment was enough to activate Shadow Veil and slip sideways, vanishing in the thick smoke.
The monster struck where it had last seen me, destroying half the street. Meanwhile, I was already sprinting in the opposite direction, panting hard.
Three minutes gone.
Yet it already felt like an eternity.
I headed for a shipyard. The loading cranes still had hooks dangling from sturdy chains.
Using Quick Step, I shot up the beams and cut one of the support ropes. A heavy hook fell just as a tentacle tried to hit me, slamming onto the monster. It roared furiously.
It didn't hurt it much, but it pinned it briefly, giving me a chance to escape again. But I hadn't gone more than a couple of steps when another tentacle slammed me from the side, hurling me against a stone wall. I felt ribs bend and crack, and my vision blurred for a moment. Only Scale Armor kept them from breaking completely. I coughed blood, struggling back to my feet.
Five minutes gone.
Only then, as I looked toward the base, did I notice a strange tower appearing out of nowhere.
— Erik —
(A few minutes earlier.)
"Anyone seriously injured, get to the medical room! Everyone else, support Adel! Even if you can't hurt the monster, distract it as much as possible!"
I gave a series of orders to my men, then turned to a maid nearby.
"Give Alfred a potion and make sure he gets treated immediately."
"Yes, young master."
I couldn't waste any more time. Even Adel had been shaken when he faced that monster, and lasting even a couple of minutes wouldn't be easy for him.
Maybe it was true, we didn't get along well, and I often imagined strangling him, but this was different. He was risking his life to save the people of this island, and I, as its ruler, had the duty and obligation to help him in every way possible.
Besides… if he died like this, it would leave me with a strange, bitter feeling.
"Mr. Erik, have you seen my brother?"
Shit.
One of the people I least wanted to see right now was Lena. Especially when his brother was acting as bait for a monster that could easily kill us all.