Fierce Battle

"Gunner, Alchemy Bomb, throw another!" Gell reacted faster than Evan. The moment he sensed something was wrong, he realized the Sea Monster was still at the bottom of the ship.

"Thrower, aim..."

Before the Gunner could finish his order, the ship's hull gave a violent shudder.

Without waiting for the sailors on board to react, the seawater churned violently, and countless dark blue, sticky Tentacles climbed onto the deck from the seawater on both sides. A heavy smell of fish spread with the Tentacles, making people want to vomit.

It was like the tentacles of a devil from the deep abyss, trying to drag the entire ship into the depths of the sea. In Evan's previous life, in monster disaster movies, if the entire crew didn't scream and run around in panic, it would be a disservice to the production team's burning budget.

But here, it was truly a disservice to the audience.

"Hold steady, stay at your posts!"

Except for the newcomers who had just boarded, no one panicked. Although the veterans were a little nervous, they restrained the newcomers, ensuring everyone firmly held their positions, awaiting orders from their superiors.

Creak... creak...

In a short time, the Sea Monster and the warship had become entangled, its Tentacles tightening to firmly secure itself to the Silver Wing.

At this point, the Alchemy Bomb could no longer be used against the Sea Monster. Otherwise, the only outcome would be a "boom," and the warship and the Sea Monster would be blown up together.

"Boatswain, lead your Assault Team to cut the Tentacles and stop it from causing widespread destruction!"

Gell knew that for a Small Species Sea Monster, without the Extraordinary Power to drag the Silver Wing, a Fifth-Rate Warship, into the sea, the only thing to worry about was it destroying the sails and rudder, thus causing the warship to lose its mobility.

If it reached that point, they would be at the mercy of the Sea Monster, and even a Formal Knight would be in a precarious situation.

Facing the tide of Tentacles surging onto the deck, the moment of close-quarters combat had finally arrived for the sailors. Although this was a fighting style that better utilized their numerical advantage, the Sea Monster's strength was clearly not something ordinary sailors could contend with.

"Get back to your seabed, Sea Monster!"

"Ah--!"

"Die--!!"

As soon as the engagement began, in just a few breaths, several sailors were accidentally caught by the Tentacles and dragged into the water. Red blood then surfaced in the water, clearly indicating they were in dire straits.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"...

The firearms in the sailors' hands fired continuously, but they only caused the creature to retract its Tentacles slightly in pain. Lead bullets were not very effective against this creature covered in mucus with tough skin.

Fortunately.

The Alchemy Bombs thrown earlier were not entirely ineffective. Many of the climbing Tentacles were damaged, and even one of the two thickest Tentacles was broken. Its main body, which had not yet appeared, should not be unscathed.

Looking at the difficult battle on deck, Evan felt a slight sense of relief. Although the previous naval gun battle with the Sea Monster was thrilling, he could only watch from the sidelines, unable to help at all.

To be honest, this feeling of being completely unable to influence the battle and just going with the flow was terrible!

So when Gell gave the order for free attack, Evan rushed forward. His long sword moved like a silver lightning bolt, engaging a Tentacle about as thick as an adult's waist.

He still hadn't seen what the Sea Monster's main body looked like, but this single Tentacle, even though it was as thick as a human waist, was only considered medium among the more than twenty Tentacles that had climbed aboard.

After a few moves, Evan realized this Sea Monster wasn't very intelligent. After its Tentacles climbed onto the deck, it only focused on dragging the sailors attacking it into the water, without actively trying to destroy the sails.

Moreover, the Tentacles' movements were merely instinctive responses, flailing wildly, far less dangerous than the back-and-forth, life-or-death struggles of fighting a human.

Even though its strength far surpassed that of an Apprentice Knight or even a Formal Knight, Evan felt it was still within his ability to handle. He found an opportunity, ignoring how the tip of the Tentacle swung and thrashed, and targeted its base where it rested on the edge of the deck.

"Hah--! Slash--!!!"

Holding his sword with both hands raised above his head, he used the most powerful move in "Military Swordsmanship," the "Jump Slash," directly cutting the Tentacle in half.

Seizing the moment it stiffened in pain, he leaped forward again and delivered another "Jump Slash," completely severing the Tentacle.

Sizzle--

Blue blood gushed out, splattering a large area of the deck.

At the same time, Evan saw a ten-person squad cooperating, and at the cost of one comrade, they also severed a slightly smaller Tentacle.

The sailors had come to a clear realization: as long as they could cut off the Sea Monster's Tentacles one by one, even if they couldn't kill its main body, it would be unable to continue its entanglement.

Restoring the Silver Wing's ability to sail would allow them to regain the initiative.

Therefore, everyone on the ship was fighting desperately!

After cutting off one Tentacle, Evan, ignoring the foul-smelling blood splattered on him, quickly ran towards another Tentacle, freeing several ordinary crew members who were struggling to hold on, and letting them join the Assault Team.

Thwack--

Thwack--

With swords and axes, Tentacles were severed one by one, but the casualties among the crew also slowly increased as their stamina was depleted.

It was only now that Evan truly understood how correct the saying "Sea Monsters are the rulers of the sea" was. Even a half-crippled Small Species required immense casualties from the crew to deal with, let alone the legendary Large Species and Giant Species.

If this continued, although the Navy could repel the Sea Monster, the losses would not be insignificant. As crew members of a former Fourth-Rate Battleship, Evan believed that the seniors who had sailed the outer seas would not be so easily defeated.

The situation was becoming somewhat critical. While fending off the increasingly frenzied Tentacles, Evan scanned various parts of the ship, searching for the person most likely to turn the tide of the battle right now.

"There!"

A tall and imposing figure stood at the highest point of the ship's bow. The ship swayed with the waves, but he alone remained motionless as if his feet were rooted to the spot.

The moment Evan's gaze fell upon him, Gell seemed to notice something.

"All crew members, pay attention! Entangle the Sea Monster's Tentacles and prevent it from escaping!"

With a loud shout, Gell raised a pure steel javelin covered in barbs high into the air.

"Hah!!! Flesh Liberation, Fifty Percent!!!"

Like a volcano that had been suppressed for millennia suddenly erupting, a fierce and savage aura burst forth from Gell, causing an involuntary shiver. If not for seeing Gell's back, one would have thought an ancient flood beast had suddenly descended upon the ship.

Gell's right arm, raising the javelin, swelled as if inflated. Muscles rippled and jumped beneath his skin, becoming thicker than an adult's thigh in the blink of an eye, filled with a cold, metallic sheen.

"Go!"

Swoosh--

The javelin shot into the water like a lightning bolt, yet miraculously, not a single splash was made.

In a flash, it seemed as if nothing had happened, or perhaps everything had already ended...

But Evan knew this strike must have been successful.

Because the moment the javelin hit the water, the tentacles rampaging on deck stiffened, then slid limply into the water as if all their strength had been drained.

Freed, the Silver Wing began to move again, its sails catching the wind with a whoosh.

"We won!"

"Ahhh! Long live the Captain!"

"The Sea Monster is finished! Hahaha!"

In the next moment, countless cheers drowned out the entire warship.

Gell, standing at the bow, did not move. His right arm had returned to its original state, and he held another pure steel javelin in his hand. His sharp eyes remained fixed on the sea, never relaxing.

It wasn't until a few minutes later, when a massive dark shadow slowly floated to the surface, bobbing with the waves, that Gell let out a soft sigh. He called over the First Mate, Perry, to take people to deal with the Sea Monster's corpse.

Evan watched it all.

Uncle Gell hadn't acted immediately. Instead, he observed the battle between the crew members and the tentacles. By judging the tentacles' reaction speed, he used his rich experience to pinpoint the location of the Sea Monster's main body. Finally, he unleashed his power in a world-shattering, fatal blow, securing the victory!

While silently cheering, he was also awestruck by the power possessed by a Peak Knight.

Since embarking on the path of a Knight, apart from Grandpa Leo, who was already severely injured, this was the first time he had witnessed a Peak Knight's full power.

It was like a hero from ancient myths, powerful and mysterious, with the grandeur of turning the tide. Evan's desire for the power of the Knight Tier grew even stronger.

"This kind of power... it's coming soon...!"