Chapter 850

Ian let his limbs hang loosely as he caught his breath. However, that wasn’t why Ahena’s face twisted into something monstrous.

Fwoosh—

Blue sacred flames surged outward, spreading across her entire upper body while the tentacles covering her writhed in violent spasms.

"Aaargh!" Ahena let out a scream of agony.

She looked like some mutant octopus imitating the shape of a human.

But Ian wasn’t even looking at her anymore. He turned around, grabbed the rope with his left hand, and began casting a spell.

"Now do what you’ve been wanting to do, Yog," he added quietly.

Yog’s astonished exclamation followed a beat later.

—You weren’t trying to kill this thing, but making it easier for me to stain its soul, my friend?

Its voice brimmed with delight, as though it had received an unexpected gift.

And it truly was one. Yog had said it would take quite a bit of blood and chaos to subdue a fully intact demonic beast.

"The sacred flames will go out soon. Shake off the small fry and follow me."

But things were different now. Ahena, who was likely some kind of administrator, was on the verge of death, suffering.

As Ian sent the completed spell flowing through the rope, Yog let out a low chuckle.

—With pleasure, my friend. Gladly.

A sharp sting spread from Ian’s collarbone.

The essence bead pulsed faintly as though it had been waiting for this moment, spewing chaos outward.

Boom!

The railing where the hook had caught exploded due to the Vacuum Explosion almost simultaneously.

Already braced and waiting with the rope clenched in his hand, Ian launched himself toward the central mast.

Whoosh—

Immediately afterward, the divine sword, still embedded in the center of Ahena’s torso, flew toward him as though being reeled in.

Catching the hilt in one motion, Ian landed lightly atop the damp mast.

"Aaaah! Aaaarg—!"

Ahena didn’t even seem to notice what had happened and continued screaming in agony as the Sacred Flame of Judgment raged across her.

Ian immediately strode along the mast.

At the same time, he used his Willful Grasp to catch the hook falling alongside the shattered railing debris and pulled it back into his left hand.

Swoosh!

Yog burst upward from the back of his neck in the form of violet smoke, but Ian didn’t spare it a glance.

Without stopping, he raised the divine sword high before finally bringing it down.

Slash!

The massive tentacle, still tightly coiled around the middle of the mast, was severed in a single stroke, burning away as it fell apart.

Ahena immediately began plummeting toward the sea, where the fog was already rolling back in.

She’s probably one of their elite-class fighters.

Ian looked down at Ahena, who was engulfed in sacred flames and screaming with a metallic shriek.

"Ahena? Ahena!" Rimuta’s furious roar followed a beat too late. The shock must have been great enough to delay even its reaction.

Tap, tap, tap!

Almost at the same moment, Ian broke into a sprint without so much as acknowledging it.

The demonic beast had finally begun tilting fully as it fell, and the mast that had once stretched straight ahead was now rising diagonally upward.

At least it isn’t falling sideways or backward.

Running up along the mast without losing his balance, Ian spread the Wind Blade once more.

Swish—

Just as wind infused with blue sparks gathered around him, Ian kicked powerfully off the tip of the mast and launched himself into the air.

His left arm thrust diagonally upward.

Swoosh!

Wind slammed forcefully against him. At the same time, Ian spread open his left hand and struck the hook forward with his Wilful Grasp.

Sssshhh—

Shooting forward like an arrow, Ian looked to the left. He wanted to check the condition of the smuggling ship once more. There was a good chance it would soon disappear from view entirely.

Well, nothing seems to have changed much.

The smuggling ships were still lined up diagonally as they drifted farther away. The demonic beasts still swarmed after them, and the demonic pirates continued their crooked pursuit in scattered disarray.

Just as Ian looked back, Rimuta’s voice rang out, thick with fury.

"Do you realize that every death you create only hastens the awakening of the true master of the Black Sea, Purifier?"

The sea of fog sprawling beneath them was now violently bubbling.

Ian’s eyes, beginning to glow with ashen magic, swept across the demonic fleet gathered at its center.

"So what awaits you is nothing but despair! Go on, struggle all you want. Until your final moment, I will make sure you taste endless despair!" Rimuta declared.

Of course, Ian ignored it again. He merely struck the hook forward once more with his Willful Grasp while extending his left arm diagonally behind him.

Fwoosh!

A violent gust erupted from his palm immediately afterward. The jewel was still useless, but it was enough to propel Ian forward. In fact, this made it even easier to keep his balance. Then again, this was the kind of method no ordinary mage would even dare attempt.

If I can just get past this part...

Even then, Ian’s gaze remained fixed on the demonic fleet drawing closer below him.

His plan was to cross over the fleet in one sweep and crash straight into the command ship. It was an improvised plan born from being launched high into the sky and having the demonic beast ship leap up after him.

Of course, if the demonic beasts fused with those ships and attacked him, the entire plan would collapse instantly.

Whoosh—

Fortunately, the demonic fleet lining the violently bubbling sea of fog showed no sign of movement even as Ian passed directly overhead.

The corrupted ones standing atop the decks merely stared up at him with dazed expressions bizarrely unfitting for their grotesque appearances.

So they weren’t standing still after all.

Ian’s eyes narrowed faintly as he realized the creatures were moving in one direction.

The fleet carrying his companions was still fleeing desperately at this very moment.

Rumble!

A heavy explosion-like roar thundered from behind just then.

The gigantic crocodilian beast had clearly crashed back into the water. Ian reflexively turned his head and saw a massive column of water erupt upward as though an underwater explosion had gone off.

So it managed to get swallowed.

Sensing Yog’s presence beneath the surface, Ian curled the corner of his lips upward before turning forward again.

At the same time, he thrust his left arm behind him once more.

Swoosh!

Another violent gust shoved him forward. Struggling to maintain his balance, Ian struck the falling hook ahead of him once again with his Willful Grasp.

The gusts merely allowed him to continue gliding. In truth, the thing actually maintaining his altitude was the hook dangling at the end of the rope.

Ian’s brow twitched briefly as a crushing headache tightened around his skull.

It had already gone beyond mere irritation. This was the price of repeatedly using the Willful Grasp.

Still, at least I won’t need to use Avatar of Platinum.

Ian fixed his gaze ahead. The enormous demonic beast was drawing near, so massive it resembled a dark blue island.

The rippling waves of blue fog spreading outward around its nearly oval-shaped body became clearer and clearer. Perhaps that creature itself was the source of the fog blanketing the entire region.

Beyond the railing of the command ship, rising atop its back like a fortress, Ian swept his gaze over the mutated sailors. Unlike the ships at the front, they were frantically running across the deck, preparing for battle.

Honestly, I’d love to fly straight into the center of that thing, but...

Ian lightly smacked his lips.

If he used the Willful Grasp just a few more times, he would no longer be able to endure the accompanying headache and mental exhaustion.

More importantly, where the hell is Rimuta?

The hook traced a gentle arc downward.

He couldn’t sense any overwhelming presence that felt worthy of being Rimuta.

A moment later, Ian faced forward again. Not merely because the deck of the command ship had vanished from sight, but because the hook at the end of the rope slammed into the monster’s dark blue hide before bouncing away.

Swish, crunch!

The hook at the end of the rope slammed into the beast’s dark-blue back before bouncing free. Naturally, the same was true for Ian, who came crashing down right after it.

Thud, thud, thud—

He blasted a gust forward to reduce his speed, but it wasn’t enough to stop him from tumbling across the surface.

The creature’s hide was so unbelievably hard that the impact genuinely felt like rolling across bare rock.

However, the real reason Ian, sprawled flat on his back, didn’t immediately get back up was exhaustion.

"Huff...huff..."

Only then did Ian truly realize just how exhausted he was. Not only did his entire body ache, but even his hearing felt strangely muffled.

It wasn’t surprising. He had fought through nonstop battles bordering on acrobatics, been swept up by towering waves, and clashed against rising demonic beast ships. On top of that, he had maintained a state of extreme tension the entire way here.

Fssshhh...

Adjusting his grip on the divine sword’s hilt, Ian slowly pushed himself upright. He didn’t even bother worrying about how little divinity remained within the sword’s source anymore.

There was nothing that would change because of it.

Suddenly, Ian’s eyes snapped wide open, and he threw himself sideways. A massive blue streak tore through the spot where he had been sitting only an instant earlier.

Swoosh!

The shriek of tearing air reverberated through his body as Ian rolled across the surface and instinctively turned his head toward the source of the attack.

Beyond the beast’s back, which resembled a small hill or rocky island, the command ship rose like a fortress.

The streak that had just flown at him had been a bolt fired from the massive mounted ballista fixed behind the side railing. On either side stood corrupted sailors with harpoons raised over their shoulders.

Sshhhk! Swoosh!

They began hurling harpoons at Ian. Even from such a considerable distance, the weapons closed in like arrows and traced surprisingly accurate paths.

That was why Ian sprang to his feet and immediately broke into a sprint toward the command ship.

Not even giving me a second to breathe!

Lowering his stance slightly, Ian gritted his teeth. At the same time, he grabbed the rope wrapped around his body with his left hand and pulled hard.

From this point on, he needed to conserve his Willful Grasp as much as possible.

Whoosh!

Just as Ian snatched the incoming hook with his left hand, harpoons streaking with blue trails skimmed past him.

Some of them came close enough that he had to twist his body to avoid them.

Clicking his tongue, Ian still looked toward the distant command ship with an odd glint in his eyes.

They’re definitely trying to kill me with their hands.

Since they still had no idea what Yog was doing, the simplest way to eliminate him would have been to dive beneath the surface and disappear.

Swish!

Instead, they had all gathered here, firing nothing but harpoons and bolts. And it probably wasn’t just because one of their cherished subordinates had died.

No matter how powerful a leader of corruptors might be, avoiding a confrontation against a lone enemy charging straight at them would damage their pride.

So as long as I reach the hull...

Focused entirely on dodging the incoming projectiles as he ran, Ian suddenly shifted his gaze again moments later.

A sinister pulse of magic had surged from the command ship.

A creature resembling a heretical shaman stood beyond the railing with its right arm raised high. Its left arm had transformed into a giant pincer, while its eyes bulged grotesquely outward like those of a crustacean.

Dark green magic was gathering ominously around the coral-like staff clutched in its right hand.

A curse caster?