* * *

“Lumen! Yozen!”

“What the hell…….”

Back at camp, Cadel and Garuel were stunned. It wasn’t because of the Sea Dragon’s majestic presence in front of them. Their eyes were drawn to the Sea Dragon’s front. It was the sight of Lumen and Yozen trapped inside a round water sphere.

The sphere floated in the air, holding a fierce whirlwind that was slicing through the humans inside. The two men were already unconscious, having been trapped for who knows how long. Cadel spotted the limp members in the water sphere and immediately summoned his wind mana. Garuel released his demonic energy as well, aiming for the Sea Dragon’s head.

“Stop! Don’t attack!”

“Pardon? But…….”

Garuel hesitated at Cadel’s resolve, but then obediently withdrew his demonic energy, while Cadel’s wind sliced through the water sphere like a blade. The wind pressure created by dozens of wind waves burst the sphere in an instant. Cadel wrapped a gentle breeze around the bodies of his falling subordinates, pulling them closer.

“Check on those two.”

If figures of Lumen’s and Yozen’s stature were unconscious, they hadn’t been captured for long, and for good reason. They wouldn’t know the Sea Dragon’s strategy, and they wouldn’t be able to defeat it by fighting as usual.

Cadel crouched before his fallen subordinates and placed his hands on their chests. The ominous thoughts were quickly dispelled by the slow pulse that traveled through his palm.

‘That water sphere must be the Sea Dragon’s restraining technique. It stuns allies, and in-game it doesn’t drain you of stamina, …… but in the real world, you’ll have to be careful.

Garuel couldn’t take his eyes off the Sea Dragon, even as he channeled demonic energy into his allies. Cadel had asked him to check on them, but he didn’t think it was safe to perform healing in front of the Sea Dragon. Cadel waved away Garuel’s concerns.

“That Sea Dragon won’t do anything but spew water unless we attack it first, and its water will cover the entire island anyway, so there’s no point in running far. It’s better to use the healing spell here as soon as possible.”

“Is this information from Lord Kunra? Did Sir Lumen and Sir Yozen suffer such a fate because they attacked the Sea Dragon?”

“That’s right. If you use a preemptive strike, you’ll be trapped and bound by the water sphere just like before. It’s an unavoidable attack.”

Garuel’s expression darkened as he listened to Cadel’s explanation. If he attacked, he would be trapped in the water sphere until he fainted, and if he didn’t attack, the water spewed out by the Sea Dragon would gradually raise the sea level, putting him in danger.

“What kind of clueless situation……. What if we use a technique that can take it down in one hit? Like we did against Ashvka.”

“The Sea Dragon can transform parts of its body into water. It’s not what it looks like, and it moves fast. It’s hard to kill it with a single blow.”

“Then…….”

“We’ll need to tie it down. We’ll need to use a technique that can lock down its movements so it can’t evade our attacks.”

The Sea Dragon was the very embodiment of the sea itself. Binding an enemy that could turn its body into liquid? Was such a thing even possible? Garuel considered this carefully for a moment, then raised an eyebrow as if realizing something. Cadel locked eyes with Garuel, who looked back at him, and nodded slightly.

“There’s only one person who can bind the Sea Dragon.”

* * *

“One more time! Ahaha!”

Lydon spread his arms wide and let out a joyous laugh. Despite being drenched from head to toe, there was no hint of squeamishness or displeasure, just a twinkle in his eye, as if in anticipation of the next water bomb.

And next to such a fairy. Van, who had removed his damp robe, shouted in annoyance.

“Stop laughing and come down, fairy! We’re going to have to deal with that creature!”

Ordinarily, as soon as the creature appeared, Lydon would have gone straight back to find their commander, whether he was enjoying the splash or not. But as they hurried back to camp, Van realized something. He would need Lydon’s strength to take on the creature, whose presence was overwhelming even from a distance.

It would be easier to just freeze the water out of the source to stop the constant downpour, and he couldn’t risk leaving Lydon behind without orders to find him.

But Lydon didn’t even bother to pretend to listen to Van’s screams. If he was on the ground, Van would have dragged him away by force. As if he knew Van’s intentions, Lydon flapped his wings and stayed in the air.

“Commander might be in danger!”

“It doesn’t look that dangerous.”

“Is that what you’re saying after seeing its size?”

“Size isn’t everything, Van! Are humans stupid, or is Van stupid? Cadel is smart, so it must be the latter, right?”

“Please shut up and get down here……!”

Just as Van was about to release his aura, having reached the limit of his anger.

Shwaaa―

Once again, a huge amount of water swept across the island. The water spat out by the creature scrubbed the island hard and returned to the sea at a leisurely pace, but the damage was considerable. Trees that couldn’t withstand the pressure leaned over, their fruit popped and crushed. Puddles formed all over the ground, and the soil became so muddy that it was hard to walk on.

He shook his drenched head and gritted his teeth as he stuck his greatsword into the ground, barely centering himself. He pushed hard enough to make his bared forearm vein bulge, but the stream was strong enough to barely keep him standing.

‘Yeohwan must have fallen several times already. He might have even fainted. I have to protect him…….’

The image of the commander collapsing in a heap after being drenched came to mind. Van rubbed his wet face and looked up at the fairy, who was laughing merrily. If words didn’t work, force would.

Quickly releasing his aura, Van stroked the blade of his greatsword with the palm of his hand. Blood trickled from the slashed flesh, staining the blade red from absorbing its master’s blood.

“Dragging your corpse is useless, so I’ll end this before you die.”

* * *

The island was shrinking with the rising tide. Soon, pushed to the front of the forest, Cadel and Garuel shielded their still unconscious comrade from the Sea Dragon’s water cannons.

They needed Lydon to take on the Sea Dragon. But instead of going in search of Lydon himself, Cadel trusted Van to stay with him and wait for their return. And the result.

“Darling! Look at this! Look what Van did to me!”

Lydon shrieked, bound by an aura that stretched out like a rope. Van dragged him along like a piece of luggage, and when he spotted Cadel, his murderous expression softened.

“Commander…….”

“I think I know what happened without hearing it. Good job, Van.”

Van released his aura, and Lydon, wings flapping as if in anticipation, flew toward Cadel. He snatched Cadel’s arm, which was reaching to stroke Van’s head, and lifted it upward in a pinning motion. Then he burrowed into the defenseless embrace and whined sweetly.

“Do you have any idea how stupidly you threw that aura at me? I couldn’t even fight back for fear of angering Cadel! Seriously, dealing with weak humans is so tricky.”

Lydon was definitely at fault, but if Cadel were to point that out here, the cranky fairy would surely be mortified.

Even Van didn’t want to do that, so he locked eyes with Cadel, who was now buried in Lydon’s arms, and nodded tiredly as if to say that the fairy was right.

In response, Cadel stroked Lydon’s saltwater-stiffened hair, skillfully soothing him.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m glad you’re so patient.”

“Right? I must like Cadel too much. For putting up with Van’s cheeky challenges.”

“I like you, too, Lydon, so why don’t we take care of that big distraction so we can play together in peace?”

“The big distraction? You mean Van? You’re finally giving in!”

“No, I mean that one.”

Cadel spat out a wry laugh at Lydon’s lame answer and barely twisted to point at the Sea Dragon, which Lydon, who had finally shifted his gaze, narrowed his eyes slightly.

“You want me to get rid of that thing?”

“Just freeze it. I’ll do the rest. Just freeze it so it can’t fight back.”

“But it’s only fun if it’s there…….”

If the Sea Dragon continued to spew water, the island would sink, but that didn’t matter to Lydon, who had wings. Unfortunately, Cadel couldn’t fly, but Lydon could carry him. He could carry Cadel to the continent, and if he got tired along the way, he could use his ice mana to rest for a while.

But Cadel seemed to have the safety of the others in mind. Lydon was quite annoyed, but grumbling now wouldn’t change anything.

“……Okay, but if I beat that thing, you have to swim with me. Promise me.”

“Okay, I promise.”

After receiving Cadel’s heartfelt promise three times, Lydon took off in a flutter. After gaining a good deal of altitude, he was finally at eye level with the Sea Dragon. Lydon gazed into Sea Dragon’s tiny eyes, and Sea Dragon gazed back at the fairy before him.

“I was hoping to get you as a pet, but alas. Right?”

If it had been a little smaller, he would have been able to coax Cadel into taking it with him somehow. A creature that could be frozen just long enough to keep it from dying, and then transported easily. A creature that could be taken out whenever he wanted for a quick dip in the water. Lydon coveted it.

“You should have done it in moderation.”

The Sea Dragon slowly opened its mouth as Lydon looked on in disappointment, knowing that the creature was about to be killed for failing to win Cadel’s favor, which was all that mattered. It was about to fire its water cannon once more. The water pressure was enough to bend a tree, and if it hit Lydon from the front, even he would be injured. Whether he realized it or not, Lydon continued to chatter nonchalantly.

“Do you have children, by any chance? If you’ve hidden them at sea, just tell me. You can’t speak? Then give me a signal. If you die, they won’t be able to survive, and I’ll take good care of them!”

Foamy seawater swirled furiously in the Sea Dragon’s mouth. Its jaws snapped open, and dark flashes of color flickered. The water looked like it was about to spill out at any moment.

Watching the Sea Dragon and Lydon from below, Cadel eyed the fairy uneasily, defenselessly exposed to the danger. It was unlikely that Lydon would be caught off guard and attacked head-on, but it was still a possibility.

Cadel was just about to drape the scale armor over Lydon’s body when he heard the voice.

“What an inarticulate fool. You’d make a great toy!”

Grinning broadly, Lydon reached out and flicked the Sea Dragon on the bridge of his nose. And the next moment.

Crack crack―

Transparent ice spread out from his white fingertips. The ice crystals, the size of fingernails, quickly began to cover the Sea Dragon’s body, following the flow of Lydon’s mana. The bridge of its nose and eyes, its sharp fangs and the seawater it held, its long neck and thick body, froze in place.

The ice spread like a plague, freezing the Sea Dragon’s body in an instant. As the temperature around him dropped, a cloudy breath leaked out of Lydon’s slightly open mouth. His crimson eyes stared at the ice block in front of him before his pupils curved upward in a playful way.

“Shall I search the sea, just in case?”

He let out his trademark chuckle, still unable to shake off his regret, and descended. Lydon’s mana had quickly overwhelmed the Sea Dragon, but not completely, as evidenced by the spinning currents still pooling in its gaping mouth beneath the clear ice.

Cadel spat out a residual cough at the plummeting temperature, then gestured to Van. Taking the cue, he drew his greatsword and sprinted. At the same time, Lydon landed in front of Cadel and grabbed him by the shoulders.

“It’s cold, darling! Let’s cuddle until this is over. Okay?”

“Move over, Lydon. I can’t see Van.”

“Ahaha! What? If you want to kill Van, you don’t have to say it indirectly like that.”

“You’re saying mean things again.”

Lydon stubbornly maintained the embrace, so Cadel tiptoed and watched Van over Lydon’s shoulder.

‘……It’s huge.’

The concentration of aura around the greatsword increased in proportion to the speed of the leap. Van’s eyes narrowed as he stepped into the shadow of the Sea Dragon, his gaze dark as he considered the technique.

If he included the lower half of the creature that had submerged into the sea, it was comparable in size to Ashvka. Aiming for the heart would be most efficient, but unfortunately, he didn’t know where the Sea Dragon’s heart was.

‘That assassin would have a good shot at finding it, but he’s currently unconscious and useless.’

If he couldn’t find the vital organ, he’d have to dismember the creature. Of course, he hadn’t collected that much blood, so he’d have to make some sacrifices in order to generate more power.

‘There’s a technique I’ve always wanted to try.’

Berserkers fight on the basis of blood. They feed on the blood of their opponents, not their own, and grow stronger in proportion to the length of the battle.

However, this method had clear limitations. The difficulty of controlling the aura and the warm-up time for battle. While the difficulty of controlling one’s emotions was lessened by the tips and tricks gained from countless battles, the shortening of the warm-up time was more difficult to solve.

In the case of [Scarlet Moon Banquet], he could forcibly absorb blood from his surroundings even if he didn’t have any blood stored. However, if he lost his concentration, he could end up getting his own blood sucked out.

So, after much deliberation, Van came up with his own method.

“I hope Commander is not scared.”

It wouldn’t be a pretty sight. With a short click of his tongue, he raised the greatsword he’d been dragging and slashed at his wrist, red blood filling the gaping wound. It followed the recoil of his leap, soaking his arm and leaving a dark trail on the dirt.

At the same time, the aura that had discovered the blood climbed up his body and lunged at the wound, sailing through it. The blood-red aura pierced through the wound like a piercing blade.