Kraken V: A Few More Minutes

After Barbarossa carried the severely exhausted Lina inside, several female crew members helped her dry off and change into warm clothes. Skayla, who had received the same treatment, was still resting in the captain’s chair.

Outside, the Kraken continued wailing in pain as it thrashed across the raging sea.

One by one, its tentacles bent and snapped the metal spears protruding from its body, tearing the shafts free. Anne’s cutlass, however, remained firmly lodged in the center of its head, far beyond the reach of its tentacles.

“Hey... is that okay?” one of the crew members asked nervously.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Lina replied, taking a sip of warm tea and calmly watching another spear shaft snap free.

“The important part was getting the enchanted tips as deep inside its body as possible. Once they’re embedded, the placement enchantment lodges them firmly into the flesh.”

Lina took another sip of her tea.

“It can rip the shafts off all it wants, but those tips aren’t coming out that easily... unless it wants to rip itself apart trying.”

An ominous glint appeared in Lina’s eyes as she casually took another sip, causing everyone to stare at her in disturbed silence.

After a few seconds, the crew collectively decided it was probably better not to ask any more questions.

At that moment, Skayla slowly began to wake. She rubbed her tired eyes after noticing the strange tension filling the bridge.

“W-W-What did I miss?” she asked.

“Umm... nothing,” Barbarossa answered, quickly avoiding the subject.

Suddenly, the entire ship rocked violently.

Everyone grabbed whatever they could as the Kraken repeatedly slammed its tentacles against the sea, sending massive waves crashing against the Flying Crimson in an attempt to capsize it.

“SO, WHEN EXACTLY IS THIS PLAN OF YOURS GOING TO START?!” Barbarossa shouted, desperately bracing himself against the wall.

“Umm... soon?” Skayla answered uncertainly as Lina helped her stand.

“THAT’S NOT A PROPER ANSWER!” Barbarossa shouted as the bridge suddenly grew even darker.

Barbarossa looked toward the windows and froze at the sight before him.

The furious Kraken began lifting its enormous body high above the sea, using several of its tentacles like stilts to support its weight.

For the first time, its underside became fully visible, revealing an enormous, razor-sharp black beak in the center.

“What the hell is that thing doing...?” Barbarossa muttered.

The Kraken opened its beak wide as air rushed toward it from every direction. Rain twisted through the sky as the Kraken drew in an immense volume of air, causing its massive body to swell larger and larger.

Skayla’s eyes widened.

“EVERYONE, BRACE YOURSELVES!” she shouted.

A devastating blast of compressed air slammed directly into the Flying Crimson. The ship’s emergency protective barrier immediately activated, stopping the attack moments before it could tear through the vessel.

Skayla stared through the window as she finally realized what had happened to the other ships.

“That’s how they were destroyed without anyone seeing what attacked them!” Skayla explained. “The Kraken was firing compressed air from beneath the sea while keeping its body hidden underwater!”

Another blast slammed against the barrier.

“Unlike the other ships, our Mana Core was created from an SS-Rank Mana Stone,” Skayla continued. “That makes our barrier at least ten times stronger than the barrier on an average ship. The Kraken’s attacks must have torn through their weaker barriers and launched the ships into the air before their crews had any chance to react.”

“THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO BE ANALYZING IT!” Barbarossa roared. “GET US THE HELL OUT OF HERE!”

“AYE, CAPTAIN!” the crew shouted, rushing toward their stations.

The Flying Crimson surged forward at tremendous speed as another compressed-air blast tore across the sea behind it.

“Why did it suddenly switch to long-range attacks?” Lina asked.

Skayla stared at her for a moment before slowly raising her hand and pointing directly at Lina.

“What?” Lina asked.

“It’s cautious of you now,” Skayla explained. “You caused it so much pain up close that it decided keeping its distance was safer. That’s probably why it’s using compressed-air bullets instead of trying to swallow us whole.”

Skayla shrugged and released a long sigh.

“Another poor victim of Lina’s brutality,” she said with a teasing smile.

“WHY, YOU LITTLE—!” Lina shouted, reaching over and pulling Skayla’s cheeks.

“BOTH OF YOU, KNOCK IT OFF!” Barbarossa shouted, desperately trying to concentrate on steering the ship.

The two stopped immediately and turned toward the windows, gazing at the rumbling storm clouds above as if they were waiting for something.

Barbarossa glanced down at the ship’s remaining mana supply, and his expression quickly became serious.

“This isn’t good,” Barbarossa muttered. “We managed to replenish some of our mana using the Mana Stones recovered from our catch on the first day, but it’s nowhere near enough. Either we lose propulsion and become stranded, or the barrier drains what’s left and the next blast tears us apart.”

Another compressed-air blast struck the barrier, causing the entire bridge to shake.

“What else can we even do in a situation like this?” Barbarossa muttered. “We’ve already exhausted most of our heavy artillery, and for some damn reason, there hasn’t been another ship on the horizon this entire time.”

He stared out across the raging sea.

“It’s almost as if something out there is deliberately keeping us isolated...”

Suddenly, the protective barrier surrounding the Flying Crimson shattered as the last of the temporary mana supply disappeared. The ship rapidly lost speed before coming to a complete stop.

Barbarossa checked the mana gauge.

“DAMN IT!” he shouted, slamming his fist against the metal wall. “WE’RE OUT ALREADY!”

Lina and Skayla kept their eyes on the rumbling clouds before exchanging a quiet glance.

“We might have to force it,” Lina said. “It’s risky, but at this point, we’re going to die anyway.”

Skayla hesitated.

“Are you sure about that? If we try to force it, the backlash could leave us unable to use magic for the rest of our lives. We could even end up physically crippled.”

She glanced back toward the clouds.

“Can we give it just a few more minutes?” Skayla pleaded.

Before Lina could answer, the bridge darkened once again.

The Kraken had caught up to the powerless Flying Crimson, towering over the ship as its enormous beak slowly opened.

Lina stared at it for a moment before smiling.

“...Yeah. I don’t think we have a few more minutes,” Lina said, taking Skayla’s left hand. “Let’s go.”

“Okay,” Skayla replied.

The sudden creaking of metal caught Barbarossa’s attention. He turned and saw Lina and Skayla leaving the safety of the bridge, still holding hands as they stepped onto the deck.

“Where the hell are those two going?!” Barbarossa shouted.

He immediately chased after them, nearly tumbling down the metal staircase before reaching the deck.

Lina and Skayla stood together before the Kraken’s colossal beak.

“Are you ready?” Lina asked with a smile, even though her hand trembled in Skayla’s grasp.

“Nope,” Skayla chuckled. “But what choice do we have?”

The two closed their eyes as an alarming amount of mana suddenly began pouring from their bodies and spreading into the surrounding air.

Barbarossa stopped.

“W-W-What are those idiots doing...?” Barbarossa stuttered as the increasing mana pressure pushed against his old body.

“If they release that much mana at once, they’ll destroy their mana vessels and even their mana organs,” he muttered, forcing himself forward as he desperately tried to reach them.

At the same time, the Kraken finished compressing the air within its enormous body and prepared to fire directly at the two exhausted women standing before it.

Just as the Kraken opened its beak and released the compressed-air blast, Barbarossa grabbed Lina and Skayla by the backs of their collars and yanked them away, cutting off their reckless spell.

“W-WHAT?!” they shouted.

Barbarossa stepped directly in front of them and spread his arms wide, using his own body to shield them.

“IF YOU WANT SOMEONE, TAKE ME, YOU SLIMY BASTARD!” Barbarossa roared.

Lina and Skayla’s eyes widened. Neither had enough time to cast a barrier, so they could only brace themselves for the incoming attack.

Just before the blast reached them, a thunderous war cry echoed across the sea.

“FIRE!” a woman’s voice commanded.