Book 18 Chapter 9

Underwater Battle Royale,

Naga Kingdom (3)

The Nagas' territory was connected to every corner through ancient creatures called 'Rulhamrei', or the old ones.

Nils, rich in knowledge about the ancient technology of the <Ones Who Arrived>, called it the 'Underwater Train'.

Originally, railways called tracks should have been laid, but 'Rulhamrei' used the abyss of the deep sea as its tracks to travel at high speed.

For reference, it has an extremely hideous appearance.

Because it swam and ran through the water with sixteen pairs of gigantic limbs… resembling human arms and legs.

The servants of the abyss would board the hundred or so pairs of flesh-flaps hanging from both sides of its grotesquely long spine.

"Shuurureut."

Link, disguised as Totashika, boarded one of the Rulhamrei! As they headed towards the territory of the 'Ka' clan, the hero's party could also look out at the underwater scenery from the Rulhamrei's flesh-flaps.

'This isn't good…'

'It's not that the Nagas simply advanced to the South Sea, but that the abyss of the deep sea has begun to reach even the South Sea…'

'Something dangerous must be waking up in the sea…'

It was then.

Rulhamrei seemed to pause briefly at the next area, and another fellow boarded this first-class flesh-flap.

The fellow, with a physique comparable to Totashika's, could immediately be recognized as a chief-level individual just by its size.

"Shuurureup, I heard you went hunting for the [feast], have you returned already, Totashika?"

Fride instantly shut his mouth.

There must be no failure in language choice.

This guy is from a different clan! If he makes even one mistake, their infiltration here will all be exposed!

"Shuurureut, it was a pleasant hunt."

Then another chief said with a puzzled expression.

"There's no way you could have returned so quickly, did you really catch an individual suitable for the [feast]? Although, the individuals your 'Ka' clan catches are all inferior to begin with. You've never brought back anything of good quality comparable to our 'Geu' clan's prey. Shuururururureup!"

The chief chuckled in a mocking tone.

Here, he should clearly show anger, but Fride didn't know the intonation and pronunciation to express anger without any awkwardness.

Everything he knew was from books, so he had to speak as naturally and carefully as possible.

"That's strange. You've never been this quiet since you were young. It's strange that your physique has grown a bit, and even your personality has become strange."

No.

Don't say anything more than that.

Don't approach our identities any further than that.

"You, are you really Totashika? Shuurup."

At that moment, Rin, along with the prisoners captured by other clans, was being held in the flesh-flap hanging at the very end.

Everyone was terrified.

Because of the abyss emitted by this ancient old thing called Rulhamrei, many were already on the verge of going mad, but the Nagas threatened them in human language.

"Shuurureut, if you go mad on your own, you won't be qualified to attend the [feast], so we'll eat you right here. Please go mad, shurrutshurrutshurrut."

The captured people, families and friends, embraced each other and shed tears.

Trapped in the Nagas' membrane that allowed human weak bodies to withstand the underwater pressure, most of them were refugees who were trying to escape the war on the continent of Adrion and go to the continent of Akrad.

At that moment, Rin! Having come this far alone, she judged that there would be absolutely no interference from her companions, and was letting out a triumphant smile.

"Hoo, hoohoohhoo! Hoohoohoohhoohhoohhoo!"

A Naga soldier was about to laugh contemptuously, but stopped, and drooled.

It's already a tender-fleshed infant individual, and to possess such robust magic… it must be truly supreme food.

"Since you've gone mad, it can't be helped, Shuururureut! Become my prey!"

What blocked the soldier approaching Rin was a soldier of the 'Ka' clan.

"Shurut, step back. This one is prey our chief caught to adorn the [feast]. Anyone who dares to touch it will be killed."

"Shuururureut, no matter how good the quality, those who have gone mad are usually eaten by our caretakers, step aside!"

Rin, who didn't understand the Naga language, instantly trembled due to the trauma that rushed over her.

'No way, no way again?'

Back then, the atmosphere was good even at <Homsen>, but because the 'king' fellow got greedy with his role-playing, everything was ruined.

Is that happening again now?

'Now even the Nagas are going to interfere with me, after all this?'

Unacceptable.

If I can't have it, I'll just destroy everything…

Rin thought so! Lunatic!

"Osarius-style Beastman, 4-star. Heavenly Gifted Ice Shatter (天與碎氷)."

This is the sea, everything becomes a catalyst for water magic.

As if a lightning bolt were striking down…

The power surging down from the surface of the sea to this seabed was the power of freezing!

It turned the two Naga warriors, who were squabbling inside Rulhamrei's flesh-flaps, into a bloody mess!

"Kkyung!"

Heavenly Gifted Ice Shatter is a magic that, after a single concentrated strike, is accompanied by area suppression through the rune of Shatter (碎).

The rune of Shatter (碎), as it was amplified and activated by Asruba, caused fragments that should have originally split into dozens to split into hundreds!

However, the size of each of them was the same as when there were dozens of fragments!

They pierced and embedded themselves all over Rulhamrei's spine!

The ancient monster suffered enough depth and pain to let out a scream of agony!

"G, GishyaaaaaaaaaaaKKK!"

As the flesh-flaps, on which the Nagas were riding, were torn off, they were crushed to death by the sudden underwater pressure of the seabed.

"You… Kweuk?"

And Dug, the chief of the 'Geu' clan, who had finally properly perceived Totashika's strange aura, was also exposed to those fragments in a defenseless state.

The opening thus created!

It was an insufficient blow to deal a fatal wound to the chief, but if five masters could exploit that momentary opening, the situation would change.

'Th-this, no way!'

'The brilliant plan Rin spoke of?'

'Rin, amazing! You really are!'

Dug, before he could even put up any significant resistance, was torn into several pieces of flesh.

Without even a chance to scream, he was decapitated by the five masters!

It's not that he was weak!

What an incredible, crazy coincidence!

Perhaps it was a divine punishment sent by the providence of creation!

"You… what are you…"

Imperial language, the language of the North Republic, and the language of the South Republic have differences due to dialect, but some simple communications are only different in written form, but their vocalization methods are similar.

"How dare you do such a thing…!"

The scream Rin let out, trembling all over, was of that type of language, and people began to shed tears at that rage.

These were not tears like before.

If the previous tears stemmed from sorrowful helplessness, these present tears… were tears of emotion coming from the sight of someone expressing anger on their behalf.

"My mind has changed. Nagas, you dog-like snake bastards, every single one of you will be annihilated."

Rulhamrei, which had taken a considerable effective hit due to Asruba's amplification, not only veered off its track but crashed into the seabed.

The situation beyond that was immediately reported to all Eight Sea Clans.

Of course, also to the 'Sha' clan, which had the most powerful influence among the current eight clans.

The chief of the 'Sha' clan, currently elected as the Grand Chief (大首長), had the power to skip clan meetings in an emergency and wield full authority.

"Is that so? The Rulhamrei that was transporting the last prisoners crashed into the [feast hall], you say? Shuurup."

The current chief of the 'Sha' clan is Menosha. He is also a male individual, and had a physique twice as large as Totashika and Dug.

Nagas grow to their maximum potential the more prey they devour, with male individuals gaining strength and physique, and female individuals gaining stronger spiritual energy and magical formulas.

If so, this demon, Menosha, this monster, who has grown his body to the utmost limit a male Naga can achieve! Just how many people has he devoured?!

"It's perfect timing. The clan's dissatisfaction with the chiefs of the 'Ka' clan and 'Geu' clan has been continuously raised internally… so it might be good to make use of it at this [Final Feast]."

"Shuurureut, Grand Chief, what do you mean by that?"

"We will begin the [feast] right now. Totashika and Dug, if they are truly fit to be chiefs, wouldn't they return alive on their own? Shuurureut."