Chapter 1339 The Hunt of the Siren <TOC> Chapter 1341 Commendation
Translator: SumTLMan
Popoca looked at Angel with bewilderment, “A Vision Space test? That grand gateway earlier, was it a manifestation of Angel’s spell creation?”
Popoca’s face showed incomprehension, but he refrained from voicing his questions, silently awaiting Angel’s next move.
The situation on the cargo ship below was entirely lopsided.
On solid ground, perhaps the numbers could tip the scales. But here, they were amidst the vast ocean, surrounded by nothing but endless water without a hint of land or island in sight.
No matter how many men you have, when faced with an opponent who can manipulate waves, possesses immense strength, and can turn seawater into tridents, one feels utterly powerless.
The iron ship, which could withstand torrential rains and natural disasters, now seemed useless, appearing more like an iron coffin, poised to carry them to their watery graves.
Even the most exquisite knightly combat skills felt inept without the augmentation of transcendent powers, especially when confronted by the long-range assaults of the whale hunting siren. They seemed utterly superficial.
Even if they had archers with divine skill, amidst the ship’s violent rocking and the onslaught of seawater, they couldn’t alter the impending doom. Moreover, the thick-skinned and tough flesh of the sea siren meant that ordinary arrows might not even penetrate.
Despair painted everyone’s face, resigning to the fate of the “coffin” sinking and lying in eternal slumber at the ocean’s depths.
However, one sailor, who had been on the deck from the start, displayed unyielding determination. Amidst the turmoil, he grabbed a rope from the mast, tied it around his waist, and anchored himself.
His hand gripping the railing, his veins were prominently visible, pulsating under the pale moonlight.
“I cannot perish. My beloved wife and my dear daughter await my return,” the sailor continuously murmured their names, as if these two names served as his protective talisman. “I promised my wife, once I return, we’d settle in the Sea Moon City. So, I absolutely cannot die here.”
Amidst the frantic tumult of the ship’s hull, with the desperate cries of those on board piercing the air, the sailor leapt onto the railing.
Below the railing, the vast and enigmatic ocean churned, its surface whipped into a froth of whitecaps by the furious waves.
Directly ahead, towering waves surged towards him, and concealed within them, tridents sporadically lunged forth. Many had already fallen victim to these tridents.
He had witnessed with his own eyes a drunken comrade, with whom he shared the night watch on deck, being brutally impaled by a trident, his skull pierced, brains splattering and bones shattered to dust.
Thus, the power of these tridents, conjured from the very essence of the sea, was glaringly evident.
Standing atop the railing, facing a relentless barrage of descending tridents, he was undoubtedly in the jaws of peril. Fear gnawed at his heart, but he knew that without a fight, a grim fate awaited him.
“What are you doing? Get down!” A faint voice, carried by the tempestuous wind and roaring waves, reached the sailor’s ears.
He turned and glimpsed an old seafarer, taking refuge beneath the now toppled crow’s nest, clutching a broken mast and imploring the sailor with effort.
“Don’t be rash! Miracles might yet unfold. The Goddess of the Sea might bestow her blessings and guide us through this ordeal,” the old seafarer, presuming the sailor intended to plunge into the depths, hurriedly cautioned.
“The Goddess of the Sea is revered in the Sea Wave Dynasty. We sail a merchant vessel from the Goldfinch Empire. Instead of banking on a Sailor’s Miracle, I trust in my own mettle,” the sailor declared resolutely, his gaze unwaveringly fixed on the oncoming waves.
He had discerned that with every ebb and flow, the lurking sea siren was rhythmically swaying closer.
Once, it even approached so near, almost grazing their vessel!
Thus, he was biding his time, waiting for that fleeting moment when he could leap towards the sea siren and engage it at close quarters. Even if a desperate duel bore no fruit, he would have at least grappled with fate for a glimmer of hope.
With unwavering conviction, the sailor brandished his slightly curved long blade, darting back and forth along the railing, evading incoming tridents while covertly scrutinizing every nuance in the waves.
Though the sea had thoroughly drenched him, he continued to leap and dash between the ship’s hull and railing. The moonlight illuminated his profile, and the cloth tied around his forehead billowed in the breeze.
As the sailor danced along the ship’s edge with his blade, the old seafarer discerned his true intent. He wasn’t courting death by seeking to plunge into the depths but was observing the waves, searching for a glimmer of hope!
The old sailor was familiar with this particular sailor. His skills on the ship were considered average at best. If not for his exceptional observational skills, he might have been assigned to a less significant role, possibly even fading into the background.
However, at that moment, while almost everyone on board had surrendered to despair, only he had the courage and audacity to face this terrifying adversary.
The seasoned sailor fell silent. Amid the rocking, he bowed his head, murmuring, “Perhaps, there might still be a way out.”
Yet, this time, he no longer pinned his hopes on the elusive Goddess of the Sea.
The sailor’s repeated leaps brought him perilously close to the tridents on several occasions.
Fortunately, he was stationed on a remote side of the deck, tethered by a rope around his waist. It appeared as though he was merely shaking with the ship’s jolting, rather than actively dodging the tridents.
Thus, he had yet to capture the attention of the whaling sea siren.
“It’s not right; they’re bioluminescent jellyfish,” the sailor meticulously observed every movement in the waves, not letting any detail slip by.
“Flying fish? Why join the commotion now?” “How did this wine bottle hit me? Blast it, that looks all too familiar… Even in death, that guy has to stick his oar in!” “…”
In the face of inner timidity, the sailor cursed under his breath, driving away his fear. Buoyed by the memories of his wife and child, he continually summoned courage from deep within.
After a surge of waves, moonlight bathed the sea, and a glint appeared in the sailor’s eyes. Before him was a tail shimmering in aqua hues!
That familiar azure scale, coupled with the silhouette holding a trident, unmistakably revealed the creature’s identity.
“I’ve spotted you!”
Without hesitation, the sailor lunged forward.
His battle cry caught the attention of the surviving crew. Against the backdrop of the round moon, they saw a shadow dressed in familiar garb, racing like a swift arrow towards the whale hunting sea siren, which hadn’t submerged in time.
“Now’s our chance!” An elderly seafarer, no longer concerned about the boat’s sway, shakily rose to his feet, his eyes gleaming with hope.
The sailor’s leap, even to those unaware of his intent, now became clear. They recognized his purpose.
Hearts, which had fallen silent, suddenly throbbed with life.
This leap was like a budding flower breaking through the cracked, desolate earth, a beacon of hope for those resigned to their fate.
Even the captain placed all his hope on this sailor.
A jump that bore the weight of everyone’s destiny did not disappoint.
The sailor’s keen observation skills and impeccable timing shone through. The bright moonlight and a momentary calm in the waves meant both the heavens and fortune favored him. With everything aligning in his favor, he successfully reached the side of the whale hunting sea siren.
Of utmost significance, the whale hunting sea siren now turned its back to the sailor. Under the pale glow of the moon, its exposed back appeared eerily like a slab of meat, laid bare on a chopping block, awaiting its inevitable demise.
It seemed as if fate itself was favoring the sailor.
The sailor lifted his blade, its edge shimmering with a silver sheen. Just as the sea siren began to turn its head, without a moment’s hesitation, he thrust his knife fiercely into the beast’s chest!
All eyes were riveted on this pivotal instant. Their jaws clenched, hearts pounding thunderously, all awaited the impending outcome.
A fine line between triumph and defeat, life and death.
A resounding thud!
The sea siren’s rugged hide merely bore a scratch from the powerful strike. Seeing this, though the sailor’s heart sank a little, he did not falter. He readied himself for a second strike.
However, he first needed to secure his footing. His initial blow was dealt whilst propelling himself off the ship’s railing. Now, for the second, he needed a solid grounding.
Without hesitation, his legs coiled around the monster’s abdomen, much like ancient boughs of an old tree, ensnaring its prey.
With the creature bound, he raised his blade once more, aiming to strike deeper, following the trail of the previous cut, so deep that one could almost glimpse the bone beneath!
As he prepared for a third strike, the sailor was confident that this blow would pierce the heart of the sea siren.
But just as victory seemed imminent, the sea siren, which had thus far been on the defensive, sensing its inability to free itself from the sailor’s entwined legs, ceased its struggle and instead, began to summon a surge of seawater.
In the heat of the moment, the sea siren, unable to manifest the transformations of its trident, opted for a different tactic. It channeled the surrounding seawater into a jet stream aimed straight at the human’s wrist.
The force behind it was gentle, merely nudging the sailor’s wrist off course.
Yet, it was this subtle alteration that turned the tides of battle.
With the sailor drenched from head to toe, his curved blade — though fitted with a closed grip — became incredibly slippery in his water-sodden hands. Now, with the stream’s approach, the knife slipped away, plunging rapidly into the ocean’s depths.
The sailor’s breathing caught in his throat.
He knew all too well that unarmed, he stood no chance of inflicting harm upon the sea siren.
With the sea siren poised to break free, his fate seemed grimly sealed.
Despair clouded the eyes of the crew on board. None had anticipated this twist of fate so close to their moment of triumph. This minor detail had overturned the final outcome, demonstrating that the cunning of the whale hunting siren rivaled that of humans.
A piercing and manic laughter emanated from the sea siren’s maw.
The sailor’s legs were growing numb. Weaponless, he felt the shadow of impending doom closing in.
He cast his gaze skyward, his eyes filled with a distant haze.
“My wife, my daughter… I’m sorry, I couldn’t keep my promise…”
In the depths of his despair, the sailor’s pupils suddenly constricted, for once again, a light shone down from the heavens.
And this time, he saw it even more clearly!
As he had once confided to the seasoned mariner, what shined was a lunar vessel of ethereal beauty, floating in the canvas of the night sky.
“Is this not a dream?” the sailor murmured softly, a whisper amidst the stillness.
Lost in introspection, a sudden silvery wisp flashed atop the moonlit ship. This wisp, serpentine in nature, elongated with great velocity.
And its destination? The sailor.
Caught off-guard, only when the silvery wisp extended from the celestial vessel, nearing him, did he realize that this so-called wisp bore a striking resemblance to a luminous tendril.
Worth noting, however, was the astonishing length of this luminous tendril, spanning from the sea’s surface to the heavens, easily a few hundred meters.
Furthermore, this tendril did not possess a solid appearance. Instead, it appeared as an ethereal mist.
As the sailor pondered the nature of this mysterious tendril, it executed a swift inversion.
Before he could process this, a familiar, ringing sound echoed beside him, accompanied by astonished cries from his shipmates.
A silver gleam descended from the heavens!
Instinctively, the sailor caught this fallen shimmer.
His eyes widened with elation, for in his grasp was——
A blade!
The very one he had lost!
With the curved blade in hand, he didn’t dwell on its heavenly descent nor the mystery of the luminous tendril. All his thoughts converged on the blade.
“I am not yet defeated; victory is mine!” He roared, invoking the names of his wife and daughter, a fervent glint in his eyes. With a fearless swing, his blade surged forward!
Straight into the heart of the whale hunting siren!
Blood spattered, and the heart shattered.
Chapter 1339 The Hunt of the Siren <TOC> Chapter 1341 Commendation