For efficiency purposes I wanna ride a boat but we can't. Udo said that there will be an unavoidable illusion if we did that.
"I can understand how Mike since he is an apostle and the white haired guy(Udo) can walk on water because he can freely manipulate water, but how can you?" Layla ask Alfred.
"It's because of aura. Master taught me how to use it and now I am stronger than before. Master is also using the same method. How about you? I don't feel any magic being invoke or used while you walk"
"Eh. What is aura?"
Beast men's senses are really on a different level. I'm just listening to them and I am gaining info on the spot that I didn't knew about. Despite not having any talent for magic due to bloodline, he can tell that Layla isn't using magic when Udo is surrounding us with mana to navigate.
Looks like I can toss Alfred in a more dangerous spot.
"Master, I just remember something. Why are 'skills' highly valuable?"
I take back what I said. This guy is an idiot. He won't last long if I do something as to toss him in a dangerous spot.
"Do you know that mages can cast
"Yes?"
"Then explaining it would be easier. When someone who doesn't have the skill
In a life or death situation where every second counts, to be able to release your decisive finishing attack earlier than your opponent will tell who will the victor will be.
While having multiple skills from different attributes are also valuable depending on how you use them. For example, if you have an
"Why is that?"
"Because if you rely on these 'Skills' too much your control and proficiency would also decrease since you are relying solely on the activation method of the said skills"
Even I was tempted to raise my level to gain skills back then when I didn't knew anything.
We have been walking for quite a bit now. We can't even see the shore from here.
After some time, we reach our destination.
"Master, the city where the sirens live is exactly right below us. On the seafloor.
"Bring us down"
After creating a ball of water we descended and saw different fishes... monsters rather on our way. Through the water barrier made by Udo they weren't able to reach us. Even though it would be easy to kill these small fries, it would attract the attention of other sea creatures. If that were to happen we would be put in an extremely disadvantageous position.
As we get closer to the seafloor there was a city. It became clearer as we get closer.
A giant dome where air can be found inside. A hidden gem. Houses made out of expensive stones and songs sang by beautiful voice can be heard in any direction.
After we entered the dome I gave Udo's 'reward' since he said that there was a strong illusionary barrier to protect the sirens put in place around the whole city.
Do sirens normally have legs? I thought they would look more similar to mermaids or something.
"Wow how beautiful~" Alfred said in excitement.
Sirens came to us and introduce themselves.
"We are honored to have the presence of an apostle in our domain, my name is Adul. Please follow us to the elder"
We followed the sirens while sightseeing, all the sirens we pass through would look at us.
Another notification pop up.
[The Goddess of water will now tell you the quest]
There are currently eighty sea sub-dragons living nearby because they somehow found out the location of the sirens. Subdue all creatures that poses a threat to the sirens.
Sea sub-dragons subjugated: 0/80
Demon lord: 0/1
+
A demon lord finally appeared.
In terms of ranking they would be place right under the demon generals base on the demon hierarchy book that I red.
A demon lord who is operating out in the sea. And there is only one demon general who is known to be the 'Ruler of the Sea'. It would be logical to assume that this demon lord is under Levi, right.
We entered a cave but on the inside it look more like an inn of some sort. Just remove the chairs and tables and that is that.
"We are here. All of you will stay here. As for you Sir. Apostle, please go to the furthest room in the hall on the right"
"You are not going to accompany me?"
"We apologize for our rudeness but we are not allowed to enter that hall. That is the living quarters of the elder and only the elder can go there"
I look at the three.
"You guys better behave yourselves, got it?"
"Of course!" They replied.
I went to the room at the end of the hall. I knock.
"Come in"
As I entered, there was a woman with an orb on her lap. The orb release some weird presence so I readied myself.
"Please sit down Sir. Apostle"
"You say 'Sir. Apostle' even though there is another one here"
"I believe that you are the leader of your group. There is no way an idiot like him(Alfred) would be the one to lead a group of powerful individuals, no?"
"Indeed. Let us cut to the chase. I want to do what the Goddess of Water told me, so may I ask for some lodgings? I will pay of course"
"There is no need for that"
The orb shined.
"The Goddess we worship told us that we should give you all the best hospitality we can. So do as you like, we will not stop any of you. But please promise me one thing"
"And that is?"
She bowed down. Her head against the floor.
"I don't want any of my kin to be devoured anymore. Please stop the one who is responsible for all of this"
"Please raise your head, elder. I will do it even if you don't plead to me as it is part of my job to do so"
I mean there is no way I would pass down the offer of the goddess of water when she offered me her blessing and the pure holy water from the holy well.
"Putting that matter aside, why are the sirens losing against mere sea sub-dragons? Sirens are known for their power in magic that rivals the elves and the ability to charm any creature just like a succubus?"
They would win against the sea sub-dragons base on their strength alone. The only one they should be having a hard time would be the demon lord.
"That is because the sea dragons possess high resistance towards magic and are immune to charms. They move in an orderly manner even though they do not possess intelligence. Therefore we were no match for them"
"All of them?"
"Yes, all of them"
That's crazy! So you're telling me all of them have resistances like that? Even Gwen would have a hard time to give such powerful buffs to many creatures like that, not to mention someone would be controlling them since only high rank sub-dragons possess knowledge to be able to use things such as tactics and she is saying all of them.
This would mean that the demon lord is the one controlling them. How though? Even with soul manipulation I would only be able to control for about twenty at most since you will need to manually control them by yourself. To give out twenty different orders simultaneously in real time is already absurd on its own.
Even if I think that they are being controlled like brainwashing or they became slaves, that doesn't change the fact that they still need to be control manually.
The quest says that there is only one so there can only be one who is controlling all of them. A special skill? A unique ability? Curse?
Doesn't matter. I'll find out once I meet up with whoever it is.
"I will make some preparations then"
I went out and put runes around all the houses where the sirens live in.
Each one should be able to take two breaths of a dragon.
I expanded my aura to detect any life source within range. And just as I thought the sea sub-dragons are living near here. Their den is about two kilometers from here. That should be doable.
-Nunu, let's go.
-Yes master!
"Spirit summoning: Fegonia"
"Spirit summoning: Zoe"
"Spirit summoning: Ella"
The three appeared one after another.
"The three of you will be staying here for a while in case some rat decides to attack while I am gone. Hopefully you all won't disappoint me"
They bowed and said "Leave it to us, master!" in unison. Their plan is that Ella will be the one to provide support from the rear, Nia at the center of the city while Zoe is at the entrance.
...
Base on what I can feel, there are no more than thirty creatures in that place. The reaction from my aura was also high so for it to become some weakling sea creature would be impossible.
As we go to where the sea sub-dragons are by creating a dome from aura, we made our own plans on how to kill them as swiftly as possible.
"How are we going to fight the sea sub-dragons underwater? Isn't this just plain suicide?" Layla ask worriedly.
Even if there was a strong dragon and an apostle right beside her, what she said was right. They would be in a complete disadvantageous position if they dare to attack the sea sub-dragons, not to mention in their own territory. Sea sub-dragons are known for their ferocious numbers and are infamous for being insatiable. So Layla's worries were reasonable. Despite that, both Alfred and Nunu did not doubt their master. As they are sure that Michael have already thought up a plan to emerge victorious with the least casualties just as always. Because they believe in his wisdom and the ability to choose the best option where they all benefit from.
"Nunu and Layla will be taking all the sea sub-dragons on the right side. Alfred will take care of the left. And I will be watching you all. Surely you can at least do that, right?"
"Yes, master!" Nunu and Alfred replied energetically.
Layla who is absolutely shock from the their remarks can't help but to pray for her life.
"I'm going to die, I guess. Haha" She thought in her head.
As we enter the sea sub-dragons den, we commence our subjugation quest.
"Grand magic: Sanctuary"
Since their den is inside a huge cave, by creating the grand magic, Michael push away all the water making the sea sub-dragons to suffocate due to the loss of water. A miracle that can only be done if one holds a vast amount of mana and with such flawless control.
"They are immune to magic so you guys who don't use magic much, go slaughter all of them. Surely you all can do that much when they are having a hard time to breathe"
Without further ado, Alfred strike the sea sub-dragons one by one. Killing them with only one strike. With all the training he had gone to from his master and the techniques he learn, he can now be considered as a true martial arts master.
On the other hand without transforming into a dragon, Nunu physically attack the sea sub-dragons. His technique is full of holes as he did not train as long as Alfred did but he did had support from the princess. With her telekinetic ability which is not magic, she controlled the space with ease and provided assistance to Nunu, not losing to the kill count of Alfred's.
They are doing much better than I thought.
Since they are doing this good, increasing the difficulty should be alright.
By creating a rapid fluctuation of mana Michael succeeded on attracting all nearby sea monsters. As he is the one who casted the grand magic he is able to choose which and when a sea monster to go through the grand magic.
"Here are some extra servings"
"You are making us work too hard!" (Layla)
"What are you talking about, this is a pretty normal training for the two of them" I pointed at Nunu and Alfred, "You will need to be able to do this much princess if you do not want to marry the duke's son"
Hearing my words Nunu became enraged at the thought of someone else marrying Layla. Now, with each strike, there is a ray of condensed fire that pierces through the steel like scales of the sea creatures.
"Layla, let's work harder! When we get back I will train you really hard day and night so you can stay! Is that alright, master?!" He shouted as he fight.
"Yes. Be sure to make good results, okay?"
"Understood!"
...
As the fight ended Michael froze the water so that the water won't go in while also to disable the grand magic.
"Spirit synchronization: Fegonia"
I'm getting more use to using Nia's power.
"Ice castle"
Putting the dead bodies of the sea monsters, we took some time to rest.
"Here are some water and food. Be sure to rest quickly since we will be expecting other guests very soon"
"W-what do you mean other guests?"
"We killed the sea sub-dragons. Surely their family will get mad about the fact that their kin has been slain by some humans"
And the one who controls them should be alerted that so many of them died in such a short time. Knowing that the sirens are powerless against the sea sub-dragons who have such resistances and immunity, he or she would think that this is done by some third party.
"Subjugation quest: Kill count"
[Subjugation quest: Kill count]
Sea sub-dragons: 28/80
Demon lord: 0/1
+
Better get some work done.
Michael absorb all the the energy remaining from the sea monsters, not giving Nunu any due to his skill that automatically allows him to absorb the some soul energy of those who kill.
(With the way things are right now they will either go here to eliminate the sea sub-dragons here with full force or attack the siren's domain with full force while assuming that we are already back there)
Just as he pondered about it, a call came.
-Master, there are some sea monsters here.
-What is the situation?
-The situation has been dealt with no casualties. The sea monsters that attack are about fifty of them.
-Did you tie them up with the rope that I gave you?
-Yes.
Using that rope their soul cores and soul energy won't be able to go out of their bodies unless their souls are strong enough to wander on its own.
While Michael was busy with his work, Alfred's instincts went on high alert.
"Master! There are a lot that are charging at us!" He shouted.
With his sharp animal instincts, he was able to detect the oncoming enemies with ease.
"You all go get ready"
With that line, all of them are more serious than when they fought earlier with the suffocating prey.
"Spirit summoning: Witrudo"
"What is my reward this time? Another bag of those delicacies?!"
"I will give you a whole crate of them if you can take out the enemies that are approaching. Can. You. Do. It"
Udo bursted with mana. The mana that he releases surpassed my own despite having a bigger mana capacity.
"I shall execute them elegantly and with no survivors"
"Good"
Their current distance is about less than five hundred meters now.
"You guys can take care of yourselves so I will be dealing with someone else. I have to take care of it or I won't be able to sleep tonight for letting such a delicious prey escape"
Everyone shuddered from the killing intent that their master emitted. They saw him smile. The blood lust from a war freak psychopath who loves to slaughter anyone. That was their thoughts that they got from his expression.
The ice wall crack. The sea sub-dragons and tons of water burst forth.
"Grand magic: Domain of the water priestess"
With Udo's grand magic. All of the water that came in went out, creating a bigger dome for space that will help the others to move around. The size was only a bit smaller to the training grounds that Michael used when they fought. Giving all the sea sub-dragons a terrible time on breathing, he slice them all using a highly pressured water by focusing it in one point. Not letting the others to join, he killed the sea sub-dragons with no hesitation.
As expected of him.
The sea sub-dragons didn't enter anymore. The remaining of them stood by.
"Who are you people?!" Scream by a woman.
"Shouldn't you be introducing yourself first before demanding the name of the person you are talking to? Is that what the demon lord that serves under Leviathan are?" I ask.
The woman with scales on her body accumulated mana, angered by my taunts. Provoking her is a lot easier than I thought... Her? Levi is a guy despite having such feminine looks. Does that also apply to his underlings?
"You are not worthy to speak the name of the Sea king! Human, I repeat who are you?!"
So she still can control herself.
"I am an apostle" I showed her the mark in my left hand, "Killing the sirens puts a lot of stress to their worshiper so she ask me to take care of you. Pretty simple, right. Now it is your turn to introduce yourself or are you just going to sully the honor and title of the one you serve?"
As I look at her, her expression change bit by bit. Her composure is now calm. With a clear voice, she says,
"I am one of the five demon lords serving under the Sea king. I am Vepar the left hand of Lord Leviathan. The one who rules and commands over twenty nine legions of sea monsters"
Twenty nine? Legions? Does that mean there are at least a hundred thousand sea monsters now?
I quickly sent out my aura as far as I can and just like what Vepar said there are twenty nine legions right now. I was able to easily take care of the bugs from the outbreak back then because they were newly hatch so they were extremely weak. But now, there are more than a hundred thousand of at least mid class sea monsters here.
Where did they even came from?! How does she even feed so many sea monsters?! How come I didn't felt them earlier?!
I didn't sign up for this! The kill count said that there was 81 targets! How come I was not inform about Vepar's legions of monsters?!
No wonder the reward was the blessing of the Goddess of Water.
[Due to lack of information, the difficulty of the 'Quest of the Goddess of Water' have rise immensely]
[She is very sorry for her mistake]
[Updating quest]
Hold up! So she didn't knew?!
[Quest information]
-Kill all those who can threaten the sirens.
Clear condition:
Sea sub-dragons: 59/80
Sea monsters: 0/107,493
Demon lord, Vepar: 0/1
Rewards:
-Blessing of the Goddess of water.
-Affinity towards water spirits will rise to the max.
-Affinity towards the wind, earth, and plant attributes will rise by fifty percent.
Penalty upon failure:
-None
+
You have got to be joking with me, right?! What is up with all this?!
"Why did you all kill the sea sub-dragons that I have been raising? They were my gifts for his lordship when they evolve by letting them feast upon the sirens that lives here"
Even if I somehow escape from here Alfred, Nunu, Layla and all the sirens will die. I honestly don't care about the sirens but I can't let any of these three die!
"As I said earlier, I was told by the Goddess that the sirens worships to protect them. So I will do it till the end"
[The Goddess of Water is extremely touch by your words]
I am not doing this for you or for your subjects, you useless goddess!
[The Master of the Souls is fascinated by your bravery]
[The Goddess of hunt is looking forward to your victory]
[The Demon of Lust wishes for you to die]
[The Dragon God also wishes for you to die]
[Many Gods, Goddesses, and Demons are currently watching your fight]
The amount notifications I am getting is so irritating. Is there some kind of 'blocking system' to mute all of them?
"So you will face me and my twenty nine legions? The five of you?"
-Zoe, quickly make all the sirens that can fight to be on their guards! Now!
-Understood!
"Spirit summoning: Fegonia"
"Spirit summoning: Inosi"
I can't summon Ella since there will also be some monsters heading their way there. The sirens domain will need some kind of support as well.
Nia and Inosi who I just summon understood what was going on and quickly readied themselves to fight the vast amount of sea monsters.
"Can I take this as 'Yes' from my question?"
"Winner takes all! You guys better be prepared, I will leave you guys for a bit. So survive got that"
They shouted with enthusiasm.
"Hey Vepar, I challenge you to a duel"
"Fine, I accept. In the honor of the name of the ruler of the sea, I shall face you by myself"
[The challenge has been acknowledge]
"What?!"
[Activating dueling grounds]
While the confused Vepar who is being pulled by the dueling grounds, Michael was busy with his own preparations for the battle.
And thus, the underwater war, a hundred thousand versus seven now begins.