Thud— thump—!
Upon the deck of the pirate ship awash with waves, an electrifying duel between Mosasaurus and Aboleth ensued.
"Argh! Evade it! If you're entangled, it's certain death!"
The mermaid warriors and pirates were compelled to huddle close to the ship's railings, striving to save themselves.
Aboleth, disregarding the safety of the pirates, commenced a brutal ambush on Mosasaurus right from the get-go.
Its long, tail-like tentacles flailed about, obfuscating the view.
Clap— Clap—
A large tentacle, swinging like a whip, shattered the mast, flinging ropes and metal debris in every direction.
Consequently, a pirate stationed a distance away was struck by a flying shard, flung backwards.
A jolting electric field tingled over the skin of Mosasaurus, which, having been lashed in the eye region by the tail whip, was now vision-impaired.
At some point, lightning had started winding around the tentacles, brutally striking Mosasaurus.
The searing pain on its skin significantly hindered Mosasaurus's movements.
At this moment, a misty fog unfurled on the deck, a cacophony of screams and chaos echoing through it.
Misty illusions began to emanate from the magic glyph Aboleth had inscribed on the deck.
Distinguishing friend from foe was now an arduous task!
As the field of vision grew murky, Aboleth's potent psychic magic followed suit.
'Daddy~! What are you doing here? It's time for us to sleep now~'
'King! The Sea Witch of the East has been defeated! You can return home now.'
The mermaid princess advanced towards Mosasaurus, known for its strong resistance to magic, and was swiftly followed by a mermaid warrior who approached to report the conclusion of the battle.
Recognizing that the psychic magic had taken hold, the witch finally assured herself of her impending victory.
Mosasaurus, tormented by ceaseless illusions, shook its head and retreated.
Then, it turned and plunged into the ocean depths.
Splash—
Silence once again engulfed the deck from which Mosasaurus had vanished.
However, the air was thick with tension, as if they were trapped in the eye of a typhoon.
Moreover, Aboleth kept her gaze fixed on the placid water surface, tracking the movements of the Mosasaurus.
ROAR—
At some point, seizing an opportunity, Mosasaurus burst forth from the water!
Its trajectory was from a rear diagonal angle, escaping Aboleth's line of sight.
Swooping down in a parabolic arc, Mosasaurus opened its jaws to clamp down on Aboleth's flailing tentacles.
Thud!
As a large mass hit the deck, the ship shuddered violently, tilting noticeably to one side.
Two or three nearby pirates were caught up in the ensuing turmoil, getting thrust off the ship.
Taken aback, Aboleth hastily twisted and tried to withdraw her tentacles, but Mosasaurus shook its head, dragging Aboleth into the sea.
'This has to end here....'
Splash—!
Surprised, the mermaids and pirates leaned against the ship's railing in unison, peering into the sea.
"Now's the time!"
Jis, who had been waiting for an opportunity from a distance, began to glide slowly toward the pirate ship.
"Prepare the cannons!" shouted the captain.
"But Captain, what if we accidentally hit the witch?" a sailor responded.
"It doesn't matter! Just fire away!"
Boom— Boom—
Cannonballs were unleashed from the side of the ship just as Jis neared the pirate vessel.
However, unbeknownst to him, a cannonball had been launched from the side of the ship and was rapidly approaching Jis.
Under normal circumstances, the young boy could have easily evaded the projectile.
But this was not an ordinary cannonball.
Its velocity had been doubled after bouncing off the powerful fins of a Mosasaurus, turning it into a hunk of iron flying at unprecedented speed.
Caught off guard by the projectile coming from an unexpected direction, a surprised Jis muttered to himself,
"Huh? Why is it coming from there?"
Fortunately, he swiftly tilted his head, narrowly avoiding the calamity of being struck directly by the cannonball.
Even so, he hadn't entirely evaded the cannonball, which whizzed by, grazing his forehead.
Ping~
Thrown off balance by the near-miss, Jis spun a few times in mid-air from the residual force.
He then plunged into the surface of the sea.
Splash—!
His vision spun wildly and the distant sounds of battle echoed in his ears.
"Ah... The sky is so clear... I need to open the lid of the aquarium...."
With the scene dimming before him, the boy mustered his remaining strength and raised his hand.
Clap—!
* * *
A splash echoed from behind the pirate ship, but it went unnoticed.
Everyone's attention was consumed by the clash of the colossal creatures.
The terrifying roars of primordial beasts reverberated from the depths of the sea.
Although obscured from view from the ship's deck, the pirates and mermaid warriors could discern the relentless battle unfolding below.
Their eyes traced the monstrous waves that crashed and frothed violently above the surface, a testament to the fury of the fight below.
Aboleth, once submerged in the water, hastily rallied Merfolk and Selkie.
There wasn't enough time to call upon a beast like the Kraken.
The Merfolk, bearing human torsos and fish tails, swam with an elegance that belied the urgency of their mission, swiftly encircling the Mosasaurus.
Brandishing their tri-pronged tridents menacingly, they managed to ensnare the behemoth in their net.
Then the Selkie, bearing both human and seal forms, glided back into position, ready to unleash a stealthy surprise attack with their sword and spear.
Additionally, amidst the collaboration between the Merfolk and Selkie, Aboleth's mental onslaught remained unrelenting.
However, the Mosasaurus, a creature well-adapted to aquatic life, exhibited more potent abilities than ever before.
Mosasaurus exploited its swift swimming speed and robust stamina to apply pressure on Aboleth and her summoned allies.
Bound by the net, the Mosasaurus lashed out with its potent tail, creating a swift current.
The Merfolk, who were holding onto the net, were swept up in the current, colliding with the Selkies.
Seizing the momentary disruption, the Mosasaurus wriggled free from the slackened net, swiping its tail once more and sending both Merfolk and Selkie reeling.
With time on his side once more, Mosasaurus lunged forward, sinking its saw-blade-like teeth into Aboleth's tentacles with ferocity.
In her current state of urgency, Aboleth could hardly afford to call upon more summoners.
At this rate, she was on course to become a mere morsel for the Mosasaurus.
'Impressive, ruler of the eastern sea. Your enormous power and aquatic dominance are enough to tear my tentacles apart.'
Although she felt her magic dwindling, she never yielded.
There was still a final gambit left.
'We all hail from the deep sea, and to the deep sea, we must return...….'
To the casual observer, it seemed Aboleth had already conceded defeat.
Her listless and fatigued appearance said as much.
'It's time to end this. Yet, I must admit, the ancient race indeed stands apart.'
Mosasaurus, who had been circling Aboleth for a while, finally seemed to gather its resolve, launching forward to deliver the final blow.
Just as Mosasaurus's jaws gaped wide to capture Aboleth, she transmitted a thought-message into the depths of the sea, a call to her sister.
'Tee hee~ Please take care of the aftermath, my dear sister....'
Ravaged by the teeth of Mosasaurus, Aboleth exerted her last bit of energy to cast a self-destructive spell on herself.
Then, water began to compress rapidly around her, culminating in a massive explosion that sent out a powerful shockwave in a split second.
Whoo— boom!
The shockwave, born underwater, spread out irregularly in a spherical form, sending a gargantuan spray of water shooting high above the surface.
A nearby pirate ship was torn apart in the ensuing chaos.
As the tumultuous current, which had whipped up wind and waves akin to a tempest, began to subside, the aftermath of the magic explosion at its epicenter was laid bare - revealing what had become of Aboleth and Mosasaurus.
Aboleth's body had been obliterated, leaving only her head, while half of Mosasaurus's body was similarly destroyed.
Despite its severe injuries, Mosasaurus still drew breath, murmuring to itself as it confirmed Aboleth's demise.
'Huh huh— my face is a wreck. But Rylie, she's a strong girl, she'll be safe...….'
With a sense of relief seeming to wash over him, the ruler of the eastern sea exhaled his final breath, thus concluding his long life.
As the remnants of the underwater explosion dissipated, their remains slowly sank into the oblivion of the deep sea.
* * *
The wind blew gently, tenderly rustling the boy's hair.
The fluttering strands of his hair tickled his eyes, stirring him awake. Slowly, his eyelids lifted.
"Ah, it's so bright...."
The intense sunlight pierced the boy's eyes. He raised his hand to shield them, a grimace of discomfort etched on his face.
As the sharp pain gradually receded, he heard the gentle murmur of waves lapping nearby.
Splish— splash—
"Where am I? I think I was in the middle of something...."
An elusive memory tickled the edges of the boy's consciousness.
"Ouch...."
Suddenly, pain radiated from all over his body, wrenching his thoughts away once again.
Squawk~
Floating on the sea, supported by a wooden board, the boy's eyes fluttered open once more at the call of a seagull.
"Where am I? It seems... I'm adrift at sea...…."
The boy laid on the wooden plank, silently observing the undulating sea around him.
And all the while, a flock of seagulls congregated nearby, engrossed in their hunt for fish.
* * *
Swoosh—
How much time had passed? Suddenly, the boy heard the sound of water parting somewhere.
Regaining his senses, he turned towards the direction of the noise. A large sailboat was fast approaching from the distance.
The sight of the square sail billowing on the ship's towering mast was quite impressive.
"One, two, three, four...…."
As he counted the number of masts on the approaching ship, it came into close proximity.
Looking up at the sailboat, the boy heard a man's voice calling out from the deck.
"Hey, boy! Are you alone out here?"
The man repeated his question as the boy blinked in confusion and bewilderment.
"Didn't you hear me? Are you alone?"
"Oh, yes! I'm alone! But where exactly are we?"
When the boy posed his question, looking up as much as he could, the man on the deck turned to converse with a woman standing beside him.
After a brief discussion, the man redirected his attention to the boy, shouting as if they had concluded their talk.
"Come aboard first, then we can chat!"
Almost immediately, a rope ladder made of wooden planks interwoven with rope was lowered.
A figure began descending, reaching out towards the boy.
"Oh? The walrus appears human."
To his surprise, the individual climbing down the rope ladder bore an uncanny resemblance to a walrus.
The individual bore the likeness of a walrus in overall appearance and skin tone, but their limbs were as long as a human's.
"Woo— woo—"
However, the walrus-like creature only emitted unintelligible murmurs, suggesting it couldn't speak human language.
When the boy took hold of the sailor's fin-like arm, he was hoisted up so that he could grab the ladder.
Creaking— creaking—
As he began to climb, pain radiated from all over his body, mirroring the groaning strain of the rope ladder.
Despite the pain, the boy was filled with relief. He clambered up the rope ladder with renewed energy, finally reaching the deck of the sailing ship.
There, a neatly dressed young hobbit man welcomed him.
"Welcome, lad, to the pirate ship of the Western Sea! My name is Ozma, the captain of this vessel."
Captain Ozma then slightly lifted his skull-patterned hat to introduce the woman standing beside him.
"This emerald beauty is the West Sea Witch, a steadfast ally of our pirate crew."
"Tee hee hee~ isn't he an adorable boy? What's your name?"
The woman known as the West Sea Witch looked at the boy with her round, sparkling eyes.
She was a petite beauty, standing around 160cm tall, and her party dress suited her perfectly.
The witch, who had been studying the boy, suddenly voiced a concern.
"But something doesn't feel right. Captain Ozma, could he be a spy from the Eastern Sea Kingdom?"
"Hmm~ let's not jump to conclusions yet."
"No, we can't take chances. Let's just kill him."
The playful witch's words hung in the air, causing the walrus-like sailor standing next to her to raise his hand axe.
"What?"
The boy, taken aback by the witch's sudden proclamation, urgently looked to Captain Ozma.
Captain Ozma, with a thoughtful expression, began to twirl his well-groomed, wavy mustache as he considered his response.
"Hmm~ given that we found the boy around here, he might know something about the whereabouts of the Eastern Sea Witch."
"Really? Hey! Spill everything you know, quickly."
Pleased by Captain Ozma's deduction, the witch redirected her attention to the boy.
"I... I woke up here. I think I was doing something, but I can't remember...."
The boy carefully scrutinized the expressions of the witch and the captain.
Fortunately, the witch's face held an expression of amusement, as if she found the situation humorous.
"Captain, I can't deal with this. Let's just kill him."
The walrus-like sailor, who had lowered his hand, raised his hand axe once again.
Soon after, a hand axe began its swift descent towards the boy's face.