The stormy sea roared around Rygar as he ran across its surface, creating ice platforms.
It looked simple from the outside, but he had to use ice magic at the exact moment his foot touched the water, and with his speed, this required refined control.
The wind howled in his ears, rain lashed against his face, waves crashed violently, and the salty scent of the ocean mixed with the electricity crackling around him.
But he did not waver.
His eyes were locked onto the abyss below, the impenetrable darkness where he sensed the monstrous presence, seemingly motionless.
The feeling of danger grew with every step.
When he finally reached the exact point where the threat lay hidden, Rygar leapt, tearing through the air before diving straight into the deep sea.
The water wrapped around him like a cold mantle, muffling the sounds of the storm above.
Immediately, he began gathering mana in his throat—Howling Magic vibrating like a suppressed thunderclap—and lightning flickered along the blade of Tsukikage, casting a blue glow into the black ocean. The blade roared silently, thirsting for battle.
Normally, Rygar would not be able to breathe underwater, but he had prepared.
A thin oxygen pocket, formed with wind and water magic, surrounded him—unstable and fragile—sustained by the magic he had learned to control on the shores of Westport.
He had experimented with several types of magic to find a way to breathe underwater.
Barrier Magic was one of them, but it blocked air and oxygen, preventing him from breathing even on the surface.
Now, with his recent advancements, he had discovered how to let certain things pass through while blocking others.
Eventually, he might find an efficient way to breathe underwater, but for now, it was unfeasible.
Allowing only oxygen molecules to pass required control at a molecular level—something he had yet to master with Barrier Magic.
As for this thin 'barrier' of wind and water, he knew any major impact or shockwave could dissipate it. Still, it was a success, at least for exploration.
If combat was not involved, he could navigate the seas this way. But right now, he wasn't worried about that.
He wasn't planning to fight underwater—he just needed to lure the monster out.
His focus was on the depths.
And then, he saw it.
Emerging from the darkness like a living mountain, the Kraken slowly revealed its colossal form.
It wasn't just big—it was overwhelming. Its shapeless mass moved hypnotically, impossible to measure precisely, but Rygar was certain it was at least three or four times larger than an adult blue dragon.
Its skin was a deep, dark blue, rough and textured like volcanic crust from the ocean floor.
Tentacles as thick as fortress pillars extended into the void, sliding lazily—but each one was capable of crushing ships with a single movement.
Its eyes, until now closed, were immense circles of pale, milky light, reflecting the glow of Tsukikage as the blade illuminated the depths.
A vortex of bubbles and currents churned around the beast, and the water pressure seemed to double, crushing everything nearby.
Rygar's body screamed in warning.
Every instinct told him this monster was no ordinary creature. But the adrenaline coursing through his veins only made him smile.
He didn't hesitate.
With a muffled roar through the water, he opened his mouth and unleashed his magic.
The Howling Magic exploded in waves, reverberating through the ocean like underwater thunder.
The force of his roar spread through the sea, displacing massive volumes of water, sending violent vibrations directly at the Kraken, stunning it.
For a moment, there was silence.
And then, the creature responded.
A deep, monstrous sound tore through the depths.
It wasn't just a roar of fury—it was something more primal, something that made the very ocean vibrate with a spectral echo.
The Kraken's cry wasn't just heard—it was felt, as if every molecule of water trembled with its wrath.
Rygar charged forward without hesitation, raising Tsukikage. The blade crackled with concentrated electricity as he swung, shouting:
"Lightning!"
A massive bolt shot through the ocean like divine judgment, slicing through the depths with a blinding flash of blue and white.
The current traveled straight into the Kraken, exploding against its massive body.
The shock reverberated violently, sending electric arcs throughout the water, momentarily illuminating every grotesque detail of the creature.
Twisting tentacles moved erratically as electricity danced across its rough skin.
The entire ocean convulsed from the impact. Submerged rocks shifted, smaller creatures fled in a frenzy, and even the water pressure itself seemed to change.
But then, as the light faded, Rygar saw it.
The Kraken was still there.
Its colossal body merely undulated slowly, its dark skin now covered in scorched burns—but still intact.
And then, like a nightmare emerging from the abyss, it began to move.
Massive tentacles rose, their movements appearing slow and heavy due to their sheer size—but Rygar knew. If he was caught, he would be crushed instantly.
The smile returned to his face.
Rygar manipulated the water around him and began ascending rapidly, propelling himself toward the surface like an arrow shot from the depths.
Behind him, the enraged Kraken pursued, displacing millions of liters of water in its relentless chase.
With every passing second, Rygar analyzed the fight.
'It wasn't really affected by a lightning strike that powerful?'
He climbed higher, feeling the water pressure decrease as he neared the stormy sky. The beast still chased him, its overwhelming presence filling the ocean below.
'How am I going to kill this thing?'
His body soared at high speed, slicing through the water like a razor.
His mind focused on tactics.
The Kraken was far too resilient, or maybe the scale of his attacks wasn't affecting its enormous body as much.
The lightning strike had left a major wound, but it hadn't paralyzed or severely harmed it.
His Howling Magic, despite its overwhelming power, had only made the creature roar in anger—it hadn't dealt real damage.
Rygar realized he couldn't rely on a single attack to defeat it. He would need to gather almost all of his mana into a final strike to ensure its death—but he didn't have time for that in a prolonged battle.
He needed to find another way.
Something that would lead him to victory.
'This is exactly what I expected,' Rygar thought as his fierce grin widened.
He recalled the stories from his previous world, told as legends in the mythologies of various religions.
The Kraken.
A legend of the depths, a monster capable of sinking even the largest ships, controlling storms, and consuming the sea with its fury.
He remembered how mythology was full of exaggerations and distortions, but at that moment, he knew that the monster before him was no mere invention.
As the creature approached, its immense body seeming to stretch endlessly in the black water, Rygar felt an almost supernatural suction force, as if the entire sea were being pulled into the abyss.
The Kraken, its tentacles shifting, extended one toward him, attempting to drag him into its deadly maw. The pull of the suction was overwhelming, forcing Rygar to struggle against the water, which seemed to have a will of its own. His survival instinct flared in his mind.
"What is this? Some kind of magic?" he growled, focusing his mana with the full force of his will.
A flash of light, and with an explosive motion, Rygar shot out of the water, using his Burst Step as propulsion.
The impact of the water was enough to throw him slightly off course, but he didn't stop. He kept running across the surface, the wind slicing against his face and the roar of the storm filling his ears.
He launched several Freezing Novas in different places, ensuring he had platforms to step on next.
Suddenly, a massive shadow rose from the water—a tentacle towering like a mountain, surging toward him.
With sharp reflexes, Rygar used Flash Step, throwing himself to the side, but the tentacle passed just inches from him, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.
Now, outside the water, he could finally see the true extent of the monster.
The creature was over 300 meters long, its grotesque skin marked by a massive burn scar from lightning, but the Kraken was regenerating at an alarming speed, the muscles in its tentacles contracting with indescribable power.
'It regenerates?' Rygar thought, surprised, but he knew what he had to do.
The Kraken lunged forward again, furious. Its tentacles slashed through the sea like sharp blades.
Rygar roared in defiance and readied his sword, Tsukikage, igniting it with violent flames.
He positioned himself atop a floating iceberg he had created, his stance precise, his intent to cut the beast to pieces forged through the perfection of his training.
As the tentacle closed in, he launched himself forward at incredible speed, slicing through the air with uncontrollable fury.
The Longsword of Light cleaved through the tentacle with a force that defied human limits, a metallic clang echoing as the creature's flesh was severed.
Normally, a longsword of this level wouldn't be enough to cut through the tentacle, but his raw physical strength, combined with the additional sharpness generated by Tsukikage's heat, made it possible.
The Kraken howled, an unimaginable pain resonating through its cry as it rapidly retreated to the ocean depths.
The severed tentacle crashed into the sea with a thunderous splash, sending water spraying in all directions—the sheer weight of the massive limb was immense.
In a frenzied attack, the Kraken hurled its severed tentacle back into the ocean, creating a colossal wave that forced Rygar to leap back into the water.
He plunged in, feeling the crushing pressure surround him, but when he looked down, his blood ran cold.
Down in the depths, the Kraken's eyes were locked onto him, a luminous and electric fury beginning to pulse from the creature's tentacles. It was as if the sea itself was its ally.
Suddenly, the ocean exploded with electricity.
Lightning arced and concentrated, shooting toward him like a web of destruction. Rygar's instincts screamed as he threw up a magical barrier with all his might.
The magic flared brightly, but the speed of the lightning was unparalleled.
The impact was brutal.
The barrier shattered like glass, and he was launched out of the water, his body paralyzed as the electricity surged through his nerves.
The pain was immense, but his mind remained sharp. He could feel his body rapidly recovering as his healing magic activated.
He closed his eyes for a brief moment, focusing to clear the haze of dizziness, his senses disoriented and water flooding his ears.
When he opened them, he was floating in the raging sea, the Kraken looming just ahead, a tentacle rising—ready to crush him.
Without hesitation, Rygar froze the sea beneath him and used Flash Step to evade, gaining distance and narrowly avoiding the devastating strike.
He could see the beast regenerating, its tentacles moving with the speed and ferocity of a storm.
But he wasn't intimidated.
He felt the adrenaline surging through his veins, his muscles primed for battle, his spirit unbreakable.
He let out a fierce laugh, a mix of madness and sheer will to win.
The Kraken came for him, but Rygar wouldn't retreat. He charged forward, his dual swords glowing, and the sea itself seemed to shrink before his resolve.
The Kraken's roar and the howling wind merged into a symphony of chaos as the warrior prepared to face the titan of the depths, without fear, without hesitation.
It was time to test one of his new barrier techniques, but Rygar had to stay alert.
He still didn't fully understand how the Kraken had unleashed lightning, but one thing was certain—if he let his guard down again, it could be the end.
The danger this monster posed was immense, and Rygar was starting to believe that this wasn't just an S-class beast—this was something beyond that.
Without hesitation, Rygar charged forward with ferocious speed toward the creature, his determination burning as fiercely as the magic he was beginning to channel.
He poured his fire mana to the absolute limit into his blade, feeling the sword vibrate with accumulated heat, the flames crackling wildly along its edge—shifting into hues of blue and violet.
The Kraken did not lag behind, surging forward with the overwhelming force of the waves, its presence dominating the ocean as it prepared another attack.
In the instant the titan launched one of its tentacles to crush him, Rygar leaped, dodging with precision.
The Kraken, cunning, noticed the warrior's momentary vulnerability in the air and struck with another massive blow.
But that was when Rygar did something incredible—something that defied common logic and gravity.
He stepped on the air.
For a brief moment, his silhouette remained suspended, defying natural laws, and then he took another step, and another.
His feet touched invisible barriers, platforms created instantly through barrier magic.
The Kraken tried to follow his movement, retreating as it did, but Rygar had already understood the beast's attack pattern.
He continued walking through the air, dodging with impressive lightness, his body advancing toward the colossal creature's 'head.'
When he reached the perfect spot, Rygar locked eyes with the monster, his breath steadying for a moment before he pronounced the name of his technique in a firm, cutting voice:
"Hellish Slash!"
A roaring flame exploded from his blade, and a wave of purple fire was unleashed like a voracious blade.
The magic tore through the air with a thunderous sound and struck the Kraken's flesh with terrifying impact.
The creature howled in agony, a monstrous cry that reverberated across the ocean.
Its massive body writhed as the purple flames spread, consuming its skin and continuing to burn despite the sea's moisture.
In a desperate instinct, the Kraken submerged, trying to extinguish the hellish fire eating away at its body.
But the flames would not go out so easily.
Instead, they spread across the water's surface like a flaming tsunami, turning the ocean into a chaotic, overwhelming spectacle of purple and orange.
The waves burned as if the sea itself had caught fire.
Rygar felt the adrenaline pumping through his veins.
The more he used the technique, the more he felt it becoming a part of him.
It still took time to charge the necessary energy to execute it fully, but with his practice advancing and the drastic reduction in mana cost—nine times lower than at the beginning—it was finally becoming usable in real combat, especially against a colossal monster like this that did not attack quickly.
He landed lightly on the ocean's surface, hopping onto small magical barrier platforms. Reaching this level of control over Barrier Magic had not been easy.
Among all magic types, his aptitude for barriers was the second weakest, surpassed only by Divine Attack, and executing this technique without a chant required absurd concentration.
Moreover, it was still imperfect—Rygar constantly needed to adjust his direction using wind magic and compensate for unexpected deviations with Burst Step.
He would never attempt aerial combat against an agile opponent, as his mobility was still vulnerable, but against the Kraken, a predominantly aquatic creature, its attacks above water were much easier to predict.
This gave him the opportunity to test his new abilities without as much risk.
His predatory eyes searched for the creature, now diving into the water in agony, sinking into the depths.
But he did not hesitate. With a single burst of speed, Rygar shot after it, pursuing with supersonic velocity.
His body sliced through the water like a projectile, and as he closed in, he prepared his other new technique.
He gripped his short sword, NightHunter, firmly, positioning it in front of him as the heat of his earth mana condensed around the blade.
The Kraken, still burning, thrashed wildly in the depths, trying to escape the pain consuming it.
But Rygar would not allow it.
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