NOVEL NEXT Chapter 72
Yuma walked on the sea.
Splash—
Ripples formed.
After experiencing a thrill that was forcibly beyond bungee jumping, Yuma, who felt far removed from the gigantic Leviathan, rushed to the vicinity as fast as possible, riding Silviria.
And then he completely abandoned Silviria and started walking on the sea.
“Th-the God of War is walking on water!!”
That’s right.
He was literally walking on the sea.
One of the items in the pouch of God Incrinew was a pair of shoes.
The shoes Yuma was wearing right now.
[Tracks of Neptunus]
[Footwear imbued with the divine power of Poseidon, the God of the Ocean.
Ability: You can walk on water.
Ultimate – Omnipotent Voyage: No variable of the sea can hinder the caster’s steps.
Activate by saying the activation phrase while wearing the item.
Ultimate duration: 30 minutes
This ultimate has a usage limit.
[1/4] – 1 usage out of 4 remaining. There are 3 uses left.
Ultimate activation phrase – “Open the path, my sea.”]
That Incrinew guy.
Already used it once.
Still, he had to find solace in the fact that even if he used the ultimate this time, he could still use it twice more.
Yuma slowly opened his mouth.
“Open the path, my sea.”
The activation phrase for [Omnipotent Voyage] was spoken.
Kugugugugugu!!
In an instant, a blue light enveloped Yuma’s entire body.
Without even a shield, he simply walked on the sea.
The gazes of the Mullen Tribe and the White Night Clan focused on Yuma, who walked on the water as naturally as if it were land.
Kurrrrr…
A low growl emanated from the Leviathan’s monstrous head.
The Leviathan was calculating in its mind.
That unidentified human is dangerous.
Directly attacking with tentacles using its physical body would be risky.
Having witnessed its underlings, the Sea Serpents, getting wrecked by the mysterious human firsthand.
The Leviathan concluded there were two ways to hunt the man before it.
One, unleash a full-force attack when he entered range, catching him off guard.
Two, use nature. In other words, utilize the sea.
Having just hurled Yuma away with a column of water, the Leviathan concluded that the powers of nature were something the human could do nothing about.
The Leviathan decided to adopt the second method.
That damn human was certainly a bit unsettling.
Kurrrr—
The Leviathan’s red eyes glowed.
That was definitely the gaze of a predator. A predator that encompasses the seas.
Legend had it that with a wave of the Leviathan’s body, the seas would change drastically, and that legend, astonishingly, was very close to reality.
The Leviathan’s massive legs and tail moved simultaneously.
Kuaaaahhhh!!!
A real upheaval occurred in the sea. The currents twisted.
Fierce waves surged toward Yuma as if to crush him.
Yuma, seeing the colossal waves that could drown him completely, simply kept walking.
“Yuma!!”
A scream that resembled Cloney’s voice echoed.
The colossal waves were literally about to engulf Yuma.
Kuarrrrr—
And right in front of Yuma, a grotesquely swirling vortex was forming.
And in the waves and whirlpool, distinctly visible black currents flowed.
The colossal body of the Leviathan.
The black currents flowing through the sea were undoubtedly coming from the large wounds in the Leviathan’s body.
‘Definitely.’
This is not the type of power that can be dealt with by parrying.
The black mist flowing through this sea must have the power to dismantle an aura.
The situation Yuma was facing was one where even a sword master using protective aura could have their body crushed.
“Yuma…!”
Bell’s face was stiff as she stared wide-eyed, shooting a worried glance.
Boom─!
Duke Yuma brushed off their concerns.
Without hesitation, he stepped toward the swirling tempest of the ocean like a tidal wave and a typhoon colliding.
Confidence.
The blue blessing surging through his body assured him that it was okay to keep moving forward.
Clomp─
He took another step.
The tidal wave didn’t crash down on Yuma.
Swoosh─!!!
Crash─!!
The formless energy shattered the wave, twisting it away as if pushing it outwards.
Boom!!
The vortex that was spiraling harshly around the sea seemed to reverse itself like a video played in rewind, rising up to form a new horizon.
Grrr…!
The massive form of Leviathan trembled slightly.
Aura.
The blue energy that had been rippling behind that human just a moment ago.
From that energy, a tremendous pressure was felt.
Leviathan didn’t just move the sea with its hefty body.
Ideation.
It had sent its will to the nearby waters through a black current.
To cover that area with tidal waves.
To create a vortex capable of sweeping everything away from under that beast.
But that demigod-level will was instantly annulled.
With its crimson eyes shining, Leviathan, the head of the indigo dragon, couldn’t fathom the reason.
Only Duke Yuma knew the reason clearly.
One of the 12 deities of Olympus.
The second-in-command of Olympus, whose victory even the top dog Zeus couldn’t guarantee.
God of the sea.
God of earthquakes.
The great lord who ruled all the oceans of this world.
All of this pointed to one being: [God of the Sea─Poseidon].
The object that Poseidon personally granted divine power to was [Neptunus’s Legacy], and what Yuma had just used was the ultimate technique with a limit on how many times it could be used.
The deity of deities, the main god, Poseidon, had designed this blessing himself.
It was not a power that could be thwarted with merely demigod-level authority.
Having clearly witnessed the effect of [Divine Voyage], Yuma continued forward without hesitation.
The reason the silver seahorse, Silviria, couldn’t approach Leviathan was due to the black haze.
The other masters, including the Mullen Tribe Warriors, also struggled to approach it because of the black currents spreading through the ocean in its territory.
However, Yuma could approach it.
Equipment boost.
The overwhelming power of equipment boost.
Yet to those watching Yuma, it all felt like it was his own strength.
Even Cloney and Tisha, who had heard that Yuma possessed shoes that allowed him to walk on water, were confused about whether it was Yuma’s power or the shoes’ power.
There was not a hint of hesitation in Yuma’s steps.
And those exalted steps matched too well with the great upheaval happening around him.
The sea monster was furious.
Leviathan’s red eyes glinted with anger.
Leviathan continued to manipulate the ocean, launching attacks towards Yuma.
The water surged violently once again.
Over a hundred spears surged forth, enveloping Yuma.
However, soon that fierce torrent burst apart, returning to the sea.
Countless more spears and massive tidal waves followed.
All forms of incoming waves were obliterated.
Smash!
Leviathan’s forehead twisted like a malevolent spirit.
Behind that beast was merely a blue aura surrounding it.
Yet all attacks utilizing the sea and water fell utterly flat.
Clomp…
Yuma took another step into the ocean.
The ripples calmed gently.
The man kept walking across the horizon. Yuma’s figure loomed large over the clear blue sea.
The distance to Leviathan was narrowing.
Grrr!!
>Kuruuuuuhhh!!
The massive jaws of the Leviathan twisted.
The Mullen Tribe had never witnessed the Leviathan in such a rage before.
The ruler of the ocean, who had mercilessly slain countless of their kin, was helpless in front of that god, Yuma.
“That Leviathan… is being completely toyed with.”
Awe.
No, it was admiration beyond awe.
“That’s the God of War…!”
“Isn’t that… the God of the Sea?”
For the Mullen Tribe to speak of a human as the God of the Sea was nearly sacrilegious. It was a tribute that threw away their tribal pride.
However, no one could blame the Mullen Tribe warrior who murmured in astonishment.
They all harbored similar sentiments.
Most of the Mullen Tribe had already shifted into a phase of admiration that bordered on worship.
Once again, the Leviathan unleashed its thoughts towards the sea.
Kwahrrrghhhhh───!!!
An even greater whirlpool than before appeared before Yuma.
Yuma continued to traverse the ocean.
It touched.
His right foot and the whirlpool.
At that moment, the water flowed backwards.
Walking on ferocity. Walking on savagery.
It returned once more to a gentle horizon.
To an absolutely calm sea.
Step—
Shwaaaa…
At the edge of the quiet water’s ripple.
Yuma reached right in front of the [Leviathan].
The Leviathan’s entire body trembled.
The waves began to swell once again.
Fear.
The Leviathan felt extreme terror towards the human who had rendered all of its attacks useless.
KruuuuuuuuuuAAAAA!!!!
Now it had to transform this fear into rage.
The maw of the Leviathan, resembling a dragon’s head, opened wide.
Kwahaaaaaaa!!!
Azure light gathered in the Leviathan’s mouth. Dozens of blue rays erupted into the air.
Erase.
Wipe this human from sight.
It must be buried deep in the abyss of this ocean.
The azure light was not all there was.
The sea’s currents twitched once more.
Shwaaaaaaaaa!!!
Every last burst of the ocean reached the place where the lights gathered in front of the Leviathan’s maw.
With a spark of fervent light, the enormous concentration of light was cloaked by countless sea currents.
Soon, light began to flow even atop those currents.
If this blue sphere were to hit land, it could annihilate a small kingdom.
Such was the degree of destructive power that was coalescing.
Disappear.
The Leviathan yearned for that.
Unbeknownst to it, this very moment was exactly what Yuma had desired.
KruuuAAAAAA!!
The sphere burst forth towards Yuma.
Yuma aimed to eliminate all variables.
<Bullet Time>
Time flowed slowly through Yuma’s eyes.
<Extreme Focus>
He searched.
For the points to use for parrying.
A focal point where strength was clearly concentrated.
Yuma swung Balmung.
KaaAAaaANG!
The blade of Balmung tilted as if it were a blue sun.
Beneath it, golden waves rippled, signifying a successful parry.
<Absolute Counter─Disaster Split>
A skill that allows the use of [Absolute Counter] with the same power against up to three enemies, including the intended target.
Yuma had already predetermined the other two target points for the Disaster Split.
Beyond the fog that had settled, he could distinctly see at least a thousand [Sea Serpents].
To the east and west.
He designated the farthest visible [Sea Serpent] from each side as the target point.
Activate.
The blue sphere surged straight ahead at that angle.
And it was aimed at the upper body of the [Leviathan], including its jaws.
There was an upper body.
WRAAAAH!!!!!!!!
Crimson blood literally exploded.
Gray smoke violently surged up.
The upper body, including the jaw, was literally obliterated.
The moment there was no time to recover the body using divine power.
The red-eyed gaze immediately lost its vitality.
The defeated of the ocean had now just become a piece of meat.
Kugugu…
A massive ripple occurred.
And from both sides of the ripple, a fierce wind blew.
From the east and the west.
A gigantic blue flash as massive as the Leviathan emanated brilliant light and shot forward in a straight line.
That sight was.
FLASH──
Everyone watching the scene felt momentarily blinded by the light.
SHRRRRRAAAAAA!!!!!!!!
Both extremes had the sea split apart.
Literally. Without a jot of exaggeration, the sea was torn asunder.
The ground.
The surface made up of earth, sand, and jagged rocks was clearly visible.
The deep sea split on either side, revealing the bare ground beneath.
The waves from both east and west collided at a single point.
Had that point not existed, it would have seemed as if the sea had turned into land.
The king of the Mullen Tribe, Yeerkur, gaped.
“…The sea has been split apart.”
The east and west saw the sea cleaved, and all the forces gathered in between were utterly wiped out.
The remaining over a thousand [Western Sea Serpents].
And the vile whales, Illhveli, which were weaker than the [Sea Serpents] but outnumbered at three thousand, were swept away by the blue miracle.
All of Leviathan’s gathered forces were annihilated, leaving not a trace behind.
Kwarrrll… CRACK!!!
Disaster.
It was an event that could only be described as such, and after it ended.
The split sea slowly began to form a horizon.
“Divine Manifestation….”
Hestia trembled, her scarlet cat ears twitching.
And, unbeknownst to them, the Mullen Tribe and the White Night Clan all nodded in agreement.
It was a level of power that could only be explained as the divine manifesting before their eyes.
Duke Yuma felt a gaze upon him.
From the head of the floating Leviathan.
Clearly, from the left eye of the possibly dead Leviathan.
[‘An Unknown God’ is watching you through the divine power implanted in Leviathan.]
The notification of the status window echoed in his mind.
Just as Yuma had vaguely expected.
“Evil God, is it?”
Yuma quietly spoke, gazing at the crimson eye of Leviathan.
But, there was no reply to his words. It was likely only able to observe.
Last time, when he spent a day in the capital with Bell, it didn’t seem to be the same one that sent the noble lady he encountered on the way back.
‘Even if it’s a god. Seeing another god die, they’re not going to rush in so easily, are they?’
Yuma continued speaking.
“How rude. One should face each other face to face when meeting others, Evil God.”
Craack—
Yuma tightened his grip on Balmung.
“Next time, let’s meet directly.”
And he raised his sword.
“Otherwise, I’ll consider you a coward hiding in the Divine Realm.”
Swoosh!
Unlike his right eye, he sliced through the expressionless left eye.
Was it due to losing divine power? Or because it was an eye?
The red light extinguished at once.
Yuma stood on the sea, turning his back.
Only then did he feel the numerous gazes of awe and worship upon him.
Yuma softly spoke.
“I shall return.”