Chapter 45
“Long time no see, you bastard.”
The reason I knew the otherworldly god Azure was thanks to my memories from my past life.
In my previous life, after Jörmungandr died, this otherworldly god tore through the Abyss.
At the time, I didn’t know, but the mermaids and nagas, driven mad by Sidoq, worshipped Azure as their god and roamed the seas.
And when Azure, along with the mermaids and nagas’ forces, advanced into the Pacific…
“The gods formed a hunting party.”
I can’t even count how many people died trying to kill Azure.
The traitors’ sabotage, the bloody battle with mermaids and nagas, and even Azure, their god.
Only after countless sacrifices were made could we finally seal the Abyss.
—GROOAAARR!!
Azure’s roar shook the heavens and the earth.
[Status Effect: Berserker Level Up]
[Aggression increases. Attack △, Defense ▽]
[Berserker Unique Skill: Can now use Frenzy.]
[Frenzy – B Rank]
[Effect 1: Doubles all attack power, but you cannot distinguish between friend and foe (Duration: 5 minutes)]
[Effect 2: After use, you become incapacitated for 10 minutes]
[Does not consume a skill slot]
Even though I tried to minimize casualties while fighting, a significant number of mermaids couldn’t withstand my power.
Perhaps because of that, I gained the unique skill, Frenzy.
Even though I obtained such an efficient skill that doesn’t take up a skill slot, I wasn’t happy about it.
It meant I had come dangerously close to losing control.
“I need to change this soon, before it’s too late.”
If I miss the timing, I’d become a true berserker, unable to distinguish friend from foe.
But that wasn’t now.
Not yet.
There was still an enemy to face.
“Azure! A monster!”
“All remaining units, target that monster!”
I climbed atop Jörmungandr’s head.
—Do you know its weak point?
“Like it looks—fire.”
I drew Hephaestus’s hammer.
“Just put me on top of its body. I’ll handle the rest.”
—Understood. Anything else to watch out for?
“Azure must not cross the Abyss. If it escapes to our world’s seas, it’ll be many times harder to catch.”
—Got it. I’ll try to restrict its movement as much as I can.
“Good.”
Jörmungandr raised its body, and I grew even closer to the flying whale.
A giant whale, about the same length as Jörmungandr.
A sea god worshiped by the fishfolk.
A whale so massive it seemed unbreakable.
Today, I would kill it.
“Let’s go.”
A barrage of arrows rained down on Azure.
The nagas and mermaids judged that they needed to attack their mortal enemy first.
Wooooooosh.
The whale’s sonar made our ears ring as it neared Azure.
The arrows lost their power and fell to the ground.
“Ugh, my ears feel like they’re going to burst.”
—Are you okay?
“I’m not okay, so hurry up.”
—Understood.
Around the whale’s body, a massive magic circle unfolded, pouring down powerful magic.
A giant whale casting magic.
I suppose that’s what it means to be a god.
—GROOAAARR!
Jörmungandr roared and deflected Azure’s magic.
It was a technique that made it clear that this being could rival a god.
Boom! Kraaang! KRAAANG!
The magic that missed us fell on the ground, hitting the fishfolk shooting arrows below.
The noise was so loud it drowned out their screams.
Jörmungandr latched onto Azure and sank its fangs into the body.
—GROOOAAARR!
The whale’s body wavered and shook violently.
—I won’t hold much longer! Hurry up and climb.
Before Jörmungandr’s words even ended, I threw myself onto Azure’s body.
Climbing atop it, I saw…
“Crrreeeaaak!”
Hundreds of fishfolk were perched on Azure’s body.
The difference between them and the others below: they had already lost reason and become monsters.
I saw it.
A massive, whale-sized parasite attached to their spines.
A parasite.
The parasite’s size matched the giant whale.
“To finish off the whale, I need to deal with you first.”
There were no allies near me.
Only enemies.
In this situation, I had just obtained the perfect skill.
[Frenzy – B Rank]
[Effect 1: Doubles all attack power, but you cannot distinguish between friend and foe (Duration: 5 minutes)]
[Effect 2: After use, you become incapacitated for 10 minutes]
[Does not consume a skill slot]
My vision turned red.
The fishfolk in front of me began to warp in shape.
Showing teeth, radiating hostility.
My instinct revealed a deep, relentless hatred for these monsters.
—Kill the enemies in front of you.
—By any means necessary.
Voices echoed in my head, commanding me to kill.
It was as if countless people were crying out to me.
Do whatever it takes to kill them.
Countless tridents pierced toward me.
I twisted my body slightly to dodge them.
But I didn’t parry them.
Parrying is for amateurs.
Give up your arm and take the bones of your enemy.
Pook!
I pierced through the enemies rushing toward me, slashing deeper.
Severing heads, crushing skulls.
Kill everything in front of you.
If it requires getting injured myself, so be it.
“Crrrk!”
“Crup!”
“Kerrrrk!”
The monsters’ cries echoed.
They looked at me, horrified.
Yes. Be more frightened.
Fear the death-bringer coming for you.
I swung my sword, blood sparkling like stars in all directions.
The fishfolk vomited blood and fell.
Innards spilled beneath their burst bodies.
A warrior bathes in the blood of their enemies, feasts on their flesh.
“Focus!”
I clenched my teeth until they shattered, regaining my focus.
I almost lost my mind to instinct.
The monsters trying to protect the whale were still aiming at me.
My body moved faster than I could think.
As soon as the sword pierced between a shoulder, I slashed diagonally.
Bodies split, blood and guts poured out.
More monsters aimed at me, but ignore them.
I had a real target.
I stood on Azure.
Jörmungandr was still blocking Azure from crossing the Abyss.
If it escaped, we would never win.
Azure was dangerously close to the Abyss.
Now was the chance.
[Earth Explosion]
I struck Azure’s body with the divine hammer.
Lava infused with the power of the blacksmith god erupted violently.
KRAAAANG!
Azure’s back split, boiling lava spilling out.
—GROOOAAARR!
The deafening roar assaulted my ears, fluid running from my ears.
“One more time!”
[Earth Explosion]
I could strike only twice.
The lava surged, erupting again and slicing through the massive whale’s body.
Its back tilted forward.
The body wavered, the world flipped.
Ahh.
The giant whale collapsed to the ground.
“Snake’s eye.”
I slipped into the maw of the massive dragon.
And lost consciousness.
My whole body felt wet as my scattered mind returned.
—I’m coming to?
Jörmungandr’s voice reached me.
I remembered the end—how it had caught me in its mouth as I fell with Azure.
“Thank you.”
—No problem. For a great dragon, this is nothing.
Its jaws opened, and I slid down to the ground.
The massive whale’s back was fully shattered, filled with solidified lava.
The lava from Hephaestus’s hammer had completely crushed Azure’s insides through the split back.
Even a god could not withstand such a shock.
The vast ocean itself had been devoured.
But my eyes were not on Azure’s corpse.
They were on the creatures walking across it.
The mermaids who had tried to protect Azure to the very end.
“Crrrrrk!”
“Kerrrrk!”
They moved clumsily, guided by the whale-parasite.
Already neither alive nor dead.
Just chunks of flesh moving according to the parasites’ commands.
—The host, Azure, died and lost control. They now move on their own.
A horrific sight.
The monsters had been controlled and had become monsters themselves.
I saw the whale-tail marks on their faces.
Like in our world, they were heretics.
There had been heretics among the mermaids.
A heretic’s end is always the same.
Used until the very end, and abandoned by the otherworldly god.
I cut them down with my Dragon Slayer.
After several slashes, only one remained.
It moved stiffly, staring into the void.
Its eyes were filled with tears.
Perhaps a reflex from the parasites, or the last bit of regret—I didn’t know.
But I cut it down.
Thud!
Its corpse collapsed on the blood-soaked ground.
The parasites protecting Azure all withered and died.
Naturally, when the host dies, the parasites die.
“Looks like Azure is dead.”
—Yeah. Definitely killed it. I already checked.
There was no need to approach for confirmation.
[The sea-devouring god Azure has been dealt with.]
[Reward: Skill of ‘Current Devourer’ is recorded in the history book.]
[Current Devourer – S Rank]
[Skill: Blessing of the Currents (1)]
[Effect: Creates a strong protective shield in a 3m radius using water currents.]
[Skill grows with level: radius increases, and damage taken increases.]
[To unlock higher levels, you must hunt more sea gods.]
[Max skill level: 4]
[You have defeated an evil god that could destroy a world.]
[Everyone is amazed by your achievement.]
[A new history is written.]
[History Book Level increased.]
[History Book Lv. 15]
Obtaining a new skill meant I had completely hunted Azure.
The history book’s level also increased—by a staggering four levels.
