KRIEEEEKKKKK!
That shriek started the monsters' attack. The seawater and mucus clinging to their bodies splashed onto the deck floor as they ran with unusual movements.
Seeing the monsters drawing closer, the awakeners could not stay still. Sheathed swords were drawn, and shields were raised sky-high. They were ready for the battle.
"Attack!"
A war cry echoed, and the awakeners charged at the sea monsters.
And then, the clash between the two was inevitable.
Slash! Splat!
KRAAAWWW
The sound of flesh being torn apart and screams vibrated the air.
The humans in armor brutally swung their swords and killed these blue-skinned creatures, staining the ship's floor with green blood. They fought without fear on their faces.
On the other hand, the sea monsters were no less brutal. They fought like beasts, relying on their sharp teeth and claws. They tore apart the iron armor covering the human body.
"Die!"
Slash! Splat!
Kieeek
An awakener managed to get first blood by decapitating a monster.
Of course, this boosted the morale of the awakeners.
"Not bad at all."
While they fought against the monsters, Klaus and the ship's crew watched them from the bridge.
In his eyes, the awakeners were fighting well. They could maintain a battle formation even though no leader was instructing them. The fighters held the front lines, maintaining the defense and keeping the casters and supports away from the threat of the monsters.
While they used their muscles and swords to kill the sea monsters, the casters, and supports stayed behind, launching attacks and some healing 'talents'.
In a way, they fight instinctively.
Klaus predicted this battle posed no serious threat to the ship. Seeing how they fought, he was sure they were experienced crew members.
While Klaus had a calm expression, the captain and crew looked the opposite. They were pale after seeing how horrible the monsters looked. Although this man had decades of experience sailing every ocean on Earth, he had never met monsters.
"Egh, uh-"
"Klaus. If you want to know my name."
The captain was wide-eyed. Klaus told his name before the captain could finish his question. The old man was slightly surprised, thinking Klaus could read minds.
"Ah, mister Klaus. You know those monsters?" the captain asked in a curious tone.
Klaus nodded. "Yeah. They're 'tritons'."
Tritons were monsters that lived in the sea. With humanoid bodies and fish-like characteristics - slimy skin and gills, they were often mistaken for mermaids. These sea monsters were meat eaters. They preyed on anything above or below the surface of the sea. In Klaus' previous world, the Triton was the main enemy of fishermen. They usually attacked ships that crossed their territory.
Despite their creepy appearance, the tritons were low-class monsters, equivalent to the C-Class, which could be defeated if the awakeners fighting them took a little care.
"I wonder if we can defeat them?"
"We can. No need to worry."
The captain pursed his lips after getting a solid answer from Klaus. Although there was a hint of doubt on his face.
Klaus scanned the entire deck. The tide of battle began to appear in favor of which side. The awakeners were slaughtering these triton monsters with ease. Its blood pooled like a pond and colored the deck green. Fighters seemed to have no trouble slitting the throats of these monsters, and casters freely dealt elemental damage, spitting fire or striking lightning.
If the battle continued like this, the awakener definitely won this battle. Of course, Klaus won't just sit back.
"Laplace, tell me how many tritons are attacking the ship," Klaus muttered.
<Yes, my liege.>
Not long after, a holographic light appeared in front of his face, displaying some information.
[Triton - 561 individuals - battle power 323,000]
Seeing the numbers, Klaus smiled.
"Klaus!"
A familiar feminine voice jolted him. Looking back, Klaus saw Sylvia and the other guild members who had just come in.
A smile bloomed on his face.
"Klaus, Klaus, Klaus! We're surrounded! They're all surrounding us!" As usual, Joanna always panicked in critical situations.
"You'd better give us orders quickly. Our guild master doesn't look well." Michael looked worried, seeing Justin pale and struggling to stand due to the effects of seasickness. Even Akio, who was always relaxed, seemed to have a serious look on his face.
Meanwhile, the rest waited for Klaus to make a decision. They trusted him completely after the yellow dungeon incident in South Hoston.
"It is okay. I gathered you here because I was worried that there would be powerful monsters attacking this ship, but my guess was wrong. We can easily get rid of them. "
"So, what are we going to do now? My hands are itching to kill those monsters." Akio said.
Klaus smirked. "Good, that's what I was going to say. These damn tritons are coming to give us the spotlight."
Naturally, the entire guild was intrigued by Klaus' words.
"Bring out our latest gear! Let's kick their fucking asses!"
All party members nodded their heads.
Sylvia stroked the ring on her middle finger. The red-haired woman had been entrusted by Klus as the holder of the spatial ring, responsible for saving all the equipment of the awakeners.
She touched and shifted the empty air as if a giant screen in front of her face. Not long after, all the party members emitted a bright white light from their bodies.
As the white light vanished, the ship's captain and crew dropped their jaws.
"Woah... amazing."
All the guild members wore futuristic-style combat gear. Black metal hubcaps covered some parts of their bodies, and tight black fabric covered their joints. Around their waists, a buckle with a pair of elemental guns was sheathed, and a melee weapon was attached to their backs.
It was War Armor v1. A stage product made by Mors Industries.
At first glance, they were like the troops in Metal Gear Solid.
Seeing all his men were ready for battle, Klaus widened the smile on his face. However, Justin looked in a pitiful condition.
"Sorry, Klaus. I can't fight on the sea. My head is dizzy and my stomach feels like it's spinning. I can't." Justin curled up on the floor.
"Joanna. Treat this pathetic man." Klaus gave the order.
The golden-haired girl scratched her temple with her index finger. "I already did but it is still same."
A sigh of disappointment escaped Klaus.
"Alright. You all jump into the deck, help them... no," Klaus shook his head, "kill as many tritons as you can."
They nodded their heads in unison. After that, they carried out their duties as ordered.
However, Klaus held Olivia back.
"What is it?" The busty girl furrowed her brows.
"I have something for you."
A light appeared as Klaus stroked the ring on his finger. He took out a 2-meter-long katana from the spatial ring and handed it to her.
Naturally, Olivia was wide-eyed.
"T-this... arcana."
"Yup. Use it well. You'll find out what it does."
Olivia was still dumbfounded by the arcana Klaus had given her. "I thought you didn't like me." She gave an enigmatic look.
Klaus shook his head. "We'll discuss this another time. For now, help your friends fight."
Olivia smiled widely. Klaus could see the happy draw of this woman. Then, she nodded her head before following the others to the deck.
Klaus walked towards the front window on the bridge. Both of his hands touched the table in his low posture. Like a boss, Klaus observed the battle.
"Come on, show them how terrifying Mors Industries' weapons are."
Amid the growing battle, a huge bolt of lightning suddenly struck the center of the deck, burning several tritons into charred lumps of flesh. Naturally, the crew members were shocked.
"What was that?"
They looked at each other with twisted faces. In their entire lives, they had never seen lightning strike so fiercely from a caster. They looked in the direction from which the lightning came, searching for who had launched the deadly lightning that could kill everyone on the deck.
"Eh! Look at that!" A crew member pointed into the air.
From the direction of the adjacency, a group of people in black hubcap metal armor walked casually toward the battle. A red-haired woman walked at the very front of the line. Behind her was a group of awakeners in similar armor.
Each of them carried an Elemental Gun. Sauntering, they killed a dozen tritons with a single pull. Massive lightning struck quickly, sweeping away these sea monsters in the blink of an eye and incinerating them with giant fireballs.
Instead of focusing on their battle, the awakeners were dumbfounded, witnessing the appearance of the Rays of Hope.
"Everyone! Kill all the tritons on this ship! Don't let a single one live!" exclaimed Sylvia.
"Yeah!"
