The Abyssal Kraken (Continued)

-Slash!

‘Moooooo!!!’

Ethan's sword, enhanced by my Sharp Blade buff, sliced through one of the Kraken’s arms in a V-shape, like dicing a large vegetable.

Specifically, he cut at a 45-degree angle with the sword in his left hand, then blocked and sliced the falling tentacle piece with the sword in his right hand. Regardless of the process, his strike had definitely been effective. I was confident we wouldn't just have to keep dodging its attacks anymore.

‘Thought I was going to die there.’

If Ethan's strike hadn't worked, both of us would have ended up crushed like dried fish. No one, not even Serista's grandfather, could save us from such a grotesque death on this lake. Our weekend outing would have ended in a tragic, pointless death.

Fortunately, Ethan trusted me and swung his sword with all his might. If he hadn't gone all out, the buff wouldn't have been enough.

‘The higher the trust in the buff magic, the more effective it is, which means….’

The thought momentarily cluttered my mind, but I refocused on the battle. Our survival in this fight was more crucial than pondering our future relationship.

I had worked too hard to get into the academy to die here at the hands of an event boss.

“Uh, uh…?”

Meanwhile, Ethan stood there, sword in hand, momentarily stunned that he had actually cut through the giant tentacle.

I yelled at him to snap him out of his daze.

“Get a grip, Ethan! Now's not the time to stand around like an idiot!”

“Oh, got it!”

“Remember that feeling! With my support magic, you can cut through those thick tentacles twice!”

“Twice? So I can still cut through one more?”

“You cut through with both swords simultaneously last time! Next time, use one sword at a time!”

“Understood! I’ll be careful!”

Dual swordsmanship allowed for powerful attacks with two swords, but it was a bit weak when it came to buffs that increased the power of the next n attacks, like Sharp Blade.

Buffs that increased cutting power for the next few attacks used up charges twice as fast. And since buffs couldn't stack in this system, we had to be careful with each use. I hadn’t had time to explain this earlier due to the chaos.

‘But now that he's experienced it, he should be confident in cutting with one sword next time.’

At least he wouldn't freeze up when another tentacle came flying.

As Harold's son, he should have that kind of guts.

Even with my buffs, it was almost impossible for Ethan to behead the Kraken. I also had only one effective attack spell against the giant monster, lacking both a dagger and spirits.

So, the best thing to do now was to tell Ethan to follow my lead.

“Ethan, the only way we can kill that monster right now is with Mana Blast.”

“Mana Blast? You mean that huge magic orb spell?”

“Yes. So, while I gather mana to use Mana Blast, you need to….”

“Distract that thing? Leave it to me, Lilith.”

“…Yes, exactly.”

Before I could finish, Ethan understood perfectly.

He nodded without hesitation, even though I was asking him to take on a dangerous role.

I cast Sharp Blade on Ethan again, but...

“Dodge, Lilith!”

“Kyaaah?!”

-Swoosh!

Ethan pulled me into his arms and laid us down on the water, just as a tentacle narrowly missed us.

It came from behind, and I hadn’t seen it coming. I had been too complacent.

“Th-thanks, Ethan.”

“Be careful, Lilith. You need to use Mana Blast to defeat it, right?”

“…Yes.”

Ethan was right. If I died here, Ethan would almost certainly die too.

I might have gotten an unexpected second life, but Ethan deserved a chance to live properly for once.

It would be a waste to let him die here.

“As I said, you can use it twice. Use it wisely.”

“…Got it.”

Ethan, now surrounded by a faint aura of mana, stood up.

I began chanting the Mana Blast spell toward the giant monster.

-Swoosh!

The Kraken immediately swung its next attack at me as I started the incantation.

I desperately wanted to cancel the spell and run, but Mana Blast couldn't be stopped once started.

I trusted Ethan to protect me, so I couldn’t stop.

-Slash!

‘Moooooo!!’

Ethan used his first cut to protect me from the tentacle.

The first chance was used up before I even finished a quarter of the chant.

Choosing a better moment might have reduced the mana cost of Water Walking, but I had no choice for the stability of Mana Blast.

Luckily, the Kraken, having its tentacle cut several times, hesitated and delayed its next attack.

This gave me a bit more time to chant.

“…All the gathered mana! Pure power….”

‘Just a bit more!’

The Mana Blast grew larger as my chant progressed.

At about three-quarters through, another slicing sound reached my ears.

-Slash!

‘Moooooo!!’

‘…That’s the second.’

The buff on Ethan was now used up.

Time was tight. My spell could finish before the Kraken's next attack if it didn’t act strangely.

With a precise calculation, I managed to complete the spell before the Kraken’s next attack.

With the final incantation, the massive orb of mana in my hands was launched at the Kraken.

“…Release! Mana Blast!!”

-Whoosh!!!

At the same time, the Kraken’s final attack targeted me directly.

This time, the attack aimed precisely at me, not Ethan. It wasn't something I could dodge or hide from in the water.

At level 12, there was a slim chance I wouldn’t die in one hit, but hoping for that was close to a miracle.

Oh well, it was a crude plan from the start. We hadn't even prepared for this fight.

I started this battle, hoping we might both die together, but if only one of us died, that would be better.

“Lilith!!”

“……”

…I probably won’t be able to answer your confession, Ethan.

I should’ve just lied and said yes.

Or maybe I should have just given Ethan what he wanted from the start. That would have been less regretful.

As I resigned myself, hoping it wouldn't hurt too much, a shadow suddenly blocked my view.

…It took me a moment to realize it was Ethan’s shadow.

-Clang!!

“…Ethan?”

Ethan, having used up both cuts, bravely faced the tentacle with his dual swords.

For a moment, I thought I had miscounted the cuts.

But Ethan’s swords no longer had the Sharp Blade’s glow.

Facing the massive boss monster’s suction cups, Ethan looked more serious than ever.

…Even more astonishingly, Ethan was deflecting the Kraken’s tentacle.

“……Huh?”

My mind went blank at the unbelievable sight.

Despite the damage from the previous battles, I thought there was no way Ethan could deflect the Kraken’s attacks.

But there he was, sweat pouring down, deflecting the huge tentacle with his dual swords.

Energy, almost like blue flames, occasionally sparked from his sword tips.

Wait, could it be…?

‘Ethan, have you already reached Expert level…?’

-KABOOM!!!

Before I could dwell on it, a massive explosion erupted from the Kraken’s head.

The tentacle attacking us recoiled and was flung into the air as its body lost balance.

“We… survived….”

-Splash!

“…Gulp?!”

 

Ah, right. I don't have any mana left for Water Walking anymore.

…I'm screwed. I can't swim.