"Gunpowder Chief, alchemy bombs, throw again!" Gel reacted faster than Aiven, realizing the sea monster was still beneath the ship at the first sign of trouble.
"Bomber, aim..."
The Gunpowder Chief's order was not yet finished when the ship shook violently.
Before the sailors on board could react, the seawater churned violently, and countless deep blue, slimy tentacles climbed onto the deck from both sides of the water, spreading a strong fishy smell that made one want to vomit.
It was like the devil's tentacles from the depths of the ocean, trying to drag the entire ship to the deep sea. In Aiven's previous life's monster disaster films, if the people on board didn't scream and run chaotically, it would be a waste of the producers' burning budget.
But here, it was a disappointment to the audience.
"Steady, stay at your posts!"
Except for the newcomers who just boarded, not a single person panicked. Although the veterans were nervous, they restrained the newcomers, ensuring everyone firmly held their positions, waiting for orders from their superiors.
Cre-eak... cre-eak...
In a short time, the sea monster and the battleship had entangled, continuously tightening its tentacles to firmly fix itself on the Silver Wings.
At this point, alchemy bombs could no longer be used against the sea monster; otherwise, the only result would be a "boom," blowing both the battleship and the sea monster sky-high.
"Boatswain, lead your charge team to cut off the tentacles and prevent it from causing havoc!"
Gel understood that the Silver Wings, a Level 5 battleship, did not possess the extraordinary power to drag it into the sea, and they had to worry about the sea monster damaging the sails and rudder, thus incapacitating the battleship.
If it came to that, they would be at the mercy of the sea monster, and even official knight-level warriors would face a grim fate.
Faced with tentacles rushing onto the deck, the real close-quarters combat for the sailors had finally arrived, even though it was a battle style that favored their manpower advantage. However, the sea monster's strength was something ordinary sailors could hardly contend with.
"Sea monster, get back to your depths!"
"Ah---!"
"Die---!!"
As soon as the battle began, within just a few breaths, several sailors had been unwittingly grabbed by the tentacles and pulled into the water, followed by a red stain of blood appearing on the water, indicating their grim fate.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"...
The sailors' firearms kept firing, but could only cause the tentacles to slightly retract in pain, as lead bullets were not very effective on creatures covered in slime and tough skin.
Fortunately.
The alchemy bombs thrown earlier were not entirely ineffective; many tentacles climbing up were damaged, with even the sturdiest of them severed, implying that the main body, yet unseen, was not entirely unscathed.
Seeing the difficult battle situation on the deck, Aiven felt a slight sense of relief. The previous battle with the sea monster was thrilling, but he could only watch helplessly, unable to contribute.
To be honest, feeling completely unable to influence the battle and only going with the flow was very unpleasant!
So when Gel ordered free attacks, Aiven sprinted forward. His long sword flashed like silver lightning, fighting against a tentacle roughly as thick as an adult's waist.
Even until now, the sea monster's main body had not been seen, but this tentacle alone, despite being as thick as a human waist, was only medium-sized among the more than twenty tentacles that had climbed up.
After a few moves, Aiven realized that the sea monster's intelligence was not very high. After climbing onto the deck, the tentacles only aimed to pull down sailors continuously attacking it, without actively damaging the sails.
Moreover, the swinging of the tentacles was merely the creature's instinctive response, haphazardly flailing about, far from the deadly combat of a life-and-death battle.
Even though its strength far exceeded that of an apprentice knight and possibly even an official knight, Aiven felt it was still within his capacity to handle. Seizing the opportunity, he disregarded how the tentacle tips swung, targeting the roots where they met the deck's edge.
"Hah---! Slash---!!!"
Holding the sword with both hands, he raised it overhead, unleashing the most powerful move from "Military Swordsmanship," the "Jump Slash," directly cutting the tentacle halfway through.
Seizing the instant it was stiffened by pain, he quickly leapt up and delivered another "Jump Slash," completely severing the tentacle.
Splash—
Blue blood sprayed, covering a large area of the deck.
Simultaneously, Aiven saw a ten-man squad working together, sacrificing one comrade to cut off a slightly smaller tentacle.
The sailors had come to a sobering realization that as long as they could cut off the sea monster's tentacles, even if they couldn't kill its main body, it would be unable to continue its assault.
Restoring the Silver Wings' ability to sail was the only way to regain the initiative.
Thus, everyone on the ship was fighting desperately!
After severing a tentacle, Aiven, ignoring the stinky blood on him, quickly ran towards another tentacle, freeing some ordinary crew members who were struggling to hold on, allowing them to join up with the charge team.
Thud—
Thud—
Axes and swords cut and chopped, and tentacles were severed one by one. However, the casualties among the crew also increased as they grew tired.
Only now did Aiven truly understand how true the saying "Sea monsters are the rulers of the sea" was, as even a half-maimed small species required huge sacrifices to deal, let alone the legendary large species and giant species.
If this continued, although the navy could repel the sea monster, the losses would not be insignificant. As former Level 3 battleship crew, Aiven believed his predecessors, who sailed the open seas, would not find it so simple.
The situation had become somewhat critical, and while dealing with increasingly frenzied tentacles, Aiven scanned the ship, seeking the person most likely to turn the tide.
"There!"
A tall, imposing figure stood at the highest point of the ship's bow, unmoving as the ship swayed with the waves.
In the instant Aiven's gaze landed, Gel seemed to discover something.
"All crew, grab onto the sea monster's tentacles and prevent it from escaping!"
With a loud shout, Gel raised a pure steel harpoon covered in barbs high in the air.
"Hah!!! Physical Liberation — Fifty percent!!!"
Like a volcano suppressed for millennia suddenly erupting, a fierce and wild aura burst from Gel, eliciting shivers, as if an ancient beast from the past had descended upon the ship, were it not for his familiar silhouette.
Gel's right arm, lifting the harpoon, swelled like inflating, muscles bulging and rippling beneath the skin, becoming thicker than an adult's thigh in an instant, taking on a cold, metallic hue.
"Go!"
Whoosh—
The harpoon shot into the water like lightning, astonishingly not causing any splash.
In a flash of lightning, it seemed nothing happened, yet it also seemed everything was concluded...
However, Aiven knew that this strike must have made its mark.
Because in the instant the harpoon entered the water, the tentacles that had been raging on the deck all stiffened, then limply fell into the water as if drained of all strength.
The Silver Wings was freed, starting up again with the wind billowing the sails.
"Victory!"
"Hurrah! Long live the Captain!"
"The sea monster is done for! Hahaha!"
The next moment, an outpour of cheers engulfed the entire battleship.
Standing at the bow, Gel remained still, his right arm restored to its original form, holding another pure steel harpoon, with sharp eyes never leaving the sea surface.
Minutes later, a massive black shadow floated slowly to the surface, bobbing with the waves, allowing Gel to finally breathe a sigh of relief. He called for First Mate Perry to lead a team to handle the sea monster's carcass.
Aiven witnessed it all.
Uncle Gel hadn't acted at first; he observed the sailors and tentacles, using feedback from the tentacles and rich experience to determine the sea monster's hidden main body position. Finally, he unleashed his power with an earth-shaking, lethal blow, securing the victory!
Silently cheering, Aiven was also amazed at the power possessed by a Peak Knight.
After stepping onto the Knight's Path, apart from the already seriously injured Grandpa Leo, this was his first time seeing a Peak Knight's full power in action.
It was as if a hero from ancient myths had stepped forth, with mysterious, overwhelming might capable of turning the tides, intensifying Aiven's yearning for knight-level power.
"This power... soon...!"