Throne of Gods

The two pirate ships drifted side by side, separated by a safe but steady distance. They sailed deeper into the thick mist that clung to the surface of the ocean like a living being. The farther they moved, the more the world around them disappeared into a blanket of pale gray. Visibility shrank with every passing minute until even the faint outline of the other ship was barely discernible.

Leo stood near the rail on Avalon's main deck, his eyes fixed on the shifting fog. Around him, the crew did the same—quiet, alert, hands close to weapons. No one dared speak. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the creak of wood and the gentle lap of water against the hull.

It wasn't just fog, the air was thick with magic. It clung to their skin and made the hairs on their arms stand on end. Leo narrowed his eyes, senses sharp. They were nearing the center of something—something alive.

Suddenly, Arthur, standing just a few steps away, tensed. He placed two fingers to his temple, clearly receiving a telepathic message.

But his face twisted in frustration.

'…We… re about to…' Selina's voice flickered through his mind, warped and broken.

Arthur concentrated harder. "What?"

Leo turned toward him, immediately concerned. "Something wrong?"

Arthur frowned, shaking his head. "I can't hear her properly. Her voice is scrambled."

A few moments later, the outline of Selina's ship emerged from the mist, drawing closer to Avalon. The crew aboard the Red Rose was already in motion, sprinting across the deck. Then Selina appeared near the edge of her ship, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"I said," she shouted, "we're about to turn on the damn device! This whole mist is drenched in mana—it's scrambling telepathy!"

Arthur let out a short breath and gave her a nod. "Alright, we're ready!"

Selina turned to her crew and barked out orders. Without hesitation, they began activating the enchantments. Lines of magic lit up beneath their feet, trailing across the deck like glowing veins. A large gem set into the wood began to hum with power.

On Avalon, Arthur gestured to Laid. "Shields up!"

The call was answered immediately. A shimmer of translucent blue light enveloped both ships, a protective layer of magic rising like a bubble around each hull.

Beneath the waves, sealed compartments opened, revealing the sound generators which was shielded against water exposure with a protective spell.

Selina's crew activated the first part of the system, the heat generator. Mana moved through the Chains that surged from the ship into the sea, connecting to a dense orb of iron embedded with dual enchantment circles. The orb flared to life, glowing red as if it had been pulled from a forge. A low hum filled the air, and seconds later, the sea around the orb began to bubble violently.

Steam hissed upward in thick white clouds, adding more fog to the already blinding mist.

Leo raised a brow, watching the plume rise. "…We didn't really think through the steam part, did we?" he muttered.

Before Arthur could reply, Selina's voice cut through again—sharp and smug.

"Of course we did!"

Another set of enchantments flared on her deck. A new circle activated, and with a low roar, a controlled burst of wind exploded outward from her ship. A pulse every few seconds.

A shockwave of air pushed outward in rhythmic waves. The powerful wind started to break apart the mist, forcing it upward and away. Avalon's shields shimmered in the breeze, holding strong against the pressure.

Bit by bit, the sea began to reveal itself. The mist pulled back, rising slowly into the air like a curtain lifting from the stage. Beneath it, the water continued to boil—but it was eerily calm otherwise. No ripples, no disturbance and no sign of Osara.

Everyone waited. Selina lifted a hand, and her crew activated the final device, the sound generator. The crystal embedded in the machine pulsed.

A low-frequency hum rippled through the water, distorting the surface of the ocean. The sound wasn't something they heard—it was something they felt. The deck beneath their feet vibrated gently as the sound waves spread downward like concentric rings.

The vibrations were visible, disturbing the ocean in wide ripples. For nearly an hour, the two ships moved in slow coordination across the heated waters. The sound generator pulsed rhythmically, each beat like the slow, steady heartbeat of a giant beast. But nothing happened.

Tension crept in. Crew members whispered quietly, doubt creeping into their expressions. Some shifted uncomfortably. Others scanned the waves as if expecting something to rise at any second.

Then, without warning, the sea shuddered. Not a wave—not a ripple—but a tremor. Both ships rocked as a deep vibration surged beneath them, strong enough to rattle the beams of their hulls. Leo grabbed the rail.

Another tremor followed. This one stronger. Rhythmic. Like a pulse—but not from the device. Something massive was moving.

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The ocean bulged, rising unnaturally in the distance. Steam hissed violently from the surface as bubbles burst across the waves. No one needed to say it. They all knew. The Kraken was coming.

Arthur shouted. "Everyone, get ready!"

Across both decks, the crews sprang into action. The hunt had begun.

Instinctively, Thorn burst forth from a pool of blood forming in Leo's palm and settled into his hand with a hiss. He held his stance, standing motionless on the ship's deck, his eyes was scanning the ocean.

But suddenly it stopped. The sudden stillness felt more threatening than the shaking.

Crew members on both ships exchanged uneasy glances, hands gripping weapons, spells prepared in hushed readiness. The silence dragged for only a moment, but it was enough to tighten every chest on deck.

Then the cry came. "It's coming up!" The terrified voice of the watchman rang across the ship like a bell tolling for doom.

The sea erupted. From the churning depths, ten massive tentacles surged into the sky, trailing saltwater and steam. Four of them—towering in the center—were so immense they could have leveled an island. The other six coiled outward like vipers, each thick enough to crush a ship with a single blow. The sea trembled in their presence, waves rippling outward in every direction.

Leo's eyes widened in awe. Even with all the stories, he had never imagined the Kraken would be this massive.

Then on either side, Arthur and Selina launched from their ships. Arthur drew a gleaming blade from the air, its surface alive with holy light, while Selina's scythe wrapped in black smoke that trailed behind her like a ribbon in the wind.

Three of the smaller tentacles lashed out toward Arthur mid-air. Without hesitation, he hurled his sword at the first. The blade exploded in a flash of radiant energy that halted it instantly. In a blink, he summoned another weapon and flung it again—this time the sword split mid-flight into two, piercing the second and third tentacles in a burst of light.

But from the edge of that blinding chaos, a fourth tentacle twisted upward, using the distraction to streak toward Avalon's hull.

Leo saw it before Arthur did. His body moved on instinct. A slash of blood magic swept through the air, and the tip of the tentacle was severed, forcing the massive limb to recoil in pain.

He landed on a glowing platform, a construct made from enchantments, and hovered beside Arthur.

"Are you ready?" Arthur asked, already conjuring another sword into his waiting hand.

Leo gave a short exhale. "No..."

Arthur flashed a grin and surged forward with fast speed, like a comet of light. Leo cursed under his breath and followed.

To the right, Selina had already severed one of the smaller tentacles with a single clean swing. Now she danced in the air, her scythe embedded deep in one of the larger limbs. A shadow-formed construct, shaped like a monstrous blade, twisted into the Kraken's flesh, tearing it apart. From the wound, chittering insect-like creatures began to spill out. They had glowing red eyes, sharp legs, and armored shells that skittered across the tentacle's surface before launching themselves toward the ships.

On both decks, chaos erupted. Mages, swordsmen, and archers unleashed everything they had. Fire spells collided with swarms mid-air. Blades clashed with monstrous claws. The air was thick with spells, screams, and the smell of burning salt.

Leo turned to focus on one of the massive limbs creeping closer to Avalon, but then something beyond the Kraken caught his eye—movement in the mist.

He narrowed his gaze. Dozens of ships were drifting toward them through the haze—rotten, waterlogged vessels with sails in tatters and hulls rimmed in glowing moss. There was no crew visible at first, only shadows shifting in the fog.

Then the shapes came into view—grotesque figures with twisted features. Once human, elf, or other, now nothing more than husks. Sea plants grew out of their bodies like tumors, coral plating covered parts of their skin, and their movements were jerky, puppet-like. The Kraken's enslaved dead.

"Kraken's ghost ships!" Leo shouted, pointing toward the advancing fleet. Without waiting, he launched himself across the water toward the nearest vessel.

He landed hard on the ghost ship's deck, immediately met by glowing eyes and snarling faces. Arrows whistled toward him, launched from deformed limbs wielding twisted bows, while others hurled spells—Water Orbs and spikes of condensed mana crashing into his shield made of blood around him.

They were coordinated, but not strong—not by his standards. Thorn surged to life in his hand, blood magic pouring from his veins into the blade. He needed time. Forty seconds to fully charge his new Blood Slash. He weaved between attacks, slashing and parrying, buying time as more undead tried to surround him.

Until the moment arrived. Power surged through Leo's body, burning through his veins like liquid flame. He leapt from the shattered deck of the ghost ship, launching himself into the air.

Hovering above the sea, suspended midair by a glowing platform of enchantment beneath his feet, he faced the crumbling ship head-on. Thorn pulsed in his grasp, the blade alive with crackling crimson light. Blood coiled around the weapon in thin, writhing streams.

He brought it down in a massive arc, releasing a wave of power that sliced the ship from bow to stern. The deck split apart with a scream of splintering wood and dying spirits. Water swallowed the wreckage moments later, dragging what was left of the cursed crew into the abyss.

He turned toward the next ship, momentum already carrying him forward as he leapt between hovering platforms of glowing enchantment. Each one flickered into existence beneath his feet for just a heartbeat before vanishing, allowing him to race across the air. Thorn pulsed in his hand, alive with blood magic.

Below, the ghost ships adjusted course. Arrows and spells came flying—water orbs, razor-sharp wind blades, even jagged bolts of ice—but they passed harmlessly around him. His speed, combined with his Blood Aura, made him almost untouchable.

Then he saw the opportunity. Three of the ghost ships had unknowingly fallen into alignment, their hulls creaking and groaning as they glided forward in a single line through the darkened waters. He shifted, positioning himself high above, and let out a slow breath. The energy in Thorn surged to its peak again.

In one clean motion, Leo raised the sword and slashed downward. The Blood Slash erupted from the blade with a screeching howl, a crescent of pure red force ripping through the air as it dove toward the sea. It struck the first ship with a violent crack, tearing straight through the deck and splitting the vessel in half. The sound of splintering wood echoed over the waves as fire and blood burst from the ghostly crew.

Still surging, the attack smashed into the second ship. Its front end shattered on impact, the entire structure breaking apart as the energy carved through it like a blade through silk. Screams echoed briefly before vanishing beneath the crashing waves.

But by the time the slash reached the third ship, its power had begun to waver. The crimson arc was thinning, flickering along its edges. It struck just off-center, carving deep into the ship's midsection. The hull cracked open with a horrific groan, the main mast snapped like a twig and fell into the sea.

Crew members, twisted remnants of once-living beings wrapped in seaweed and rot, scrambled in confusion as their crippled ship began to tilt, groaning as water surged into the hold.

Above them, Leo hovered midair, Thorn still humming in his hand. His breath was heavy now. Blood spells always came with a cost. He could feel it in his limbs, in the tightening of his chest. But he didn't hesitate.

Four ships had been neutralized—three destroyed, one broken and sinking. It was a start. And the Kraken had yet to show its true face.