Two more sshes followed, and the tentacle finally detached, falling lifelessly into the water, staining it red. Without hesitation, Mikael moved on, cutting down a sed tentacle using the same method.

  The other tentacles quickly reacted, sensing the loss of their panions. Although it seemed as if it had taken a long time, the entire exge had only sted a few seds due to Mikael’s supersonic speed. Enraged by the loss of three of its appehe Kraken began thrashing its remainiacles wildly, targeting the supposed source\ of its pain, the big floating object.

  The enormous appendages smmed into the ship with deafening crashes, causing signifit damage with every impact. Despite their soft texture, the sheer size of the tentacles made them incredibly heavy, and their weight alone was enough to cause siderable destru.

  Mikael didn’t pause for a moment. He severed the fourth tentacle with precision, though it took slightly lohan before, as the tentacle was now thrashing and more difficult tet. He quickly followed up by cutting down the fifth and sixth tentacles. One by o tentacles fell, leaving only twelve remaining.

  Realizing that the Kraken ged its strategy, Mikael noticed all the surviviacles and even the dead ones submerging themselves bato the water.

  As the Krakereated, Mikael quickly gnced around the ship and wi the sight. The damage was severe—most of the sailors on the main deck had been killed, crushed uhe attag tentacles. The ship itself was in bad shape. One of the three masts had fallen, and the main deck was in disarray. The hull had sustained several small holes, and water in. If nothing was dohe ship would iably sink.

  His eyes sed the area until he spotted the vice captain, hiding nearby. He appeared before him in the blink of an eye, his high-speed movement making it seem as though he had teleported.

  The vice captain, startled by Mikael’s sudden appearance, opened his mouth to ask what was happening. Just moments ago, the Kraken’s tentacles had been wreaking havoc, causing catastrophic damage. Now, in an instant, the tentacles had vanished, and Mikael was standing before him.

  Before he could speak, Mikael cut him off. “There are holes in the hull, and water is already flooding the ship. I need you to take and and have the crew seal the breaches, or at least slow the water’s progress. I’ll hahe Kraken aurn to help afterward.”

  With that, Mikael wasted no time and dove into the dark water.

  “Kraken? What’s that?” the vice captain muttered under his breath before shaking his head. He sighed and got to work, rallying the crew who had takeer on the lower deck. Most were unarmed, having been in enclosed spaces out of the Kraken’s reach. Ruimis quickly divided the crew into two groups. The smaller group was tasked with moving the injured from the maio the infirmary below, while the rger group spread out across the ship, either sealing the breaches or, if that wasn’t possible, slowing the water’s infiltration.

  Meanwhile, as Mikael dove into the water, his eyes quickly adjusted to the dim depths. The sight below the ship made him grimace. ‘What an ugly bastard,’ he thought. The Kraken loomed beh, an enormous monstrosity spanning dozens of meters. Its squid-like head bore pierg e eyes that were now fixed on him. Instead of a traditional mouth, twenty writhiacles extended from its face, each ected to a maw lined with rows of sharp, jagged teeth.

  What made the situation even worse was that the eight tentacles he had previously severed were still ier and already beginning tee.

  For a few tense seds, the two adversaries locked eyes. Then, the Kraken made its move. Its massive tentacles shed out with incredible speed, aiming directly at Mikael. Though he mao dodge by propelling himself with explosive bursts of fire mana, the water slowed his movements while amplifying the Kraken’s attacks speed as it was in its natural habitat, making his evasions more taxing.

  Mikael weaved through the onsught of writhing appendages, terattag whenever he saening. This time, he approached the battle with greater caution. Unlike before, he was no longer rag against the Kraken's relentless assault on the ship. His strikes became methodical, and as his swords dahrough the water, the number of active tentacles steadily decreased.

  After cutting dow another appeaking the number of surviviacles to five, Mikael suddenly felt a powerful presence behind him. Turning sharply, he saw an enormous tentacle speeding toward him. With no time to fully evade, he crossed his swords in front of him and braced himself. The impact struck like a battering ram, sending him hurtling through the water.

  As he tumbled backward, he sensed atack closing in from backward. Without hesitation, he unleashed an explosion of energy at his head, propelling himself downward. A massive shadow swept above him, narrowly missing. Seizing the moment, Mikael retaliated, sshing upward with both swords. Blood spurted from the tentacle, but his expression darkened.

  The reason? His strike barely made a dent. Uhe smaller tentacles, this one was far tougher, resisting his attacks with arming durability. Retreating to reassess, Mikael surveyed the battlefield.

  Several lifeless tentacles floated ier, but to his frustration, the number of active ones had increased again, rising from five to eight. The situation worsened as he noticed two entacles joining the fray. These were far rger thahers, nearly teers wide pared to the usual four, and they exuded a menag aura.

  ‘These maiacles are a problem,’ Mikael thought, his gaze shifting to the Kraken’s immense head below. He briefly sidered attag its core, but one of the massive tentacles was guarding it. ‘I o cut down all the tentacles before I go for the kill. With those two giants in the way, it’ll be nearly impossible to attack its head directly. I have to clear the field first.’

  Resolving to elimihe smaller tentacles before fog on the main ones, Mikael surged forward. As he closed in, the tentacles shed out in unison, f him into a relentless dance of evasion and terattacks. He trated on dispatg the smaller ones while skillfully avoiding the devastating strikes of the only colossal tentacles that was attag him, the other focused on defending its head.

  Minutes passed in this grueling rhythm. The Kraken’s rger tentacle smmed toward him repeatedly, but Mikael’s agility and precisio him just out of its reach. One by ohe smaller tentacles fell, leaving only the two main appendages. Knowing he had a brief window before the others regeed, Mikael trated himself.

  He poured an immense amount of aura into his swords, far more thaypically used, fully aware that anything less would be futile against the colossal tentacles before him. ‘This has to work,’ he thought, brag himself for the challenge ahead. This frontation would undoubtedly be far tougher than his earlier battle against the smaller tentacles.

  He gripped his swords tightly and rushed toward the colossal tentacle that wasn’t guarding the Kraken’s head. As the tentacle struck, Mikael dodged beh it, using the momentum to deliver a ssh with his swords, noer than ever.

  The cut was deep, but on a tentacle over teers wide, even a oer wound seemed insignifit. The Krakealiated instantly, swinging the massive appendage back to crush Mikael, who narrowly evaded with his smaller, mile frame.

  As he dodged, the first tentacle performed an encirg motion, aiming to trap him. Reizing the danger, Mikael propelled himself out of harm’s way with a burst of explosive force. However, just as he escaped, the sed colossal tentacle, previously ag defensively, surged forward, joining its terpart in surrounding him. The two massive appendages created an imperable cage, leaving Mikael no room to escape.

  Inwardly cursing, Mikael realized how dire the situation had bee. The stakes grew even higher wheentacles’ suckers, previously harmless, sprouted rows of razor-sharp teeth. The Kraken, sensing that its prey was finally ered, gleefully began trag the space, aiming to devour him.

  ‘Damn it,’ Mikael thought, sweat dripping down his face as his mind raced. He khat even with his enhanced durability, those teeth would tear him apart. He had mere fras of a sed to act.

  ed Sword Style – 1st Form: Bde Tempest

  eling every ounce of his strength, Mikael unleashed a whirlwind of attacks. Enhanced by his Explosive Style, the strikes trated on a single point, carving a small hole in the encroag wall of flesh. Without hesitatioonated an explosion behind him, propelling himself through the gap.

  In a blur, Mikael escaped the deadly trap, but not without cost. As he darted through the opening, the razor-sharp teeth grazed him, leaving a bloody hole in his left shoulder and right side. He emerged just as the two colossal tentacles fully colpsed the space where he’d been moments earlier, ensuring his certaih had he remained.

  Gritting his teeth against the pain and fear of what could have been, Mikael didn’t allow himself a moment to falter. Immediately, he unched another Bde Tempest against the colossal tentacles, slig through their thick flesh. Cuts began to appear across their massive forms, but Mikael k wasn’t enough. ‘Faster,’ he urged himself, pushing his body to its limits.

  The tentacles, enraged by the mounting injuries, switched tactid attacked him with renewed ferocity. However, Mikael, now hyper-aware of the danger, refused to be trapped again. He tio weave through their strikes, his relentless Bde Tempest carving more wounds into the colossal limbs.

  Minutes passed, eae feeling like ay. Occasionally, smaller tentacles regeed and rejoihe battle, but Mikael swiftly dispatched them without losing focus on his primary targets.

  Finally, one of the colossal tentacles colpsed, lifeless. Mikael’s eyes narrowed. He knew he had only a short window to elimihe sed one before the first could regee. Pushing himself harder than ever, he bined Bde Tempest with his Explosive Style, driving his battered body to the brink. His arms throbbed with pain as his overstrained muscles tore, blood dripping from self-inflicted injuries.

  The relentless assault paid off. After several more minutes of high-iy bat, the sed colossal tentacle fell. Mikael g the first one and saw that it was already beginning to heal. He estimated he had less than two minutes before it rejoihe fight.

  Turning his gaze to the Kraken’s massive form, his eyes were cold with determination. The creature, sensing the threat to its life, began a swift retreat into the depths of the o.

  ‘Not on my watch,’ Mikael thought as he unched himself toward the Kraken, leaving a trail of blood behind him from his injuries. The Kraken, sensing what it thought rey but realizing too te it was fag a predator, panicked and increased its efforts to flee.

  Even at full strength, the Kraken would have been slower than Mikael. Without its tentacles, it was utterly defenseless. Mikael closed the distance swiftly, unleashing Bde Tempest as he reached the Kraken’s head. Multiple deep cuts appeared across its massive form.

  The Krake out a silent, desperate roar, but without its tentacles, it owerless—a tiger without teeth. As Mikael’s relentless assault tihe creature’s injuries accumuted rapidly. A few of its smaller tentacles regeed during the fight, but they were effortlessly severed by Mikael.

  In a desperate bid for survival, the Kraken tried retreating into the depths, hoping the increasing water pressure would protect it. To some extent, it worked. Mikael’s attacks lost some of their force, but he didn’t relent. The damage tio mount as he pushed through the strain.

  Two minutes passed, and the Kraken was still alive, its immense size hindered Mikael from delivering a decisive blow. The first colossal tentacle, now fully regeed, shed out in an attempt to crush him. Mikael dodged it with ease, the Kraken’s injuries making its movements sluggish and predictable.