Multiversal Ascension-Chapter 63: Danger Zone

The scene horrified the onlookers. The sudden escalation left them frozen in shock. But Mikael didn't stop there. In a blur, he appeared in front of Jason, whose scream faltered as he locked eyes with Mikael. The fury in Jason's gaze had vanished, replaced by sheer terror and overwhelming pain.

Mikael grabbed Jason by the throat and lifted him off the ground effortlessly. Jason struggled, but his feeble attempts were no match for Mikael's superior strength. Mikael turned his icy gaze toward the remaining four. This time, the impact of his glare was unlike anything before.

Behind him, Jason's severed arm lay on the ground, blood pooling beneath it. Jason hung limply in the air, his face contorted in fear and pain. The four despite their newfound strength, were paralyzed. Their minds, still tethered to the values of Earth, could not reconcile with the brutal reality unfolding before them.

Tristan, the self-proclaimed leader, stood frozen like the rest. The weight of Mikael's gaze bore down on them, suffocating and unrelenting. After a few agonizing seconds, Mikael finally spoke.

"Do you want to participate?" he asked, his voice calm and casual, yet dripping with menace.

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The question sent a wave of terror through the group. Their survival instincts took over, and they all shook their heads frantically, unable to muster a word.

Mikael regarded their pathetic display with disinterest. "If you want to overstep your bounds," he said coldly, "be prepared to face the consequences."

"Squelch."

His sword, already stained with Jason's blood, pierced through his heart with unerring precision. Jason let out a guttural sound, coughing up blood. Mikael sidestepped to avoid the splatter as Jason's body convulsed. With a flick of his wrist, Mikael flung the lifeless body to the side. It landed several meters away, twitching briefly before going still.

The remaining four could do nothing but stare in mute horror. Mikael's attention shifted to a sailor standing nearby. Unlike the Earth natives, the sailor appeared far less disturbed, accustomed to the harsher realities of this world.

"Throw the body into the sea," Mikael commanded in an authoritative tone.

The sailor straightened and saluted. "It will be done, Lord!"

Satisfied, Mikael leaped back to the crow's nest without sparing another glance at the petrified group of four.

After the incident, things on the ship changed. The other Earth natives were terrified and locked themselves in their rooms, even the two who hadn't participated in the 'conflict.' Fearful for their lives, they didn't believe they stood a chance against Mikael, especially after witnessing how easily he had taken down and killed Jason.

Even if they could take him on, it would be a life-or-death struggle with another human, and the chances of dying were high. So, they chose to stay hidden, quietly waiting for the military mission to end so they could leave.

The sailors' attitudes also shifted. They were now even more polite toward Mikael, realizing that not all of the eight—now seven—sorcerers were equal, and that Mikael was the one in control.

Day blended into night, and night into morning.

During this time, Mikael stuck to his usual routine: detecting sea beasts, jumping down to kill them, and then returning to the crow's nest. Over the hours, he confirmed his suspicion that the sea beasts' attacks had indeed increased as time went on. While the trend wasn't noticeable in the short term, over time, it became clear. Now, it wasn't uncommon for two sea beasts to appear when he dove into the water. Still, the fights remained easy for him, thanks to his explosive combat style that granted him near-land mobility underwater. Without this, he would have faced more difficulty.

At that moment, Mikael was in the crow's nest, training his control as usual, when he turned and saw someone climbing up. It was the vice captain.

"What is it?" Mikael asked, intrigued.

The vice captain gave a small, polite bow before speaking. "I need to inform you of something. We're about to enter a danger zone, where we could be attacked by gigantic sea beasts. For that reason, unless it's absolutely necessary, you should avoid attacking any sea beasts the moment you see them."

"We will remain silent on our side as well, with only the minimum number of crew members working and making as little noise as possible. It would be appreciated if you could do the same, as we really don't want to attract one of these beasts. Maybe you could kill one; I don't know your strength, but I guarantee it will be difficult, and the ship may be destroyed. So, can you do this?"

Mikael thought for a moment before responding. "No problem. I'll keep quiet. But if this is a danger zone, as you say, why don't we just avoid it?"

The vice captain gave a wry smile. "I wish we could avoid it, but it's not possible. It's the only route to our destination."

Mikael accepted the explanation, and after that, the vice captain descended the ladder to issue orders to the sailors, with the captain doing the same.

Meanwhile, the six other sorcerers were warned of the need for silence in the coming period. Seventy to eighty percent of the sailors gradually left the deck and retreated to their cabins, praying that a gigantic sea beast wouldn't detect them.

The remaining twenty to thirty percent of the crew were the most experienced, and they took on the necessary tasks to keep the ship moving, all while minimizing noise. There was no talking, and the atmosphere grew eerily tense, with everyone on edge, knowing that even the slightest sound or an unlucky moment could spell their doom.

Mikael, from his perch in the crow's nest, observed all this, and even he couldn't escape the weight of the atmosphere. His own anxiety grew. 'If they're going to these lengths, these gigantic sea beasts must really be something. Honestly, I'd rather not encounter one. The sea beasts from before were easy to deal with, but one with the "gigantic" label will likely be much harder to handle.'

With these thoughts, he kept his watch over the ship, while continuing his training. After all, he couldn't afford to waste time if he wanted to grow stronger.

Time continued to pass with a tense and eerie atmosphere surrounding the ship. The stillness of the water and the quietude aboard gave the impression of calm before the storm.

Surprisingly, the first hour passed without incident, followed by the second, but as they neared the third hour in the danger zone, what they had feared finally happened.

At that moment, Mikael's attention was drawn to multiple dark shapes moving in the water around the ship. However, remembering the vice captain's instructions, he didn't make a move—at least not yet.

The unknown forms seemed to lightly probe the hull of the ship, as if unsure of what it was. The ship began to shift slightly under the force exerted by the unseen sea creature. The sailors on deck fell to their knees, trembling, yet they remained silent, knowing that even the slightest sound could mean their demise.

Minutes passed in tense silence as the ship continued its steady course. The sea creature, undeterred, kept "playing" with the ship, but the force it applied remained manageable, which is why Mikael refrained from acting.

Then, from the left side of the ship, one of the dark forms slowly rose from the water, revealing itself to be a massive squid tentacle. Its size was extraordinary—its length unknown, but its width more than four meters. It was covered in suckers.

Mikael, observing from the crow's nest, inwardly cursed. 'Are you kidding me? That's a damn Kraken!' He looked around at the other dark shapes in the water and quickly confirmed, 'If all these dark forms are squid tentacles... if this isn't a Kraken...'

He cursed again, this time in disbelief. 'Seriously, what's with this sudden jump in difficulty? We went from dealing with "small" sea beasts under ten meters long to facing a Kraken as big as the ship! And that's not even its actual size—I don't even know how big it really is!'

As Mikael was lost in thought for a few seconds, the supposed Kraken made its move. The lone tentacle that had surfaced slithered onto the main deck, moving aimlessly as if searching.

The nearby sailors were paralyzed with fear. Some managed to maintain their composure and silently moved away, but others, gripped by terror, stood frozen. The tentacle, exploring its surroundings, soon reached one of these immobilized sailors. The man saw it approaching and tried to move, but his legs refused to obey.

The tentacle wrapped itself around him in an instant.

"Ahhh!" The sailor's cry of terror echoed across the deck. Whether it was the sound or the sensation of a living creature, the Kraken's attention was drawn. The suckers on the tentacle, which had been harmless moments before, suddenly transformed, sprouting rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Before the sailor could react, the suckers bit into him. In mere moments, there was nothing left of him—only a streak of blood trailing down the tentacle and dripping onto the main deck. The remaining sailors stared in horror, their faces pale and their breaths shallow.

Even Mikael felt a chill run down his spine at the gruesome sight. But he didn't hesitate. After a quick chant, he unleashed the only offensive first-circle wind spell he had learned: Wind Slash. A sharp blade of wind streaked toward the tentacle, which had momentarily paused after its "meal," completely unaware of the incoming attack.

The wind slash struck true, carving a deep gash into the limb. The tentacle thrashed violently in response, flailing across the deck in pain. Fortunately, its soft, pliable structure prevented any significant damage to the ship.

Mikael frowned as he assessed the situation. This was his first encounter with an enemy of such immense size, and his attacks were poorly suited for it. A strike that would have been fatal to a smaller opponent only left a wound on this one—and this was just one tentacle among countless others hidden in the depths.

Wasting no time, he leaped from the crow's nest, propelling himself downward with an explosive burst of fire to accelerate his fall. Just as he reached the thrashing tentacle, he infused both his sword and body with aura, slashing downward and using his momentum to amplify the strike. The blade tore through the tentacle, carving a deep, jagged gash that ran the length of its massive form as he landed on the deck.

Blood sprayed across the planks, painting them crimson. The tentacle twitched a few more times before collapsing with a loud thud, lifeless.

Mikael scanned his surroundings cautiously, fully expecting further attacks. He wasn't disappointed. Moments later, the sea around the ship churned violently, and more tentacles began to rise from the water. First one, then two, then five—until more than ten massive appendages surrounded the ship, with even more emerging.

At this sight, Mikael's expression darkened. For the first time, he truly felt the immense powerlessness of man against a creature of such monstrous size. Even with his considerable strength and confidence in his ability to fight and perhaps kill the Kraken, its sheer enormity meant it could attack from multiple angles simultaneously. He doubted he could bring it down before it obliterated the ship, jeopardizing the entire mission.

He took a deep breath, steeling himself to act. Every second counted in this desperate race against time. Without wasting a moment, he sprang into action, his physical strength, aura, and explosive style combining to propel him forward. The force of the three working together allowed him to easily break the sound barrier, moving so fast he appeared as nothing more than a blur to any onlookers.

In an instant, he was airborne, striking at one of the newly emerged tentacles. A deep cut appeared, but the tentacle didn't sever due to its enormous size. As Mikael prepared to target another, he saw the first tentacle was still alive. Changing direction mid-air with a small explosion, he adjusted his course.

Author Note:

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