Chapter 148: The Fall of the Sea God

Even though I had been pushed to my absolute limit, I felt strangely good.

Without the slightest hesitation, I kicked off the ground.

It was power squeezed out from the very last reserves of my strength, yet it didn’t feel painful at all.

Why do I feel so good? I’m not usually this petty.

As expected, watching a detestable bastard fall into ruin really was the best kind of revenge.

I swung at the anglerfish monster’s head just as it was being pulled up from the sea.

“Hah!”

Sliiiiiing!

Contrary to my worries, Destructive Retribution landed perfectly. The killing intent that had been constricting the air vanished in an instant. The Sea God was finally neutralized.

I prepared to deliver the final blow. This time, I didn’t activate any skills. Not even Beast’s Heart, which had been running almost passively.

Still, I swung Hector Punisher with all my might and smashed the glowing orb on the monster’s forehead.

Crack!

-77000

A weak groan escaped, and a holographic message suddenly appeared before my eyes.

[You have slain Albanoketus, the demi-god threatening the peace of human society.]

[You have become the first human to destroy a god’s authority.]

[Absorbing Albanoketus’s authority fragments.]

[Skill acquired.]

[Skill acquired.]

“Huh?”

Since I had taken down such a powerful being, I naturally expected substantial rewards—perhaps an improvement to the system or some powerful item. Gaining skills was also a common reward, but receiving two at once was quite refreshing.

What surprised me even more was the monster’s true identity.

This thing was a demi-god?

From its behavior, I had assumed it was definitely a demi-demon. Feeding on fear and life force from humans was their specialty. Both Shugl and Feltron had lived that way in the past. For a demi-god to act like this was truly puzzling.

I’ll have to ask Adam about this when I get back. Specifically, how it obtained its life force.

But what exactly did it give me?

I immediately pulled up the holographic information windows.

Skill: Authority Absorption

Effect: Steals the authority of a neutralized demi-god.

Restriction: Does not work on demi-demons.

Skill: Remote Detonation

Effect: Causes a powerful explosion.

Restriction: Can only activate within line of sight. High energy consumption.

Insane…

It was the anglerfish monster’s signature cheat skill. I had gained the ability to cause explosions just by looking at something. Of course, I probably couldn’t spam it infinitely like the monster had. The amount of energy I possessed was different. That thing had lived for tens of thousands of years at least.

“Still, this is more than enough.”

If used at the perfect moment, it could create an incredible turnaround. There was no way to defend against a massive explosion with no prior warning. Even I had taken a direct hit at first. I had only survived because I had switched Extreme Choice to defense.

If not for that, I would have been the one defeated.

Plop!

“Whew……”

I leaned my body against the anglerfish monster’s corpse and let out a long sigh.

Honestly, what a ridiculous ordeal. I had originally come here just to wipe out a pirate crew called Billigert.

“Ah, right. What happened to the hideout?”

The Schultz family knights had taken control of the ships and were holding their ground, while Cordell McNeil was busy freeing the prisoners. Although the number of pirates had decreased significantly, they still outnumbered our forces. Since I had come without armor, I could have been in serious trouble if they had showered me with arrows.

Dragging my exhausted body, I climbed to the top of the half-destroyed rocky hill. It had originally been around thirty meters tall, but now it was less than half that height. The anglerfish monster’s remote detonations had shattered most of the rock.

Still, it was high enough to give me a clear view of the entire slave trading area.

Clack!

The moment I placed my foot on a sharply protruding rock, everyone’s eyes turned toward me.

“Huh? I-It’s the hero!”

“You’re alive! Our hero!”

“Uwaaaaaah! You’re all dead now, you pirate bastards!”

A thunderous cheer erupted, and the pirates’ faces turned deathly pale.

Come to think of it, the situation seemed a bit strange. More than half the prisoners should have already been freed. Cordell had been going around releasing people.

Yet now the pirates had regained control.

Did that smooth-talker run away?

No matter how many prisoners there were, the pirates were armed with swords and crossbows. On top of that, the prisoners were malnourished and couldn’t exert much strength.

I stared quietly at the pirates. Seeing them slowly backing away, it was clear they were terrified.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

“Bring them.”

I walked toward the pirates while casually waving Hector Punisher. A few of them instinctively held out their swords, handles first, in a polite manner.

“Accepted. You’re spared. Move to the back.”

“Y-Yes! Thank you!”

The pirates moved back with relieved expressions. The rest hurriedly dropped their weapons and surrendered.

Of course, those who resisted until the end received a generous helping of warhammer.

Smack! Whack! Thump! Thump!

After they collapsed from a single blow each, one of the remaining pirates quickly raised his hand.

“I-I surrender too—”

Smaaaaack!

But Hector Punisher showed no mercy.

“Oh, you surrender? You were too late. I didn’t hear you. You should have done it sooner.”

“……”

“S-Surrender! I surrender!”

With that, the pirates were cleanly subdued.

There were still forces left at the dock, but I wasn’t too worried. I could just send these guys over.

“Go to the dock and round up the rest. If you perform well this time, I’ll take it into consideration.”

“R-Really?”

“I won’t treat you the same way as these guys, at least.”

I spun Hector Punisher in circles and pointed at the fallen pirates. Without hesitation, the pirates dashed off like bullets.

“Now that Billigert is taken care of… Wait, where the hell did that guy go again?”

I muttered to myself when I noticed people gathering somewhere. Tilting my head, I walked over.

This is the pit where the anglerfish monster came out from.

Inside the trap was an unexpected sight.

A man floating limply in the seawater. Judging by his clothes, it was definitely Cordell McNeil.

“Oh dear! Look at him, passed out like that.”

“Yeah. You can clearly see the knight’s footprints here. He must have stepped on the monster’s mucus.”

“He really slipped spectacularly.”

“To think we cursed at him without knowing the circumstances… Ahem!”

The prisoners who had gathered were blushing as they chattered among themselves.

Why were they making such awkward faces?

Cordell’s pants had slid halfway down—perhaps his belt had come undone after tripping. Because he had fallen face-first into the water and fainted, his bare backside was clearly visible.

I let out a small chuckle and muttered,

“He won’t be able to flirt around here anymore.”

After showing everyone that, he must be dying of embarrassment. His knightly dignity had taken a serious hit.

But the reactions weren’t entirely negative.

“Oh my! Look at that. His lower body is incredibly firm.”

“It’s an apple hip! Apple hips!”

“He must exercise a lot.”

“Of course. He’s from the Imperial Guard Knights. Their training is intense.”

There were surprisingly many positive comments.

I shook my head and turned away.

Is it okay to leave the escort knight like this?

The people who liked apple hips would probably pull him out themselves.

Let’s head to the ships. I hope the damage isn’t too severe.

Fortunately, none of the Schultz family knights had died. There were quite a few injuries, but they were wounds that could be easily treated with potions.

Of course, their appearance was quite miserable. They had fought desperately against numerous pirates. Being covered in blood and sweat was only natural.

“You’ve all worked hard.”

“Ah! You’re safe! We clearly witnessed Your Grace’s heroic actions from here as well.”

“Did you?”

“Thanks to you, we were able to overcome the crisis.”

“Why does the story always turn out like that?”

It was a rather absurd statement. I hadn’t done anything that could influence this faraway place. I had simply fought and defeated the anglerfish monster.

But the knight’s next words made me nod in understanding.

“When that monster fell, the pirates lost their will to fight. It was as if the creature had been their spiritual pillar.”

“I think I know why. In a way, it really was something like that.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Also, it had quite a deep connection with the navy. I’ve secured Admiral Nigel Baileys.”

“Hah… Such a thing…”

The Schultz knights wore complicated expressions. Becoming part of the imperial regular army was a great honor for knights. It meant forming a direct lord-vassal relationship with the highest authority in the empire. Seeing one of their admired figures commit such a disgraceful act must have left them with mixed feelings. They couldn’t curse him, nor could they defend him.

“Shall we start cleaning up?”

“Please give us your orders. We will carry them out faithfully.”

“Take charge of freeing the prisoners. Collect all the weapons and distribute them to the able-bodied men. Using them to control the pirates will make things easier.”

“Yes!”

The Schultz knights moved efficiently.

As I was about to turn away, I snapped my fingers and added,

“Ah, just in case—make sure to control them strictly so no one takes personal revenge.”

“Huh? If we suppress their anger, it’ll only cause more chaos. They’ll go berserk saying they at least want to land one hit!”

“Then explain it to them. Tell them that dying here is too merciful. Rotting away alive in prison will be a far more miserable punishment.”

“Ah……”

“And tell them I will personally ensure they receive heavy sentences.”

“Understood.”

After the Schultz knights headed toward the slave auction area, I called for the helmsman. He was a member of the Schultz Trading Company. What was his name again?

“Mr. Benku?”

“Yes? Yes, Captain.”

“We need to repair the rudders of those ships over there. Is that possible?”

“We should have spare parts on board. If you assign us some people, we can finish within a few days.”

“That’s the most urgent task, so please proceed as quickly as possible.”

I selected prisoners with ship repair experience and assigned them to Benku.

Then I went around the area, directing traffic and maintaining order. If I didn’t, discord would break out everywhere. There were simply too many people crammed onto this small island.

Fortunately, no major incidents occurred.

Even though I had armed the able-bodied prisoners, no one swung their weapons recklessly. That was because I sat at the highest point and monitored everything closely. Who would dare disobey the person who had torn apart the anglerfish monster?

After several days, all the ships were finally repaired.

“Let’s set sail. We’ll head back to Grand Cape first.”

“Waaaaah!”

People raised their hands high and cheered continuously. They had been on the verge of becoming slaves but had been rescued. Of course they were overjoyed.

I looked at the people aboard the ship and smiled faintly.

The fleet that had set out from the Billigert hideout soon entered the open sea.

“Ah, I almost forgot about this.”

“What is it? It’s not about me, is it, Your Grace?”

Cordell McNeil, who must have overheard my muttering, asked with a haggard face. Ever since he became known as “Apple Hip Knight,” he had been quite depressed.

Well, that was his own problem.

I gestured toward the island behind us and said,

“We should finish things cleanly.”

Remote Detonation Activated

Boom-boom-boom! Rumble rumble!

A tremendous roar came from underwater, and the rocky island began to sink. The weak foundation beneath the surface had exploded. It had originally been extremely sturdy, but the anglerfish monster’s rampage had weakened it. Striking that exact spot caused the entire island to disappear.

Pirates won’t be able to use this place as a hideout anymore.

As I turned my gaze away with that thought, I was met with eyes filled with awe.

Cordell McNeil then asked,

“Your Grace the Duke… are you even human?”

This guy really…

“Sir McNeil, do you want to get hit?”

“……”