Chapter 42
Kaian raised his palm toward the ceiling of [Air Dome].
This time, he used his left hand.
The flashing turquoise mana followed his hand and gathered in the air.
Then it transformed into a violent ocean current and swept across the forest.
Rrrrrrrrrumble...!
Kaian spoke in a voice that was clear and beautiful...
And therefore chilling.
"[Titan's Judgment. Deluge of Tears. Devour.]"
Blue seawater poured like a waterfall directly into the dry eye of the giant.
ROOOOOOOAR!
They were the tears of a giant looking down upon those who had defiled the forest.
The dark elves struggling inside were quickly swallowed by the violent current.
"Urgh! Gah!"
"Save me! Save... Glub!"
Sarvel's eyes filled with horror.
The water level rose without hesitation.
Before long, it reached the bottom of his feet.
But with the muscles in his ankles and shoulders severed, even struggling in terror was difficult.
"Ngh! Urgh!"
Kaian looked directly into Sarvel's eyes.
Then he spoke quietly.
"[Don't even think about closing your eyes. Watch carefully. Watch how the hunt you started ends.]"
The bloodshot whites of Sarvel's eyes trembled, then locked open.
He can even use Word Magic?!
Only then did tears begin filling his eyes.
The elders were right.
This isn't a human.
It's a monster!
But the realization came too late.
The rising water finally swallowed Sarvel's face as well.
ROOOOOAR...!
Kaian lightly stepped across floating leaves until he reached the top of the dome.
Finn flew out from his pocket and met his gaze.
Her eyes looked sad.
But resolved.
"Finn."
Kaian spoke softly.
"I'm sorry for asking you to do something like this."
His expression hardened.
"But I think we need to pull this problem out by the roots at least once."
As if telling him it was all right, Finn gently pressed her forehead against his.
Kaian closed his eyes as he felt her tiny warmth.
The raging water continued rising.
Then once again, the two surrendered themselves to turquoise mana.
"[Shape Shift, Abyssal Leviathan.]"
Whooooosh!
Finn's tiny body expanded in an instant.
Pitch-black scales covered her long body.
Purple venom dripped from the tips of her enormous fangs.
The ruler of the abyss.
Kaian climbed onto the back of the vicious sea monster with a spear in his hand.
Gills formed along his neck.
Shhhh.
"Finn."
He lowered his spear.
"Let's start cleaning."
The bright full moon illuminated the Titan's tears.
Finn, transformed into a Leviathan, moved freely through the water and began hunting.
SPLAAAAASH!
Whenever the Leviathan found a dark elf, she bit off the lower half of their body.
Each time, the mana they possessed flowed into Finn.
Then Kaian stabbed his spear through the throat of the remaining corpse and pinned it to a nearby tree.
Thud!
Thud!
Parasitic vines squirmed out of the corpses' mouths.
But the Leviathan's venom quickly spread through them.
The vines shriveled black and died.
Blood marked each of the towering trees.
The giant's tears gradually turned red.
Death spread quickly and silently.
Caught by Kaian's Word Magic, Sarvel was forced to watch every second of the horrifying sight.
I'm... completely powerless.
He desperately wanted to look away.
If he could've done so, he would've gouged out his own eyes.
Anything to avoid seeing his failure.
But the more he resisted, the tighter Kaian's Word Magic bound his soul.
[Watch carefully. Watch how the hunt you started ends.]
Within only a few minutes, the Leviathan annihilated the remaining dark elf squads.
SPLAAAAASH!
Only one remained.
Sarvel.
His eyes twitched continuously.
Within the crimson sea of blood, the enormous silhouette of a sea monster drifted beneath the surface.
So this is how I die.
Truthfully, Sarvel should've stopped breathing long ago.
The only reason he was still alive was probably Kaian's Word Magic.
And yet...
As death drew closer, the regret Sarvel had felt only moments ago slowly disappeared.
In its place came resentment.
Anger.
Is this how my forest is stolen from me...?!
As if he could see directly into Sarvel's heart, Kaian's cold voice echoed through the bloody water.
"You still don't understand."
Sarvel's entire body froze with fear.
Unable to close his eyes, he frantically moved them from side to side.
He had no idea where the sea monster would appear from next.
Then...
A desperate shout came from outside [Air Dome].
"Reaper of the Forest! Please calm your wrath!"
"Reaper of the Forest!"
"Please! Calm your wrath!"
Kaian quietly looked toward the green mana illuminating the darkness outside [Air Dome].
It was incomparably stronger than the mana of the dark elves he'd fought so far.
The elders.
They were the ones who engraved magic circles onto the squad members.
The ones who created the field-altering magic circles beneath the ground.
"...Looks like they've come to beg for your life."
Kaian glanced at Sarvel.
"For your sake, I hope they're wiser than you."
With the Reaper's clear voice echoing through the bloody sea...
[Air Dome] disappeared.
Bang!
The giant's tears surged upward in the shape of a crimson water dragon.
It swam beneath the full moon.
The land that had been lifted into the sky slowly descended again.
Rrrrrrrrrumble...
The dark elf elders kneeling outside stared in horror at the unbelievable scene.
Can this truly be the power of a single human mage...?
As if intending to erase their disbelief, a young boy slowly emerged from the dark forest.
Step. Step.
He approached the elders while holding a rope in one hand.
At the end of that rope...
Sarvel was being dragged along, choking and barely conscious from the noose around his neck.
Only then did the Great Elder at the front regain his senses.
He immediately scolded the others through [Mind Link].
[All of you, get yourselves together! Bow your heads!]
The elders hurriedly lowered themselves.
Kaian stopped five or six steps in front of them.
The Great Elder greeted him first.
"We greet the Reaper of the Forest."
The other elders followed politely.
"We greet the Reaper of the Forest."
A heavy silence followed.
The sound of water droplets hitting the ground seemed unnaturally clear.
Drip.
Drip.
Only after a long moment did Kaian speak.
"Eldarin told me..."
His voice was calm.
"...that the elders of the dark elves were wise."
The Great Elder was briefly surprised by the noble dignity in the still-young boy's speech.
He suppressed his nervousness.
"...We are always grateful for Lady Eldarin's grace."
"Three years ago, it was also because of Eldarin that I spared your leader."
Kaian's eyes hardened.
"Do you know that?"
The Great Elder swallowed.
So it had finally come.
Three years ago.
The day their leader, infamous for hunting humans, had returned with his body full of arrows.
The Reaper continued in an even voice.
"My teacher, Eldarin, taught me that even when someone deserves death, I should reconsider at least once."
Kaian looked at the elders.
