Chapter 569.5: Defeating the Legend
Not standing on solid ground, Matthew failed to break free immediately.
Kraken's bulky torso twisted like a screw.
Gripping the iron pick with both hands, it swung at the water-bound Matthew.
Taking a deep breath, Matthew raised his demon blade to meet the blow.
Clang!
His silver-white form flew back like a cannonball.
He smashed into the wall, leaving a deep crater.
As the tides receded, Kraken stood tall and roared triumphantly at the fallen Matthew.
But it rejoiced too soon—Matthew stood up unharmed, checked his durability loss, and sneered:
"Is that all?"
Kraken's expression changed as Matthew came flying back like a silver lightning bolt—it raised the pick instinctively.
But before it could strike, lightning crashed down from above, slamming into it.
The arcs dug into its body, paralyzing it.
It could only watch as Matthew burst free from the elemental cage and closed in.
Panic flickered in Kraken's heart.
As expected, it felt sharp pain as blades tore through flesh.
Matthew had already discerned Kraken's stats—
Strength over 37—top-tier for a Legendary foe.
Agility was average, around 15, crushed by Matthew.
Constitution was likely at the legendary cap of 40, with many defense traits.
This monster had top-tier physical and combat abilities—
But poor technique, with no experience fighting agile enemies.
Normally, agile foes were slaughtered once trapped.
But someone like Matthew, who broke the elemental binds—
Turned Kraken into a flailing mess.
Matthew's demon blade repeatedly pierced Kraken's defenses, inflicting pain and threat.
Unused to life-or-death combat, Kraken squirmed uneasily.
It didn't know how to handle Matthew's relentless onslaught.
After learning enough of Kraken's abilities—
Matthew used his battle experience and near-perfect techniques to predict its every move.
Now, he could deal the most lethal blows.
If possible, he wanted to behead Kraken to kick off Bay Territory's naval era.
Sadly, Kraken was tough as nails.
Though covered in wounds and bleeding all over the beach—
The monster remained standing and even improved as the fight went on.
Its speed didn't change, but its defense and evasion improved.
It now occasionally dodged Matthew's attacks—
Or blocked key strikes with hands or back.
But Kraken didn't know it was falling into Matthew's trap.
When it rose again to strike with the pick—
Its knees bent, ready to guard its belly.
At that moment, Matthew's dormant lightning erupted.
This time, the lightning was in his blade—not from the sky.
He didn't aim for vitals—just calmly swung at Kraken's knee.
The swing seemed normal—but it echoed with thunder.
Unaware, Kraken roared while summoning new waves.
It was copying its earlier tactic to strike Matthew again.
Admittedly clever—most would fall for it.
But Kraken had run into Matthew—and a vengeful one!
The plain demon blade landed solidly on its leg.
Lethal lightning surged into the wound.
Kraken's huge body froze—the lightning overwhelmed it.
It howled in agony and was momentarily paralyzed.
That tiny pause froze it completely.
Matthew, long prepared, leapt into the air under Kraken's stunned gaze.
The raised demon blade sliced through a deadly arc—slamming into Kraken's neck.
Splurt!
Blood burst out in a misty spray.
As death loomed, Kraken twisted with all its might.
But the damage was done.
Before Matthew could widen the gash further,
It finally regained its movement.
A sudden surge of water element condensed around Kraken, forming a gleaming suit of icy armor.
Even its still-healing wounds froze over!
Kraken quickly clutched its throat and, furious, swung blindly at Matthew mid-air.
But Matthew, more agile in the air, flashed aside and dove straight toward Kraken's head.
Kraken's eyes widened in disbelief.
It never imagined that Matthew, who had been brawling up close, could fly freely in midair.
Because of that, it nearly had its throat slit.
Clenching its fists, it chose not to counterattack.
Instead, it curled into a ball, guarding its head, and rolled into the incoming tide without hesitation.
It was running away!
Matthew was too terrifying—the pressure was unbearable. A single mistake could mean death.
For Kraken, who didn't know how much longer it had to live, Matthew became the first enemy to leave a psychological scar.
That's why it chose to retreat.
Kraken believed it still had many years ahead.
Maybe in a few hundred years, it could return to land.
By then, Matthew would likely be dust.
Frankly, Kraken's instinct for survival was what had kept it alive so long.
But that attitude toward combat also stunted its growth in experience and strength.
That it became Legendary at all was dumb luck—did it really think eating and idling would make it stronger?
Impossible!
Even a true dragon that lazes around could barely reach Legendary.
Then it would just await old age and death.
Kraken was no different—its evasion meant only that it'd live a bit longer.
For now though, its choice was wise.
At least it survived Matthew's cunning assault.
Even though it got slashed several more times during its escape.
Matthew hacked off large chunks of flesh from its back and rump.
Kraken shrieked in pain and dove headlong into the sea, vanishing into the deep.
Matthew casually stashed the bloody chunks into his spatial storage.
By analyzing them, he could learn more.
That prolonged duel wasn't for fun—it was to extract secrets like "Fear Tide" and other willpower, mental, and psychic skills.
Legendary skills weren't easy to decipher.
Even after dragging the battle out for nearly half an hour, he'd only uncovered half the data.
The rest would come from analyzing Kraken's flesh.
But even this partial knowledge had been enlightening.
It had pointed Matthew toward this new skill path.
Now all he had to do was invest fate power and resources to explore it further.
His sixth surgical modification might finally see light.
Matthew floated back to the ground, landing lightly on the wall under countless watching eyes, casually pulling his gray cloak on.
But this time, the cloak couldn't hide him from their stares.
Their gazes burned with awe and reverence.
Matthew, who had defeated the Legendary sea monster Kraken alone, would soon become the talk of Bay Territory.
His identity as a mysterious arcanist would be worshiped by adventurers and soldiers alike.
Not that Matthew cared—he only wanted more Fate Power.
Seeing the retreating barbarians in the distance, he raised a brow and pointed at the few remaining Wokou pirates.
"Beelzebub, show them something—and display our recovery ability while you're at it."
Beelzebub nodded thoughtfully and gestured to the modified soldiers.
The Lord's orders were clear.
Soon, led by Beelzebub, the modified soldiers hunted down the remaining Wokou pirates without mercy.
The Wokou were indeed savage.
Even now, they fought back ferociously, howling into battle.
Against normal Bay Territory troops, they might've posed trouble—
But against enraged modified soldiers?
They got their wish for death.
In just half an hour, nearly 2,000 Wokou pirates were wiped out.
They barely resisted—the modified soldiers slaughtered them easily.
The only issue they caused—
Was when they tried to die together, hurting the soldiers slightly.
But even those wounds disappeared in under two minutes.
The modified soldiers' healing stunned the Cole Elves.
Already strong and clad in heavy armor—
They were fast enough to catch agile Wokou.
Now they also had terrifying regeneration—it shocked the Cole Elves.
The Cole Elves never imagined—
That this battle meant to draw out Bay Territory's main forces would end so anticlimactically.
They hadn't even used their backup plans.
The cannon fodder was gone, and even using backup might not take the stronghold now.
Especially with Matthew and the modified soldiers showing overwhelming power.
Even the Legendary assassin ready to strike wasn't confident he could handle them.
Matthew and his troops were simply too tough—any assassin would despair.
Matthew didn't know where the Cole Elves were hiding, but he didn't care.
They wanted to suppress Bay Territory—but Bay Territory had its own ambitions!
The Wokou's 20+ ships had been destroyed.
That meant they couldn't gather more troops anytime soon.
Matthew wouldn't waste the chance.
His hidden fleet sped toward a Wokou-held island.
That island had two outpost cities.
Bay Territory's fleet aimed to seize them fast.
The Wokou were totally unprepared.
They never imagined Bay Territory's fleet, thought defeated, would strike like divine retribution.
Led by Thunder Squad, the modified soldiers stormed the Wokou outposts.
The empty cities couldn't resist.
They swept away the Wokou and enslaved warriors.
Most Wokou were wiped out.
A few fled into the island's wilderness—
Or took boats, trying to escape death.
Bay Territory didn't care. They didn't plan to hide this anyway.
They quickly secured both outposts.
Then began building large teleportation arrays.
Bay Territory soldiers and supplies poured in.
As long as reinforcements kept coming—
They could defend any city from any threat.
Bay Territory's incredible construction and production powers began to shine.
The captured island's two outposts were expanded and rebuilt.
Fortified turrets and strongholds were built around the island to guard against attacks.
The beaten Wokou had no desire to fight again.
They focused instead on voyages to the New World and eastern trade routes.
The Cole Elves, failing to suppress Bay Territory, hatched a deeper plan.
They now set their sights on the modified soldiers!