Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 567: The Original Is Still Better
On Steven's side, everything went smoothly. Not only did he accomplish his goal, he even walked away with an incredibly flashy new mount as a bonus.
Kal'tsit's situation, however, was… less optimistic.
It wasn't that they were helpless against the relentless Seaborn. Given the combat strength remaining on the ship, ordinary sea creatures and Seaborn alone weren't enough to truly threaten them.
What did feel off to both Kal'tsit and Nian was the teammate Steven had forcibly assigned to them.
The gray-haired boy looked almost identical to Steven—if not for the slightly duller color palette, he could have passed for the real thing. Even his brutal fighting style was a near-perfect copy.
Every Seaborn that rushed in—whether common beasts or elite, frenzied anemone-like monsters thrashing their heads—were cut down before they could even reach the ship. With what seemed like an ordinary katana, he sliced everything cleanly in two.
Not a single creature could withstand even one strike.
His movements were so fast they bordered on teleportation. Across the battlefield, only afterimages and lingering arcs of blade-light remained, etched briefly into space after each swing.
Kal'tsit and Nian didn't even need to lift a finger.
The waters surrounding the small vessel had already been dyed a strange, faintly glowing blue from the blood of the fallen Seaborn.
At first glance, this was a good thing. With such a powerful ally holding the line, they could simply wait for Steven's return in relative ease. This "Steven copy" was just as reliable in combat as the original.
But gradually, as the Seaborn began to notice the anomaly and intensified their assault, the flaws of this imitation started to show.
It wasn't that he couldn't handle them. Rather, as pressure increased, a few stragglers inevitably slipped through and managed to climb onto the ship.
For Kal'tsit and Nian, dealing with one or two wasn't an issue—as long as Shoggy held the line, they could easily handle the leftovers.
Yet every time that happened, the "Steven" would abruptly turn, dash over, and kill the stray before they even had a chance to act.
In a sense, it strengthened their defense.
But at the same time, it made one thing painfully clear—
This guy had issues.
Because while killing those stragglers, he would release a threatening aura toward them, as if guarding his prey.
Like a beast protecting its food.
And because of that, more and more openings began to appear in his defense. The formation was gradually teetering toward collapse.
If that worst-case scenario came to pass, Kal'tsit and Nian both knew what awaited them:
If they didn't act, the Seaborn certainly wouldn't show mercy.
But if they did, it would undoubtedly provoke the "bodyguard" Steven had left behind.
That dilemma alone was enough to give them a headache.
Of course, the ones directly involved—Shoggy and Enma—had no idea about Kal'tsit's concerns.
They were far too busy enjoying themselves.
As the slaughter continued, a bit of friction began to spark between them.
"Hey, hurry it up, will you? How'd you let another one slip through?" Enma snapped, clearly annoyed.
With a scoff, it added disdainfully:
"Tch. A fake is still a fake. If we miss a couple and lose points, the boss is gonna be pissed again."
Enma had always looked down on everyone but itself. After all, it had been with Steven since the very beginning.
In terms of seniority, who could possibly compare?
What irritated her the most, however, was that infuriating constitution of hers.
Why was it that she—a weapon so powerful and so loyal—had to pay such a heavy price just for the slim chance of gaining a temporary physical body… while Shoggy, that clearly empty-headed brainless pet, could freely change forms whenever it pleased?
The more Enma thought about it, the more annoyed she became.
And so, the only thing she could do was vent her frustration on the seemingly endless swarm of Seaborn before her.
Only when their blood splashed across her—when she absorbed fragments of their lingering souls—did she feel even the slightest bit of satisfaction.
But as the Seaborn continued to grow stronger, even that sense of fulfillment began to feel… strained.
How should one put it?
The "Steven" mimicked by Shoggy had indeed inherited his combat style perfectly.
But even for a Collapsal like Shoggy, there was no way it could replicate that utterly unreasonable level of power and speed that defied all common sense.
At the very least, when she was wielded by Steven, there had never been anything she couldn't cut, let alone letting enemies slip past her blade.
As for Shoggy—yes, its strength and speed were impressive. To ordinary people, it was already far beyond comparison. Even the Seaborn couldn't match it.
But compared to Steven?
The gap wasn't just a little—it was vast.
And as a weapon, Enma felt that difference more clearly than anyone.
Naturally, she didn't hold back her complaints.
"Then go find Master yourself," Shoggy shot back bluntly. "This is the best I can do. If you like him that much, then why didn't he take you with him? Why leave you here with me to protect those people instead?"
The relentless slaughter wasn't only strengthening Enma.
As a Collapsal, Shoggy was also absorbing nutrients from the remains of the fallen Seaborn—devouring both their bodies and energy. That was the reason it could maintain such high-intensity combat for so long.
After all, not everyone was like that monster Steven—who could fight endlessly like a perpetual motion machine, shrugging off exhaustion just by chewing on a couple of meat chunks.
And as it absorbed more and more, Shoggy itself began to change.
It no longer looked as dull and vacant as before.
At the very least, those once-crossed, chicken-like eyes had regained a hint of intelligence. Now, it actually seemed capable of holding a normal conversation.
Unfortunately, perhaps because its only companions had been Steven and Enma, this newly born Collapsal had developed a razor-sharp, venomous tongue.
Its retorts hit straight where it hurt the most.
Then again, could you really expect a normal personality from the pet of someone who wasn't exactly normal to begin with?
"…You'd better not learn to talk like me," Enma said after a brief silence, clearly having been struck speechless by that single remark. In the end, she offered a rare piece of advice instead.
"The boss hates that the most. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been stuffed into his backpack for years without being let out."
No one knew Steven's temperament better than Enma.
After all, she was cut from the same cloth as him.
So honestly, she didn't mind being shoved into his inventory all the time.
But if Shoggy ended up the same way…
Then it would inevitably share her fate—rotting in confinement.
To be fair, Enma would've loved to see Shoggy fall to the same miserable end.
But right now, if she wanted to enjoy this kind of freedom—this unrestrained slaughter, she still had to rely on it.
Steven, after all, only ever brought her out when it was time to cut someone down.
If she wanted even a breath of fresh air, then cooperating with this temporarily "whitelisted" companion was her only option.
As long as they could give Steven the impression that Shoggy had no brain and Enma had no body—a perfect balance of mutual restraint—he wouldn't be too strict with them. Letting them out together for the occasional "free activity" wouldn't be such a difficult thing.
Of course, that was under one very important condition:
Steven must never find out that this little Collapsal had already been led astray.
"Of course I know," Shoggy replied flatly. "When it comes to pleasing Master, I might even be better than you. And besides… I really don't have something like a brain."
As if sensing something, the faint intelligence that had just begun to surface in Shoggy's eyes instantly faded.
Its expression turned dull again, and before long, its gaze even started drifting into that familiar cross-eyed look.
Yet at the same time, its fighting grew even more intense.
Enma, who had also sensed that rapidly approaching, all-too-familiar presence, could only inwardly marvel at Shoggy's absurdly good acting.
Then, without another word, she refocused on cutting down the Seaborn.
After all, this was a task assigned by their Master.
If they couldn't even handle something like this properly, then when he returned, forget competing for favor, they'd be lucky if they didn't get stuffed straight into a shulker box and locked away.
Naturally, Kal'tsit and the others weren't nearly as familiar with Steven's presence as those two were.
What they saw instead was a terrifying, unknown giant beast suddenly appearing in the already perilous sky above the battlefield, radiating overwhelming pressure as it rapidly approached.
"…Was coming out to sea this time a bit too reckless?" Nian muttered, frowning.
Her gaze swept from the endless tide of Seaborn surging up from the ocean below to the monstrous figure descending from the heavens.
"This is… a little different from what I had in mind."
Beside her, the Emperor didn't hesitate for even a second. He scooted closer to Kal'tsit and tightly clung to the end of Mon3tr's tail with his short flippers.
"Grandma, I wanna go home."
"Get lost!"
<+>
Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
<+>
<+>
<+>
<+>
<+>
Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 617: A Bold Guess[1]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628[2]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-160680628