The number of monsters in the Sea God's cave was far greater than one could have imagined. But neither Nidhogg nor Guts panicked at all.
Both were battle-hardened veterans. They had extensive experience fighting such monsters. There was no reason to be afraid now.
As the slugs moved towards the rock they were standing on, Guts was about to charge forward and fight, but Nidhogg stopped him.
"Let me clear the way first."
Nidhogg stepped forward and raised the grafted wyvern in his left hand.
The wyvern's flame burst from the dragon's maw and soared over the cave, transforming into flaming meteors that rained down and exploded upon the slugs in the pool!
Skill: Bear Witness!
FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH—!
The dragon fire was like cannonballs—exploding, burning, and spreading amongst the slugs!
This group of extremely disgusting, sticky monsters, lacking vocal cords, expressed their panic through chaotic, dense writhing!
However, Guts had no time to praise Nidhogg's trick, because the scene before him was stunning.
If the Twin Sage Sorcerers had just illuminated the tip of the iceberg in the cave, this "Bear Witness" made the entire cave a little brighter.
He saw that behind these slugs, they were all connected to thick tentacles. These tentacles were all over the pool, like vines, and eventually converged into a massive body in the deepest part of the cave.
The massive body only revealed its head. Its size completely dwarfed any ship in their fleet. Even its open bloody maw was large enough to swallow all four ships whole.
"This... is the Sea God," Guts muttered. "No wonder it took an entire island to seal it. This island is just a narrow cage specially created for it..."
Nidhogg never concealed important information from those willing to fight alongside him. At this moment, he said directly, "Just think of it as a whale the size of an island."
"Besides these sea monsters emerging from its tentacles, it can also unleash massive sonic attacks. It uses these magical sounds to lure and manipulate the inhabitants of Sea God Island."
"Such seduction and manipulation probably won't work on you. But you need to be mentally prepared for the pain caused by the sound waves."
"Finally, its weakness is its heart. Even if you cut through its thick outer skin day and night, it might not cause serious harm. I will go straight for its heart."
"You will buy time for me. Also, these spirits of mine will stay here to help you. Even if you trust in their power, I will kill the Sea God as quickly as possible."
Guts listened to Nidhogg outline the Sea God's strengths and weaknesses. He was stunned for a moment, then his heart grew more confident.
Nidhogg had pointed out all the information about the Sea God. So Guts had a clear idea of what he should and shouldn't do. He wouldn't be like a headless fly.
"Go, Nidhogg. Leave the monsters in the cave to us."
"Good."
At Nidhogg's command, the "Stormhawk Wings," Ingvall and Oleg, who were already prepared, erupted on the spot. They shot towards the group of slug monsters like arrows!
Guts followed, dark as a wolf!
FWOOSH—!
Three storms swept through, slicing like blades and carving a bloody path.
Lhutel the Headless Knight remained by the rock face. Together with the three Lone Wolves, she guarded the Twin Sage Sorcerers and the Spirit Jellyfish, allowing them to fire glintstone magic and poison, also drawing the firepower of some slug monsters.
Only then did Nidhogg retract the grafted wyvern, grip Bloodhound's Fang in one hand, leap from the rocks, step onto the heads of the slugs, and race past!
His target was the Sea God itself in the depths of the cave. Naturally, he wouldn't get tangled up with the slugs here.
The slugs were slow and couldn't stop Nidhogg. But after passing through the swarm of slugs, he saw a large group of sea monsters—the facehugger-caterpillar hybrids they had seen yesterday.
These sea monsters came in all sizes, but they were all incredibly fast. They reached for Nidhogg like spiky palms!
FWOOSH—!
A silver arc flashed past. At Nidhogg's command, all the sea monsters that were a little closer were cut in half!
As his figure rapidly sped through the encirclement of sea monsters, the severed bodies of these monsters fell to the ground.
FWOOSH—!
The sea monsters, coming in like a tide, still couldn't stop him.
Instead, he stepped on the bodies of the sea monsters here and there, constantly changing direction in the air. His efficiency in breaking through was even higher.
Finally, he reached the depths of the cave and stood before the Sea God!
Countless writhing tentacles extended from the Sea God's maw, like a huge, swaying carpet. Its mouth was slightly open, revealing sharp teeth and profound darkness.
Nidhogg immediately ran.
At the same time, the tentacles on this carpet all writhed convulsively, as if stressed. They surged from all sides, entwining around Nidhogg, trying to devour him!
This overwhelming mass of tentacles almost blocked the only light in the cave, making one feel suffocated. But they still couldn't make Nidhogg stop!
He leaped into the air. Surrounded by numerous tentacles, he summoned the huge head of the flying dragon!
The dragon's head opened. A massive cloud of orange-red flame burst forth. He directed it towards these tentacles!
ROAR—!
Incantation: Agheel's Flame!
FWOOSH—!
The orange-red dragon's breath instantly engulfed these enveloping tentacles. The flames quickly spread outwards, instantly forming a sea of burning fire. Rolling black smoke and flames rushed towards the top of the cave!
The tangled tentacles immediately resembled burnt worms, writhing and coiling even more desperately. But they could do nothing more to hinder Nidhogg's progress.
"OOOOH—!"
At that moment, a piercing scream erupted from the Sea God's massive maw!
At such close range, Nidhogg's eardrums vibrated. His qi and blood churned. The pain was unbearable. He nearly fell to the ground!
The entire cave was also shaken by this sound wave. Small stones continued to fall from the ceiling, striking the pools and the sea monsters.
Then the screaming stopped.
Nidhogg seized the moment. He surged forward in one breath. The tip of his sword aimed directly into the Sea God's maw. A "Star Shower" shot from it, shattering the teeth that hadn't yet fully closed!
CRACK—!
The shattered teeth broke apart, revealing a gap. Nidhogg stepped on the tentacles on the ground, flipped, and leaped through the gap between the teeth. He tumbled completely into the dark body of the Sea God.
Nidhogg plunged into the darkness and soon landed on a soft floor.
With a CRACK!, one of his feet sank in. Judging by the texture, it should be a wooden plank.
At that moment, golden light flickered behind him. Before Nidhogg could turn his head, he felt Melina gently lean against his back. A pair of rough, scarred hands covered his shoulders.
"I will provide 'light source.' " Melina said calmly. "Just go forward."
Nidhogg nodded, took out his Flask of Cerulean Tears, restored his focus, and stepped forward.
The golden light emanating from Melina's body indeed shone brightly, allowing Nidhogg to see clearly that he was stepping on a damaged ship. At the same time, similarly destroyed ships lay all around.
They were steeped in the large pool within the Sea God's body, decaying day by day. It was like a graveyard for seafaring vessels.
SCUTTLE, SCUTTLE—!
Large parasites, resembling trilobites or horseshoe crabs, crawled out from under the rotten ship's hull. Disturbed, they emerged from their nests and charged at the golden light, at Nidhogg.
Nidhogg sheathed Bloodhound's Fang and replaced it with the Grafted Blade Greatsword. Then he raised this greatsword, forged from countless blades, and swept it through, crushing all the parasites that came his way, sending gouts of ichor flying!
Nidhogg, clad in armor, was like a steel chariot, thundering straight into the depths of the Sea God's body!
Melina floated above his head, occasionally using the Missionary's Knife to swing golden blades, providing cover.
The deeper he went, the clearer and more noticeable a sound became.
THUMP, THUMP, THUMP—!
It was the sound of the Sea God's beating heart!
The heart was the Sea God's weakness!
At that moment, the Sea God naturally understood that an intruder had entered its body. It also knew that this intruder was targeting its heart. So it let out another piercing scream!
"OOOOH—!"
At the same time, the Sea God violently thrashed its body, slamming against the cave wall, trying to forcefully break the seal, using the power it had accumulated over decades!
Nidhogg and Melina were also briefly affected by this close-range scream. But Nidhogg had given himself "Oath of Vengeance" in advance. Its effect was much less than the previous wave. Melina, once again a spirit, was also affected but recovered quickly.
Their movements only paused for a moment, then they rushed into the depths of the Sea God's belly, ignoring the increasing agitation of the belly walls.
Guts, outside the Sea God's body, was not so comfortable.
Even wearing the Berserker Armor's helm, he couldn't completely block the Sea God's screaming. It caused him intense pain and dizziness while he fought the surrounding sea monsters.
Nearby, the Lost Knights Ingvall and Oleg conjured whirlwinds, destroying sea monsters.
The distant Lone Wolves, Twin Sage Sorcerers, and Spirit Jellyfish had been overwhelmed and destroyed by the sea monsters after rendering their utmost contribution.
Only Lhutel the Headless Knight had broken through the encirclement and continued to fight.
Guts killed another sea monster. The brand on the back of his head throbbed with pain and bled.
This time, the Sea God's screaming seemed unending. It slammed into the cave wall. The screaming and the concussion several times knocked him off balance, and he fell into the cold water of the pool.
But he got up quickly each time, because he knew perfectly well that this was a battlefield of monsters. Once he lay down to rest, it could become an eternal sleep.
He could force himself to get up, but he couldn't stop the Sea God from constantly emitting its screaming and continuously slamming its body against the stone wall, trying to break the seal.
It was at that moment that Guts suddenly heard an explosion of singing coming from outside the cave!
This singing was so tactful and pleasant. It seemed to possess some kind of magic. It actually pierced through and tore apart the Sea God's screaming, reaching Guts and making him feel much better.
Guts snapped awake instantly. His thoughts, disrupted by the Sea God's screaming, became much calmer. He immediately understood that this was the singing of the mermaid clan.
The mermaids' singing was the natural enemy of the Sea God. It was an existence that could weaken the Sea God's screaming and strengthen the seal!
He shook himself, looked up, and saw a spirit body floating above him—it was Flora, in spirit projection!
Flora smiled and nodded to Guts. Then she raised her wand and chanted an incantation.
She intended to use the power of the water elemental spirits of this sea, combined with the mermaids' singing, to unleash powerful magic to suppress the Sea God as it tried to break the seal, buying time for Nidhogg and Guts!