Kash shot Deeohos in the back of the head with a gun.
There was a sound like something colliding. It might have hit debris falling from the ship.
“Tsk, what now? Go and check it out.”
The two girls exchanged glances.
“I don’t want to, I’ve already finished my work for today.”
“What the heck, you always leave the troublesome stuff to me.”
Just as the Sea Tiger was about to ride its Orca spirit to check things out, another strong tremor hit them.
“Whoa, what is this?!”
“Kuuuuh.”
The Whale cried out in pain. The sea shouldn’t have been rough, yet for some reason it wouldn’t move forward. If anything, it was twisting its body as if writhing in pain. Sharin stood up and drew her sword.
“It’s behind you, the enemy isn’t dead yet!”
A pale, woman’s hand stuck to the deck. Water dripped from her long, ghost-like hair.
“You won’t escape, I’ll take you with me!”
“H-Hee!”
Lauren moved her legs with a dry rustle and distanced herself from the ghost. Her clothes were mostly torn, but wasn’t this Deeohos, who had just fallen into the sea? She should have shot him in the head, so why was she alive?
“Get out of the way!”
Kash burst out of the cabin and fired a shot at the enemy.
“Ugh, you think that little thing will kill me~?”
Deeohos’ ghost climbed onto the ship with its upper body. Beneath it, it was followed by several dogs. They were trying to come towards them, scratching at the wooden floor.
Stepping back, I noticed. The deck was covered in water without my realizing it. The sound of splashing water could be heard distinctly.
Deeohos’ ghost turned its head towards me. Creepy purple eyes peeked out from between its hair.
“Youuuuuu!!”
With a strange cry, it crawled towards me at tremendous speed. The dogs below were baring their fangs, eager to get their prey. I froze in fear as it approached me. I didn’t know where to run. Or should I draw my sword and fight?
“Gaaaaaah.”
Just one step before the dog’s fangs could reach me, Philiana’s long sword pierced one of them. Immediately, the other dogs tried to bite Philiana. At that moment, Nina leaped onto Deeohos from behind.
“Let go!!”
Nina’s curved dagger made a large gash on the ghost’s chest. The ghost swung its long arms at Nina. She quickly disengaged and reached for her bow.
“Wanna test my skills?”
An arrow fired at close range struck the ghost squarely in the forehead.
“Ga, Agaga, Vuh, Nigpyura…”
The dogs at my feet writhed, foaming at the mouth. Looking closely, I saw that a head and front legs grew directly from the woman’s lower body. And behind it, a fish’s tail extended. It was a strangely monstrous figure. Did Deeohos want to repay Nigpyura even if it meant becoming this?
The monster staggered back, clutching the arrow in its forehead. But in the end, its rage-filled eyes caught mine just before it fell into the sea.
The water wetting my feet suddenly swirled and entangled me. I was dragged into the sea along with it.
“Arisugawa! Your hand!”
Sharin reached out her hand towards me, digging her claws into the deck. But my fingertips barely missed, drifting away.
For a moment, I saw Sharin looking down at me from the edge of the ship. The next thing that plunged me into was a deep blue, akin to darkness. The voice calling me also disappeared. I quickly surfaced.
Where did that monster go? This situation was extremely bad. The sea was completely the enemy’s domain. I was no different from an ant fallen into a puddle, barely able to swim.
I felt the presence of something passing nearby. The endless deep sea began to swirl. My cloak got tangled, making it difficult to swim.
“I’LL DRAG YOU ALONE DOWN WITH ME!!! ARISUGAWA HIROAKI!!”
With a shrill scream, the monster’s body emerged from the sea. The arrow was still embedded in its forehead.
“Kishyahhhhhh!”
It grabbed at me, dripping blood. If this is how it’s going to be, we have to settle this here. Its gnarled, long fingers dug into my bicep. I gripped the arrow in its forehead and thrust my dagger into its neck.
“Gukii, Fushuu.”
“Take this, die!!”
Its heavy body fell on top of me. It intended to drag me into the sea. I pulled out the dagger and yanked at the hand gripping my bicep. It was held so firmly that it wouldn’t budge. Seawater mercilessly flowed into my mouth.
“Gulp, blub, who… will save me?”
The more I struggled, the more water entered my airway. My legs, which I was moving to stay afloat, were struck by intense pain. Beneath the water’s surface, the heads of surviving dogs were biting my legs. I kicked them, but the resistance of the water made it difficult to hit them effectively.
“Blublub.”
Finally, the sky disappeared from my sight. The white foam I exhaled rose upwards. The monster’s drifting hair wrapped around my neck like ghastly tentacles.
A faint, glowing eye within narrowed into a grin.
