The Duke's Passion



835 The scream of death

Claude blinked, putting his hand over his brows to see what was going on. He narrowed his eyes, catching several people lowering rowing boats from either side of the ship. Some of the ships were nosediving into the sea.

"What the..." he trailed off when the Kraken let out another piercingly loud scream, making Claude cover his ears. From this distance, Claude already felt like his eardrums would shatter at the noise. He couldn't imagine how loud it was for those in the ships.

"llell... what kind of throat..." he couldn't finish his sentence once again as he noticed a figure flying in the air like a shadow.

All Claude saw was this sharp glint of metal before a strong gust of wind blew past him. Claude raised his arm in front of him on instinct, getting slightly drenched by the splash of water. When he peeked over his shoulder, all he saw was this tiny figure in the air with his sword against the Kraken's gigantic tentacle.

"Uncle..." he whispered, recognizing the person who launched that power and quick assault that caused a strong gust of wind.

The already tumultuous waters created giant ripples, making the ships sway along the waves. Despite the distance, the screams and shouts of people trying to flee the ocean reached Claude's ears. Some took advantage of Stefan's attack and the wild waves, using it as their head start to row the boats farther from the Kraken. However, every single one of them was aware that a little distance wasn't enough.

Until they reach the land, the Kraken would easily destroy them. Thus, some of them didn't bother riding the boats and swam their way out of the scene. At this point, Claude could barely identify who were the knights from the Heart's Kingdom and those from the Spade Kingdom.

They all wanted one thing, and that was to survive.

"Damn that Quentin!" Claude cursed Zero and even strangled him several times in his head. The more he see the situation, the more he realized that the knights who were fighting against them were unconscious sacrifices.

Not just the innocent people of the Spade Kingdom, but everyone, even the knights, were nothing but sacrificial lambs.

Claude gazed at the monstrous creature far away. Everyone else looked as tiny as ants, while those tentacles still looked five times taller and bigger than a watchtower. Considering Claude was standing far away, he could imagine just how big it was up close.

"Fuck!" he cursed aloud, noticing that the Kraken moved its two tentacles. Earlier, the Kraken only used one tentacle to break a ship into smithereens. Having him use two or more would be disastrous, especially since the ocean was its advantage.

Stefan and everyone in there would have a hard time battling the Kraken if they didn't have anything to land on.

"Auron!" Claude yelled, clenching his teeth until the veins in his temples protruded angrily. At the same time, another sharp roar from the creature pierced everyone's ears. The ear-splitting noise forced everyone to pause and cover their ears, leaving them all open to receive an attack from the Kraken. Using this time, the Kraken moved its two tentacles. creating violent waves until its tip resurfaced from underwater.

Everyone could only gaze heavenward, wide-eyed. They held their breaths, watching its shadow come closer with every passing second. The majority of them felt their hearts drop to their stomach, knowing this would be their end.

Unlike their will and courage in fighting another man with their swords, before this Kraken, their bodies wouldn't even listen to them. All they felt before their upcoming death was the sense of failure. The people in the area where one of the tentacles was about to land couldn't even shut their eyes as they anticipated their death.

However, just as the tentacle was a meter away from their heads, it stopped. No one noticed it immediately, staring at it blankly until the sticky and slimy fluid trickled down their heads and faces.

"Move!!!" Before anyone could figure out what had just happened, a yell from somewhere echoed faintly. "Do not stop! Keep rowing and reach the land!!"

Some turned their heads to search for the owner of the voice, while others didn't have the time to do so. Instead, they followed the instruction and rowed the boats. Others swam away as fast as they could, not giving the shattered woods and things floating on the sea; even the dead bodies floating didn't hinder them from fleeing the scene.

As long as they were on the water, they weren't safe. The scream of the Kraken was so loud it could kill. Those who thought going underwater to not hear the scream of death were proven wrong and died instantly underwater.

To make it short, they had to get away as soon as possible.

As many soldiers fled the scene, a few stayed behind like Stefan and members of the Divine Order. The Divine Orders stopped the other tentacle with Ramin clutching midair while the rest attacked it. They weren't able to graze it, but they managed to divert the direction where it was attacking.

"Move!! Do not stop! Keep rowing and reach the land!" Maxine, a member of the Divine Order, yelled her lungs out and everyone snapped back to reality.

Maxine landed on the desk of the smaller ship near the Kraken, joining the rest, who hopped away after launching their attacks. Stefan also landed on the ship after Maxine. All of them subconsciously turned their heads to the coast where Claude was standing at.

"That kid..." Ramin grinned, realizing Claude's presence, which he didn't notice before. "... damn. He's not the fearsome earl of Monarey for nothing"

"Good thing he was there to help, Kristina mumbled, peeling her eyes away from Claude to the Kraken before them. "If not for him, half of us were already dead."

Claude stopped the tentacle in time, allowing the Divine Order to attack the Kraken freely. Still, the Divine Order's attacks were nothing. Only Stefan and his Lancelot were able to graze it, albeit shallowly.

"I told you to assist everyone away." While everyone shifted their attention to the Kraken, Stefan spoke quictly. "My gut feeling told me the Divine Bearers were needed in that land more than they were needed in here. I will stop this Kraken"

"Your Majesty -

"Maxine..." Stefan kept his eyes on the monster before them, eyes glinting with murderous intent. "... this is a royal order. Don't make me repeat myself."

!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

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