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Chapter 1: The Day the Sea Reveals Its Depths
Once believed to encompass the entire world, the vast Sea.
Today was the day when that very Sea revealed its depths.
Creak! Thud!
In the air, green blood spurts out as a single massive tentacle retracts, revealing the bulk of its body.
“Ugh, damn it, damn it, damn it, you bastard…”
A man with blue hair kicks at the corpse, spitting disdainfully.
“The Commander of the Gran Blue Knight Order and Third Son of the Daphne Ducal Family, Barrach Daphne, the Strongest Knight of the Pavion Empire,” they call him.
He furrows his brow, surveying the scene.
“What a mess.”
Wooden planks and bodies float atop the Sea, tainted crimson by blood. Along the coast, knights and soldiers lay tangled amidst the chaos of the creatures’ corpses.
Smoke rises from all directions, stinging the eyes, while a nauseating stench fills the air. A scene akin to hell itself.
In the midst of it all, Barrach strides across the blood-soaked sand.
“What in the world is this madness…”
The faces of his comrades reflect in his bloodshot eyes.
Lieutenant Celtus, who always complained about the day being too long.
Martin, the foolish youngest, brimming with ambition to surpass Barrach someday.
Knights and soldiers who had laughed and cried together, now lie lifeless.
Anger and sorrow mix on Barrach’s face.
Beep—
A ringing in his ears, his eyes trembling violently, his vision blurred.
Barrach grits his teeth.
“Barrach, pull yourself together.”
“…Yes.”
Then, a word from his father, Copen Daphne, snaps Barrach back to reality.
He blinks, slowly turning his head.
Surviving comrades come into view, only seven left, all in disarray.
“Ugh… damn it…”
“For heaven’s sake.”
Sizzle! Sizzle!
Mana shields stripped, armor riddled with holes.
Blood seeps through, emitting a foul odor.
Covered in sweat and blood, faces twisted in agony.
Yet, death eludes them.
“Not until we bring him down.”
“Wooooo…”
An eerie roar reverberates through the land, sending shivers down Barrach’s spine.
On the Sea, a towering mass of flesh emerges, surrounded by countless tentacles, a horrifying amalgamation of human and animal corpses—a sight that would break anyone’s spirit.
“Demon King Shagrath.”
Under Barrach’s piercing blue gaze, the vile figure looms.
No knight, no army, not even the most powerful mages could vanquish him.
The human casualties of the Pavion Empire alone numbered in the millions, wiping out dozens of noble families.
Even the mighty Ignima, Divinity, Quiznos, Shadow, and Bauer dukes—the so-called Seven Great Families—had suffered decimation.
Only the Bloodfoot family, with their slight alliance, offered any resistance.
Only we dared to stand against him.
“Barrach, it’s up to you.”
His father, Copen, speaks with a commanding voice, extending his sword. The tip points to the center of Shagrath—a red orb.
“The Core.”
The source of his endless power, a target that represents our only hope for victory.
“…Yes.”
If we are to honor the sacrifices made, we must succeed.
Not as the reckless Barrach, but as Commander Daphne of the Knight Order.
Barrach closes his eyes briefly, then opens them with determination, turning to those beside him.
The remaining seven knights.
With a firm voice, he declares,
“We die here.”
They nod solemnly, their expressions grave.
In unison, they raise their heads towards the Core, tightly gripping their swords.
Whoosh… haaa…
The sound fades, leaving only the echo of their breath.
It is time.
Charge!
With his father leading the way, Barrach and the others follow, forming a long line.
Blue sparks emanate from their eyes, their swords aglow with azure light. With each step, their armor sparks and radiates with light.
The essence of the Daphne sword technique, the Wave Blade Style, trails behind them.
Continuing on, the seven form a single entity, undulating forward like a single mass.
This is the “GranBlue,” a colossal wave born of great azure, and in that moment…
“They’re coming head-on!”
Whoosh!
Hundreds of tentacles burst from Shagrath’s body, creating a net-like barrier of attacks seemingly from all directions.
Suddenly, a middle-aged knight at the forefront channels a blue glow into his sword.
“Aaaah!”
With all his might, he swings his sword, unleashing a powerful blow that momentarily halts the tentacles’ movements with an explosion of mana.
In a flash…
“Now!”
Bang!
Without needing to be prompted, everyone leaps onto the pillars of tentacles simultaneously.
Crash!
“Urgh!”
Immediately after, the tentacles surge forward again, engulfing the body of the middle-aged knight.
Barrach, from behind, sneaks a glance at him.
Rohan Vesta, Commander of the Gran Blue Knight Order 3rd Division.
An unassuming man who often cracked dull jokes, as annoying to his subordinates as he was cherished.
“Ughhh…”
Despite facing death, he grits his teeth to stifle a scream, exuding a sense of dignity.
Thunk!
Barrach grits his teeth.
Advancing step by step, undeterred by the impending doom.
Seconds tick by.
“They’re coming again!”
Whoosh!
Once more, Shagrath’s tentacles lunge forward.
Crash!
“I’m going!”
Once more, the leading knight sacrifices himself, buying a fleeting moment.
Benjamin, always too talkative, often receiving admonishments from Barrach.
His sacrifice propels everyone ten steps forward.
With his heart pounding and guilt tearing him apart long before death.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
The deaths pile up.
Knights who once flourished with their families now trampled like bugs.
For every future million lives Shagrath’s hand would have claimed, noble deaths accumulate.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
Five consecutive deaths.
Barrach’s face is already halfway to tears, only two left now.
“Ugh!”
Father, Copen Daphne.
And Knight Commander Barrach Daphne.
The two wealthy men, riding the tentacles, approach within arm’s reach of the red orb.
Then, the father turns to Barrach, locking eyes.
“You must succeed, Barrach.”
Unspoken words, conveyed only through expressions.
“Aaaah!”
Without hesitation, father charges towards the Core.
Whoosh!
Tentacles spewing from the Core emit dazzling light as they surge towards him.
“Come.”
Crash!
In that moment, without a shred of hesitation, he reverses his grip on his sword and plunges it into his chest.
A spray of blood mixed with azure bursts from his chest, and…
Aaaargh!
A massive explosion erupts, swallowing the tentacles and charging forward.
“Father…”
Barrach’s expression contorts.
It feels akin to tearing out his own heart.
But there’s no time to dwell on this emotion.
Failure to end this here condemns their deaths to oblivion.
For a split second, he squeezes his temples, then reopens his eyes to a new sight.
“Groaaaah!”
A hole pierced through Shagrath’s thick flesh, revealing a large, vivid red orb beyond.
“It’s here.”
It feels like gazing into a massive furnace.
The weight of the immense power emanating from within pricks at my skin.
The Core: the source of Shagrath’s infinite power.
Only once.
A single opportunity created by the deaths of all.
To find meaning in the countless deaths, seizing this opportunity is imperative.
“Ugh!”
My body screams in protest.
Gritting my teeth, I firmly grip the sword, my hands threatening to break under the pressure.
Hummm!
With determination, I accelerate the circuits, squeezing out every last drop of mana from my exhausted body.
Crackle!
Blue fissures appear on my abdomen, spreading throughout my body.
At the brink of death, Barrach’s will barely clings to his body, which is already stretched beyond its limits.
Yet, Barrach’s will transcends even this.
Hummm!
The longsword in my hand emits a brilliant blue light, so intense it threatens to blind.
As energy, on the brink of bursting, surges through every inch of Barrach’s body…
“Aaaargh!”
Kwaaaang!
The sword shatters, unleashing a beam of light that extends from its tip.
The regenerated tentacles attempt to block it, but upon contact with the light, they disintegrate into dust.
Crash! Crash!
Penetrating the storm of flesh, the final blow strikes true on Shagrath’s Core.
<<Groooaaarrrr!>>
Crackle! Crack!
A red fissure rapidly spreads across the surface of the Core.
“Aaaargh!”
Just a bit more, just a little bit more.
Biting down until my teeth nearly break, blood oozing out, veins bulging, I push with all my might.
Maybe it’s this desperation that’s conveyed.
Crackle! Sizzle!
As the Core nears its limit, it starts to crumble like shattered glass.
Kwaaaah!
As if unsatisfied with just the light, the beam churns up a whirlwind of purple, piercing through Shagrath’s flesh and soaring powerfully towards the sky.
<<Gooooo!>>
A hole is torn through the clouds, and Shagrath’s dying roar reverberates.
…
…
Several seconds pass.
Thud! Thud!
His colossal form crumbles, flesh raining down in torrents.
An intense and sickly sweet scent, akin to exotic black flowers, permeates the air, tickling the senses.
“…”
Through the haze, Barrach, now aged, falls.
His body charred black, blue fissures still lingering in some places.
“Did we… succeed?”
Slowly, he opens his eyes.
The once-clouded sky now unveils a clear blue expanse.
In return for their lives, what they gained was as blue as the waves, filling their hearts with fulfillment.
“The sky… it’s so beautifully dirty.”
He feels remorse for relishing such beauty alone.
If only he were stronger, maybe everyone could have beheld this sight.
If he had focused on his family instead of wandering as a knight in his youth, would the outcome have been different?
Regrets flood his mind in his final moments, yet above all…
“Was this the right thing to do?”
Undoubtedly, today’s sacrifices will save millions in the Pavion Empire.
A sacrifice deserving praise from the God Feron, a death deemed glorious.
He believed that such a life was right and natural.
Nevertheless…
With each loss of his subordinates, comrades, and countless Daphne lives, a surge of anger rises.
Should they not have hidden among the sheep like countless imperial cowards, waiting for their chance?
Should they not have stalled, waiting for the empire and the Seven Great Families to join the battle?
Then, even if countless commoners perished, they might have saved their own lives.
“Perhaps… there was another choice.”
Had they prioritized their family, could they have prolonged their lives?
But it’s all too late for regrets now.
Having brought his tumultuous life to a close, all that remains is for the family members to carry on.
“You’ll do well, won’t you?”
Walter, always frail.
He was wise enough to be called a great sage, a lifelong pride of the family.
His brother will surely lead the family well in the future.
“Please, big brother.”
Despite the agony of witnessing the disappearance of knights and soldiers, and despite the time it will take for wounds to mend…
While there are still those within the family who comprehend the vision and mysteries of the Wave Swordsmanship he crafted…
Leaving behind seeds, all he can do now is hope they sprout.
Surely, with such a great sacrifice, the Peron God will watch over them.
” …”
As consciousness slowly fades, his eyes close.
“Is this really the end?”
Barrach’s lips curl into a smile.
“Take care, everyone.”
Fwshh!
As if vanishing into thin air, Barrach’s body disperses into dust.
It marked the anticlimactic end of a man once hailed as the Strongest Knight of the Pavion Empire, Commander Daphne of the Knight Order, and the youngest son of Copen Daphne.
***
…
…
A warm sensation, akin to floating on gentle water.
Comfortable, serene—almost dreamlike.
…Am I dead??
I always knew it would end up like this someday.
Barrach surrenders himself to this distant yet comforting sensation.
The final chapter of a life filled with regrets has finally come to a close.
So warm, so peaceful—almost tempting enough to melt into.
Even the thorns embedded in my heart seem to dissolve within this warmth.
– Commander Barrach!
– Yes! Let’s give it our all today too!
Memories of days spent with subordinates flood back—territorial battles, monster hunts, and training sessions alike.
‘It was enjoyable.’
Then, from beyond consciousness, a faint voice echoes.
– Do you regret it?
Who is it?
Father, big brother? Or someone else?
– If given another chance, what would you do?
Maybe it’s just my lingering attachment echoing.
“A chance, huh…”
After a long silence, Barrach finally spoke.
“Well, if it were me, I guess I’d want to live a bit selfishly for the sake of our family, honor, and all that. Pure sincerity, you know? For the Daphne family, and only for the Daphne family. I’ll live for the sake of our family and myself, shedding all the burdens of righteousness, honor, and knighthood. Just like father had his own sense of justice, I, Barrach Daphne, will create my own.”
” …”
But there came no further response.
“Useless.”
He dissolved endlessly into the distant sensation, relishing it again and again.
How much time had passed? Time itself felt distant.
“Gongja?”
” …”
A voice began to softly emerge from the darkness.
…Who is it?
“Are you okay?”
What’s ‘okay’?
“Young Master!”
The voice grew louder, until at some point, it became quite grating to the ears.
“Gongjanim! Wake up! Can’t you hear me?”
I can, I can hear you.
But the noise is so bothersome.
I’m already dead, after all.
“Master? Young Master?”
Hey, I don’t know who you are, but… could you please keep it down?
“Young Master?”
Please, just stop…
“Young Master!”
Enough!
Barrach instinctively threw a punch.
Thunk!
Something solid collided with his fist, sending him flying backward.
“Ouch…”
“Huh?”
Blinking, Barrach stared at the man before him.
Dressed in a servant’s attire, he appeared to be in his early to mid-twenties.
His clothes were quite dirty, and his hair was unkempt. Clearly, he wasn’t a prestigious mansion servant.
“What the…”
I’m sure I was just fighting Shagrath a moment ago.
But what’s happening here?
My arm feels strange, and the sight of the servant before me is too vivid to be a dream.
And it doesn’t feel like heaven either…
“Um, where am I?”
“Where? You’re in Gongjanim’s room.”
“Well, I know it’s a room, but why am I alive?”
“Huh?”
I’m certain my body was falling apart a moment ago.
So why am I suddenly fine now?
The servant looked at me, clearly puzzled.
“Why are you alive? You’ve never died, so you’re alive, right?”
“No, I mean, I died. So how am I alive?”
“You died?”
The servant cocked his head, then reached out to touch his forehead.
“Strange. You don’t seem to have a fever, so why are you suddenly talking nonsense…”
“No, why am I alive?”
“What are you talking about?”
Why is he reacting this way?
Perplexed, Barrach could only blink in confusion.
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