Bodies covered in scales fell, split into pieces with cutting angles that were almost too clean. Even their blood didn't have time to touch the ground before evaporating in the heat of the fire.
The number of enemies began to shrink.
Those strange murmurs disappeared one by one, replaced by the sound of flames and the heavy breathing of the warriors. For a moment, the battlefield felt… under control.
Then the sea raged.
The water in front of the dock split apart with a majestic explosion. A massive wave crashed into the side of the harbor, shattering wooden planks and flinging several bodies into the air.
I leaped back, driving my sword into the ground to hold my balance.
And from behind that burst of water—
Something emerged.
The creature loomed tall, its body humanoid but with the head and jaws of a giant shark. Its teeth were layered, gleaming sharp, while its dark gray skin was lined with glowing pink markings that pulsed like living veins.
A coarse energy radiated from its body, making the air around it tremble.
The remaining Deep Ones immediately retreated, giving it space. Some even bowed their heads, their murmurs shifting into a reverent tone.
I narrowed my eyes.
I'm guessing this is their boss.
The creature roared loudly, its voice piercing through fire and smoke, shaking the already-fragile dock. Every step it took made the ground tremble, leaving trails of briny seawater mixed with blood.
Ragnar stood on the other side of the battlefield, his sword still dripping with blood. He looked at the creature with a wild grin.
"Finally," he said loudly. "The big one shows up."
I lifted Maw, my sword, Qi swirling steadily along its blade. The scent of plum blossoms grew stronger again, sweeping away the foul stench of the deep sea.
A few moments later, the sea churned again.
Not a small ripple. Not the lingering impact of the previous emergence.
The water split once more—and again.
Two massive bursts followed almost simultaneously, smashing what remained of the cracked dock. Wooden planks scattered, seawater swept across the shore, and from within those eruptions… two more figures emerged.
Three in total.
The creatures stood side by side at the ruined edge of the harbor, their towering humanoid forms alike—shark heads, jaws full of serrated teeth, and muscular bodies wrapped in coarse scales. Yet their differences were clear.
The first—the one who appeared earlier—stood at the front. Its body was larger, the pink lines across its skin glowing brighter, pulsing slowly like a second heart. The pressure it emitted made the air feel heavy, even the surrounding flames trembling unstably.
The other two were of different types.
One had a lean body with long fins like a mako shark, its movements quick and restless, as if impatient to charge. The other was larger and broader, resembling a hammerhead shark, its wide head and small eyes on either side giving off an impression of calm… yet dangerous.
Three leaders of the Deep Ones.
And clearly—the first was the strongest.
Jun stood a few steps ahead, the sword in his hand still gleaming with steady Qi. He did not move, only observed. His eyes swept across the three of them calmly, weighing distance, pressure, and possible attack routes.
On the other side of the battlefield, Ragnar stepped forward.
He stood alongside his men—the Vikings, now forming a rough yet solid line. Swords and axes were raised, shields locked together. Even though exhaustion was etched clearly on their faces, not a single one retreated.
Ragnar glanced at Jun.
A brief look. Full of understanding.
No long strategy. No complicated signals.
They all knew—retreat was not an option.
The creatures then roared.
Their voices struck the air like physical shockwaves, making the remaining buildings tremble and windows shatter to pieces. The roar was not merely a threat—but a summons. A declaration that this territory had been violated, and the price must be paid in blood.
The remaining Deep Ones responded with low murmurs, kneeling in the shallow water, as if welcoming the arrival of their executors.
Jun tightened his grip on his sword.
The gentle scent of plum blossoms spread faintly again, but immediately clashed with the foul, fishy stench of the deep sea. Two opposing worlds now stood in one place—beauty and destruction, serenity and savagery.
Before them—three sea monsters.
Behind them—a harbor city sheltering hundreds of lives with nowhere to run.
And then—
The clash began.
The leading shark creature charged first. The seawater around it surged upward, forming a dense wave that slammed into the land like a colossal hammer. The remaining dock shattered, wooden planks flying, and several Vikings were thrown back even though they held on tightly.
Jun moved.
His body shot to the side, almost vanishing from the line of attack. The wave crashed down where he had stood a second before, pulverizing it into wet debris. But before he could stabilize his stance, the second creature—the lean, fast one—had already appeared from the side, its trident striking with a speed far beyond that of ordinary Deep Ones.
Jun twisted his body, Maw's blade deflecting the strike with a sharp metallic clang.
The impact of energy shook the air.
The creature staggered half a step back, surprised. But the third one—the hammerhead—struck from the front, swinging its massive arm wrapped in high-pressure water. The attack wasn't just a blow—it was control over the sea itself.
Jun was flung backward, his feet dragging across the ground for several meters before he managed to halt himself. He stood again, his breathing still steady, but his brows furrowed slightly.
The Mount Hua sword technique… wasn't enough.
Jun slowly lowered his sword.
The scent of plum blossoms faded.
And something else… emerged to replace it.
The Qi around him changed.
No longer clear and gently flowing, but heavy—dense—and full of pressure. The air around Jun vibrated, the temperature dropped sharply, and the firelight nearby dimmed for a moment.
Thick black-red energy wrapped around his body.
Demonic Qi.
The Vikings close enough felt their skin crawl. This wasn't divine aura, nor rune magic. This was something far more raw—more honest—and far more dangerous.
Jun lifted his head.
His eyes now reflected a deep crimson glow, his gaze cold without excessive emotion.
"Heavenly Demon," he murmured softly.
He stepped forward.
No flowers. No beauty.
Every step pressed into the ground, leaving faint cracks beneath his feet. When the fastest shark creature tried to strike again, Jun didn't dodge—he met it head-on.
His left hand moved swiftly, seizing the trident with a bare palm. High-pressure water exploded around him, but the Demonic Qi devoured it whole. With one rough motion, Jun yanked the creature closer and slammed his fist into its scaled chest.
BOOM.
The monster's body was hurled far away, crashing into the remains of the watchtower until it collapsed.
The largest creature roared, the sea around it surging wildly. But before it could summon the next wave, Jun was already in front of it—far too close.
Punches. Kicks. Elbows.
Heavenly Demon movements were not beautiful, not graceful. They were brutal, direct, and designed to destroy. Every strike carried Demonic Qi that ravaged from within, shattering scales, tearing muscle, and breaking the creature's structure apart.
Ragnar, watching from afar, grinned wide.
"Monster or god," he muttered while lifting his axe. "He truly isn't an ordinary man."
But even as one creature began to crumble—
The first one, the leader with the brightest glowing pink lines, stepped forward.
The pressure it released was far heavier.
The sea behind it slowly began to swirl… as if forming something far greater.
Jun stopped moving.
The Demonic Qi spun thicker around his body, layering like a living dark mist. The air trembled, a crushing weight pressing against the chests of anyone who stood too close. The fires across the battlefield dimmed, as though afraid to approach an energy that knew no compromise.
Jun raised his sword.
Not in haste.
He channeled Demonic Qi into Maw's blade slowly yet continuously. The sword resonated, its surface shifting from clear blue to pitch-black, cracks of glowing crimson spreading along its edge—like metal straining to contain rage.
This movement was not Mount Hua.
It was something else.
A strike he had learned the hard way—without a master, without sacred scripture—only through battle and survival. A slash that did not rely on beauty or philosophy, but on the intent to destroy.
Jun took a single step.
And slashed.
There was no explosion at first.
Only a black-red line shooting straight ahead, slicing through the air in suffocating silence. But as the strike traveled forward, the space along its path fractured.
The swirling sea behind the monster was split apart by force. The forming wave collapsed before it could merge. The dock in the path of the attack shattered into fine fragments, as if ground away by an invisible force.
The shark-headed leader raised its arm to defend.
Too late.
The slash struck it directly.
Its thick scales peeled away, its massive chest split open, and Demonic Qi seeped into its body, destroying the structure from within. Its roar broke apart — no longer a threat, but a scream of pain.
The giant body was pushed backward, dragging across the ground before crashing into what remained of the harbor buildings, bringing them down completely. Wood and stone scattered, falling into the sea with a heavy splash.
The sea behind it stopped swirling.
For a moment… the world fell silent.
The flames still burned, smoke still rose, yet there were no roars. No murmurs. Even the remaining Deep Ones went still, as if they couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
In the midst of that silence, Jun stood with his sword extended forward. Demonic Qi still swirled around him — dense and oppressive, yet stable — controlled.
Then he took a deep breath.
And shouted.
"Yeah! Send them all to Helheim! For Valhalla!!"
His voice echoed across the ruined harbor, cutting through smoke and fire like a war drum. Those words weren't his — but Jun understood perfectly the meaning and weight they carried for the people around him.
The effect was immediate.
The Vikings jolted, then their eyes blazed. Their answering shouts erupted, wild and filled with fury that had long been suppressed.
"VALHALLA!!"
"FOR ODIN!!"
"KILL THEM ALL!!"
Their spirit exploded.
Ragnar raised his sword high, the runic tattoos across his body glowing once more — brighter than before. A savage grin carved itself across his face.
"Did you hear that, sea bastards!" Ragnar roared as he stepped forward. "Today you die as prey!"
The Vikings charged.
Axes and swords struck with renewed force, every blow filled with resolve and the conviction that death on the battlefield was an honor. The Deep Ones who had hesitated were now forced onto the defensive, their formation collapsing under the brutal pressure.
Jun moved again — to finish what remained.