Aegon rolled forward quickly, and a tentacle, wrapped in a foul wind, grazed his back before slamming onto the deck.
"Bang!" Amidst the exploding sawdust, the ship's planking was struck and dented inward.
The hull shook again. Seeing this, a drop of cold sweat ran down Aegon's temple; if he had been hit by that, he would probably have died instantly.
He had just managed to roll up but hadn't yet stabilized his posture when more warty tentacles burst out of the waves, wrapping tightly around the hull like a giant python strangling its prey.
The hull let out a groaning creak, and the waterline visibly rose.
Aegon's pupils contracted. If the ship sank in this bizarre sea area, he would surely die; there would be no rescue, not to mention the sea was full of monsters.
He realized that it wasn't just their ship being attacked; the accompanying vessels were also being assaulted by the terrifying tentacled monsters. He even saw one smaller ship that had been mostly dragged into the sea.
Some Mercenaries and sailors who had jumped ship to survive hadn't swum far before they seemed to be dragged down and violently pulled beneath the surface, followed by a bloody crimson rising up to stain the seawater.
Aegon swallowed hard. Even though he had been a Mercenary for many years and seen a lot, this kind of scene was a first.
Everything seemed long, but it happened in just a few seconds. Aegon didn't have time to think about anything else. He swung his sword and hacked at the tentacles wrapped around the hull. He knew he absolutely could not let the monster continue this way; once the ship sank, all would be lost!
Several Mercenaries nearby who still retained their composure were startled by Aegon's actions. Realizing the gravity of the situation, they quickly brandished their weapons and joined the fight.
Amidst the sound of blades cutting into flesh, putrid, dark green blood splattered. The monster released the tentacles wrapped around the hull, and the wounded tentacles twitched and writhed in mid-air.
Aegon felt—whether it was an illusion or not—that the warts on the tentacles looked like human faces, and he could even distinguish different expressions: malice, hatred, but without exception, all stared at him with ill will, sending shivers down Aegon's spine.
At this moment, the other Mercenaries also began to achieve results, just as everyone slightly relaxed.
With a muffled crash, several of the monster's tentacles converged on the bow and slammed down violently. Accompanied by the groaning creaks of the ship's frame under the unbearable weight, the monster actually climbed onto the hull.
Everyone finally saw the monster's full appearance!
Between the warty tentacles, a split head sac extended a hideous, bone-white maw, resembling a bird's beak, filled with serrated teeth like rusted steel knives. As it roared, viscous, fluorescent green saliva stretched into strings.
"Is it trying to push the ship into the sea!" Everyone was horrified, and a Mercenary screamed, his voice distorted by fear.
The bow was pushed down into the seawater by the monster! The deck instantly became as steep as a cliff face.
Some cowardly Mercenaries hiding at the stern were bounced into the sea like pieces of a tangram puzzle.
For a time, screams and cries for help were endless.
With the hull steep as a cliff, Aegon grabbed the railing to steady himself. A fat Mercenary, unable to find purchase, slid past him, frantically trying to grab onto something, but failing even to grasp Aegon for leverage.
The fat Mercenary screamed as he slid toward the bow—where the monster had already opened its massive maw, waiting.
Fortunately, Aegon reacted quickly, grabbing the collar of his clothes and dragging him to a nearby railing, motioning for him to hold on.
The fat Mercenary's eyes were wide and vacant, as if he had lost his soul, but as he neared the railing, he instinctively clung to it tightly.
Aegon ignored him. Just now, he seemed to have found the monster's weak spot. When the monster exposed its maw while waiting for food, Aegon saw a black orb on each side of the giant beak, which must be the monster's eyes. Since a creature's eyes are usually not far from its brain, hitting that spot might severely wound the monster.
The longsword in his hand definitely wouldn't work; it was far too small compared to the monster's size. Even if he hit it, he would at most blind one eye, failing to damage the brain.
He looked around for a suitable weapon. Not far away, Aegon saw a several-meter-long spear near a Mercenary with a scar on his face. In the chaos, some Mercenary had somehow stuck it into the deck, and it hadn't fallen despite the ship's tilt.
Aegon's eyes lit up. He looked toward the Scarface Mercenary and was about to speak... The Scarface Mercenary happened to catch Aegon's gaze, seemed to understand something, and roared, "Catch!" He threw the spear, which plunged deeply into the deck right by Aegon's feet. As the wooden shaft vibrated, he himself leaped and slid toward the monster."
The Scarface Mercenary was heard shouting, "Everyone attack! I'll distract it. If we don't finish it off, we'll all die!"
As the Scarface Mercenary neared one of the monster's tentacles, he grabbed the ship's railing. After stabilizing himself, he slashed a knife at the tentacle. The monster cried out in pain, and several tentacles lashed out at the Scarface Mercenary. The Scarface Mercenary's movements were surprisingly good; he dodged left and right, emerging completely unscathed.
Aegon watched in surprise, then, without a moment's hesitation, he let go and slid down. As he approached the monster, the monster's hideous giant beak bit down fiercely.
As if he had anticipated it, Aegon dodged with a nimble flip, exposing the monster's eyeball right in front of him.
Using the momentum, Aegon thrust the spear with all his might.
The spear pierced the monster's eye, bursting forth a foul-smelling liquid. The pain caused the monster to shake violently and struggle continuously.
Aegon's gaze hardened. He gripped the end of the spear and twisted it forcefully.
The monster's giant beak let out an ear-splitting shriek. It violently retracted its tentacles, flipped over, and rolled into the sea. Aegon quickly pulled back, leaping back onto the deck.
As the monster retreated, the hull recovered its balance. Aegon and the Scarface Mercenary exchanged a look of relief, sitting heavily on the deck and gasping for breath.
After catching his breath for a moment, Aegon seemed to remember something. He stood up again and looked toward the other ships.
The ship he had noticed earlier, which was half-dragged into the sea, had completely vanished, likely sunk. Among the limbs floating on the surface, a blond head suddenly struggled out of the water, screaming for help, but quickly sank again, suggesting a grim outcome.
The other ships were still trapped in chaotic combat. Just then, Aegon saw that on the large Triple-Warped Sail Ships that had been leading the way, living people wrapped in fishing nets were suddenly pushed overboard from each one! Those people were covered in blood but still squirming, and the moment they hit the water, they strangely floated back up.
The keen-eyed Aegon clearly saw that those people were completely soaked in blood, and after falling into the sea, they dyed that entire section of the water crimson.
This was completely illogical. How much blood would it take to dye that entire section of the sea red, let alone instantly!
Aegon watched, puzzled. What was the purpose of this?
Are they feeding people to the monsters, hoping the monsters will retreat once they are full?
Just then, a scene that astonished Aegon occurred. As the figures hit the water, the previously chaotic sea instantly fell silent. The monsters harassing the other ships immediately abandoned their current targets, swarming toward the figures in the water like sharks sensing blood.
The people tried to struggle but were dragged one by one into the deep sea by the monsters. The surface of the sea subsequently calmed, leaving only the severed limbs of Mercenaries and sailors, along with fragments of the hull, to tell the tale of what had just happened.
Aegon watched this scene, shocked and confused. What was that? A sacrifice?
A trace of doubt arose in Aegon's heart. This journey was shrouded in suspicion, and he had many questions.
Why did the employer spend a fortune recruiting Mercenaries like them to go to the Valyrian Ruins? The money spent was enough to hire a large Mercenary Group. Why bother patching together a ragtag bunch like them just to make up numbers?
This brought one word to mind: "Conspiracy."
Thinking of the recent sacrifice, Aegon couldn't help but look with solemn eyes toward the massive Triple-Warped Sail Ships ahead.
Tattered and worn canvas flapped in the wind. The masts were carved with Tangled Blue Runes, and the hulls, coated in deep red tar, resembled silent gravestones drifting on the sea.
Aegon vaguely formed a guess.