Once they all left to deal with the sea monsters attacking the ship, I was left alone with the little intruder.
"Got the short end of the stick, didn't you?" I muttered while grabbing a rope from one of the drawers in the room.
I don't really come to the discipline room often. It's not my job to torture people here—I only bring them in.
"Y-you… all you Amagra'ras will soon face your punishment," the boy managed to groan through unbearable pain and the blood filling his mouth.
"A spy from another nation? If your goal is to sabotage Amagra'ra, then why are you on a ship sailing toward Lichtrey?" I asked, bored.
I honestly couldn't care less about the kid. But gathering info might help the others.
"It all starts with the fall of your greatest ally!" he spat.
"Mhmm."
I'm not the kind of nationalist who dies for whatever country I happen to live in. If things get bad, I'll just flee somewhere else and start over.
"You were probably already asked this, but are you the only intruder?"
Despite my question, the kid stayed silent. A creepy giggle escaped his lips.
"Hehe… what does it matter? I could be the only one—but that already makes a big difference!"
Whatever nation he's working for did a great job indoctrinating him.
"You could be the only one? So there are more intruders aboard," I muttered to myself, making sure he couldn't hear.
"Anyway, I personally think you were sent to die," I added, staying alert to any sound outside the room.
"Think about it. You're on an enemy ship—one that has no problem killing a kid like you. If I were your boss, you'd be here to become a statistic. An article on an online page."
"Then I'll gladly die for my country!" the kid screamed. "Nothing would make me happier than the world seeing what dirty, horrible people you Amagra'ras are!"
There was no point talking to a brainwashed kid like this. As for information about whatever nation he's working for, there are others more suited for that.
But if I had to guess…
No point. Of the three nations at war or in bad standing with Amagra'ra, any of them could throw a kid into dirty work.
!!!
Another rumbling hit the ship—far harsher than before. The kid slid across the metal floor and crashed into the wall.
"Guh!" he cried out. With his limbs tied, all he could do was take the hit.
Then I heard heavy steps sprinting outside the room. Heavy, numerous—definitely not humans.
"Ah! You did it! Horton, you did it! Our plan was successful!" the kid yelled triumphantly. Loud enough for monsters to hear.
"Plan? What do you mean?" I said, moving to the side of the door.
"We're here to prevent the supplies from reaching Lichtrey! Don't you even know what you're transporting!?"
"I'm guessing something more important and classified than food and weapons. I'm not dumb. I saw some high-ranking officials load something that looked important."
I learned long ago not to poke my nose where I shouldn't. Anything handled by people in power isn't meant for someone like me to know.
"Yes! We got information—the Holy Crown of the Copper King is on this ship! A true treasure meant for the first prince of Lichtrey! A treasure to help them in the war!"
"You're awfully okay with sharing important info like that with me…"
"Because there's no point hiding it anymore! This ship is doomed to sink to the deepest part of this monster-infested ocean! The crown will never reach the prince! Ah, Horton… you used your body and energy as bait to lure the monsters! Such a wonderful way to die—for our mission, for the country! Don't wait for me, Horton, I'll be joining you soon!"
His loud rambling made it obvious to the monsters outside that there was prey in the room.
The rumbling of the metal walls as the monsters rammed the door sent vibrations through my back.
I activated as many Body Strengthening techniques as my body could handle.
Thud! Thud!
Lung Expansion—letting me store more air and keep my breath steady. It also calms my pulse in these moments.
Thud! Thud!
Rock Body—hardening my skin and scales. I was still in the early stages of Body Strengthening, so I had a long way to go.
Thud! Thud!
Light Feet—making my steps quieter.
I could only hope the Equinara intruder was enough of a distraction to let me escape unnoticed.
I reached for the door handle, took a deep breath, and waited for the thuds to peak.
When they did, I lowered the handle.
With a loud crash, the door burst open and the ramming monster forced its way inside.
A sea monster, covered in scales and as tall as a large dog, immediately locked onto the easiest prey.
The boy didn't help himself—his manic laughter and pointless thrashing made it easier for the beast to ignore anyone else.
The monster slowly approached him on all fours.
I wasn't staying to watch it eat him alive. I needed to escape somewhere—though I wasn't even sure "somewhere safe" existed on this ship.
I slipped out of the discipline room unnoticed. Since it was on a lower deck, I had a long way to climb before reaching anywhere remotely safe.
Before I could start running, the visceral sounds of the monster eating the horse kid alive rang out—twisting metal, tearing flesh, mixed with agonized screams and crazed laughter.
My stomach tightened for a moment.
But… I didn't feel much for the kid beyond that. Pity? No. He and his friend put us in this mess.
Either way, I ran through the corridors, meeting no monsters in my path.
"The boat's moving like crazy. Whatever's attacking us is either massive or there's a lot of them," I muttered as I ran.
Up the stairs, through more halls. Thanks to Lung Expansion, my breath stayed steady and my pulse calm until I reached the door to the deck.
Once I opened it, I saw the full extent of the invasion.
Black clouds covered the sky. Chaotic rain poured down. The whole boat was infested.
Countless monsters swarmed the deck, the containers, and even more climbed up the sides. This was nothing like previous attacks. Usually, we'd get twelve to sixteen monsters at most.
Right now? Hundreds. No—thousands.
Even the guards were struggling to keep up.
"We've got flying monsters now!?" one man yelled as he cleaved through a small horde with his axe.
"Fitrie! We need you to take care of the big ones! Stop wasting time with these shrimps!"
"Trudeia's already dealing with them! Let him handle it!"
"You dumbass! Even he can't fight this many!"
Body Hardening Technique: Sharp Claws.
My hand hardened completely—I couldn't even move my fingers. My nails elongated and toughened, giving me a pseudo-bladed weapon.
I leapt and slashed a small monster trying to sneak up behind a man. It died on the spot, its blue blood splattering across my raincoat.
"Grey! What're you doing here!?"
"A monster got to the discipline room. The intruder died, so I repositioned."
"Then get to the command room and protect the navigators! We'll handle these monsters!" the man—a Vogel, a race of bird-featured people—ordered as he pierced ten monsters in one lunge. Twenty immediately took their place.
"Roger! Anything else?"
"If you see Trudeia, tell him to guide the big ones to the front of the deck!"
I nodded and turned—
"!!!"
A huge hulking monster landed in front of me. Its skin was slimy and soft-looking, with purplish bulbs protruding everywhere. But beneath that softness were powerful muscles—a single hit would kill someone unprepared.
"Shit! Grey, escape, now!" the Vogel yelled.
The monster swung a massive arm in a sweeping attack, balancing with its flippers and other arm. It was slow—one of those monsters that moved worse outside of water.
I ducked under the blow just in time and sprinted past it.
"Shit! Grey! It's following you!"
He was right. The monster ignored them completely and chased me.
"Let him follow me! I can outrun it—you can't fight it!"
"Underestimating us, eh, brat!?" one man shouted with a laugh.
But his laughter cut short when he was shoved back by a sudden flood of small monsters swarming him all at once.
"Shut yer trap if you can't put your money were your mouth is, old fart!"
"We're both the same age!"
Was the last thing I heard from them before the noises of the monster destroying everything on its path bombarded my ears.
I entered the main building of the ship that could lead me to the command room. The narrower halls were enough to slow down the monster following me, if only just a little was more than enough.
"What is that?" A man, probably a more average worker on the ship that had nothing to do with the defense of it, came out of a room at the end of the corridor. "What!? Get that thing away from me, you crazy sonofa-"
"Then, get away! The monster's gonna crash into the door due to the tight turn!" I roared, causing the man to flinch and close the door.
The corridor divided itself on a T crossroad, where there was the door in front of me with the man, and probably others hiding in, one path on the left, and one on the right.
"Don't close the door, you idiot!" I complained under my breath.
Body Hardening technique.
I decided to focus all the hardening of my skin and scales on my right shoulder to ram through the door and smash right through.