After dealing with the first monster attack, the monsters continued to assault the ship periodically.
As if they didn't like us going to Agoris, the intervals between their attacks became shorter and the number of monsters appearing increased.
"You want me to deal with that?!"
"Yes! If you don't defeat it quickly, everyone will be in danger!"
I confirmed that a whale had appeared again and dragged Pielott along.
In fact, Pielott still hadn't adapted to seasickness. He was participating in battles, but his skills were halved. It was fortunate that he didn't get seasick while fighting.
"You avoided the first attack, didn't you! Now it's your turn!"
We evaded the whale's first attack again. This time, instead of Elodie, I used Obsidian to move the ship.
The whale's location had already been identified, and all that remained was for Pielott to cut it down.
The whale once again targeted the ship from underwater. The moment its movement became intense, I moved the ship to avoid it.
The problem was that every time the whale surfaced, Pielott lost his balance.
To evade, I moved the ship, and every time the whale rose above the surface, the ship also tilted accordingly.
It wasn't easy to maintain balance amidst that intense movement.
"Get a hold of yourself! What are you doing, tumbling around with it!"
Pielott had to do it.
Pielott staggered to his feet.
"The opponent won't let you comfortably focus! No matter how excellent your skills and strength are, if all your timings and sequences are exposed, it's useless! Posture, concentration, movement, all in one breath, simultaneously!"
Pielott gripped the sword in its scabbard and stared at the sea. The whale was there, at the end.
The whale would target the ship again, and I wouldn't tell Pielott how to avoid it. He had to deal with both the movement and the tilt of the surface.
The ship moved again, rocked by the whale.
Pielott's feet lifted off the ground due to the violent movement of the ship, and his posture crumbled.
Pielott gritted his teeth. I shouted at him.
"One moment! One moment, Pielott!"
Pielott staggered on the rocking ship. On the floor that could surge up at any moment, he barely maintained a posture that prevented him from falling.
The whale briefly floated in the air, and just as it was about to descend again.
In that brief moment when the ship's violent movement eased slightly.
Pielott's feet landed firmly on the ground, and he lowered his posture.
Then the whale was cut. Its massive body was split in two, top and bottom.
When I looked at Pielott, his sword was back in its scabbard.
Pielott collapsed, as if the tension had been released.
My impression as I watched him was,
'He actually did it when I told him to.'
Of course, I believed he would eventually do it, but I didn't expect him to achieve it so quickly.
"How many attacks has it been?"
"This is the sixth one."
At that, I checked the three-dimensional map stored in the workshop.
I had been updating the original map of the Empire as the ship progressed, but it seemed that Agoris was farther away than I had thought.
"Even so, at this rate, we should at least be able to see its nose..."
I was saying that when,
I looked up at Arald, but he hadn't realized it yet.
"Have all your men evacuate to the cabins."
Arald was about to ask me why, but seeing my expression, he changed his mind and immediately took action.
I quickly checked the personnel on deck. Pielott was exhausted and resting quietly, Selena was checking her clothes, Lily tilted her head after hearing Arald's words.
Elodie, whose face had turned pale at that moment.
That meant the identity of this feeling was clear.
With what I currently had, resisting it would be extremely difficult.
I reached out my hand.
I needed a pure, 'real' weapon that acknowledged me as its owner.
It started flying towards me from the Empire the moment I called for it.
However, this was the sea, far from the Empire. It would take time for Mjölnir to fly all the way here.
As I anxiously awaited my weapon.
The voice arrived first.
[I gave you six warnings.]
It enveloped me, the entire ship, and above it.
He was looking down at Elodie and me from high above.
This feeling. It was like when I faced Rudra in Elodie's dream.
But this was reality.
Here, on this sea where none of the conditions for a god's descent were met.
I was experiencing the same feeling vividly.
[Since you seem not to understand what rejection means.]
Far above me, he spoke.
Ironically, with a spear in his hand that I could never mistake.
[Do I have to reject you with my own hand?]