Hunting The Kraken

Just as they were about to feel disappointment, they saw its legs stretch out toward the cruiser of the Vane Kingdom. Once again, they used the secondary guns to precisely target its legs. A few shells accidentally struck the side of the cruiser and exploded.

‘Damn, looks like someone made a mistake.’

Ian had already considered the possibility of such mistakes. That’s why he was focused on the idea that, if they were to be attacked, it was highly likely they’d take a hit—and so he had to evade the shells’ trajectory.

Regardless, once it was hit like that again, the Kraken’s legs quickly withdrew into the sea. At that moment, we resumed dropping depth charges. As the battleships periodically dropped and detonated them, the whole area was filled with explosions and towering plumes of water.

Meanwhile, each ship maintained zigzag maneuvers. Based on prior experience, they knew how devastating the Kraken’s ramming attacks could be, so we kept moving side to side to avoid them.

‘It needs to come toward us…’

Unlike the others, Ian was frustrated that the creature wasn’t coming his way. This time, he had fully prepared himself to use his mental manipulation powers. At that moment, something happened near the cruiser of the Iris Kingdom.

Boom!

A loud impact was heard. Yes, it had attempted a body slam. Though the ship was moving side to side, the left underside was hit. As a result, the hull tilted sharply to the right.

“What the?!”

“It’s tipping over!”

Everyone watched with bated breath as the cruiser barely regained its balance and returned to its original state. Fortunately, it didn’t capsize. However, the left side of the hull had been completely smashed in.

‘If it takes another hit like that, it’s over.’

Ian was sure the Kraken would have realized this as well. Now that it could no longer use its legs effectively to attack, it would rely solely on body slams.

‘Isn’t there a way to lure it toward us?’

Ian felt like the creature was deliberately avoiding him, and he believed he had to find a way to draw it in. But even as he thought, no clear idea came to mind.

“Ah! This time it’s the Vane Kingdom’s cruiser?!”

Hearing the officer’s shout, Ian looked to see the cruiser slightly lifted off the water—clearly from a direct impact. For a cruiser, which should weigh at least 10,000 tons, to be lifted like that… It made Ian realize just how enormous the Kraken’s body must be.

Come to think of it, no one had seen the Kraken’s full form yet. Judging by its thick, long legs, its torso must also be enormous. Just as he thought this, the heavily shaking cruiser struggled to regain balance. But something seemed wrong.

‘Did the bottom of the hull get destroyed?’

Perhaps the seafloor was torn open and seawater was flooding in. Its speed had clearly dropped. Ian figured that it might soon lose the ability to maneuver altogether. He had predicted this possibility too.

When making the battle plan, they’d assumed there would be a moment when a ship lost mobility due to the Kraken’s attacks—and had decided to follow the strategy accordingly. As he thought this, the now-slow cruiser began to fall behind.

Seeing that, the other ships started to turn to change direction. Every ship here maneuvered in a giant circle to protect the Vane Kingdom’s damaged cruiser.

‘…The problem is, this plan was made for a creature that uses its legs.’

No plan was perfect. Things could always go unexpectedly. As shown just now, there was a growing concern that the Kraken might no longer be attacking with its legs. And just as feared, it attacked the immobilized cruiser again.

Boom—!

A shock rose from below and rocked the entire cruiser. Since it was stationary, it took the full impact directly, making the blow far worse than before. It even seemed like the ship bent slightly upward from the bottom.

“Holy…!”

“T-That’s the Kraken?”

“It’s that huge?”

Meanwhile, they could see the Kraken emerging, nearly airborne, with the cruiser perched atop its head. Its head was clearly far larger than the cruiser. It vaguely resembled an octopus, yet its entire body was not smooth but covered in armor-like shell plating.

Even spikes could be seen faintly on that surface—it was like a monstrous version of an octopus.

‘A true monster. That sheer size—next to it, even a whale would look tiny.’

Just as Ian thought that, the Kraken vanished back into the sea, and the cruiser—now clearly bent—fell into the ocean. With a tremendous splash, it capsized completely. It was no longer a usable warship.

‘One ship down. More will follow.’

The Kraken was definitely relying on body slams now. This time again, it targeted a cruiser—and of course, it went after the weakest-looking one, from the Iris Kingdom. Despite their evasive maneuvers, the Kraken landed a direct hit, and the cruiser flipped over.

Two cruisers lost in an instant. Only four battleships remained. If the creature turned its attacks toward them, no one could predict what would happen next. Just then—boom!—another massive shockwave echoed.

Turning their eyes, they saw a Moria Empire Bolanus-class battleship shaking violently. It hadn’t capsized, but the hit was clearly powerful. Unlike the cruisers, the battleship barely held on. Still, its condition didn’t look good.

‘If those attacks continue, it’s over.’

They had to think—how to lure the Kraken toward them? Of course, if all the others were taken out, it would naturally attack them next, but by then they’d be left alone. If even Ian’s psychic attack couldn’t reach it, they were in serious danger.

Boom—!

Another impact drew their eyes again. This time, the Moria battleship jolted from the rear. It looked like its back was hit. Considering the rear is where the propulsion system is, Ian thought it might have been destroyed, and saw the battleship’s speed rapidly dropping.

‘Damn, the Moria Empire lost mobility. If this keeps up, they’ll be done for.’

Perhaps realizing this themselves, the ship’s crew was seen moving quickly. Through binoculars, Ian saw them preparing naval mines and dropping them into the sea. It was an extremely dangerous move—if one exploded below, it could fatally damage the hull.

‘Even knowing they’d be hit if they stayed still… this is still…’

Boom boom boom—!

A series of massive explosions erupted from beneath the sea. And then we saw it—the Moria Empire battleship shaking violently as it endured the full force of the blasts. The way it rocked made it clear that the impact was immense.

“To think they dropped naval mines and detonated them… should we call that bravery? Oh? Wait a second. That might have seriously damaged the Kraken too!”

“It just might have.”

As the deputy captain spoke with a mix of hope, Ian also nodded, thinking it could be true. At that moment, the sea beneath suddenly surged, and something burst out from the water. Fwoosh—! Accompanied by a massive spray of water, the Kraken’s full body finally emerged.

‘It’s huge.’

What appeared was far beyond what they’d seen before—an unimaginably massive Kraken. It made Ian think those storybook tales that described it as mountain-sized were right. At that moment—KWWWEEEEHHHH—! A monstrous roar echoed through the air.

It was a scream that could shake a person’s very soul. Everyone had to cover their ears. Ian did the same, and through the sound, he noticed large wounds on the Kraken’s armor-like hide. The naval mines dropped by the Moria Empire had exploded right as the Kraken tried to ram, leaving it with those injuries.

Seeing this, Ian realized this was their chance. With its body fully exposed, it was the perfect moment to strike with the main guns. As the creature’s scream died down, Ian shouted toward the deputy captain.

“Fire the main guns!”

“F-Fire!”

Snapping out of his daze, the deputy captain gave the command. With that shout, the preloaded main guns began turning into position. The ships weren’t too far away, so the distance wasn’t an issue. As soon as the guns aligned with the Kraken—boom!

BOOM—! BOOM BOOM—! BOOM BOOM—!

305mm shells were launched all at once, slamming into the creature’s torso. At such close range, nearly every shell hit its mark. The barrage caused its body to shudder violently, and a piercing shriek of pain—KWWEEEEEHH!—echoed out.

“Fire the secondary guns as well! Pour everything into it!”

With Ian’s command, the secondary guns also pivoted and roared to life, their shells battering the Kraken’s body. Even the machine guns joined in, sending streaks of bullets flying like beams of light.

At last, the Magnia Empire and Noma Empire battleships recovered and joined the assault. A torrent of shells and bullets rained down, and the Kraken had no choice but to endure it all.

It wasn’t diving back underwater—was that because it hadn’t yet recovered from the shock of the depth charges? Meanwhile, the heavily damaged Moria Empire battleship fired all its remaining usable guns.

Thanks to their high rate of fire, the sounds of their cannons echoed quickly. The Kraken’s body, overwhelmed by the onslaught, was becoming a tattered mess. Seeing that, Ian couldn’t help but think—it’s over.

And indeed, the creature began to fall. Amid the crashing waves, it collapsed, but the bombardment continued, pounding its body until there was no doubt it was dead.

The assault continued for over ten more minutes before the barrage finally started to slow.

“Do you think it’s dead?”

“Any creature that takes that kind of punishment and lives… isn’t a creature anymore.”

“I believe it’s dead.”

Hearing the deputy captain and officer’s words, Ian also believed it was truly dead. But it was best to be certain. Ian quickly signaled the surrounding allied fleets with flashing lights, suggesting they confirm the kill using depth charges.

Prince Alexei responded positively first, and soon the Magnia and Moria Empires also gave approval. Each battleship dispatched boats loaded with depth charges toward the Kraken’s body. When the crews returned, timed explosions followed.

BOOOOOM—!!

With a colossal blast, the Kraken’s body was torn apart. Huge chunks were blasted off, and it became clear it was far beyond saving—undoubtedly dead.

In response, each battleship let out a deep bellow—BWOOOOONG!—from their foghorns. The sound was a celebration of victory. Ian gave the order too, and soon the battleship Mythos joined in—BWOOOOONG! Everyone celebrated.

They had killed the Kraken—a creature from legend. It was an event that would go down in history. Everyone cheered loudly, knowing that.

Of course, rescue operations had to begin as well.

Survivors from the two sunken cruisers were floating in the sea. Meanwhile, the Moria Empire battleship, having suffered heavy shock and damage, was immobile and had to be towed back to an island.

Naturally, the Kraken’s corpse was also tied down and prepared to be taken back to the island. From here on, it was time to divide the spoils of victory.