Cooking Swordmaster [EN]: Chapter 275

The scales encasing the Sea Serpent’s body were as strong and tough as a dragon’s.

Its defense was so formidable that even Fragarach, which could slice through steel like cheese, couldn’t easily penetrate it.

Its power was immense, capable of creating tsunamis dozens of meters high with a single flick of its tail.

Yet, Cainchel calmly aimed for the creature’s nape, simultaneously thrusting in seven blades.

Like water droplets piercing a massive rock, the concentrated force at one point unleashed tremendous destructive power.

The seven Fragarachs moved with perfect coordination, as if possessing a will of their own.

Crack-!

Finally, with the sound of something splitting, the Sea Serpent’s scales shattered.

“Krah, krahrahrahrak…!”

The Sea Serpent shrieked in agony, twisting its entire body.

However, this was not enough to end its life.

Compared to its 50-meter-long body, the injuries inflicted by the current attack were mere scratches.

To inflict a fatal wound, a skill capable of attacking a wide area, like Fettuccine and Flambe’s combined attack, was needed.

However, fighting in the sea made it difficult to properly utilize Flambe’s flames.

‘Then I’ll just keep attacking until it falls!’

Cainchel retrieved Fragarach and sent it flying towards the Sea Serpent once more.

At the same time, a white flash flickered around the Sea Serpent’s body.

Gawain watched Cainchel land effective hits continuously, his eyes gleaming.

He was fighting unbelievably well.

“But what we need now is a single, decisive blow suitable for large-scale destruction.”

Gawain’s expression was so solemn that Cainchel unconsciously swallowed hard.

Whoosh-!

In an instant, Gawain’s body swelled up. More precisely, the muscles throughout his body expanded enormously.

It wasn’t like Cainchel’s booster, which he controlled intentionally.

His body was simply changing to accommodate the technique he was about to use.

“I didn’t want to use this, but… Cainchel, cover my back! Here I go, Ninth Form: Heaven-Shaking, Earth-Shattering!”

Simultaneously, the sword Gawain held cleaved through the air, the sea, everything.

First, the air tore apart, creating a moment of silence where no sound could be heard.

Then, a split second later, an enormous shockwave erupted.

Kugugugugung-!

The sea parted along with the air, and the Sea Serpent’s body, caught in the middle, was split in two.

The massive amount of blood gushing from its body dyed the surroundings red.

It wouldn’t be strange if it died instantly.

An attack purely of force, devoid of technique. A power that truly shook the heavens and trembled the earth.

Cainchel stared at Gawain with wide eyes. He never imagined he was hiding such a powerful attack.

If he had used it in the battle in the Demon World, he could have at least taken one of Bassago’s arms.

And then, Cainchel realized why he hadn’t used Heaven-Shaking, Earth-Shattering back then.

“Cough, cough…!”

His body staggered, and Gawain vomited a massive amount of blood, collapsing to the ground.

Unable to withstand the immense power of Heaven-Shaking, Earth-Shattering, the muscles throughout his body ruptured, and his internal organs were torn.

It seemed he was in a state where his life would be in danger if he didn’t receive immediate first aid.

“…How… how is it? You overgrown sea snake bastard. A technique perfectly suited to the spirit of sacrificing flesh to take bone…”

“Gawain, stop moving! You’ll really die! I’ll warm up some food to boost your body’s recovery right away.”

“That’s… welcome news… Ugh, ugh… That, that…!”

Gawain, who hadn’t lost his composure despite suffering injuries that could lead to death at any moment.

His eyes were filled with horror in an instant.

Turning around, Cainchel understood the reason. The Sea Serpent’s body was on par with a dragon’s, but it couldn’t use magic.

Yet, it seemed to be absorbing the mana [magical energy] contained in the sea, regenerating its body at an incredible rate.

And that wasn’t all.

Whooooosh-!

For a moment, it seemed as if the sea level was dropping as an enormous amount of seawater was sucked into the Sea Serpent’s mouth.

A gesture like a dragon about to fire its breath.

Realizing what the Sea Serpent was about to do, Cainchel crammed all his aura into both legs.

Aqua Pump.

It was a type of pseudo-breath, only possible for a fully grown Sea Serpent, that spewed out a massive amount of seawater.

The water, fired at ultra-high pressure, contained more power than any cannon.

Surely, even a massive warship wouldn’t be able to withstand a single hit and would be torn apart like paper.

‘Damn it, too late…!’

Using Aglio e Olio [a defensive skill] would allow him to block the attack that was about to engulf him.

However, there wasn’t enough time to protect Gawain, who was seriously injured and collapsed.

Thud-! Thud-!

Kukukung-!

Then, a cannonball came flying from somewhere and exploded on the Sea Serpent’s body.

“Krahrahrahrah…!”

In the end, the Aqua Pump was spewed out towards a completely different location, not where Gawain was.

Even so, its power was immense.

The mountain that was directly hit didn’t even leave dust behind and was shattered into pieces, and trees uprooted from their roots were scattered around.

Cold sweat ran down Gawain’s cheek. If he had been hit by that, he would have lost his life in an instant and turned into minced meat.

The gunner on the Marronier, his throat tearing, shouted.

“Fire! Keep firing! Even if we can’t kill it, we’ll show the will of us sailors!”

The cannon fire echoed for a while without a moment’s rest.

Dozens of waterspouts soared, obscuring even the horizon.

In the end, the Sea Serpent, enraged to the point of madness, prepared to use Aqua Pump once more.

This time, it was aiming for the Marronier, not Gawain.

If they continued to bombard it like this, they would surely share their fate with the ship.

However, not a single person, from Captain Ahab to the lowest deckhand, tried to escape.

They had already been prepared for death from the moment they left Britannia.

Captain Ahab shouted.

“Encountering a Sea Serpent during a voyage means losing not only all your possessions but also your lives! Until now, all we could do was pray to God not to meet one! We had to tremble in fear! That’s no different from rabbits hiding in their burrows! Answer me, you bastards! Were you born into this world to hide?!”

“No, sir!”

“Born in the sea, die in the sea! Isn’t that the pride of us sailors! So, give that overgrown sea snake bastard one more hit! Show them our will!”

“Uwooooo!”

A tremendous roar erupted from the sailors aboard the Marronier.

In Captain Ahab’s eyes, he saw Cainchel fighting the Sea Serpent hundreds of meters away.

“Thank you, employer. Thanks to you, I was able to remember what I had forgotten.”

Ssssh-!

Cainchel’s eyes narrowed. Thanks to the sailors of the Marronier, he was able to buy some time, but at this rate, they would be annihilated.

He didn’t want to see the sailors who had trusted and followed him meet such an end.

The identity of the Sea Serpent’s absurd regenerative ability was still a mystery.

If it weren’t for that, it would have been him, not Gawain, lying on the ground.

Cainchel chewed on Giant Sand Worm jerky and gripped Fragarach tightly with both hands.

Considering the destructive power of Aqua Pump, he could perfectly block it if he could create six layers of Aglio e Olio.

‘The most I’ve ever created so far was three layers, so this is doubling it in one go.’

However, he had no choice but to try, whether it worked or not.

The sailors on the ship were wide-eyed at the sight of Cainchel suddenly appearing at the bow of the Marronier.

“E, Employer?!”

“Captain Ahab, I’ll try to block it somehow, so please keep the ship from capsizing.”

“L, Leave it to us!”

To them, Cainchel’s back felt as reliable as a mountain.

At the same time as the jet of water spewed out of the Sea Serpent’s mouth with tremendous force, a wall of aura was created in front of Cainchel.

* * *

“……”

In a world where space and time had stopped, nothing could move.

Cainchel stared at the Aqua Pump floating before him. It had already reached a position where it would engulf the Marronier in 0.5 seconds.

And the number of Aglio e Olio he had created by scraping together even the aura he had obtained from the jerky was only five layers.

It was obvious what would happen if they collided like this. Even if Cainchel survived the weakened jet of water, the Marronier and its sailors, who were directly hit, would be annihilated.

Then, a faint yet strangely dignified voice was conveyed to Cainchel’s mind.

― Please forgive me for greeting you like this. The situation is so urgent that I had no choice.

Fortunately, no malice was felt.

Cainchel’s eyes narrowed.

‘Thanks to you, I bought some time to think about how to block that attack. Once the acceleration is released, the time I have to react is about 0.5 seconds…’

If he ate some food to replenish his aura, he could create additional Aglio e Olio.

However, that would take at least a minute.

No matter how accustomed Cainchel had become to using his cooking skills, he couldn’t create something out of nothing.

As Cainchel was lost in thought, the tone of the voice heightened, as if surprised.

― Hmm… I’ve never seen a human so accustomed to mental acceleration before.

‘My partner, who’s always with me, is very good at that. He’s out of energy right now and taking a break.’

― Anyway… I’ve seen your noble spirit of sacrificing yourself to protect your companions who came aboard the ship with you, prepared for death. Thanks to that, I was able to make up my mind.

‘Huh? What are you talking about? I didn’t sacrifice myself at all? In the first place, the place where I was was outside the range of the Aqua Pump.’

― Anyway…! You can’t defeat the enemy in front of you with your strength alone. So, I, Sednael Black Anise, will cooperate.

Then, a brilliantly shining orb floated before Cainchel’s eyes. It seemed like he was supposed to eat this.

‘Wait a minute. Time is flowing incredibly slowly right now. But how am I supposed to do this?’

― What you see in front of you is just an image. Strongly wish to eat the ‘Elixir.’ Then you will surely get what you want.

‘E, Elixir?!’

Cainchel unconsciously swallowed hard. It was a panacea that healed all diseases and wounds, and its power could even revive the dead.

However, Cainchel knew that its true nature was not simply medicine.

‘Could it be that you are….’