28 Takoyaki (2/2)

”Yes captain!” The men each bent down over their ammo boxes next to the cannons. They picked up black cylinder objects that were twice as long as their hands. They each pulled a pin from the top and tossed them overboard.

There was no large explosion or flashy fireworks. Instead, the ocean began to bubble as the water quickly turned black. Steam rose from the ocean as the water corroded. A loud roar rang out as the kraken began to appear above the surface.

The kraken was pure white, like an albino animal. Its red eyes glared angrily at the men on the ship. Its body was covered in small burns that continued to bubble. It opened its beak and a small white orb appeared. The orb steadily began to grow bigger.

The men fired their cannons at the kraken. Large explosions of dark mana corroded its body, but the orb of light continued to grow.

”Shit!” Fang ground his teeth. ”Such a goddamn waste!” He pressed a small button on his helmet to turn on his mana-radio. ”Activate the burst. Full Power.”

”Captain, are you sure” A voice questioned.

”Do it!” He ordered.

A loud sound began to rumble from the back of the boat. Ed looked over curiously and saw the large wheel at the back of the boat begin to spin rapidly. Green wind began to form strong gusts that propelled the ship forward. Then a large wave of fire appeared. It cut across the ocean waves like a large sickle and the ship blasted forward as a result.

Right when the ship shot forward, the kraken shot its orb of light. It was over 10 meters in circumference. It looked like a white laser beam as it shot through the water. The ship narrowly avoided the beam as the wave of fire and wind propelled it forward. The light evaporated the seawater into nothingness as it sped past.

The ship rapidly slowed down after dodging the wave. The wheel at the back of the boat looked damaged and it spun at a much slower speed. ”Kill the fucker!!!” Fang screamed in anger. He took a nearby cannon and fired it himself. A black cannonball slammed right into one of the kraken's eyes, causing it to roar in pain. The eye began to corrode from black-mana at a rapid pace.

The cannons continued to fire. All of the smaller mutants had already died. Only the kraken remained. It continuously backed off as its injuries increased. It was covered in blood and burns. Several of its tentacles were cut off and remained attached to the boat. It finally stopped attacking and dove back under the water.

”LIKE HELL!” Fang dived right into the water after the octopus.

”Captain!” Some of the men screamed in fear.

Ed watched silently as this all happened. 'I see… No wonder he shot me. The man's completely insane. Well, I can't help him without exposing myself. I'll just sit back and enjoy the show.'

Fang swam underneath the water. He pulled a large knife from a sheath behind his back. He pressed a switch on the knife and it lit up with a black aura. It rapidly vibrated back and forth while releasing a small humming sound. Steam blasted from his boots and propelled him forward as quick as a fish.

The kraken saw the man and threw a tentacle towards him. The tentacle easily constricted the man and began to crush him. Small cracks appeared in his exo suit, but gel poured out and sealed those cracks just as quickly.

Fang swung his knife towards the tentacle and cut through it like butter. He grabbed onto the tentacle still attached to the kraken and began to pull himself forward. The tentacle waved wildly in different directions to try shaking him off. Several other tentacles headed for him. When they got close, he let go of the tentacle and shot forward due to the steam shooting from his boots. He appeared directly in front of the Kraken's face.

The mutant tried biting him with its beak, but he easily dodged. He swam towards the Kraken's eye that had been blasted by a cannonball earlier. He grabbed hold of some flesh and began swinging his knife. He easily dug a path inwards. He felt like he was trapped in a whirlpool as the kraken flailed back and forth wildly in pain.

'There it is!' Fang smiled. He dug through the large brain and reached a large mana-core glowing with a bright white light. He grabbed it and tore it from the surrounding flesh. The kraken instantly died and begun to sink towards the ocean floor. He swam out the eye and reached the surface.

”Huff! Huff!” He breathed heavily.

”Captain!” A voice rang in his ear. ”Are you alright.”

He switched off his knife and put it away. Then he sprawled his limbs out in all directions and floated on his back while grinning. ”Yeah, I'm fine. Killed the bastard. Haha, looks like we'll be snacking on takoyaki and grilled octopus tonight. Drop anchor and send some men down to fetch the body. Get the men to repair the wheel.”

”Understood. I'll give the orders.” A voice came back.

Suddenly, a small tentacle wrapped around Fang's neck. He grasped it as he tried to breath. A 2-meter-tall mutant octopus surfaced behind him. It glared furiously at the man. The men on the ship saw what was happening and began to panic. They couldn't use their cannons to save him. They might shoot him on accident if they tried.

”Tsk. Useless bastards.” Ed complained. He took over a nearby cannon. He loaded a dark cannonball in it, aimed, and fired. It completely missed both the captain and the mutant by a meter. However, the cannonball exploded into a dark miasma as it slammed into the water. The seawater began to bubble and corrode. The mutant roared in pain as the miasma reached it, causing it to let go. It quickly fled in the opposite direction.

Fang swam away from the corroding seawater and climbed back on board. His exo suit became slightly distorted from the corrosion. He glared at Ed. ”Are you trying to kill me?! What if you hit me?!”

Ed placed his hands behind his head and grinned. ”Then we'd be even for you shooting me earlier. Just be glad I missed.”

”You!” The captain walked over and pulled his arm backwards. He swung forward and landed a strong punch on Ed's face, causing him to fall to the floor. A large red spot was left behind on his face.

”Bastard!” Ed stood up and glared at him. He ran forward and swung a fist into Fang's stomach.

”Ugh!” The captain groaned as he threw up a little and grabbed his stomach in pain. He grinned, ”Quite a strong punch. Even if my armor is damaged, it's hard to hurt me through it. Seems the doctor was right about your muscle strength.” He placed a hand on Ed's shoulder. ”I like you, kid!”

Ed brushed the hand off his shoulder and frowned. ”Let's go. My men are waiting.”

”Haha, sure.” Fang laughed. ”We'll go as soon as ship repairs are finished.”