Pink-toned sails sliced through the air over a sea of corals.
The sun had set a while ago, but the ship refused to light a lantern.
"Man... This reminds me of the underground parties back in my country. So much neon light!" Talon's eyebrows raised when he realized who had said that.
"How the hell does a nerd like that know anything about underground parties??" Obviously, he kept that comment to himself.
Still, it was a surprise that some corals were bioluminescent, and many sea creatures emitted colorful lights from the sea.
The scene was almost hypnotic, if it weren't for the two twins washing severed limbs of the fish-men creatures on the upper deck.
Blood was splattered everywhere, and a large number of spiral-shaped spears were being secured in strategic spots all over the upper deck.
Dozens of attacks had happened since the ambush, and the crew was exhausted. The old rifleman was lying on his back, snoring louder than ever.
The nerd was barely holding on to consciousness, but his eyes were already closing on their own. Even the energetic boys didn't have enough energy left to waste on their usual fights.
Talon was in better shape, but still in a miserable state.
"Guerrilla tactic huh... I think it was called a war of attrition." Talon pulled the helm slightly to port and avoided a sharp coral.
"That was close, I'm almost at my limit too," hours had to pass before Talon saw what he needed.
A large crimson-colored pillar, the same one Arkhand'Zul and his supposed crew had named the Demon's Pillar, appeared on the horizon of bioluminescent corals.
"The last piece is there..." Talon finished his mental planning and looked at the map right beside the helm.
The nerd had done him the favor of researching various details about this damned coral sea, and among them, a route was found that allowed passage along the outer edge.
It had taken a long time and many interruptions from those damn fish-men attacks for him to draw it and Talon to translate it, but there it was, their escape route.
"If I'm right. The leader of this hell is going to have to show up. Or at least whoever is behind this attack... Letting your prey enter another predator's territory must be a massive dishonor..." Talon's eyes sharpened and soon his Scan began to beep like crazy.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
A large school of what Talon believed were coral sharks circled the ship in a coordinated swim.
"So it's real, they can communicate with the sharks, or maybe they control them? They're still prey if those creatures get the chance." His thoughts were interrupted when larger red spots appeared on the Scan.
"Men! Wake up! Our final battle in this cursed sea is about to begin and it will be the deadliest. Watch each other's backs, use the geography to your advantage and fight like Sea Tyrants!" Talon's shouted speech snapped everyone on the ship to full alert.
The old man stood up, grabbing one of the larger and thicker spears.
The twins armed themselves with the blowguns they had stolen from the defeated enemies.
And the nerd took over the helm. Not ideal, but the route was incredibly straight and the least of the crew's worries now was a leaky hull.
And then... fish eyes began to appear on the sides of the giant corals. Dozens and dozens, reaching what seemed to be over a hundred fish-men, all over 2 meters tall.
But Talon's tyrannical eyes weren't on the small army surrounding him, they were on the huge red dot his Scan pointed to. It wouldn't take long for the leader of this whole nightmare to attack , and he did.
Like a bad omen, a massive 7-meter-long spear made from that same spiral limestone broke through the water's surface. And the Demon of the Coral Shark Sea revealed himself.
A creature with a face like a spiked pufferfish. The monster was over 5 meters tall and as wide as a ship's mast. He wore armor made of blood-red coral and the most terrifying thing to the entire crew were his four imposing arms.
"How are we supposed to kill this hellspawn, captain?" one of the twins asked, and all eyes turned to Talon.
He had long abandoned his coat and most of his heavy clothes, but he kept the sheath of his two daggers at his waist and now held the Limestone Halberd in his hands.
The name was given by the twins and with nothing better to call it, Talon let the name catch on with his crew.
But he had many intentions behind wielding a weapon he had no real skill to use. The daggers were close enough to knives, and all sailors had rigorous training on how to use them. So they were much more comfortable for Talon.
Soon... a hatred almost tangible hit Talon. He had to clench his teeth to keep from shaking in fear. It was like a killing intent that told him he was going to die and there was nothing he could do.
"Bingo..." the first phase of Talon's plan had been completed.
The creature's face puffed up and a roar echoed across the entire region.
ROOOOOOOHHHHOOOOUUUUU!
A sea of creatures began to fall onto the upper deck, all ready for battle.
But Talon... he didn't stay still. As soon as he saw the opportunity, he cut one of the knots and grabbed one of the ropes attached to the upper sails.
His feet ran across the wood that gave structure to the sails and the moment he saw the first coral, he launched himself toward it.
The sound of battle had begun, and Talon could swear he felt the twins cursing him.
"In this battle, the key players will be Simon and the old rifleman," Talon said to himself, never once stopping his movement.
Soon, his plan proved right again.
A massive creature began smashing through the corals in its path, chasing after the damn sailor.
"When I killed your men, the fish-woman got pissed. Proving that your species has emotions, but if your leader was only the females, most likely the males would be worth way less than she let on. So, your leader had to be a male of the species." Talon's lips moved as if the creature could understand him.
Hatred in the form of a spiral spear came his way.
Talon had to throw himself between some corals and roll to avoid the attack, but not even the corals could survive that monstrosity.
A small rain of coral fragments fell over Talon, cutting his arms and abdomen all over.
"If your species has a male leader... That male has to reproduce, and if biology gives superiority to the females, then the same concubines who give the leader pleasure are the warriors who lead his army." a demonic smile crossed Talon's lips.
"What would happen if an enemy invader appeared brandishing the signature weapon of your beloved wife?"