"Takeru, the tide is receding!" While moving toward the port, Iu suddenly noticed something strange about the sea.
"No, it's a tsunami!" Yusuke, seeing this, spoke tensely.
"I know. Everyone board the ship." Hearing her words, Takeru said calmly.
"Eh, but..." Hearing Takeru's words, Iu looked at Takeru blankly. The approaching tsunami was clearly no ordinary matter. Boarding the ship now might subject them to a tremendous impact.
"Just listen to Takeru." Seeing Iu's expression, Mio patted her shoulder. The more she experienced with Takeru, the more she felt his mystery and depth. In that case, simply following Takeru's instructions was enough.
After everyone boarded the ship, they saw the ferocious tsunami rushing toward them at a terrifying speed.
"Harvest the rice, bring the miso paste!" At this moment, Yana began singing a song passed down through generations.
"Music and dumplings from the eastern isle, the shaking earth, the soaring heart," Aoiu joined in singing...
"Ah, that's it. This song is the memory of the disaster that struck this island 800 years ago." Only now did some elderly people realize that the lyrics were not something else, but a narration of the catastrophe...
As for Takeru, he glanced at Yana and Aoiu, immersed in their song. It seemed that singing this song now was their duty.
Takeru paid them no further attention. Before everyone's astonished eyes, he jumped directly onto the sea surface. What amazed them even more was that Takeru did not sink. He stood upon it as steadily as if on land.
"Takeru-sensei!"
"Takeru-san!"
Watching Takeru's actions, everyone was bewildered. The tsunami was about to hit.
Takeru ignored their calls, calmly gazing ahead. Energy surged within him, rapidly converting into frigid air...
"Ice Age!" In less than three seconds, Takeru spoke softly.
As his words fell, the seawater beneath Takeru's feet rapidly froze, spreading forward from his position at an astonishing speed.
Then, before everyone's shocked eyes, the rapidly approaching tsunami froze in place, forming a spectacular wall of ice.
Beyond everyone's sight, the freezing continued for a full kilometer before finally stopping.
"So... so incredible!"
"Is this really something a person can do?" Looking at the magnificent frozen tsunami, everyone gazed at Takeru as if he were a god. Hachiman and Mio could only wryly smile. Although Takeru always exceeded expectations, this time seemed to have once again surpassed even their own.
"Our homes..." At this moment, an islander looked at the houses engulfed by lava.
Others, seeing their homes and fields swallowed, shed tears.
"This island has always had the ancestral admonition [do not build houses on low ground]. But we used the excuse of insufficient land and began living by the coast. Population increased, fields and property grew. We believed this represented the island's prosperity."
"We only saw immediate benefits, casting aside our ancestors' warnings. How shameful." Looking at the spewing lava, Yana spoke with tears.
"We were indeed wrong. We ignored the ancestral admonition passed down through generations, and lost our houses and fields. But if houses collapse, we rebuild sturdier ones. If fields are flooded, we reclaim new ones. The skills and wisdom of Jiffon's people have been honed precisely for this, passed down to this day!" Aoiu spoke seriously.
"Yes. So what if there's little land? So what if there are no resources? Our ancestors compensated for these with superior skills and diligent hands. Not through plunder, but through effort and sweat, they turned this island into a peaceful paradise!" Hearing Aoiu's words, Yana encouraged everyone.
As for Takeru, after freezing the sea, he flew directly into the island. He casually stored two Jiffon Buffos killed by volcanic bombs into his item inventory, then proceeded toward the volcano. There, a dragon bathed in lava had emerged.
"Over there!" At this moment, Rice pointed fearfully toward the volcano's summit. Even shrouded in lava, the fire dragon's figure was clearly visible.
"Wait, Master's target is that dragon!" Seeing Takeru's actions, Kusue was panicked.
"It should be fine, right? Master even froze a tsunami. And even if something goes wrong, he can teleport back, can't he?" Looking in that direction, Yusuke quickly analyzed.
The appearance of a dragon was far beyond everyone's imagination. In any world, dragons were generally at the apex.
Watching Takeru challenge a dragon, although everyone knew Takeru was immensely powerful, they couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
As for the person in question, Takeru felt no pressure. Although this was a top-tier monster of another world, compared to Milim from the previous world, there was simply no contest.
Standing here, Takeru did sense a slight suppression. His energy was slowly draining, and a special barrier existed in the sky. The perpetrator, Takeru clearly knew, was the bald man Lagee halfway up the mountain.
Takeru did not directly kill the bald man. He approached the dragon first. After all, Lagee had helped summon a dragon for him, so Takeru would let him live a couple more minutes.
"Is this volcano your habitat? It seems you'll need to move." Arriving not far from the dragon, Takeru said with a faint smile.
Hearing Takeru's words, the fire dragon wasted no time. Energy gathered in its maw, and it spewed a torrent of lava fire at Takeru.
Sensing the intense heat and energy within the flames, Takeru smiled. A black vortex rapidly formed before him. As the lava fire touched the vortex, it was directly devoured, becoming Takeru's reserve mana.
Noticing this single blast increased his mana reserve by over forty thousand, Takeru was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected such powerful energy within it.
"Thanks for the meal. But you seem to be struggling. Allow me to release you." Saying this, Takeru calmly advanced.
Seeing Takeru approach, the dragon sensed the threat and blasted another stream of fire at him. Without exception, it was easily devoured by Takeru's Devourer.
"Hmm, only a little over twenty thousand. It seems something affected you. As for the one disturbing you, I will deal with him." Saying this, Takeru appeared above its head as if teleporting, and struck down with a fierce punch.
Boom!
The impact of fist against dragon skull produced a thunderous sound. A section of the volcanic crater shattered from the immense force.
The dragon, struck by Takeru's blow, was left barely breathing. But draconic vitality prevented it from dying quickly.
"Hmm, still lacking a bit in strength? My apologies for causing you more pain. I didn't want to damage your body, so I held back." Looking at the dragon's condition, Takeru spoke softly.
Moreover, Takeru intended to manifest this dragon as a combat asset. He had no intention of directly devouring its soul. Although he could still control it with necromancy without a soul, its growth potential would be severely limited.
As he pondered, Takeru struck again. A fist infused with Nen penetrated the dragon's hide, striking deeply within. Instantly, the dragon's pupils contracted, then slowly closed.
Takeru directly stored the dragon's corpse in his item inventory.
"Alright. Just one last guy left. Deal with him, handle the volcano situation, and this mission should be complete."
Saying this, Takeru's gaze fell less than five hundred meters below. There, a bald man hid behind a special rock. Takeru's earlier punch had dislodged stones rolling downward, affecting his position.
Takeru swiftly flew toward him.
"Flight Magic!" Noticing Takeru's descent, the bald man Lagee frowned, tension in his heart. Although he had vaguely seen Takeru flying upward earlier, the distance was considerable and he wasn't certain. Now witnessing it firsthand, he was naturally nervous.
"Ahaha, Hero, is there something you need?" Looking at Takeru, Lagee forced a smile, his laugh dry.
"Yes. You are the final obstacle." Looking at Lagee, Takeru said calmly.
"Eh, I'm not quite sure what you mean." Hearing Takeru's words, Lagee continued playing dumb.