As Ares stepped into the battle, the furious showdown between the great whale and the deadly team in existence looked like a burst of colorful sparkles reflected across the sea from the surface.
Seeing Ares enter the sea, the others were reinvigorated. Kavin shared his power with Ares, and then Ares could see the paths that led to the best possible spot on the battlefield. When he joined, Leo and ares teamed up and went for close combat. With Ares there and the others backing him up, Leo could focus on close combat with Ares.
They exceeded expectations in close combat, but Ares was not trying to team up. He went straight for old Tom.
As he did, an electrified feeling entered his brain, this time with much greater intensity. But he endured it and went closer. Then he whispered a sound, and his radiant red sword turned brighter, as if adding multiple layers of radiance.
Like it was receiving an invitation.Old Tom opened its maw very wide. A faint glow appeared inside it, and as Ares saw it, he was immobilized for a second. But he was not alone.
Suddenly, a line crossed old Tom's maw. Its tentacled teeth were cut here and there by Ravi. Ares regained his senses and slashed his sword horizontally at the side of the great whale. It cut deeply.
Old Tom felt a burning sensation in its side. Even though it did not bleed, it was terrifying that this much damage didn't bring a single drop of it . But at that moment, it created a sound, and as it resonated with nature, dark blood flowed out of the wound. After a certain amount of blood spilled, it materialized into tentacles with sharp edges.
It did not look anything like a limb. It was like moss or weeds growing on the side of a barren house, completely alien to its original form, but it carried one thing that made it truly menacing.
As they began to fight in close combat, old Tom reacted with similar intent. Seeing this, Kavin called to the others, "Everyone, here!"
Everyone arrived near him. As they did, old Tom seemed to expand its mouth again and ready itself to create a sound.
Kavin said, "Point Break!"
Hearing him, everyone nodded. Robin went to the surface with Kavin, while Ravi stayed back. Leo and Ares rushed toward old Tom.
Kavin created a sound.
[------.-------.-----]
Then a light was born, and Robin stabbed it with his short sword. It became infused with it, and his eyes seemed to grow brighter. Then, with a grunt, Robin launched his short sword toward old Tom. This time, it hit near its scales, and although much didn't happen, the bright light seemed to transfer into old Tom.
As Ravi cleaved the water by creating a horizontal line, sensing the danger, old Tom rushed to finish the sound by completing it halfway. The blast hit Ares and Leo, but it was not that impactful, so they closed the distance anyway.
A tentacle that had grown out of blood detached from its body as Ares passed through it. Then a long spear with a green blade descended on another one of those tentacles and cut it off. Then, without warning, a small tentacle that was squirming around stabbed Leo in the shoulder and swung him around.
Ares moved fast and cut the tentacle, but the sharp edge was still inside him. Seeing this, Ares pushed Leo toward the surface and rushed near old Tom. Then he suddenly dipped down toward the abyss like a faint.
As he did, a line crossed behind him at nearly point-blank range, and it hit old Tom, cleaving the right side of old Tom slightly. A large chunk of its flesh splintered into the water.
Then suddenly, a wave of force hit Kavin and Robin, and they stumbled. Leo, while bleeding, came to where Robin and Kavin were and recited some sound in hope to heal his shoulder, but he was struck by the force wave instead.
Robin sheathed his saber and recited some sound. He joined both his index finger and thumb, forming a triangle shape. Then a simple barrier appeared around the great whale, where its remaining tentacles were cut off and severed.
Ares looked at it and went inside the barrier. He recited some sound, and when he finished, the radiance of the red sword dimmed and concentrated near its handle. As he moved, the concentrated light traveled to the tip of the sword, and the light that had been injected at the start of the fight near the scales also moved.
As his sword touched the left side of the body, the light at the scales moved and reached the point where the tip of the sword and the concentrated light of the radiant sword met. As they came into contact, there was a flash of light from the tip of the sword. The light even broke through Ravi's barrier and reached the surface far above.
There was a large hole in old Tom's body, fully through from left to right. Ares gasped and breathed heavily underwater, and the radiance of his sword slowly returned. As it did, he recited something again.
[.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-..--]
Then he slashed the sword, aiming at the scales on the back of the cleaver from the Great War, old Tom. Ares had a murmur in his mouth as he held the sword high.
"This is for you, Master!"
As he slashed, a red force wave circulated, and there was a cut across its scales. The heart of old Tom was exposed. It began to rise toward the surface without any strength, almost dying.
They all gathered and watched it die.
Kavin suddenly said, "Honestly, you lot are hopeless at following orders!"
Everyone wore stupid expressions and watched old Tom die.
Then they created some sounds, and from the deep sea, many small creatures like rays came to the surface and started cleaning the cleaver.
Robin locked it with his strings and pulled it alone. They were talking about how everyone was a mess and how to recuperate now, and they reached near the ripple. But Levize was not there.
Everyone looked at Ares, since he was the last one to see the commander.
He said in a taken-aback expression, "I don't know! He was already gone when I stood up from beside him. But in the heat of the moment, I didn't notice how strange it was. He really disappeared in just a second!"
Everyone was shocked to hear it.
Where could he have gone? They were not worried, not exactly. It was Commander Levize, after all. But it was strange, that it had never happened before.
__________________________
Everything was dark, and suddenly a banging sound rang in his ears. With a startled expression, and gasping he opened his eyes.