The beast writhed in pain as Xue Lan dragged it closer to the ship, opening its hooked beak to roar in agony. Its lone eye, fearsome and malevolent, spun in its socket before snapping into focus and glaring at them. It yanked against the rope, attempting to escape before howling in agony as the movement did nothing more than cause the wicked barbs to lodge even deeper within its flesh. The Riverlord had spared no expense when crafting the harpoon and whatever materials he’d used were far too powerful for the creature to break, try as it might.

  Serbo au Serbo didn’t hesitate to seize the opportunity, firing upon the creature as it thrashed about, unable to escape. Bolt after bolt of lightning flew through the air unerringly attempting to riddle the beast. The monster let out an ear-splitting shriek, shaking the world around them and causing even the heavens above to tremble. The river around them swelled at the sound, massive geysers shooting up out of it to intercept the blows.

  One of those geysers smashed into the rope tied to the harpoon with so much force it tore the beast free, at the cost of a massive chunk of flesh that was ripped out with it. The beast recoiled in pain, before letting out a triumphant roar and shooting into the air to soar high above the ship. Puddles of purplish blood dripped out of the wound in its side, but the creature paid it no mind. It was gigantic. The wound was small in comparison and its vitality overwhelming.

  As was its fury. It roared again, sending waves rising up from every side before smashing down upon the ship. They attempted to sweep it beneath the river, but Sun Yuan’s hands were firm upon the wheel, guiding the ship up and down the swells. The spirit vessel creaked beneath him as he pushed it towards its limits. Water droplets rose into the air as he rode across the waves. They began spinning, soon encircling the ship in a storm that cracked with power. Then, all of a sudden, they shot forward, attempting to drill holes through their shield.

  “Bring us alongside the beast!” Yu Chen yelled towards Sun Yuan. The boy nodded, the ship groaning as he turned it into the crest of the wave in an attempt to bring the cannons to bear. Yu Chen clapped him on the shoulder, before turning to look at Xue Lan. He opened his mouth to speak but she paid him no mind. Her eyebrows were screwed up in concentration as she reeled in the harpoon, doing her best to rearm it in case they received another chance to shoot it.

  The monster wasn’t inclined to give them one, and it made no pretense of conserving its energy as it raged through the air above. Any attack Serbo sent its way were quickly swallowed by massive plumes of water that rose out of the river to greet them. No other weapon could reach the beast, and it no longer dared to approach close enough to make use of its physical body. Instead, it burned its qi reserves with abandon, conjuring up lances of pure darkness to join the storm it’d conjured up, and the deadly rain that assaulted them with gale force speeds.

  The ship was smothered by the onslaught, leaving them no choice but to hunker down, waiting for the beast to give them a chance to strike back. It wasn’t long before Yan Ziqi began to waver beneath the relentless attacks. Sweat ran down his brow as he did his best to optimize their shields, but the blows were coming in too fast, slipping through the gaps he’d left behind before he had a chance to cover them. There was no subtlety to the monster’s attack, only overwhelming numbers. The raindrops were so dense that some were bound to hit the weaker points. The shield began to flicker as it was slowly overwhelmed. Then the first crack appeared, followed by a second, continuing to grow until the shield threatened to shatter entirely.

  Yan Ziqi finally let go with a gasp, giving up on trying to control the shields. The bombardment left him with no choice but to allow the shield to expand to their full strength. The masts began to hum as the shields pulled at them, crackling with energy as more hexagonal plates blossomed to life. First one and then another, expanding outwards at a rapid pace as they began to reinforce the shield. The hum rose another notch, the shields draining the masts but forcing the cracks to gradually begin to close back up. It wasn’t long before they were once again surrounded by a perfect sphere of force powerful enough to block the beast’s attacks.

  The monster let out a screech as its assault was stymied. It howled in rage, flooding the world with power in a desperate attempt to destroy the ship, but its fury was meaningless in the face of the Riverlord’s masterpiece. The spirit vessel abided like a rock in a storm, ambivalent to both the waves crashing around it and the pelting rain that struck against its surface. The lances of darkness evaporated on impact; the towering geysers battered against them ineffectually. All of its attacks combined didn’t come close to breaching the masterful shields the Riverlord had inscribed into the vessel.

  Even so, the beast refused to give up. The attacks increased, rising into a crescendo of power that blotted out the sky above. The five of them were helpless. The storm roared around them, and they were unable to even touch the creature now that it refused to come close. It undulated through the air above them, moving alongside them even as Sun Yuan flooded the sails with energy, doing his best to move them beyond its reach.

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  A last roar came from up above, bitter and unwilling, as the creation let out a vicious eruption of force. The water twisting through the air shuddered to a halt before shooting off to spin around the lances of darkness. The creature pushed, attempting to meld them together as it tried, one last time, to force its Concept upon the world. The two forces danced together, nearly touching before suddenly breaking apart and dissipating into pure energy as the attempt failed.

  the world around them fell silent.

  Yu Chen risked a glance upwards as the river around them grew calmer. The massive waves that had threatened to swallow the ship had subsided, transitioning into gentler ones that broke against the hull in a crash of water. He met the beast’s one malevolent eye as it focused in on them, slowly swallowing as he saw the flicker of intelligence somewhere deep within its eyes.

  There was a promise there, one of pain and retribution, but before Yu Chen could make out anything else the kraken dove down, disappearing into the river with a splash.

  “Where did it go?” Yan Ziqi gasped as it shot beneath the water. Worry filled his eyes as he stood beside the mast, peering around them.

  “I don’t know.” Yu Chen replied grimly, staring around himself.

  The others broke into chatter, only Xue Lan remaining silent. She stared off the side of the ship, scanning the water as she watched for any sign of movement in the depths below.

  Sun Yuan on the other hand, gripped the wheel in a white-knuckled grasp, pushing every bit of speed he could out of the vessel as he sent it shooting over the waves. He cut a path away from the scene of the fight as fast as he could, but tension filled the air as they moved, thick enough to taste. Time passed, but their nerves were on edge, dragging out each moment into an eternity as they waited for the creature’s inevitable return.

  It never came, the long moments turning into minutes that stretched into half an hour before any of them felt comfortable enough to lower the shields. Even so they kept their eyes peeled, ready to summon them again at the slightest sign of danger.

  “Why don’t we activate the spirit veil?” Yu Chen asked, casting a glance up at the banner flying from the highest mast. It had hidden them from sight the last time they’d used it, and there was no telling what enhancements the Riverlord might have added to it.

  “It won’t make a difference,” Sun Yuan said, shaking his head. “It won’t hide the changes we make in the river’s flow, and no beast from the depths uses its eyes to hunt anyways.”

  Yu Chen nodded in reply, but his heart felt uneasy at the words. They could only hope the beast was gone, a sentiment that seemed to prove true as the ship cut its way through the river. It took time for them to unwind, chatting amongst themselves and letting out the occasional sound of forced laughter. Even so, the slightest change was enough to bring them back on edge. The faintest splash in the distance sent his heart racing, causing him to look over the side in dread. To his relief it was a familiar sight, one he hadn’t seen in a long time.

  A river dolphin had appeared, frolicking alongside the ship as it raced over the waves.

  It was enough to allow something within him to finally relax, the first display of normalcy since escaping the depths below. A slow smile crossed his face as a second and then a third joined in, the porpoises playfully dancing through the wake of the ship before racing forward in an attempt to outpace them. The monster from before almost felt like a bad dream as he watched the creatures leap out of the water, soaring over the waves for a brief moment before diving down below.

  Serbo au Serbo agreed with his assessment, grunting something before lowering himself overboard, a massive cleaver in one hand. The sounds of him chopping away at something filled the air before a large chunk of squid flesh flew over the side to land on the deck. He continued cutting away at the meat they’d torn away from the beast, tossing it up to land in a pile that continued to grow until it was nearly the size of Yu Chen.

  Soon after the last piece landed the barbarian climbed back on board, a grin covering the parts of his face that weren’t smeared with purplish blood.

  “Good food.” He said cheerfully, seemingly the only one happy with their current circumstances. “I cook, make us strong like fish.”

  “It’s a squid,” Yan Ziqi corrected absently. “Fish have a backbone, and they’re covered in scales.”

  “Actually, it’s a Kraken,” Sun Yuan said. They all turned, looking at him in surprise. He blinked, scratching his head at all the attention before continuing to speak. “My father used to tell me stories about them when I wouldn’t go to sleep.” he chuckled, looking away as if remembering something. “He’d scare me so much that after a while the threat of hearing about them sent me diving under the covers. I’m not surprised you haven’t heard about them; they aren’t a common sight around here. This stretch of the river is far too shallow for them.”

  “How did it get here then?” Yu Chen asked, tilting his head.

  Sun Yuan cast a glance his way, hesitating for half a second before shrugging his shoulders. “Who knows, but it was trapped in that city down below. Maybe the old Riverlord kept it as a pet or something.”

  “Some pet.” Yu Chen snorted. The sound died as his gaze fell on Xue Lan, who was gripping the railing with white knuckles. He cursed his irreverence, raising a sheepish hand to rub his head as he stared at her in consternation. She pretended she hadn’t heard them but the tremble in her shoulders gave away the truth.

  He walked over to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and giving her a squeeze. “Next time it won’t escape.” he promised, doing his best to reassure her. “We’ll make sure it pays for what it’s done.”

  She didn’t reply, briefly nodding her head before ignoring him. He hesitated half a moment before walking away, calling out orders to the others as they began to head towards Baixian city. Xue Lan didn’t move, staring out into the water as she searched for any sign of the monster they’d left behind.