Multiversal Ascension

Another minute of high-intensity combat passed. Thousands of cuts covered the Kraken's body, and finally, it stopped moving, succumbing to its injuries. Mikael let out a sigh of relief. This battle had pushed him to his absolute limits, far more than even the deadly encounter with the two D+ assassins. 'But I slayed a Kraken. Who else can say that?' he joked to himself.

Wasting no time, he approached one of the Kraken's colossal tentacles. With his aura-coated swords, still honed to incredible sharpness, he began cutting pieces from the massive limb. He stored each chunk in his Inventory, reasoning that they should be valuable as they were from one of the Kraken's two strongest tentacles. Though he suspected the creature might have a core or another, more valuable organ, he had no idea where to search. Instead, he focused on filling his Inventory with tentacle pieces until it was nearly full.

Once satisfied, Mikael created an explosion beneath him to propel himself upward. The flashes of light from his explosive movements illuminated the dark depths, drawing the attention of a creature nearby. Fortunately, the new arrival seemed more interested in the Kraken's corpse than in Mikael.

As he ascended, Mikael glanced back at the Kraken's body, only for his eyes to widen in shock. A giant shark, comparable in size to the Kraken, had begun devouring its corpse, staining the surrounding water red.

'You've got to be kidding me,' he cursed inwardly. Fighting another colossal sea beast in his current condition would be extremely dangerous if not suicidal. His aura reserves were down to 40%, his mana at 60%, and his body was riddled with injuries.

Not wasting a second, Mikael accelerated his ascent, desperate to avoid drawing the Megalodon's attention. Breaking through the surface, he scanned the area and spotted the damaged ship drifting some distance away. The anchor had not been dropped, causing the vessel to drift while the crew worked on repairs. Thankfully, it wasn't far. Using his Explosive Style, Mikael propelled himself through the air, landing on the ship's main deck.

The sailors were startled by his sudden arrival. Some gasped at the sight of his battered body, with bloody holes in his left shoulder and right side, and his arms showing signs of severe overuse. Though the sea had washed away most of the blood, fresh wounds had begun to bleed again.

Ignoring his injuries, Mikael turned to a nearby sailor. "Where is the captain or vice-captain?"

The sailor, stunned by the question from someone who looked on the verge of collapse, stammered, "They're in the lower deck, coordinating the repairs!"

"Thanks," Mikael said before disappearing in a blur.

The sailor, still processing what he'd seen, sighed and returned to work, suppressing his anxiety about the fight's outcome.