Pirate: Crew of Desire and Bonds

"Buy time."

Jake blinks at the answer.

"Time for what?"

Before Vivian could answer, a tremendous roar shook the entire battlefield.

ROOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAR!!!

At first, Jake thought it was simply another wave caused by the Leviathan’s movement.

But then he noticed something was wrong.

The water around the enormous beast was spinning faster and faster.

Great whirlpools began forming across the ocean, their currents twisting violently as enormous columns of water started rising toward the sky.

"What...?"

Jake’s expression changed.

The clouds above the battlefield began gathering at an unnatural speed.

Soon,

Dark clouds rolled across the sky, swallowing the remaining patches of red as flashes of lightning flickered within them.

Then—

BOOOOOOM!!!

A massive column of water suddenly erupted from the ocean.

It twisted upward like a gigantic serpent, reaching toward the clouds before beginning to spin violently.

It was a tornado.

Then another formed.

And another.

Within moments, several enormous waterspouts had appeared around the Leviathan, each one stretching from the ocean all the way into the darkening sky.

With this, the entire sea seemed to have come alive.

The ships began rocking violently as the winds grew stronger.

"What’s happening?!" one of the soldiers shouted.

"Hold your positions!"

"Don’t let the current pull us in!"

Jake looked around as the entire fleet began struggling against the violent winds.

The massive ships rocked from side to side, their sails and flags snapping wildly in the gale.

Even the enormous warships below were being pushed around by the raging ocean.

Then Jake noticed the golden barrier.

It was flickering intensely.

The translucent shield covering the entire Alliance fleet was glowing brighter than before, golden light rippling across its surface as the fierce winds slammed into it from every direction.

The barrier wasn’t only protecting them from the Leviathan’s attacks.

It was now holding back the storm itself.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Another enormous gust struck the barrier.

The golden shield bent inward for a moment before quickly returning to its original shape.

Jake’s eyes widened slightly.

Even through the barrier, he could feel the sheer force of the wind.

’So that’s what this thing can do...’

The storm around the Leviathan was growing larger by the second.

The waterspouts twisted violently, dragging enormous amounts of seawater into the sky as lightning continued flashing between the dark clouds.

The ocean below was no longer simply rough... It had become a raging maelstrom.

And the Alliance fleet was right in the middle of it.

Jake tightened his grip around Grace and Aria as another violent wave rocked the ship.

"Stay close."

The two women nodded.

Jake then looked toward the Leviathan.

The enormous beast remained almost completely motionless in the center of the storm, its colossal head barely visible through the darkness and clouds.

Suddenly—

Jake’s eyes widened.

A tiny figure leaped from one of the flying ships.

"What the—?!"

The figure plunged straight into the raging storm, her small body rapidly disappearing beneath the swirling clouds.

Jake immediately recognized her.

"Mita?!"

The tiny dwarf didn’t slow down.

Instead, she raised her massive greatsword above her head as golden energy erupted around her body.

Her voice then thundered across the entire battlefield.

"STINKY LEVIATHAN!!!"

The roar was so loud that even the soldiers on the surrounding ships turned toward her.

Mita’s amber eyes burned with excitement as she pointed her greatsword toward the colossal beast.

"TASTE MY FAMILY’S GREATEST SWORD!!!"

The moment she shouted those words, golden energy exploded from her body.

BOOM!!!

The golden aura around Mita rapidly expanded.

Then it began flowing into her greatsword.

The massive blade trembled violently as countless golden runes appeared across its surface, one after another.

KRRRRR...

The surrounding space itself began to distort.

Even the raging storm seemed to momentarily slow around her.

Jake’s expression turned serious as he felt the intense pressure.

The tiny dwarf raised her greatsword even higher.

The golden light pouring into the blade became so intense that it illuminated the entire battlefield, piercing through the dark clouds and countless waterspouts.

Then Mita raise her greatsword with all her strength.

"Come forth!!!"

SHIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!

A gigantic golden sword projection erupted from the blade and immediately began expanding.

What started as a sword only a few meters long quickly grew to ten meters, then fifty, then a hundred, until it became so enormous that it looked capable of cleaving the heavens themselves.

Jake stared upward with his mouth hanging open, completely stunned by the sheer size of the sword.

However, Mita didn’t look nearly as composed as the attack itself.

Her cheeks were puffed out, her face had turned bright red, and her entire tiny body was trembling as she struggled to keep the massive greatsword raised.

It looked as though she were trying to swing something several times heavier than herself.

"GNNNNNNGH!"

The veins on her forehead bulged.

Then she gritted her teeth and forced the enormous golden blade downward, desperately pouring more strength into the attack.

"DIVINE JUDGEMENT!!!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The enormous golden blade descended with terrifying speed and slammed directly into the Leviathan’s massive head.

For the first time since the battle began, the colossal beast finally reacted.

Its enormous head suddenly lifted as its eye narrowed, staring directly at the incoming attack.

A moment later, the golden sword crashed against its scales with enough force to send a tremendous shockwave across the entire ocean.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The surrounding waters exploded upward, forming a colossal ring of waves that spread in every direction.

The dark clouds above were blown apart, and the raging storm momentarily seemed to disappear beneath the overwhelming force of the impact.

Yet Mita wasn’t finished.

She continued pushing the sword downward, her small body shaking violently as she poured every ounce of strength into the attack.

"STAY DOWN, YOU STINKY SNAKE!!!"

The golden blade pressed deeper against the Leviathan’s head.

CRACK!!!

The sound of cracking scales echoed across the battlefield.

Then, to Jake’s disbelief, a thin line of crimson blood appeared beneath the golden blade and slowly trickled down the Leviathan’s enormous head.

Jake’s eyes widened.

’She actually hurt it...’

But then, everyone froze at what they saw next.

[...Krr...]