Chapter 58

"Is this a joke...!?"

That's a tsunami...!?

If something like that hits directly, the town will be completely devastated!?

A massive tsunami that seemed to cover the entire field of vision.

Was this caused by the sea deity Okeanos? No wonder Avinion, who is usually so composed, is panicking. This obstacle is definitely on a different level from anything I've encountered before.

The monsters I've met in various places.

Human criminals and hostile adventurers.

The hero Riber.

The demon race.

None of them, not even one, can compare to the thing in front of me now.

"Avinion gave up before even fighting..."

I need to gather my strength and not let my guard down for a moment. If I do, it could lead to a fatal mistake. There are thousands of people living behind me.

There are people I don't know, and people I absolutely cannot lose. To protect them all, I must completely stop this tsunami here!

"Roar...!"

I took a deep breath and gathered my strength in my fist.

I don't know how much of my power at level eight million will affect this massive tsunami.

But I will unleash my power, which I had pushed to the limit during my training under the Azure Dragon Oomononushi, to an unprecedented degree!

"Ha!!"

It was just a punch.

But the super-fast punch that I swung through the air created a hole in the tsunami with the force of the air it displaced.

The hole expanded and eventually shattered the entire massive tsunami into pieces.

"Alright!"

I can do this.

My maxed-out level can even handle natural disasters.

I thought that was the case, but in the next moment:

Another tsunami behind the one I shattered!?

"Continuous attacks!?"

It was an overwhelming barrage.

Such rapid succession is impossible in nature.

Waves have a certain rhythm of ebb and flow, and it's impossible for them to surge without retreating.

But what's happening is impossible.

I can't help but feel the presence of something supernatural, something that surpasses nature.

"Am I going to back down with just this!?"

This time, I formed a hand blade with my outstretched fingers and swung it horizontally.

The air was sliced, creating a vacuum blade that cut through the second massive tsunami.

The severed wave was torn apart by the turbulence created by the vacuum blade and scattered into countless droplets.

Behind it, the third massive tsunami.

"Persistent, aren't you!?"

I shattered it with a shockwave from my fist.

The fourth.

The fifth.

The sixth.

The seventh.

Each one, if it were to cross the coastline, would cause irreparable damage to the town, and to human lives.

So I can't back down, I can't retreat!

I unleashed a barrage of punches, "Uryahryahryahryahryahryahryahryah...!"

◆

"...Um, how many was that?"

I think I've shattered at least a hundred massive tsunamis.

Even one of them is on a scale that could destroy a town, so this is overkill.

How careless is this Okeanos, the sea deity?

No, it's not that, but is this anger?

Anger at having a beloved servant taken away?

But Noem is working hard to alchemically synthesize deep seawater to match Nereis, so once that's done, I can return it safely. I hope it can wait a little longer.

Fortunately, the pace of the continuous tsunamis, which I assume are caused by it, is not faster than my powerful punches or vacuum cleaving chops.

I still have plenty of stamina, so at this pace, I can maintain this stalemate for four or five months.

In the meantime, Noem, please! Prepare the situation to return the child as soon as possible!

"...!?"

That's when I suddenly realized.

"My body is wet?"

When did this happen?

It's possible since I'm at the water's edge, but my body is thoroughly soaked, with water droplets falling from my hair.

I've shattered countless massive tsunamis with brute force.

The seawater I shattered must have turned into microscopic droplets, forming a mist that reached me.

I must have been unknowingly drenched by it?

'Why...?'

What is this voice?

My entire body was completely soaked, with no dry spots, not even the tip of my pinky nail.

Now, for some reason, it feels like I'm in a desperate situation.

'Why are you interfering...? I... I just came to pick up my dear child...!'

The water covering my body is moving?

It's increasing in volume for no reason and rapidly engulfing me!?

'Why are you interfering...!? Could it be you...!? Did you take my dear baby...!!'

By the time I realized it was bad, I was already inside the woman's body.

Inside the woman made of water.

I was swallowed.

The water woman.

Like Avinion, who takes the form of a beautiful woman made entirely of spirit.

This one is also a formless, fluid entity.

The sea deity Okeanos!?

'I'll kill youuuu! I'll kill the one who took my childuuu!!'

She's not stupid enough to keep using ineffective attacks.

To attack me in such a way.

I'm inside the woman made of water, swallowed into her stomach.

I can't move forward or backward, no matter how I try to swim.

What happens to a person trapped underwater?

They suffocate and die.

I can't let that happen.

"Ha!"

With a burst of energy, the water covering me scattered, and the woman's form shattered.

I stood on the ground unharmed.

"If you want to drown me, that's a bad move. I can survive without breathing for at least ten years."

Still, I had to blow her away because she was heading towards the town while swallowing me.

As expected, she doesn't seem to have taken any real damage.

Countless droplets of water crawled along the ground, gathered, and reformed into the beautiful woman.

'Baby... my baby...!'

She doesn't seem to understand at all.

It's like a mother who turns into a demon after her child is taken away.

I'd like to explain the situation and calm her down, but unfortunately, I have no confidence in persuading her.

On the other hand, fighting her with full strength is also not an option.

She just came to retrieve her child, and her motivation is completely justified. It would be too cruel to defeat her.

If I use my full strength, I might even make a deity like a sea deity disappear.

But dealing with an opponent of this level without killing or injuring her is a significant burden.

'Give me back my babyyyyyy!!'

A torrent of rage surged towards me.

Just then...

"Please wait!"

A voice echoed.

Here she comes!? I turned to see the familiar figure of Noem.

"Your child is here! It's safe and sound here!"

In the glass bottle she held up...

The small jellyfish was swimming around, having regained its energy.