CHAPTER 196: THE ACCIDENT AND THE SACRIFICE (2)

Boom!

Explosions thundered as the soldiers fired their cannons at the sea monster.

"Attack! Don’t hesitate! Our ship is protected by the magic of a Celestial mage! Attack the monster!" Ruthark shouted, raising his right hand.

As the ship’s captain and commanding officer, his duty was not only to lead the battle but also to keep the troops’ morale high. If the balance of their attack pattern broke, they could easily end up on the losing side.

"Nolan!"

At that moment, Rafine’s voice echoed from a distance. Startled, Ruthark turned and saw her peering toward the sea from behind the ship’s railing.

Tears filled her eyes as she reached out with her right hand, as if trying to grasp something.

"Young Lady Rafine, stay back! It’s dangerous!" Ruthark called out in alarm, rushing toward her.

When he reached her, he quickly wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her away from the railing.

Releasing her, he fixed her with a serious look. "It’s dangerous, Young Lady Rafine. If you fall, I’ll be severely punished by Prince Nolan and questioned by Duke Austin! Please—don’t do anything reckless!"

The situation was already dire. The sea monster was so strong that it held its ground even under the bombardment of eighty cannons from their two battleships.

It was no wonder the last two battleships had been destroyed under its assault.

"Hiks... hiks..." Rafine sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes were red as she looked at Ruthark in anguish. "Leader Ruthark... Nolan... Nolan fell off the ship and was swallowed by the waves."

The moment those words left her lips, Ruthark’s heart skipped a beat. His face drained of color, and his body went rigid.

"Young Lady Rafine, I know you and Prince Nolan often argue—even fight—but this isn’t the time for jokes. How could Prince Nolan have fallen overboard?" he asked, his voice tense.

Yet beneath that tone lay fear. Nolan was a prince, and his status was beyond question.

Ruthark had entered the army with Elina and Nolan for one primary mission—to protect him.

And now Rafine was claiming that Nolan was dead?

How could he not panic?

"I’m not joking, Leader Ruthark!" Rafine cried. Wiping away her endless tears, she said in a hoarse voice, "Just now... Nolan helped me. He saved me."

Then she told him everything, holding nothing back.

It was, in truth, her fault. If only she hadn’t been careless, this would never have happened.

"This..." Ruthark went silent, swallowing hard.

He hadn’t expected it to be true—Nolan had fallen off the ship and vanished beneath the waves!

Damn it... What should I do? He muttered, scratching his head.

Bang!

A deafening crash rocked the ship, throwing everyone to the right and left.

Ruthark turned to Rafine, his expression dark. "Young Lady Rafine, this is an urgent situation. Return to your room for now. As for Prince Nolan, I’ll find a way to handle it later. Please, don’t worry."

Nolan’s disappearance was no trivial matter. It wasn’t impossible that His Majesty the Emperor would order his execution for such a failure.

Yet as the ship’s captain, Ruthark knew the lives of his soldiers—and their victory over the sea monster before them—were just as important.

If they diverted their attention to searching for Nolan, the monster would have the chance to destroy them. Hundreds—no, thousands—would die.

He refused to let that happen. If it did, the blame would fall squarely on him.

But Rafine instantly shook her head.

"No, Leader Ruthark. I’m not going back to my room!" Her red eyes locked on the towering monster, and her voice carried a sharp edge of killing intent. "Let me man one of the cannons. I’ll kill it with my hands!"

Ruthark froze, momentarily lost for words.

"Are you certain? You know how risky it is, right? And on top of that, you probably don’t even—"

"I know!" Rafine cut him off, gritting her teeth. "I’ve studied the mechanics of these ships since they were first brought to the eastern region. You don’t need to worry."

Lowering her head, she pleaded earnestly, "Please, Leader Ruthark—grant my request!"

Faced with her stubborn resolve, how could Ruthark refuse?

Letting out a long sigh, he gave a small nod. "Very well. But don’t be reckless. If you get hurt, I’ll be completely finished later."

"I understand," Rafine replied coolly. "Leave it to me."

At the same time, her gaze shifted back to the monster, burning with hatred and barely contained fury.

***

Damn it! This monster’s tougher than I thought, Luvistar muttered, clenching his fists.

They had hit it hundreds of times, but the monster still wouldn’t go down. Its huge body was full of wounds, with deep holes torn into its flesh.

Blood flowed everywhere, yet the monster didn’t seem to care—it just kept standing tall and attacking without stopping.

If this continues, we’ll be overwhelmed—maybe even defeated, he muttered through gritted teeth.

Manning the cannons was no easy task—it demanded both strength and precision. Even with three soldiers to a cannon, the work was exhausting.

"General Luvistar!"

Elina’s urgent voice rang out from behind him. He turned to see her, pale-faced and trembling.

"What’s wrong, Princess? Are you in danger?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.

Elina shook her head, her voice trembling. "Just now... I sensed my brother was in danger."

Luvistar froze at her words, his heart racing, but he forced himself to remain calm.

"Explain."

"I share a deep bond with my brother," Elina said, her voice choked with emotion. "If he’s in danger, I can always feel it. And just now... I felt it—clear and strong. Brother Nolan is in danger!"

Her ability had no name, yet it could be explained logically. She and her brother were twins, their souls linked by a deep inner bond.

If either of them was in danger, the other could sense it.

Luvistar remained silent, unsure how to respond. He didn’t think Elina was lying or imagining things. Sometimes, twins truly did share such extraordinary connections.

Trying to steady himself, he looked at Elina gently. "Don’t worry. I’ll contact Ruthark and discuss this matter. But for now, we need to focus on the monster. Agreed?"

Elina, neither selfish nor unreasonable, gave a solemn nod. "I understand."

"Good," Luvistar said, nodding in satisfaction. "Now—"

Before he could finish, something unexpected happened.

The sea monster abruptly stopped its attack. Its jaws opened wide, and a swirling ball of energy began to form within.

Whoosh... Boom!

The monster unleashed it, slamming the energy into the magic barrier with a violent explosion.

Fortunately, the magic barrier held, but it was damaged, with a hole the size of a person.

As the magic began to recover, the sea monster remained relentless, roaring loudly and sending the seawater surging upward.

Five spears of water shot toward the few people on the ship.

One of the spears shot straight toward Elina, who stood at the center of the ship.

"Not good!" Luvistar yelled, lunging to push her out of harm’s way.

Scrk!

Elina barely dodged, but Luvistar wasn’t so lucky. Her eyes widened in panic as she screamed, "General Luvistar!"