Chapter 163: Slaying the Gray Whale

Chapter 163: Chapter 163: Slaying the Gray Whale

Airborne, Vili’s expression remained unchanged as he suddenly brandished his Cross Sword.

A streak of Sword Qi over three meters long shot from the blade, swiftly piercing the Gray Whale’s eye.

The Gray Whale cried out in pain and began to thrash violently. Its rolling body and slapping tail churned up massive waves.

On the deck of a ship near the Gray Whale, several crew members failed to dodge in time and were knocked over by the waves. One was nearly swept into the water.

While a whale’s eyes aren’t crucial for sight, they are a sensitive part of its body. An injury there would cause intense, unbearable pain.

Vili paid no mind to the Gray Whale’s violent thrashing. He changed direction in mid-air and landed steadily on its back.

’The source of the malice is in its belly...’

A sharp glint flashed in Vili’s eyes.

Now that he was this close to the Gray Whale, he could clearly perceive the location of that source of malice.

Vili hesitated no longer, instantly unleashing his Knight’s Fighting Spirit Power and the Power of Justice.

Rampant Sword Qi swirled around the blade, and Vili unleashed it directly into the Gray Whale’s head.

The Sword Qi and the Power of Justice wreaked havoc within the Gray Whale, mangling a huge chunk of its flesh from the inside.

An ordinary whale would have died from such a blow to the head, but this Gray Whale was abnormally resilient. Even with its head damaged, it still possessed a formidable Life Force.

The Gray Whale let out a mournful cry, as if overcome with terror.

It seemed to sense that the Malice Power constantly being supplied from within its body was being severely suppressed.

The Gray Whale violently shook its head, intending to dive into the sea and flee.

From that single blow, it had sensed a grave threat to its life.

"You’re not getting away."

Vili moved even faster.

’Although my underwater combat abilities are decent, they’re still more limited than fighting on the surface.’

Vili plunged his Cross Sword completely into the Gray Whale. Starting from the creature’s head, he ran along its body, slicing all the way to its tail.

All the while, his Knight’s Power and the Power of Justice acted like a giant electric drill, simultaneously tearing and shredding, essentially slicing the Gray Whale in two along its spine.

The Gray Whale let out one last, mournful cry.

Even though the source of malice inside it was still continuously supplying Energy, it was no longer enough to offset the damage from its wounds.

In the end, the Gray Whale was unable to escape back into the sea. Its bisected body floated on the surface, and bright red blood gushed into the water, though it was difficult to see clearly in the dim light.

’It’s dead...’

Vili sensed the last trace of the Gray Whale’s life fade away.

"Lord Baron..."

Yoblin stared at Vili’s thunderous display of power, completely stunned.

The frenzied Gray Whale, a creature like a monstrous behemoth, had been slain by the Lord Baron in mere moments!

Although he had always known Vili was incredibly powerful, witnessing it firsthand was a tremendous shock, both visually and psychologically.

An immense sense of relief washed over Yoblin.

He knew very well that if Vili hadn’t intervened, killing or even just driving away the Gray Whale might have cost them half the fleet.

"Thank you, Lord Baron!"

Yoblin shouted frantically.

Spurred on by Yoblin, the entire crew of Ship One began to shout as well.

The sound carried across the ocean, and the other ships began to cheer as well.

The impact on the ordinary crewmen, who had personally witnessed Vili slay the Gray Whale, was even greater.

They had never imagined that the Lord protecting White Bear Town was so powerful!

Vili, of course, felt no excitement at hearing their shouts.

He pointed his sword toward Yoblin on Ship One. "Alright, handle the cleanup."

"Yes, Lord Baron!"

Yoblin acknowledged the order and brought Ship One closer to Vili, lowering a ladder from the deck.

To his surprise, however, Vili didn’t immediately board the ship. Instead, he climbed into the whale’s body through the massive gash torn in its back.

Although he didn’t understand Vili’s motive, Yoblin dared not say a word.

’Found it! This is it!’

From inside the Gray Whale’s cloven stomach, Vili found a palm-sized seashell with a dull, dark shell.

The seashell was surrounded by stomach acid and other rotting food, which gave off a thick, putrid stench.

’The material of this shell...’

Vili noticed that even though the seashell was enveloped in the Gray Whale’s stomach acid, its surface remained completely undamaged.

’The Malice Power isn’t coming from the shell, but from what’s inside it...’

Vili gave it a cursory scan with his senses but didn’t investigate further. The smell inside the Gray Whale’s body was truly foul.

With a few nimble movements, he leaped out of the Gray Whale’s body and easily climbed aboard the ship.

"Lord Baron..."

Yoblin started to offer more words of thanks, but Vili stopped him. ’There’s no need to listen to so many meaningless platitudes.’

His mind was now completely preoccupied with what was inside the seashell he carried.

’What on earth could be emitting such a distinct Malice Power?’

"Yadon, find some hot water for me. I need to wash up. And bring me a change of clothes."

Vili ordered Yadon, who was standing to the side.

On a long ocean voyage, fresh water was an extremely precious resource. It was carefully conserved even for drinking, let alone used for bathing.

Aboard the entire ship, only Vili had such a privilege.

"Yes, Lord Baron."

Yadon quickly replied, the excitement in his eyes yet to fade.

He had just witnessed Vili’s divine prowess once again.

In Yadon’s eyes, Vili was now an object of faith.

"By the way, don’t butcher the Gray Whale’s corpse for meat."

Vili was about to head below deck, but he seemed to remember something and called out to Yoblin.

He knew full well that the Gray Whale had likely grown so large because of the Malice Power. Consuming its malice-tainted flesh would surely lead to dire consequences.

"Understood, Lord Baron."

Yoblin nodded quickly.

He had, in fact, been planning to carve off some meat to take with them. After all, he had never seen a Gray Whale so large. However, upon hearing Vili’s instructions, he naturally chose to comply.

Afterward, under Yoblin’s command, all the ships began repairs and cleanup operations.

「The process continued until dawn.」

In the meantime, Vili had finished washing, changed into a set of clean, tidy clothes, and returned to his room.

The room was located in the ship’s hold and had no light source, so Vili still had to light an oil lamp for illumination.

’What on earth is inside this thing?’

Vili placed the seashell on the table, pulled over a stool, and began to examine it carefully.