Chapter 282: The Voice of Leviathan

Location: Atlantic Ocean

Place: Middle of the Ocean, Near Liebus

Time: 9:30 PM

The Atlantic Ocean was usually peaceful at this hour.

Only a handful of patrol ships normally disturbed the vast stretch of dark water surrounding Liebus, their distant lights drifting beneath the moon while gentle waves moved quietly toward the horizon. Tonight, however, that familiar silence was beginning to disappear.

Something moved beneath the water.

At first, only a few dark shapes broke through the moonlit surface. Several dolphin-like creatures emerged between the waves, although their enormous bodies, jagged fins and unnatural red eyes made it immediately obvious that they were nothing like ordinary marine animals.

Armored demons rode upon their backs.

Then more appeared.

Dozens of creatures surfaced across the ocean, followed by monstrous octopuses whose thick tentacles twisted through the water as though searching for something to crush. Demons stood upon their bodies as well, each covered from head to toe in heavy black armor while crimson light burned through the narrow openings of their helmets.

The metallic sounds of their armor gradually spread across the ocean.

Behind them rose black-and-red banners.

More demons continued emerging from the darkness until the scattered groups became formations, and those formations became an army stretching farther across the water. Thousands of crimson eyes burned beneath the moonlight, creating the disturbing illusion that pieces of Hell itself had begun rising from beneath the Atlantic.

Yet the army was not the largest thing moving through the water.

Far beneath them, an enormous shadow passed underneath the formation.

Several demons instinctively looked down.

The shadow continued growing.

It was large enough that several whales could have disappeared within its outline, and as it moved beneath the demonic army, the surrounding creatures became insignificant by comparison. Even the monstrous aquatic beasts carrying armored soldiers shifted uneasily as something ancient began rising toward the surface.

The ocean swelled.

Massive waves rolled outward as the enormous shadow finally broke through the water.

The creature continued emerging without hurry.

Gigantic dark-blue scales reflected the moonlight like polished steel, each one large enough to dwarf the demons surrounding it. Seawater poured from its immense body in waterfalls as more and more of the beast rose above the surface.

Long horns resembling a royal crown curved backward from its skull, giving the creature an appearance more fitting for an ancient emperor than a mindless monster.

Then Leviathan opened its eyes.

The surrounding army suddenly seemed small.

Every slow breath escaping its nostrils sent torrents of air across the ocean, pushing waves away from its enormous body and forcing nearby flying demons to stabilize themselves. Its movement alone displaced enough water to turn the previously calm sea violent.

The atmosphere changed with its arrival.

Clouds slowly gathered across portions of the night sky while the wind grew stronger, tearing at the black-and-red banners carried throughout the army. The Atlantic Ocean began roaring beneath Leviathan’s overwhelming presence as waves crashed against the monstrous creatures surrounding it.

Several elite demons were stationed upon Leviathan’s enormous head.

Among them stood a much smaller demon who seemed completely unaffected by the terrifying creature beneath his feet. Rather than displaying caution, he leaned forward excitedly and searched the distant horizon, occasionally laughing to himself as though he were impatient for whatever awaited them.

Beside him stood another figure.

Unlike his companion, this demon showed no excitement.

He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, completely motionless despite the violent wind surrounding Leviathan. His gaze remained fixed upon the distant land ahead, where the territory of Liebus waited beyond the darkness.

More specifically, his eyes were directed toward Yuno City.

Behind them, the demon army continued gathering across the Atlantic, spreading farther over the dark water as more aquatic beasts surfaced beneath the moonlight. Black-and-red banners moved violently in the ocean wind while the constant sound of armor, chains and restless creatures filled the air around Leviathan.

General Malakar stood upon the enormous creature’s head with his arms crossed over his chest. He had been watching the distant coastline for several minutes without saying anything, patiently waiting while the army behind him finished assembling into its formations.

One of the elite demons stationed nearby eventually stepped forward and lowered his head respectfully.

"General, we’ve reached Liebus."

Malakar’s eyes remained fixed upon the distant lights.

"Finally."

Zeri immediately turned at the sound of his voice. The small demon had spent most of the journey wandering around Leviathan’s head and repeatedly looking toward the horizon, and the moment he realized they had arrived, his previous impatience disappeared beneath obvious excitement.

"Elder, did we reach it?"

He hurried toward Malakar.

"Did we finally reach Liebus?"

"Yes."

Malakar gave him a brief glance.

"We’ve reached it."

Zeri quickly moved closer to the edge of Leviathan’s head and leaned forward, narrowing his eyes as he searched through the darkness. For several seconds, he seemed unsure what exactly he was supposed to be looking for until he finally noticed how far the lights extended along the distant coastline.

His eyebrows rose.

"Whoa..."

Zeri continued staring.

"I thought Liebus was an island."

He looked from one end of the distant coastline to the other before glancing back toward Malakar.

"This is a whole country."

"It is."

Zeri turned back toward the land with even greater interest. Rather than being concerned by its size, he seemed delighted by the realization that their target was far larger than he had imagined.

"So all of that belongs to the humans we’re supposed to kill?"

Malakar didn’t answer immediately.

Zeri’s eyes wandered across the distant cities before following Malakar’s gaze toward Yuno City.

"I’m really curious now."

"About what?"

"That man."

Malakar looked toward him.

Zeri grinned.

"The human the Demon King mentioned."

He placed both hands behind his head as he continued looking toward Yuno City.

"I want to see what he’s like. His Majesty doesn’t usually become interested in some random human, but this time he sent all of us here and told us to slaughter the entire country."

Zeri laughed softly.

"He must have done something really interesting."

Malakar’s expression didn’t change.

"Even I don’t know why His Majesty is interested in him."

"Really?"

"Really."

That answer seemed to surprise Zeri more than anything else. He looked toward Malakar for a moment before returning his attention to the distant country.

Malakar, however, was no longer thinking about the human they had been sent to find.

Something had been bothering him.

He had first noticed the feeling when Liebus appeared upon the horizon, although at the time he had dismissed it as nothing more than caution before entering enemy territory. The closer Leviathan carried them toward the coastline, however, the harder that feeling became to ignore.

Malakar slowly narrowed his eyes.

"Something doesn’t feel right."

Zeri looked up at him.

"What doesn’t feel right, Elder?"

"I don’t know."

Malakar finally uncrossed one arm and rested his hand against his side.

"That’s what bothers me."

He had fought enough battles to know better than to dismiss his instincts, yet there was nothing obvious ahead of them that could explain the uneasiness. Liebus was heavily populated and undoubtedly possessed military forces of its own, but nothing he could currently see should have been capable of threatening the army gathered behind him.

Malakar’s attention shifted toward several lights moving across the water ahead.

A number of Liebus patrol vessels had noticed their approach.

The ships were still far away, but their searchlights were already moving across the ocean as crews hurried into position. Cannons gradually turned toward the approaching demons, while smaller weapons were aimed at the creatures surrounding Leviathan.

Zeri noticed them as well.

"Oh?"

He crouched near the edge and looked down with interest.

"They’re pointing their weapons at us."

Malakar could see the movements aboard the ships clearly enough to notice something else. The humans were preparing to fight, but the moment their searchlights travelled beyond the smaller demons and illuminated Leviathan, their movements became noticeably less certain.

Zeri began laughing.

"Humans really are interesting, aren’t they, Elder?"

Malakar watched one of the ships struggle to maintain its position against the waves created by Leviathan.

"Pathetic."

He turned away from the vessels and looked toward the army behind him. Most of the demons were already in formation, and the remaining units were quickly moving into place.

Malakar raised one hand.

"Prepare the army for attack."

The elite demon standing several steps behind him immediately bowed.

"Yes, General."

The soldier reached for the enormous war horn hanging beside him and brought it toward his mouth. After taking a deep breath, he blew into it, sending a deep metallic sound across the Atlantic that travelled far beyond Leviathan and through the formations behind them.

BWOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The response was immediate, although the army itself did not move forward.

Demons began checking their weapons while commanders shouted orders between formations. Swords were drawn and inspected, spears were lowered into comfortable positions, bows were prepared and heavy axes were lifted onto armored shoulders. The aquatic beasts beneath them became restless as their riders tightened their grips and waited for the order that would finally send them toward the coastline.

The first horn was only preparation.

Malakar knew that every soldier behind him understood that.

He waited until the sounds of preparation gradually settled before looking toward Yuno City again. The strange uneasiness remained, but there was little reason to delay the operation because of a feeling he couldn’t explain.

"Zeri."

Zeri looked over his shoulder.

"Yes, Elder?"

Malakar nodded toward the enormous creature beneath them.

"Tell Leviathan to roar."

The excitement immediately returned to Zeri’s face, but the reaction among the elite demons was considerably different. Several soldiers glanced toward one another while others quietly adjusted their footing upon Leviathan’s scales, knowing exactly how unpleasant it was to stand this close when the mythical beast released its voice.

"Finally."

Zeri walked toward the front of Leviathan’s head and placed one hand against one of its enormous scales.

"I’ve been waiting for this."

Malakar watched him without comment.

Zeri gently rubbed Leviathan’s head, treating the colossal beast with a familiarity that looked almost absurd considering its size. Leviathan’s enormous crimson eye shifted toward the small demon for a moment, recognizing his touch before slowly returning toward the distant coastline.

Zeri smiled.

"Elder wants you to say hello."

For several seconds, Leviathan showed no reaction.

Then its jaws began to open.

The movement was slow enough for those standing upon its head to watch the darkness inside its mouth gradually appear. Rows of enormous ivory teeth emerged beneath its lips, some straight and others curving inward, positioned in such a way that anything unfortunate enough to enter those jaws would never escape them intact. Thick saliva rolled between the teeth and fell into the Atlantic in heavy streams while the lower jaw continued descending.

Even the demons began moving away from its mouth.

They knew what was coming.

Leviathan drew its first breath.

The wind changed direction almost immediately.

Mist hovering above the ocean began rushing toward the creature while black-and-red banners snapped forward instead of backward. Seawater lifted from the surrounding waves in thin streams, and several smaller flying creatures struggled against the sudden current of air pulling everything toward Leviathan.

The beast continued inhaling.

Its colossal chest expanded beneath the ocean, causing the water surrounding its body to rise and fall with every movement. What had begun as a deep breath became something unnatural as Leviathan continued drawing air into lungs proportionate to a creature whose submerged body stretched hundreds of meters through the Atlantic.

Several armored demons standing nearby stopped smiling.

One grabbed the side of Leviathan’s horn to steady himself while another instinctively covered one ear despite knowing that doing so would accomplish almost nothing. Farther back, some of the aquatic monsters carrying the army became increasingly restless, refusing to remain still as their instincts warned them about what was about to happen.

Zeri noticed their reactions and laughed quietly.

He turned toward General Malakar.

Malakar gave him a single nod.

Zeri’s smile immediately became far more sinister as he turned back toward Leviathan, keeping one hand against the enormous scales beneath him.

"Terrify them."

Leviathan’s golden eyes burned brighter as its throat expanded, compressing the enormous amount of air gathered inside its lungs. The ocean around its body seemed to draw backward for a moment before its gigantic jaws opened completely.

"RRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR...!!!"

The roar exploded across the Atlantic.

The first pressure wave struck before the nearest patrol crews could properly react. Windows burst across several vessels at once, antennas snapped backward and personnel were thrown from their feet as the ocean beneath them suddenly erupted into violent waves.

One patrol boat was lifted completely out of the water.

It remained airborne for barely a second before crashing sideways into another vessel, tearing through part of its deck and sending both ships rolling apart beneath the waves. A larger warship survived the initial impact, but its hull groaned under the pressure while every exposed piece of equipment shook violently.

Leviathan continued roaring.

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR....!!!"

The second wave of destruction was already spreading outward.

The ocean directly ahead of Leviathan split beneath the continuous pressure, forming a huge trench across the surface while walls of seawater rose along both sides. Ships caught near the center were dragged downward before the displaced water collapsed back upon them, swallowing smaller vessels beneath tons of churning water.

The surviving patrol crews could no longer hear commands through their radios.

They could barely hear themselves scream.

Leviathan’s roar travelled through the water as violently as it travelled through the air, stunning countless fish and killing weaker marine creatures almost instantly. Bodies began floating toward the surface while larger animals fled blindly away from the approaching army.

Even the demonic creatures surrounding Leviathan were terrified.

Several monstrous dolphins tried to turn away despite their riders pulling at their restraints, while enormous octopuses curled their tentacles closer to their bodies. Armored demons lowered themselves against their mounts as the vibrations travelled through their armor and into their bones.

The roar reached the coastline only moments later.

Windows shattered across the coastal districts almost simultaneously.

The glass fronts of buildings burst outward while streetlights flickered and car alarms began screaming throughout the city. People walking near the waterfront were knocked from their feet by the pressure, while those inside buildings covered their ears as walls and floors trembled beneath them.

Then the ocean reached the port.

The first wave crashed over the seawall and tore through the docks, throwing smaller boats onto land while shipping containers slid across the flooded ground. Cranes shook violently above the harbor, and one finally lost its balance as part of its foundation cracked beneath the combined assault of water and vibration.

It collapsed across the docks with a deafening metallic crash.

There was no time for anyone to recover before another wave followed.

Water surged deeper into the coastal streets while weakened buildings began losing windows, signs and sections of their outer walls. Rooftop equipment was ripped loose, balconies cracked under the vibration and debris began raining onto abandoned roads as civilians fled farther inland.

Yet the source of all that destruction remained far out at sea.

Leviathan had not advanced.

Its claws had touched nothing, its tail had struck nothing and its enormous jaws had not closed around a single ship. The demon army surrounding it still waited for General Malakar’s command.

Only its voice had reached Liebus.

And that voice still hadn’t stopped.

"RRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR....!!!"

The continuous roar pushed beyond the devastated harbor and deeper into the country. Buildings farther inland began trembling as the pressure reached them, windows rattling violently before some finally shattered beneath the sustained vibration.

General Malakar watched without changing his expression.

Beside him, Zeri’s grin only widened as he stared toward the distant lights of Yuno City.

Leviathan continued roaring, and the sound was still travelling toward them.

To Be Continued...