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Chapter : 34
The Monster Sea—
the very heart of the Black Abyss.
Grrrrrrrrr—
A low, heavy growl shook the ocean floor.
It was not merely a sound.
It was a signal—one that awakened a primordial fear that had slept for centuries.
Grrrrrr— Grrrrrr—
One cry became two.
Two became four.
Four multiplied into dozens—then hundreds.
The Bardanos were awakening.
Massive creatures with stone-like scales, they usually slumbered deep within underwater caverns. But now, as if drawn by something, they began to rise one by one.
The enormous bodies, long crushed under the pressure of the deep sea, began to stir.
Layers of moss and seaweed that had accumulated over centuries peeled away.
In the darkness, crimson eyes flickered open.
The light of calamity—hidden beneath closed lids—began to shine.
A black tide rose.
No—
It was not a tide.
It was the collective shadow of hundreds of Bardanos moving at once.
Grrrrrrrr— Grrrrrrrr—
Their cries grew louder.
Like the horns of war.
Like the tolling of death.
At that sound echoing through the deep sea, all living creatures instinctively shrank back.
Schools of silver fish fled in panic—
—but were swallowed whole as a Bardanos opened its massive jaws, devouring thousands in a single gulp.
The already dark sea turned even darker.
“GRRRRRRR!”
One massive Bardanos took the lead.
It was at least twice the size of the others.
The spikes along its back were as sharp as masts, and with a single sweep of its tail, it created a massive whirlpool.
The Bardanos began to swim.
Toward the boundary—
Between the Monster Sea and the Human Sea.
Moving as a swarm, they flowed like a vast black river.
Nothing remained in their wake.
Not fish.
Not seaweed.
Not even plankton.
An empty sea.
A sea of death.
That was what people called the waters the Bardanos passed through.
A pod of dolphins, gripped by terror, abruptly changed direction.
Even giant sperm whales—creatures no monster would normally dare provoke—turned to flee.
But it was too late.
One Bardanos opened its mouth—
—and a whale over 20 meters long was swallowed whole.
Blood spread through the ocean, staining it red.
The grotesque sound of chewing echoed eerily.
The ocean currents carried them faster.
The cold currents of the Monster Sea collided with the warm southern currents—
That boundary was the Third Sea Region of the Cyern Empire.
But the Bardanos did not stop.
They passed the Third Region.
Then the Second.
Grrrrrrrr— Grrrrrrrrrr—
Some rose near the moonlit surface, their backs appearing like black islands before sinking again.
A fisherman out at dawn witnessed the sight.
“M-Monsters! The monsters are coming!”
But his cry was swallowed by the wind—
—and by the jaws of a Bardanos.
He left behind not even an echo.
They kept moving.
The boundary of the First Sea Region—
The final defensive line of the Cyern Empire.
In the distance—
The coastline of Keister came into view.
Grrrrrrrr— Grrrrrr— GRRRRRRR—
The cries of hundreds merged into a single, colossal roar.
4:00 AM — Keister Harbor
Grrrrrrr—
The second—then the third Bardanos appeared.
All the ships docked in the harbor were reduced to toys in the jaws of the monsters.
Wooden debris exploded into the air.
Fishermen preparing for early voyages screamed in terror.
The once peaceful sea turned into a mixture of black water and red blood.
DANG— DANG— DANG—
Guard Thomas rang the alarm bell like a madman.
The warning bell echoed through the city of Keister.
“Monsters! Monsters have come!”
His voice cracked as he shouted.
Blood dripped from his hands.
He had struck the bell so hard his palms split open—
but he couldn’t stop.
The moment he realized the distant black wave was actually hundreds of Bardanos—
his entire body froze.
“Wake up! Everyone, wake up! Please! The monsters are here! It’s Bardanos!!”
Merchants near the harbor, already awake, began fleeing in panic.
But the Bardanos were not satisfied with the harbor.
The largest one began crawling onto land.
Everything in its path was crushed.
The stone breakwater shattered like paper.
Behind it, more Bardanos followed, dragging their massive bodies onto land.
Grrrrrrrr— GRRRRRR—
Their cries engulfed the entire city.
It was ultrasonic.
Powerful sound waves swept through the streets.
Windows shattered.
Children burst into tears.
People hid inside their homes or fled in terror.
“Monsters! Monsters came from the sea!”
“Leave everything—just run!”
Keister City descended into chaos in an instant.
Keister Count’s Estate
“My lord! My lord!”
The aide pounded on the bedroom door.
4:30 AM.
Rayban was already awake from the alarm bell.
Buttoning his shirt, he spoke in a rough voice.
“Come in.”
The aide rushed inside, pale as death.
“M-Monsters… monsters have appeared at the harbor!”
Rayban’s expression hardened.
Monsters… at the harbor?
So the defensive line of the First Sea Region has finally fallen…
He bit his lip.
“Bardanos?”
“Yes! Dozens—hundreds of them!”
“The damage?”
“Twelve fishing vessels destroyed. Three docks have been obliterated. They’re coming onto land!”
The aide’s voice trembled with urgency.
Rayban immediately issued orders.
“Gather all the knights. Immediately.”
“And where is Kaisa?”
“The Third Knight Order—including Kaisa—is on patrol. They should be out at sea.”
Rayban paused.
“At sea… Kaisa?”
“…Assemble all knight orders.”
“Yes, my lord!”
After the aide rushed out, Rayban quickly put on his uniform.
Grrrrrrrr—
The cries of the Bardanos were now audible even within the estate.
His jaw tightened.
It was a horrifying sound—
one that stirred fear deep within the human soul.
Something that should only be heard at sea—
now echoing here.
And it was getting closer.
Rayban walked to the window and pulled the curtain aside.
The harbor had become hell.
Massive Bardanos were destroying buildings as they advanced into the city.
One swept its tail—
and the bell tower tilted dangerously.
The final defense has fallen…
No—
This was only the beginning.
Rayban grabbed the sword hanging on the wall.
A treasured blade passed down through generations of the Keister family.
Its blue-tinted blade bore wave-like engravings.
It had belonged to his father.
And his grandfather.
Every head of the Keister family had wielded it in times of crisis.
None of them had been Swordmasters.
Even though they had inherited all the knowledge from the last Swordmaster of the family—
they, too, had never surpassed that boundary.
The cold hilt pressed against his palm.
It felt as though the sword itself was whispering—
that he was not worthy.
At that moment—
his father’s voice echoed in his mind.
A memory carved deep within him.
“Rayban… regardless of your achievements, never forget that you are a Keister.”
Yes.
Rayban was still the head of the Keister family.
A man with the duty—
to protect this land…
and its people.
