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chapter 14
Rinka listened to the Leviathan’s words as she kept stirring the waves with her fingertips, making them rise and scatter again and again.
Surprisingly easy.
“I don’t have anything like a pearl. I don’t even know where one would be.”
— Impossible! Someone already did it once. He tricked a young mermaid and stole her pearl. With it, he became king of the sea. Even after centuries, we still remain under his rule!
The Leviathan roared, its fury echoing like thunder. The sound made her wince, but soon its voice quieted, lowered to a growl.
— If you truly don’t know where it is, then I only need to devour you whole. Because one thing’s certain—it’s somewhere inside you.
Its slitted pupils curved into a sinister grin.
“So that was your plan from the start. Turning me into a human, protecting the ship—those were all lies.”
— Lies? If you lose your pearl, you simply become human. Even if you die, you’d still be human, wouldn’t you? And if I became king, of course I could spare a measly ship or two… grkh!
Rinka didn’t need to hear any more of its nonsense. She gathered her power in her hands and hurled it as a massive wave that crashed down on the Leviathan’s body.
The beast writhed, its enormous body twisting in pain, and surged toward her.
— How dare you!
Its roar filled the sea. At the same time, streams of black water lashed out like serpents, coiling around her.
Agony twisted through her body. She couldn’t breathe, her whole frame crushed. She felt sharp points brushing against her nape.
Dangerous.
But still—
“Ugh—you can’t even beat me… let alone become king of the sea.”
— How dare you! You’re nothing more than a powerless child…!
Her breath grew faint, but beneath the suffocating sea she felt something else—an echo, a breath. The presence of sea spirits, perhaps even the merfolk themselves, lending her their strength.
With trembling hands, Rinka reached out again.
Light burst from her chest, and heat flared beneath her left eye.
“Ah!”
The Leviathan recoiled, its serpent-like coils loosening and falling away.
Blue light bloomed from her fingertips, rippling through the water like waves. The glow struck hard, pushing back the beast’s black currents.
Its crimson eyes flashed.
— Pitiful. Resist all you want—nothing will change.
It retaliated immediately. Its tail whipped, unleashing torrents of black water that crashed toward her like a storm. The raging waves tried to swallow her whole.
Panting, Rinka blinked, focusing with her left eye—on something gleaming beneath the monster’s eye.
Between its black scales shone a jagged, silver scale.
That’s it. The silver scale from my dreams…
“Wouldn’t it be hilarious if a ‘powerless child’ took you down?”
She forced herself to sound casual, though she wasn’t certain if it really was its weakness.
No, it has to be. My instincts are always right.
Dodging the lashing torrents, she darted through the water with sharp focus, eyes locked on that gleam.
Break that silver scale. Then I can win.
Fear of failure shook her chest, but she reached out, riding the current.
She prayed desperately.
Break it.
The water moved with her will, sharpening into a spear aimed at the single silver scale.
I can break it!
— Wait—dare you aim there…!
Droplets burst from her body, glowing like her very breath.
CRACK!
A sharp sound rang through the sea.
Splinter. Snap. Clang!
The silver scale split from the center and shattered into fragments.
“SCREEEEECH!”
The serpent’s scream tore through the waters. Rinka clapped her hands to her ears and kicked herself backward.
The Leviathan’s massive body writhed, churning the sea into violent waves.
I have to escape.
She knew instantly—it wouldn’t die so easily. Rinka propelled herself upward, riding the current toward the surface.
But then the beast’s crimson eyes glared once more.
— A wretch like you dares—!
Its roar shook the deep again.
Something like a blade sliced past her body. Cold pierced her skin; blood seeped into the water. She couldn’t evade fully. Rinka clenched and flung her fists, forcing the current to shift.
The waters collided violently. It was obvious—the first one to falter would lose.
— You think I’d lose to the likes of you?
“You… talk way too much…”
Just when she thought she had reached her limit—
The Leviathan’s body began to break apart, silver fragments scattering like dust.
Its wail trembled through the waves, reverberating far and wide.
Rinka gasped for breath, her body trembling.
“Stop resisting and… just… go already!”
Her cry rang out. She poured the last of her strength into her fingertips, releasing a radiant light.
It struck the Leviathan’s body. The monster recoiled from the brilliance pouring into the place where its silver scale had shattered. Slowly, its coils weakened, shadows collapsing into the depths.
The Leviathan’s cries faded into silence.
But Rinka’s body bore the marks of battle—her palms and forearms scraped raw by razor scales, blood trickling from a gash on her forehead.
She drifted upward, breaking onto the surface. Floating on the waves, she let out a shaky breath.
Her chest heaved.
“I really thought I was dead this time…”
She had fought blindly, on instinct alone—but somehow, she had defeated the Leviathan with her own strength.
But that strange vision she’d seen—that thing that revealed the beast’s weakness… what was it?
Her thoughts didn’t last.
“Rinka!”
A voice called her name, closer than she expected.
Startled, she opened her eyes wide and spotted a pirate ship not far away.
Damn it.
Of course—they must have noticed. She’d slipped out secretly, only to wage a battle that shook the entire sea.
The ship above must have rocked like crazy.
Rinka grabbed at her hair, freezing when she saw it had turned a deep navy blue, her body glowing with strange markings.
“Please—let me change back. Please.”
There was only one choice. She begged herself to return to normal.
After whispering please at least five times, the glowing markings faded, and her hair returned to its sunset-gold color.
“Rinka?”
At that moment, the captain’s voice cut through the wind. She looked up.
The pirate ship was drawing closer. The captain stood on deck, shouting her name.
“Rinka Marybell! Hold on there!”
His usually lazy tone was sharp and urgent now, but filled with relief.
It’s really over.
Her consciousness began to fade.
Crewmen rushed to the deck at the captain’s call, tossing out a fishing net.
“Catch her! We’ll haul her up!”
“I’m not a fish—wait, wait, stop!”
The net smacked her on the head. She groaned, struggling, until her palm brushed against something hard. Her eyes widened.
“What is this?”
It was a fragment of silver scale.
The Leviathan’s body had sunk, but pieces of its shattered scales had floated to the surface.
