Industrial Cthulhu: Starting as an Island Lord

Chapter 46: Battle

One hand after another clasped Hughes’s.

One Siren after another stood up from the sea, their eyes resolute.

Sirens were never weak creatures.

They were willing to use their own blood to defend their home.

It didn’t take long before all the Sirens had signed the Symbiotic Contract with Hughes.

As the Life Pool expanded, Ash's previous injuries became almost negligible.

She looked in surprise at the hideous scar on her waist, yes, under the infusion of life force, it had already transformed from a wound into a scar.

Ash moved her body and felt an overwhelming surge of power within her.

It had been a long time since she had experienced this feeling of being so full of life.

The other Sirens also stood up from the seawater.

Each of them was tall, and as they stood together under the moonlight, their scales gleamed with a cold light, resembling a wall of ice.

Hughes looked at them and couldn't help but sigh.

In an era of cold weapons, these Sirens donned in heavy armor would be nothing short of killing machines.

A few roars came from outside the cave.

Hughes looked over and saw that Connor, along with Monica, who had transformed into a monster, had circled around and returned.

However—

"Why has she gotten so big?!"

The Sirens’ expressions turned grave.

The wailing monster had completely lost any trace of Monica’s former self.

The swirling masses of corruption surged and gathered into a grotesque creature the size of a cathedral.

At this size, it was no longer something humans could contend with, was it?

Hughes looked at the Sirens beside him with concern.

The Sirens turned their gaze to Ash.

Standing on land, the contrast was even clearer.

Ash was several times larger than the other Sirens, and just looking at her powerful physique was enough to feel the explosive strength contained within.

But even such a powerful warrior might not be able to contend with a monster as large as a small mountain, right?

"Monica..." Ash murmured softly, then shook her head and turned firmly.

"Lord, we can handle her. Please step back."

A trace of sorrow appeared on the Sirens' faces.

Their numbers had always been few.

After the battle with the Fishmen, their remaining members were now just a handful, all fitting within this one cave.

This made the Sirens extraordinarily united, with deep bonds among them.

Monica was the youngest among the Sirens.

She was lovable, mischievous, and no one disliked her.

But now, the corruption within her had reached a point beyond salvation.

The Sirens might be able to defeat the monster she had become, but they had no way to restrain her and attempt to cleanse her corruption.

This was already the best possible outcome.

No more sacrifices were necessary.

Both the Sirens and Hughes had done their best.

Yet, despite having found a home, Monica would now part from them forever.

The Sirens lowered their heads, suppressing their sorrow, and followed Ash out of the cave.

They had no time to waste.

Every second, the monster that Monica had become was growing stronger.

Enduring suffering, tasting every dish that fate placed before them—the Sirens had experienced too much already.

Today was just another farewell.

The Sirens seemed to share the same thought.

They exchanged glances, then closed their eyes together.

The power of their minds linked them as one.

Moments later, they reopened their eyes, now filled only with determination.

They swiftly spread out, their brief link having been enough to finalize their strategy.

It was time to act.

Not far away, Connor was riding his horse in circles.

Seeing the Sirens back in fighting form, he relaxed a little.

His forehead was drenched in sweat.

That monster, though enormous like a mountain, was not slow at all.

If not for its difficulty in changing direction, Connor might have already been caught.

Even now, he was at the very limits of his strength.

The horse beneath him panted heavily, its breath ragged, as if it were a broken bellows.

The horse’s stamina was nearly exhausted.

If not for his constant desperate maneuvering, he would have already been overtaken.

Fortunately, he had held out long enough.

Connor looked up.

A Siren in the distance signaled to him, and he nodded in understanding.

The colossal monster roared and charged forward.

Connor pulled on the reins, making his horse veer sharply to the side.

The monster swiped at him in fury, but its claws missed by just a fraction.

Its massive body struggled to stop, gouging deep trenches into the ground as its black corruption extended into countless writhing arms, bracing against the earth to slow its momentum.

Once it had nearly come to a halt, it desperately clawed at the dirt again, twisting and wriggling to change direction.

It was about to move again.

At that moment, a Siren charged forward and slammed into the monster.

The dark corruption, like an overinflated balloon, rippled upon impact.

Wailing, it surged toward the Siren, trying to engulf her.

However, the Siren disengaged instantly.

The corruption clung to her but then slid off, hissing in frustration.

She had activated Blood Magic at the moment of impact, making her immune to the corruption's grasp.

Once she had put some distance between herself and the monster, she checked that no corruption remained on her body before deactivating the Blood Magic to conserve energy.

The enormous monster was caught in a moment of weakness, its old strength depleted and its new strength not yet gathered.

Not only was its charge disrupted, but it also wobbled under the impact, nearly losing balance.

It could work!

Ash's eyes lit up.

This was the Sirens’ strategy:

They would continuously harass the monster from its blind spots, wearing it down.

Meanwhile, Ash would circle in the distance, waiting for an opportunity to strike a fatal blow.

She held a long trident in her hands, one she had taken from the Fishmen.

Not long ago, she had wielded this weapon to carve a bloody path out of the Abyss, leading her people to Castel.

"Too bad I can’t use magic," she muttered to herself.

The life force granted by the Symbiotic Contract had only healed her wounds.

The effects of her magical exhaustion still remained.

Suddenly, she turned her head.

"Nini?"

Nini had left her position and was heading toward the stone cave.

Ash was puzzled and was about to question her when she saw Hughes waving at her from the cave.

"I have a plan! Just hold on for a while!"

Hughes’s voice echoed in her mind.

It was a function of the Symbiotic Contract, allowing him to communicate with her over short distances.

Ash nodded without hesitation and moved to cover the gap left by Nini’s departure.

She didn’t know what new idea her lord had come up with.

She only knew that she had to follow his orders.

She trusted her lord, and Hughes had never let her down.

She was willing to be Hughes’s sword, cutting down the thorns on his path.

She didn’t need to think about anything else.

That thought reassured her.

What she didn’t notice was that, deep in her heart, a new feeling had begun to grow—

A quiet sense of anticipation.