"GYAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Under the moonlit sky, the tyrant of the sea—the Sea Serpent—let out a roar and lunged toward Rest.
With fangs more massive and ferocious than a shark's, it tried to crush Rest's body in its jaws.
"Scary... but why is that?"
Rest dodged the attack in midair.
Looking down at the Sea Serpent from above, he pulled his lips into an ironic smirk.
"It's scary, but I'm not terrified... Not a shred of emotion is welling up inside me telling me I can't win or that I should run."
He wasn't bluffing. It was his honest feeling.
Facing the enormous monster that was the Sea Serpent, composure and calmness overwhelmed Rest's heart more than fear.
Experience really was what mattered most. From the magic beast Sabnock to the Elder Wyrm—he had fought countless fierce battles against powerful enemies, and Rest had certainly grown accustomed to it.
He knew the Sea Serpent was an extremely powerful monster, but even so, he didn't think it was unbeatable.
"GYAAAAAAA!"
The Sea Serpent lunged to bite at Rest, then slammed its tail down at him.
Rest deflected the attacks with magic and dodged gracefully through the air.
The Sea Serpent was even more aggressive than before—perhaps its tail had been shot at so many times that it had lost its temper, or perhaps it was a case of a cornered rat biting the cat.
Or maybe it had realized that with its escape route blocked by the earthen mound Rest had created with magic, fighting was the only option left.
"Either way, it's a desperate move. Dodging attacks from an opponent who's lost their composure is easy enough."
Rest muttered to himself as he danced through the air... but that didn't mean he was lounging around with time to spare.
Even as he flew through the sky, he was steadily progressing with his preparations to defeat the Sea Serpent.
"It should be ready by now."
Rest held a small barrier in his hand.
Inside the barrier, a massive amount of magic had been packed and compressed to its absolute limit.
"Last time, I caused an explosion by compressing fireballs... but this time will be different."
If he set off another massive explosion like last time, the damage would spread far beyond the fish farm and reach the village itself. Fire was not an option.
"Wind Ball."
What he had been charging up and compressing inside the barrier this time was Wind Ball, a first-tier wind magic spell.
He had been casting dozens of Wind Balls while dodging the Sea Serpent's attacks, and the barrier was now brimming with more than enough power.
"Now I just have to..."
"GYAAAAAAAAAA!"
"How convenient."
The Sea Serpent opened its enormous jaws and lunged to bite down.
At the moment they passed each other, Rest hurled the compressed wind magic from the barrier straight into its mouth.
"Good."
Confirming the Sea Serpent had swallowed the barrier, Rest shot upward, gaining altitude rapidly.
He glanced toward the shore... the villagers who had been there had already evacuated.
He had given them the signal the moment he confirmed the Sea Serpent had fallen for the trap, telling them to flee.
"It's over...
Storm Genesis God !"
The barrier inside the Sea Serpent's body was dispelled, releasing the contained magic.
"GYUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!?"
The atmosphere, expanded to tens or even hundreds of times its original volume, surged upward from within the Sea Serpent's stomach—then burst outward like an overinflated balloon.
The expanding air didn't stop even after rupturing the stomach; it tore through the Sea Serpent's body from the inside out...
"Uwah...!"
"GYIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!?"
And then... scattering blood and viscera in every direction, its colossal form split apart in two.
The moment the Sea Serpent burst, the air inside its body erupted outward all at once, spreading in every direction.
A violent gale, like a storm, swept over Rest and the surroundings, violently shaking trees and buildings.
"...Is it over?"
But... that was all.
The Sea Serpent had magic hammered into its body, so the damage to Rest and the surrounding area was minimal.
It seemed that calibrating the amount of magic based on the previous experience had paid off.
"Gy... i..."
The Sea Serpent, torn cleanly in two, lay across the sea and let out a faint whimper... but before long, it drew its last breath.
The conclusion was even more anticlimactic than anticipated.