I looked down from above at the ship and the shark.
The shark was charging and snapping at the ship.
In coordination, cannon fire was unleashed, successfully fending off the damage.
Perhaps the fruit of Dolda's command.
Logan appeared to be assisting the ship with spirit magic.
By timing spells to the orders, he was enabling sharp acceleration and turns.
Unnoticed work, but essential in this situation.
(First, I'll steadily wear down its strength.)
From prior information, I had a rough grasp of the shark's abilities.
One thing was certain—it was disadvantageous for the thing to remain in water.
I unleashed a magical shockwave, sending the exposed shark flying.
The shark, struck by the shockwave, tumbled across land, mowing down trees.
Lying amid the forest, the shark splashed and thrashed in the water.
Its injuries were minor, showing no hindrance to movement.
Even setting aside regeneration, its body was remarkably resilient.
I cast a spell, scorching the surrounding area with intense heat until every trace of moisture was gone.
In the blink of an eye, vegetation withered away, leaving that single spot in the forest resembling a barren desert.
The heat was so extreme that small fires spontaneously ignited here and there.
And at the center of it all stood the shark.
(Now there's no water left. It can't regenerate.)
Once I'd eliminated the factors that favored the other side, I prepared to unleash another spell.
At that moment, the shark began to burrow and swim through the earth.
It shrunk further, increasing its speed.
Apparently, it could swim through soil as well.
A trump card meant for situations like this, no doubt.
(But it poses no problem)
I descended to the ground and launched my magical chains.
The chains, living things in their own right, extended and, scattering dirt, bound the shark. I'd heard its fangs excelled at destroying magic, so I restrained it in a way that avoided them.
Then, through the chains, I began drawing out the miasma.
The shark could only thrash about; escape from its bonds was impossible.
Its resistance grew weaker by the minute.
(Fighting a few times really sharpens your skills)
Beasts from the outer world contain miasma within them.
As one who holds dominion over miasma, I can employ tactics that turn their very biology against them.
This allows me to force such one-sided engagements.
Having its miasma drained, the shrunken shark convulsed on the spot.
There were no signs of it launching another attack.
Confirming this, I used my mana blade to hack the shark to mincemeat.
Countless pieces of flesh lay scattered, showing no regeneration, simply existing where they had fallen.
(Well, that was anticlimactic.)
I activated my detection magic.
It seemed this shark was the only beast in the vicinity.
For now, the fighting here appeared to have concluded.
At that very moment, a suspicious presence manifested behind me.
It had appeared without warning and radiated the power of a beast.
(—Teleportation, is it?)
I spun around and flashed my mana blade in a single arc.
It deflected the dagger that had come slashing down.
Sparks scattered from the impact.
The attacker spun midair and leaped backward.
Landing with fluid grace was a gaunt man.
He had cropped blond hair and unnaturally long, thin limbs.
Clad in filthy clothes, he gripped his dagger in a reverse hold.
His crimson eyes bore into me with a starving intensity.
"Tch, and I was so close to getting a bite out of that…"
The man clicked his tongue in frustration.
He roughly wiped the drool trailing from his mouth with the back of his hand.
In that moment, I caught a glimpse of sharp teeth.
They were shaped just like a shark's.
Staring at the chipped blade of the magic sword, I spoke to the man.
"So it was you who commanded the shark."
"Yeah, that's right. I used it to smoke you out, and sure enough, here you came."
"Me...?"
Not the answer I'd expected.
I'd assumed he was simply slaughtering at random, but it seemed he had his own scheme behind it all.
It appeared I'd already made a reputation among the beasts.
"Got the intel from the tentacle woman. She said real top-shelf prey—a man calling himself the Demon Lord on this side—would show up once the world went to hell."
The man's voice dripped with mockery.
He seemed exasperated that I'd appeared exactly as planned.
The tentacle woman he was referring to had to be Gwen.
Since she'd been rummaging through my memories, it wasn't surprising she'd gathered all manner of information.
Still, she was currently confined.
There was no way she could have slipped a message past the Director's watch from that place, which meant she must have spread the word before I'd defeated her.
The man fiddled with his dagger and snickered.
"Since there's been no reaction, I figured she was dead—honestly, it's a relief. She'd been a thorn in my side for a while. So thanks for that."
"I see."
Gwen was hated, it seemed.
With that personality of hers, it was easy to understand.
It appeared the beasts of the outside world were not a monolithic force.
"Well now—"
The man drew his dagger.
Refined killing intent was leveled at him.
The very air groaned under the pressure.
"You're mine. I'll be taking that power."
With that declaration, the man lunged at him with savage ferocity.