The Duke's Passion

858 They were doomed

SHRIEEEK!

Stefan didn't idle, jumping in Claude's direction as the Kraken released him after Stefan's

attacks. Stefan spread his arms open, catching Claude securely in his embrace. Holding Claude's head, the two of them fell into the waters.

SPLASH!

Stefan puffed his cheek as he held his breath, checking Claude. The latter was still unconscious; he looked as though he was deep asleep. Stefan covered Claude's ears, allowing the blood from his bleeding palm to swirl around them underwater. The Kraken was still screaming; if continued, it would completely break Claude's eardrums.

After making sure his ability silenced the harsh noise surrounding Claude, Stefan carried him to the surface. He didn't know what the dangers were on the surface, but it was better than staying underwater.

As soon as Stefan resurfaced from underwater, he gasped for air. He turned his head to Claude on instinct, shaking him slightly.

"Claude!" shouted Stefan, shaking Claude more violently now. "Claude!"

Stefan shook Claude until the latter coughed out water. Claude grunted, throwing up all the water he had drank upon losing consciousness underwater. Claude's eyes were blurry, but the stinking fishy scent woke him up completely.

"Ugh... damn..." Claude squinted his eyes, refocusing his gaze on the person holding him. Seeing that Claude threw up all the excess water that got into his system and having the energy to curse out loud was the only time Stefan could finally heave a sigh of relief.

'I'm glad he's fine! Stefan thought, and at the same time, Claude paused.

Claude slowly turned his head, blinking almost innocently. He blinked and blinked and Stefan's face just grew clearer.

"Uh... what are you doing?" Claude asked, peeking down, only to realize Stefan was holding him. "Yuck!"

Out of instinct, Claude pushed Stefan away and floated back. His face scrunched up, feeling this sense of disgust crawl up his spine. The way Stefan held him was akin to how man holds his lover, and taking the damsel's role didn't sit well with him.

"The hell? Why are you -" Claude abruptly stopped upon sensing an incoming force above them. He and Stefan looked heavenward, only to see the colossal suckers falling onto them.

Stefan and Claude froze instantly, holding their breaths, wide eyes. Stefan had already given his all to rescue Claude; his body wouldn't listen to him. Meanwhile, Claude was still in his weakened state. Both men could only watch the incoming tentacle descending upon them.

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"MOVE!!!"

Kristina shouted her lungs out, about to lead the last troop that was in the fort. But just as her men marched away, her heart thudded against her chest. She turned around, eyes widening upon catching Stefan and Claude floating motionlessly while a massive tentacle fell onto them. "My lord!!!" she screamed in panic, turning on her heel.

Time seemed to stop for everyone who was watching the scene unfold. Kristina's brain momentarily went blank before her hand voluntarily gripped her mace. Without a second hesitation, she took a large step and threw her mace to repel the colossal tentacle from crushing Stefan and Claude.

Tak!

Kristina's breath hitched when another tentacle caught the mace. Her dilated eyes shook in surprise. Her mace looked so tiny within the Kraken's grasp.

"llow?" was what came into her head. I low did the Kraken see her mace coming and even caught it? Was there another trick the Kraken was hiding?

Myriads of questions and conclusions hovered in Kristina's mind, making her heart race faster and harder. Even if she rushed now, she wouldn't make it. Those two were in the middle of the ocean, after all.

"My lord!!!!" Kristina roared; her voice echoing. "Move away!!!"

SPLASH!

Kristina instinctively raised her arm to cover her eyes from the big splash in the water. Despite the great distance between the land and where the Kraken was, the splash which created a big wave reached the fort. Kristina kept her ground despite the waves pouring on her.

"Dame!" she heard some knights calling her, but Kristina ignored them all. She clenched her teeth, and when the waves calmed down, she lowered her arms to see whether Stefan and Claude escaped.

Much to her dismay, what made her already dilated eyes grow wide was the absence of the Kraken. Her shaking eyes looked, but she could only see the continuous ripples and everything that was floating on the surface. The Kraken, Stefan, and Claude were nowhere to be seen. "No," came out a murmur, feeling her heart stop. "It didn't take those two underwater" Kristina shook her head mildly, denying the immediate conclusion she had. She had enough knowledge of the animals in land and water as she used to be the emperor's (Rufus') left hand. Certain sea creatures would dive into the depths of the ocean to take their lives. Seeing that the Kraken disappeared with Stefan and Claude instantly reminded Kristina of those sorts of knowledge.

"Ialt!!!!" she shouted to the troop she was supposed to lead to the land of Spade. "Prepare to go ashore! The Kraken had taken Ilis Majesty and the Earl —"

Kristina choked, unable to finish her orders, when a big splash of water came before her. Her ragged breath hitched once again, moving her shaking eyes to the colossal creature that appeared at the end of the fort. Everyone in the fort also froze, slowly looking heavenward. Everyone's world stopped as soon as they recognized the monster before them. They knew the Kraken was huge, but only Stefan truly came close to it as he fought it. Now that it was just a few meters from them, the Kraken looked as though it could reach heaven.

How did this monster get into this place in such a brief period?

No that shouldn't he their concern

Everyone was in trouble.

Kristina's lips parted, frozen on the spot, not blinking. Even when the Kraken released another piercing roar which created a strong wind, none of them bothered to cover their ears or eyes.

'Noah...'Kristina whispered in her heart. ... I'm sorry-'

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Just as Kristina mentally expressed her sentiments before her impending doom, something landed on her side. She jolted slightly but kept her eyes on the Kraken. The Kraken released another roar before it slowly shrunk back into the waters.

66

Hey guys! Sorry for not updating. I saw some comments asking why I wasn't posting. I believed I left a note and an announcement for all my readers to see from all the different tiers.

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