Chapter 599: Cut the Sea
Strax stood on the warm sand, the waves crashing gently against his bare feet. The wind carried the salt of the ocean, spreading it across his skin as a constant reminder of where he was—lost, far from his wives, far from what he called home. His hand firmly gripped the hilt of his sword, Zani, as the sun dipped below the horizon, tinting the sky orange and red.
He sighed, staring at the endless blue before him.
"You’ve been very quiet, Zani..." he murmured, his voice low and weary, as if speaking to himself.
Then, the air around the blade shimmered. A translucent aura took shape, and beside him appeared a woman made of energy and spirit: Zani, the personification of the sword. Her short white hair swayed as if constantly in an invisible breeze. Her eyes were a deep gold, carrying the weight of centuries.
She stood beside him, crossing her arms as she, too, gazed out to sea.
"I wasn’t quiet... I was thinking." Her voice was firm, but it held something distant.
Strax arched an eyebrow, his eyes never leaving the ocean. "Thinking? About what?"
Zani took a deep breath, as if searching for the answer within herself. "About myself... Ever since I became your sword, I’ve been feeling something strange. A discomfort I can’t explain. It’s as if part of my essence is in conflict."
The dragon-human finally turned to her, frowning. "Strange how?"
She looked away, her eyes fixed on the horizon that seemed to swallow the sun. "I am a sword made to slay dragons. To hunt, cut, and destroy the essence of these creatures effortlessly. That has always been clear, always been within me. But now..." she hesitated, her expression softening, "since you wielded me, Strax, I don’t just feel that. There’s something that bothers me... as if... it were wrong."
A dragon-slaying sword... being wielded by a Dragon.
Strax was silent for a few seconds, then gave a low, almost dry laugh.
"You’re overthinking it." He shrugged. "If it’s just an annoyance, ignore it. You still cut, still kill, still do your job. It can’t be a big deal."
Zani stared at him, her lips curling into a wry half-smile. "You speak as if I were nothing more than steel in your hand. But even weapons can dream, Strax."
He returned her gaze intensely, but didn’t answer. Instead, he changed the subject. "Tell me something, Zani. Have you ever cut down a Kraken?"
The question made the sword warrior raise her eyebrows in surprise. Then she laughed, a clear, teasing laugh. "Kraken? No. I was forged to slay dragons, not sea beasts. But..." she tilted her head, her eyes shining with a spark of curiosity, "I confess I’d like to try."
Strax tightened his grip on the blade. "Because I have a feeling that sooner or later, we’ll encounter one."
Zani leaned a little closer to him, as if to whisper a secret. "And what will you do if it appears, my dragon?"
Strax’s gaze was lost for a moment in the sea. Something inside him burned, a restlessness that mingled with the weight of responsibility. He didn’t know where his wives were, didn’t know what lay beyond that endless sea... but he knew he wouldn’t be stopped.
He looked down at his sword and raised it slowly.
"I’ll do what I always do. Cut."
Zani smiled, but before he could say anything, his spiritual form vanished in a flash, returning to the blade.
Strax was left alone.
The sound of waves and wind was all that remained.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His demonic energy expanded, enveloping the sword in his hand. The world seemed to tremble around him, as if even the island knew what he was about to do.
He concentrated.
One cut. Just one.
His eyes snapped open, red as fire, and in a fluid, swift, almost invisible motion, he swung Zani toward the ocean.
The air exploded.
The released energy manifested as a colossal blade that advanced, slicing through the sea. It wasn’t just a wave of energy. The sea parted.
Water rose up sideways like living walls, revealing a deep corridor that stretched as far as he could see. The roar of the torn ocean echoed like thunder, and the seabed revealed itself before him—coral, rocks, sea creatures exposed and stunned.
The entire horizon seemed to have been ripped in two.
Strax was breathing heavily, his muscles tense with exertion, but his eyes shone with satisfaction.
"Hah... So I can still do this." His voice held a mixture of surprise and pride.
Zani manifested again beside him, staring at the corridor in the sea with wide eyes. "You... really split the ocean."
Strax smirked. "And you said you weren’t made for sea battles."
She stared at him, almost in disbelief. "This isn’t normal, Strax. This power... you shouldn’t even be able to manifest it like this."
He ran a hand over his face, wiping away the sweat, but didn’t take his eyes off the absurd sight before him. "Normal or not, it doesn’t matter. If necessary, I’ll cut as many times as necessary. The entire world, if necessary."
The sea began to groan, trying to rebuild itself, the columns of water wavering like walls about to collapse. Fish and sea monsters thrashed in the void, exposed for the first time. The air smelled of salt, blood, and raw energy.
Strax stuck his sword in the sand for a moment and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
He didn’t know if he would find the others, didn’t know how long he could last alone, but one thing was certain: he still had strength. And as long as he had strength, he wouldn’t stop.
Zani looked at him with a different gleam in her eyes. For the first time since becoming his sword, she couldn’t define what she felt. Pride? Fear? Fascination?
She sighed. "Maybe... I wasn’t made just to slay dragons. Maybe I was made for you."
Strax opened his eyes slowly, pulling his sword from the sand, and gave him a serious look. "So, stop doubting and keep cutting with me."
Zani smiled slightly. "Always."