Meanwhile, a fierce struggle unfolded on the West Battlefield as the residents of Wind Island clashed with the Magic Armor Beasts.
While the Security Force had a larger presence here than in the east, the ranks were bolstered by many untrained civilians, leaving the defenders struggling to hold their own against the monsters.
On the other hand, Abyss’s forces were equally disorganized. Torin, the man designated to lead the area, had been eliminated by Lost, leaving the Magic Armor Beasts without a commander to direct their power.
"Destroy the Barrier-generating Magic Item at all costs! Security Force, advance!"
Shepherd barked orders as he plunged into the fray, his own blade leading the way.
As members of the Security Force and those with combat experience followed him into the heart of the enemy army, Elena poured her soul into her summoning magic.
"Please, please, please! Everyone, lend me your strength!"
"Elena, don't push yourself too hard!" Carlos shouted over the din as he mowed down enemies. "You've already summoned every monster willing to fight! No one else is coming! You're just wasting your magic power!"
"Kani-kani-kani!" Poruru chirped in agreement.
"I can't just stand here and watch!" she cried back. "Marcos and the others aren't even from this island, yet they’re risking everything for us! I have to do my part!"
Elena, fighting alongside her companions from Shandia Island, shouted her resolve to her father. Seeing his daughter’s desperate determination, Carlos told her not to overdo it before charging back into the ranks with Poruru at his side.
"Just a little more! We’re almost at the Magic Item!"
At the very front of the line, Shepherd had managed to fight his way within reach of the device.
He encouraged his companions, telling them it would only take one more push as he cut down a Magic Armor Beast. But then, right before their eyes, the monsters began to take a terrifying, unbelievable action.
"Wh-what is this?"
"The Magic Armor Beasts... they're gathering!?"
Suddenly, the Magic Armor Beasts—both the living and the fallen—began to converge, their physical forms melting together into a horrific mass.
Nearly a hundred individuals fused into a single, gargantuan squid-type beast. As Shepherd and his men watched in stunned silence, the voice of a terrified islander rang out.
"It’s a Kraken! The Magic Armor Beasts merged into a Kraken!"
The lingering malice of the fallen had seized the hollow shells of the Magic Armor Beasts, fueled by the power of the Clear Plates to create a new nightmare.
Boasting a body larger than a house, the Kraken swung its ten tentacles recklessly, crushing its own allies and the approaching humans alike.
"Gah! Ugh! Gaaaah!"
"Retreat! Everyone except the Security Force, get back! Fall back to where those tentacles can't reach you!"
The ten limbs mowed down everything in their path, human and monster alike.
Shepherd shouted the order as he desperately used his sword to parry a strike from the boss monster that had appeared at the worst possible moment. The Security Force members used their weapons and Magic Barriers to weather the storm, but they were so occupied with defense that they had no opening to counterattack.
Shepherd realized that unless they found a way to take down the Kraken, they would never reach the Magic Item. Just as he was calculating their dwindling options, another tentacle lunged from above, targeting a group of civilians.
The massive limb swept down to crush a dozen people, only to be intercepted by a powerful harpoon thrust from below that sent the tentacle reeling back into the air.
"Hurry. Escape while you can."
"Y-you’re... Gomez-san!"
"Thank you! You saved us!"
The islanders retreated, shouting their gratitude to the massive man who had saved them from certain death.
As soon as the Kraken showed an opening, Shepherd ran to his side.
"Gomez-san, you came."
"Of course I did. This island is on the brink of destruction. Besides, I owe a debt to you for letting me out of that cell, and to that boy... though it seems I won't be as useful as I’d hoped."
"Wait, what—!?"
Gomez’s massive frame suddenly staggered.
He leaned heavily on his harpoon, using it as a makeshift crutch. He was clearly reeling from the side effects of using a Clear Plate. Even just standing there, his magic power was being rapidly drained away.
While Shepherd watched in awe of the mental fortitude Gomez displayed by repelling the Kraken in such a state, the old warrior glared at the giant squid as it recovered its stance.
"I've killed Krakens plenty of times. Dealing with them is my specialty. But... right now, I can't even move properly. Even if I forced myself to get close, I wouldn't have the strength left to land a killing blow."
"Is there no other way? Anything!?"
They needed Gomez’s power to bring down the beast, but he lacked the mobility to deliver it.
But just as the two began to search for a way to break the stalemate, a new development occurred.