ocean-life Chapter 98
Chapter 98
Crash!
A pale hand struck down, and dark blood dripped down from it.
The force of the blow was so strong that it cracked the stone floor, and the backlash injured the hand that delivered it. Yet, only moments later, the bleeding stopped, and the wound began to heal as if nothing had happened.
“Why won’t this damn wound heal!!!”
Bang!
This time, Sataniel struck down on the head of the female dark elf who had been standing by his side. Her head burst like a balloon, and she collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, but Sataniel paid her no mind, breathing heavily in his anger.
The wound left by Swordmaster Karl Oregon’s final strike continued to torment Sataniel, even after all these years.
A wound he thought would heal quickly had, instead, been burning incessantly, reviving the pain of that day as if it were fresh.
“Damn it! If only I had more information on the Blue Flower...”
He had been delayed in his search for that mythical flower that could resolve everything.
According to ancient texts, it grew only in darkness when sunlight briefly shone upon it, which made it almost impossible to locate. He was currently scouring the southern regions of the Empire, based on a recently discovered manuscript indicating that it had once been found there.
However, his nemesis, the Crimson Warden, had been constantly obstructing his search.
“Summon the executives!”
At Sataniel’s command, a dark elf who had been standing by his side gave a nod and disappeared in an instant.
He had resolved to put an end to these tiresome former comrades once and for all.
Rashu was strolling through the forest of his domain, as usual, with Ada. However, there was one notable difference today—while Ada would normally be darting ahead, she now hung limply over Rashu’s back like a ragdoll.
“Woof!”
“Ada... couldn't defeat the witch...”@@@@
Rashu let out a silent sigh as he listened to Ada’s lifeless muttering.
In Rashu's eyes, Owen was a particularly formidable human, perhaps the third strongest he had encountered, so Ada's recent defeat was not surprising.
But after her loss, Ada had been dejected, and it had been weighing on Rashu’s mind, leading him to bring her out for a walk in the forest.
“Lucas, when you find a trustworthy human, you must show them this place,” his mother, the guardian of the forest and protector of the Blue Flower, had once told him.
He looked back at the girl slumped over his shoulders.
This girl, though she was a constant source of trouble for him, must have been the trustworthy human his mother had spoken of.
His mother had taught him to sniff out certain things, and this girl always carried a scent that was bright and positive.
That was why he often shared the sweet-smelling things from the forest with her.
The very things that other humans with foul scents were always eager to find.
Mullers had explained this during the match between Ada and Owen, which Rupert and his father had observed.
“But isn’t Ada only eight years old? How is she capable of that?”
Mullers hadn’t answered that question, and Rupert, watching Owen, was struck with inspiration.
“The protagonist is currently defeating low-level vampires. It’s time to introduce a powerful foe to ramp up the tension.”
It was a common technique in manga.
Emphasizing the protagonist’s strength was essential, but if that was all there was, readers would soon lose interest.
At the right moment, a formidable opponent needed to appear. There were two ways to handle this.
“First, introduce an opponent slightly stronger than the protagonist so they barely scrape by with a win.”
In shonen manga, it was almost a requirement to include an enemy stronger than the protagonist, who then triumphs through the power of friendship and effort. But this had become so basic that unless it was executed exceptionally well, it was prone to seem clichéd.
“The second is to introduce a sacrifice.”
The second option was to bring in an overwhelmingly powerful adversary that the protagonist couldn’t hope to defeat, pushing them to the brink of death.
The dramatic entrance of another character who saves the protagonist by sacrificing themselves was a plot device that always left a lasting impact on readers.
“This is where Juro, who’s practically the protagonist’s mentor, should step in.”
Among Van Helsing fans, Juro was as beloved as the protagonist. His first appearance, where he incinerated the vampires who had massacred the protagonist’s family, had left a strong impression, earning him many admirers.
Rupert decided that Juro would be the perfect character to use here.
“He’ll defend the protagonist, just as Owen held his ground against Ada’s attack.”
The protagonist, always reckless in their quest for revenge, rushes at a powerful enemy without a second thought and falls into danger.
A strong ally sacrifices themselves to protect the protagonist, who would otherwise be capable of a fair fight.
Once Rupert had the idea in his head, transferring it to the storyboard was a quick process.
“If I can naturally lead this into the protagonist growing from the loss of their mentor...”
While a flawless protagonist is appealing, a journey of growth resonates universally. There was nothing more powerful than a protagonist who, after losing their mentor due to a mistake, grows stronger and ultimately exacts revenge on their enemy.
As he worked seamlessly on the manga, Rupert felt the urge to share these ideas with Iolin.
“Her work was quite impressive.”
Iolin’s The Puppet Play closely adhered to the core of shonen manga in Rupert’s eyes. The only drawback was that it employed multiple protagonists—something even seasoned mangaka were hesitant to attempt.
While the three protagonists’ storylines were currently building up, which could unleash incredible potential in the mid-story, the slow buildup risked losing readers' interest.
“You have to trim where necessary and move swiftly through the main story arcs.”
Giving Iolin honest feedback was always daunting, but watching her improve remarkably with every critique made it irresistible for Rupert to hold back.