Chapter 865

Strength instinctively returned to Ian’s staggering legs.

Tightening his grip on the black sword and straightening his posture, he immediately began climbing the stairs again as though nothing had happened.

Swoosh—

His gaze never left the dark-blue coral altar shrouded in fog, nor the massive fang fossil resting above it.

At the same time, he clenched his left fist while recalling his battle against Karha.

Was that just now its final struggle?

As though answering the thought, the blue light gathered within the fossil’s cracks slowly spread outward.

Dark blue static began mixing into Ian’s vision once more. The abyss containing that enormous shadow appeared again, along with the blue eye swaying at its center.

It almost felt as though the thing was desperately trying to drag Ian’s consciousness completely into the seal itself.

The clear resonance erupting from within him jolted his senses awake again just before the vision fully sharpened.

However, that wasn’t why Ian’s eyes twitched as he suddenly stopped walking.

Splash….

A puddle emitting fog had gathered beneath his feet. Before he realized it, the coral altar and the massive fang fossil above it towered directly in front of him.

Wooooooom...

The fossil was now completely covered in blue light, glowing ominously like some gigantic, cursed gemstone.

Whether he had continued walking instinctively while trapped in the illusion, or had been completely enthralled for a moment without realizing it, he could not tell.

Of course, it didn’t matter.

Without divinity, getting out of that wouldn’t have been easy.

Ian stepped forward once more and twisted his waist sharply before driving his left arm out with all his strength.

His fist, still covered in its battered plate gauntlet, slammed directly into the center of the fossil.

Crunch! Thud!

The divine resonance bursting from his fist swept across the fossil a beat later. The ominous blue light rippled outward in waves.

Crack, crack, crack—

A beat later, cracks spread across the fossil’s surface like shattered glass.

Ian didn’t pull his hand away immediately—not because he chose not to, but because he couldn’t.

Divinity was pouring from his fist directly into the fossil.

Just as Ian’s brow knit slightly, the fossil exploded in a burst of brilliant blue light.

Thud! Boom—

The chaos beyond it came flooding out and swallowed Ian whole.

Yet he felt no pain.

It wasn’t only because the resonance of divinity had already spread throughout his body. The waves of chaos filling his vision had transformed into a blackish-blue abyss.

Far beyond it, the colossal shadow and the glowing blue eye at its center came into clear view. But even those were slowly dimming, sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss. The connection to the surface world had likely been severed.

So the real difficulty was simply reaching this place in the first place.

The dimming eye suddenly flared brightly again just as Ian finished the thought. Blue light flowed from the eye like liquid and spread across the entire shadow.

A sea serpent? No, a dragon?

The distance between them made it easy enough for Ian to discern its shape.

Of course, this was merely consciousness given form through chaos, but he doubted the difference from its true appearance was all that significant.

Then, beneath those eyes that burned like blue fire, its maw slowly stretched wide.

------!

A shriek burst forth, so desperate and anguished that it sounded almost unbearable. Rings of blue chaos exploded outward, pushing back the abyss as they spread.

Caught helplessly in the wave, Ian’s vision wavered violently.

Fuck!

Even while cursing inwardly, he saw the creature’s immense body, steeped in chaos, begin to undulate like a serpent swimming through dark waters. It looked as though it were struggling with all its might to avoid being dragged beneath the abyss; maintaining its position alone seemed to push it to its limit.

Crack, crack!

And perhaps that alone was enough.

Amid the creature’s endless roars, another sound began to worm its way in, cold and unsettling. The instant Ian became aware of it, his gaze was drawn instinctively toward its source.

Far off in the depths of the darkness, an enormous fissure revealed itself, glowing with a dim blue light. Though the crack was still slowly spreading outward, its sheer scale made it obvious that it had existed for far longer than just this moment.

Don’t tell me that side is—

The sight alone was enough to leave Ian horrified.

The worst possibility, the one he had dismissed as unlikely, was beginning to feel all too real.

Crack! Crunch—

Moments later, a violent rupture burst from the center of the spreading fissure like a frozen lake shattering apart. Through the opening, an ominous blue radiance poured down in great beams, illuminating Raskagin below.

Only then did Ian realize that the creature’s bluish, flickering maw had opened even wider, like a serpent preparing to swallow something whole.

***

In the middle of a sea that churned violently as though it had never once known calm, a blizzard filled with jagged ice crystals swept across the waters like a raging storm.

Whoosh—

Sea creatures surged forward through the crashing waves, only to be swallowed by the storm as it tore straight through the center of their fused fleet.

Screech!

The shrieks of sea creatures filled with pain and fury echoed chaotically through the blizzard.

At the center of the fleets lined across the sea in intersecting rows, a laughter-filled shout thundered outward.

"Wahahaha! Just what I’d expect from my first mate, Theo! What a magnificent spell!"

It was Hector Drapier, still standing atop the central mast of the command ship. He spun the sword raised over his head in circles while even whistling loudly.

Yet the one receiving that praise, Theodore, showed not the faintest trace of a smile.

He merely stood there with his staff extended past the starboard railing, staring at the sea creatures and Gunhir’s fleet being swallowed by the blizzard.

The sailors manning the massive ballista and cannons mounted to either side of him wore the same hardened expressions.

So this really is the end.

It was only natural. Just like Theodore, they had all already accepted their deaths.

As Theodore poured out his magic with reckless abandon, memories flashed through his mind like fragments of a dream: the uninterrupted voyage, that damned traitor’s fortress city, the indiscriminate bombardment, the ominous blue glow staining the distant horizon and the sea creatures, and finally, the immediate escape that followed.

Up until then, everything had gone according to plan.

"How long are you bastards going to stand around watching, you lazy pieces of shit? Prepare to fire already!"

But even with the aid of magical devices, escaping those damned corrupted after they revealed their true forms had been impossible.

It only took a few hours for everyone to accept the fact that they would never reach the inner sea.

"Quit whining like usual! Keep firing until your arms fall off! It’s not like you’ll ever get another chance to use them anyway!"

And rather than sacrificing only a portion of them, Hector had decided they would all fight together instead.

Even if they became fish food for the Black Sea, they would drag as many of those disgusting monsters down with them as possible.

"It’s been fucking miserable sailing with you bastards! Let’s pretend we don’t know each other in heaven, got it?"

At the laughter-filled shout that continued without pause, Theodore finally turned toward the command ship beside him.

Hector came into view, balancing precariously along the railing halfway up the mast.

Even in a situation like this, the man was laughing as though he were genuinely enjoying himself.

The corner of Theodore’s mouth slowly curled upward as he muttered, "Well. After following a madman like him, I suppose this was bound to happen eventually."

By now, small smiles had begun appearing on the faces of the other sailors as well. They were all thinking the same thing.

"My final order! Fire!"

At that moment, Hector brought his sword down in a fierce arc as he roared the command.

Despite the grin on his face, his blazing eyes remained fixed on the sea creatures rapidly approaching beyond the storm.

"Fire!"

"Fire!"

Shouts erupted throughout the fleet as the heavy ballista unleashed harpoon-like bolts all at once.

Swoosh—

The crews immediately pulled the pulleys to reload the weapons the moment they fired.

Grinding his teeth, Theodore also looked beyond the railing ahead.

Whoosh—

The blizzard howled onward, feeding on his magic as fuel, while beyond it the sea creatures loomed even closer than before. Despite appearances, the storm was clearly affecting them more than expected.

Screech! Screech!

The creatures, unable to properly evade the incoming bolts, shrieked as they were pierced all over their bodies.

With every volley the fleet unleashed, more of them sank beneath the sea and failed to rise again.

"Grgh!"

It wasn’t long before Theodore staggered from the dizziness crashing over him.

The magic radiating from his staff scattered apart, and the spell collapsed. He grabbed the railing and dropped to one knee, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

The freezing chill and spinning nausea made it obvious that his magic was reaching its limit.

"Fire!"

Yet even then, Theodore never once took his eyes off the view beyond the railing. He didn’t want to avert his eyes from the death steadily approaching them.

"O heavens! Please bear witness! We stand here now!" Hector’s voice echoed chaotically through Theodore’s ears.

Sword raised high, Hector stared upward with desperate eyes. Still, there was no sign of heaven’s gaze upon them.

 "Damn it..."

A bitter smile spread across Theodore’s pale face. That meant their souls would receive no salvation.

But by now, there was no turning back.

Bwoooooooo—

Beyond the fading blizzard, the fleet of corruptors that had been following behind the sea creatures finally came into view. Not only were the ships completely intact, but they were also still carving through the waves without slowing, closing the distance relentlessly.

Theodore gritted his teeth and forced more magic, but another mouthful of blood spilled from his lips.

"Urgh!"

He collapsed onto the deck, gasping for breath. If he pushed himself any further, he would almost certainly lose consciousness.

Yet that wasn’t the only reason Theodore frowned while wiping blood from his mouth with his sleeve.

Screech!

The cries of the sea creatures had already begun turning into screams. The blue light within the cracks carved across their bodies was growing brighter and brighter.

And the same thing was happening to the ships fused to their backs.

"What… is that?" Theodore muttered blankly, his arm dropping limply from his mouth.

Bluish light was leaking out not only from the sea creatures but from the corrupted ones aboard the ships as well.

It looked almost as though their souls were being forcibly ripped from their bodies.

Screech! Scree—

And judging by the sounds echoing across the sea, that was exactly what was happening.

Blue streaks began painting the sky overhead while shrill, soul-chilling wails spread in every direction. One after another, the sea creatures went limp, their movements rapidly slowing.

Even the largest sea creature in the distance, the one fused with the command ship, seemed no exception.

"Huh?"

"What the hell is—"

The gunners on deck muttered in confusion as they finally noticed the change.

"Ian Hope!" Hector’s voice rang out in a mixture of awe and disbelief.

Standing atop the mast with his single eye widened, Hector looked back at them before shouting, "The Golden Demigod… he actually won! That absurdly glorious Demigod destroyed the sanctuary of those heretic bastards!"

"Lu Solar… dear heavens!"

"Seriously? This is insane!"

Only then did waves of astonished exclamations erupt among the sailors.

Theodore himself found his mouth hanging open without realizing it. Though he had never said it aloud, he had secretly doubted the entire time.

Looking toward Gunhir’s fleet as it slowly went still and lifeless, Hector burst into booming laughter. "See that, you bastards? Luck comes to those who fight for it! This is the reward for helping that Golden Demigod with everything we had!"

At last, several sailors began laughing along with him.

Slamming his sword noisily against the mast, Hector shouted, "If you understand, turn the ships around! We’re heading back toward the inner sea!"

The sailors gathered around the ballista immediately sprang into action as though flames had erupted beneath their feet. Even now, though, their expressions still looked more stunned than relieved to be alive.

Screech! Screech!

Theodore continued staring toward the distant sea.

Even while the fleet slowly turned its bows around, blue streaks that were clearly spirits continued shooting upward endlessly. They even seemed to race somewhere as though being drawn into a single point.

"Hahahaha! Victory to the Golden Demigod! Now move! Row—"

While Hector laughed uproariously and hurried the sailors along, the smile on Theodore’s face suddenly froze.

Rumble! Boom!

It wasn’t merely because the distant sky hidden beneath storm clouds had flashed with a bluish light. The clouds themselves seemed to spiral violently around something.

"That can’t be…" Hector’s horrified cry followed a beat later.

Only then had he turned in the same direction as Theodore. Standing halfway up the mast, he could see much farther than anyone else.

Swoosh…

As the ships slowly began rowing away one by one, Hector continued staring toward the distance while blankly muttering, "But over there… That’s impossible… O, Lu Logis."

"What are you seeing?" Theodore called out while turning toward him, lacing his voice with a thread of magic so it would carry.

Blinking as though finally snapping back to his senses, Hector immediately turned away and shouted, "We’re getting out of this damned Black Sea as fast as possible! So lower the sails! Right now!"

Theodore tilted his head slightly and frowned before looking back toward the distant horizon again. Only then did he finally notice the countless blue streaks crossing the sky overhead.

Every single one of them seemed to be converging on the same point, far away beneath the swirling storm clouds.

"All those souls…. Don’t tell me…" As the words left his lips, Theodore’s expression finally hardened completely.

A possibility he desperately did not want to believe had crossed his mind—that perhaps the Golden Demigod hadn’t won after all.