Chapter 847

—Hmm?

Along with Yog’s low exclamation, a heavy pressure surged through Ian’s hand and up his forearm.

But Ian neither stumbled backward nor lost his footing on the railing. He simply clenched his teeth and stared ahead at the blazing trail extending beyond the golden hexagon like a dragon’s breath.

"What?" Rimuta’s cry of shock followed a beat later.

At nearly the same instant, the Golden Breath collided with the surging blue fog.

With a blinding flash, the breath exploded outward into countless branching arcs of lightning.

Boom, boom, boom!

It tore through and incinerated the surface of the fog wherever it touched.

"A Mantra? So the rumors are true—the Purification Squad uses dragon relics!" Rimuta’s voice echoed amid the thunder and light.

It was enough to draw a low scoff from Yog.

—An impressive sight, certainly, but to be this shocked over something like this. What a pathetic creature....

Of course, Ian ignored both of them. He simply moved his outstretched left arm slowly to the side.

Swoosh—

Even amid all this, the ship continued racing forward under the power of the oars, causing the breath's trail to curve as though slicing across the surface of the fog.

To pierce the fog and burn the hidden creatures, he had to concentrate his firepower on a single point.

"O, Lu Solar..."

"Huh?"

Only then did gasps spread from the fairies and beastfolk on the central deck. Of course, Sanford and Hashim were also staring with their mouths hanging open.

They had already turned their heads in unison, following the breath as it blasted diagonally toward the port side.

Beyond the railing, the situation of the other smuggling ships that had already passed the Black Wave wasn’t much different.

Boom, boom, boom!

Watching the fog rip apart and burn away, the corner of Ian’s lips slowly twisted upward.

He had suspected it already, but this truly was a dragon’s breath.

Of all things to engrave into an orb....

Orbs generally had faster casting speeds and shorter cooldowns than staffs or wands. In exchange, their lower offensive output and spell amplification capabilities meant they were normally used as support equipment.

To engrave such an aggressively destructive Mantra into one felt almost like blatant showmanship. Then again, remembering Archeas’s personality from the past, it really wasn’t strange at all.

Then the Mantra spells engraved into the other relics must be like this one.

Suppressing a laugh, Ian shoved aside the ill-timed thought.

After all, the reason he had used the Mantra spell first wasn’t merely because of its range. Out of all his combat resources, it consumed the least magic.

That said, the effect itself was anything but insignificant.

Rumble! Roar—

The Golden Breath continued burning deeper and wider through the raging fog while the blue chaos condensed within it flashed wildly.

"Truly magnificent! But even with such great dragon magic, do you really think you can kill all of us?" Rimuta’s voice boomed once more. Its tone had regained a noticeable degree of composure.

It had likely realized the Golden Breath could not continue forever. And in truth, it was right.

I never expected it to go that far anyway.

Even now, the magic contained within the orb’s essence bead was draining at a terrifying speed.

Ian’s eyes narrowed.

The sea creatures hidden inside the fog were finally revealing themselves one by one.

—Hmm, I see....

Yog’s amused whisper followed lazily.

The creatures had not only become far larger, but each now appeared covered in dark, grotesque exoskeletons.

Like Moro... they are revealing their demonic forms.

The creatures were retreating from the breath as though fleeing for their lives, spewing fog from the bluish cracks spreading across them like glowing veins.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason Yog was snickering in delight.

—It’s exactly like that limp one-eyed man said....

Some creatures even had ships fused to their backs, warped into monstrous shapes to match their hosts.

This had to be the true form of the Black Fleet Hector had mentioned, one that could only be revealed within the Black Sea. At this point, calling it a Demonic Fleet suited it far better than Black Fleet.

Ian narrowed his eyes as he slowly continued sweeping his outstretched arm toward the creatures.

"What the hell? Was that rumor actually true?" Sanford suddenly cried out in shock.

Ian immediately understood why. Mixed among the larger demonic beasts were smaller mutated creatures resembling dolphins and similar sea animals. And fused near their fins were crude railings and poles carrying corrupted sailors.

These must have been the pirates Sanford had only heard rumors about—the ones said to ride sea creatures across the Black Sea.

Boom—

That was when the Golden Breath swept across the retreating demonic fleet like a blazing claw. The fog evaporated instantly, and the thick hide resembling exoskeleton armor began sizzling and burning away

Screech!

It wasn’t only the sea creatures that screamed in agony. The ships and the sailors aboard them caught within the trajectory of the breath were burned black like charcoal.

However, Ian did not even spare them a glance. He simply continued searching for the next targets, slowly sweeping his extended left hand and gaze.

Swoosh—

He intended to burn down as many of the fused demonic ships as possible. There wasn’t much magic left within the essence bead.

Unfortunately, targeting only the creatures fused with ships wasn’t easy.

Screech, scree—

The mutated beasts kept throwing themselves into the path of the breath, shielding the fleet.

Of course, they couldn’t endure it for even a few seconds before sizzling apart and screaming in agony. Some dove beneath the water in an attempt to flee, but it didn’t help much. The heat wouldn’t fade until the magic itself was completely exhausted.

Before long, Rimuta’s laughter-laced voice echoed through the burning fog.

"So even the magic of a great dragon is not eternal after all."

It had clearly noticed the Golden Breath gradually thinning.

However, that wasn’t why Ian’s eyes narrowed. The blue light trapped within the burning fog suddenly flared brighter, as though beginning to boil.

"Now, I shall end this far more quickly."

Before the voice had even finished speaking, the fog surged downward like a collapsing flood. After all, the burning haze had only been a fraction of the entire mass.

"E-Everyone get down! Down—" Sanford shouted in a voice nearly cracking apart.

The fairies and beastfolk all ducked instinctively.

Whoosh—

A tidal wave of chaos-filled fog swept across the sea.

Beyond the railing, the Silent Storm and the lead ship, Crimson Coral Reef, vanished behind the wave for an instant.

But that was all. Not a single strand of fog managed to reach the deck.

The Golden Breath, carried outward and spread wider by the current, protected the Black Wave like a massive barrier.

Finally realizing this, the fairies and beastfolk slowly lifted their heads, their eyes widening one after another.

Boom, boom, boom—

It wasn’t merely because the dazzling Golden Breath was once again pushing back the fog as it surged forward.

Far in the distance, the fleet hidden within the haze had finally revealed itself completely. And among them, one creature immediately captured Ian’s attention.

—What a tempting beast.

A whale? No, a dinosaur?

The massive dark shape bulging above the water could only be described as one of the two.

The ship that was fused into its torso was equally enormous. It was almost certainly Rimuta’s command ship.

—I think I could fully take control of that thing. Would you give me the chance, Friend?

Ignoring Yog’s whisper entirely, Ian moved his outstretched left hand toward the creature. He intended to strike it at least once before the opportunity vanished.

Boom, boom, boom...

But the Golden Breath faded faster than he could aim it. The magic stored within the essence bead had finally run dry.

Crack! Crumble—

The golden hexagon surrounding the orb shattered like glass before evaporating. At the same time, the essence bead fixed inside the orb cracked apart and scattered into fragments.

The orb and chains glowed red-hot as they sagged heavily downward. The spell circuits had completely overheated. Until they stabilized, the relic would no longer function. It was the backlash from using Golden Breath.

That took a decent chunk out of the durability too.

Reflexively checking the status window, Ian lowered his left arm with a slight click of his tongue.

A phlegm-thick laugh echoed across the sea almost simultaneously.

"Impressive indeed, Purifiers. You still have more tricks left, don’t you? Then by all means, show me—"

Rimuta’s voice continued, still impossible to pinpoint within the fog.

Realizing the creature had subtly changed the way it addressed them, Ian naturally turned his gaze toward the lead of the port side.

Crack, crackle!

Far ahead on the deck of the Silent Storm, Elia and Charlotte came into view with dozens of force fields spread around them like layered screens.

As the chaos-filled fog rolled in, the protective spells from the relics they wore had activated.

We do look like purifiers.

The Crimson Coral Reef was similarly protected by magic. A massive whirlwind wrapped in fog was dispersing behind them. It was clearly a spell cast by Lily.

"So that the true master of the Black Sea may witness just how magnificent your sacrifice shall be!"

At Rimuta’s roar, the sea beyond erupted into chaos.

The blue chaos-infused fog spread thickly across the water like a second ocean surface.

Bwoooo—

The demonic fleet and the demonic pirates had begun charging toward them.

Only the colossal command ship towering in the distance remained behind, holding its position.

You sure found a fancy way to say you’re too scared to come yourself and only sent your underlings.

Ian turned toward the stern. Screams were erupting from behind them as well.

Screech!

The sea creatures that had drawn much closer at some point had stopped chasing the fleet and were now howling violently. They were beginning to mutate into demonic beasts.

It had to be the influence of the chaos-filled fog blanketing the sea surface.

Ian’s gaze lowered beneath the stern railing just then. "Phoebe?"

Phoebe, who had been staring blankly toward the demonic fleet, blinked rapidly and answered, "Y-Yes, Your Grace! We’re ready!"

Then she slightly lifted the talisman and bundle of magic stones in her hands before adding, "Sh-Should I equip the essence bead?"

"No. Use the magic stones. We’ll only use that in the worst-case scenario."

"But this already— Understood, Your Grace." Phoebe stopped herself mid-response before lowering her head. She immediately clenched a talisman between her lips and began pulling magic stones from the bundle.

Watching her, Idris leapt upward, grabbed the pulley, and shouted, "Acceleration starting soon!"

It was enough to snap the others out of their daze as they stared at the incoming demonic fleet.

"Everyone, pull the oars in! Now!"

As Sanford shouted urgently, the fairies and beastfolk looked at one another before scattering back to their positions.

"Stop! Pull the oars back in—!"

At Hashim’s shout, the oars jutting out from both sides of the hull began retracting inward.

Just as Phoebe finished attaching the talismans and Idris began turning the pulley, Ian suddenly twisted to the side. He had sensed a warning from his Intuition.

Swoosh!

A bluish streak infused with chaos grazed past him. Though it lasted only an instant, Ian immediately recognized it as a harpoon made of bone.

Whoosh—

The harpoons had been thrown by pirates charging ahead of the demonic ships. Their mutations were likely what allowed them to throw from such a distance.

Soon, more blue streaks began flying toward the fleet from every direction.

Clang, crunch!

Yet not a single beastfolk or fairy was struck down by them. They casually knocked the projectiles aside with fang blades or twisted their bodies away to evade them altogether.

Naturally, no one paid any attention to the harpoons embedding themselves into the hull.

"Fuck! Lu Logis!"

"O Radiant Light... please watch over these pitiful and wretched souls!"

Not even Sanford and Hashim, who had lowered themselves nearly flat against the deck while muttering desperate prayers.

A few seconds later, a spray mixed with fog exploded upward behind the ship.

Swoosh!

The Black Wave resumed its dash. The hull rocked even more violently now, likely because the fog-shrouded sea had grown rougher.

Of course, Ian only staggered for a brief moment. Standing atop the railing, he never once lost his balance. He even lifted the hook hanging from his shoulder with his Willful Grasp and began spinning it above his head.

Whooom— Whooom—

His ash-gray eyes flickered with magic as he watched the demonic pirates cutting through the sea of fog toward them.