Chapter 852

It was a possibility he had never even considered. This was clearly the command ship, defined by the exceptionally massive fused demonic beast and the demonic fleet blocking the way ahead.

Even if they believed Ian was a purifier, there was no real reason to employ such an elaborate deception for only three ships.

Did it take advantage of that assumption, planning to ambush us when we least expected it?

It felt more like something a mercenary or bandit would devise.

Then suddenly, Ian looked up toward the ceiling. For a brief instant, the pulse of chaos above him sharpened vividly, and the symbols across the walls and ceiling rippled soon after.

Tap, tap, tap!

Glancing toward the staircase winding upward along the wall, Ian tightened his grip on the divine sword and broke into a run.

However, what greeted him in the windowless chamber above was a small altar standing at the center of surfaces entirely covered in symbols.

Swoosh—

Resting atop the altar, which appeared woven from human bones, was a massive, gloomily dark blue coral.

It was undoubtedly the source of the pulse he had sensed moments ago, giving him more than enough reason to believe it was some kind of dark relic.

"Sigh..." Ian slowly exhaled as he looked around the chamber, which seemed to make no effort whatsoever to hide its purpose.

The sight was enough to turn his suspicion into certainty.

Did it leave right after finishing the mutation? Or after noticing I was coming?

He couldn’t know the exact timing, but Rimuta had clearly abandoned the ship and left it under the curse caster’s command. ℯℯ𝑙.

Grinding his teeth, Ian strode straight toward the altar without slowing and swung the Blazing Judgment.

Whoosh! Crunch!

A blue arc slammed straight into the center of the coral.

There was no time to attempt engraving or sealing it away, nor could he simply leave it behind; destroying it was the only option.

Crack, crack, crack...

The divine sword unleashed blazing sacred flames, and deep blue cracks spread across the enormous coral, large enough to resemble antlers.

The instant afterward, Ian deployed the Platinum Barrier and leapt backward.

The cracks spreading across the coral engulfed in sacred flames had suddenly begun flashing with blinding intensity.

Boom!

Just as the Platinum Barrier rose before his face, a blue explosion infused with chaos erupted outward.

Bone fragments from the altar and the flames of judgment scattered everywhere, shoving Ian all the way back against the wall despite bracing behind the barrier.

"So you truly committed sacrilege in the end... Purifier...."

Rimuta’s voice, laced with laughter, echoed through the chamber just as Ian lowered the Platinum Barrier and took in the room now burning with sacred flames.

The creature had realized Ian destroyed the coral, and in that moment, Ian finally understood the answer to the mystery that had been bothering him the entire time.

So that’s why its voice sounded like it was spreading through the fog... it was underwater.

Of course, that realization wasn’t the only reason Ian’s expression twisted.

The entire point of this operation had been to prevent Rimuta from directly targeting the smuggling ships until they reached their destination. Ideally, he had even hoped to kill the creature here and throw the remaining corrupted ones into chaos.

At this point, the plan didn’t just go slightly wrong...

By coming all the way here himself, he had actually placed his companions in even greater danger.

That was probably why Rimuta’s voice carried amusement now.

And judging by the fact that not even a single quest notification had appeared, this seemed like a situation that had been outright impossible in the game.

"But it ends here. That place shall become your prison and your grave, and soon the wrath of the deep sea will begin. Even if you regret it now, it is already too late."

It’s right. What’s done is done.

Ian turned and rushed back down the stairs.

The lower floor was even thicker with curse fog now, and the symbols covering the ceiling and walls had visibly begun losing their light.

Fwoosh...

The sacred flames clinging to the divine sword’s blade were fading as well. Destroying the coral had likely consumed most of the divine power that remained.

Of course, Ian paid it no mind and burst straight back outside.

"Grrrgh!"

"Offer... offer the sacrifice!"

"Aaargh—"

The monstrous screams and shouting that had already been spreading through the area grew sharper alongside the stench.

The curse fog still churned thickly up to chest height.

The spell scroll clearly hadn’t been destroyed yet, nor had the essence bead powering it run out of magic.

"Die—"

A corruptor burst through the fog the very next instant. Its eyes and the crayfish-like mutations covering its body had turned completely violet, obvious signs that the curse had driven it completely mad.

Crunch!

Ian thrust his left arm all the way forward, slamming the edge of the Platinum Barrier directly into the center of the creature’s twisted face and blasting the corruptor away.

Crash—

The corruptor tumbled back through the fog while spraying bodily fluids and barely regained its footing, but it never got the chance to charge Ian again.

"Be... gone!"

Another corrupted one was already rushing in from the side. The tangled creatures immediately began tearing into one another.

But Ian wasn’t even looking their way anymore.

Rumble—

A flash split the distant sky behind him, followed by a deafening roar.

Lily had clearly cast another spell, meaning that the demonic beasts, the pirates, or perhaps both had drawn close to the smuggling ships.

Fuck!

Ian hurriedly scanned his surroundings before instantly breaking into a sprint again, heading for the central deck buried beneath the curse fog.

When the hell are you getting here, Yog? Isn’t it over yet?

He added the thought urgently, knowing Yog could read his surface thoughts.

However, no whisper came in return.

"Aaargh!"

"Sacrifice! Become a sacrifice to the deep sea!"

"Dieeee—"

Instead, the screams of creatures mutilating themselves in unbearable pain echoed around him, alongside the shrieks and mad roars of corruptors slaughtering each other in frenzy, growing louder and closer.

Tap, tap, tap—

Of course, Ian ignored it all and continued running through the fog.

His eyes never left the mast, towering like a pillar above the curse cloud beyond the central deck. There were no sails attached to it, and one side of the mast held a ladder stretching all the way to the top.

Though the lower section had been broken away, it still looked low enough for him to reach with a single leap.

Boom! Crunch!

Swinging the Platinum Barrier into the creatures that tangled together to block his path or charged at him shrieking, Ian kept running without slowing down.

In the process, he naturally sheathed the divine sword and spread the Wind Blade once more.

Swish!

Ian kicked off the ground just after passing through an area littered with butchered corpses.

Shooting upward in an arc above the fog, he stretched his right arm toward the intact section of the ladder with all his strength.

Thud— Crack—

He slammed into the mast before swinging backward like a pendulum, saved from falling only because he never let go of the ladder clutched in his right hand.

Crackle, creak...

Ignoring the ominous sounds spreading through the ladder, Ian reached upward with his left arm and began climbing.

At the same time, he immediately deactivated the Platinum Barrier.

I just hope they haven’t gotten too far away.

Continuing to climb hand over hand, Ian swallowed dryly. The reason he was climbing to the top of the mast wasn’t simply to reunite with Yog more quickly.

If it came down to it, he would have to use the Platinum Avatar to return under his own power. Of course, there was no guarantee gliding alone would get him all the way back to the smuggling ships, but he still had to try.

Swoosh—

Eventually, Ian turned his head to the side, where the sea, hidden beneath the curse fog, had revealed itself from a distance.

His eyes swept across the bluish sea of fog, now visibly rougher and more turbulent, before narrowing slightly.

Just as I thought, they caught up.

He had spotted the smuggling ships fleeing while fighting against the demonic beast pirates.

The main battlefield seemed centered around the Black Wave, which had fallen furthest behind, and the Silent Storm, which was slightly ahead of it.

However, that wasn’t the only reason Ian’s eyes twitched; he realized the Crimson Coral Reef was unnaturally far ahead of the others.

So instead of helping the other ships, they decided to make a run for it first.

Thinking of the sly Kurdian captain, Ian let out a chuckle. It wasn’t hard to imagine the excuse he’d used to calm the beastfolk’s objections.

After all, Lily was aboard that ship. If he claimed they needed distance so she could cast freely, it would be hard to argue against it.

Miguel probably didn’t object to that either.

Smacking his lips lightly, Ian turned his attention back toward the other smuggling ships.

Even from this distance, he could see with crystal clarity the beastfolk leaping through the air with ropes tied around their bodies and the fairies firing arrows from the decks.

He could even make out the harpoons thrown by the demonic pirates and the beastfolk warriors batting them away.

Should I be glad that they look like they are having fun?

Eventually spotting Charlotte rampaging through the pirates as though she had thrown herself directly into their midst, Ian let out an involuntary dry laugh.

From the looks of it, she had extended the rope to its limit and was using the spells embedded within her relic armor.

Of course, that hardly meant the situation was safe.

Yeah... They’ve completely abandoned this command ship.

Not only were the swarming demonic beasts pulling farther away, but the beast fleet itself was also retreating into the distance.

They were even shifting formation as though encircling the beasts from behind. That was why Ian’s climbing grew faster.

I’m using those things as stepping stones, Yog. Keep up however you want.

It looked entirely possible to glide all the way to the demonic beast fleet from here.

That was when snickering laughter tickled the back of his mind.

—Just come with me instead, friend. You only need to let go of your impatience a little.

It was Yog.

Ian abruptly stopped climbing and turned his gaze, hurriedly demanding inwardly where the hell he was now.

Yog’s laughter grew clearer.

—I’m still underwater. Slipping into the soul wasn’t difficult, but adapting to the body took some time.

So where exactly are you?

Furrowing his brows slightly, Ian repeatedly scanned the fog around the command ship.

Rumble!

The sound of thunder brushed past his ears just after he spotted a faint violet glow spreading through the distant fog.

—Bear with me. It’s my first time having a body this large.

As Yog’s relaxed whisper continued, Ian looked back into the distance once more, where dark storm clouds crackling with lightning were gathering above the battling smuggling ships.

Lily had cast the thundercloud spell yet again. She was clearly trying to shake off the demonic beasts.

"At last, you reveal an opening, Archmage!"

That was when Rimuta’s voice exploded outward.

Reflexively looking down toward the sea, Ian’s eyes widened.

On the opposite side of the smuggling ships fighting the pirates, beyond the Crimson Coral Reef, the fog was exploding upward into the sky.