Chapter 573: Chapter 573

At Thesaya’s question, Ian gave a calm nod. "Probably."

It wasn’t surprising. Their ship was now a lone beacon in the middle of the dark sea.

Thesaya snorted. "If they all gather on us, it’ll only make things easier."

"You’ll think differently if they catch up," Ian replied, looking back.

The scene on the main deck unfolded before him. The sacred fire flickered in the center, with Lucia kneeling before it and Mukapa standing guard like a statue. Sanford stood at the top of the stairs, shouting commands. After checking the oars moving in rhythm on either side of the hull, Ian gave a slight nod.

As I thought. They're still holding up.

They couldn’t be compared to his legion, which had once marched a thousand leagues with minimal rest, but they seemed capable enough of enduring until they escaped the inner sea.

Ian’s head snapped forward again. Beyond the waves, a horde of frenzied sea beasts was visible, rampaging wildly. It was impossible to tell whether they were chasing the archipelago’s fleet or targeting their ship, not that it mattered either way.

Just then, Thesaya prepared a spell. Veins bulged around her half-lidded eyes as she spread her hands, one high and one low.

She’s become proficient after just one try.

A wry smile touched Ian’s lips as he noticed the magic condensing more stably in her gemstone. Her talent wasn’t all that surprising; she had once been a demon, after all. Her magical senses likely required no training. Of course, as she’d said, drinking his blood might have helped as well.

Well, a fake mage like me has no right to be jealous.

Ian shook off a faint sense of jealousy and shifted his gaze. Ashen, chaotic magic now swirled in his eyes. The blade of his Truesilver Steel Sword glinted, reflecting the sacred fire.

Thesaya completed her spell first. A snowstorm erupted, painting the darkness white as it spread beyond the waves. The ships of the fleet, shrouded in blue mist, drew rapidly closer.

However, the snowstorm, filled with countless ice crystals, couldn’t immediately strip away the mist surrounding the ships. Frost clung heavily to the mist itself. It was likely a combination of the blessing from the islanders' ancient god and the spells of the blue mages.

Just then, lightning rained down upon the snowstorm. The bolt split into countless branches, flickering brilliantly. The frosty mist also flashed with a purple hue, but the ships’ speed did not diminish in the slightest.

Of course, the sea beasts that followed them into the storm let out howls of pain and rage. A good number of them dove beneath the surface as if to escape. The gap between the fleet and the monsters widened. The fleet clearly intended to cut through the snowstorm as quickly as possible.

However, it wasn't the fleet that made Ian narrow his eyes. Far in the distance, a massive presence was suddenly becoming clearer.

The bead of chaos essence resonated. Beyond the swirling lightning and snowstorm, a massive, writhing, crimson form surged upward.

A roar, reminiscent of an elephant, echoed immediately after. At the same time, a crimson explosion erupted in a semicircle.

The snowstorm, caught in the blast, scattered as if washed away. The lightning disintegrated, and the violet storm clouds were stained crimson. At the same time, raw emotions flooded Ian’s mind: pain and anger, longing and desire.

"Ack—" Thesaya let out a short scream.

She flung her outstretched arms backward, lost her balance, and fell. Just as she was about to crash onto the deck, she stopped short in midair.

"You okay?" asked Ian.

He too had been thrown back, landing in a slide on the deck. Even so, he had extended his Willful Grasp to catch her.

"I-I’m fine. Just a little surprised," Thesaya answered, panting.

It was no wonder she felt winded—Ian did as well. As she settled gently back onto the deck, the sky lit purple overhead.

The distant thunder that had rumbled intermittently now exploded overhead. Thesaya, who had squeezed her eyes shut, spun around and planted her hands on the deck.

"I think we need a new plan, Ian! Even if I cast the spell again—"

"—It’ll just blow it away again," Ian finished, staring past the stern.

He clicked his tongue, turned toward the main deck, and added, "For now, just grab onto something and keep low."

As she scrambled under the wooden frame to grab the railing, Ian shouted down to the main deck, "Everyone, brace for impact! There’s a wave coming!"

Mukapa, Lucia, and Sanford all turned to look at him.

"What the hell?" Sanford’s eye widened. He must have spotted the wave, like a black curtain, rushing in from behind Ian.

"All oars at once! We have to climb this wave or we’re done!" Sanford shouted, turning to the stairs.

The oars, which had been moving in shifts, now cut through the water in unison. As the ship’s speed increased, Mukapa wrapped a rope from the mast around his left hand and moved to Lucia’s side.

Lucia was rapidly chanting a prayer in front of the brazier. The sacred flame flared higher. The ship crested a wave and immediately pitched forward.

"All oars in! And get your heads down if you don’t want them smashed!" Sanford, who was tied to the mast, shouted as he grabbed the stair railing.

Ian, now sitting with his back to the aft railing, hooked the grappling hook in his left hand to it.

"I’m fine, Ian! Nothing to worry abou—Aack!" Thesaya screamed.

The hull tilted back sharply as tremendous pressure slammed into them. The wave was pushing the ship forward.

So that’s why they were so desperate to crest it.

Gripping the railing hard with his right hand, Ian gritted his teeth.

Had they taken the brunt of the wave on deck, the vessel would have been smashed apart—perhaps even dragged under entirely. Even now, they were far from safe.

"Gaaaahh—" Sanford screamed, clinging to the stair railing. He was even using his injured left arm to hold on. He seemed to scream more from the pain in his arm than from terror.

At last, the deck leveled again—only to pitch upward toward the prow in the next instant. The wave had already overtaken them. The Black Wave, which had been lurching as if about to sink, barely regained its balance. Beneath their feet, the deck shuddered as the light of the sacred flame swayed, but didn't go out.

"Is everyone okay? Answer me!" Ian shouted, standing up after checking on Thesaya, who was lying flat on the deck. Newest update provıded by novel•fire.net

"W-We’re safe!" Lucia answered immediately.

Her hood thrown back, she was clinging to Mukapa. Mukapa, down on one knee, had weathered the impact by gripping the rope in his left hand and the battle hammer, held upside down like a pillar, in his right.

—Moro and I are safe. ...Ah, the little one, too.

As Yog’s whisper faded, the sacred fire, which had been burning precariously, stabilized. The warmth that had been pushed back for a moment once again enveloped the deck. The makeshift brazier was neither broken nor had it slid from its spot. It was clearly being protected by divine power. It wasn't invincible, of course, but it was far more durable than it looked.

"I-I’m safe too, sir!" Sanford added belatedly.

He had collapsed onto the deck, clutching his left arm with tears in his eye. Listening to the groans rising from below deck, Ian finally let out a small sigh of relief.

"I-Ian? I think you need to see this," said Thesaya.

Ian turned his head, and his expression hardened instantly.

"Then start rowing again. Quickly." He looked back at the staggering Sanford and tilted his head. "It looks like we were the only ones who got hit by that wave."

Sanford finally looked to the side, his eye widening. A thick mist was creeping over the gently rolling waves.

As if forgetting his pain, he took a sharp breath and looked down the stairs. "E-Everyone, to the oars! Now!"

The deck below immediately erupted into activity. There were likely many injuries, but there was no time to tend to them. Beyond the encroaching mist, the haphazardly arranged blue lights of the fleet were growing larger and clearer.

Was it because of the shroud of mist?

The wave had completely killed their speed. Although they were moving forward again with the wind, it was incomparably slower than it had been before. The archipelago’s fleet, however, had clearly been unaffected. It was almost as if they had ridden the wave to catch up.

The mist grew thick, but it couldn't reach the deck. An invisible barrier around the ship repelled it, a clear effect of the sacred fire. The surroundings were still obscured, but at least they didn’t have to worry about the sailors panicking or being corrupted by the chaos within the mist.

"Don’t worry about the rear!" Lucia shouted.

Meeting Ian’s gaze, she added, "Mukapa and I will protect it!"

Behind her mask, her eyes still blazed with divine power.

He managed a slight smile for only a moment before he snapped back around. A bright blue light was shooting toward them through the billowing darkness.

It was clear the fleet had released its crossbows. Even after being battered by the snowstorm, some had survived intact.

Perhaps because of the distance, the aim was off. The bolt of blue light grazed past the stern and exploded the moment it hit the water. It had missed by a wide margin, yet it was more than enough to wrench every gaze on deck toward it.

"St-Start rowing! Quickly!" Sanford panted, looking down the stairs.

The oars extending from the sides of the hull hurriedly churned the water.

—Looks like you need to get back up there.

Ian walked toward the stern.

"I didn’t try to stop that one because I knew it would miss, Ian," Thesaya said without looking back.

Ian came to stand beside her. "Let’s each take a side. Can you handle it?"

"Of course!" Thesaya turned to him, veins twitching around her eyes. Staring at him with pupils blazing with blue magic, she smiled.

"If anything, this mist makes it easier. —" Thesaya extended her gemstone over the railing just as another blue bolt approached.

The billowing mist in front of them froze solid, spreading out to either side in a wall of jagged, thorny ice crystals.

The bolt exploded against the far side of the wall.

Yog, now perched on Thesaya’s shoulder, chuckled.

—Not bad, Pointy-Ear.

"Don’t mention it," Thesaya murmured, clenching her outstretched hand into a fist.

The ice wall exploded outward, sending shards flying. As the blue-tinged mist swirled chaotically, she looked back at Ian and smiled. "See?"

"I see. It seems I was the bigger problem, not you," Ian said with a laugh, turning away.

He walked toward his usual spot at the port-side stern railing, his eyes never leaving the approaching blue lights.

So, they’re determined to get their revenge before leaving, even in this situation.

The archipelago’s fleet was still converging on them. It was a choice that did nothing to aid their escape, a fact that required no thought at all.

As he passed behind the wooden frame, Ian’s eyes took on a blue magical tint. His intuition was screaming a warning.

—You’d better be careful, Friend.

Yog’s whisper came just as he stopped at the railing.

I know, he thought, extending his right hand.

The mist in front of him froze solid—the Glacier Wall. The wall immediately sank and drifted away, but that didn't matter.

The next blue streak slammed into it, shattering it apart. The explosion swallowed the wall and dispersed into the mist. Ian’s eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the lights drawing closer.

As I thought. I’m the problem.

It seemed they couldn't fire the crossbows consecutively. However, if they started firing in turns, the constant volleys would eventually overwhelm their magical defenses. Magic was the real issue. Unlike Thesaya, Ian had no jewel to bolster his reserves.

But his hesitation didn’t last.

Well, it can't be helped.

Clicking his tongue, Ian hooked the grappling hook to the corner of the now-useless wooden frame. After confirming it was secure, he unwound the rope from his left arm, letting out some slack before pulling it behind his back and grabbing it with his right hand.

Ian unfolded a Platinum Barrier and leaped onto the railing. His cloak fluttered and the ship rocked, but he didn't sway in the slightest as his eyes, staring into the mist, turned ashen.

On the opposite side, at the starboard corner, Thesaya swept her outstretched arm. Ice crystals bloomed in the air like a curtain, and a blue bolt slammed into it.

Thesaya clenched her fist, and the curtain of ice exploded, spewing fragments into the mist. Other bolts, flying in moments later, were detonated in midair by the shrapnel.

Just then, Ian, now shrouded in wind, kicked off the railing. His trajectory was set to intercept the blue bolt streaking toward the ship. Staring at the projectile as it closed in, he swung his Platinum Barrier.