Chapter 232

Chapter 232

A beautiful island landscape unfolded before Zeke's eyes.

He looked around the island scenery in admiration.

"The island changed?"

The island he had seen when he first arrived was filled with thick fog and was a terrifying place where monsters could appear at any moment.

But now, all the fog had cleared, and he could see trees shining with a vibrant green, and clusters of colorful lights were flying around.

It was then.

"I don't know how long it's been since I last gazed upon the blue sea directly."

Zeke turned in surprise to see Poseidon standing beside him, holding a trident.

Zeke was startled and looked at him, saying,

"Lord Poseidon! Are you able to come outside?"

Poseidon smiled and said,

"It's thanks to you finding the Sea God's divine authority for me. I've become able to come out to this island."

"I'm glad to hear that. But how did you create an avatar while your divine authority was sealed? You shouldn't have been able to use your power."

At first, he had thought that Poseidon, like Hoshigar, had created an avatar in the mortal realm and left.

But he was curious how Poseidon had prepared an avatar in the restricted area while his main body's power was sealed.

Poseidon looked at Zeke and replied,

"When the spear pierced my heart and my divine authority was sealed, Chronos gathered the remaining fragments of my soul to create my avatar and then created the sealed area to protect my main body. He intended for it to protect me until a way to remove this spear could be found someday."

Surprisingly, Chronos had intervened to protect the sealed divine authority of the Sea God.

Zeke looked at Poseidon and asked,

"How could the Spear of Godslayer be embedded in the heart of the Sea God Poseidon? What on earth happened?"

Poseidon listened to Zeke's words and pondered for a moment before speaking.

"It was a long time ago. After the Hero King departed for the land of the fairies, many dragons gradually lost interest in the human realm and disappeared."

Poseidon continued slowly,

"At that time, I had already attained the rank of Divine Dragon and had become the Sea God, residing in the Southern Sea. But then, a war broke out outside."

Zeke realized what war Poseidon was referring to.

"The invasion of the Demon Lord's army?"

Poseidon nodded.

"Yes, with the Hero King's absence, the allied forces were in a very difficult situation. We Divine Dragons, including myself as the Sea God, were originally unable to interfere in the affairs of the mortal realm, but the intervention of the demonic race was an exception."

"So, did the Divine Dragons stop the Demon Lord's invasion?"

"Although it was an exceptional circumstance, we could only provide indirect help. It was merely fulfilling the request of a great sage."

"What kind of request?"

Poseidon paused for a moment before answering.

"We helped in creating the Hero King's homunculus."

Zeke tilted his head at Poseidon's words.

"The Hero King's homunculus... what is that?"

"Think of it as a golem modeled after the Hero King."

"C-could that be possible?"

"It couldn't unleash all of the Hero King's original power, but the power of the Divine Dragons and the Philosopher's Stone created by the great sage combined to create a miracle."

Only then did Zeke understand the traces of the Hero King that remained even after he had departed for the land of the fairies.

'So, the Hero King that the dark elves dreaded was a homunculus.'

Poseidon continued,

"And the Demon Lord's army, upon learning that we Divine Dragons had intervened in the war, launched a direct attack on us."

"Could it be?"

"Yes. They pierced our Dragon Hearts with Godslayer Stones, sealing our divine authority."

"Good heavens. Who on earth could have done such a thing?"

"One who possesses immortal power."

Poseidon continued,

"Siemens Apollion. It was his doing."

Zeke was startled at his words.

'Siemens Apollion, who summoned the Demon Lord, was an immortal?'

Zeke recalled the fact that he had pulled the Spear of Godslayer from the Dragon Heart.

'Could it be because I'm also in the immortal class?'

Amidst the confusion of learning a new fact, a huge explosion suddenly echoed from the sea.

Kwa-kwa-kwakwang!

Because of it, the surrounding clusters of light scattered and hid as if frightened.

Zeke turned his head towards the source of the explosion and saw dozens of warships chasing a single ship in the distance.

'That ship is from the Reinhart Trading Company.'

The Empire's warships were firing magic cannons at Reinhart's ship, the one Zeke had arrived on.

Reinhart's ship was skillfully evading the magic cannons fired by the dozens of warships, but it seemed like it would soon succumb to the sheer number and firepower.

'Those persistent Empire bastards. If Sister Cali is on that ship, she's in danger.'

Poseidon turned his head and looked at the fleet firing cannons.

"Which of those are your enemies?"

"The ones with the greater numbers. But there are hostages I need to save on that ship as well."

Poseidon nodded.

"Although I cannot provide much help due to karma, I hope it is of some assistance."

Poseidon waved his hand.

Then, the giant turtle tucked its head back in and began to sink beneath the waves.

Kugugugugu!

As the turtle sank into the sea, rough waves crashed, pushing the warships away from the island.

Thanks to this, Reinhart's ship was able to escape far away in the gap.

Poseidon looked at Zeke and said,

"Do any of your companions belong to the Deep Sea Race?"

"Yes. When the blood of one called a descendant of the Sea God fell into the sea, the Isle of the Sea God revealed its true form."

At those words, Poseidon took something out from his chest and handed it to Zeke.

It was a fist-sized conch shell.

"What is this?"

"Give this to your companion, the Deep Sea Race member. If they are a true descendant of the Sea God, they should be able to read the 'Tome of the Deep Sea' contained within."

At the same time, a quest appeared before Zeke's eyes.

―Achievement Quest (Lower-Rank Mission)―

[Deliver the 'Tome of the Deep Sea' to the descendant of Poseidon. (No time limit)]

[Quest Mission Reward: Deep Sea Race Medal]

Zeke carefully stored the conch shell he received from Poseidon.

"I will be sure to deliver it."

Poseidon smiled at Zeke. Soon, his body began to slowly become transparent.

"Now that the seal on my main body has been lifted, my avatar will soon disappear."

He smiled at Zeke.

"Zeke Draker, I wish you only peace and well-being on your path ahead."

A moment later, Poseidon's figure completely vanished.

Zeke bowed his head towards the place where Poseidon had disappeared.

It was a sincere expression of respect for a warrior who had reached an exceptional realm.

Lifting his head, Zeke turned his gaze back towards the sea.

Soon, his figure disappeared.

* * *

"Ugh, I thought I was going to die."

Clone wiped away cold sweat as she watched the warships move away.

When dozens of the Empire's warships were firing magic cannons and there was no way to stop them, something unknown, whether it was an island or a giant turtle the size of an island, sank in the distance, completely changing the sea currents.

Thanks to that, they were able to get past the warships and escape to the opposite side of the island.

Just then, Felix, who was next to Clone, shouted.

"C-Captain! That! Isn't that a pirate ship?"

When they returned to the opposite side of the island, surprisingly, Captain Hook's pirate ships were lined up in a long row, blocking the ship from escaping.

Clone gritted her teeth.

"Those bastards! They plan to keep us from getting out of here!"

She clenched her fist tightly, then grabbed her mace and prepared for battle.

"Felix! Clench your jaw! We're breaking through by force!"

At Clone's words, Felix also drew his sword and nodded.

In this moment, he too wore a serious expression, prepared for death.

The captain also gritted his teeth and steered the ship.

Everyone faced the pirate ship at the forefront in a tense state.

Clone and Felix jumped towards the pirate ship first, trying to gain the upper hand.

But something was strange.

"Huh?"

There were no pirates to be seen inside the pirate ship.

But suddenly, the cabin door of the pirate ship opened, and someone walked out.

Clone and Felix were startled when they saw him.

"My Lord!"

"Good heavens! Commander Zeke!"

The two ran towards Zeke.

Zeke smirked at Clone and Felix.

"I'm glad both of you are safe."

Felix approached Zeke and asked,

"My Lord! Where have you been? And how did you suddenly appear here?"

"Questions later. First, let's grasp the situation. What happened?"

Then, Clone lowered her mace and said,

"The situation is a bit complicated."

"What do you mean?"

"The mermen led by Peter Pan safely joined us at the camp. And as you said, we tried to rescue the mermen captured by the Empire. But... something unexpected happened."

"Could it be that the hostage mermen attacked?"

Clone was startled at Zeke's words and nodded.

"That's right. We went to the place where the mermen were held, just as you said, Commander, but they were completely brainwashed after being drugged with stimulants."

The Empire's forces planned to use the mermen to explore the ruins.

Even though they were hostages, there was no way they would have left the mermen, who could freely move around underwater, alone.

They must have intended to control them at will after brainwashing them with stimulants.

"In the end, we couldn't rescue the mermen and had to escape separately. Felix and I took the ship out to lure the warships."

After hearing Clone's words and grasping the situation, Zeke spoke.

"Where are the others?"

"Everyone scattered, but they should have gathered back at the camp."

"What about Sister Cali?"

"Parell and the Silver Knights Order are protecting her at the camp. We confirmed that she regained consciousness before we left."

It was good news that Cali had regained consciousness.

Someone of her caliber would recover faster than ordinary people, so as long as she managed her internal injuries, things shouldn't get too dangerous.

'Even so, it would be best to get to a safe place as quickly as possible.'

Just then, someone walked out of the cabin.

It was a pirate belonging to Hook's crew.

Clone and Felix were startled and raised their weapons.

But Zeke raised his hand, reassuring them.

"It's alright. He's listening to me now."

Zeke had used Bloodshot Eyes to subdue the pirates' minds.

A mark of a red eye was engraved on the forehead of the pirate whose mind had been dominated.

Zeke said to Clone and Felix,

"We should head back to the camp by ship first."

Then, Felix shook his head as if to say no.

"My Lord, if we do that, the Empire's warships might keep following us, and the camp's location could be discovered."

Zeke wore a satisfied expression at Felix's sharp opinion, which was unlike him.

He smirked at the pirate next to him.

"Let's give those Empire bastards a taste of their own medicine."

Clone and Felix tilted their heads, looking confused at Zeke's words.

* * *

The Empire's warships, which had been pushed back by the currents, returned to their positions and approached the island again.

On the largest ship among the Empire's warships stood a young knight clad in a luxurious full plate armor-type Hercyon.

He was looking out at the sea in the distance from the bow.

The captain approached him, bowed his head, and adopted the most polite posture possible.

The knight said to the captain,

"Have you found the ship?"

"Yes. It is fleeing towards the back of the island."

The young knight nodded.

"Capture them immediately. I will personally interrogate them after they are caught."

As the captain retreated, another knight approached the young knight.

It was none other than Morgan Buffon, a knight of the Fourth Order.

Morgan Buffon bowed his head towards the knight with the utmost respect.

"Lord Leo. The wind is chilly. Please come inside the cabin."

At Morgan's words, the knight said with a stern expression,

"If the commander retreats from the battlefield, what soldier would risk their life to fight?"

Morgan Buffon couldn't argue with the knight's words and could only grind his teeth inwardly.

'Damn it... if the Second Prince gets hurt, I'll be the only one to take the blame.'

The young knight's identity was none other than the Second Prince Leonardo Crowley Constantinus, the first in line for the throne.

After the Fourth Prince Karus defected to Draker's side, Regent Julius solidified his power by elevating the Second Prince Leo to the first in line for succession.

And behind the scenes, he secretly began to eliminate the forces of the First Prince.

Thanks to this, Rom, the capital of the Empire, was embroiled in a silent war of political intrigue.

Eventually, the First Prince's forces were defeated, and even the Council of Elders, which had supported him, collapsed.

Thanks to this, Rom came under the control of the Second Prince's faction.

And the Second Prince Leo, regardless of such circumstances, wanted to curry favor with the Emperor.

That was why he had volunteered to participate in this mission led by Morgan Buffon.

The problem was that while he might have outstanding talent as a knight, he was still too inexperienced as a commander.

Morgan was having a hard time managing the battlefield and taking care of the prince at the same time.

'Damn it, things were already complicated, and suddenly these strange guys appear...'

While grinding his teeth inwardly, the adjutant approached and reported to Morgan.

"Commander. Hook's pirate ships have appeared in the rear."

Morgan frowned.

'I told those damn pirates to stay put, so why are they suddenly...'

It was then.

Kwa-kwa-kwakwang!

Along with an explosion, Hook's pirate ships began firing magic cannons at the warships.