Chapter 540 Adios, my friends
''Whew.'' Isaac swiped his hair back and jumped off the mast. Landing on the deck, he placed the sniper rifle back on inventory.
''Arthur, the ship wasn't built for naval battle!'' The Captain shouted.
Arthur entered the tiny shack where the ship's equipment and wheel were. The equipment blinked red as the scent of gasoline started seeping through from below the deck.
He patted the shoulder of the Captain and said, ''Keep going forward; we will handle this.''
The Captain wiped his sweat and nodded hesitantly, ''Do it quick. The engine is already blinking red.''
Arthur wiped the fog off the windows and looked into the splashing water. The ship continued cutting through the large waves as it slowly steered left, further away from the warship.
However, soon the warship's fire was quenched by the soldiers. They turned their remaining cannons in the direction of the ship and released the rest of the cannonballs.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
Swoosh!
Xerxus rushed out of the lower deck, completely drenched. He swiped his wet hair behind and cracked his neck, ''I will deal with them!''
''Hmm?'' They turned to look at Xerxus, whose next action shocked everyone. With one long leap, Xerxus jumped off the ship and landed on the water. However, suddenly his legs started moving faster than ever, and he started running on top of the water!
The waves paved the way to Xerxus, who crossed the distance between the ship and warship in a matter of seconds.
''These guys are crazy…'' The Captain wiped his sweat, wondering where Arthur found these crazy guys.
In the warship, the soldiers panicked as they saw a black blur coming straight toward them. At first, they thought it was some kind of underwater missile. However, soon that blur appeared in the near vicinity of the warship and looked like a person!
The Navy Admiral looked at the scene with mouth agape, sweat trickling down the side of his face, and a ticking heartbeat.
Splash!
An explosion happened in the wavy ocean. However, then an outline of a person appeared from the splash, flying straight toward them. Shortly afterward, the drenched man landed on the deck, scaring nearby soldiers.
''Heh.'' Xerxus grinned, and currents of electricity danced around him, engulfing him entirely. The bolts of electricity charred the steel deck, increasing the heat and pressure.
Further away, Arthur and the rest watched as the massive warship got shrouded in bolts of electricity. The waves raged, and the currents of electricity blasted apart the warship.
The Captain watched with a wide mouth as the warship started sinking by doings of a single person. Then, a bolt of electricity left the warship and returned to his ship while letting out strange waves of heat.
Wiping his sweat, he looked deeply at the laughing Xerxus, who started mingling with the other men. While the other men clicked their tongues, saying that they could have done it quicker, Xerxus only laughed and flexed.
'He is… the strongest, isn't he?' The Captain thought as he deeply looked at Xerxus, impressed to the very core. He didn't think there could be anyone strong enough to defeat him.
In the sinking warship, the Navy Admiral screamed while fiddling with the radio phone. He tried to contact Lord and soon received a connection.
''L-Lord, we are sinking. Please send help!'' He screamed with his lungs full of water. Half of his body was dragging him underneath.
''…'' The other side of the radio phone was quiet until the connection suddenly cut off.
''Eh?'' The Navy Admiral blinked with a dumbfounded expression. As he swam in the middle of the burning warship, one of the rubbles suddenly fell and landed on his head, causing him to fall unconscious.
With the radio phone diving further away, the unconscious Navy Admiral sank deeper into the water with a bloodied face and white pupils. Around him, the flaming rubble and dead soldiers accompanied him for eternity.
…
After the night dawned, the morning light shone on the beautiful ocean. A battered ship finally reached a tropical island with a sand beach surrounding its outer layer. The sky was bright blue, and the yellowish wheel of fire bathed the island with its warmth.
The island had heavily wooded forests with beautiful lakes which flowed through the entire island. The scene was beautiful. In the distance, large cloud-splitting mountains stood tall. That also seemed to be Arthur's destination as he looked deeply in that direction.
The four men and the captain stood silently. They knew that it was time to split ways.
Arthur held his hand on the handrail and slowly gazed at the flowing waters that splashed against the ship's hull. The birds chirped and flapped their wings as they flew over the forest.
The whole island seemed like a paradise. However, it was empty, even though it could be a perfect vacation location. The reason for such was that Arthur owned it, the entire Island. It was where he created White Online and the place where he would continue treading on the path of becoming strong.
''This is the farewell… for now.'' Arthur smiled and turned to face the men, lightly tapping his finger against the handrail, ''The ship will take you to Summerland, where you four will split up.
The men nodded, staying silent as the atmosphere was slightly tense. The journey was long and had some hardships. But it was still fun.
The corner of Arthur's lips rose as he turned away and began to walk down the stairs. With a wave of his left hand, he said, ''Take care of the captain. I hope peaceful journey, and we will see each other later. But, till then, adios.''
The four men watched as Arthur skipped over the hot sandy beach and entered the forest. The footsteps grew distant—he was gone.
''Alright… let's leave now.'' The captain said and patted the shoulders of the men. He returned to the command deck and started the ship. Soon, the anchor reeled in, and another journey started.
On the tropical island, Arthur stepped up a steep hill. The insects buzzed around him, and the leaves rattled. Soon, he reached high enough altitude to be able to gaze over the trees.
He stopped and turned around. On the horizon was the ocean, and the battered ship, which let out enough smoke to corrupt the clouds.
Arthur slowly saluted, releasing an saddened breath, ''Adios, my friends…''