“…..”
The water surrounding the ship rocked back and forth, waves rising and falling in uneven patterns.
And yet, in spite of the large waves, the ship remained completely still. As though it were completely unaffected by the waves.
All eyes were on the two figures that stared at each other.
One hovered in the sky, glowing with a radiance that rivaled the distant white sun, while the other stood firmly on the ship, his gaze steady as a black film slowly unfurled from his body.
Their momentum slowly built up with each passing second, the pressure coming out from the Luminarch slowly starting to expand and overtaking that of the merchant, who appeared indifferent to the losing momentum.
But then—
Kacha!
A sharp crack split the air as the long tip of Anne’s whip lashed out, stopping just short of the Luminarch.
BANG!
The shield around Jophiel rippled, faint cracks forming as he managed to block Anne’s whip.
He casually lowered his head to look at her as she looked back at him.
She shook her head.
“For some reason, I’m getting pissed off. I should be the one you should be paying attention to.”
“….Right.”
Jophiel’s eyes squinted. Indeed, realistically speaking, Anne was supposed to be the greatest threat as she was a Tier 8 user just like him. And yet, for some reason, staring at the merchant, Jophiel felt more unsettled.
He… was certainly weaker than Anne.
That he didn’t doubt.
And yet, his calmness and tricks made him incredibly alert.
As Jophiel looked at Anne, he started to wonder…
Was she really the biggest threat?
“Haa… I don’t really like that expression of yours.”
As if guessing his thoughts, Anne laughed with her teeth clenched. She felt quite a bit underestimated.
Was all the reputation that she had built up over the years for nothing?
The thought of being dismissed so casually infuriated her. Her hand rose once more, and her emerald eyes shone. Then, with a swift flick of her wrist, the whip snapped toward the Luminarch.
Kacha!
The whip shot through the air once again, striking at the Luminarch in the air as he dismissed her attack, the shield around him rippling again.
He was just about to speak when his face showed signs of change beneath his golden mask.
Cra Crack!
The cracks that had been present just a moment prior started to expand rapidly. They moved fast, spreading around the entire shield before everything shattered.
A glass-shattering sound echoed in the air as the Luminarch looked at the broken shards of what was once his shield. He blinked his eyes slowly before looking down at Anne and spotting the faint glow in her emerald eyes.
Those eyes..
It was those eyes of hers that were threatening.
Jophiel had full confidence in his shield, a Superior-Ranked spell known as [Goddess Protection]. It was an exceptionally powerful spell, capable of forming a barrier strong enough to withstand most attacks from opponents of the same tier, and even some from those above.
For it to be broken like this…
It could only be due to Anne’s eyes. Not only did she spot the weakness of the shield, but it also enabled her to directly attack the same spot with unnerving precision.
This was a bit of a problem.
But not one that Jophiel found too troublesome.
‘If her eyes are the problem, I just need to make sure she doesn’t see anymore.’
He raised his hand and looked down.
Then, with a simple snap of his fingers, his entire body glowed.
Swooosh!
A brilliant white light burst out from his body, covering the entire surroundings and even the dense fog beneath.
“Akhhh!”
“…My eyes!”
Screams echoed throughout as the brilliant light that rivaled the sun’s brilliance burst out from Jophiel’s body.
[Celestial Grace]
It was another Superior-Ranked spell. One capable of blinding the nearby surroundings and turning those weaker blind.
“Ahhhhh!”
The screams beneath showed just how powerful the spell was, and as Jophiel looked down, he saw Anne’s eyes turning red as she hastily looked away.
“….Akh!”
Even she started to scream as she covered her face with her hand.
Jophiel didn’t miss the chance.
Seizing the opening he had created, his body vanished from where he stood and reappeared in an instant before Anne.
“…..!”
She didn’t even have the time to react before he extended his hand, and a massive sword of light appeared. He looked at her directly and slashed down.
Swoosh!
A brilliant hue burst out as he slashed.
His actions were quick and ruthless, leaving no room for Anne to dodge as she covered her eyes with her hand.
But even though she couldn’t see, it didn’t mean that she was helpless.
“Kh!”
Groaning, she raised her whip and lashed out in the direction of Jophiel. She might not see, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t hear.
Bang!
The two weapons met, and a terrifying sound echoed.
“Ahhhhh!”
“….Help!”
From crew members to spies and emissaries, several people were thrown overboard as the moving ship began to lurch violently back and forth.
The aftershock of the attack was simply that powerful.
Right after blocking the attack, Anne took the chance to create some distance between her and the Luminarch before taking several deep and ragged breaths.
“Haa.. Haa…”
‘Shit, he’s really strong.’
Her eyes were still hurting, and her hand was numb.
The situation was actually quite disadvantageous for her.
However, it wasn’t as though she had an option but to fight. It was either she died, or he died. She had no other option, and as her breathing started to stabilize, she raised her whip again, ready to strike once more.
But just as she was about to do that, a certain hand pressed against her shoulder.
“You can stop.”
“…Uh?”
Anne was stunned to see the merchant standing right behind her, his hazy eyes locked onto the distant Luminarch.
Stop? What…?
Anne’s brows furrowed tightly.
“What do you mean, stop? If we don’t…”
“Take a look around you.”
Lazarus pointed at their surroundings.
“…Do you really think that the ship will be able to last if you two continue to fight like this?”
It was only then that Anne became aware of her surroundings, spotting several of her crew members injured on the ground, while the ship itself bore visible damage across multiple sections.
“Shit…”
Anne’s face fell when she noticed the situation. She had been so preoccupied with the fight that she forgot to take into account her ship and crew members. If she were to really continue the fight, then the ship would quickly sink.
She couldn’t afford to have that happen.
This ship of hers…
It was extremely valuable.
“But what other option do I have? I’m sure his goal is to destroy the ship so that we don’t move away. Even if I try to take things away, he’ll just stay here. He’s also trying to kill us. It’s not like—”
“I understand.”
The merchant cut through her words, pulling his hand away and taking a step forward.
“…That’s why I’ll take it from here.”
“What? You…?”
Anne made a weird expression while looking at the merchant. While it was true that he had shown several impressive things so far, she still didn’t think he was that strong. He was significantly weaker than her and the Luminarch.
What could he even do?
“Yes, me.”
But as opposed to her, the merchant looked completely calm as he settled his gaze over the distant Luminarch.
Once again, their eyes locked.
But as opposed to before, the merchant’s eyes were clear.
They were no longer hazy.
And the change didn’t go unnoticed by the Luminarch as he raised his brow. Something about his current demeanor seemed different.
…It was almost as though an entirely different person had appeared.
What…?
Julien’s eyes closed.
‘I might need to borrow some of your mental strength. This might be a little dangerous…’
[It’s alright, human. I understand the situation. I hope you succeed; otherwise, neither one of us will survive.]
He was currently speaking to the hive mind.
Listening to its words, his lips gently pulled up as he closed his eyes.
He stood in silence, the world around him fading completely.
Everything came to a standstill.
…Everything but the pain in his head as his lips began to tremble.
At this very moment, his surroundings turned completely dark as he tuned out all the noise around him.
He stood within the darkness, his mind drifting towards a certain past.
A certain memory.
‘Ahh…’
Eventually, multiple white dots appeared around him.
They surrounded the dark world like stars.
Julien stared at the familiar sight.
This was exactly how it was back then. Back when he caught a glimpse of the source.
Though he still couldn’t access it, he hadn’t forgotten the experience. The way everything flowed together, and the feeling it left behind.
He remembered everything, and gradually, he tried to replicate it.
He tried… to bring back that familiar feeling.
Julien felt his mind prickle again. The pain grew sharper. He also felt his own consciousness starting to fade.
However, he didn’t care.
He just focused on the sensation he had once felt.
That… deep and unfathomable sensation that made him feel as though he was completely in control of his body and mind.
The more he delved into that feeling, the more his consciousness faded.
But at the same time, his control deepened.
He felt certain feelings boil within his mind. Six different colored orbs appeared. They expanded into multiple ones, each one circling around him as he stared at them.
He could feel something while staring at them.
They were dangerous.
There would be no going back the moment he tried to replicate the power.
But…
This was what he had been looking for the entire time. He had to tap into it even though he wasn’t ready.
This was the path he had chosen.
And so, Julien raised his head and looked around.
He stared at the scene.
Took in the scene.
And then—
He opened his eyes.
The world around him changed in that moment.
The moment his eyes opened, he saw colors. Bright colors appeared within the bodies of every single person who was within his sight.
In particular, his gaze fell on the Luminarch in the distance.
With sword in hand, he appeared to be preparing something, but Julien didn’t care.
His eyes were too focused on the multiple orbs within his chest.
He could see a red orb within his chest. It was greater than the other orbs. Then, he also saw a purple orb. But it was relatively smaller than the rest. Green, too…
Julien licked his lips before he raised his hand.
Then—
He pushed his hand up.
The purple orb grew in size.