The vast, empty sea stretched out in tranquil silence, not a sound to be heard. It felt as though he was the only living being in the entire ocean.
Luca slowly turned his head to look behind him, only to find the sea surface completely devoid of anything.
The two ships that had originally been situated on the Dead Black Sea were nowhere to be seen, having vanished without a trace.
Even Sophia, Ellie, Isaac, and El—all of them were gone.
In their place, there was only one eye. A massive golden eye that filled the entire horizon, stretching far beyond sight!
This giant golden eye was embedded in the black sea, coldly and indifferently watching him.
There was no emotion in its gaze, as if a god were looking down upon mere ants!
Transcendent-level monster!
And not just any ordinary Transcendent-level—this one was at least at the Calamity level, on par with the rulers of the Abyssal Demon Realm!
The joy in Luca’s heart quickly faded, replaced by a chilling sense of dread. An icy shiver crawled up his spine, and he realized that he hadn’t even noticed when the creature had appeared.
Instinctively, he immediately activated his internal powers. “Witch’s Power Surge,” “Mana Rampage,” and several other enhancement skills were triggered almost simultaneously!
Boom! Thunder rumbled above the heavens as violent shockwaves surged, and the gray mist churned in chaos.
Luca’s aura skyrocketed, rapidly ascending beyond Star-level, reaching the realm of Transcendent!
Almost in the same instant, the enormous eye beneath the sea also stirred.
A burst of dazzling seven-colored light flashed across its pupil.
Then, a colossal beam of seven-colored light shot through the fabric of space, streaking directly toward Luca in the sky.
The speed was terrifyingly fast, like lightning!
Just as Luca attempted to dodge, he saw that the attack was already upon him!
In an instant, all the color drained from his vision, leaving only that mysterious, multicolored light.
It turned out this was a mental-type monster!
As the radiant light engulfed him, only one thought remained in Luca’s mind.
Then, all his Perception was swallowed by pure darkness.
No one noticed that as Luca’s presence vanished, a faint, almost imperceptible azure flame appeared out of thin air, only to disappear in the blink of an eye.
The sea breeze swept through, and the mist quickly concealed the surroundings once more.
The golden giant eye lingered for a while before slowly submerging into the waters below.
The sea surface returned to its tranquil state, as if nothing had ever happened.
…
Meanwhile, at the borders of the Western Sea, a brutal battle had already erupted.
Above the heavens, dark clouds gathered, thunder crashing in deafening roars. Countless high-ranking warriors launched their attacks recklessly, mountains rising from the ground, thunderbolts striking down, and severed limbs and torsos raining down like a storm. The violent aftershocks ravaged the entire battlefield.
Below, the once-blue sea had turned a dark shade of red. Soldiers from the Via Empire and the Clinton Empire collided like two waves of darkness, with thunderous roars, screams, and the crackling of cannonfire all mixing together, reverberating through the skies.
At the very top of the battlefield, tens of thousands of meters above the ground…
Orf, Winston, and several other powerful figures had joined forces to restrain Rod. The massive scythe, adorned with silver runes, swung down with unparalleled force, tearing through space itself.
Several protective barriers appeared simultaneously but were instantly shattered into countless star-like fragments, revealing the overwhelming might of the Sea King. Despite this, Rod was still being held back by the group, unable to break free from the battlefield, at least for now.
“Don’t waste time with them. Leave this to me. You all go to the Sea of Mist,” Rod calmly ordered as he sent a powerful punch into Winston, sending him flying.
The Via Empire officer, upon hearing the order, froze for a moment, looking toward Orf and the others in the distance with hesitation in his eyes.
“All Superclass fighters, follow me to the Sea of Mist. Leave this to General Rod!” The officer finally gritted his teeth and dove downward.
Other strong individuals from the Via Empire, upon receiving the command, broke off from their opponents and sped toward the Sea of Mist.
“Seeking death!” Naturally, Orf and the others would not allow them to escape so easily. Several streams of light shot out from the battlefield as Superclass warriors prepared to intercept the fleeing forces.
However, before they could act, a figure faster than lightning appeared in their path.
“Whoosh!” With no hesitation, Rod’s scythe sliced through the necks of two of the Superclass fighters in an instant. They didn’t even have time to react, being instantly killed by his strike.
“Rod!!” Winston’s powerful aura surged upward, exploding like a comet crashing into Rod. The deafening sound of the collision reverberated across the battlefield, shaking the very space itself. But in the end, Winston was sent flying backward with even greater speed.
“Boom!” Winston crashed into the ocean below, creating towering waves. Shocked cries filled the air, as no one had expected that the Empire’s war god from Clinton couldn’t even survive one blow from Rod. Discover hidden tales at empire
“Those idiots praised you for a few things, and you actually think you’re on my level?” Rod sneered, his fist burning with crimson flames as he looked down on Winston, who was struggling to rise from the sea, like an ant beneath his gaze.
Wiping the blood from his mouth, Winston’s eyes flashed with fury, but a deep sense of helplessness lingered within him. The gap between Superclass and Transcendent was vast, almost like two completely different species—something no external force could bridge.
Rod stood tall in the heavens, a mountain of dominance blocking everyone’s way. All those who attempted to pass could only stop in their tracks, helplessly watching as Via Empire’s strong warriors crossed into Clinton’s seas.
Just as Orf, Evelyn, and the others were at a loss for what to do, a familiar yet somewhat youthful voice suddenly echoed in their ears: “Leave Rod to me, and you all go to the Sea of Mist.”
At the sound of this voice, everyone on the battlefield froze for a moment, instinctively turning their gazes toward the source.
And there, against the backdrop of the stormy skies, they saw a figure draped in a luxurious royal robe, crowned, standing proudly.
Her eyes seemed to hold a galaxy within them, stars twinkling as they glimmered. Despite her still youthful face, it radiated an undeniable aura of authority and dominance, her presence exuding the vastness of the starry sky—an energy that was no less formidable than Rod’s.
King of Clinton—Fratis!
“I see.” Upon sensing the unique aura around her, a flicker of surprise flashed in Rod’s eyes. He then spoke, “No wonder Alfred chose you to inherit the throne. This sick tiger truly has ambitious designs.”
Fratis’s gaze narrowed slightly as she replied, “Aren’t people from the Via Empire the same?”
“You’re not wrong,” Rod responded calmly, “but there can only be one eternal empire in this world…” As he spoke, his golden hair gradually shifted to a shimmering white, and his aura surged once more. A seven-colored crystal appeared on his forehead.
He continued, “And that empire is destined to be the Via Empire.”
…
When Luca finally opened his eyes again, he was met with complete darkness, the kind where he couldn’t even see his own hand in front of his face. What surprised him most was that this place wasn’t the familiar resurrection space he had expected.
“Where is this? Didn’t I get killed by that eye?” Luca muttered, reaching up to touch his face. It felt warm to the touch—definitely not the resurrection space. In that realm, players were in a ghostly state, and it was never this dark.
Luca tried to sit up, but with a sudden bang, he collided with something he couldn’t see, causing a sharp pain that made him suck in a breath. He cupped his head and cursed, “What the hell is this place?”
After a moment, he calmed down and began to feel around in the darkness. His hand brushed against a cold, damp surface, which felt like wood.
He reached to his sides and touched more wood.
I’m in a wooden box… Luca thought to himself, beginning to piece together the situation. But he was still confused—how did he end up in a box out of nowhere?
Attempting to use his mental Perception to sense his surroundings, he immediately encountered what felt like an invisible barrier.
This wooden box could even block his mental energy?
As he pondered how to break out of this confinement, a series of rhythmic thud-thud-thud sounds echoed in the distance. It was hard to tell whether they were footsteps or the sound of heavy objects clattering against the floor—rigid and methodical.
Someone was coming. Luca tensed up, immediately silencing himself.
At the same time, he realized that the strange footsteps were drawing closer.
The steps came to a halt just outside the box he was in, and then, silence.
Luca held his breath and waited for a long while, but no sound followed.
Just as he considered whether he should open the box to take a look.
The box suddenly creaked and groaned as if it were being opened inch by inch.
Faint light filtered in. The first thing Luca saw was a damp wooden floorboard, covered with various kinds of seaweed and coral. Then, his gaze locked on a skull, wearing a sailor’s hat, jet-black in color, with green flames burning in its eyes.
Luca stared at the skull, his mouth twitching involuntarily. He could guess where he was now.
“You’re awake?” The skull spoke, its voice deep and mature, sounding like a middle-aged man.
Sensing no hostility from the figure, Luca decided to speak up. “Where is this?”
As he asked, he sat up and found himself in what appeared to be a cargo hold. The surroundings were poor, with piles of decaying objects that were barely recognizable.
The smell of seawater and salt filled his nose. In a corner, he spotted two bleached white skeletal remains, their tattered clothing and broken swords suggesting they had once been pirates.
“Are you asking about the current location, or the current area?” The black skull spoke again, its jaw opening wide, the dark mouth giving off an ominous feeling, as if it could swallow everything.
“I want to know both,” Luca responded, struggling to climb out of the wooden box. Only then did he realize that he had been lying in a bright red coffin, which had a silver cross engraved on its lid.
“This is the Sea of the Dead in the Underworld. We’re currently aboard the Ghost Ship of the Fallen. You’ve probably heard its legend, a ghost ship that travels between the real world and the Underworld,” the black skull closed the coffin lid and spoke calmly. “My name is Levin Barnes. I’m the ferryman for souls, and also the captain of this ship. I’ve probably been doing this for… I’ve lost count of how many generations.”