In the distance, Malcolm's expression shifted drastically upon hearing this.
Without a moment's hesitation, he jogged over to the anchor windlass and twisted a metal knob on the circular winch.
Immediately after, a blue-white gemstone at the top of the windlass lit up.
The entire ship began to be enveloped in a massive white barrier.
The barrier resembled a giant, translucent bowl, capping the ship tight and secure.
A familiar ripple of spirituality wafted through the air.
Elias didn't even need to examine it closely to recognize it instantly.
“Moonlight stone?”
“Indeed,”
the old spiritual body in his mind replied.
As the massive white barrier gradually enveloped the ship completely,
a vast veil of moonlight draped silently over its surface like a silver waterfall cascading from the heavens.
Right before Elias's eyes, the vessel gradually faded from view amidst the thick, viscous fog.
“Isn't this the core technology of us ascetics?!”
Elias raised an eyebrow.
“What about it?”
“Are you going to sue them for patent infringement at the Seventh Agency?”
Old Ed teased, but Elias didn't respond.
Because even though Malcolm had reacted with incredible speed,
several sailors standing near the edge of the deck still followed in old Crowley's footsteps.
Tracing a tragic arc through the air in the exact same manner as the old captain, they were instantly sent flying.
With the aid of 【Moon Vision】 during this brief half-second window, Elias finally got a clear look at the true nature of those creatures.
They were massive flying-fin fish-men bursting frantically out of the sea.
Indeed.
These fish-men looked somewhat like sirens, but their design was far more unrestrained.
Physiologically, they were practically giant flying fish.
Glistening scales covered their entire bodies, shimmering with brilliant light.
Yet, defying all common sense, they possessed two thick, muscular arms.
Other than that, they were identical to fish.
What was even more breathtaking was that a pair of massive fins stretched all the way from their arms to their tails.
This allowed them to function perfectly as underwater torpedoes.
Propelled by the immense kinetic energy generated from swimming below, they could leap straight out of the water.
They could even glide for short distances across the surface of the sea.
Now that these flying fish were the size of humans,
their sheer mass meant that their brief flight distance and speed completely shattered the limits of natural biology.
“If Darwin were here, he'd definitely give them a swift kick.”
Elias muttered to himself.
Calling this speed “fast” was an understatement.
An old sea dog like Crowley had been sent flying in an instant by a head-on collision with one of these things.
Even someone as strong as old Crowley had stood no chance against such terrifying velocity.
After all,
when a cannonball is flying right at your face, knowing that the opponent has malicious intent and actually being able to dodge are two entirely different things.
“Damn it!”
“Flying-fin fish-men!”
Old Ed's voice carried a hint of panic.
“These damn things are incredibly underhanded.”
Before Elias could respond in his mind,
a barrage of sharp, rapid splashing sounds erupted from all directions.
“Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!”
Though the flying-fin fish-men could no longer see the ship's location,
they began mindlessly slamming toward its last known coordinates.
Dull thuds echoed continuously.
The immense kinetic energy caused them to disintegrate into piles of minced meat the instant they slammed into the white barrier due to their own extreme speed.
Physics demonstrated its absolute rigor at this moment.
The impact was reflected in full.
Fish bellies and guts splattered everywhere.
Dull, heavy thuds echoed continuously against the barrier.
The first mate, Malcolm, gripped a nearby mast tightly, his face grim.
He spat violently as he watched the shredded flesh and blood slowly slide down the outside of the barrier.
“Boys!”
“Follow me off the ship to rescue the captain and our brothers who were ambushed!”
With the ship's defense and concealment secured, Malcolm didn't hesitate for a second.
Drawing the cutlass at his waist, which gleamed with a cold light, he pointed downward and roared at the rattled sailors on the deck.
“Aye! Aye, sir!”
Though pale with fear, their years of living on the edge at sea made them instinctively obey.
They drew their weapons one after another.
“Bosun!”
Malcolm barked over his shoulder.
“Here!”
A burly man clad in heavy leather armor immediately bellowed back.
“Command of the ship is yours while I'm gone!”
“Ensure the Nightgull is kept safe!”
Malcolm said solemnly, emphasizing every word.
But upon hearing that name, Elias almost spat out loud.
Goddamn it.
Nightgull?
It truly is old Crowley's ship.
Is his ultimate goal to poop on everyone's head equally?
This corporate culture is way too hardcore.
“Aye, aye, sir!”
The leather-armored man, completely oblivious to Elias's internal mockery, responded in a deep voice.
He then turned and began efficiently rallying the remaining sailors to set up a watch on the deck.
At that moment, Malcolm and several core crew members walked over with solemn expressions.
His gaze swept across the deck, eventually settling on Elias and Bloodsong, who had just stepped out of the captain's cabin.
“Shall we, gentlemen?”
Malcolm tapped his cutlass against the deck, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Why does this feel like we're being led to the gallows...
Elias grumbled internally as he looked at the glinting weapons in the hands of the surrounding sailors.
Outwardly, however,
he simply nodded to show he had no objections.
Along with Bloodsong, he followed the group down the slick accommodation ladder.
Granted, considering how cunning and shrewd old Crowley was, not to mention his unfathomable Scale,
Elias felt he shouldn't be worrying.
But the problem was, the old man still hadn't given him the first half of the curse-removal method he had promised!
If the old sea dog went missing just like that,
who was he supposed to ask for his reward?
That was a bargaining chip he had risked his life to retrieve from the Lily of the Valley Convent cemetery!
He couldn't let the old sea dog disappear.
At least, the old man couldn't die before coughing up the curse-removal method.
Elias landed on the ground with a dull thud.
Wading through the bone-chilling seawater, he stepped onto the surface of this unknown reef.
The dense fog made everything in sight a white expanse of mist.
Forget seeing the distant lighthouse; right now, one couldn't even distinguish a human from a beast beyond five meters.
Elias casually stored The Roaring Cane back into his Gluttonous Stomach.
He felt that he had used the cane enough tonight, and the spiritual pressure had reached its limit.
His soul still hadn't fully recovered after all this time, entirely because there had been too much trouble.
He needed to rest.
Even though his spirituality bar was thick, continuous overloading would make him a VIP guest at Landon Asylum.
The only weapons he had left to use were the revolver tucked at his waist and the dagger he had just retrieved from his Gluttonous Stomach.
To be precise,
it was the item he had named the "Thorn Cutlass."
Though the name sounded like something out of a fantasy MMO,
to be honest, aside from the rather inhumane way the blade acquired its power,
the ability to absorb blood to cast the 【Thorn Spell】 was quite practical.
His original plan had been to head to the Arcane Black Market and sell this blade for some gold crowns.
After all, this was something left behind after Luke's death, and holding onto it felt a bit unlucky.
But since he had experienced a series of sudden changes, especially after fighting the mountain of flesh,
he had barely had a moment of peace.
Every day, he was either playing checkers with a dream demon or playing hide-and-seek with cultists.
Naturally, he had neither the time nor the energy to sell it.
So, he had carried it with him all the way onto this ship affectionately dubbed the "Poop-Bird."
However,
when he drew the blade this time,
Elias's expression suddenly shifted.
In the pale silver field of view of 【Moon Vision】, he clearly noticed that something was off with the cutlass!
“Oh!”
Old Ed also let out a gasp in his mind at the exact same moment.
“This sword has deteriorated!”
“Nonsense,”
Elias retorted in his mind.
“This is a qualitative transformation.”
Rate on N.U.
