"12°10′N, 114°30′E. That’s what I was able to get when I looked at the island in my vision."
Standing atop the newly refurbished ship as it sailed across the raging waters, Ethen’s voice carried over the sound of crashing waves. A weathered map rested in his hands, his finger tracing the rough coordinates while comparing them against the route Nicolas had plotted before departure.
It wasn’t much.
Just a pair of numbers.
Yet they were the only lead they possessed.
The vision hadn’t shown him the journey.
It hadn’t revealed the surrounding waters.
Only the island itself.
If those coordinates were even slightly wrong, they could spend weeks wandering the Great Sea without finding anything.
"I’ve marked the general direction."
He folded the map before looking towards Nicolas.
"It’s all we’ve got."
The moment they had crossed into the Great Sea, Ethen finally understood why so many regarded it as one of the Eight Wonders of the world.
It was alive.
Not literally.
But everything about it felt hostile.
The sea never rested.
The waves never calmed.
Even the wind seemed incapable of remaining still for more than a few moments before changing direction again.
Their ship continuously rocked from side to side as wave after wave battered against the reinforced hull, each impact sending a dull vibration throughout the deck.
Spray constantly rose into the air.
The sails snapped violently overhead.
The entire vessel groaned under the pressure despite having only left the safety of the mainland hours earlier.
An ordinary merchant vessel would likely have turned back already.
If ordinary people boarded a ship like this...
Most would spend the entire day vomiting over the railing.
"We’ve crossed the five-kilometre mark."
One of Nicolas’ crew members finally broke the silence, lowering the spyglass in his hands before letting out a quiet sigh.
"Going back isn’t really feasible anymore."
He glanced over his shoulder towards the distant shoreline.
Or rather...
Towards what little remained visible of it.
The mainland had already become a thin line against the horizon.
Returning now would be just as dangerous as continuing forward.
Everyone aboard understood that.
When they had first entered the sea, they had immediately noticed another fleet waiting beyond the harbour.
Five ships.
Each crewed by members of the same organisation that had attacked them at the docks.
They had managed to leave first.
But only barely.
Nobody aboard believed those ships had simply given up.
They were following.
Whether they intended to intercept them before reaching the island...
Or simply observe from a distance...
Nobody could say.
"Ehn, it’s fine."
Nicolas barely looked up.
His full attention remained fixed upon the mounted crossbow positioned near the bow of the ship.
Using a collection of specialised tools, he carefully tightened the final support braces before checking the rotation mechanism once again.
"This ship’s top grade now."
He grinned proudly.
"She can take a beating."
Only then did he glance briefly towards Ethen.
"Besides... if your vision’s right, we’ll reach that island in a day or two."
The final mounted crossbow now stood firmly secured in place.
During the last moments before the ship had left the docks, Nicolas had made one final gamble.
Rather than abandoning the weapon...
He had summoned one of his contracted beasts.
The flying creature had swooped down just as the ship descended, grabbing the unfinished crossbow in its claws before carrying it safely onto the deck moments later.
The installation itself had been delayed.
The weapon hadn’t.
After all...
Nicolas wasn’t merely an eccentric captain.
He was a Tier Eight summoner.
Losing a crossbow simply wasn’t acceptable.
"Just stay on course."
Ethen returned his attention towards the endless ocean stretching before them.
Dark storm clouds had already begun gathering in the distance, slowly swallowing the blue sky one section at a time.
They were still relatively close to the shores of mankind.
And yet...
The sea already looked like this.
He couldn’t help wondering what waited deeper within.
If this was considered the safer part of the Great Sea...
What exactly lurked at its heart?
The thought alone was enough to send a chill through him.
Time passed surprisingly quickly aboard the ship.
The endless rhythm of crashing waves, snapping sails and shouted orders gradually blended together until the hours became difficult to distinguish.
The sun slowly drifted across the sky.
Clouds gathered.
Rain came and went.
Occasionally, enormous shadows could be seen moving beneath the surface far below the ship before disappearing once again into the darkness.
Nobody spoke about them.
Everyone simply pretended not to notice.
Then...
"Land!"
One of the crew suddenly shouted.
Far ahead...
Barely visible through the mist and sea spray...
The faint outline of an island finally appeared.
...
...
...
...
...
However...
The eyes witnessing that island first did not belong to Ethen.
They belonged to another man entirely.
Standing aboard a small wooden boat drifting towards the shoreline, Tywin quietly watched the island grow larger with every passing second.
His brown hair swayed violently in the ocean wind while the strange digital countdown displayed across his chest continued increasing one number at a time.
Neither the raging sea nor the towering waves seemed capable of disturbing him.
"What a beautiful thing."
He muttered softly.
Unlike Nicolas’ heavily reinforced vessel, Tywin’s boat was remarkably small.
Little more than a simple wooden craft.
Yet somehow...
It had carried him safely across the Great Sea.
The moment the boat scraped against the shore, Tywin calmly stepped onto the island.
As though completing its purpose...
The vessel suddenly began unravelling.
The wooden planks separated into countless strands resembling tree roots before twisting together once again.
Within seconds...
The boat no longer existed.
In its place rested a single wooden sword.
It dropped neatly into Tywin’s waiting left hand.
He stared at it briefly.
Then looked towards the sea.
A bean-shaped orb of light suddenly appeared beside his shoulder.
Its gentle glow contrasted strangely against the dark sky overhead.
"Remember."
The orb spoke calmly.
"You can’t beat it."
"Don’t act rash."
"All you need to do is lure it into assuming its human form on this island."
"Then... give me enough time to control it."
Its voice echoed quietly beside Tywin’s ear.
Following its gaze, Tywin slowly raised his head.
Far beyond the island...
Something enormous stirred.
His expression remained unchanged.
Yet his heartbeat quickened instinctively.
Coiling through the distant ocean rested a gigantic serpentine creature.
Its body alone dwarfed the island beneath Tywin’s feet several times over, disappearing beneath the waves before emerging again further along the horizon.
Clouds gathered above its head.
The surrounding sea churned violently with every subtle movement it made.
It was less like observing a living creature...
And more like staring at a natural disaster.
A Celestial Dragon.
An existence powerful enough to alter the heavens themselves simply by existing.
Anyone witnessing such a sight should have fled.
Anyone...
Except Tywin.
He remained perfectly still.
He understood something very clearly.
This had never been a battle between himself and the Celestial Dragon.
It was a dance between gods.
Even with all of the dragon’s overwhelming strength...
The existence standing behind him was even more terrifying.
"Stuck between a rock and a hard place."
Tywin laughed quietly at himself.
He knew exactly what he was.
A pawn.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
But...
Even pawns could reach the other side of the board.
Even pawns could survive.
Tightening his grip upon the wooden sword, Tywin suddenly swung it forward.
A deafening roar erupted from deep within his body.
The sound rolled across the island like thunder, shaking the earth beneath his feet as trees bent violently under the pressure.
Behind him...
A translucent dragon-shaped apparition slowly emerged.
Its appearance closely resembled the monstrous Celestial Dragon waiting in the sea.
Only...
Smaller.
Far smaller.
Yet the aura surrounding it remained equally divine.
...
At almost that exact moment...
Far across the Great Sea...
Ethen, who had been lying quietly upon the deck with one arm resting beneath his head, suddenly opened his eyes.
His expression immediately changed.
He felt it.
The sea itself had changed.
A pressure unlike anything before swept across the horizon, carrying with it a wave of Heavenly Might so overwhelming that even the surrounding winds seemed to hesitate.
Slowly sitting upright, Ethen stared towards the distant clouds where a faint pillar of divine power rose into the heavens.
"It has started."
He muttered quietly beneath his breath.
Somewhere beyond those waters...
The battle for the Celestial Dragon had begun.
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