NOVEL NEXT Chapter 122 A Breakthrough
"A fast boat is coming towards us."
Pororo jumped back onto the ship and spoke to the two people maneuvering it. Although this ship was a Spell Ship, it was clearly a much lower grade than the Sea Fist. It had no autopilot system; all the Spells on the ship served only for speed, making it more like a speedboat. Luckily, with some basic settings, Chadite at the helm, and Alka occasionally adjusting the sails, they could get the ship moving.
Hearing Pororo's words, Alka hurriedly asked, "Is there just one ship? Can you sense how big it is?"
"Only one ship, not large, but I cannot ascertain the specifics."
Alka considered this for a moment. "Forget it, let's not worry about them. Pursuers or not, we need to get on course quickly."
Given their current situation and the speed of their ship, avoiding battle was the most rational course of action; they didn't need to pay the approaching vessel much mind.
Just as he finished speaking, a blue water arrow shot over.
There's a Toucher on the enemy ship. It seems they're the pursuers sent by my father; they come with ill intent, Alka thought.
Pororo, at the ship's edge, immediately plunged a hand into the sea and swept it upwards, raising a curtain of water that blocked the arrow. The water curtain also intercepted more arrows coming from behind, astonishingly remaining suspended in mid-air for about ten seconds. It only collapsed after deflecting all the enemy attacks.
"Looks like they've discovered us," Alka muttered.
Just as he was about to say more, Pororo's eyes turned crimson. He opened his massive mouth, revealing sharp teeth, and licked his huge tongue around his maw. "Then let their blood be the first to soothe my thirst for revenge!"
In an instant, Pororo's demeanor shifted from a boisterous, almost foolish air to one of pure ferocity. With that, he dove into the pitch-black waters, deaf to Alka and Chadite's attempts to stop him.
From Alka's perspective, this battle was entirely avoidable. The enemy was clearly too far away; that barrage of water arrows was evidently the most effective attack they could muster. Moreover, the enemy ship, similar in shape to their own, was also built for speed and lacked cannons or similar armaments. Considering the number of enemy crew, it clearly wasn't a Spell Ship. In terms of escape and speed, they held a decisive advantage. The enemy was approaching from the side, and given the speed of their fast sailboat, they definitely couldn't catch up to the Swallow. Alka's crew could have left them eating dust in no time.
However, they also knew they couldn't stop Pororo. Their understanding of the Shark-man was based solely on what he himself had told them. In the few days they had known him, they had learned that his power reached Two Spirals, he enjoyed challenges, was nonchalant about many things, and wasn't prone to deep thought. Now, he was revealing his bloodthirsty side.
Seeing this, Alka and Chadite had no choice but to turn their vessel and head towards the enemy. They could indeed see only that one ship, and Alka felt no burning sensation on his arm. This suggested the enemy ship was merely a reconnaissance vanguard.
Pororo, having dived into the sea, moved much faster than their ship. By the time Alka and Chadite could visually make out the details of the enemy vessel, Pororo had already burst from the water and landed on its deck. His eyes glowed crimson, and shimmering, water-blue seawater, like tattoos, wrapped around his arms and back. His massive body crashed directly onto the enemy ship, instantly snapping the main mast of the narrow fast sailboat. The immense force nearly capsized the slender vessel.
Two pirates, clearly Touchers, leaped out from the crew. But before they could attack, Pororo grabbed one and crushed him with his bare hand. The other, Pororo bit in half before Alka and Chadite's eyes, then hurled the severed upper body into the crowd of pirates. Afterward, he spat forcefully, sending the lower half of the corpse and a spray of blood and gore flying, knocking down the remaining pirates.
In moments, the entire enemy ship was dyed red with blood. Pororo's savage movements had shattered the already fragile speedboat. As it broke apart, seawater began to flood in; the vessel was clearly sinking. The terrified pirates, horrified by Pororo's brutality, cried out and leaped into the sea. What awaited them was an even more tragic demise. They were dragged underwater before they could even scream, and soon only trails of crimson floated up from the depths.
The depths had become Pororo's domain; for the pirates, it was as if they were trapped in a horror game.
As the pirate ship rapidly sank beneath the waves, Alka and Chadite lost sight of Pororo. The pirates who had been swimming on the surface, desperately trying to escape, were dragged down one by one, their struggles ending as patches of blood blossomed and spread across the water. The sea surface once again grew calm, returning to a black, silent stillness.
Just then, a splash erupted beside their ship, and Pororo climbed aboard, spotlessly clean, clutching a Black Water Fish in one hand. His eyes were back to normal. Seeing Alka and Chadite staring dumbfoundedly, he asked, "What are you looking at me for? Sail the ship."
Then, he skillfully skinned the Black Water Fish, gutted and cleaned it, and sliced the meat into pieces. "Eating fish after a battle is truly delightful." He divided the fish into two portions and handed them to Chadite and Alka. Alka ate his share while adjusting the sails.
This Pororo, Alka thought, is definitely more powerful than Andre, whether on a ship or underwater.
"As expected, my blessing is even more complete," Pororo murmured to himself, looking at his hands.
The Swallow sliced swiftly through the bloodstained sea surface, heading into the darkness. Countless sea fish and Sea Beasts, corrupted by the encroaching darkness, gathered in the area, sharing the unexpected feast.
「…」
The flagship of the Prayer for the Dead, the Bloody Maw, remained anchored at the edge of the Realm of Pitch Darkness. The elder holding a Scepter at the flagship's bow suddenly paused. Slowly, he said to the captain beside him, "One of the dispatched ships has been destroyed."
Hearing this, the captain, who was fiddling with a Silver Snake figurine, turned his head. "Oh? It seems my son is much more formidable than I thought! HAHAHA!"
Each fast sailboat sent to pursue Alka had been led by two One Spiral pirates, supported by more than ten elite pirates. Dealing with two exhausted Touchers should have been relatively easy. Others might not know it, but the captain knew very well that Alka had only been an Explorer for a few months.
With his hands behind his back, the captain gazed at the distant, dark sea and couldn't help but muse aloud, "Why did he have to leave Home Island? Wouldn't it be good to live peacefully on Home Island for a lifetime?"
He seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps to someone unseen. The elder beside him remained silent, standing quietly.
「…」
"What's going on? Isn't that the Holy Mother Church's fleet? Why are they out here?" a passenger on a merchant ship couldn't help asking as he watched the fleet sail past in the distance.
All the ships in that fleet were adorned in gold and green, each bearing the Church's emblem.
A companion also watching the scene shook his head. "I don't know, but I know someone's in for a rough time."
This was the Thorned Blade Fleet, which had set out that morning from the Great Cathedral. Led by the Church's Punishment Knight Commander, Long Budu, they were heading to the Realm of Pitch Darkness. Of the three, Gami had been left at the Great Cathedral.
Now, the fleet had arrived at the Realm of Pitch Darkness. They temporarily seized control of the Southeast Corner and immediately placed a bounty on all information regarding the Prayer for the Dead, as well as on the heads of their associated pirates.
Three ships carrying elite squads sailed into the Realm of Pitch Darkness to assess the current situation. The remaining ships, along with personnel from the Church, would blockade or monitor all potential exits around the Realm. Of course, they weren't solely responsible for the enormous periphery of the Realm of Pitch Darkness; all surrounding factions were willing to do the Church a favor by helping with patrols. Thus, the Prayer for the Dead Pirate Gang was effectively sealed within the Realm of Pitch Darkness.
「…」
After less than two days of sailing, the Swallow approached the edge of the Realm of Pitch Darkness at extreme speed. The few people aboard were on high alert. Alka watched his left hand, anticipating the familiar burning sensation.
Just as their ship veered off the established shipping route and was about to reach the edge of the Realm, a burning sensation shot through his arm. Using Dark Vision, he spotted a ship heading towards them at the limit of his sight.
"Pororo, turn the ship, quickly!"
Hearing Alka, Pororo dove directly into the sea. He forcibly maneuvered the ship, making it rapidly change direction. The Swallow carved a tight arc, heading back along the route they had just taken. With incredible speed, it soon left the pursuing black dot far behind, beyond visual range.
"PHEW." Alka couldn't help but let out a breath of relief.
"This is bad. We ran into him the moment we tried to exit," Alka said. "He must be constantly tracking our movements."
"But how is he pinpointing our location so accurately?" Chadite asked, bewildered.
Just then, Lucilia emerged from Alka's chest. "I think I understand how your father is tracking you," she said directly.
"It's still bloodline tracking. The method he's using is likely influenced by Energy. This place, except for the very edges, is saturated with dark Energy, which undoubtedly interferes with his tracking. If you're in the outer areas, or even deeper within the Realm, he can only determine your approximate direction. But once you appear at the edge, he can pinpoint your exact location."
This, of course, was merely Lucilia's conjecture.
Hearing Lucilia's explanation, Alka frowned in thought.
In other words, their movements in the outer areas have always been within his father's grasp. He can guess where I might try to slip out based on my movements. He just needs to wait in that area, and once I move from the outer region to the edge, he can pinpoint my location. It's like a sheep walking into a tiger's den.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but rub his forehead in frustration. "It seems leaving the Realm of Pitch Darkness is going to be difficult."
"He's definitely waiting for us to succumb to the encroaching darkness," Chadite added.
Alka's father only needed to block Alka's attempts to exit at the edge, forcing him back to wander the outer areas. The darkness of these peripheral zones would continuously assail Alka until it drove him mad. He would either die insane in the Dark Realm or gamble on breaking through the blockade at the edge.
The one thing his father likely hadn't anticipated was Alka's extraordinarily high resistance to darkness. His soul was unusually strong, and with Lucilia's help, he could endure in the outer areas for a long time. He could even draw away the darkness affecting Chadite, helping her remain safe within the Realm of Pitch Darkness.