Chapter 451: Order, Awaken! (10k Words Chapter!)

Chapter 451: Order, Awaken! (A Ten-Thousand-Word Chapter!)

Alfred opened the door, receiving Karen and Muri as they quickly returned to the cabin.

"Captain, next time you are the one who cannot say such things; your words are too precise."

"Merely a coincidence."

Karen was unwilling... no, no one would be willing to admit they were a jinx.

Only Alfred wore a smile.

Then the smile on Alfred's face instantly vanished, for the attack was about to be sustained.

This was a round of sudden assault from the air, its timing exquisitely chosen, precisely during the window when the fleet had just completed its transit and the aerial vessels and flying beasts above had not yet had time to disperse for aerial coverage and concealment.

The magic crystal cannon batteries on the deck could strike upward, but they required charging time; the other calibers of spell cannons and ordinary muzzles were of little use against such massive meteors.

Consequently, during this round of meteor offensive, the fleet could only endure it completely by passively taking the blows.

A burning meteor fell between the frigate where Karen was located and the flagship, exploding violently upon contact with the water; both the flagship and the frigate possessed peripheral protective shields, and though the hulls shook violently from the blast impact, they suffered no substantive damage, for this kind of diffuse explosive output made localized penetration difficult.

Returning to the cabin, Karen immediately observed the sand table; on the display, only two supply ships with weaker defenses reported suffering some trauma and were marked on the sand table, while the remaining warships were basically "unscathed."

However, through the forward porthole, Karen could still see a large expanse of deep crimson appearing on the sea ahead.

Purr leaped onto Karen's shoulder and spoke, "Sea beasts are injured or dead. These sea beasts had just severed their 'attachment' to the warships and haven't had time to dive yet."

Soon, the sand table began to mark the casualties of the sea beasts; approximately nearly twenty sea beasts were injured, and six had lost their combat capability.

Although fruits of battle had been gained, this round of precise ambush did not inflict any serious blow upon the expeditionary fleet of the Moon God Religion... it could hardly even be called a blow, at most a minor scratch.

The two sides could be considered to have formally commenced their battle at this moment.

An order arrived from the flagship, roughly dividing the entire fleet into three parts to launch an assault.

Soon, the corresponding effect appeared on the sand table; the frigate where Karen was located naturally followed the flagship to become the central portion, while the two wings began to accelerate outward and forward, and the expedition fleet, whose formation had been fairly tight, now spread out like a blooming morning glory.

The big fellows were clearly very interested in the atmosphere of this real-world warfare; though they could do nothing and could not intervene, it did not stop them from indulging their cravings by looking at the sand table and the scene outside the porthole.

Bart spoke, "Samsara must have made preparations as well, choosing not to hold fast to the holy land of the Wenros Archipelago but choosing instead to launch an active assault. Under these circumstances, Commander Gelingga of the Moon God Religion did not choose to contract defenses and passively take blows, but ordered an active dispersal to attack, precisely taking advantage of Samsara's insufficient strength to bring out the advantage of their own overall absolute superiority in strength."

Karen remained silent beside him, but hearing Bart's analysis, he consciously felt that based on his own personality in the commander's position, he would likely choose to contract defenses first and advance slowly, rather than being so decisive.

Muri nodded, "It's just bullying the Samsara Religion for being unable to produce a navy of equal volume to break through in a frontal confrontation."

Memphis spoke, "In the previous few small-scale conflicts, the Moon God Religion suffered losses; this time their plan is to take advantage of Samsara's weakness and use volume to suppress them."

At this moment, prompts about the seabed began to appear frequently in the dispatch communications, meaning that traces of the enemy had been discovered below the sea surface, and their own sea beasts had already gone to engage and fight with the enemy.

In the sky above, a patch of grey dark clouds appeared, within which the figures of bone flying beasts could be faintly seen.

Intelligence from various quarters arrived continuously and rapidly, catching everyone, who was witnessing a regular battlefield for the first time, somewhat unprepared.

Eisley clutched her head and said, "My brain is about to explode."

Mars said, "It's because we don't have a staff department and have no way to refine the information."

Muri nodded, "The frigate commander upstairs should be much clearer than us, oh, that Commander Gelingga will only be clearer."

At this moment, the flagship conveyed an order, which was very simple: requiring their own sea beasts below the sea surface as well as the vessels and flying beasts in the sky to entangle and bite the opponent at all costs, while the three parts of the fleet rapidly advanced toward the Wenros Archipelago.

Next, another order was conveyed: the vessels of the inner circle must beware of enemy boarding and disruption.

In this manner, almost completely abandoning the situation beneath their own sea and in the sky, the fleet began to continue its advance.

Sure enough, the foremost detection ship discovered information regarding the existence of an enemy fleet, precisely directly ahead of the central portion where the flagship was located.

However, the flagship did not order an attack, but instead issued an order to halt the advance.

In this way, the two wings continued forward, and the halting of the central portion was equivalent to lagging behind, causing the fleet as a whole to present an inverted triangular shape in Karen's cognition.

The flagship ordered: The main body, using the rear as the baseline direction, turn, enter firing preparation.

The warships began to swing broadside, and not only on the deck, but also the cannons in the mezzanine layers were exposed, assuming a combat firing posture.

Karen spoke, "Is this guessing in advance that the enemy intends to attack from the rear?"

Muri chimed in, "It should be so. Commander Gelingga made arrangements in advance completely in accordance with the opponent's life-risking manner."

As expected, a grey marker appeared at the rear of the fleet on the sand table, which meant an enemy fleet had appeared from behind; the fleet discovered ahead earlier must have been merely a feint, serving as cover for this fleet appearing from the rear.

Karen came to the watchtower once more, using the telescope to observe; a fleet was speeding toward this location, and though its full appearance could not be clearly seen now, it could be felt that the scale of the enemy fleet was not large, looking to be just a few dozen warships.

On the deck, the Moon God Religion priests upon the frigate began to charge the magic crystal cannons, and an oppressive coercion began to appear in vast sheets.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Suddenly, the magic crystal cannons fired, and the immense sensation of vibration caused Karen to subconsciously reach out and grip the railing; when the magic crystal cannons fired in unison, the people on the ship instantly felt a physiological sense of suffocation, as if the surrounding air had been instantaneously sucked away.

Immediately following, the hull began to turn back, training the magic crystal cannons on the other side that were poised and waiting toward the distance, another round of unison firing.

Streaks of yellow light pillars carved out immense ravines upon the sea; in Karen's perspective, the vault of heaven was filled with yellow light pillars, and upon falling where the enemy was, they quickly exploded with blinding brilliance, the violent roaring sounds arriving only after a brief moment.

Next, the hull turned once more, and the magic crystal cannons on the side that had just finished charging prepared again, firing in unison along with the command.

Then it was a continuous cycle.

In short, in Karen's perspective, the seawater in that distant area was like water boiling upon a stove, completely bubbling at this moment, continuously throwing up immense bubbles with a gurgling sound.

Karen moved his gaze away from the telescope; the continuously flashing beams scorched his eyes until they began to redden and tear, like a person observing electric welding at close range without wearing protective gear.

Alfred stood by Karen's side, puzzled, "Young Master, shouldn't we draw a bit closer before striking?"

"Perhaps it is to prevent accidents," Karen conjectured, "but the opponent's losses are already quite wretched."

Karen had previously seen many warships of the Samsara camp being directly shredded under the impact of successive beams of magic crystal cannons.

After passing through the initial situation of passively taking blows, the opponent also began to carry out counterattacks, but compared to the efficient unison firing on the Moon God Religion's side, the opponent's counterattacks appeared somewhat soft and powerless; not only could they not form a unified unison fire, but the accuracy of the shots was also extremely poor, and perhaps due to the range of the magic crystal cannons, more than half struck ahead of the Moon God Religion's flagship fleet.

"The cannon range was also considered," Karen said while applying a minor healing spell to his own eyes. "Of the three parts of this Moon God Religion fleet, the warships of the central portion where the flagship resides have the best quality; whether in the number of equipped magic crystal cannons or their quality, they are top-tier in the fleet. That Samsara fleet attempting an ambush is not only small in scale but also low in quality."

The battlefield between the Moon God Religion and Samsara did not only occur on this battlefield; the contact points between the forces of both sides were actually very numerous, but this battlefield was the most important; according to the Moon God Religion's plan, they hoped to open a breach here.

Therefore, the Samsara Religion's response arrangements on this battlefield would also be the most aggressive; this was Samsara's navel, and if it were occupied, the Sea of the Dead would no longer be a safe zone.

"Boom!"

A beam of magic crystal cannon from the opposite side struck a frigate diagonally ahead of Karen; the protective shield neutralized most of the beam's power, but after the remaining portion fell upon the deck, it still blasted out a large hole, and Karen watched with his own eyes as dozens of Moon God Religion priests upon the deck were vaporized on the spot.

Soon, many priests ran out from beneath that frigate to rearrange the deck, while the damaged frigate began to withdraw backward, and a frigate behind consciously came up to take its place.

Fortunately, except for that initial meteor storm that had made Karen feel danger, during this round of cannon-fire attacks between the two sides, Karen's side had suffered no further threats apart from the neighboring ship that had been struck earlier.

After taking passive blows for many rounds, the opponent showed signs of retreat.

At this moment, the flagship ordered the main body's location to give chase, while simultaneously ordering the two wings that had already pushed forward to continue pushing forward, pressing directly toward the Wenros Archipelago.

The originally complete fleet formally became uncoupled at this moment, dividing into two.

"It is dinner time, what would Captain Karen like to have?" Mota appeared behind Karen.

Karen glanced at him and asked, "Do you think asking about dinner at this time is very humorous and witty?"

Mota replied, "The battle has already come to a temporary close, we have achieved a complete victory; I think the kitchens of all the warships have already begun preparing dinner now."

"I feel that dividing the fleet directly like this might be a bit too aggressive?"

"I just heard some content upstairs in Captain Yadu's command room, which I can share for you to hear, Captain Karen."

"What we previously feared most and found most intractable was that this Samsara fleet would rely on the fortifications of the Wenros Islands to wage a near-island war with us; we would certainly have achieved victory, but it would inevitably have come at no small cost.

The current situation is the best possible outcome, for Samsara also clearly understands that by trapping their fleet near the islands until our own fleet draws close, they too would be unable to escape, and the final conclusion under our superior force would be utter annihilation.

Thus, they intend to use this sort of sudden raid to achieve some battle spoils before turning to maneuver against us upon this sea, thereby alleviating the pressure on the defense of the Wenros Islands.

Yet not only did their surprise attack fail, but under the successful anticipation of Commander Gelingga, they suffered heavy losses and are even now being pursued by our forces; it is only a matter of time before they are gnawed to total destruction.

Losing the cover and shared pressure of their sole fleet, the Wenros Islands stand as mere targets before our ships; this campaign will likely require about five more days to reach a comprehensive conclusion, and my Luna Cult shall seize the Wenros Islands.

Of course, compared to your Cult's speed back then, it is still far too slow.

As for your belief that separating the fleet is a taboo, please rest assured; I know that our spies in Samsara leave no secrets from us, and Samsara holds no secrets from us either.

Samsara knows when we will attack, and we are well aware of how much strength Samsara has left, including the fleet power and disposition across each region.

Detailed down to the ownership of those two warships, originally belonging to Samsara's main fleet, which were captured by your Cult."

"Oh?"

"Those were your Cult's spoils of war, and before the outbreak of hostilities, Samsara bought back those warships from your Cult."

"Did you not protest? After all, we did sign a treaty."

"Heh," Mota laughed, "your Cult notified us and resolved to share half of the ransom money with us; what reason could we possibly have to disagree?"

"Merely for the ransom money?"

"Not only for the ransom money, but because we know that the high-ranking commanders of those two fleets chose suicide rather than captivity and surrender during the 'First Day War'; the members high and low of those two main fleets mostly did not belong to Samsara's Family Faction, but rather belonged to the System Faction represented by the former Gatekeeper of Samsara, so after the current Gatekeeper of Samsara, Romir, took power, the Family Faction disbanded, investigated, and imprisoned them.

The warships have only just been ransomed and delivered; with only ships and an insufficient number of operators, even the finest vessels are mere ornaments, utterly incapable of forming combat effectiveness.

Even if they were to release the detained and investigated personnel now, re-recruiting and replenishing sailors and divine officials, by the time they could take to the field, the war should already be over.

This news has all been confirmed; there will absolutely be no oversight!

Therefore, within this sea territory, the power Samsara can deploy is only this much, and it is impossible for any further variables to occur.

Let me secretly tell you further: once we take the Wenros Islands here and press toward the Sea of the Dead, threatening Samsara Valley, if Samsara wishes to surrender to my Cult, the surrender treaty will inevitably include a clause—namely, to strip away all of Samsara's fleet power, and those warships will be taken over by our Luna Cult."

After listening, Karen lamented in his heart: if this were truly the case, then it would indeed be very difficult for the Samsara Cult to turn the tables.

It was just that the Order Cult's operation of selling captured warships inside the conflict and then splitting the proceeds with the Luna Cult truly left one speechless; and though Mota did not say it, Karen could guess that regardless of the post-war outcome, if the Luna Cult negotiated with Samsara, the Order Cult—either as a mediator or from behind the scenes—would be able to claim a portion of the profits the Luna Cult fought tooth and nail for without doing anything at all.

Next came a continuous two-day chase and biting; during this period, several small-scale battles erupted between the two fleets of vastly disparate strength, but all concluded with Samsara fleeing once more after sustaining casualties.

Meanwhile, over at the Wenros Islands, the detached fleet was conducting its assault; two days had passed, and after suffering a certain number of casualties, they had cleared away most of the fortifications on the islands, with the next phase preparing for island-landing operations.

Across the seven or eight other battlefields between the Luna Cult and Samsara, although the Luna Cult did not possess many breakthrough points, they held the upper hand in all situations; they were essentially waiting to occupy the holy land of the Wenros Islands here before sailing into the Sea of the Dead, breaking the plane with a single point and forcing the Samsara Cult to begin a large-scale contraction elsewhere, so that those several contested holy lands could be won without a fight.

Originally, Karen had always worried that an accident might occur, but no accident happened.

Perhaps because the campaign was going smoothly and his mood was excellent, Gelingga even invited Karen and the others to a dinner banquet aboard his flagship tonight.

Clearly, this fleet was still in the midst of pursuing the remnant enemy, yet it was obvious that the people of the Luna Cult were already celebrating victory in advance.

Karen did not stint on his words of praise; pleasant words cost nothing anyway, and since he was already rather adept at conversation, he chatted quite happily with Commander-in-Chief Gelingga.

When the banquet concluded and Karen and his companions returned to their own destroyer across the gangboard, Gelingga, standing upon the deck of the flagship, watched the young man's retreating figure beneath the night curtain and could not help but say to Mota, who still remained by his side:

"I originally thought him overbearing, but now I feel my perception was mistaken."

Mota immediately replied, "Captain Karen is still very courteous in his treatment of others."

"What about that cat and dog?"

"That cat can speak; it should be his guardian demon beast."

"Oh, so that is how it is; it seems I misjudged him. Quite a fine young fellow, a pity he belongs to Order; however, try to maintain a good relationship with him as much as possible, he may be of use in the future."

"Yes, my Lord, I understand."

"Regarding intelligence, are there any new developments? Samsara, Order, and the other orthodox cults."

"My Lord, our Cult's declaration of war against Samsara this time triggered a counter-attack by the System Faction within Samsara against the Family Faction; the ruling high-ranking members of the Family Faction, far from choosing reconciliation, instead intensified their suppression.

The warships they ransomed back from the Order Cult have already been delivered into their hands, but I think Gatekeeper Romir dares not release those people to continue commanding these vessels."

"Heh," Gelingga laughed upon hearing this, "she is worried that after these people take command of the warships, not only will they fail to come out and fight us, the Luna Cult, but they might instead turn their cannon muzzles directly upon their own Family Faction."

"Yes; in short, the internal situation of the Samsara Cult is currently in utter chaos, a chaos so profound... that it even feels somewhat inconceivable to your subordinate."

"There is nothing inconceivable about it; when a situation deteriorates and goes downhill, internal contradictions must inevitably be provoked. It is not that they did not exist before, but rather that they could be covered up."

"As for the Order Cult, there have been no movements; including the aftermath of the observation mission affair, it has not provoked further discussion, so a consensus should have been reached."

"That newly appointed High Priest of the Order Cult is not simple; we all originally thought he would be unable to suppress the contradictions, but he truly seems capable of suppressing them, though one knows not how long he can keep them down.

For a divine cult to develop and grow to this extent, employing radical methods to reform and apply pressure can easily lead to problems; let us see what follows. If that High Priest Norton could be like the Light Mad Pope, it would be well."

"Additionally, within the cult circles, none of the major orthodox divine cults have manifested any intention to aid Samsara; they prefer to continue waiting to see the outcome of this campaign.

Because our Cult signed a treaty with the Order Cult before the war, the Divine Son is still in York City, and the matter of the Order observation mission has also been broadcast abroad, by now even the official missives condemning our Cult's launch of war against Samsara have vanished."

"They are afraid, daring not to enter the field, and they will remain afraid for a long time; as long as we can conclude this war a bit faster, external interference will basically cease to exist."

"Yes, my Lord."

"You and your mentor have worked hard."

"My Lord, please do not say such a thing; those who truly work hard are you, my Lord, and these devout believers beneath your command who fight for the Cult and the Goddess. What my mentor and I have done is not worth mentioning."

"Without this diplomatic mediation presided over by your mentor, we would not possess such an excellent wartime environment, nor could we have forced the Order Cult to pinch their noses and tacitly accept that their shadow lies behind our declaration of war against Samsara.

This diplomatic work was accomplished exceedingly well; I know your sacrifices and I know your hardships, and you too are the most loyal warriors beneath the Moon."

"Thank you, my Lord."

Gelingga stood up and reached out to summon his adjutant.

"My Lord."

"Has the martial law order for tonight been issued?"

"It has already been issued according to your instructions, my Lord."

"Append another one, to be distributed to the entire fleet, directly in my name; tell them that the closer it is to this moment, the more likely the Samsara Cult is to employ ship-boarding sabotage tactics, so let them all sharpen their spirits and not die before the dawn of victory—that would be too great a loss."

"Yes, my Lord."

Mota reached out, adjusting Gelingga's cloak as he inquired, "My Lord is certain the opposite side will make a move?"

"I hope they do," Gelingga's gaze darkened slightly, "if they do not, it would mean that a problem we have failed to discover has likely arisen."

"But our information and intelligence have already achieved..."

"In this world, there are no absolute matters; even moonlight cannot illuminate every single corner of the earth."

...

Karen was assigned an independent room, which contained a private washroom, though the water pressure was somewhat low; after finishing his bath and changing his clothes, Karen intended to go to his "empty-headed command room."

Upon the companionway, Karen saw the figure of Captain Aidu appear ahead.

"Is Captain Karen intending to go to the command room?" Aidu spoke to inquire.

"Yes, Captain."

"If Captain Karen is willing, you may come to my command room tomorrow to observe."

Over these past three days together, Captain Yadu had found this Order observation delegation to be remarkably "polite." They demanded nothing unreasonable at all, contenting themselves entirely with playing to their hearts' content in the makeshift command room downstairs.

Since that was the case, Yadu did not mind showing them a bit more courtesy.

"Very well, thank you, Captain."

"Captain Karen is far too polite. Get some rest early tonight. The next time we catch the tail of the enemy will likely be around dawn. This time, we should completely shatter the remaining formation of the enemy fleet. It promises to be quite a spectacle."

"Excellent. I look forward to it. I will be waiting outside your command room tomorrow morning."

"You are welcome to come inside for a cup of coffee. I have a collection of premium coffee beans there."

"Is that so? Coffee happens to be my favorite."

"Then it is settled. Tomorrow morning, we shall enjoy our breakfast to the sound of the enemy fleet's annihilation."

"I am already envisioning the scene in my mind."

"Haha, get some rest early, Captain Karen. Remember, if anything happens or if you hear any commotion, lock your cabin door and do not come out. The Commander just issued a second round of orders; we must guard against a sudden boarding raid by the Reincarnation faction."

"Would they really attempt such a thing?"

Such an action could hardly achieve any real effect, and those sent out would find it nearly impossible to leave alive.

"When prey is driven into a corner, whatever it does is only natural."

"Indeed. Thank you for your guidance."

Karen returned to the third-floor "command room," while Yadu went downstairs to instruct the ship's sailors to tighten their patrols and slacken no diligence.

...

Inside the "command room," Aisly, Blanche, Mars, and Bart were playing cards.

Muri was absorbed in a book—he had not brought any of his own and had borrowed it specifically from Karen.

Alfred sat by the porthole, painting while gazing at the scenery outside.

Karen walked in and greeted each of them, gesturing for them to continue with their business, before opening the door to step out onto the observation deck.

Kevin lay on the deck, staring at the moon overhead. The moon over the sea always seemed to evoke certain reveries within the dog's heart.

Purr, meanwhile, rested her paws on the railing, gazing out into the distance across the water.

This cat and dog were both reminiscing about their own long-vanished youth.

Karen turned his head and only then realized that from where Alfred was sitting, one could see right through the porthole to this very spot. He had previously assumed Alfred was painting the landscape, but it turned out he was painting the people viewing it.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Philomena recognized it was Karen who had arrived. She turned around and said to him:

"Captain."

As for that cat and dog, they surely recognized his footsteps as well, but trading on their familiarity, they chose to remain deeply immersed in their own emotions.

Now, Philomena had ironically become the most polite one.

Karen walked up to Philomena’s side and returned the courtesy: "What are you thinking about?"

"Thinking about my grandmother. She is my only living relative now. I have been pondering a question: where should I bury her? I find the environment here rather nice. It is gloomy not only at night but during the day as well. My grandmother should like it. Captain, what do you think of a sea burial?"

"A sea burial actually does not require so much formality; it is mostly about a sense of release and letting go. If you must choose a sea burial, I suggest that if you have the chance in the future, you take your grandmother's ashes to the Sea of the Dead and scatter them there. Perhaps after a while, your grandmother might even become a spiritual imprint there, rowing a boat or floating on the sea every day, never finding peace even in death."

"Really?"

"Really. Of course, if you want something more spectacular, you could take her intact corpse to the Valley of Reincarnation and just toss it anywhere outside the small town. The environment there is even more peculiar. Before long, she would likely turn into a walking corpse, wandering aimlessly forever."

"Captain, you make it sound so tempting."

"Just do not tell your grandmother I said so."

"I won't. My grandmother has always had a very good impression of you. She considers you a truly exceptional person."

"Is that so."

"Yes. She said I need to learn from you—that when one possesses talent, one must also possess a matching state of mind."

"That might have to do with the family atmosphere. Clearly, the issue lies with your grandmother herself."

"It will be resolved. I do not think it will be much longer now." Philomena looked out at the sea and said in a heavy voice, "Either I kill her, or she kills me. Between her and me, only one can survive."

"That family curse again?"

"My grandmother does not think of it as a curse. I know that in her heart, she has never been able to let go of the man who cursed her. Perhaps I should call him 'Grandfather,' since he is quite old by now."

"Perhaps you could change your approach and try to break the curse."

Philomena shook her head and said, "He cannot be found anymore. He and his surname seem to have vanished from this world."

"Wait for the future. When our status and tier are higher, we might be able to access those untouchable classified areas."

"It will be too late. I can feel the change in the way my grandmother looks at me now. She wants to become young again, and she is already losing her patience. Perhaps one day in the future, when I rejoin the squad, it will no longer be me, but my grandmother.

Of course, she will make sure you do not notice the change, Captain.

Regardless, my grandmother will only be more powerful than I am. To the squad, whether I am myself or my grandmother makes no real difference, does it?"

Karen nodded and said, "Yes, that is true."

Philomena: "..."

Just then, Purr suddenly shrieked: "There are people under the water, meow!!!"

"Woof, woof, woof!" Kevin began to bark as well.

Almost simultaneously, alarms blared across the flagship and its surrounding escorts, signifying an enemy boarding intrusion!

From beneath the sea, figures shot upward one after another, numbering in the hundreds. More than half lunged toward the flagship, while the rest scattered to strike the surrounding escort vessels.

The former aimed for assassination, while the latter sought to obstruct reinforcements from the escorts.

These attackers bore scrolls upon their bodies. When the scrolls were unrolled, they pierced directly through the low-level protective barriers active during non-combat status and landed squarely on the deck.

The kind of barrier activated during actual combat, capable of resisting magic crystal cannons, could not possibly be kept open at all times, for the cost of its consumption was simply too terrifying. Even if those supply ships carried nothing but energy crystals, they could not withstand such extravagance, which was precisely what granted the attackers this opportunity to board.

In an instant, the flagship was filled everywhere with the brilliant light of spells and dense explosions, as the sounds of slaughter and miserable shrieks rose and fell in succession.

However, the vessel was well-prepared. After weathering the initial slight confusion, the situation was immediately brought under control.

Standing high on the observation deck, Karen watched dozens of figures appear below. The moment they boarded, they hurled their accumulated spell scrolls and other artifacts indiscriminately, inflicting heavy casualties on the soldiers of the Moon God religion who were the first to charge forward.

Yet, accompanied by the suppression from the sailors and priests on other levels using spell crossbow bolts and spell muskets, the momentum of the attackers was instantly beaten back.

Armored Moon Warriors continuously rushed onto the deck, engaging them in close-quarters combat.

Yadu’s figure even appeared below, calmly commanding his subordinates to cut off and surround the assassins.

Karen noticed two familiar figures among the crowd. One was Pede, the Simonson boy whom he had nearly beaten to death in the small woods of Dark Moon Island.

The other held a pair of scimitars; whenever they danced, even if the Moon Warriors before him wore armor, they were ripped wide open by a single stroke of his blade.

Rango. Karen had encountered him upon leaving the Gate of Reincarnation. It was Rango who had opened the teleportation array to lead them away, and Karen had always suspected that Rango's body had been occupied by some powerful soul from within the gate.

No, to be precise, the Rango he knew was likely a certain powerful soul from the Reincarnation God religion inside the gate.

"Captain?" Muri arrived at the doorway of the observation deck.

Karen raised his hand and said, "We will maintain our own vigilance. There is no need to go down and help. The people of the Moon God religion would prefer we did not interfere anyway."

Presumably, they were also worried that if his squad went down there, they would only extort money just like Commander Neo.

"Aye, Captain, establishing visual picket now!"

The boarders never managed to storm the superstructure; they were pinned to the main deck from the very beginning. After a sustained, grinding war of attrition, their casualties grew catastrophic.

At last, Cullen saw Rango plunge his twin scimitars deep into the deck. A terrifying plague-force actually pierced the ship's innate defensive arrays and erupted outward, causing the vanguard of Moon Warriors to ooze foul pus and collapse to their knees in agonizing screams.

Rango ripped his blades free and slashed at the barrier ahead, tearing a jagged rent in the ward. Without a second thought, he leaped through the breach into the ocean below, Flagg and the remaining seven or eight men following him into the deep.

The moment Rango dove, Cullen caught a fleeting impression that the man’s eyes had intentionally swept over his position. Had he been spotted?

On the flagship and the other escorts, the slaughter was drawing to a close. Because the fleet had been on high alert—with two separate watch orders issued tonight alone—over ninety percent of the boarders were either killed or captured alive. Only a fraction managed to slip away.

Captain Ardo stepped onto the companionway, likely heading back to the bridge to report to the flagship. Halfway up, he paused, tilting his head up toward Cullen on the high observation nest, a light smile on his face.

"Did that give Captain Cullen a bit of a fright?"

Cullen smiled back. "A little, yes."

"Then Captain Cullen may sleep soundly now. Good night."

"Thank you. Get some rest yourself."

Caring for Purr in his arms, Cullen walked back to his quarters, his mind replaying the sequence of Rango’s assault. Rango could clearly have wrought far greater havoc, yet he had deliberately held back, never exerting his full strength.

Furthermore, a man of his stature, alongside scions of the Simonson family like Flagg, should have been deployed as an elite strike force against the flagship to attempt a high-value assassination. Why waste them on an escort vessel just to delay reinforcements?

It didn't look like an attempt at a genuine, successful assassination at all. It felt more like a ritual, a mandatory protocol—a deliberate sacrifice to settle an account.

Just then, Mota entered alongside Cullen’s guard captain, Anse.

Anse spoke first. "It is over. The deck is cleared. You may rest easy, sir."

"Excellent. Thank you."

Mota beamed with excitement. "They are utterly desperate, resorting to such suicidal tactics to break the deadlock. I believe we will win the campaign for these waters very soon."

"Indeed. My congratulations, Mr. Mota, and to the Church of the Moon Luna as well."

Once they departed, Cullen raised his hand to cast a simple privacy ward. Turning to his assembled squad, he commanded:

"Go find out exactly where the life rafts are stored. Double-check our current coordinates, and map out an escape route for any sudden contingencies. Gather food, water, and whatever supplies we might need.

Mind you, don't let anyone on board notice anything unusual... Well, even if they do, it hardly matters. They are too jubilant right now to care."

Bart asked, bewildered, "Captain, do you think—"

Muri cut him off instantly. "Shut it and follow orders. If the Captain says something is coming, it’s coming."

***

The Harbor;

The Fleet;

Squad after squad of Samsara believers were led onto the warship decks by their priests. Though vast in number, they were merely civilian faithful from the territories controlled by the Church of Samsara.

Now, they all knelt upon the decks, beginning a solemn rite of prayer.

High atop the repaired flagship's observation deck stood Romire, the Gatekeeper of Samsara. Before her loomed a gate, and within its threshold stood her sister, Sumire—the Gatekeeper of the Inner Church of Samsara.

"Sister, do you realize what this decree means once it is carried out?"

"It means the Inner Church of Samsara will be entirely uprooted from within the gate."

"No, they are being sacrificed. This is not the exodus they envisioned. They will be turned into abominations—neither living men nor ghosts."

"But this was your ambition too, was it not? Sumire, you always dreamed of the Inner and Outer Churches merging into one. Now, your desire is fulfilled.

From this day forth, you shall inhabit my flesh, blending into one with me. In this world, there shall be only one Gatekeeper of Samsara."

"Heh... but there is one thing I must remind you of. I can usher the souls of the inner church's crews out, but they only know how to sail ships; they are entirely unaccustomed to the realities of surface warfare. The discrepancy between the inner and outer worlds is vast.

You will require a cadre of exceptional, seasoned commanders. Yet I hear you currently have none."

"You need not concern yourself with that."

Romire extended her hand, and from within the gate, Sumire did the same.

In the next heartbeat, Sumire’s soul drifted from the threshold and merged directly into Romire’s body.

Romire’s jaws parted in a silent, agonized shriek as her head dropped. When she raised her face again, it was webbed with thick, dark veins. The elegant, poised woman had vanished, replaced by a grotesque abomination whose skin wept foul fluids.

Yet her aura surged to a terrifying new height at that exact moment. Within her eyes, a faint, golden

Verden smiled and said, "I have seen the portraits of your youth. You were beautiful."

"Thank you."

"I only hope that, whenever the time comes, Order shall always possess the right to lift your veil."

"Naturally. From this day forth, Samsara shall rely upon Order for its very survival."

"Remember well the words you speak today."

"They are engraved upon my soul."

"Very well."

Verden raised his head in satisfaction, issuing a command to the host of priests standing behind him, all clad in the sacred robes of Order:

"Now, return the fleet generals of Samsara to our Gatekeeper. Let them fight for the survival of Samsara. Heh, praise be to Order!"

Behind Verden,

Every priest of Order chanted in unison toward the coffins before them:

"Order... Awaken!"

———

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