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"Rising! RISING! BRACE YOURSELVES!"

Once more, the boat began to rise. I couldn't tell at first, except for Fluporuin's yells over the tide of battle. How could I? There were no landmarks to measure how high up we'd be going.

The thunk of the Imugi's scales rubbing against the boat was unmistakable, the fight pausing for the briefest of moments for all. But there were still a select few experienced fighters who chose that moment to make a desperate killing move. Regardless, the feeling of being lifted up into the air settled in the pit of my stomach as the waves of the sea slapped at the sides of the boat.

I looked around the battlefield, trying to rid myself of this daze.

Dozens of adventurers came crawling out of the woodworks. Boxes, shadows, under the hull, clinging to the sides of the ships –the variety of Cores allowed for an equal amount of variety in the way that these cockroaches stowed themselves on the ship until now.

Why now? Why did Delas choose to make his move now? Why not wait until the Island?

I didn't have time to sink myself into the depths of my head to search for answers.

[Snow Scream] rang in a clear note of ice-thin clarity as it came free of the scabbard, and my [Lunar Shield] humming gently as I activated [King's Guard] –rotating around me like a satellite.

"Fluporuin! Protect Fluporuin!" My voice overpowered the screams of battle, waking the non-Players into clarity.

Just then, everyone noticed the flow of battle. The Player's that had been clad in black were trying to power past the battle in a V-formation, heading straight for Fluporuin.

Of course. Out on the ship, the most valuable piece here was Fluporuin. The only one who knew enough to run a crew –Sailors or not– to navigate us past the Imugi's territory. Through storms, tsunamis and the like.

The dwarf captain's face froze in understanding and then hardened into something fierce.

"Come if you dare!" He screamed at the Player's, "I dare ya! I dare you!" Then he reached into his thigh and took out a shiv.

I had to give the man credits for guts but cursed his foolishness. We needed him to hide, not goad them into action.

The boat continued to rise.

A hundred feet.

Two hundred feet.

And the waves rose along with us.

"Get the dwarf!" Delas commanded, wading into another melee and decapitating a mage with deadly precision.

Aurora grunted as she slammed her shield into an attacker who appeared out of nowhere. The attacker grunted in pain, falling to his feet and body shimmering with rainbow like colors. An invisibility type Core.

I pivoted around Aurora's body, stabbing once, twice then three times into the man's ribs and he fell lifelessly.

The man wore all black, much like all the other Player's guild was. He wore ninja-like attire, mask covering his entire face. I mean even his eyes. Dark scarlet pooled around his body. Then just as his body was pooling with blood…

It exploded.

When I see explosions on TV, there are plenty of time to prepare. This wasn't like that.

One moment, I was taking my eyes off of him to survey the battlefield…

The next, I was struggling to breathe and my ears were ringing once more. Aurora's weight pressed down against me, her shield on top of both of us. The air smelled suspiciously like ozone and human filth.

The man had activated a Core ability in his dying throes: [Infested Human]. A nasty Core that one could activate at will –basically turning the user into a suicide bomber. The damage depended on your Physical Stat. higher your physical stat, the greater the power of the explosion.

Aurora couldn't see, as she had her body pressed on top of me. But I saw –three other Players rounding on us with their blade drawn.

I tried to warn her but my voice was hoarse, all the moisture in the air had been burnt up along with the explosion leaving my throat too damaged to make a sound.

The three players never got to take another step.

Zenom decapitated one from shoulder to hip with a single swing of his [Aura]-covered bastard sword. Skaris appeared behind him, stabbing forward with [Strange Antler] in the space left behind and skewered the other two's faces with laser-like projectiles that burned with green-black flame.

Cecilia appeared next to me, her hands glowing with golden light and waved them once. Immediately, my throat felt better, as well as the rest of my body. Aurora stood up stiffly.

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"Zenom." I said hoarsely, holding onto my sword.

"Cultists." Zenom said, his eyes flat and gaze looking at everything around us.

I shot him a clueless look but Zenom didn't answer. Cecila answered instead, "Descendants of Players from ages past. Raised in captivity and completely loyal to the Players goals. They worship Players as gods."

…Shit. That sounded bad, even to me.

I mean, consider the possibilities.

You're brainwashing people into believing that you're a god. They'd listen to your entire commands. You could train their sub-stats and they wouldn't question it. They'd absorb Cores you told them to, all to–

Oh.

Just like a videogame character.

An NPC.

I shook my head, eyeing the battlefield. The battle was still happening, but Skaris and Zenom had created a protective circle around us with Stole shooting her arbalest at anything that moved.

Delas and his party –Coum and Tanya, Astelion and the other Players he recruited for this expedition– were wreaking literal fucking havoc. No one could stop them. Borealis and his party were mounting a defensive formation for Fluporuin, but they were badly outnumbered against other Player-Cultists. Meanwhile, it looked like Delas was intent on finishing off the auxiliary forces first.

Where the fuck was Arione? There was no way–

Another explosion as the double doors that led down to the hull shot off its hinges and sailed overboard –down into the ever-growing expanse between us and the surface of the ocean. Even thinking about it sent vertigo shivering through my spine.

This fight first. Then the ship's survival.

But my attention was stolen as Arrosh came hurtling out of the double-doors.

"Young Crow!" Arrosh landed next to me.

The frail orc had scorch marks around his cloak and hands. One of his arms was so charred that I had trouble understanding what I saw. Like looking at a clay-cup that had been melted down in a furnace. Or burnt. I don't know what happens if you leave it too long. It was like looking at something burnt out of its original shape so badly, I couldn't even find a semblance of what it used to be.

Arione came striding out of the double doors, his crew in tow.

Oh shit.

If Delas and Arione had allied themselves then–

I breathed a sigh of relief as Arione casually flicked a finger and sent a stream of fire so thin that it was a beam, bisecting a cultist from head to crotch.

My sigh immediately turned into a curse as Scarlet twisted his Dimension Ring, bringing out an item I'd seen often before. A metal disc that stretched wide enough so that it could fit the entirety of his party. Their mode of transportation. An extremely rare artifact. It gulped atrocious amounts of Mana, but with two mages on their sides… if they took shifts…

Maybe, just maybe, they could make it across the ocean to Claw's Nest. Without distractions.

Arione's green-blue elf-eyes met me from across the distance. His face was hard. I knew what his decision was.

This was the best possible situation for their party.

Delas. Zenom. Me. All the competitors, killing each other in the middle of the ocean.

…Scarlet, Lety, Clover and Maria Akka Xalud all got on top of the disc. My former friends, Clover and Lety, had hoods over their heads; so that I couldn't see their expressions.

Zenom broke the silence. "Arione Popindale. Do you mean to break the contract?"

"We both knew what I wanted. What my party wanted." Arione answered back and the wind began to propel him into the air.

"Coward." Skaris hissed.

Arione's eyes flashed with annoyance and he raised a hand.

"Arione." Clover said and the grade-2 mage lowered his hand with a scowl.

"I see." Zenom said calmly. He didn't cower at all before the Elven Mage who could turn him into ash with a flick of his finger. "Then as of now, the Church will rescind its protection of you, Arione Popindale, Rogue-Mage of the Desert. You will once again be hunted–"

"Save me the speech." Arione shot back, rising in the air along with the metal-disc. "None of you will live to see the end of this journey anyways."

"Wait." Clover said suddenly.

Then she pointed a finger towards Fluporuin. "We need him. A navigator."

Oh fuck.

Arione nodded.

Arrosh hissed. "I held them back as best as I could, Young Crow. But–"

"Arrosh," I told my master, striding to the front, "With me. Like back in the Scavenger's cave."

Arrosh's milky eyes beamed with pride. "You'd leave your back to me?"

"Always."

His steps fell in line with me.

I had to think quick. The battle had slowed momentarily but this wasn't good. A three-way battle with Fluporuin in the middle.

Who were the most powerful individuals that I had to take care of?

Arione and Clover. The Mage and the Priestess which made up the core of that party.

Delas Ender, Coum, Tanya and Astelion. Those four were the strongest among the players.

MSS is about counters. Compatibility. Levels matter too. But…

I felt my mind go lax. Running through the probabilities, the strategies of battle. What Cores they had on their side, what Elements, what capabilities. Out on the open sea, what kind of Spells could Coum and Arione use? The Cultists, how would Delas Ender use them? What kind of Curses and blessings could Clover pour out?

And then…

What could I do?

What was possible?

What was the best possible decision?

And how could I leave without giving up the people I wanted to protect?

"Aurora, get Stole and Kyrian and go back up Borealis." I ordered.

"Mister Lock, I am your shield. Don't send me away." Aurora's voice was quiet but firm.

"It's an order."

"...Please. Let me fight–"

"Can't." I couldn't beat around the bush. "They're too strong."

…And Aurora was too weak.

She hadn't finished deciphering the [Knight's Journey]. Not yet.

"Stole, take care of the priestess as best as you could."

"Got it." Stole grabbed ahold of Aurora's arm, "Sis, come on!"

With one last relunctant look, Aurora ran along with the beastman girl and the orc priestess, heading straight towards the group of mages. Kyrian was probably the most powerful Mage on this ship right after Arione, and he was being hard-pressed to survive.

"What of me?" Zenom asked.

I peered at him. "You'd follow my orders?"

"Yes." He said and I knew he was right.

"Skaris, on my right." I said.

Skaris hissed in satisfaction and necro-fire covered his entire body. Drool dripped off his chin, so hot that it evaporated instantly.

Then he screamed.

Necro-fire exploded out from him in a wave.

And the battle stopped momentarily.

Everyone knew. I mean every single fucking individual on this boat knew.

Skaris, the de-facto strongest adventurer on this entire fucking expedition.

And he'd just entered the fray.

"Zenom, behind us three." I said, "Cecilia behind him."

Zenom's voice came from behind me. "It's been awhile since I've been excited for battle. What are your orders?"

The best possible combination I could come up with.

Skaris Deepeater.

Arrosh Bloodedge.

Zenom Saintred.

…And me.

Lock Slaveborn.

Tanking? Fuck that.

What I needed right now was overwhelming firepower. Instant death. An ability to crush the enemy before they could gain momentum.

I only had one goal.

"Our goal is simple." I said.

"We go after the head. Delas Ender… Arione Popindale…" I paused.

And killed Han, the softness that kept holding me back.

"And Clover Weinport."

"Kill them."

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