Familiar black clouds gathered overhead, a fierce wind swept across the sea, and chaotic, massive waves roiled in every direction.
Raindrops began to fall continuously, soon soaking the deck—the storm had once again graced this stretch of sea, heeding Drake's call.
"So, last time, when this ship fell on our heads, it flew up like this?"
Euryale pointed at the sky, her heart pounding wildly while the corner of her eye twitched slightly.
This is just too insane!!!
This ordinary goddess couldn't handle this. Jpg.
"Yep! No need to worry about safety, we're all old hands at this! We know perfectly well how well this method works!"
Drake gave Euryale a thumbs-up.
Asterios, seeing this, also gave a simple-minded, honest smile and raised his thumb in imitation.
Although he wasn't clear why he was giving a thumbs-up, it seemed like a positive gesture, so he followed suit when others did it.
"In any case, we're about to take off soon. Quickly find something to hold onto, or you might get thrown off later!"
As Drake spoke, she pointed in the direction of the other pirates.
The pirates moved with extreme practiced ease, each quickly finding a suitable spot to secure themselves.
"The boss is right, I almost got thrown off last time…"
One pirate recalled the previous experience and couldn't help but shudder.
Having learned his lesson, he had even found a rope to tie himself to the ship.
Taking all of this in, Euryale sighed and pressed her hand to her forehead.
What could she do? She was already on the ship. If she couldn't beat them, she had to join their madness, right?
"Asterios, you have to hold onto me tightly, okay?"
Euryale turned to the Minotaur, her gaze gentle as she spoke.
"Mm, I will protect, Euryale!"
Asterios stated firmly.
Everyone on the ship had finished preparing for the impending impact. Those who prayed had finished their prayers. All that remained was to wait for takeoff once more.
Several dozen seconds passed.
Yet, the ship showed no signs of taking off.
Everyone finally realized something was wrong.
The sails had long been swollen taut by the wind, and the masts were even emitting creaking sounds.
Based on their previous experience, they should have been airborne by now.
Lin Qi hurriedly braved the wind, rain, and waves crashing onto the deck, running to the ship's side to observe.
Only then did he realize, with sudden clarity, that the entire ship seemed to be pressed down onto the sea's surface by some force. The wind, which should have lifted the ship into flight, was now merely spinning the vessel wildly around a central point.
"It's no use! We can't take off this time!"
Bellowing over the howling wind and torrential rain, Lin Qi shouted to convey the message to the others on board.
Hearing this, Euryale gazed intently at the magical barrier surrounding them, finally understanding its full effect.
"...I see—this barrier trapping us also has an anti-air effect. We'll have to think of another way!"
On the other side.
"Just as I thought! They really were planning to escape through the air! A pity we anticipated it—Hahaha!"
Jason watched the weather suddenly shift to a storm and grinned wildly, laughing heartily.
"But we only knew that thanks to the intelligence Lord Hector brought back. So, could you please, Master, find a suitable spot to move our great hero here? Even someone uninjured would feel uncomfortable in weather like this."
Medea, maintaining her spellcasting stance, felt her clothes soaked and clinging to her skin, an indescribable discomfort that made her frown.
"If you had thought of me earlier, I, this old man, would probably be quite happy..."
Hector, who had hidden inside the cabin the moment he noticed the weather turning, muttered his complaint quietly.
"You see, a great hero is a great hero; he doesn't need me at all."
Jason shrugged at Medea.
"What's most important now is to quickly crush that rabble and take my Euryale!"
Then, Jason clenched his fist, thrusting it forward forcefully, his eyes brimming with excitement.
He could already envision himself obtaining boundless divine power after completing all his tasks.
Driven by this vision, Jason unhesitatingly commanded the Argo to plow through the storm, advancing towards the Golden Hind.
Back on the Golden Hind.
"Fuck! Even using this method to escape, they can still be this troublesome?"
Drake, holding onto the Golden Hind as it spun in circles, felt dizzy.
Don't misunderstand—it wasn't from anger, but from the spinning.
After all, she wasn't usually on the Golden Hind when it was spinning around at such speeds.
So, did Drake have no other escape methods now?
You must be joking! If nothing else, Drake had plenty of ideas!
After mentally running through a few possibilities on this spinning ship, a brilliant and thrilling idea popped into her head.
"My goddess, if the sky is blocked, is what's below also blocked?"
Drake asked Euryale.
And pointed her finger downward.
Euryale observed the surroundings and shook her head, her expression slightly puzzled.
"It is not. Why do you ask?"
Euryale didn't understand, but Lin Qi grasped it instantly.
Knowing what Drake was thinking, he could only manage a wry smile.
If they were going to use this method, wouldn't it be placing a bit too much faith in him?
"Little Lin! It's all up to you now!"
Drake immediately saw that Lin Qi had guessed her idea, and she grinned, giving him a thumbs-up.
"I'll do my best."
There was no other way. At a time like this, Lin Qi had to give it his all once more.
Lin Qi raised his banner and planted it on the deck. A golden light surged across the deck like a tide, enveloping the entire ship within a couple of seconds.
—and forming a sphere around it.
While maintaining the defensive barrier, Lin Qi nodded to Drake, signaling he was ready.
"Good! This time, we're playing an even more thrilling game! Everyone, get a good hold on the ship. I'm telling you, you could still get thrown off!"
Seeing this, Drake once again pulled out the Holy Grail and began utilizing its power of miracles.
Those who hadn't caught on yet were confused, but they obediently grabbed onto things that could secure them.
Before long, everyone noticed that the ship's rotation was becoming wider and more violent.
After a particularly large swing, some people who saw the shape of the sea surface suddenly had their eyes filled with shock.
A whirlpool!
A massive whirlpool, one large enough to swallow an entire warship!
Everyone finally understood Drake's idea.
"Boss… You mean—we're going into the sea?"
Bessie asked, his voice trembling.
"Mhm."
Drake smiled, not denying it.
"You all said it yourselves, didn't you? Our Golden Hind has already been to the sky and the land. Well, now it's about to be complete."
"Let me tell you, sailing a ship into the sea is a thrill that rivals flying into the sky!"
…