Although all Seaborn are collectively referred to as one group, the differences between them are actually quite distinct.
Just like the ones that attacked the village earlier. There were Little Dog Seaborn, Coral Seaborn, and Little Flower Seaborn.
In the deep sea, however, there were entirely different kinds: Sea Dragon Seaborn, Giant Dragon Seaborn, Octopus Seaborn, and the extremely unique Little Blue.
Among them, Little Blue was perhaps best described as something like a drifting sea daffodil. Her eyes shone with a deep blue glow in the darkness of the ocean. If one looked carefully, a strange and mesmerizing flame could be seen burning in the depths of those blue pupils.
With a single thought, Felix caused the enormous creatures around him to dissolve into streaks of blue light, disappearing into the flames.
The once lively seabed was now empty.
Only Felix and Asuna remained.
As darkness slowly closed in around them, Felix took Asuna's hand and began swimming upward.
Just as Eblana could control corpses through her flames and force them to fight for her, Felix's flames possessed a different power. His fire could purify souls and summon creatures that had submitted to him, allowing them to fight at his command.
However, he had never used this power on terrans before.
This was also the first time he had used it on the Seaborn.
Unexpectedly, the moment he used it, an entire group was bound to him.
Thinking about the soldiers fighting on the frontlines in Sami, and the warriors of the Yan battling demons at Yumen, Felix felt that the fire burning inside him had finally found its purpose.
When Felix returned to the Stultifera Navis, he saw Skadi, Gladiia, and Specter standing together on the deck.
Around them were several mutated sea creatures.
Besides the three Abyssal Hunters, there was also a burly man wielding a massive anchor as a weapon, battling the creatures.
Felix glanced around.
Not only had these people arrived, but even Irene, whom he had met several times before, had come as well.
His gaze swept across the battlefield.
In an instant, flames burst from the bodies of the sea creatures fighting on the deck. They were reduced to ashes in moments.
Seeing this, Skadi slowly withdrew her greatsword.
Her eyes lit up when she spotted Felix.
Then she blinked in confusion.
For some reason, she felt a faint voice deep within her mind urging her to seek Felix's favor.
Felix glanced briefly at the Abyssal Hunters who had lowered their weapons.
Then he extended his hand toward Ines.
"Is everything settled, Your Highness?" Ines asked.
"Yes."
Felix nodded.
"Let's go. I need to head to Yumen."
"Understood."
Felix turned his gaze toward Skadi again. He smiled faintly.
"You know where to find me."
As he spoke, blue flames erupted behind him and formed a pair of wings. The flames lifted him into the air along with the two women, carrying them toward the distant coastline.
Skadi stared blankly at the retreating figures of Felix and the others.
After a moment, she turned to her companions.
"I can no longer sense the presence of the Seaborn," she said slowly. "What should we do next?"
The burly man fell silent for a moment.
He glanced at Gladiia before speaking.
"I intend to continue investigating the situation with the Seaborn. Skadi, if you want to follow that person, that is your choice."
Gladiia simply shrugged, neither agreeing nor objecting.
After the man leapt into the depths of the sea, she turned toward Specter.
"Let's head back."
Specter gently lifted the edge of her skirt and bowed gracefully to Irene.
"My lovely little bird, perhaps we will meet again someday."
"W-Where?" Irene's face flushed slightly before she snorted. "Abyssal Hunters, where are you going next?"
"To Kazdel."
___
One month later.
Yumen.
Two Kazdel land battleships had arrived from afar and were now stationed outside the massive walls of Yumen.
The crew members of the Judgment and Devastator disembarked from their vessels to gather supplies.
Meanwhile, the commanders of the two ships, led by Ulšulah, met with Zuo Xuanliao, the Left General who had guarded Yumen for many years.
"Thank you for coming," the Left General said as he cupped his hands in greeting toward Ulšulah and her companions. "Your assistance will be crucial in the coming battles."
Behind him, several generals quietly observed the people standing behind Ulšulah.
The Sankta warriors were easy to recognize.
All of them had white hair, red eyes, and halo floating above their heads.
Their hair and eye colors were identical. Only their faces differed.
They looked like figures stepping out of a painting. Some of them even resembled sisters.
Ulšulah struck her right fist firmly against her chest.
"It is our honor to fight alongside Yan against the demons."
"Excellent!"
General Zuo extended his right hand and gestured forward.
"Please."
The group walked together to a massive map displayed inside the command hall.
General Zuo pointed toward a section of the northern border.
That area was marked with numerous black flags.
"Yumen now stands less than one hundred kilometers from the borders of the Yan," he explained.
"It has already come under threat from the demons."
"They continue to encroach upon terran territory."
He paused briefly.
"And those who fight them… often find that their wounds cannot be healed."
"Similarly, stepping onto land corrupted by demons will gradually drain our strength. In severe cases, it can even cause hallucinations."
General Zuo pointed solemnly to a flag on the map.
"Three days ago, we repelled another demonic assault from the north."
He paused before continuing.
"I have guarded Yumen for many years. Since last year, however, I have noticed something unusual. The demons have become far more active than before. They seem to be evolving."
"Originally, they were little more than savage beasts, charging forward with nothing but claws and fangs. But now they are beginning to grasp basic tactics and coordinated assaults."
"This has caught the border defense forces of Yumen completely off guard."
After hearing this, Ulšulah immediately understood the cause.
It must be related to the rupture in the sky above Kazdel.
With the true starry sky now exposed, the demons had apparently undergone their own form of evolution.
"I understand."
Ulšulah cast a brief glance at Yukino beside her and gave a subtle wink.
"We will launch an attack. Hopefully this operation will provide us with enough data."
Then she turned back to General Zuo.
"General Zuo, I would like to invite you aboard the Judgment to observe the demons firsthand."
General Zuo clasped his hands respectfully.
"Then I shall gratefully accept."
Two hours later, the supplies had been replenished.
Meliras group boarded the Devastator, while Ulšulah and General Zuo's party boarded the Judgment. Under the astonished gazes of the soldiers of Yan, the two warships roared to life and sped northward.
As they advanced, the change in the landscape became obvious.
The once green grasslands and yellow earth gradually faded in color.
The further north they traveled, the paler the land became, as though the soil itself had lost all vitality.
The sky above turned a dull gray.
In the far distance, enormous hurricane-like eye formations twisted in the clouds. Along the northern horizon stretched a vast expanse of unnatural blackness.
"This used to be an agricultural city."
Standing in the command room, General Zuo looked out through the glass window toward a distant village that had long since been reduced to ruins.
"The demons advanced here one year ago. All the soldiers responsible for its defense were wiped out."
He sighed quietly.
"This was the first time in decades that the demons launched such a fierce offensive. It was as if they would not stop until they reached the territory of Yan."
"…They're coming."
Ulšulah suddenly noticed movement along the distant horizon.
At the radar console, the operator stared at the screen where countless red dots began to appear in clusters.
A chill ran down his spine, but he quickly shouted,
"Enemy attack detected. Numbers… impossible to estimate!"
"Yamato cannons, prepare!" Ulšulah barked immediately.
"Anti-aircraft guns, ready!"
Her commands came in rapid succession.
She raised her hand sharply.
"Launch incendiary bombs!"
There were no adventurers participating in this battle, no players thirsting for combat.
Ulšulah understood very clearly that in such a situation they must rely on the warships themselves.
The incendiary bombs launched from peg missile turrets streaked across the sky before crashing into the distant ground.
Moments later, a sea of fire erupted.
The raging flames temporarily halted the advancing demons.
Yet the mutated creatures, their bodies dark purple and grotesque, rolled across the burning sand and continued charging forward. Even while engulfed in flames, they showed no hesitation as they rushed toward the two foreign warships.
General Zuo's expression darkened.
Demons did not feel pain.
Only death could stop them.
They were the most terrifying enemies imaginable.
The anti-aircraft guns roared to life.
Machine gunners carefully controlled the firing rate, unleashing dense streams of bullets toward the approaching swarm.
Meanwhile, on the deck of the Devastator, hundreds of Sankta figures stood in formation.
Each of them held a massive weapon nearly as tall as themselves, a railgun.
"…This…"
General Zuo's eyes widened slightly.
In the very next moment, countless thick bolts of blue lightning erupted through the air and slammed into the demonic ranks.
The demons were vaporized instantly, leaving behind no sound and no bodies.
A massive gap was torn through their formation.
"…Those are warriors who once fought for Yan."
General Zuo stared at the live battlefield feed displayed on the monitor.
Among the figures marching forward, he recognized several familiar faces.
But now they wore expressionless masks.
Their eyes had long since been swallowed by an unnatural void.
They ran like beasts, moving only according to the commands issued by the swarm.
"Then give them a dignified end."
Ulšulah pressed her lips together.
"Yamato cannons, fire!"
Massive pillars of blue lightning coming from two warships main cannons flashed across the sky.
A moment later, a colossal mushroom cloud erupted on the distant horizon.
The scorching shockwave swept across the battlefield, incinerating every demon caught within it.
Nothing survived.
General Zuo forced himself to suppress his shock.
It was not that Yan lacked weapons with such destructive power.
But weapons of this scale were certainly not so easily mounted onto battleships.
And in terms of sheer quantity, Kazdel clearly possessed far more.
He had heard that Kazdel officially possessed seven battleships.
Yet he strongly doubted that the true number was so small.
"The next wave is coming!" the radar officer shouted suddenly as more red dots appeared on the screen.
"The demons are attacking in waves."
Ulšulah continued issuing commands without pause.
"The Yamato cannons are cooling down. Prepare the electromagnetic cannons."
"…Commander!"
Another operator suddenly shouted.
"A rapid temperature spike has been detected. It's… it's His Highness!"
Everyone instinctively looked up toward the sky.
A blazing figure tore across the heavens, leaving behind a streak of azure fire before plunging directly into the center of the demon army.
Ulšulah immediately halted the next attack.
Watching the battlefield footage transmitted by the reconnaissance drone, a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Since His Highness has arrived…"
"This battle is already over."
Hearing this, General Zuo could not help but glance several more times at the young man on the screen.
Although he had already read reports and intelligence regarding this king, this was the first time he had witnessed him fighting on a battlefield.
On the screen, Felix's lips moved slightly.
The flames surrounding him suddenly surged outward. From within the blazing fire, several massive dragons emerged. They were followed by sea dragons, enormous octopuses, and even mermaids.
Azure flames engulfed their bodies, and every movement they made seemed to carry the rhythm of ocean waves.
The sight left everyone watching completely stunned.
General Zuo's eyebrows twitched involuntarily. He stepped forward a few paces, staring at the screen.
"This… is… Seaborn?"
Even Ulšulah looked momentarily startled. She had no idea when her husband had gained the ability to summon seaborn.
However, as a member of Tomorrow's Developments, she quickly composed herself and nodded calmly.
"Perhaps His Highness experienced something extraordinary during this time and has learned how to command seaborn."
General Zuo stared at her with wide eyes.
What kind of extraordinary encounter could allow someone to command Seaborn?
If this news spread, it would shake the entire world of Terra.
Everyone knew the terror of the Great Silence.
If the demons were considered the greatest threat to the land of Terra, then the Seaborn were undoubtedly the second.
Who would not fear the Seaborn?
They possessed an extremely powerful corrosive nature and could even transform terrans into creatures like themselves.
It was eerily similar to the demons.
Some pessimists even believed that if the Seaborn ever chose to march onto land, no nation or power in Terra could stop them.
Just like the demons, the Seaborn seemed endless.
General Zuo almost wished he were dreaming.
Before his eyes, an army of Seaborn wrapped in azure flames was charging directly into the demonic forces.
Dragons soared through the sky, spewing blue fire across the battlefield.
A gigantic whale crashed down from above, its massive body slamming into the ground and sending waves of blue flames surging outward.
The demons were slaughtered almost instantly.
Some were purified by the flames and collapsed to the ground, their strength completely drained.
Others were reduced to ashes.
Felix attempted to extend his flames further across the battlefield.
However, he soon realized something troubling.
His flames had no effect on the demons themselves.
He seemed completely unable to control them.
His gaze shifted toward a corpse lying nearby.
It was the body of a Yan soldier.
The emptiness that had once filled the soldier's eyes was gone.
Now he was truly dead.
At the moment he had been devoured by the demon, his soul had already been consumed as nourishment.
The same was true for the warriors, casters, and beasts corrupted by the demons.
Their souls had all vanished.
The demons…
The Observers…
They were not simply creatures.
They were a phenomenon that eroded the world itself.
No. It was more than just erosion.
Felix bent down and grabbed a handful of sand from the ground.
This was no longer the soil he recognized.
It had become something else entirely.
Even the demon corpses scattered across the battlefield revealed the same abnormality.
Upon closer inspection, Felix noticed that their bodies had been twisted and reshaped into grotesque forms.
Was this… the alteration of matter itself?
That was only one aspect of it.
What kind of phenomenon did the Observers actually create?
Matter was corrupted.
Space was distorted.
Life itself was rejected.
Common sense collapsed.
Reality was rewritten.
This phenomenon was slowly pushing the land of Terra from order into chaos.
Perhaps this was an enemy even more terrifying than Seaborn.
Felix slowly withdrew his gaze.
The Seaborn around him dissolved into flames and disappeared.
He turned and looked toward the two warships in the distance.
Then he smiled.
Ulšulah finally let out a quiet breath of relief.
"General Zuo, we are preparing to return."
"Ah… oh… yes, of course."
Zuo Xuanliao felt completely numb.
So did the generals who had accompanied him.
As they stared at the smiling figure standing in the wind on the screen, a single question echoed in their minds.
Was that person truly… terran?