"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Jason, who had been slumped in his seat like a dead fish just moments ago, felt the hair on his neck stand on end. He sprang up like a compressed spring, grabbed the helm to evade, and screamed a warning in a shrill, off-key voice.
Fortunately, the three snipers in charge of the gunports—Heracles, Atalanta, and Selene—reacted even faster. Almost the instant the captain shouted, they adjusted the ship's cannons and shot down the attacking bronze cubes one after another.
However, the bronze cubes hovering near the vortex gate had far more tricks than that.
As the Argo pressed deeper in, bronze blocks surged from all directions. Some slammed down in sudden vertical charges, others crossed from the sides in pincer attacks. Some assembled haphazardly like Tetris blocks to block the way, while others fired dense crimson beams from within. Their attack patterns were endlessly varied.
This sudden onslaught battered the already overtaxed hull again and again. The ship shook violently, and the outer Magecraft barrier flickered between light and dark, clearly nearing its limit.
Tetris? Thunder shooter games?
What the hell kind of place is this?!
Gripping the handrail to steady himself against the impacts, Samael glared at the projected images of the floating bronze cubes outside the hull and cursed under his breath.
As the attacks grew more intense and unpredictable, the Ancient Serpent's expression darkened. His divine core pulsed faintly as he prepared to step in if necessary.
Damn it, what a hassle.
With power nearing that of a God King, sweeping aside this bronze cube formation would not have been difficult for him.
But they had not yet reached Paradise Island. Exposing himself too early would inevitably draw the attention of certain existences. When that happened, achieving their goal would require far more trouble.
Crack!
Under sustained, saturated bombardment, spiderweb-like fractures spread across the outer Magecraft barrier. The entire shield wavered violently, on the verge of collapse.
Seeing it about to shatter, Samael's gaze sharpened as the surging divine power within him drew inward, ready to be released.
"It is the blueprint of the soul. By my lifeblood, I command restoration, return, and retracing—let all flaws be repaired!"
But at that very moment, a soft voice rose from the deck.
A purple Magecraft array spread outward from beneath a slender figure's feet, rapidly enveloping the entire Argo. Pale white motes of light gathered and ascended like scattered stars.
As the fragile Magecraft barrier absorbed that pale radiance, its cracks sealed as if mended with glue. In an instant, the defense stabilized.
Boom!
The Argo was struck again by a bronze cube cannon blast and lurched violently. The purple-haired girl who had rushed onto the deck lost her footing and stumbled toward the hard edge of the railing.
Bracing for a painful impact, she let out a small cry and squeezed her eyes shut.
Yet the expected pain never came. Instead, she was caught in a warm embrace that carried a faint scent of olive leaves.
Mm… it's a familiar smell.
"Th… Theseus-sama… I was just… just worried about you. I wanted to help…"
Little Medea opened her eyes and stammered her explanation.
"Medea! You ran off again without listening! I shouldn't have brought you along in the first place. I'm terrible at taking care of someone like you. The stress is making my fur fall out!
And that guy even said if anything happened to you, he'd pluck all my fur. Please, have some pity on me. It's really hard…"
Realizing the troublesome child had slipped away, Circe burst out of the room, complaining nonstop about her niece.
But when she saw that small head pressed into the chest of some monster, cheeks flushed as she rubbed against him without a care in the world, the witch of Aeaea froze. Her colorful eyes widened as if she had just seen a ghost.
At that moment, Samael raised his hand and gently patted the little witch's head. His lowered gaze was filled with warmth and encouragement.
"Mm. I know. You did well. You've worked hard. If you still have the energy, keep maintaining the outer Magecraft barrier."
"I… I can stay out here? I can really help Theseus-sama?"
"Aren't you already helping? The Magecraft barrier is in your hands."
"Yes! I'm not good at fighting, but please let me do what I can!"
Receiving acknowledgment and praise, little Medea's delicate face bloomed with a sweet, satisfied smile. Hugging the Underworld Moon Staff tightly to her chest, she nodded firmly and immediately focused on repairing the Magecraft defensive barrier.
"And you, as her aunt, show a little awareness. Don't just stand there. Help out!"
With that, Samael raised his hand and smacked the dazed Circe on the head, reminding her sharply.
"Oh, oh, oh, I'll get right on it!"
Under the intimidating presence of the Ancient Serpent, the Great Witch obediently bowed her head, but she couldn't suppress the pang of bitterness in her heart.
Could you stop calling me "Auntie"? I'm not that old, am I? Besides, I'm still a child too. Can't you show a little more respect?
However, after assigning the task, Samael promptly made his way to the captain's cabin to prepare for any contingencies. Clearly, he had no time to listen to the Great Witch's inner thoughts.
After all, they were already so familiar—no need for formalities. She was just a bird anyway, meant to be used like livestock.
"The splendor of Hecate guards the heavens, the spirit of the ancient Titans flows through my veins. Come forth, great wisdom shall bestow protection upon my witch's domain! —Formation complete!"
"Retrograde Ritual, preparation complete! Converge, fire!"
On deck, the two child workers cast their Magecraft in quick succession, creating another formidable barrier for the Argo that nullified the few stray projectiles hitting the hull.
Meanwhile, Jason, who had weathered the earlier chaos, quickly stabilized. Through trial and error, he rapidly grasped the Bronze Age cube matrix's attack frequency, patterns, and movement trajectories.
It wasn't just the captain, who excelled under pressure. Through constant coordination, everyone—the three gunners controlling the cannons and clearing obstacles, and the crew members providing power and agile steering—demonstrated nearly perfect synergy.
With their united efforts, the Argo darted through the shimmering currents, deftly avoiding the attacks and falling trajectories of the Bronze Age cubes with ease.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the frontmost Bronze Age cubes exploded with a thunderous roar, infused with the magicians' potent magic, the Argo surged through dozens of tightly packed, interlocking "Tetris blocks" and plunged into the vortex gate.
Instantly, a familiar tugging sensation spread from all sides of the hull. Drawn by an uncanny force, the Argo rose within the vortex. After enduring a series of bizarre spatial distortions and shudders, it emerged smoothly from the abyssal ocean eye and floated upon the azure sea.
Opening the Argo's protective deck, the crew looked up at the calm, serene waters surrounding them. This confirmed that they were definitely no longer in the expected stormy entrance.
Clearly, they had passed through a spatial warp and arrived in an unknown, mysterious territory.
Ahead lay further confirmation.
In the distance, ten circular islands were scattered across the sea in a regular pattern. From each island, a pillar of light shot skyward, converging overhead to form a vast Magecraft array spanning thousands of miles.
At the very center of the ten islands, a slightly blurred boundary appeared before them.
It was a... new continent!
After all this time, they finally had something to show for it.
Samael raised his eyes and exchanged nods with Orion and the Moon Goddess. Unspoken emotions flickered in each of their eyes.
Just as the group excitedly discussed how to explore this mysterious land, a humming sound emanated from the islands ahead.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dozens of silvery streaks of light sliced through the air, their immense force churning the surrounding sea into towering waves several meters high.
In an instant, the silver streaks descended around the Argo. The heroes gasped in shock as they recognized them: metallic spheres encased in clusters of silver blades, each embedded with a blood-red gem resembling an eye.
Samael stared fixedly at the objects hovering around the Argo, his gaze frozen as his pupils rapidly contracted.
He recognized these things...
Atalanta's wide-area annihilation weapons!
...
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