[The Fifth Ship: The Demon's Echo]
The wooden deck of the fifth EDEN ship was a scene of absolute devastation. Vice-Commander Goro, the man known for his mountain-crushing strength, was slumped against the mast, his massive steam-hammer split in two.
Kojo stood over him, his breathing slightly heavier now, his black coat stained a dark, wet crimson. He didn't celebrate; he didn't even look back. He simply flicked the blood off his blades with a sharp, metallic ring and looked toward the next ship in line, where the lanterns flickered like distant, mocking eyes.
Kojo: "Weak."
[The Sea: Supersonic Pursuit]
Meanwhile, cutting through the dark waves like a jagged obsidian blade, the Beast's Debt was screaming across the ocean. The engine was roaring at a pitch that sounded more like a predatory animal than a machine. Ato stood at the prow, the wind whipping his hair back, his eyes fixed on a silhouette in the distance.
Ato: "Oi Faramis, I see there's something."
Faramis adjusted his seat at the helm, pulling down his specialized super-goggles. The lenses whirred and clicked as they zoomed in, piercing through the sea mist.
Faramis: "That's... That's... That's an EDEN ship!"
Ato's grin was feral. "We reached it already."
Faramis checked his gauges. "It is an abandoned ship. Maybe Kojo was the one who defeated all of them."
Ato: "Let's go inside and look."
Faramis gripped the wheel, confused. "Why? We ar—"
Ato: "I don't know why, but I'm feeling like going inside."
Ato's instincts were rarely wrong. They boarded the drifting wreck and walked into the grand dining room. The sight stopped them in their tracks. Every soldier was cut down, and in the center of the room, Vice-Commander Kaine was pinned against a pillar, his wires shredded.
Faramis: "Of course it was Kojo who did this. Monster."
Ato walked into the Vice-Commander's private quarters. A moment later, his voice echoed through the ship. "OI! EVERYONE COME HERE!"
Faramis and Lemon rushed into the room. "What happened, Ato?!"
Ato pointed toward the corner of the office. "Look at this frozen mummy." Standing in the corner was a rectangular block of glowing ice. Inside was a figure wrapped in tattered bandages, frozen in time.
Ato: "Let's save him."
Ato didn't wait. He pulled back his fist, the dark energy of the 'Black Bullet' swirling around his knuckles. CRACK. The ice shattered, and the mummy fell forward, landing heavily on the floor.
[Back on the Chase]
The scene shifts back to the Beast's Debt as it once again tears through the water. Faramis was staring at the compass, his mind spinning.
Faramis thinking: "Why did we even go inside the ship? Who was that guy? We just left a mummy in the medical bay... what is Ato thinking?"
[The Third Ship: Kojo vs. Zen]
On the deck of the third ship, Kojo landed with a thud.
Kojo: "Now there are five ships remaining. Ok, then I need to jump to the next ship."
Only one man stood there: Vice-Commander Zen. Kojo rushed him.
Kojo: "Two swords style: Dragon's Fang!"
Zen simply tilted his head. The blades hissed past his ear. Zen stepped inside and launched a knuckle punch to Kojo's chest. BOOM. Kojo skidded back.
Kojo: "You were the first one to touch me."
Zen: "Of course. Cause from the seven Vice-Commanders, I'm the second strongest."
Kojo pulled out his third blade and put it in his mouth. "Now let's get started."
Continuous blows rained down, but Zen was dodging every one of them.
Zen: "Oh, sorry. I forgot to say that I can see 2 seconds into the future. Anytime and anywhere I want. Knuckle Blow!"
The punch pushed Kojo back.
Kojo: "Ok now. Three sword style: Hollow Dragon Slash!"
Zen dodged the slashes and sprinted forward. "Knuckle Barrage!" He was continuously attacking Kojo. Blood was coming out now for real from Kojo's body.
Kojo thinking: "He can see the future... what can I do?"
Suddenly, a roar came from the ocean. "KOJO! KOJO!" He looked back and saw the Beast's Debt arriving. Zen attacked again, and Kojo barely protected himself.
Ato: "KOJO!"
Kojo: "Don't worry about me and go to the front ship!"
Ato: "Ok!"
[The Second Ship: Faramis and Lemon vs. Sora]
The Beast's Debt pulled alongside the second ship. Ato jumped toward the flagship, leaving his crew behind.
Ato: "I'm going ahead. Oi Faramis, stay with Lemon because he's weak against women!"
Lemon's face turned bright red. "What did you say?!"
But they had no time to argue. Vice-Commander Sora landed in front of them, her long EDEN coat snapping in the wind. She didn't use a sword; she used her legs. She kicked the air, sending a sharp wind-blade that sliced the deck near Faramis's feet.
Sora: "Two little boys think they can pass me? How cute."
Faramis pulled out a specialized gadget. "Lemon, pay attention! She's using compressed air! If you stare at her legs too long, she's going to take your head off!"
Lemon adjusted his glasses, his eyes flickering with dark energy. "I'm not staring... I'm calculating the wind speed! Midnight Anchor: Chain Link!"
The battle for the second ship began, with Faramis firing projectiles to distract Sora while Lemon tried to ground the "Sky-Dancer."
[The Flagship: Ato's 3-vs-1]
Ato landed on the flagship, his boots slamming into the wood. "Where's the commander?!"
Suddenly, a hail of silver light flew at him. Vice-Commander Rina was shooting poison needles from a long rod in her mouth. Ato was dodging all of them, flipping through the air. But as he got close, Raiden and Jiro appeared from the shadows.
Raiden thrust his hand forward, pushing Ato back with a massive 'Palm Wrath'. Ato skidded across the deck, stopping just before the edge.
He looked at the three of them: the needle-user, the flash-user, and the powerhouse Raiden. Ato wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned.
Ato: "So it's three vs one. Bring it on, I don't care at all!.