Chapter 151: Light, huh?
With the appearance of the Devil Fish, the people who were trying to repair the damaged parts of the half-destroyed ship were paralyzed. Their expressions darkened completely, as if hope itself had collapsed in an instant.
"Oh, shit..." one of them exclaimed, his voice breaking.
The roar of the river accompanied the creature’s arrival. Before the Devil Fish could lunge at the deck, Audrey reacted quickly. Her hand shot up, and several aura slashes emerged from her body, each taking the form of blood lions. The crimson beasts roared in unison and charged at the creature.
Boom!
A loud crash shook the air as the aura lions slammed into the monstrous body. The impact released a gust of wind that tore off splinters, nails, and loose pieces of wood, sending them flying in all directions.
However, when the haze of impact cleared, the reality became clear. Audrey’s attack had barely left a superficial cut on the savage beast.
The Devil Fish let out a deep, guttural screech; its gaze became even more ferocious. The blow had not weakened it—it had only enraged it.
Before he could counterattack, a different pressure descended upon the deck. From another angle, a black aura cut in the shape of a dragon struck the creature directly in the side.
Boom!
The explosion thundered like a clap of thunder. This time, the Devil Fish’s body was pierced through. A huge hole opened up in its side, and the creature fell heavily back into the river, sending up columns of red-stained water.
The half-destroyed ship creaked and swayed dangerously. Each wave shook it as if it wanted to break it in two. The furious currents slowly devoured the planks, pulling out nails and swallowing wood.
From the captain’s cabin, Kael calmly manipulated the helm, trying to keep the ship steady, even as the vessel’s fate crumbled with each passing second.
With the fall of the Devil Fish, Audrey clicked her tongue in annoyance. Compared to Kael and Michel, her strength was small. They were above her, in another range of power. She, on the other hand, was still behind.
I have to get to rank 7 quickly. She thought, gritting her teeth as she adjusted her posture, preparing for what was to come.
The river boiled again. Shortly after, several fish emerged from the red waters, lunging at the half-destroyed ship with their jaws open.
Its body was made entirely of bone: elongated spikes, sharp jaws, and sunken eyes that glowed with a whitish light. It had membranous wings similar to those of a bat and flew at great speed.
It was the Corpse-Eating Fish.
Michel, who had already had previous experience with these creatures when he escaped with Kael from Kiran Mountain, moved so quickly that only an afterimage remained behind him.
His figure seemed to vanish and reappear at different points on the deck as he took out as many enemies as possible.
Martha and Audrey did the same. Their movements were agile and precise, covering the entire deck with determination. Both made sure to intercept the Corpse-Eating Fish before they could pounce on the sailors repairing the ship.
Every moment gained was crucial; every action meant prolonging the fragile survival of the vessel a little longer.
Time passed slowly. The furious currents violently battered the hull, seeking to destroy what was already half-destroyed.
Each attack seemed to herald imminent defeat, but the battle showed no signs of stopping.
The cold, stifling night stretched on as if it would last forever.
While everyone was fighting to overcome this crisis, devil fish would occasionally emerge from the depths. Their deformed bodies and glowing red eyes were harbingers of chaos.
However, Michel dealt with them with the same calmness with which he wielded his sword. Each appearance was met with a precise execution, preventing the destruction from spreading further.
The moon, high in the sky, slowly began to descend. Its silvery light faded, and the dark cloak of night gave way to a deep blue, although the darkness remained.
The deck was a field of ruins. It was covered with the mangled bodies of Corpse-Eating Fish, as well as pieces of devilfish. Blood, scales, and guts mixed with the water that seeped into every corner.
The ship, largely destroyed, was still afloat. It was not due to the strength of the wood or luck, but solely due to Kael’s skill.
After a few more hours, the moon disappeared completely. The first rays of the sun tore through the sky with their golden light, opening cracks in the darkness.
Little by little, the brightness of a new day spread, dispelling the darkness that had reigned during the night.
The birds, which had taken refuge in their nests with the arrival of nightfall, now emerged from their hiding places. They filled the sky with their flapping wings, scattering in search of prey to satisfy their hunger and bring food to their chicks.
The jungle also returned to its usual rhythm. Among the bushes, small animals moved cautiously, sniffing and digging in the earth.
The sound of leaves rustling in the breeze replaced the oppressive noise of the night, as if everything that had happened in the darkness were now a faded memory, indifferent to the inexorable cycle of day and night.
Amidst the river of blood, advancing over that churning red water, a ship could be seen sailing slowly from above. Its appearance was deplorable.
Of the three sails, only one remained standing, tattered and torn by the wind, barely held up by a leaning mast. The other two had disappeared completely, reduced to shreds hanging limply.
The sides of the ship had huge holes in them. River water poured in and out, threatening to sink it with every wave. The planks were splintered, black with moisture, and stained with blood.
The roof was no better: broken in multiple places, with raised boards and rusty nails barely holding the structure together.
The railing was broken, with entire sections missing, and there was a crack in the bow so deep that it seemed to split the ship in two. The rudder was bent and turned irregularly.
Even so, against all odds, that ship kept moving forward. It was nothing more than an empty shell, floating by pure miracle, carried along by the current of the bloody river.
"We’ve survived..." one of them said, incredulous, letting out a long sigh of relief. His chest rose and fell violently.
"I thought we would drown... thanks to the Ancient Sun God, we survived," said another, his voice trembling. His hands began to cross themselves, moving automatically, as if that gesture were the only thing that gave him security.
"Damn it! Why are you thanking that damn God?" a third man burst out, interrupting angrily. His face was red with rage, and his eyes were bloodshot. He spat on the ground, as if to erase the echo of those words. "Are you so stupid that you don’t understand? If it weren’t for them, we would all have died right here."
The silence was thick, heavy with tension.
"Tsk... That’s why I don’t like those damn religious people," the man continued, his tone dripping with venom. "Always giving all the credit to a God who probably doesn’t even exist. How convenient! When fortune favors them, it is God who saves them. But when they die, what do they say? ’It was His will.’ Bullshit! It’s nothing more than a method to keep the weak obedient, an invisible chain that makes them kneel like dogs."
The believer gritted his teeth, his hands trembling, though he didn’t know if it was out of anger or fear. Finally, he replied:
"And what do you have, then? Nothing? No faith, no hope, no purpose... What difference is there between you and a walking corpse? The Ancient Sun God protects us, even if you cannot see him. You don’t need to believe in him for his light to exist."
A bitter laugh escaped the other.
"Light, huh? Where was that light when the captain was stabbed? Where was it when that innocent child was torn in two before your eyes? There is no God in this world, only power. Real power, the kind you can hold in your hands."
Then he pointed to where Michel, Kael, Audrey, and Martha were standing.
"They are strong. If it weren’t for them, we would just be corpses carried away by the current, swollen flesh floating among the waves, a feast for worms. And yet, you say that it’s all because of your so-called God."
He was silent for a few moments.
"Don’t you understand? It is not God who sustains us, but the will that each of us exercises in the moment we decide to resist. The divine is not in heaven, nor in an invisible figure."
The words hung in the air.
And Kael... simply remained silent, listening to everything, but internally he was slightly surprised.
Faith could sustain the weak, but only power defined who survived. And that man, without knowing it, had touched upon the truth.