From the moment the entire Starlight Lily of the Valley entered Level 1 alert until now, wave after wave of Demons have attacked from within the Mist.
But none have broken through the knights’ and sailors’ defenses. At this moment of life and death, rare unity blossomed among the people.
All contact with the Brave’s party had completely failed—their fate uncertain, the Captain’s face was grave.
If they wished to minimize losses, the best choice was to start the Engine as soon as possible, break through the horde of Demons, and continue toward their destination.
However, the Brave and her companions had lost contact.
“Captain, should I go encourage and rally everyone to keep holding out and wait for the Brave’s return?”
Second Mate Skinny approached the Captain from behind.
Vice Captain Fatty, after being badly frightened by the Illusion, was still unconscious in the Medical Pod.
Naturally, the responsibility of mobilizing the crew now fell to Second Mate Skinny.
Truthfully, Second Mate Skinny wasn’t as skilled at this sort of thing as Vice Captain Fatty, but as one of the Ark’s main officers, he couldn’t fight. This was all he could do.
To bolster his courage, he’d already downed two bottles of Rum and three cans of Gin.
Second Mate Skinny was well aware—this was just an act. As soon as the Ark was operational and people realized the ship still wasn’t moving, protests were inevitable.
People had been living in fear in this Mist for far too long—their nerves stretched taut.
The right rousing speech could boost their confidence; a poor one would spark chaos, and he’d be branded the villain. He wouldn’t die, but would spend the rest of his days as an ordinary sailor.
“If it’s just encouragement, it won’t be enough.” The Captain spoke calmly, rough fingers drumming the railing. “It needs to be targeted… Stirring their anger, stoking hatred for the Demons—those are fine, but what’s lacking is something that shakes the soul.”
“What could shake the soul? What am I supposed to do?” Second Mate Skinny tore at his hair, anxiety in his voice.
“You don’t have to do anything.” The Captain shook his head, suddenly solemn:
“Let everyone believe that the Brave will return. At the same time, tell them this: the only reason we’ve been able to briefly escape the Illusion is because the Brave and her companions fought for it with their very lives. For the sun, we should be grateful.”
Enlightenment struck Second Mate Skinny—he snapped his head up, eyes shining:
“So we must wait for the Brave, no matter the cost!”
Deep blue waters still echoed with cannon fire. But no matter how loud, those thunderous booms couldn’t drown out the desperate, frenzied shouts of “fire!”
The Elf Girl drew her Elf Fine Sword from the heart of a massive, whale-like Demon. Its heavy body collapsed, inky blood oozing out as it slipped through the ice into the depths.
The blue-haired Brave advanced over the water with her spear, hurling Demons into the air one after another wherever she went.
Every Brave’s chosen weapon was a Demon’s bane—like a red-hot blade through butter, even the barest touch dealt immense Divine Blessing.
Corpses of Demons, great and small, piled ever higher. Were it not for the crumbling ice, their bodies would already be stacked like mountains.
“Miss Brave, have you seen Vyea? Just now, I don’t know what happened—she was there, then gone… I’m sorry…” Aiselyn bit her lip. If something happened to that human child, she’d never forgive herself.
“Let’s deal with the Demons in front of us first.” Denonas Rotissa infused her spear with the Retrospection Authority. Every throw or swing at a target created an invisible vortex, reverting a cluster of Demons to their newborn forms—tiny enough to be stomped flat like little biscuits by the stampede behind.
While harvesting Demons, she spoke calmly:
“That child will be fine.”
“What makes you so sure?” The Elf Girl was agitated—she truly disliked Rotissa’s attitude, as if everything could be measured and weighed.
Surely, when facing the trolley problem, this Brave would trade a life of lesser value for one of greater value, without hesitation?
Though it was infuriating, the Elf Girl still cooperated with the blue-haired Brave to wipe out the Demons.
The more thoroughly they slew these Demons, the safer Vyea would be.
That was the logic, but putting it into practice was another matter entirely.
The Elf Girl didn’t have the attribute advantage of a Brave. To slay these tenacious Demons, she had to strike at their weaknesses.
If she was fighting alone, without a Brave to share the enemy’s attention, she’d have been overwhelmed by the tide of Demons long ago.
The blue-haired Brave was right—the pressing problem now was the swarm before them. Though the Brave wasn’t likable, she was effective. Just standing there, she was a weapon of mass destruction against Demons.
The Elf Girl panted heavily. Exterminating Demons was utterly exhausting, especially on the wide, empty, frozen waters.
If they were in the forest, she could unleash all sorts of Elf Magic on these tough creatures.
“Can you reach the Ark?” the Elf Girl asked, breathless. If they could, she could report their position and request artillery support.
“No.” Rotissa moved with her spear to the Elf Girl’s side. They’d repelled the current wave, but soon, Demons from below would surround them again.
“And for now, conserve your strength. The Demon orchestrating all this must be intelligent—one able to command so many minions won’t be easy to deal with.”
“I know.” The Elf Girl sat down, using her Traveler’s Cloak Embroidered with World Tree Leaf as a cushion, and pulled out a Honey Stick from her pocket to recover some energy. “That’s why I’ve just been using Swordsmanship. I’m still saving my magic.”
“Mm.” Rotissa nodded.
“Here, have one.” The Elf Girl glanced at the hesitant blue-haired Brave, speaking indifferently, “No matter how strong you Bravest are, no matter how quickly you kill Demons, you’re still human—you’ll get hurt, get tired, and need to eat and rest.”
“Thank you.”
Rotissa accepted the Honey Stick, took a gentle bite, her dark red eyes gazing into the distance, “Can you handle another round?”
“I suppose, even though you Bravest all have noble ideals, you must have people you care about, right?” The Elf Girl didn’t answer directly, but asked curiously instead, “Fighting Demons every day, dancing on the edge of life and death—if you never make it back someday, won’t you feel regret?”
“… ” Rotissa was silent.
“But I would regret it.” The Elf Girl gently wiped her Elf Fine Sword, her voice dropping, “My family is still waiting for me back in the Elf Forest. If I were to die namelessly in these cold waters, never able to return home, never seeing my loved ones again…”
“…I would be deeply, deeply regretful.”
The Elf Girl stood up and sheathed her sword with a flourish. She faced the Demons closing in, her gaze fearless, her voice as resolute as a pilgrim:
“That’s why—I’ll find Vyea, and I’ll bring her back to her family! That’s the oath of us elves—we never give up halfway!”
“What… are you planning?” Rotissa looked at the smiling Elf Girl, suddenly sensing danger.
“Silver Stag Orianna, Guardian Deity worshipped by the elves.” The Elf Girl smiled. “I can borrow Her power.”
“What did you say?” Rotissa snapped to attention, cold sweat seeping from every pore.