“From now on, nail shut all the entrances to the cabins. Without my order, no one is allowed to come out.”
Wu Yi addressed the panicked crowd.
That was no ordinary storm cloud. There was no lightning or thunder within those clouds, only the sound of crying and wailing.
She had experienced this before—and she absolutely did not want to go through it a second time.
Unfortunately… this sea was as unwelcoming to her as ever.
“What is that?” Little Lead Singer looked eastward, unable to resist her curiosity.
“To put it nicely, that’s the ocean’s tears. But your tears, to a little flying insect struck by them, are its grave.”
“Wow—”
Little Lead Singer gazed at the cloud in fascination.
When it was far away, she thought it wasn’t raining there, that it was just a patch of blue-glowing cloud.
But as they got closer, she realized.
It’s not that there was no rain.
Rather, seawater was connected all the way up into the clouds, forming an enormous fish tank without glass walls.
Life and death blended together so harmoniously here. Broken ships drifted in that watery tank, as if flying through the sky.
And the fish swam freely against the current, all the way up to the clouds.
“What are you still standing there for? Get inside!”
In a rush, Wu Yi gave Little Lead Singer’s butt a kick with her small foot, gently shoving her into the cabin. “See that wrecked ship inside? If you don’t nail the hatch shut, that’s what will happen to us!”
“But what about you, Captain…”
“Someone has to stay outside, or it won’t let us go.”
The crew already deeply regretted this voyage. They’d only been at sea a few days, and they’d already witnessed two scenes so bizarre that they defied all common sense.
First the Coffin, then this storm that could capsize the ocean itself.
The water wasn’t falling from the sky—it was rising from the sea up into the clouds.
“Can I stay outside?” Little Lead Singer gazed excitedly. “I feel inspiration surging through my veins. I’ve never felt such a strong urge to create in my life… Please, let me stay outside with you? Even if it means dying, I’m willing.”
“No, go.”
“I’m begging you, I was born for song. If you make me miss this great moment, I’d rather die.”
“Your life or death isn’t my concern, but please, die tomorrow.”
With a bang, Wu Yi slammed the hatch shut.
While the cloud was still far off, everyone inside and out worked together to nail the hatch shut.
Only Kefulu and Wu Yi remained outside the ship.
…Or so it seemed. No one noticed the Little Bat-Fox hanging below the Lookout Post.
Her gaze was resolute.
—I am a Shashou, I have no feelings. No matter how long I have to squat here, I will wait for that guaranteed moment of victory!
She told herself this.
“Prepare.”
Even though the ship was fleeing at full speed, it still couldn’t outrun the cloud.
The curtain of water quickly caught up.
The stern was the first to be swallowed, lifted toward the sky by the rushing water.
The ship tilted violently, cargo inside sliding toward the bow under the force of gravity.
Wu Yi gripped the mast tightly with one hand, while Kefulu used her tentacles to secure Wu Yi’s waist.
The two of them stared at the wall of water approaching.
Wu Yi took a deep breath.
And held it.
“Wuuuu—”
A massive water pressure suddenly squeezed in from all directions. The sounds of the world became muffled, as if submerged in the depths of the sea.
There was something mysterious in this water. All the “Spirit” in Wu Yi’s body slipped from her control, making it impossible to use Closed Breathing or any similar spells.
She could only open her eyes wide and feel the strength draining from her body.
The sensation of suffocation was unbearable.
Her lungs felt like they were about to burst, and her instincts screamed at her to breathe. But what little reason she had left told her that if she did, she’d only fill her lungs with seawater, and that would mean certain death.
Looks like this is the end. She’d expected as much.
It liked to watch people die of suffocation. Only after witnessing the Sacrifice with its own eyes and inflicting enough suffering would it be satisfied enough to let the others go.
Her consciousness began to blur, and hallucinations seemed to appear.
Kefulu wrapped her arms around Wu Yi’s waist, a serene smile on her face as she looked down at the Wu Yi in her embrace, content to watch her struggle in agony.
“You forgot, this is my Main Stage.”
She could even speak freely in this water.
Wu Yi’s eyes widened.
Kefulu’s face drew closer.
—Damn! I underestimated her!
Originally, keeping Kefulu outside was just to have her protect the ship, to keep it from being smashed by a Whale in the rain.
Or to serve as a fellow Sacrifice with Wu Yi, increasing the chance the others would be spared.
She hadn’t expected this one to act like she’d come home.
……
Kefulu gently cupped the back of Wu Yi’s head.
“Want to live?”
Of course she did. If she could survive, who would want to be suffocated to death?
Suffocation, just like burning, was an unbearably long, excruciating agony.
At this moment, her primal fear of death left her unable to resist at all.
Kefulu showed the smile of a victor, her tentacles spreading freely in the water.
Wu Yi’s body was tightly bound.
Even her last bit of resistance was pried open by Kefulu’s sweet, smooth lips and tongue.
Life-saving oxygen was forced from Kefulu’s mouth into her lungs.
Wu Yi wanted to struggle, to resist this humiliating rescue. But the pleasure of oxygen flooding her body was so wonderful that she couldn’t stop herself.
She could accept death; she’d already prepared for it.
But her body chose to live.
She fought desperately, wanting to tell Kefulu: I must die, I need to die once, only then can we escape this cursed place.
But she couldn’t speak a word.
Her body was bound so tightly that her struggles only provoked Kefulu’s wildness, making her hold even tighter.
Her back pressed against the mast, Kefulu tied her to it, savoring this rare sensation.
“No… let me… die!”
Wu Yi twisted her head with all her might, bubbles gurgling from her mouth as she tried to speak, desperate to get her meaning across.
Kefulu didn’t understand.
They were in this together; of course she wouldn’t let Wu Yi suffocate to death.
So she pressed the struggling Wu Yi tightly and forced another breath of oxygen into her.