"Bawa kapal kita merapat ke sisi lambung kanan kapal besar itu. Kita akan naik ke sana dari sana!"<br>"Dimengerti!"<br>Juru mudi menjawab perintah Kapten Gorick.<br>Baik kapal besar maupun kapal hantu itu sama-sama tidak bergerak.<br>Kapal hantu itu berukuran sangat besar.<br>Deknya jauh lebih tinggi daripada dek Lone Dark maupun kapal besar itu.<br>Mnaiki kapal dengan dek setinggi itu tentu sangat sulit.<br>Sebaliknya, naik ke kapal dengan dek yang lebih rendah jauh lebih mudah.<br>Kau hanya perlu melemparkan tali dan meluncur turun.<br>Dek Lone Dark dan kapal besar itu berada di ketinggian yang kurang lebih sama.<br>Berkat kemudi yang sempurna, Lone Dark berhasil merapat ke lambung kanan kapal besar itu.<br>"Lempar tali-tali itu!"<br>Tali dilemparkan ke arah dek kapal besar dari bagian haluan maupun buritan.<br>Haluan dan buritan berada jauh lebih tinggi daripada dek.<br>Melempar tali dari ketinggian seperti itu membentuk sebuah kemiringan.<br>Memanfaatkan kemiringan itu...<br>"Naiki kapal!"<br>Perintah Kapten Gorick menggema.<br>Yang pertama bergerak adalah Perwira Pertama Lena.<br>Ia meluncur turun dari tali di buritan dan mendarat dengan anggun di dek kapal besar.<br>Para awak Lone Dark mengikuti di belakang.<br>Pada saat itu, dek kapal besar sudah berubah menjadi neraka jahanam.<br>"Kami dari Angkatan Laut Kerajaan Suje! Kami datang untuk membantu!"<br>Sambil naik ke kapal, para awak Lone Dark berteriak.<br>Mereka memperjelas bahwa mereka adalah sekutu dan datang untuk membantu.<br>Awak kapal besar sudah kehilangan semangat juang.<br>Situasinya kurang lebih sama dengan menyerah.<br>Tapi sekarang, bala bantuan telah tiba?<br>Di sini, di tengah lautan luas yang terbuka?<br>Kalau dipikir-pikir, ada satu kapal yang sempat mereka suruh kabur tadi...<br>"Angkatan Laut?"<br>"Betul! Kami Angkatan Laut Kerajaan Suje dari Kepulauan! Jangan menyerah!"<br>Musuh yang naik ke kapal dari kapal hantu itu adalah... kerangka.<br>Mereka adalah kerangka.<br>Kerangka sebenarnya tidak terlalu kuat.<br>Tentu saja, ada beberapa yang spesial, tapi kebanyakan tidak terlalu hebat.<br>Namun, jumlah mereka sangat banyak.<br>Dan beberapa dari mereka tampaknya tahu cara menggunakan keunggulan jumlah untuk menekan lawan.<br>Terlebih lagi, beberapa membawa senjata...<br>Semua kerangka di dek kapal besar membawa pisau.<br>"Kurasa mereka bukan marinir... tapi mereka bisa naik ke kapal lain?"<br>"Tentu saja. Jika pelaut di kapal perang tidak bisa naik ke kapal musuh, mereka baru separuh terlatih."<br>Kepala Teknisi Gunno menjawab pertanyaan Ryo.<br>Mereka sedang berdiri di dek Lone Dark.<br>Ryo dan Abel belum pernah melakukan penyerbuan antar-kapal, jadi mereka ditinggal di belakang.<br>Gunno, sebagai perwira senior, ditunjuk sebagai penjabat komandan Lone Dark.<br>Ini berarti kapten dan perwira pertama sudah naik ke kapal musuh.<br>Meskipun berada di haluan, mereka tetap bisa melihat dengan jelas apa yang terjadi di dek kapal besar.<br>"Kerangka, ya..."<br>"Dengan pisau, mereka musuh yang menyebalkan."<br>Kata Ryo, dan Abel mengangguk setuju.<br>Untuk mengalahkan kerangka, senjata tumpul seperti tongkat atau palu sangat efektif.<br>Di sisi lain, senjata tajam seperti pedang atau tombak Cenderung terpental dari tulang tanpa memberikan banyak kerusakan kecuali jika ditebas dengan sempurna.<br>Pisau bahkan lebih buruk dalam hal itu...<br>"Mereka menyusahkan bagi para pelaut yang menggunakan pisau sebagai senjata utama."<br>"Ah, begitu ya."<br>Ryo akhirnya mengerti maksud Abel.<br>Kapal besar yang mereka datangi untuk dibantu ternyata adalah kapal perang dari negara bernama Bor.<br>Tentu saja, awaknya adalah prajurit.<br>Seperti awak Lone Dark, mereka seharusnya sudah terbiasa bertempur...<br>Di dunia di mana pertempuran antar-kapal adalah hal biasa, kemampuan untuk naik dan bertempur di kapal musuh adalah hal yang wajar. <br>Mereka bisa naik ke kapal lain, jadi tidak heran jika kapal mereka sendiri juga bisa dinaiki musuh. Hal itu cukup sering terjadi dalam pertempuran.<br>Jadi, para awak seharusnya bisa bertempur juga...<br>Namun, awak kapal besar berada dalam kerugian besar.<br>Ryo tadinya penasaran apa alasannya...<br>Masalahnya adalah ketidaksesuaian senjata.<br>Kompatibilitas senjata tidak boleh diremehkan.<br>Awak Lone Dark juga kebanyakan menggunakan pisau.<br>Seharusnya begitu, tapi...<br>"Rasakan ini!"<br>"Hancur!"<br>"Pukul!"<br>Sambil meneriakkan kata-kata itu, mereka mengayunkan sesuatu.<br>"Apakah itu...?"<br>"Palu. Dalam pertempuran antar-kapal, kadang-kadang kalian naik ke kapal musuh untuk menjebol lambungnya dan menenggelamkannya. Saat itulah kalian membawa benda-benda itu."<br>"Begitu ya."<br>Abel bertanya, Kepala Teknisi Gunno menjawab, dan Ryo mengangguk paham.<br>Jika awak musuh terlalu kuat untuk dikalahkan, menenggelamkan kapal mereka dengan menghancurkan lambungnya adalah strategi yang sah.<br>Pertempuran antar-kapal, yang kelihatannya sederhana, ternyata memiliki kerumitannya sendiri.<br>"Jika awak kapal besar tahu sebelumnya bahwa mereka akan melawan kerangka, mereka mungkin sudah menyiapkan senjata seperti itu. Mereka kemungkinan menyimpannya di ruang senjata."<br>Kata Kepala Teknisi Gunno sambil menggelengkan kepala pelan.<br>Pentingnya informasi awal.<br>Di dek kapal besar, pertempuran sengit berkecamuk, tetapi para awak Lone Dark mampu bertahan.<br>Mereka sudah tahu bahwa musuh mereka adalah kerangka sebelum naik ke kapal.<br>Tidak ada tanda-tanda mereka terdesak.<br>Namun...<br>"Mereka terus berdatangan."<br>"Aku sudah memotong tali itu beberapa kali, tapi talinya terus tersambung kembali."<br>Ryo dan Abel fokus pada tali yang menghubungkan kapal hantu ke kapal besar.<br>Para kerangka menggunakannya untuk meluncur turun dan menyerbu.<br>Tak satu pun dari mereka menginjakkan kaki di medan perang yang merupakan dek kapal besar itu.<br>Mereka tetap berada di atas Lone Dark.<br>Tentu saja, baik Ryo maupun Abel tidak hanya bermalas-malasan.<br>Awak Lone Dark naik lebih dulu untuk menyelamatkan awak kapal besar.<br>Tujuan awal mereka adalah mengusir kerangka yang menyerang, sebuah solusi sementara.<br>Tapi itu saja tidak akan menyelesaikan situasi.<br>Kondisi kemenangan belum jelas.<br>Apa yang harus dilakukan agar semua orang selamat?<br>Apa yang akan menghentikan serangan kapal hantu itu?<br>Jika ini adalah sebuah permainan, kondisi kemenangan akan dijelaskan secara rinci, tetapi kenyataan tidak bekerja seperti itu.<br>Mereka harus mencari tahu sendiri cara meraih kemenangan.<br>Musuhnya adalah kerangka.<br>Dengan kata lain, mereka tidak merasa lelah.<br>Semakin lama ini berlarut-larut, situasi bisa menjadi semakin merugikan bagi manusia... mungkin.<br>Bahkan hal itu pun tidak pasti.<br>Informasinya terlalu sedikit.<br>Itulah sebabnya Ryo dan Abel tidak langsung terjun ke medan pertempuran; mereka mundur untuk mengamati situasi secara keseluruhan.<br>Adapun Kepala Teknisi Gunno, ia bertugas menjaga Lone Dark.<br>Sisa awak, yang kebanyakan adalah teknisi dan koki, tetap tinggal di belakang.<br>Dengan kata lain, semua orang yang lain sudah naik ke kapal besar...<br>Meskipun mereka yang ditinggal di belakang pun dipersenjatai lengkap.<br>"Hei, kerangka tidak punya batu sihir, kan?"<br>"Tentu saja tidak. Kau sudah lebih lama menjadi petualang daripada aku, Abel. Kenapa kau bertanya begitu?"<br>"Yah, begitulah... bahkan jimat dan kertas spirit itu menggunakan jalur sihir untuk menyalurkan kekuatan sihir alih-alih batu sihir, kan? Aku penasaran bagaimana cara kerja kerangka."<br>Menanggapi pertanyaan Abel, Ryo memasang wajah masam dan menggelengkan kepala.<br>Jawabannya, "Pengamatan yang bagus, seperti yang diharapkan dari mantan petualang peringkat A. Tapi kerangka-kerangka itu tidak memiliki hal seperti jalur sihir yang terpasang pada mereka."<br>"Ya, aku sudah menduganya."<br>"Kau sudah tahu?"<br>"Kerangka yang kau temui saat berpetualang tidak memiliki batu sihir, dan tidak ada yang tahu dari mana mereka mendapatkan kekuatan sihirnya... tapi mereka tetap bergerak. Hal itu selalu menjadi misteri."<br>"Memang benar. Aneh sekali. Apakah kerangka adalah satu-satunya 'monster' tanpa batu sihir?"<br>"Mungkin wraith... atau shadow stalker juga? Tapi tidak banyak yang seperti itu..."<br>Abel berpikir sejenak sambil mendongak.<br>Sebelum kata-katanya terhenti.<br>Ia sedang menatap ke arah anjungan haluan kapal hantu tersebut.<br>"Abel?"<br>"Baru saja... kurasa aku melihat sesuatu dari haluan kapal hantu itu."<br>"Sesuatu? Mungkinkah itu bosnya?"<br>"Ya, pemimpin musuh. Sangat mungkin. Kurasa aku melihat sesuatu yang berpendar biru, tapi... mungkinkah kita harus mengalahkan benda itu untuk mengakhiri semua ini?"<br>"Berpendar biru... Apa itu? Aku pernah melawan kerangka kuat seperti Skeleton Arcs yang kebal terhadap sihir bersama semua orang dari 'Kamar 10', tapi tidak ada satupun dari mereka yang berpendar biru. Oh, dan aku juga pernah melawan pendekar pedang kerangka yang lebih kuat darimu di dalam dungeon... lagi-lagi bersama 'Kamar 10'—tapi ia juga tidak berpendar."<br>"Pendekar pedang kerangka yang lebih kuat dariku...?"<br>"Amon bangkit dan mengalahkannya. Saat itulah Amon memulai jalannya sebagai seorang pendekar pedang master."<br>Entah kenapa, Ryo membanggakan pencapaian Amon dengan nada menyombongkan diri.<br>"Begitu ya... Yah, terserah. Awak Lone Dark masih bisa bertahan untuk saat ini, tapi entah sampai kapan."<br>"Benar juga. Kalau begitu, haruskah kita suruh Abel menyerbu markas musuh?"<br>"Tunggu sebentar. Kenapa cuma aku?"<br>"Tangkapan yang bagus! Ini saat yang tepat untuk mengirim pendekar pedang garis depan jauh ke wilayah musuh dan menyelesaikan masalah ini!"<br>"Kurasa kau juga harus ikut, Ryo."<br>"Menyeret seorang penyihir barisan belakang ke garis depan? Pantas saja kau dijuluki pendekar pedang yang kejam, Abel, kau benar-benar hidup sesuai julukanmu."<br>"Berhentilah memberiku julukan aneh."<br>Usulan Ryo untuk julukan baru itu langsung ditolak oleh Abel.<br>"Baiklah. Aku akan pergi bersamamu, tapi kau bertanggung jawab untuk melawan apa pun hal berbahaya yang mendekat, ya? Aku akan mengurus kerangka-kerangka lainnya."<br>"Uh, tentu saja..."<br>"Kalau begitu, Gunno-san, kami berangkat."<br>"Eh? Oh, eh, baiklah? Hati-hati?"<br>Gunno tidak sepenuhnya memahami situasi tersebut.<br>Ia mendengar Ryo dan Abel berbicara tentang naik ke kapal hantu, tapi...<br>Bagaimana persisnya mereka berencana melakukan itu?<br>"Ayo pergi. <Icicle Pillar>"<br>Begitu Ryo mengucapkan mantra, embun beku meletus dari dek tempat mereka berdiri.<br>Embun beku itu dengan cepat tumbuh menjadi pilar es besar, mengangkat mereka berdua tinggi-tinggi di atas dek kapal hantu.<br>Pilar es itu terus naik hingga mencapai sekitar separuh tiang kapal hantu.<br>Dari sana, keduanya menatap ke bawah ke arah dek kapal hantu.<br>"Berkerumun... seperti semut."<br>"Ya, menjijikkan sekali."<br>Baik Abel maupun Ryo memasang wajah masam.<br>Hal itu sangat bisa dimaklumi.<br>Dek kapal dipenuhi oleh kerangka hingga hampir tidak ada ruang tersisa di antara mereka.<br>Jumlahnya dengan mudah melebihi seribu.<br>"<Ice Wall 10>"<br>Beberapa saat kemudian...<br>Gubrak, gubrak, gubrak...<br>Suara benda-benda berat yang berjatuhan menggema di udara.<br>Dinding-dinding es itu berjatuhan dari udara.<br>Dinding es, yang diciptakan tinggi di langit, jatuh menghantam dek kapal hantu, meremukkan kerangka-kerangka yang berkerumun di bawah.<br>"Ahh, rasanya menyegarkan."<br>"Kau tidak pernah berubah, ya..."<br>Ryo mengangguk dengan ekspresi puas, sementara Abel menggelengkan kepala pelan.<br>Ia telah melihat sihir Ryo tak terhitung jumlahnya, tetapi setiap kali melihatnya, Abel tidak bisa menahan diri untuk berpikir betapa mengerikannya sihir itu.<br>Sihir itu membuat segala kekuatan, kecepatan, dan teknik menjadi tidak ada artinya.<br>Sebuah sihir yang menunjukkan kekuatan menakutkan dari seorang penyihir.<br>Pilar es itu sedikit menyusut, menurunkan mereka ke ketinggian yang sama dengan dek kapal hantu.<br>Ryo dan Abel melompat ke atas dek.<br>Tempat itu telah berubah menjadi tanah tandus yang membeku.<br>Dan kerangka-kerangka yang hancur itu perlahan menghilang.<br>"Lumayan."<br>Saat suara itu bergema.<br>Tring!br>Suara tajam benturan pedang berdering.<br>Abel telah menangkis tebasan pedang, yang berpendar biru samar, dengan bilah pedang kesayangannya.<br>"Bagus! Bagus sekali, pendekar pedang! Kau adalah rekan yang layak bagi penyihir yang merapal mantra tadi!"<br>"Ya, terima kasih."<br>Pria yang berpendar biru itu tertawa sambil memuji Abel, yang menanggapinya dengan ketidaksenangan yang jelas.<br>"Sudah seratus tahun sejak seseorang menginjakkan kaki di dek ini. Terakhir kali, hanya ada satu orang. Sekarang, ada dua orang. Mau kubuat apa kalian."<br>Begitu monolog pria biru itu berakhir—<br>Tring!<br>Sekali lagi, suara benturan bilah pedang memenuhi udara.<br>Kali ini, Ryo telah menangkis serangan dengan pedangnya, Murasame.<br>Penyerangnya adalah seorang wanita, yang juga berpendar biru samar.<br>"Akan kuubah kalian berdua menjadi budakku, untuk melayaniku selamanya."<br>Ujarnya datar, tanpa sedikit pun emosi.<br>"Ini benar-benar merepotkan. Aku seorang penyihir... tapi di sinilah aku, beradu pedang."<br>Ryo berkomentar, suaranya lebih keras daripada sekadar berbisik.<br>Dan secercah senyum tipis terukir di bibirnya.<br>"Ryo memang maniac pertarungan rupanya."<br>Abel bergumam pelan, meskipun Ryo tidak mendengarnya.<br>Dengan demikian, pertempuran di dek kapal hantu telah dimulai, dua duel terbentang secara bersamaan.
Vol 3. Bab 475: Pertempuran di Dek
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“Bring us alongside the starboard of the large ship. We’ll board from there!”
“Understood!”
The helmsman responded to Captain Gorick’s orders.
Both the large ship and the ghost ship were stationary.
The ghost ship was massive.
Its deck was much higher than that of either the Lone Dark or the large ship.
Boarding a ship with such a high deck was challenging.
Conversely, boarding a ship with a lower deck was easier.
You just needed to toss a rope and slide down it.
The decks of the Lone Dark and the large ship were at roughly the same height.
With perfect maneuvering, the Lone Dark pulled up to the starboard side of the large ship.
“Toss the ropes!”
Ropes were thrown toward the large ship’s deck from both the bow and the stern.
The bow and stern were much higher than the deck.
Throwing the ropes from such a height created a slope.
Using that slope...
“Board!”
Captain Gorick’s command echoed.
The first to move was First Officer Lena.
She slid down the rope from the stern and landed gracefully on the large ship’s deck.
The crew of the Lone Dark followed.
By that time, the deck of the large ship had already become a living hell.
“We’re the Suje Kingdom Navy! We’re here to help!”
As they boarded, the crew of the Lone Dark shouted.
Making it clear that they were allies and had come to assist.
The crew of the large ship had already lost morale.
It was essentially the same as giving up.
But now, reinforcements had arrived?
Here, in the vast open sea?
Come to think of it, there was a ship they had told to flee earlier...
“The navy?”
“That’s right! We’re the Suje Kingdom Navy from the Archipelago! Don’t give up!”
The enemies boarding from the ghost ship were... skeletons.
They were skeletons.
Skeletons weren’t particularly strong.
Of course, there were some special ones, but most were not too formidable.
However, there were a lot of them.
And some of them seemed to know how to use their numbers to overwhelm.
Moreover, some carried weapons...
All the skeletons on the large ship’s deck had knives.
“I don’t think they’re marines... but they can board other ships?”
“Of course. If sailors on a warship can’t board an enemy vessel, they’re only half-trained.”
Chief Engineer Gunno answered Ryo’s question.
They were standing on the deck of the Lone Dark.
Ryo and Abel had never done ship-to-ship boarding, so they were left behind.
Gunno, as a senior officer, had been made the Lone Dark’s acting commander.
This meant the captain and first officer had already boarded the enemy ship.
Although they were at the bow, they could still clearly see what was happening on the deck of the large ship.
“Skeletons, huh...”
“With knives, they’re troublesome foes.”
Ryo said, and Abel nodded in agreement.
To defeat skeletons, blunt weapons like clubs or hammers were effective.
On the other hand, edged weapons like swords or spears tended to slide off the bones without dealing much damage unless struck perfectly.
Knives were even worse in that regard...
“They’re a pain for sailors who use knives as their main weapon.”
“Ah, I see.”
Ryo finally understood Abel’s point.
The large ship they had come to help was apparently a warship from a country called Bor.
Naturally, its crew were soldiers.
Like the Lone Dark’s crew, they should have been used to fighting...
In a world where ship-to-ship combat was common, being able to board and fight was expected.
They could board, so it wasn’t surprising they could be boarded as well. That happens often enough in battles.
So, the crew should be able to fight, too...
Yet, the large ship’s crew was at a huge disadvantage.
Ryo had been wondering why...
The problem was the mismatch in weapons.
Weapon compatibility cannot be underestimated.
The Lone Dark’s crew also mainly used knives.
They were supposed to, but...
“Take that!”
“Break!”
“Hit!”
Shouting these words, they were swinging something.
“Is that...?”
“Hammers. In ship-to-ship combat, sometimes you board the enemy ship to break through the hull and sink it. That’s when you bring those.”
“I see.”
Abel asked, Chief Engineer Gunno answered, and Ryo nodded in understanding.
If the enemy crew was too strong to overpower, sinking their ship by smashing the hull was a valid strategy.
Ship-to-ship combat, which looked straightforward, had its complexities.
“If the large ship’s crew had known they’d be fighting skeletons in advance, they might have prepared such weapons. They probably have them in the armory.”
Chief Engineer Gunno said, shaking his head slightly.
The importance of prior information.
On the deck of the large ship, intense combat raged, but the crew of the Lone Dark was holding their own.
They had been aware that skeletons were their enemy before boarding.
There was no sign of them being overwhelmed.
However...
“They just keep coming.”
“I’ve cut that rope several times already, but it keeps getting reattached.”
Ryo and Abel were focused on the rope connecting the ghost ship to the large ship.
The skeletons were using it to slide down and board.
Neither of them had set foot on the battlefield that was the deck of the large ship.
They remained on the Lone Dark.
Of course, neither Ryo nor Abel was just lazing around.
The crew of the Lone Dark had boarded first to save the crew of the large ship.
Their initial goal was to drive off the attacking skeletons, a temporary fix.
But that alone wouldn’t resolve the situation.
The victory conditions were unclear.
What needed to happen for everyone to be saved?
What would end the ghost ship’s assault?
If this were a game, the victory conditions would be explicitly stated, but reality doesn’t work that way.
They had to figure out how to achieve victory on their own.
The enemy was skeletons.
In other words, they didn’t tire.
The longer this dragged on, the more disadvantageous it could become for the humans... maybe.
Even that wasn’t certain.
There was just too little information.
That’s why Ryo and Abel weren’t jumping into the fray; they were stepping back to observe the situation as a whole.
As for Chief Engineer Gunno, he was guarding the Lone Dark.
The remaining crew, mostly engineers and cooks, stayed behind.
In other words, everyone else had boarded the large ship...
Though even those left behind were fully armed.
“Hey, skeletons don’t have magic stones, right?”
“Of course not. You’ve been an adventurer longer than I have, Abel. Why are you asking that?”
“Well, you see...even those talismans and spirit tags use magic lines to channel magic power instead of magic stones, right? I was wondering how skeletons work.”
In response to Abel’s question, Ryo grimaced and shook his head.
“Good observation, as expected from a former A-rank adventurer. But those skeletons don’t have anything like magic lines attached to them.”
“Yeah, I figured.”
“You already knew?”
“Skeletons you encounter while adventuring don’t have magic stones, and no one knows where they get their magic power from... but they still move. It’s always been a mystery.”
“That’s true. It is strange. Are skeletons the only ‘monsters’ without magic stones?”
“Maybe wraiths... or shadow stalkers too? There aren’t many like them though...”
Abel thought for a moment, looking up.
Before his words trailed off.
He was staring at the ghost ship’s forecastle.
“Abel?”
“Just now...I think I saw something from the bow of that ghost ship.”
“Something? Could it be the boss?”
“Yeah, the leader of the enemy. It’s possible. I thought I saw something glowing blue, but...could it be that we have to defeat that thing to end this?”
“Glowing blue...What is that? I’ve fought strong skeletons like Skeleton Arcs that are immune to magic with everyone from ‘Room 10’, but none of them ever glowed blue. Oh, and I’ve also fought a skeleton swordsman stronger than you in a dungeon... again with ‘Room 10’—but it didn’t glow either.”
“A skeleton swordsman stronger than me...?”
“Amon awakened and defeated it. That was the moment Amon began his path as a master swordsman.”
For some reason, Ryo boasted about Amon’s achievements with an air of superiority.
“I see...well, whatever. The crew of the Lone Dark is still holding out fine for now, but who knows how long that’ll last.”
“True. Well then, shall we have Abel storm the enemy’s base?”
“Wait a second. Why just me?”
“Good catch! This is the perfect moment to send a frontline swordsman deep into enemy territory and settle things!”
“I think you should come too, Ryo.”
“Dragging a rear-line magician to the frontlines? As expected of the brutal swordsman Abel, you sure live up to your name.”
“Stop giving me weird titles.”
Ryo’s suggestion of a new nickname was quickly rejected by Abel.
“Fine. I’ll go with you, but you’re responsible for fighting whatever dangerous thing that approaches, okay? I’ll take care of the other skeletons.”
“Uh, sure...”
“Well then, Gunno-san, we’re off.”
“Eh? Oh, uh, okay? Take care?”
Gunno didn’t fully grasp the situation.
He overheard Ryo and Abel talking about boarding the ghost ship, but...
How exactly were they planning to do that?
“Let’s go. <Icicle Pillar>”
As Ryo chanted, frost erupted from the deck where they stood.
It quickly grew into a massive ice pillar, lifting both of them high above the ghost ship’s deck.
The frost pillar kept rising until it reached about halfway up the ghost ship’s mast.
From there, the two looked down at the deck of the ghost ship.
“Swarming...like ants.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty gross.”
Both Abel and Ryo grimaced.
It was understandable.
The deck was so packed with skeletons that there was barely any space between them.
There were easily over a thousand.
“<Ice Wall 10>”
A few moments later...
Thud, thud, thud...
The sound of heavy objects falling echoed through the air.
The <Ice Walls> fell through the air.
The ice walls, created high in the sky, came crashing down onto the ghost ship’s deck, crushing the swarming skeletons.
“Ahh, that felt refreshing.”
“You never change, do you...”
Ryo nodded with a satisfied expression, while Abel shook his head slightly.
He had seen Ryo’s magic countless times, but every time, Abel couldn’t help but think how terrifying it was.
It made all strength, speed, and technique meaningless.
A magic that demonstrated the fearsome power of a magician.
The frost pillar shrank a bit, lowering them to the same height as the ghost ship’s deck.
Ryo and Abel leaped onto the deck.
It had become a frozen wasteland.
And the crushed skeletons were vanishing.
“Not bad.”
The moment that voice echoed.
Clang!
The sharp sound of clashing swords rang out.
Abel had blocked a sword, faintly glowing blue, with his beloved blade.
“Nice! Very nice, swordsman! You’re a worthy companion for the magician who cast that spell!”
“Yeah, thanks.”
The blue-glowing man laughed as he praised Abel, who responded with clear displeasure.
“It’s been a hundred years since someone stepped onto this deck. Last time, it was just one. Now, there are two of you. What to do.”
As soon as the blue man’s monologue ended—
Clang!
Once again, the sound of clashing blades filled the air.
This time, Ryo had parried with his sword Murasame.
The attacker was a woman, also faintly glowing blue.
“I’ll make both of you my thralls, to serve me forever.”
She said flatly, without a trace of emotion.
“This is quite the problem. I’m a magician... yet here I am, crossing swords.”
Ryo remarked, his voice louder than a mere whisper.
And the faintest hint of a smile playing on his lips.
“Ryo’s a battle maniac after all.”
Abel muttered under his breath, though Ryo didn’t hear him.
Thus, the battles on the ghost ship’s deck had begun, two duels unfolding simultaneously.
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