"Everyone! Shoot at the centre of the fleet!" His jovial voice echoed through the many s.h.i.+ps. "We have to strike now! Don't worry about the aftershocks! Captains! Protect your s.h.i.+ps with your life on the line!"

"OOOOOORRRYYYYAHHHHH!!!"

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The men hollered out their war cries with their weapons flung up high. The warm-ups had been completed, it was time for the real exercise. The Lantis Navy's wars.h.i.+ps sailed closer and closer towards the longboats that were scurrying into one area. Spirit Emperors, all wearing the rank of a Captain, rose into the sky, leaving the command of the s.h.i.+ps to their Lieutenants. Spiritual energies rose to astronomical heights as the Captains all unleashed their Spirits, some even linking them with their own s.h.i.+ps.

See, the Lantis Navy was smart. They knew that no matter how well they built their wars.h.i.+ps, a peak expert would be capable of decimating their prized construction as if they were cutting a slice of cake. So, for the most valuable wars.h.i.+ps that they control, their Captains had to be at least in the Spirit Emperor realm. That way, the Spirit Emperors would be able to protect their wars.h.i.+ps while the vehicle of battle would rain down terror with its cannons.

A deadly combination that hadn't been stopped since its inception. Eight wars.h.i.+ps, together with their Captains protecting the skies, sailed ever closer towards the Black Masks' fleet. They had no fear of collisions between the s.h.i.+ps. The noses of the wars.h.i.+ps were enhanced by enriched metals that could retain an unG.o.dly amount of spiritual energy. Most of them use their tips to ram into their enemies anyway.

"d.a.m.n it! Quick, protect the cores!" One Kshatriya immediately shrieked out in fear. Thousands of Spirit Beasts moved from the rear and started to protect each side of the Black Masks' fleet. Dolphin-shaped beasts, with fangs the size of any crocodiles, leapt out of the ocean and hurriedly swam towards the Lantis Navy. They were speedy and deadly, making them the ideal enemy to take down the annoying fleet.

Splat… Splat… Splat… The water continued to be unstable, but the dolphins didn't care. All they wanted to do was to take down or at the very least, hinder the progression of the Lantis Navy. Alas, things weren't that simple…

Peeeeeeeewwwww… Peeeeeeeewwwww… Peeeeeeeewwwww…

Arrows spun rapidly and instantly drilled holes into the bodies of the dolphins, sending them flying back. Pretty white dust, akin to that of a pixie's remains, drizzled down the path that the arrows took, creating random blocks of ice in the middle of the ocean. Alarmed, the Spirit Beasts halted their tracks. They traced the trajectory of those icy arrows back to the furthest wars.h.i.+p among the eight.

Two young women were stationed at the nose of the s.h.i.+p, their feet just centimetres away from reaching the oceans. They bore the same features, barring the small mole on one of their faces. So, to differentiate themselves, one had tied her hair into a long ponytail, while the other just kept a simple bob cut. However, they did have one other similarity…

"Emma, you take the left, I'll take the right." The woman with a ponytail created yet another ice arrow and nocked it onto her crystalline bow.

"Hehe, roger that!" Emma gave her signature giggle before doing the same action. The twins were now Spirit Spectres. When they'd first awakened their Spirits, they were only capable of firing a few of their famed arrows. However, thirteen years down the road, the twins' Spectre Soul was now an endless ice arrow factory. As long as there was even a sliver of mana left, the twins could create a hailstorm of arrows.

Although they were at least five kilometres away from their target, Emma's shots always found its mark. Ella, who had gone for the bombardment route rather than the accuracy one that her sister took, was creating vast amounts of icy barrages to push the Spirit Beasts away from her position. If they could protect the wars.h.i.+ps, the Lantis Republic would win. However, that was easier said than done.

Realising that it was futile to show their faces, the dolphins instantly sunk underwater. Without vision, the twins wouldn't be able to get to them. No matter how good one's accuracy was, they couldn't aim at an untraceable enemy. Well, that's what the dolphins thought.

Emma instantly closed her eyes. Taking in deep breaths, the woman unconsciously emitted pure ice energy into the atmosphere. The particles that Emma released soon congregated into an ethereal figure. A woman with immaculate white hair and dressed in a white peplos rose above Emma's head. The illusory woman was blindfolded with a thick white cloth, which was strange by itself. However, the odder thing was, she carried a Windranger's bow. How could a bowmaster shoot an arrow with looking at her target?

Well, by using her other senses, of course!

Emma's vision had been swapped into an astral one. In this plane, there were no colours. Neither was there any light. The only thing that was present was the rough imagery of everything around Emma. "There… There… There… There..." The markswoman found all of her targets, particularly the most powerful ones. Without wasting any more time, Emma rapidly fired all of her arrows. All of her arrows left a freezing mist in their wake, but that's not the point of their flight. In no time at all, the dolphins underwater suffered the same fate as their compatriots just moments prior. Emma had tainted the sea in a vampiric crimson colour.

The Spirit Beasts instantly panicked. They were hiding within the depths of the ocean, their own dominion, and yet they were being slaughtered. Many dove down even deeper, hoping to escape the wrath of the deadly markswoman. However, after a while, many of them stopped. Fear was surging them downwards but something else… Something much more sinister than the primal urges of the beasts was propelling them upwards.

Darkness irked out from their cores, and their eyes turned blood-red. Unable to control their thirst for power anymore, the dolphins surged up with a vengeance. The Spirit Beasts had turned from ravaging berserkers, to crazed suicide warriors. Emma was a markswoman. Her speciality was mowing down enemies that were kilometres away. Taking on a rampaging horde was something out of her skillset. Fortunately, her twin was ready to take the job.

"Emma, boost me!" A tornado of spiritual energy split out from Ella's back and found its way onto Emma's. The Spirit Spectre rose to the skies, and her master hand pulled the thin, crystalline bowstring of her bow. Without much explanation, Emma could quickly tell what her sister's plan was. After all, they had been training together since the day they were born. Mana flowed rapidly out of Emma's Spectre Soul, and her consciousness quickly turned drowsy. However, since she was used to the sensation, the markswoman could still 'see' the world clearly.

Ella's Ice Bow glowed in immense arctic light. It was as if the entire radiance of the south pole was condensed into one thin bow. Ella's left hand was shaking rapidly as her veins began to pop. The weight of the bow filled with two Spirit Spectres' mana had turned into a colossal weight, one that couldn't be overcome with pure strength alone. Still, the sharpshooter persevere. Gritted teeth, sweaty palms… Ella was experiencing the whole lot. One might even wonder if she was going to let go of her current stance.

"Too bad..." Ella's face turned fierce as the light within her bow exploded. The radiance was so immense that it seemed like a star had fallen upon the earth. In the end, the sharpshooter finally cast her fifth spiritual ability.

"DIIIIIEEEEE!!!" The woman screamed. Thousands of ice crystals with pointed tips descended down in a hailstorm. They fell at speeds twice as fast as rain and was more akin to a meteor shower. Learning from s.h.i.+n, Ella had devised a wide-ranged attack. Creating an endless amount rapidly spinning crystals, the master archer would be able to destroy anything that lay underneath her. Also, due to the unique properties of the Crystal Toxotai Mantra, Ella could be supplied with Emma's mana, doubling the effect of her technique.

POP!!! POP!!! POP!!! POP!!! POP!!! POP!!! POP!!! POP!!! POP!!! POP!!! POP!!! POP!!! POP!!!

The deadly icy hail broke into the waters below, killing anything that had dared to venture near their wars.h.i.+p. Ella's entire body was s.h.i.+vering as the mana left every corner of her being. It was challenging to maintain that level of performance without feeling drained. In the end, after a gruelling full minute, Ella finally stopped. The ocean had turned into a deep crimson hue as lifeless carca.s.ses floated to the top.

"Hah… Hah… This spiritual ability really drains a lot of mana..." Ella landed right next to Emma. Her hands were holding her knees as she continued to pant heavily. Emma took out her flask of water, only for it to be s.n.a.t.c.hed away by her twin. "Thanks for the a.s.sist, sis..."

"Hehe, don't mention it!" Emma cheered happily. It was a joyous occasion, beating the first horde of Spirit Beasts. However, her face rapidly s.h.i.+fted as the astral snow woman above her turned to face another direction. "But… We're not done yet..."

The dolphins were the tip of the iceberg. Once the first wave of Spirit Beasts had been destroyed, the Black Masks sent in yet another wave. Compared to the precious cargo that they were holding, losing a hundred or even a thousand Tier 3 and 4 Spirit Beasts seemed to be a bargain.

The redness of the oceans was soon replaced by the fresh waves that rippled with the Beast Horde's advance. Spirit Beasts of all shapes and sizes, ranging from Tier 1 to Tier 5 all torpedoed their way against the rough oceans. The wars.h.i.+ps fired their cannons, retaliating against the maniacal rush of the horde. Bodies up from the depths and were instantly dismembered by the explosions. However, even against the tremendous odds, the Spirit Beasts pushed on. Many had reached the wars.h.i.+ps and were preparing for boarding.

Officers donned on their light armour while regular marines rushed back into safety. They instantly ran into formation with their Spirits summoned. With the wars.h.i.+ps now just a few kilometres away, the war had advanced to its next stage.

Taking on the Spirit Beasts as they would pirates, the Lantis Navy began their hack and slash initiative. Blood spewed on both sides as the sea descended in chaos. While whirlwinds and ten-metre high waves were ravaging the oceans, the two sides clashed.

"Tsk, back up!" Ella clicked her tongue and grabbed Emma by the arm. They were the most effective at long-range. Taking on the physically superior Spirit Beasts at close-quarters was tantamount to suicide for them. Which was why...

"Hehe… Now it's my turn!" A sweet voice entered the eardrums of the young twins, as a figure dashed past them. Blue flames were traced down on the floor, and a fragrant aroma tingled the senses of anyone that the figure pa.s.sed.

White foxy ears and nine luscious, puffy tails differentiated the young woman from anyone else. Pale blue b.a.l.l.s of fire spun around the woman, each one holding the explosive power of a hundred cannons. Turning her hand into a claw, the black-haired woman condensed one of the blue foxfires into a dense flame, and a mini-tornado formed right above it. Aiming her claw right at the advancing Spirit Beasts, the woman took one deep breath in before finally unleas.h.i.+ng her rage.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!

An explosion akin to that of a volcanic eruption decimated the patch of ocean that lay before Kanari. And that wasn't the end… Kanari's flames spread out from the point of impact and created an entire field of fire right above the Lantis Sea. No one knows how the fire was able to keep burning, even though its fuel was the ocean itself. However, no one dared to breathe a word at the ethereal sight that lay before them.

Swept within her domain, Kanari pivoted her arms to crack some bones. Taking many deep breaths in, the woman consistently fueled her flames with a bottomless mana reserve. Her Rank 51 Spirit Lord pressure descended upon the ma.s.ses, striking fear in many of the Spirit Beasts hearts.

For the k.u.miho, everything was her prey. Spiritual energy, Spirit Beasts, Black Masks, submarines... They were all d.a.m.ned by the woman that levitated within her blue fire domain.

"Now… It's time for me to let go of some steam..."

✵✵✵

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