Before the successful strike against Susanoo...

As Captain Lionheart watched the giant arc of lightning come towards him, he had a strange feeling that this time, that yellow-haired man, whoever he was, would not be able to defend against this one.

This was because it seemed the powers he was using that came from the clouds had suddenly disappeared, taking away a large amount of his strength. Therefore, Captain Lionheart knew someone else had to act.

In a split second, he glanced towards the Redflower ship, only to see that they were just staring wide-eyed at the incoming strike.

That was when he knew that he was the one who had to do something.

Once again, Lionheart activated his treasure sense skill, Golden Burden; a skill that would allow him to drastically increase the weight of a chosen object.

Recently, he had been pushing this skill to its limits, using it to turn cannonballs golden, which took moderate chunk of energy out of him. However, as a Drowned, his energy supply was much higher than it once was.

Now, he planned on pushing this power even further past its limits. He could only pray that the God of Knowledge would bestow him with the strength to make this work.

Captain Lionheart focused on his ship, the same way he would focus on any other object he wished to use the skill on. Once he grabbed hold of it, he did the same to the Redflower ship.

They didn’t leave him, so he would not be leaving them.

Just feeling the presence of the two ships alone was enough to almost make him buckle to his knees.

Blood started to seep from his mouth, which he wiped with the back of his hand. Then, he activated his skill.

The effect was immediate.

Both ships became golden from bow to stern, their hulls taking on a shiny metallic sheen. Across their decks, weapons, armour, belts, and gear on the crews’ bodies turned golden as well.

The sudden weight was unbearable.

The Lionheart and Redflower ships plunged beneath the waves, dragging everyone aboard under with them for a few brief seconds as the arc of lightning sliced through the space where they had been.

Captain Lionheart’s body became unconscious after using the skill, but once he had been doused in the cold water, it had drawn him back to consciousness.

As he stayed tethered to the sinking ship, he released the skill and smiled slightly.

He was impressed with himself that he was able to pull such a feat off. Then, he realised that it was likely due to the God of Knowledge’s aid.

He said a short prayer of thanks in his head, hoping that he would be heard.

...

Back underwater with the Redflowers...

Rai’zac had a feeling that the event would play out this way, and he was glad for it.

If it was left up to him, he wasn’t sure whether he would have been able to save both ships. Saving himself wouldn’t have been a problem, but with Susanoo having taken his control of the cloud away, using Storm Jump on two ships wasn’t feasible.

There was, of course, another method by which the skill could be used, but doing it above water wasn’t possible. Susanoo wouldn’t allow it to happen.

However, that had all changed now.

The man with the golden abilities had given him a great opening, whether he knew it or not.

Rai’zac looked around whilst underwater and watched as the various members of the crews were trying to hold onto whatever they could to keep themselves close to the ship. Or, an item of their clothing had been turned golden, keeping them weighted down too.

He looked towards the cannons and saw that no one was ready to fire. This made him sigh inwardly.

He would have to do it himself.

Rai’zac lifted one hand and shot a bolt of lightning underwater. It travelled beneath where Susanoo’s lower half swam, and once it passed his back, he used Storm Jump, carrying the two ships with him.

This used a tremendous amount of energy, even as a sea god. More than he had expected.

However, it worked. The next second, Rai’zac and the ships found themselves on the other side of Susanoo, with their cannons facing his back.

At the same time, Captain Lionheart’s Golden Burden skill faded, causing the ships to rise back to the surface of the water, alongside everything else.

Under normal circumstances, this would be a problem. However, due to ship modifications and certain sailor skills owned by the crews, they were resistant to water damage. Even the sails remained dry enough to still work.

Once on the surface of the water, Rai’zac moved with tremendous speed by using consecutive Storm Jumps to arrive at his destinations. He placed cannonballs in each of the cannons. Not just of the Armageddon ship, but also Lionheart’s. He looked like a blur whose figure could not be seen, leaving only a yellow trail behind him.

Then, before Susanoo was even able to process what had happened, roughly twenty cannonballs shot from the cannons, each imbued with the strength of ferocious storms.

Rai’zac fell sideways and landed on the deck of the ship, unable to see the results of his work.

He had never been in such a poor condition before. Not since his first fight with Susanoo so many years ago. However, this time he was able to wear a smile on his face.

This was because whilst he was still using a mere human form, Susanoo had revealed his true form. Yet Rai’zac had still been able to fight against him evenly.

He heard the sound of a gargling cry spread throughout the sea, followed by the sound of a great behemoth-like creature crashing into the water. Waves stirred beneath them, swaying the ships.

Rai’zac managed to glance around and saw that the ship crews were already moving, preparing to capitalise on the opening he had created for them.