The Sword Emperor Transmigrates-Chapter 238

The port of the Central City of Atlantis, the heart of the Atlantis Maritime Alliance, was always bustling. It was the lifeblood of the city, constantly filled with ships returning from monster hunts or resource-gathering expeditions, trading vessels stopping by to restock supplies mid-voyage, and merchant ships taking advantage of the efficient sea routes, which were far faster than land travel.

Apart from the thrill of adventure and commerce, the region itself was renowned as a tourist destination. The unique design of each adventurer team’s ship added a layer of spectacle that left no one disappointed.

“...I never imagined I’d see the day when this port would be so silent,” said Gordon Haywood, smiling wryly.

It was to be expected. Although the Maritime Control Order was indeed a clause in the Atlantis legal code, the conditions required to enforce it were so rare and stringent that it was hardly ever invoked.

“Phew, I’d say so myself,” murmured Benjamin, loosening the tie around his neck.

The Atlantis Maritime Alliance depended on the flow of commerce and naval traffic, so even a single day of interruption would result in astronomical losses. For this reason, issuing a Maritime Control Order required the unanimous approval of all three major organizations.

The last time it was issued, it only lasted several hours, when the Sea Dragon King went on a rampage for some unknown reason. In light of recent events, which had led to a major reshuffle in the Council of Atlantis and Bermuda, as well as the appointment of Jack Russell as the new Tower Master of the Atlantis Mage Tower, they had only narrowly managed to push the order through with minimal discord.

Had it not been for these circumstances, internal opposition would likely have blocked it entirely.

“Though I’ve been aboard the Aquamarine before, I haven’t had a chance to see the other two ships up close like this,” said Jack Russell, a Class 8 Archmage holding full authority over the Mage Tower.

Unlike Gordon and Benjamin, who were visibly drained from their political maneuvering, Jack Russell casually examined the three Masterpiece ships with a look of genuine interest. Each was crafted as a prime example of magic engineering.

“Though it’s a shame that the Golden Hind’s force fields, created by its relics, limit external observation, these ships, even if different in specialty, could provide useful insights for my research,” he remarked.

While the three representatives of the Atlantis Maritime Alliance were sharing their thoughts, the expedition team from the Arcadian Empire was busy finalizing the crew allocation for each ship.

Leonard and Nicholas, along with thirty-six elite Golden Dragon knights, would board the Zaratan at the front; Demian and Cruella would board the Aquamarine in the middle; and Corbin would take the rear on the Golden Hind.

Each Masterpiece ship had distinct advantages and limitations, so to best coordinate them, they arranged the ships in a formation that would balance out weaknesses and amplify strengths.

The Zaratan, slower but offering substantial crew capacity and durability, would lead; the balanced Aquamarine would respond flexibly from the center; and the Golden Hind, armed with relics and captained by a Demigod Tier adventurer, would secure the rear.

“It appears there’s no internal threat left within the city,” reported Corbin, the Light Dragon Commander, after three days of reconnaissance. “It seems they completely withdrew after the recent incident cost them their cultists and that apostle; any remnants of their group have abandoned the area.”

“That’s a relief,” Leonard replied, visibly more at ease. “If there had been even a hint of the Outer God’s cultists left, our expedition into the Sixth Sea District might have been delayed.”

“That’s true. With Aquamarine, Zaratan, and Wild Hunt all leaving, the defensive power of Atlantis has been reduced by over thirty percent,” Corbin noted.

Although there was only a limited number of Rank A adventurer teams, each one was essential to Atlantis’s defense.

Among these, Aquamarine and Zaratan, which both possessed Masterpiece vessels and Master Rank adventurers, were simply irreplaceable. The Wild Hunt, capable of wielding the power of a Demigod Tier being, albeit temporarily, was even more formidable. If a disturbance like the last one was to occur now, with the entire expedition venturing into the Sixth Sea District, the damage would likely extend beyond a few casualties, potentially endangering the entire city.

“...So is that why you assigned me to the Golden Hind?” Corbin asked.

“Yes,” Leonard whispered confidentially. “Unlike Zaratan, which has a clear mission and track record, Wild Hunt is shrouded in secrecy.”

The Demigod Tier strength of their captain, Drake, was also a factor. Unlike Zaratan or Samuel, who would not be a threat even if they betrayed Arcadia, Drake’s Demigod Tier prowess could threaten even the commanders of the knight orders and the Grand Magi. His strength would undoubtedly grow at sea, so assessing his full capacity was almost impossible.

In addition, the unique characteristics of the Golden Hind—noted even by the Class 9 Grand Magi for their unpredictability—required careful attention.

“I understand. It makes sense that I would be better suited to monitor him than Commander Demian,” Corbin replied. “If I notice anything suspicious or unexpected, I’ll respond accordingly.”

“Thank you. Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Corbin, as head of the secret squad of the Cardenas family, was uniquely qualified for this task. Not even a Demigod Tier knight would not be able to detect his presence, meaning he would have no difficulty operating covertly, even within enemy territory.

“Boss! We’re ready to set sail!” Samuel’s voice boomed as he waved excitedly from the deck of Zaratan, his over-the-top exuberance almost comical. It almost seemed like he was demanding that they acknowledge his hard work.

Leaving Corbin, who had vanished from sight, Leonard leaped onto the Zaratan’s deck, flanked by the Golden Dragon knights, although the ship was massive, its towering deck posed no challenge to Leonard and the Golden Dragon knights, who had long surpassed human limitations. Without using aura, the knights effortlessly leaped nearly twenty meters, landing in perfect formation with a quiet grace.

Gulp.

The adventurers of the Zaratan, though well-seasoned, swallowed nervously as they sensed the intensity of the Golden Dragon knights. The Order of the Golden Dragon, a squad of unparalleled strength who had honed their skills to perfection, each possessed the ability to handle someone like Samuel as easily as a child.

The tension in the air was palpable.

“Good.”

Satisfied with the discipline of his troops, Leonard looked over at the gathering of people on the dock. Besides Gordon of the Council of Atlantis, Benjamin from Bermuda, and Jack Russell from the Atlantis Mage Tower, several others had come to see them off.

Lorelei and Esther from the Aquamarine team were among them. With the Corroded Realm distorting the laws of the world, most mages would see their powers drastically reduced within it. Anyone below Class 9 who could not use themselves as a medium for the laws of the world would likely become a liability on such an expedition, hence why they couldn’t join.

After nodding in greeting to those seeing them off, Leonard turned to face the expedition team.

“Let’s set sail.”

“Yes, sir! Full speed ahead!” Samuel responded immediately, bowing with exaggerated enthusiasm before turning to his crew with a bellow. “You bastards! Set sail! Full speed ahead! Plot the shortest course to the Sixth Sea District, and let’s move!” Samuel’s voice boomed across the deck, carrying through the gusting sea breeze as he urged his crew to action.

As his command echoed, the sturdy, shell-like structure of the deck roof was lowered, locking in place with a protective glass panel that allowed full visibility. This intricate setup was renowned for its impenetrable defenses, said to be unmatched among Masterpiece vessels. There were absolutely no gaps or vulnerabilities in the hull, solidifying the ship’s reputation.

As he inspected the ship’s defenses with his Dragon Eyes, Leonard couldn’t help but admire it.

It would be nearly impossible to breach this in one go even with conceptual martial arts. The ship can self-repair and can even disperse intangible attacks, making it capable of withstanding the kind of powerful spells used in war.

Once the ship’s engines were activated, previously unseen mechanisms kicked into gear. From the submerged lower half of the hull, massive propellers rotated rapidly, churning the water beneath like a paddle wheel.

The propulsion set the Zaratan moving swiftly, despite the fact that the ship weighed close to a thousand tonnes and was remarkably bulky. Of course, the ship couldn’t match the instant acceleration of the Aquamarine, but given its size and weight, this was no less impressive.

With a thunderous blast of the ship’s horn that reverberated across the docks, the three vessels, each one a Masterpiece, began their journey. This was the start of their mission to cleanse the Sixth Sea from the Outer God’s cult and the Corroded Realm.

* * *

Once they cleared the bustling port of the Central City Atlantis, the fleet disregarded the winds and currents, setting the shortest course to the Sixth Sea District. These vessels were no ordinary ships—there was a reason only four Masterpiece ships existed. Capable of performing to their fullest under any environmental conditions, each vessel could return safely even from confrontations with Rank S sea monsters.

While ordinary ships would need to divert routes and take days to bypass obstacles, this fleet sliced through four sea districts in half a day, progressing smoothly.

“The magical waves radiating from these ships are incredible. I doubt any Rank A monsters would dare come near us,” observed Nicholas, reflecting the reality.

Only two kinds of sea creatures would approach a swift and massive ship: those with a death wish or those powerful enough to survive such an encounter. Though Rank A monsters belonged to the latter, for three vessels of this level, only Rank S or stronger monsters would consider attacking.

With five, no, six Demigod Tier figures on board, only a True God entity would be able to stand in our way, Leonard thought to himself.

Even so, he remained vigilant. As Ancestor Cardenas had warned, the world’s laws were steadily weakening, making them more vulnerable to the influence of the Outer Gods. Just as Surtr had intervened on the Spriggan Frontier, even the slightest trigger could lead to sudden interference from a True God entity.

Especially troubling was Charybdis, who had spent centuries amassing power in this region and had even established a cult of followers. It was possible that this presence was even more dangerous than Yggdrasil, who had already been on the verge of dying.

“Um, sir?” Samuel interrupted Leonard’s thoughts, again unusually polite.

“What is it?”

“We’ve just entered the Fifth Sea District, sir. I don’t know if it’s just me, but there’s something... off about these waters.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The presence of the sea monsters feels strange, and there’s an oppressive stillness to the mana flow here,” Samuel explained, his expression uneasy. “Beyond that, my senses won’t tell me for sure what’s wrong, but...”

At Samuel’s words, Leonard and Nicholas exchanged glances, then stepped forward to peer out over the turbulent sea through Zaratan’s glass shield.

The supernatural senses of the Class 9 Grand Magus and Demigod Tier knight radiated outwards, sweeping across the sea surface and probing down into the depths. They could sense even the tiniest starfish on the ocean floor, so it was not long before they discerned the source of the disturbance.

“...They’re coming.”

It was an unmistakable feeling, like the trembling ground when a herd of buffalo charged. Prey animals like rabbits and deers would scatter in terror, fleeing from an oncoming tidal force. In fact, even the apex predators, like lions, would flee from this.

It was a monster wave.

Though not unheard of, monster waves were extraordinarily rare at sea. Unlike on land, the vast three-dimensional space of the sea made such disturbances unlikely to form, let alone persist. The fact that it was forming here, at this very moment, was almost suspiciously well-timed.

“...Coming? Sir, what exactly is—huh!?”

Samuel’s normally relaxed demeanor cracked as his eyes widened, feeling the force of the incoming wave. He sprang into action, gripping a wheel-like device tightly.

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“Everyone, brace for impact! They’re about to swarm us like ants! Anyone who lets go or falls will be crushed, so hang on for dear life!”

The crew, initially bewildered, quickly steeled themselves as they caught sight of what was to come.

“...Th-The waves!”

“Damn it!”

The horizon was rising before their eyes. Or rather, the ocean was swelling with the wave of monsters, its crest towering ten times higher than any natural wave. Given the speed and sheer mass of the water, it was clear that not even a fortress would withstand such force.

The fleet had barely entered the Fifth Sea District when they found themselves being confronted by a literal cataclysm.