The surface of the ocean was a graveyard of iron splinters and burning oil. The Soaring Dragon Royal Navy moved with precision, their White-Raptor interceptors circling the debris like sharks ensuring no survivors escaped the net.

A young lieutenant stepped onto the bridge of the White-Rhino, clicking his heels as he saluted Commander Malphas. "Sir, the pirate fleet has been neutralized. Total extermination confirmed."

"And Iron Hand?" Malphas asked, not looking away from the horizon.

"We couldn't take him alive, sir." Two marines entered, dragging a heavy, limp body between them. They dropped it onto the deck with a wet thud.

The pirate captain was a grotesque sight. His skin had turned a sickly shade of violet, and dark foam bubbled at the corners of his mouth. "He swallowed a 'crimson-Gulp' poison capsule the moment our boarding party breached his quarters," the lieutenant explained. "He chose a quick death over your interrogation, Commander."

Malphas looked down at the corpse, then reached out with his boot and kicked the metallic prosthetic arm. "Coward. No matter. Sever the head and the arm anyway; the Prince doesn't care if the eyes are open or closed."

He turned his gaze to the churning water where the Invictus had vanished. "The main event. Begin the Great Buoyancy Rite. I want that dreadnought on the surface before the tides shift."

At his command, twelve specialized Refloater Corvettes moved into position, forming a perfect circle above the spot where the titan had sunk. These were not combat vessels; they were floating cathedrals of runic engineering. Massive cranes extended over the water, lowering thousands of heavy, water-resistant Levitation Parchments tethered to silver chains.

The scrolls sank into the depths, guided by automated sub-drones that adhered them to the hull of the Invictus.

"Chant initiated!" the lead formation master signaled.

The sea began to glow with a brilliant, neon-blue light. The levitation runes ignited, turning the air thick with the hum of ancient magic. But the disturbance didn't go unnoticed. The Abyssal Sea Serpents and Bone-Crushing Krakens that had been feasting on the wreckage below were not about to let their prize go.

Massive tentacles, thick as tower blocks, breached the surface, slamming against the hulls of the Refloaters. A Serpent's head, covered in barnacles and glowing with bioluminescent rage, rose twenty meters out of the water, its roar shaking the very air.

"Pests," Malphas muttered. "All batteries, clear the waters. Do not let them damage the parchments."

The White-Hunter class ships opened fire. Their secondary cannons, designed for rapid-fire suppression, turned the water into a boiling froth of lead and spiritual energy. Steam rose in thick clouds as the beams vaporized the seawater and the beasts within it. Whenever a tentacle reached for a ship, a concentrated blast from a White-Raptor sheared it off, turning the ocean into a literal soup of monster gore.

It was a war against the infinite hunger of the deep. For every serpent killed, two more seemed to rise, but the Navy's firepower was relentless.

Slowly, the massive, barnacle-encrusted prow of the Invictus broke the surface. Millions of tons of water cascaded off its sides like a waterfall. The ship didn't float on its own; it was suspended by the shimmering chains of the levitation scrolls, hanging just above the waves like a ghost ship being dragged from its grave.

Inside the Flooded Brig

As the ship rose, the internal pressure shifted violently. Water began to drain out of the upper levels, but the high-security cells remained flooded, the lead-lined walls acting as a seal.

Ethan, still hooked to the ceiling, felt the ship breach the surface.

Commander Malphas stepped onto the slick, gore-stained deck of the Invictus. He moved with the practiced ease of a veteran, his polished boots crunching over splintered wood and shattered runic crystals. His lieutenant followed closely, his hand resting on the hilt of his rapier.

Malphas stopped near a jagged tear in the main deck, his eyes narrowing. "Lieutenant, look at these scorch marks. This isn't the work of pirate cannons. The energy signature is far too high. These damages were sustained before Iron Hand ever laid eyes on this ship."

As a high-ranking naval officer, Malphas was more than just a warrior; he was an expert in maritime runic engineering. He knelt, tracing a finger over a melted structural beam. "I'm certain of it. When the pirates found this ship, it was already a drifting corpse. Search the interior. Don't waste time fishing for bodies in the water; the sea beasts have already cleared the ocean floor. If there are answers, they are trapped inside the hull."

He walked toward the bow, his expression darkening as he stared at the empty crater where the "Dragon's Breath" cannon should have been. It hadn't been dismantled; it had been torn out by raw, overwhelming force. The secondary batteries were fused into slag, and the internal runic arrays had been frantically reorganized, as if the crew had been rerouting every drop of power just to keep the air inside breathable.

"They were at the brink of death, hunting for something... or running from it," Malphas muttered. "What the hell was they doing in these forbidden waters?"

"Commander! You must see this!" a voice called from the lower hatch.

Malphas descended into the flooded brig, his cape trailing in the shallow water that remained after the refloating. He entered the high-security cell and stopped. He didn't flinch; he had witnessed the most creative horrors the Black Market had to offer. He simply stared at the figure hanging from the ceiling.

Ethan hung there, his chest heaving in a slow, agonizing rhythm. The iron hooks groaned against his weight, and the suppression mask remained fused to his face.

"He's still breathing," the lieutenant whispered, horrified.

Malphas stepped closer, examining the heavy chains. "He is definitely a high-value captive of the Crimson Sect. And this ship..." He touched a sigil on the wall. "This Invictus is a confirmed Crimson asset."

-------------------

From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.

Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.

Body Refinement Realm

Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement

Spiritual Gathering Realm

Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation

Spiritual Core Realm

Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)

Spiritual Soul Realm

Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion

Golden Core Realm

Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction

Spiritual Sea Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Dao Manifestation Realm

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??

Spiritual Transcendence 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??