We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 472 [The Black Tide Reappears]

At the foot of the mountains of the Volcanic Islands.

"Did the Federal Parliament agree to your direct use of an active volcano?"

Shaun looked at Grom with some surprise.

After all, the humans of the Seven Seas World have always kept their distance from volcanoes.

Grom winked mysteriously: "We demonstrated the technology of the [Forge Realm]."

He took a metal sphere from his waist and gently pressed it, which unfolded into a miniature holographic projection.

In the video, dozens of crystal conduits are inserted into the heart of the volcano, diverting the raging lava into a controlled flow of energy.

A look of surprise flashed in Xia En's eyes.

He hadn't expected that the dwarves would combine Federation technology with their own forging skills so quickly.

And they made it look quite professional.

It can only be said that dwarves are indeed extremely adaptable.

It probably won't be long before they adapt to the environment of the Seven Seas World.

"We traded this for the right to use the volcano for two hundred years."

Grom proudly put away the device: "Once the core furnace is completed, it will not only supply energy for the entire island, but also..."

His words were interrupted by the sudden sound of an alarm.

The sharp whistle of a steam engine rang out from the foot of the mountain, followed by the clamor of the crowd.

Xia En saw an unnatural purplish-black smoke rising from the direction of the port.

"The Black Tide Cult!"

Grom's expression changed drastically, and his warhammer instantly appeared in his hand: "They tried to infiltrate the materials warehouse yesterday!"

By the time everyone arrived at the port, the riot had already subsided.

Five humans dressed in grey-blue robes were pinned to the ground by dwarven guards, their bare skin covered with eerie black patterns.

Several broken glass jars lay scattered nearby, their contents—a black, sticky substance—corroding the stone floor.

Xia En crouched down and carefully examined the black patterns.

They writhed beneath the believers' skin like living creatures, emitting a nauseating, foul stench.

This was the first time Xia En had ever met a follower of the Black Tide Cult.

Just as Daisy said.

As the Black Tide expands over the Sea of ​​Annihilation, the Black Tide Order has sprung up in the surrounding waters.

The doctrine of the Black Tide Order is simply that the Black Tide will bring a great purge to the Seven Seas World.

Only those who believe in the "Black Tide" can survive this great purge.

But the fact that so many people believed these seemingly absurd rumors forced Xia En to take them seriously.

"These guys are getting more and more outrageous."

Grom spat and slammed his warhammer into the ground: "How dare you run wild on my turf!"

Suddenly, Shane noticed a strange black light flash in the eyes of one of the cultists.

Immediately afterwards, all five cult members suddenly began to convulse violently.

The black lines on their skin surged like boiling water, and their bodies twisted at angles that defied common sense.

"Back off!"

Xia En shouted sharply, while at the same time, [Void Secret Power] condensed into a long blade.

Almost simultaneously, the cultists' bodies swelled up as if inflated, and then—

"boom!"

Amidst the flying blood and flesh, five clumps of viscous black mist rose into the air, coalescing in mid-air to form a hideous ghost face.

"It's a monster from the Black Tide!"

Joey quickly formed a hand seal, and a silver barrier appeared in front of everyone.

The black-faced demon emitted a piercing shriek and lunged at Xia En.

Instead of retreating, Xia En advanced and slashed at it with his sword.

Just as the two were about to collide, a streak of emerald green arrow shot through the air!

"Whoosh!"

The arrow pierced precisely between the ghost's eyebrows, and the deep purple power of [Annihilation] erupted instantly.

The black mist let out a painful roar and began to churn violently.

Xia En looked back and saw Vivian standing on a wooden crate high up on the dock, her longbow still in a shooting position.

Her heterochromatic eyes shone brightly in the sunlight, and the deep purple of her left eye was even more alluring than usual.

"Good job!"

Xia En exclaimed in admiration, seized the opportunity, and swung his sword down.

【Void Blade】 drew a jet-black arc of light, splitting the black mist ghost face in two!
The black mist that had been cut apart tried to reform, but it was constantly eroded by the [Annihilation] power on the arrow.

Finally, it let out a mournful whimper and vanished completely into the air.

The port fell into a brief silence.

Grom frowned. "Damn it, these lunatics are getting harder and harder to deal with."

Xia En looked at the sea with a solemn expression: "It seems that the Black Tide Cult has its eyes on this place."

He noticed that there were faint dark shadows moving in the sea in the distance, but they quickly disappeared.

"We must speed things up."

Shane turned to Grom: "Our ship needs to be modified as soon as possible."

"rest assured!"

Grom patted his chest and assured them, "The furnace core will be operational tonight, and we'll begin upgrading the Black Swan tomorrow!"

That night, the crater lit up with a towering red light.

The dwarves sang ancient war songs as they threw the first batch of lava ore into the furnace.

Shaen stood on the cliff, watching the boiling magma being guided into specially made crystal pipes.

The entire Forge Island trembled slightly amidst the roar, like a giant beast awakening.

……

……

The following morning, the steam and lava smell on Furnace Island were even stronger than usual.

Shaen piloted the Black Swan, gazing at the crimson light erupting from the distant volcano.

The entire island resembled a colossal beast awakening, radiating intense heat.

"Captain, Lord Grom has sent word that the core of the furnace is ready."

Jane pushed up her glasses, the lenses reflecting the distant firelight: "They can begin upgrading the Black Swan at any time."

Xia En nodded: "Notify all crew members to prepare to dock."

Just then, Vivian gracefully leaped onto the bow of the ship, her heterochromatic eyes gleaming with an unusual light in the morning glow.

"Shane, I sense something's not right."

She pointed to the distant sea: "The seawater there... is so dark."

Following the direction she was pointing, Xia En indeed spotted an unnatural patch of dark water that was slowly approaching Furnace Island.

"It's the [Kuroshio]!"

Joey's voice came from the mast, her long white hair flying in the wind, a hint of wariness flashing in her red eyes.

"And it's quite large!"

Xia En immediately frowned.

"How did the Black Tide appear here?"

In his understanding, the Black Tide clearly arrived in their world through the passage between the Sea of ​​Annihilation and the destroyed Seven Seas World.

Although the current [Volcanic Islands] are close to the [Sea of ​​Annihilation], they are still quite a distance away.

But now, the Black Tide has crossed a vast ocean and arrived right beside them!?
On the deck, Jane pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Captain Shane, this Black Tide might be coming for you."

"……I?"

Shaen was taken aback at first, then immediately realized: "Is it because of the mark of the [Filthy Apostle]?"

Jane said, "That possibility cannot be ruled out."

"And another possibility is Miss Vivian."

"The Black Tide is a derivative of Annihilation, and it will instinctively pursue this power." "Miss Vivian has just been resurrected and possesses the power of both Annihilation and Rebirth, making her like a lighthouse in the night for the Black Tide."

After a moment's thought, Shane felt that Jane's guess was very likely true.

Vivian was originally the Witch of Annihilation from another Seven Seas World, and had long been tainted by the power of annihilation of the entire world.

It's not incomprehensible that the Black Tide, and even the Corrupted Apostles behind it, would want to pursue Vivian.

Upon hearing this, Vivian's heterochromatic eyes narrowed slightly.

"So... I attracted them?"

Unconsciously, a wisp of deep purple energy, pure [annihilation] power, entwined around her fingertips.

Xia En pressed down on her shoulder: "It's not entirely your fault."

He turned to Joey: "Tell Grom to prepare for battle!"

"At the same time, evacuate all non-combat personnel from the port!"

Joey nodded, her long, snow-white hair moving without any wind.

She quickly formed hand seals, and a silver communication rune condensed in the air before transforming into a stream of light and flying towards Furnace Island.

The alarm sounded instantly throughout the entire Furnace Island.

The dwarves sprang into action, and the crystal cannons in the harbor began to charge, emitting a buzzing vibration.

at the same time.

The dark waters had come so close that they were now visible to the naked eye.

The seawater appeared as if it had been soaked in ink, turning an ominous, pitch-black color.

Even more terrifying, countless twisted shadows could be vaguely seen writhing beneath the surface of the sea, like the tentacles of some enormous creature.

Shayne stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the ever-expanding black sea.

He could sense a suffocating malice spreading from the deep sea.

"Little Black, prepare for battle!"

The hull of the Black Swan trembled slightly, and the dark blue patterns on the wooden deck lit up, as if the entire ship was responding to its owner's call.

Suddenly, the sea began to churn violently!
Dozens of thick, black tentacles burst forth from the water, each covered in a viscous black liquid that emitted a putrid stench.

"They are the minions of the Black Tide!"

Joey formed a hand seal, and silvery secret power gathered at her fingertips.

"boom!"

A beam of scorching lava shot from the island, hitting one of the tentacles precisely.

The struck tentacle convulsed violently, and a large amount of black mist gushed out from the severed end.

"here you go!"

Shaun looked back and saw Grom standing on the gun emplacement halfway up the mountain, with dwarven gunners loading their weapons beside him.

However, more tentacles emerged from the sea, forming a nightmarish forest that completely surrounded the port.

"They want to blockade the port!"

Jane quickly analyzed, "The Black Tide seems to be deliberately preventing us from upgrading our ships!"

A sharp glint flashed in Xia En's eyes: "Then let them see how powerful we are!"

"All personnel, listen up! Prepare to break out!"

The Black Swan's steam core emitted a deafening roar.

The runes on the deck lit up one by one, forming a semi-transparent energy shield.

"Fire!"

At Shane's command, the main cannon at the bow spewed out scorching flames.

At the same time, Joey's secret technique, Vivian's arrows, and Faia's steam missiles all attacked the black tentacles simultaneously.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A series of explosions erupted on the sea surface, and black slime rained down.

However, the severed tentacles quickly regenerated and even split into more smaller tentacles.

Joey frowned and said, "Their regenerative abilities are stronger than before!"

"Let me try."

Vivian stood at the bow of the ship, her heterochromatic eyes flashing with a resolute light.

She took a deep breath and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"[Annihilation] and [Rebirth]..."

As she whispered, the deep purple of her left eye and the emerald green of her right eye lit up simultaneously.

Two completely opposite energies converged in her palm, forming a constantly rotating sphere of light.

next moment.

Vivian suddenly pushed the ball of light towards the sea.

The moment the sphere of light fell into the black seawater, it burst forth with dazzling light.

The power of [Annihilation], like a ravenous beast, frantically devoured the energy of the [Black Tide].

The power of "rebirth" transforms into countless emerald green specks of light, purifying the polluted seawater.

The attack was highly effective, clearing away large swaths of black seawater and revealing its original azure color.

But soon, more Black Tide surged from the depths, filling the void.

"It's endless..."

Xia En narrowed his eyes, and the [Void Blade] materialized in his hand.

Just then, a deafening roar came from the direction of Furnace Island.

Dozens of crimson beams shot out from the crater, streaking across the sky like meteors, and landed precisely in the [Black Tide].

Each beam of light that falls will explode into a crimson sea of ​​fire within the [Black Tide].

Those twisted shadows screamed shrilly under the intense heat, then turned to ashes.

Immediately afterwards, one after another, Federation warships sailed out of the port.

They were well-equipped, and their iron-gray hulls reflected a cold light.

Daisy's "Gentle Breeze" was also among them.

"Captain Shane!"

Daisy's voice came through the loudspeaker: "Let's fight side by side!"

Xia En smiled and replied loudly, "That's exactly what I was thinking!"

After the Federation fleet joined the flotilla, the tide of the war began to turn.

Although the Black Tide continued unabated, it was gradually suppressed by the bombardment of the Furnace Cannon and Vivian's purifying power.

However, just when everyone thought victory was in sight, a sudden change occurred.

The sea surface suddenly churned violently, and a huge whirlpool formed at the center of the Kuroshio Current.

Within the vortex, a gigantic hand formed from pure darkness slowly extended, its five fingers spread wide, as if to grasp the entire sky.

"That is... the embodiment of the Black Tide!"

A member of the federal navy cried out in alarm.

A giant hand slammed into the sea, creating black waves tens of meters high.

The first Federation warship to be hit was instantly swallowed up, leaving no wreckage behind.

"Retreat! Retreat immediately!"

Daisy roared the order.

But it was too late; a second giant hand had already emerged from the vortex and was heading straight for the Black Swan.

"Little black!"

Xia En shouted loudly.

Suddenly, the deck of the Black Swan was illuminated by a ghostly blue light, and the ship turned nimbly as if it were alive, narrowly avoiding the slap of the giant hand.

However, the wind pressure generated by the giant hand still caused the ship to rock violently, and several crew members nearly fell into the sea.

Xia En's gaze sharpened, and without hesitation, he channeled all his secret power into the [Void Blade] in his hand.

The black patterns on the longsword writhed like living things, emanating a chilling aura.

Followed by.

With a flash, Xia En appeared in front of the giant black hand.

(End of this chapter)