Whoosh!
Across the vast, azure Titan Ocean, a wooden ship wreathed in a drifting halo tore through the waves at blistering speed, charging forward without slowing. Up ahead, the horizon of Atlantis on the Mu Continent had already leapt into view, and beyond it, the imposing silhouette of Olympus, the Interstellar Mountainous City, could just be made out.
Faster. Faster. Even faster.
Inside the captain's cabin, Jason's eyes were bloodshot. He gnawed at his thumb as he paced back and forth, the anxiety and urgency in his chest spiking higher by the second.
Because just moments ago, the explosions out on the sea had stopped…
It's fine. Ten minutes at most, and the Argo will punch through the outer defensive barrier, enter Atlantis, and move on to the next step.
We'll make it in time.
Wuuuuu!!!
A murderous, air-splitting tremor rippled out. A gigantic shadow skimmed over the sea at terrifying speed, sweeping in and casting a bleak, ominous shade.
At the same time, a slender, elegant silver-white humanoid machine, more than a hundred meters tall and marked with moonlike patterns, drew its bowstring to the limit and released.
The Arrow of Divine Retribution!
In the blink of an eye, seven golden light-arrows screamed forward, streaking straight for the Argo.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Port helm! Starboard helm! Change speed! Full defensive spells! Evasive pattern, irregular!"
The instant that shadow closed in, Jason's scalp prickled. He shot up like he'd been stung, threw himself at the control console, and his hands began to fly. The Argo, which had been running in a straight line, suddenly lurched across the water like a drunk, weaving wildly.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
And that unpredictable movement was exactly what saved them. The seven rushing golden arrows slammed into the sea instead, detonating into water columns tens of meters high and bursting into blinding halos of light.
Once they slipped past that wave of "divine retribution," the Argo surged again, speeding nonstop toward the harbor of the Mu Continent.
They… missed.
The silver-white humanoid machine racing over the sea paused for the briefest moment, then raised both arms again. With an eerily human gesture, it lightly kissed the metal longbow in its hands. Before it, layered and interlocking Magecraft arrays formed one after another.
Thou art the Silver of Rapid Fire!
In an instant, the bowstring released. An invisible shockwave spread outward, and the shriek of tearing air arrived a heartbeat later. A dense rain of silver light-arrows poured down across the sky.
"Defense! Defense!"
The moment Jason saw the screenful of silver-white arrows on the Magecraft projection, sweat sprang to his forehead. He shouted a warning to every hero aboard the Argo.
Counter-spell activation: Diffraction!
Formation complete!
Medea and Circe activated the ship's spells together, dividing the work cleanly: one focused on counterfire to cancel the barrage, the other poured everything into defense. Purple-red Magecraft arrays flared to life in rapid succession, unleashing their power.
Pursuit of Aesthetics! Plaint Arrow Script!
Star of the Main God! Hymn of the Twin Gods!
Blessing of the Sea! Spear of Pillaging!
At the same time, Atalanta on the lookout tower answered with a storm of arrows. The twin swordsmen and Caenis launched into the air to either side, slashing apart the light-arrows that slipped through the blockade and came whistling down.
The rest of the Argonauts who'd rushed onto the deck raised shields to block or swung their weapons to sweep away what remained.
A few breaths later, the silver light had been completely kept out, and only a small handful of the Argonauts had suffered minor injuries.
That… was it?
Jason had been bracing for casualties. Staring at the arrows on the deck as they broke apart into drifting silver motes, he was momentarily stunned.
But that brief delay cost them. The Argo's speed dropped sharply, and the shadow skimming over the sea descended in a grim sweep. On its drawn bow, the familiar, terrifying golden light began to gather again.
Thou art the Golden that pierces the stars!
So even the strongest, Heracles, staking his life, hadn't been able to blunt the edge of this true machine god.
Then what about them…?
The Argonauts, already haunted by what they'd witnessed, felt their pupils tighten. As the monster closed in at frightening speed, every one of them tensed as if facing a mortal enemy, their hearts turning ice-cold.
Sizzle…
Just as the massive metal bow was drawn into a full moon, ready to loose, the compressed golden light began to pulse erratically, swelling and shrinking as its brightness flickered. At the same time, a shrill surge of electricity screeched from the true machine god's body, and from the longbow as well.
Boom!
In an instant, the gathered golden light spiraled out of control and detonated with a thunderclap. Charred black patches bloomed across the pursuing true machine god, and under the impact of the Ether tide it was flung down into the sea like a kite with its string cut.
And in the split second the glare flared, the Argonauts staring at it couldn't help freezing in shock.
Broken wings on both sides. A damaged right leg. Jagged cleaving marks like shattered gold and crushed jade. Arrow wounds that spat sparks…
The monster rising from the sea had already fallen far below the rank of a Main God. There was nothing ferocious about it now. It looked only battered and miserable.
Stripping a god of its wings, dragging that lofty existence down into the abyss. Shattering the threat of the celestial bow. Buying the Argo the time it needed to escape…
Heracles… had done all of it.
Even watching from afar, the heroes could feel just how brutal that battle must have been. Their eyes were bloodshot, their jaws clenched tight, their fists tightening without thinking.
Boom!
But at that moment, the true machine god, its greatest killing move lost and its power heavily diminished, stared at prey so close it could almost touch and still refused to let it go. It raised a hand and fired an arrow straight up into the sky.
Splash!
The silver-white light arrow burst overhead. The sea heaved violently, and one black shadow after another surfaced from below. They gathered around the true machine god, linking into a dense mass as the hunt continued with savage momentum.
The Deep Sea Fleet, thousands of ships, large and small.
Taking orders from the true machine god? The interstellar vanguard had actually left these prototypes behind!
The Argonauts' hearts sank.
If it were only a single machine god that had been battered this badly, they could have brought it down together. But now the hunter had called in thousands of rabid hounds, and they wouldn't be given that chance.
The faint hope they'd clung to was snuffed out again by this sudden twist.
"You go on ahead. Leave this to me and Telamon…"
As the Deep Sea Fleet tightened the encirclement, the Argo, forced to dodge the machine god's long-range shots while also guarding against cannon fire, was about to be run down. Two figures stepped out from the group, their calm, unhurried voices carrying clearly to everyone.
The rear fell dead silent. A middle-aged lord with striking green hair lifted a hand in a casual wave. His tone was mild, but there was no room to argue with it.
"That's enough. When it comes to naval fighting ship-to-ship, who does it better than us Thessalians? And if we drag this out, no one's getting away!"
"No matter how strong you two are, you're still only two people. How long can you hold them? Count me in! What're you staring at? I'm a Thessalian too!"
In the heavy, stifling air, Caenis slipped her arm shield on and hoisted her long spear, dug a finger in her ear, then strode forward impatiently to stand with them.
"I'm staying too."
"Me as well!"
"And me!"
"…"
A clamor immediately rippled through the group. Blood surged hot, hands shot up, and the deck fell into brief chaos.
"Zetes, Calais, Caenis… and… Orion. You who carry the blood of the sea gods and are suited to fighting on the sea, stay. Everyone else, stop making things harder and get back to your posts. If you want to die, I won't stop you, but at least line up properly!"
Inside the captain's cabin, Jason fell silent for a moment, then tugged his mouth into a crooked, teasing smirk. Covering half his face with his hand, he couldn't help laughing as he cursed under his breath.
Weapons on their shoulders, the others laughed back at him, then leapt over the rail one after another, gathering together on the sea by instinct. Only six or seven people, yet they carried the unbroken presence of an army of thousands. Facing the onrushing Deep Sea Fleet, they stood like sea-carved pillars splitting the waves, unshakable.
Telamon and Peleus, brothers who had spent a lifetime protecting themselves, had veins bulging on their foreheads now, madness flashing in their eyes. They slammed their exquisite divine-forged shields down and roared with solemn force.
"My shield, cover the blazing heavens!"
"My shield, encircle the vault of the sky!"
In an instant, red and cyan light patterns rose from them and intertwined, forming an unfallen fortress rising from the sea!
With no time to slow, the Deep Sea Fleet crashed headlong into it. Fireballs blossomed one after another, and the overall assault ground to a halt. They charged again and again, but still couldn't cross the line held by those six or seven.
Even when the true machine god joined the battle, it still couldn't shake the fortress built from flesh and blood.
Thud! Thud!
Orion tossed aside his snapped shortbow and started throwing punches, laughing wildly as he smashed the onrushing Okeanid Arsenal creations one by one. Amid the continuous crack of breaking metal, the son of the sea god barreled through the monster tide like a superhuman. Then he glanced down at the massive shadow cast across the water, slapped his forehead, and muttered under his breath.
Damn… forgot to tell Artemis I might not be coming back…
Boom!
A blazing white flame surged into the sky. A familiar presence, carried with drifting silver-white metal fragments, gradually faded away.
And on the Argo as it pulled farther and farther away, inside the captain's cabin, the blond young man let his arm fall slack. On the cheek turned toward the Magecraft projection, a faint sheen of tears glimmered.