Chapter 63: The Voice of the Sky & The Wrath of God!
The massive galleon, Vermillion Wing, successfully breached the final barrier of the cumulus clouds. The keel groaned as gravity shifted, and the ship settled onto the surface of the White Sea, creating a splash of mist rather than water.
They had arrived. A world of blinding white stretched out in every direction, a literal ocean in the sky illuminated by unobstructed sunlight.
However, this fairyland-like scenery soon revealed its treacherous nature to the uninitiated.
"I... I can't..."
Nami clutched the ship's railing with a trembling hand. Her knuckles were white, and her face had drained of all color, turning a sickly shade of pale. She gasped, her chest heaving, but it felt like no matter how deep she inhaled, her lungs remained empty.
"The air... why is it so thin?"
Behind her, the situation was even worse for the rescued civilians. The young girls and their elderly family members had collapsed onto the deck, clutching their throats, their expressions twisted in distress. The rapid change in altitude—rising seven thousand meters in a matter of minutes—was wreaking havoc on their physiology.
The thin oxygen of the White Sea was giving these Blue Sea dwellers a harsh, potentially lethal welcome.
"It will take some time for your bodies to adapt to the oxygen density here," Suzaku said, his voice steady and unaffected. His Vermillion Bird bloodline burned with a vitality that made him immune to such environmental trivialities. He looked at the gasping crew members calmly.
"However, we don't have time to wait for acclimation. Ram, handle it."
"Understood, Suzaku-sama."
Ram, the pink-haired maid, stepped forward. Her expression was as cool and composed as ever. Unlike the others, her Oni physiology and mastery of magic allowed her to adapt instantly.
She raised her slender hand, her pale fingers dancing elegantly in the thin air.
Wind Magic: Fura.
Mana surged, invisible to the naked eye but palpable to the senses.
"Gather."
In an instant, the stagnant, thin atmosphere around the deck seemed to be imbued with life. Ram manipulated the airflow with surgical precision, compressing the scattered oxygen molecules.
Whoosh—!
Invisible yet substantial vortices of wind formed around everyone's faces, acting like localized oxygen masks. Fresh, oxygen-rich air was forced gently into their nostrils.
"Haa...!"
Nami took a deep, shuddering breath. Her eyes snapped open as the sweet relief of oxygen flooded her brain. "I'm... I'm saved! I thought I was going to suffocate!"
"Thank you, Suzaku-sama! Thank you, Ram-sama!"
Kiyo (formerly O-Kiku) and the civilians also relaxed their tense bodies, bowing deeply. The terror of the ascent was replaced by profound gratitude.
Just as the atmosphere on the deck began to ease, a sharp, piercing sound cut through the tranquil silence of the clouds.
Zooooom—!
A small figure burst through the cloud floor like a flying fish breaking the water's surface. Riding a sleek, dial-powered Waver, the intruder shot into the air and hovered before the bow of the Vermillion Wing.
It was a young Shandian girl, perhaps ten or eleven years old. She had wild brown hair, wheat-colored skin painted with tribal markings, and held a spear that looked slightly too big for her. Despite her size, her expression was fierce, trembling with a mixture of bravery and fear.
"Blue Sea people!"
Aisa shouted, trying to make her tender voice sound authoritative and threatening. She pointed her spear at Suzaku.
"Leave here immediately! This is not a place for you! If you stay, God's Punishment will surely descend upon you!"
On the deck, Albedo's golden eyes instantly narrowed into dangerous slits. A cold, murderous aura leaked from her, and her black wings twitched, ready to snap the neck of this insolent child who dared to point a weapon at her beloved.
"Insolence..." Albedo whispered, dark energy gathering in her palm.
"Stand down, Albedo," Suzaku stopped her with a casual glance and a raised hand. "She's just a child. And a useful one at that."
At the same time, the Sky Island girl, Aisa, habitually activated her innate ability.
Mantra. (Observation Haki).
Since birth, Aisa had possessed a terrifyingly powerful Mantra that allowed her to hear the "voices" of everyone on the island. She wanted to probe the intentions of these uninvited guests, to see if they were dangerous like the other pirates or the "God's Army."
She cast her senses wide, diving into their minds.
ERROR.
The moment she touched the consciousness of the group, Aisa's eyes rolled back, and her small body convulsed on her Waver.
When she probed the black-winged woman (Albedo):
Her mind was assaulted by a thick, dark, sticky ocean of obsession. It was a terrifying loop, a screaming void of adoration that drowned out everything else:
"Suzaku-sama... Suzaku-sama... Love... Kill anyone who looks at him... Want to be touched... Suzaku-sama... Perfect... God..."
When she touched the blue-haired maid (Rem):
A warm, iron-clad fortress of protective intent slammed into Aisa's mind. It was pure, heavy, and unshakeable:
"I am the shield. I am the morningstar. Must protect Suzaku-kun and Elder Sister. Anyone who approaches is a threat. Crush. Protect. Crush."
When she perceived the pink-haired maid (Ram):
It was like listening to a high-speed computer or a cold machine. No emotion, just data:
"Target threat level: Low. Child. Weapon: Spear. Wind trajectory calculated. Response Plan A: Disarm. Response Plan B: Eliminate. Tea time is in 20 minutes."
Finally, she scanned the orange-haired girl (Nami):
A blinding, golden light nearly blinded Aisa's mental eye. It was a singular, screaming desire:
"GOLD! GOLD! WHERE IS IT?! SHANDORA! TREASURE! MONEY! BERRIES!"
"W-Wahhh!"
Aisa screamed, clutching her head with both hands, nearly falling off her Waver. Tears streamed down her face as she looked at the crew with absolute horror.
"You... You all...!" She stammered, pointing a trembling finger at them. "Why are your inner voices so... so loud?! And so strange?! You're all monsters!"
Suzaku looked at the traumatized little girl and couldn't help but chuckle softly. He calmly took a step forward, walking on the air using Geppo (Moonwalk) to bridge the gap between the ship and her Waver.
Aisa gasped. She tried to read his mind as a last resort.
Clang.
Nothing.
It was like running headfirst into an impenetrable wall of steel. Or staring into a calm, bottomless abyss. Her Mantra couldn't penetrate his mental defenses—guarded by the System—at all. She couldn't hear a single whisper of his thoughts.
"Don't be nervous, little girl," Suzaku said gently, bending down to meet her terrified gaze. He radiated a calming aura, suppressing his own Conqueror's Haki to avoid fainting her.
"You mentioned 'God's Punishment.' Since you think your God is so powerful... why don't you take us to meet him?"
Aisa froze. She looked at these unyielding Blue Sea people. The winged woman looked like a demon, the maids were terrifyingly strong, and this man... this man was an enigma she couldn't read.
She sighed resignedly, her shoulders slumping.
"Fine," she muttered, shaking her head like a weary adult. "But don't say I didn't warn you."
The journey to the Shandia hideout was tense.
Aisa led the way, guiding the Vermillion Wing through a hidden channel in the cloud-rivers toward the dense forest of the Upper Yard (which was actually the soil of Jaya).
"Follow me closely! Don't look around!" Aisa shouted back at them, trying to straighten her small face and maintain a shred of authority. "And don't touch the white trees!"
Her tender voice, however, lacked any deterrent power. It just made her look like a bossy little sister.
Along the white cloud path leading to the village, Aisa's mouth never stopped moving. Her anxiety was spilling out in a torrent of words.
"I really warned you all! God Eneru and his High Priests are super, super scary!"
"Their Mantra covers the whole island! They can hear everything we say! We might already be targeted!"
"It's still not too late to turn back! If you leave now, maybe God won't notice!"
She chattered incessantly, her head swiveling left and right like a nervous radar, expecting a lightning bolt or a Priest to pop out of the milky clouds at any moment.
Until she saw the outline of the hidden village—tents made of cloud-fabric and ancient stone structures hiding among the Giant Jack roots—Aisa finally deflated.
She slowed her Waver and tugged at Suzaku's sleeve as he landed beside her. Her voice softened unconsciously.
"...You don't look like bad people. Not like the other pirates," she whispered, standing on tiptoe to reach his ear. "So... come to my house. Hide for a bit."
She looked around furtively. "Have a cup of tea, rest your feet, and then please, just leave quickly. Really. I'm not lying to you. I don't want to see you die."
She looked like an overly worried little sparrow. She was clearly terrified herself, yet her innate kindness—and perhaps the realization that these people meant her no harm—compelled her to offer hospitality.
Suzaku smiled. "Thank you, Aisa. We accept."
[Inside Aisa's Tent]
"You all are really..." Aisa sighed, rubbing her forehead as she watched her guests.
Instead of hiding in the corner shaking with fear, Nami was inspecting the furniture ("Is this cloud dial expensive?"), Albedo was dusting a chair for Suzaku, and Rem was already asking where the kitchen was.
They were treating this like a vacation.
"Sit down," Aisa grumbled, pouring cups of 'Cloud Tea'—a local specialty made from the water of the White Sea.
As soon as they sat, Nami leaned in eagerly, her eyes sparkling.
"Hey, Little Aisa. Tell us about that 'God.' Where does he keep his... I mean, where does he live?"
"Shh—!"
Aisa's face turned pale. She frantically waved her hands, nearly knocking over the teapot. "Are you crazy?! Discussing God here will bring God's Punishment! He can hear us! He uses Mantra to listen to the whole country!"
Suzaku leisurely sipped the tea. It had a unique, airy taste, slightly sweet. He set the cup down with a soft click.
"No matter," Suzaku said calmly, his voice cutting through Aisa's panic. "It's just a Chuunibyou with a God-complex."
"Ch-Chuunibyou?" Aisa blinked, confused by the term.
"He relies on the powers of the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Goro Goro no Mi) to turn into lightning," Suzaku explained casually, as if discussing the weather. "And he combines it with his Observation Haki—what you call Mantra—to amplify his hearing range via electromagnetic waves. That's how he monitors the island. It's not divinity, Aisa. It's just a Devil Fruit trick."
"You... how do you know so much?!"
Aisa jumped up from her chair, her eyes wide with shock. This was the secret of God that no one dared to whisper, yet this Blue Sea stranger knew the mechanics of it?
"Are you serious?" she whispered, trembling. "Are you really going to... to fight God?"
"Of course!" Nami clenched her fists, her fear momentarily overridden by greed. "Once Suzaku takes down your God, we can... I mean, we can liberate you! And maybe collect a finder's fee!"
Watching these people casually talk about slaying the invincible Eneru, Aisa bit her lip. It was insane. It was suicide.
And yet...
Looking at Suzaku's calm, confident face, and the powerful aura of the women around him, a tiny, dangerous glimmer of hope sparked in her chest.
"Ever since the former God, Gan Fall, was driven out... we've lived in fear," she whispered, staring at her hands. "The Priests take our people. God destroys our homes for fun. If... if you can really defeat him..."
She looked up, her eyes burning with resolve. "You don't need to look for it. I know where the ruins are. I'll personally take you to the place with the most gold! Just save us!"
Suzaku put down his teacup and gave Aisa an appreciative smile.
"Deal," he said. "Given your warm-heartedness, and your courage, I'll take that request."
He stood up, adjusting his coat.
"These girls and their families," he gestured to the civilians Kiyo was tending to outside, "will be entrusted to your care for now. I will have Rem stay behind to protect you all. The rest of us..."
His eyes turned sharp, looking toward the distant shrine atop the giant beanstalk.
"We're going to drag that false God off his throne."
RUMBLE...
No sooner had he finished speaking than the sky outside the tent window changed abruptly.
The bright sunlight was instantly swallowed by unnatural, swirling dark clouds. The air filled with the smell of ozone and static electricity. The hairs on everyone's arms stood up.
"Oh no!" Aisa screamed, diving under the table and covering her head with her hands. "It's here! It's God's Punishment! He heard us!"
Outside, the residents of the Cloud Hidden Village looked up in horror. A massive column of blinding blue light was descending from the heavens, directly targeting Aisa's location.
"It's over! Who angered God?!"
"We're all going to die!"
The pillar of lightning, thick as a castle tower, crashed down with the roar of a thousand dragons. It carried enough voltage to vaporize an entire island block.
EL THOR!
Just at this critical moment, a dark figure soared into the sky from the tent.
Albedo.
She didn't dodge. She flew straight into the path of the destruction. Her pure white dress fluttered violently in the wind pressure, but her face was a mask of disdain.
She spread her black wings wide. Dark, purple-black energy coalesced in her hand, forming a geometric barrier.
[Skill: Aegis]
"Insignificant static," she scoffed.
She thrust her hand upward, meeting the violent lightning strike head-on.
BOOOOM—!
The collision shook the entire Upper Yard. The blinding light of the lightning fought against the abyss-like darkness of Albedo's defense.
Amidst the deafening roar, the "God's Punishment" exploded. The lightning shattered into countless harmless electric snakes that danced across the surface of her barrier, fizzling out into sparks. The attack that terrified a nation failed to even singe a feather on her wings.
As the light faded and the thunder rolled away, Albedo landed gracefully in front of the tent. She folded her wings elegantly behind her back, dusting off an imaginary speck of dirt from her shoulder.
She looked up and saw Suzaku stepping out of Aisa's house. He nodded slightly at her, a look of approval in his eyes.
"Good work, Albedo."
At that moment, the terrifying demoness melted. Her cheeks flushed pink, and her golden eyes shimmered with infinite joy. The satisfaction of being praised by her beloved was far more electrifying than the lightning she had just blocked.
She bowed deeply, her voice dripping with devotion.
"It is my honor to serve, Suzaku-sama."
Aisa, peeking out from under the table, stared with her mouth hanging open. The "God's Judgment"... had just been slapped away like a fly.
"Who... who are you people?"
[Akarin Note:
Your Support Keeps This Story Alive!
If you're enjoying this novel, your support means the world to me. Simple actions like leaving a review, power stone, comment, or sharing the story let me know you're out there. It's the greatest motivation for me to keep updating until the very end and ensures this project continues.
For those who wish to support me more directly, you can join my Patreon at [patreon.com/AkarinTL]. As a thank-you, you'll receive access to 50 advanced chapters.
As a special offer, I've opened a few limited-time tiers at a discounted price! You will get all the benefits of "The Founding Pillars" (normally $20), but at a much cheaper rate.
These slots are extremely limited:
"The Plot Uncoverer": $4.99 (Save 75% / $15.01) - Only 3 slots
"The Dedicated Fan": $9.99 (Save 50% / $10.01) - Only 7 slots
"The Lore Diver": $14.99 (Save 25% / $5.01) - Only 15 slots
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]