As the boat sailed, the emerald green coastline drew closer and closer.
From the boat, they could already see the wonders of the area known as the Marsh Sea.
The waters were completely stained green. If one looked closely, they could see vines entwined beneath the surface.
And among the cracks between the vines grew various unknown plants, filling the gaps between them and creating what appeared to be land beneath the surface.
Judging by the appearance of the vines, it certainly would have made a suitable landing spot.
But something was clearly amiss with the marsh sea before them.
Its color wasn't emerald green, but rather a dark green. It looked dull and murky, lacking any sense of life.
This meant it was clearly different from their destination, the Land of All Spirits.
The Land of All Spirits described it as a lush green region, vibrant and vibrant just by looking at it; even the air was thick with life.
Aside from the dark green hue before them, there was also a gloomy, dark atmosphere.
Areas with a dark aura were easily targeted within the three zones.
Perhaps it was just as Jason had described.
This was the boundary between life and death, the most dangerous area.
The place where the dragon, the divine being representing death, fell.
Thinking of this, everyone couldn't help but look up at Jason, who was peeked out of the window of the rooftop observation room.
"Hehe." He gave an awkward laugh and silently retracted his head.
"Dawn Voice, slow down and prepare to turn the ship around," Alka said loudly.
This was considered the most dangerous area, so it was best for them to just observe the coastline from a distance and avoid approaching it.
Just maintain a safe distance.
Upon hearing Alka's words, the ship immediately slowed down, then slowly turned.
It began to sail diagonally.
After a while, when they were only about two kilometers from the coastline, they adjusted their course and began to align with the shoreline, sailing sideways along it.
"It doesn't seem unusual at first glance," Simon said, observing the details of the swamp from afar through the mechanical structure in his eyes.
It looked like a swamp made of plants, only on an absurdly large scale.
"It's different. The chaos here is far greater than anywhere else," Julia said, looking ahead.
Although she no longer believed in life and had even become an apostate,
but environmental awareness was ingrained in her, dictated by the very nature of her race.
Otherwise, the mermaid race wouldn't be entirely devoted to environmental stewards under the command of life.
It had only been weakened and reduced in some ways, while the talents and other spells used in its training remained unaffected.
"Exuberant vitality and the debilitating death mingled. Two diametrically opposed forces, practically fused here.
How on earth was this possible? No wonder this place is called the border of life and death."
It was just as they had seen in the records they had seen before.
However, after seeing this endless, unchanging marshland border so often, their curiosity had sated, and nothing interesting remained.
After observing for so long, they truly saw nothing special, perhaps because they were too far from the interior.
Although they could sense danger, they were far enough away.
After observing for nearly an hour, everyone stopped paying particular attention. Instead, they maintained a certain level of vigilance and went about their business on the boat.
According to their understanding,
the marshland was incredibly vast, if they were to navigate around the edge.
It would obviously be difficult to reach the other area without dozens of days and nights.
If the marsh sea is divided into four parts, the Land of All Spirits and the Border of Life and Death each occupy one part.
The Border of Life and Death is roughly two-thirds the size of the Twin Islands chain, slightly larger.
The problem is that they can only sail around the border, unable to penetrate it, so it takes even longer.
The puppet girls were no longer as lazy as before and began to spread out to various positions on the ship.
They kept a constant eye on the surrounding movements.
...…
"Perhaps we'll get around it much sooner than we thought," said Sofia, who was observing from the observation room.
Alka, who had just entered to take over, looked at her curiously.
"This marsh sea is also moving, and in the opposite direction of ours."
Alka nodded in understanding. That way, the time they spent would indeed be significantly reduced.
If Zehai's movement speed was fast enough, perhaps even half that would be possible.
Entering the observation room and gazing into the distance,
Looking closely, it was indeed difficult to discern whether Zehai was rapidly retreating or moving.
Because the area was lush green, it was difficult to tell.
However, using a specific area as a reference, careful calculation would reveal that he was moving backwards at an incredible speed.
The Voice of Dawn was clearly not traveling at such a high speed.
After a brief observation,
Alka arrived at the center of the observation room, sat cross-legged beneath the crystal disc at the top, and activated the magic gathering stone.
Magic energy gathered, and he began to meditate.
However, this meditation did not last long.
Yi, who was observing nearby, and his teammates began to shake Alka.
"Captain, something's happening."
Sensing movement outside, Alka opened his eyes.
He immediately stood up, turned off the magic gathering stone, and peered out through the transparent glass.
He looked in the direction Yi had pointed.
Off to the side lay the endless green marsh, but ahead, completely at the edge of the coast, something clearly resembling a ship began to sail toward them.
Because it was diagonally in front of them and far away, it was not clearly visible.
A mirror surface appeared on Alka's face.
A strange, bulging-eyed creature, transformed into a mask, was imprinted on Alka's face.
Using the creature's special ability, Alka instantly closed the distance.
He practically stuck to the side of the ship, carefully observing the ship-like object in the distance.
Or rather, it was a ship.
From its exterior, it looked extremely dilapidated, like a ship shattered by a massive wave, then pieced together with extreme simplicity.
Splinters of rotten planks, entwined with vines, at least recreated the ship's former form. It was clearly a three-dimensional sailing vessel, but only two masts remained, seemingly standing.
The third, near the stern, had been broken in the middle, and even the sails were reduced to rags, dangling from them and drifting in the wind.
From the appearance of the ship, it was clear that the attackers were not friendly.
Alka pressed the button next to him without hesitation.
The crisp tinkle of a copper bell echoed outward.
The sound of footsteps could be heard on the deck.
Alka didn't even need to call out; they immediately noticed the movement in the distance: the ship heading their way.
Observing through various means.
The flying squadron, led by Jiu, flapped its wings like dragonflies and soared swiftly through the air.
Their bodies transformed into streaks of light as they flew off into the distance. They would observe the ship's appearance closely from the air.
This flying squadron had undergone upgrades compared to before.
They were imbued with spells that Sofia had deciphered through the Ring of Light.
These spells allowed them to fly much faster, especially during the day when the sun was high. They also enhanced their physical fitness and attack methods, allowing them to launch long-range attacks composed of beams of light.
Their flight speed had now reached a new level compared to before.
And now, the sun was shining brightly.
The streaks of light from their flight blended perfectly with the blazing sun in the sky, concealing their forms in the air.
Their small bodies, still in the air, were easily concealed.
Flying at breakneck speed, he arrived above the dilapidated ship.
He began rapidly recording the situation on the ship from every angle, transmitting it to Lucelia through the internal network in his mind.
Lucelia was currently recounting the information on the deck.
"63 meters long, 21 meters wide, with only one gun deck. Presumably a merchant ship.
There are living creatures on board... plant monsters... no, undead creatures!"
"These undead creatures are somewhat strange. Plants and vines entwine their bodies, merging with them.
The plants in the cracks of the ship are changing. Buds are blooming! The flowers are shooting at them."
Hearing this, Simon immediately raised the lens structure on his face and quickly observed the situation in the distance.
On the ship, a patchwork of shabby gray planks and green plants, strange flowers appeared one after another.
The flowers swayed back and forth, spewing gray-black matter into the air.
Bullets like seeds shot rapidly into the sky, forcing Jiu and his companions, who were scouting the sky, to take flight quickly to avoid them.
More and more flowers bloomed.
The upward spray of seeds formed a barrage.
"Send them back."
Hearing the voice overhead, Lucelia immediately gave the order.
Jiu and his flying squadron, evading detection in the distance, immediately began to scatter.
Then they regrouped in a distant formation and headed back toward the ship.
The shabby ship began to accelerate toward them.
"Prepare for battle!"
Alka said, looking at Yi and his teammates in the observation room.
"I'll leave the reconnaissance up there to you."
With that, he jumped out of the window.
He looked toward the distant ship.
"Jason, the first wave of engagement is up to you. Activate the rock-shaking cannons on the ship. And that unfired cannon."
Hearing this, Jason rubbed his hands and nodded eagerly.
Taking control of the Seal of Dawn, he stretched out his right hand and began fiddling with it.
The baffle on the lower gun deck automatically moved aside, and the cannon emerged from the muzzle. Jason's arm swung left and right.
After a few tries, Jason nodded.
The Voice of Dawn quickly turned on the spot, facing the enemy with its bow.
"Bang!"
However, the first cannon shot wasn't fired by them, but rather from afar.
The enemy had launched their attack before them.
A large hole had appeared on the shattered bow of the ship, where the figurehead was, and a giant flower-like structure, resembling a morning glory, protruded from the hole.
As the morning glory shrank, a gray-black seed-like object, roughly the size of a normal human, was ejected. It sliced through the air with a sharp sound.
"I'll do it," Simon said, raising his right hand beside the boat.
The treasure on his index finger flickered slightly, and the delicate hand formed by his entire right hand began to transform, revealing a cannon barrel.
The muzzle pointed at the incoming cannonball.
A ball of light condensed and shot out.
It swiftly cut in a straight line, striking the incoming seed cannonball with pinpoint accuracy.
The instant contact revealed that the beam was composed of pure flame energy.
The ball of light expanded upon impact, and with a burst of explosion, the seed plume of gray-black smoke fell into the sea.
The Voice of Dawn was now enveloped by a thin, magical film.
"The enemy's ranged attacks have a wider range than ours," Jason said, watching.
But it was clearly only the single flower cannon on the bow.
At this moment, the flower cannon seemed to be preparing for a second attack.
But during the attack, the shabby ship didn't stop, but continued to move towards them.
Just as the flower cannon was about to strike,
It finally fell into Alka and his men's range.
Jason lowered his right hand from the ordinary rock-shaking cannon and raised his left hand, swung it down fiercely.
With his control, the Azora's Destruction, originally fixed to the top of the poop, quickly turned its dark muzzle.
Instantly, it was aimed at the enemy ship.
The ship's most powerful siege weapon was a blue treasure they had obtained upon arriving in the Infinite Sea.
A weapon of war constructed by Vastva.
Aside from the previous test firing, it had never been used to attack the enemy.
This was his first time operating it.
With a wave of his hand, Jason activated it.
A large amount of energy gathered in the muzzle. Energy gathered.
A grayish-white sphere swiftly cut through the air, flying towards the enemy ship.
Everyone's attention was focused on the grayish-white sphere of light that shot out.
It struck the enemy ship's bow with a straight trajectory, precisely where the flower cannon was located.
The moment it made contact, the grayish-white sphere expanded.
Completely enveloping the breach in the bow and the area where the flower cannon's main vessel was located.
A dazzling light flashed.
Aboard the ship, Sofia immediately waved his hand, grasping the light beaming towards them.
As the light faded, everyone could clearly see the enemy ship.
The head was completely destroyed, the flower cannon vanishing without a trace, leaving not even a wreckage.
A sunken, semicircular gap appeared in the enemy's already battered bow.
As if it had been gouged out.
At that moment, the enemy ship's speed also slowed.
In fact, due to the loss of a large section of its structure, it began to become unstable, swaying slightly.
The plants above began to connect closely with each other. The flowers and plants began to become more closely connected to the wooden planks.
"Amazing! It's a true ship-killer!" Simon observed the Atora's Destruction attack an enemy ship for the first time.
The power of the attack was truly satisfying.
Now, as the enemy ship was completely within range of the engagement, Jason raised his right hand and swung it down.
The side rock cannon, already perfectly aimed at its target, instantly fired, and shells were hurled out with a dull sound.
The arrows arced in a series of arcs, striking the already battered enemy ship with pinpoint accuracy.
The creaking and shattering sounds reached their ears.
The already fragile, tattered planks and vines were shattered, leaving holes.
However, such damage clearly wouldn't cause significant damage to the vessel.
The resulting holes were unlikely to inflict enough damage to the already battered vessel to sink it.
"Bang!"
However, the shells that pierced the enemy ship didn't stop there. Instead, they exploded in a blazing fire, completely igniting the surrounding area.
Observing the effect, Simon smiled.
"These aren't ordinary shells. They're in for a treat."
These shells had already been modified by Simon, becoming bomb-like structures with spells etched inside.
The shattered ship instantly engulfed in flames.
As they drew closer, they could finally see the strange monsters on the deck.
They resembled rotting skeletons of the undead, yet their bodies were shrouded in green.
Various weeds and vegetation clung to their bodies like moss. One could even see bright, small flowers on some of the undead's bodies.
They completely mismatched their appearance.
The shattered ship extended one gigantic vine after another. These dark green tentacles had structures resembling tendons and bones.
However, the range of the tentacles made it difficult for them to reach Alka and the others.
They didn't understand what they were trying to do.
The tentacles' attack startled everyone.
The vines wrapped around the undead on the ship and then, like a catapult, launched themselves at them.
"Boarding like this?"
Though somewhat surprised, everyone immediately began to respond.
Watching the undead creatures flying parabolically toward them, they knew they couldn't let these creatures contaminate the Voice of Dawn.
The first to move was the crystal dragon, which had been resting on the top of the mast. With a flap of its wings, it soared, exhaling a crystal-clear breath.
With its breath, the first few undead that flew towards them were instantly condensed into crystal in mid-air.
The crystal dragon suddenly flapped its wings in a strange, pivoting maneuver.
A tailswing.
A beautiful radiance, emanating from the iridescent hue, slammed into the condensed crystal.
It shattered into fragments and fell toward the sea.
The beams of light Sofia had been holding in her hand transformed into spheres, which she flung outward.
They struck the undead in the air, intercepting them and sending them careening down.
"I've waited so long for this day!" Simon laughed.
The Dawn Eagle's deck suddenly opened.
A buzzing sound emanated.
Sentinel aircraft flew out frantically one after another.
At least thirty or forty of them were visible.
They flew out like a swarm of bees. Once the previously silent machines gathered into dozens, their roar could be clearly heard.
A dense barrage of gunfire rang out.
The group of Sentinel aircraft formed a solid barrier, unleashing a dense barrage of bullets.