Greece, the Sea of Chaos.
After three days of sailing, the Pan-Hellenic Alliance's mixed fleet swept through the Sea of Chaos like a comb, silently crushing and swallowing wave after wave of Persian fast ships that had been patrolling and harrying the waters along the way.
By noon, the Greek army had already drawn close to the Persian fleet's main zone of control.
"Wind direction, north-northeast. Wind speed, Force 3. Sailing speed, 20 knots. Star chart deviation, 12 degrees!"
"Adjust the angle! We're approaching the waters off Thermopylae. Wolf pack tactics, maintain spacing! All hands, stay alert!"
With the Argo at its core, and the Deep Sea Flagship and Viking Flagship serving as command centers of equal rank, the fleet began its intensive preparations. The ships integrated their formations and advanced in coordination, and the atmosphere abruptly turned cold and solemn.
The battle-hardened heroes of the Argo, serving as the example for the rest, slipped into seamless cooperation with practiced ease. Each of them moved like a tightly wound gear, fitting perfectly into place.
"Priests and ritualists, disperse the sea fog, clear the route of obstacles, and apply blessings to our allies!"
The Larva of the Serpent Goddess boldly removed her hood. Wearing a magnificent long dress, she stood proudly at the bow against the wind, acting as a spiritual symbol as she took over the deployment of the clergy from Areopagus.
Stheno stood behind Ana-chan with her arms crossed, looking utterly bored.
"Magus, chant the divine words, activate the Ether barrier, and prepare the rites!"
Medea, the Witch Queen, held Hecate's Staff in hand like Hecate returned to the world, issuing orders to the spellcaster team from the Academy of Athens.
"Dragon's Tooth soldiers and Earth Guardians in position. All systems functioning normally!"
Circe, the Eagle Witch, waved her staff and directed a host of magical puppets, taking charge of the Argo's many tedious tasks.
"Activating the port forward gunport matrix. I'll handle this side!"
Atalanta slid down from the lookout along the mast with wind-like speed, nimbly arriving at her assigned position. Her emerald eyes stared calmly ahead.
"Starboard aft gunport matrix… here, here…"
Euryale yawned as she sprawled weakly over the control console. She was moving a little slowly, but the rectangular Mystic Eyes she had opened were already glowing faintly.
As veteran Argo heroes known for their archery, Orion and Heracles naturally chose their targets with ease and filled the remaining two corners of the four-point formation.
Inside the captain's cabin, Jason stared blankly at the six members of the Serpent's Nest, who had each taken their positions as if nothing were wrong.
Weren't they supposed to have been worn out so badly they couldn't get out of bed?
How were they all so lively, and looking even more energetic than before?
Could it be…
The captain quietly glanced at a certain unsurprised bad friend, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
So the real question was, who slept with who?
A moment later, after grumbling inwardly, Jason threw the messy thoughts out of his head and authorized the gunports to open.
In an instant, the hull shook. Beneath the feet of the archers stationed at the four corners, Magecraft arrays began to run. One ship cannon after another, each engraved with dense chants, creaked into alignment and adjustment, while several nested cross-shaped halos lit up nearby to confirm the firing arcs.
Likewise, the pitch-black deep-sea warships pulsed with dark red light patterns across their outer hulls, continuously charging their turrets.
Athens' wooden fast ships and the Scandinavian Viking warships reacted in turn as well. Layer upon layer of Magecraft arrays lit up one after another, enveloping the vessels within.
Admiral Themistocles looked at the torrent of steel and the banners blotting out the sky before him. Then he thought back to the Battle of Salamis, where he had walked on thin ice and spent tremendous effort just to carve a large chunk of flesh from the Persians. He could not help baring his teeth in a savage grin, his heart surging with gloating satisfaction.
Heh. Didn't see this coming, did you, Persians? So you have a day like this too!
This time, there was no need for dodging or sneaking around. In a head-on encounter, one volley would be enough to make the other side choke on it.
But joy, taken too far, quickly turned to disaster.
For some unknown reason, large patches of white foam rose across the nearby Sea of Chaos. The water churned irregularly, making the ships pitch up and down.
Creak… creak… creak…
Before the badly shaken admiral and the Athenian soldiers could steady themselves, a series of piercing, teeth-grating tremors came from beneath the fast ships.
Bang!
All at once, water sprayed in every direction. Within the hazy sea fog, a long, narrow shadow swept down from above. The surface of the sea was split apart by a tremendous force, and three fast ships in its path, unable to evade in time, were snapped in half at the waist. In the blink of an eye, they turned into wreckage and sank into the sea with bubbling gurgles.
"What is that thing?!"
"Underwater! There's a monster underwater!"
"Help me! Help me! Aaaah!"
Hundreds of survivors who had escaped the first attack floated on the sea, desperately swimming toward nearby allied ships and calling for help.
But in the next moment, a huge whirlpool appeared on the surface. Like bait, those survivors were dragged into it and torn away. Their terrified screams soon cut off, and pale red blood spread outward through the water.
"Scatter! Scatter! Raise the Magecraft barriers to maximum power! Where are the people from the Academy of Athens? Bombard the water and force that monster out!"
Admiral Themistocles decisively ordered the fleet to disperse first and avoid that bizarre danger zone. Only then did he summon the Magus to counterattack, while symbolically tossing out a few floating airbags so the survivors could fend for themselves.
A merciful man could not command troops. With the situation unclear, who knew what was lurking below? This was no time to go soft.
Disrupting his defensive formation for so few people would be losing sight of the greater good.
Besides, they had already entered waters controlled by the Persians. If the enemy fleet took advantage of the chaos to intercept them, the resulting losses would not be something the lives of a few Athenian citizens could make up for.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Amid dense chanting, spell projectiles compressed to their limits smashed into the deep sea one after another, throwing waves dozens of meters high into the air. The briny, fishy smell of boiling seawater spread all around.
Hiss!
In an instant, accompanied by an eerie screech from beneath the water, violent waves surged across the sea. The seawater flung upward rained down like droplets, pelting the deck and everyone's faces.
At the same time, a massive shadow descended over the flagship. Themistocles, who had been directing the battle, stiffly raised his head and saw a hideous head as towering as a mountain.
Blood-red vertical snake pupils stared down with cold, vicious malice. From that abyssal maw, a forked tongue flicked out, its tip dripping clumps of sticky saliva.
Sizzle…
As the black-green liquid splashed onto the Magecraft light screen, the Ether was violently corroded, hissing with white smoke. In the blink of an eye, a large hole melted through it. The spreading vapor had already been diluted layer after layer, yet with just a faint breath of it, the Divine Blood Warriors guarding the surroundings were struck by waves of dizziness.
What kind of monster is this?!
Themistocles stared at the serpentine Magical Beast whose scales resembled pitch-black slabs of rock. A single head was nearly a hundred meters long, and its body stretched for miles through the sea. Cold sweat poured down his back.
Splash!
Splash!
Splash!
In the next instant, splashes like breaking tsunamis rang out one after another.
One…
Two…
Three…
More than a dozen giant serpent heads surfaced from the deep sea. Their coiling bodies had already crushed several of the submerged metal warships to pieces.
At some point, within the thickening sea fog, one crimson, savage snake eye after another looked down from above. The serpents hissed and flicked their tongues, their long, surging bodies dividing and wrapping around the Pan-Hellenic Alliance fleet as though a banquet were about to begin.
Sure enough, that old thing Yahweh had prepared for this.
At the same time, Samael gazed from afar at the serpentine Magical Beasts emerging from the sea. His brows furrowed as he gave the answer.
Deep Sea Serpent, Leviathan!
***
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
[email protected]/PinkSnake (50 Chapters Ahead).
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.
***