Chapter 659: King of the Five Seas

"Ah?" Daniz was startled for a moment, then, like his captain, looked up at the sky; as an Arsonist, he could not discern any difference in the heavens, whether with his eyes or spiritual perception.

Along with him, Ao Erfus and Daniels also saw nothing abnormal; only Anderson, whose sequence was somewhat higher, could vaguely sense a faint heaviness spreading through the air.

The next second, the sea breeze above them suddenly surged, pulling rapidly, converging in midair to form a pitch‑black vortex of wind.

The surrounding spirits suddenly became active, shadows abruptly covered the dock below, and in the astonished gazes of Yi Sang and the others, a massive three‑mast sailing ship cloaked in pure black flew out of the vortex.

Along its sides hung lanterns one after another, nearly a hundred meters long, bearing three black sails; the ship bore no obvious crest, only on the deck near the cabin sat a massive stone high‑back chair.

Anderson stared up at the huge sailing ship streaking overhead, his eyes wide open; before the news arrived, he had imagined many possible developments, yet never could he have thought a pirate king would appear, and as an ally.

Beside him, Daniz exclaimed:

"'Black Emperor!' Is this the real main force? Who summoned the 'King of the Five Seas'?"

"We also publicized the bounty placed on the pirates."

Aidawenna was equally surprised by the appearance of the King of the Five Seas, yet her tone remained calm.

Hearing his captain's words, Daniz immediately explained, "Of course, I know; I also spread the news outward, but I thought it was just for show. I didn't expect even a being like the King of the Five Seas to appear. How many gold pounds—no, how many patterned gold coins would that cost!"

"Ha, foolish. Can a pirate king of that caliber be summoned merely with money?"

"That fellow must have promised a 'Lawyer'‑level angelic alchemical formula, or clues to certain materials."

Anderson mocked Daniz twice, and subconsciously the scene from Mr. Fool's divine realm floated into his mind. Among the two desecration cards overturned on the table, perhaps one was the Black Emperor (Item).

On the Black Emperor, the King of the Five Seas, Naste, wore a proportionally miniaturized spire crown, a long robe of black with silver trim, and stood calmly at the bow; his deep black eyes streamed dark‑red light, exuding intense oppression.

To his left, Plak Aiges wore a dark coat, a half‑high silk hat, and gazed calmly at the distant sea, a faint pale flame flickering in his eyes.

On the right, a young woman in a dark‑purple classical wizard robe, silver‑white hair, exceptionally beautiful, leaned against the rail, cradling a brass helmet stained with mottled blood; she was Parsna, one of the Ten Pillars of the Morse Ascetic Order, a 'Mystic Scholar' who oversaw a relic.

Surrounding the Black Emperor, a purely transparent spirit moved rhythmically in midair, stirring wind and waves, lifting the Black Emperor so it floated steadily.

Parsna gazed at the distant sea, her eyes instantly deepening, a barely perceptible pale violet glow drifting slowly within them.

After a moment, she lowered her gaze, one hand cradling the blood‑stained brass helmet, the other reaching into her bosom to pull out a playing‑card‑sized paper card, handing it to the steady King of the Five Seas, Naste, and said, "Among the twenty‑two Desecration Cards forged by Emperor Roselle, the Black Emperor (Item) has been treated by the Prince of the Afflicted; you can briefly borrow its power to unleash the 'Duke of Entropy'."

"This is single‑use; after it's spent you must return it so the Prince can replenish its power."

Naste gave a slight nod, said nothing, and took the Black Emperor (Item) into his hand; it was the reward Reckton had prepaid to him for helping strike the Inditis naval fleet.

Beyond that, there was a promise from Emperor Roselle: when he no longer needed additional attributes to maintain his own stature, he would grant him the attribute of the 'Prince of the Murdered Sequence'.

In what circumstance would a true god not require a full three‑part sequence attribute to sustain his being, to shift paths? Or perhaps some secret still hidden in the sequence path; I hope my choice is not wrong.

Naste's dark‑red gaze deepened further; the gods' frequent movements gave him a whiff of danger, and the future once within sight now seemed shrouded in gloom, so he accepted Roselle's invitation to help them confront the forces of Inditis and Fusak.

The cannons on both sides of the Black Emperor, under the control of the undead, swivelled to aim at the steel fleet on the distant sea.

Parsna leaned against the rail, her right fingertip gently brushing the helmet she cradled, as if reminiscing through it.

After a while, she suddenly chuckled and whispered, "Steam Church's mobility is truly unexpected; in such a short time they dispatched so many fleets and airships to simultaneously strike all ports of the Northern State and the Pas Valley coast."

"I'm somewhat worried whether the Prince of the Afflicted and that 'Dark Angel' can withstand the pressure from the various forces of the Southern Continent." "You should worry about whether the Southern Continent's various forces can bear their pressure; they are each the emissaries of their own deities, the will and majesty of the gods. Except for the 'Divine Scion' of the Rose School, the other angels find it hard to oppose them under a true god's gaze."

Naste looked down at the sea ahead and replied in a flat tone.

As soon as his words ended, crimson firelights burst intermittently across the steel fleet on the distant sea; shells trailing pale gold, silver, or red tails were launched at high speed, covering the entire Oleson Port.

"As always, the same style," Parsna murmured.

As she spoke, fine fragments of pale blue starlight spilled from the underside of her right fingertip onto the brass helmet, which glowed with a dawn‑like silver‑white radiance.

The light spread outward rapidly, completely enveloping the Black Emperor and the surrounding area, forming an invisible yet solid defensive wall.

Naste thrust his right hand forward, making a pushing gesture; the surrounding silver light surged again, covering the entire Oleson Port.

The protective power materialized into a sturdy, ornate yet weightless silver shield, linked to the ground and becoming immovable.

Brilliant flashes of fire burst upon the protective barrier, painting fleeting fireworks of flame; the cannon fire and the sound of air being sliced finally lagged, joining the explosions.

Silver, crimson, or dazzling gold flames crowded together, completely drowning the silver protective shield.

As time passed, the Steam Church's long‑range strike halted entirely; the silver shield, still linked to the ground, began to tremble, riddled with countless cracks, nearing its limit and on the brink of collapse.

Naste gazed calmly ahead, his eyes seeming to see through the silver barrier and the brilliant flames at the fleet on the sea.

After a moment, his voice deep and authoritative, he said, "That's enough."

Plak Aiges gave a slight nod, turned toward the dock behind him, and beneath his feet a grotesque staircase of intertwined white‑bony arms, eye‑sprouting vines, and slick, scaled tentacles formed a terrifying, spiraling bridge descending.

The mournful, cold wind howled out of nowhere, the surrounding light dimmed swiftly, a thin white mist spread through the air, the summer heat plummeted, and a layer of white frost silently covered the ground.

In an instant, a bronze door adorned with indescribable mysterious patterns materialized at the center of the spiraling staircase bridge, shaking, creaking, a crack opening as it slowly opened.

On the lower dock, Phoenix, who had been watching the midair disturbance, inhaled deeply, thrust both palms forward as if pushing open a non‑existent door.

The cold wind howled around, and another bronze door, likewise covered with mysterious patterns, quickly materialized ahead.

Inside the door lay endless darkness, filled with countless indescribable eyes staring outward, and a mass of writhing, strange, as‑yet‑indistinct entities surged madly forward.

In one or two seconds, on every street of Oleson Port, a bronze door etched with mysterious patterns appeared, shaking, creaking, and slowly opening.

Countless vengeful spirits slipped out, swirling in midair, merging with the bricks, soil, street trees, and gaslamp posts; the underworld seemed to overlap reality, and the scent of death instantly pervaded, painting the whole port like hell.

The overwhelming death aura made the living who lingered in the port instinctively uneasy, as if their bodies were slowly dying.

Anderson sniffed, sounding a bit uncomfortable, and said:

"It's so cold, colder than the polar seas and the North Sea's winter; I feel my soul is freezing solid."

Beside him, Daniz, Yi Sang and the others curled into a ball, shivering, barely able to speak.

Olvers had intended to summon a holy light to cleanse the surrounding death and cold, adjusting everyone's condition, but Aidawenna stopped him: "Do not use Solar Domain power; it would disrupt the harmony here, causing the surrounding souls, undead, and nature spirits to resist, which would hinder the upcoming operation."

(End of Chapter)