"Yes, Captain!" the crew responded in unison and busily went about their duties.
Only First Mate Kent cast a worried glance at Maria, who was keeping her head low, face hidden behind her hair, as if he wanted to say something. But in the end, he held back and did not approach her.
Once everyone had returned to their stations, Maria remained kneeling at the bow for a moment, before struggling to her feet, using the figurehead for support.
As she rose, the smooth, silver figurehead faintly reflected a nearly transparent face. From the eyes, which seemed to suppress a malicious intent, oozed a thick, sticky, and sickening black liquid.
She quietly leaned against the figurehead, and it took around five minutes before her face returned to normal.
Gathering her hair back into a ponytail, Maria glanced in the direction they were heading, surprised and puzzled: "The Death Announcer didn't try to seize the opportunity to catch up while I was unable to fully control the Pale Saintess for those few minutes?"
Onboard the towering Death Announcer, a ship the size of a five-story building, the "King of Immortality" Agalito sighed and issued new orders to Slaughterer Kircheis:
"Forget the chase. We're turning now toward the Sea of Fury... and send word to the Second, Third, and Fourth Fleets to rendezvous with us there as quickly as possible."
"Captain, but we were almost upon the Pale Saintess!" Kircheis protested in disbelief.
"Follow orders!" Agalito, who shared his subordinate's frustration, nonetheless made it clear his command was non-negotiable.
"Yes, Captain..." Realizing the danger, Kircheis did not press further, but hesitated before asking, "What about Verlandis of the First Fleet? Shouldn't we inform him?"
Agalito replied in a detached tone, "Verlandis is dead. His fleet is likely lost."
A chill ran through Kircheis's heart. Although he hadn't sensed any immediate danger, he now understood why his captain was abandoning the chase. In the face of an unknown threat, pressing forward could mean they were being lured into an ambush.
After Kircheis left to deliver the message, Agalito, seemingly speaking to the "air," muttered in a mocking tone:
"Catch up? No... We're never catching up. You must have noticed – no matter how we accelerate, the gap with the Pale Saintess never closes.
"'Distance' has been... 'magnified' or 'distorted'!
"Nast is nearby, and Panin is likely already done for.
"This is his warning to us. If we persist in pursuing, we may find ourselves up against the power of the 'King of the Five Seas'...
"And something isn't right... All four fleet divisions have gone dark, Verlandis is dead... Someone has slipped past your detection and is plotting against us..."
Then, as if hearing something, Agalito's stiff face twisted into a faint smile.
"This isn't cowardice; it's caution! Heh, if you had been half as cautious, you wouldn't have been tricked by that Adabao into becoming a ship.
"Our poor teamwork is entirely your fault!"
About five nautical miles away from the Death Announcer, the colossal figure of the "King of the Five Seas," Nast, floated midair. Though his gaze was on the two ghost ships futilely trying to advance, his thoughts had already shifted elsewhere:
Someone interfered with my judgment, causing me to be a few minutes late... But who could it have been?
To influence me, even though I possess a Level 0 Sealed Item, only a select few exist who could accomplish this...
What are Their intentions?
A dark red glint flickered in Nast's black eyes as he chose not to pursue the thought further, even "twisting" part of his own thoughts to seal them away.
After completing these mental adjustments, he "looked" directly at the Death Announcer, which was indeed turning away from the pursuit of the Pale Saintess.
Nast nodded approvingly. Aware that someone was orchestrating events from behind the scenes, he preferred to avoid a direct confrontation with the Death Announcer
After confirming the course change, Nast then released the distortion effect he had placed on the "distance" around the two ships.
At that moment, a mist spread through the surrounding space, and then a massive, jet-black, three-masted ship emerged from the void.
It was his Black Emperor!
On the ship's prow stood a tall, slender man in a red suit, smiling as he gazed up at Nast.
Nast stepped forward and instantly appeared on the deck of the Black Emperor. He nodded slightly at the man in red, "Duke Adabao, how did things fare on your end?"
"Panin 'successfully' escaped," Adabao replied with a smile, "but I left a little 'present' in his mind."
"I don't care what your plans are... But I must remind you, your little tricks won't escape the eyes of the God of Combat," Nast warned, glancing at the devilish, polite figure opposite him with a dark red gleam in his eyes.
"I know, so I won't give him a chance to pray in a church." Adabao handed the Black Emperor's Spire Crown, symbolizing control, back to Nast, still smiling. "Besides, as a steward left behind in the colonies, he has the authority to act as he pleases.
"At least for the next six months, no one will suspect a thing."
After a brief silence, Nast gazed at Adabao, once a colleague of his father, and suddenly said, "You've known all along, haven't you? About the presence lurking behind all this?"
Otherwise, you wouldn't have allowed the owner of the Pale Justice to be hunted by that ship.
"How could I know anything that involves deities?" Adabao replied with a feigned look of surprise, then chuckled.
"I see... So this was either a plot between Emperor Roselle and you, or one he didn't have time to complete..." The dark red light in Nast's eyes flickered as he nodded knowingly.
But this time, Adabao only maintained his elegant smile and refrained from replying.
Beyond the Spirit World, in the Astral Realm—a place more abstract, seemingly containing every right and symbol of the universe—a book-filled, ethereal kingdom existed where figures wandered, indulging in reading.
An ageless, indistinct figure withdrew its gaze from reality, and its lips seemed to curl slightly as it conjured a page. It sent the page, covered in text, through the kingdom and into a part of the "starry sky" within a grand white tower.
The page, flipping through the air, faintly revealed the following words:
"A 'grievous spirit' sealed with 'demonic' traits?
"A prisoner driven by 'Justice'... Utterly 'Justice' is twisted, corrupted in itself...
"Attempting to escape the Mother Tree of Desire's control over paths?
"Was this the work of Farbauti or Tolzna... with Roselle's influence mixed in...
"The sword itself is a 'switch,' a way to release 'Desires'... A brilliant design, Roselle was truly a remnant of the bygone era.
"It's just unclear if that young girl is a true contingency or merely a pawn brought to light...
"That 'Whisperer' has quite the daring, calculating even against deities..."
"Either way, if Farbauti or Tolzna has a genuine chance to break free of control, it's a promising development..."
On the Ahrunheim, Ebner had just "opened the door" back to his "cabin" when his Pure White Eye unexpectedly activated on its own, transmitting a message.
Ebner's expression turned serious at once. The last time the Pure White Eye had activated on its own, he'd sensed the taint of the "Primordial Moon" at the Daily Observer's ball!
But after he carefully read the message, he exhaled slightly in relief and pondered:
"Did a higher being of this Path transmit knowledge to me? Who... the God of Knowledge?
"Last time They influenced me, I was instantly plunged into a so-called 'prophetic' state...
"Is this a new function of my Golden Finger since reaching Sequence 6 and deepening my connection with the 'Unknown Land'?"