The Roc was none other than Cristopher's Avatar, Grey, whom he had acquired in the Rigel Continent after the Valkyries made a blunder.
Since then, the Roc had been the young man's aerial mount, and it had now grown big enough to accommodate Giga on its back.
The Bladed Bull Shark struggled, desperate to break free from its captor.
However, the Roc wasn't affected by any of its nonsense and crushed its body with its massive claws, drawing blood.
The leader of the Shark Army was completely immobilized by that single move, becoming limp and unable to move.
The Roc then let out a powerful screech before diving from the sky.
When it felt that the time was right, it didn't hesitate to slam the Bladed Bull Shark's body into the water, stunning it completely.
A moment later, the Killer Whale attacked it from below, sending the Bull Shark flying above the water.
It was then mercilessly shredded by the giant Roc's claws, which had circled for a follow-up attack.
Just as the pitiful shark was about to fall back to the sea, a massive jaw broke the water's surface and bit on its body.
Cristopher then heard a notification inside his head, telling him that he had acquired the Avatar of the Bladed Bull Shark.
Since it was a Brute Monster, the young man was guaranteed to get its Avatar as soon as it died under the hands of his minions.
The sharks, who had lost their leader, scattered in different directions, hoping to escape.
Cristopher and Drazzat hunted them down because they couldn't allow such a high number of Jinns prowling the sea route of the Central Government.
Two hours later, Cristopher returned to the Cruiser, feeling happy he had acquired a new subordinate.
While the combined attacks of the 60th and 69th Battalion didn't kill all the sharks, they still managed to kill over three thousand of them, leaving the survivors swimming for their lives.
Cheers rang out within the 69th Battalion's Cruiser as they looked at their Captain with respect and admiration.
Drazzat had also jumped on the deck of the ship, pretending to be one of Cristopher's avatars.
Everyone looked at the mighty figure of the former Lizardkin Chieftain, who had decided to follow Thirteen in his journey.
A few seconds later, Drazzat disappeared as he returned to Rocky's mobile fortress.
With the threat of the shark horde gone, the military braced for the impact of the storm they were about to face at sea.
Waves upon furious waves battered the ships as they continued their journey to the west.
Aiden's destroyer led the way, flanked by the two cruisers, which helped take the brunt of the force of nature, preventing the supply ships from taking damage from the storm.
Several hours later, the ships managed to break free from the influence of the storm, allowing everyone to sigh in relief.
Sherry, who had taken refuge on Thirteen's lap, hugged the young man until the storm had passed.
No one in the command center found fault in her actions. Even if they did, they were smart enough to say nothing and focus on their mission.
When Thirteen was certain the danger had passed, he decided to rest in his room with Sherry, leaving the command of the ship to Colbert.
Since that stormy night, the journey had been smooth sailing, and they didn't face any major threats along the way.
"We will be arriving at the Vastmere Harbor in four hours," Aiden informed Thirteen. "From there, I will handle the rest of the resupply mission. What are your plans, Commander?"
"We will dock the ship and swap places with our forces stationed there," Thirteen replied. "They will, in turn, assist with the escort of the Supply Ships, as well as any ships boarded by civilians, bound for the Sirius Continent."
Aiden nodded. Unlike Zion, most of his forces would remain in the Cygni Continent and head to the front lines.
He would only leave a few of his men to operate the destroyer and the two cruisers under his command.
Four hours later, the military ships finally docked at Vastmere Port.
Alcapone and the rest of the 69th Battalion set to finally go home were waiting for their comrades to arrive.
However, when he saw that his Commander, Zion, was on the ship, the smile on the E4 Specialist's face disappeared because he suddenly had a bad premonition.
"Good work, Alcapone," Thirteen said with a smile. "I heard you're doing a good job as the temporary Commander of our army."
"H-Hahaha." Alcapone laughed nervously because he felt was a trap question
If he said yes, Zion might keep him in the Cygni Continent.
If he said no, Zion might still keep him in the Cygni Continent.
Soon, his laughter turned to crying, which surprised the new recruits.
They couldn't believe that the sturdy, buff-looking man, who was nearly two meters in height, would cry after being praised by their Commander.
In the end, they thought that Alcapone was just happy to receive praise from his Superior Officer, who was also their idol.
The veterans of the 69th Battalion, on the other hand, looked at Alcapone with pity.
They already knew that their Commander treated the leader of the E4 Mafia and his men reaaaaaaaally well to the point that he didn't want the masters of shamming and skating to leave his line of sight.
"Are you happy to see me?" Thirteen asked in amusement.
"Sir, I'm very happy to see you," Alcapone said through tears. "In fact, seeing you makes me so happy that I'm crying right now."
Hugo, who was standing beside Thirteen, couldn't help but gawk.
He had interacted with Alcapone in the past, and the man had struck him as a very domineering, competent, and confident individual who could eat donuts and chug on energy drinks while being surrounded by Jinns on the battlefield.
'He must really be moved to finally see the Commander,' Hugo thought. 'Such a good man. He's truly the role model of the 69th Battalion.'
If Alcapone could only hear what Hugo was thinking, he might have even cried louder.
Although the man did indeed respect and admire Zion, he also feared the teenage boy very much.
"Fine, I'll let you off the hook this time," Thirteen, who understood Alcapone the most, patted his shoulder. "You and the others should rest for two months before returning here. By then, I want you to be in tip-top shape, ready for battle."
Thirteen then held the older man's gaze with a devilish smile on his face.
"Do I make myself clear, Soldier?"
Thirteen nodded before glancing at Vincent, who was already chatting with Penny.
Perhaps, the two playboys felt they were of the same breed and decided to have a chat to exchange pointers with each other.
In the end, Thirteen left them alone and personally thanked his subordinates for the meritorious services they had done in holding the front lines.
Now that he was on the battlefield, he planned to take his battalion deep within enemy lines and let them experience what it was like to perform military operations while surrounded by enemies from all sides.
He hoped this experience would help his soldiers survive when the High-Ranking Jinns finally appeared, which would also herald the start of the true Jinn Invasion that would decide the fate of the Cygni Continent.