Chapter 02: Embarking on a New Mission

"Thank you for the meal!"

An excited Jis clapped his hands twice, instantly creating a grand orchestra stage on the small display case.

Shortly thereafter, the spectacle unfolded as palm-sized spirit musicians stepped onto the stage, beginning their performance.

"You must refrain from using your powers haphazardly on the Kepler planet. Do you remember?"

As Big Mama, who was in the midst of dipping grilled pork into sauce, spoke as though a sudden memory had struck her.

"Yes! But can't I intervene if someone is in danger?"

"No, you can't. We made a decision to minimize our interference in their lives."

"Nevertheless..."

When Big Mama glanced at him, her nose wrinkled, Jis gave a knowing nod.

As Jis, Big Mama, and Holly Knight engaged in conversation over dinner, the morning sun began to shine.

Shortly thereafter, Jis finished his meal, got dressed, left the cabin, and positioned himself in front of the pond.

Then, Big Mama dashed out of the cabin, shouting.

"Jis~ You must wear the Wind Cape!"

"Oh! No wonder I felt something was missing."

"What's our mission?"

"To discover the source of the dark-red fog!"

Reaffirming his mission, Jis treaded across the pond, halting near the center.

After taking a few deep breaths, he descended feet-first into the water!

Bubbles erupted—

Having plunged a reasonable depth into the water, Jis swam upward in a motion reminiscent of a dolphin.

Swoosh—

As Jis broke the surface, a new vista unfolded before his eyes.

He found himself atop a vast sea, the atmosphere akin to that of an entirely new planet.

Using his upward momentum, Jis breached the surface and took a moment to savor the salty sea air.

"Hmm~ The invigorating scent of the ocean!"

Soon after, as he extended his arms, the wind cloak fluttered with his movements.

Emulating a bird in flight, Jis propelled himself skyward.

Reaching a certain altitude, the boy spread his arms and legs wide, like a swallow, and soared through the sky.

Flying low, the boy's shadow glided over the sunlit sea surface.

Sea gulls approached him, letting out their signature calls.

Squawk~

Boom—!

Suddenly, following the distant echo of a cannon, a cannonball whizzed past.

The projectile was so fast that it startled Jis, passing him in an instant and hitting a few sea gulls.

Jis, who narrowly avoided a collision with the cannonball, veered off towards the direction of the sound.

* * *

Splash— Splash—

Driven by three billowing sails, the 30-meter-long Carrack ship sliced through the waves with force.

Though originally constructed for trade purposes, it was now commandeered as a pirate vessel.

A large, box-sized aquarium was positioned on the deck of the Carrack ship.

"Captain Black Bee! I bet that mermaid's worth a fortune, eh?"

"Heh heh~ Fortune sounds good. But this time, it's for the witch's experiment."

Inside the locked-lid aquarium, a 10-year-old mermaid slumbered.

"We may have to hold back this time, but let's sell anything else we catch!"

"Wow—! Captain, don't forget our share!"

The pirates erupted in cheers, fuelled by the captain's captivating proclamation.

Click, Click—

"What's that sound?"

"It sounds like a dolphin. Maybe the mermaids have noticed?"

A pirate, on a hunch, rushed to the rear of the ship, peering out over the vast sea.

Sure enough, mermaids who seemed to have been alerted by the dolphin sounds were swimming their way.

"The mermaids are following us!"

"How many?"

"Uh... About ten... Wait, it's 13! One of them is exceptionally large; I think it's their leader!"

The pirate captain declared, his face contorting into a scowl.

"Full speed ahead! Unfurl the sails! Adjust the angle to catch the wind right!"

The pirates quickly mobilized at the captain's command, propelling the pirate ship at full speed.

However, their speed paled in comparison to the mermaids, natives of the sea, who skillfully navigated the rough currents.

Watching the mermaids powerfully surge through the water, Captain Black Bee, caught in a surge of adrenaline, shouted out in a shrill voice.

"Damn it! Hey, what are you guys doing! They're almost upon us! Ready the cannons, ready the cannons!"

Shortly thereafter, flames spurted from the rear of the pirate ship as the cannons discharged.

Bang—! Bang—!

The aim was poor, but the speed and power of the cannonballs could not be disregarded.

Every time an iron sphere plunged into the sea, it resulted in a mighty spray of water.

"Blast it! Where have they disappeared to? Are they dead?"

"Captain! It looks like they've dived into the sea!"

"Are we going to be surrounded at this rate? Everyone, ready yourselves for battle!"

The Carrack's speed gradually decreased as the pirates busied themselves with battle preparations.

In response, the mermaid warriors who had encircled the pirate ship surfaced, their heads breaking through the water.

They were all sturdy, brown-skinned mermaid warriors.

And among them, a mermaid of grander build, presumably their king, emerged.

"Daddy~!"

At this moment, a distinctive girl's voice rang out, sounding as if she'd inhaled helium gas.

Startled, the pirates turned their heads to see the little mermaid, who had awoken in the aquarium cage, shrieking with delight.

"Rylie! Are you okay?"

"Yes, I am! Where am I? Wow, it seems I'm on a ship! I've never seen such a massive vessel before!"

The little mermaid danced so beautifully that the aquarium quaked.

Yet, the mermaid king ground his teeth and commanded an assault.

"Curse these wretched pirates! Cleanse them from our seas!"

With the mermaid king's attack order, a full-scale battle commenced.

A cannon on the side of the pirate ship fired, causing an eruption of flames.

Boom—!

As the cannonball whizzed towards him, the mermaid king deflected it with his trident, sending it soaring over the pirate ship.

The astonished pirates fired arrows and hurled various long-range weapons such as spears, but they couldn't halt the nimble mermaid warriors.

As the mermaid king, leading his warriors, ascended onto the deck, the pirates swarmed around him like bees.

Observing the chaos, Captain Black Bee, the Pirate, took cover behind the central mast and shouted in a piercing voice.

"Begone, you fish spawn!"

As the mermaids maneuvered across the deck with the agility of fish, pirates swung down their curved swords and hand axes.

Yet, the mermaids moved with a fluid grace, thrusting their spears between the pirates' legs.

"Argh! My leg!"

Pirates with wounds to their thighs and ankles rolled on the deck in pain, giving the mermaid warriors a momentary advantage.

Taking advantage of this brief respite, the mermaid warriors caught their breath as their tail fins morphed into human legs.

"What? That's trickery! Argh—"

The shock was short-lived. The deck once again descended into chaos as the mermaids launched a swift spear assault.

"What's going on?"

A high-pitched voice pierced the din, and silence fell upon the deck.

Click- clack—

The sound of a woman's shoes echoed in the silence.

"Captain Black Bee, what are these fishy-smelling creatures?"

A gaunt woman, towering over 2 meters tall, with pale complexion emerged. She was the notorious witch of the Eastern Sea.

"Heh heh— Witch, decided to show up, did you? I was planning to clear this mess quickly, but the resistance was a tad stronger than expected...."

"Tut-tut— Maybe I should lend a hand."

The mermaid king hesitated momentarily at the sudden appearance of the witch, then bellowed out in rage.

"Are these two as mad as a pair of hatters! Let me deal with this, starting off light."

With a casual swing of his trident, the mermaid king sent two pirates who were blocking his path flying off the ship.

Once more, the battle commenced, and the terrified captain took cover behind the witch, shouting defiantly.

"There's no point in resisting! You will bow to the dreadful punishment of the witch!"

"Quiet down and stay out of my way."

The witch, appearing mildly annoyed, brushed off the pirate captain and casually waved her hand.

As swords and spears clashed and the screams of pirates filled the air, dark clouds began to gather around the pirate ship.

The Eastern Sea witch's eyes glowed with a dark red energy as she uttered a cryptic spell with a devious gesture.

"You're all so trifling... wipe them out."

Suddenly, the mermaid warriors ceased their attack.

The pirates, too, recoiled in surprise at the sight of the mermaid warriors, who had frozen in place like stone statues.

Shortly thereafter, the mermaids, whose legs had reverted back into fins, writhed on the deck and screamed.

"What's this murky water?"

"It's scorching! A sea of fire, a sea of curses!"

The spectacle was so surreal it was as if everyone were witnessing a hallucination.

Despite the mermaids now being defenseless, the pirates dared not approach them, fearing they might catch the sea's curse.

"Well, it's a crude spell."

The mermaid king, who muttered to himself softly, strolled leisurely among the incapacitated mermaids.

Approaching the witch as if out for a leisurely walk, he swiftly thrust his spear at her, declaring,

"We must end this now. I have a busy schedule."

The witch flinched, but had no time to escape, and the trident pierced her abdomen.

Whoosh—

As the mermaid king stirred the trident as if to withdraw it, the witch's robe disintegrated into pieces and scattered.

But there was no trace of the witch's body at the spot!

"Tee-hee~ As expected, the ruler of the eastern sea is on another level. Let's stop this charade, and from now on, let's duel in our true forms."

Before he realized it, the witch had relocated to the mast at the front of the pirate ship.

She let out a high-pitched laugh and spread her arms wide.

Her body gradually began to swell, her slender form expanding grotesquely.

Rip— Rip—

Her skin stretched to the limit and her robes were ripped apart with a terrifying sound, reminiscent of flesh tearing.

Soon, the torn and swollen flesh revealed pink skin underneath, from which dozens of teeth sprouted.

The skin on her back swelled, ripped apart, and transformed into a deep blue-green hue.

"Is it an Aboleth? A forgotten ancient creature still lives."

The Aboleth, seeming to be a hybrid of a giant fish and an eel, undulated its massive 7.5-meter-long body.

The Aboleth, gently waving her long tentacles as if to greet the mermaid king, focused her three eyes.

Flash—

A potent psychic assault, imbued with the Aboleth's immense intelligence and powerful magic, struck out.

"It's pretty intense...."

Even the mermaid king, who had substantial magical resistance, seemed to find the assault unbearable.

He staggered back, visibly disoriented.

"I see. Then I'll have to deal with you properly. Rylie, shall we have some fun? It's been a while."

He said this, casting a comical glance towards Rylie, who was anxiously watching from her tank.

Rylie also laughed and responded,

"Is my dad going to show off your thumping skills after such a long time? Oh, I'm excited~!"

The mermaid king, after sharing a humorous moment with his daughter, turned his gaze away and closed his eyes for an instant.

Shortly after, the mermaid king's already impressive physique swelled further and rapidly transformed into an 18-meter-long Mosasaurus.

Clap— Clap—!

As soon as the Mosasaurus appeared, Aboleth's tentacle attack followed swiftly.

* * *

Meanwhile, a young boy was hovering in the sky, observing the battle between the mermaid warriors and the pirates from a safe distance away from the embattled pirate ship.

Though he felt sorry for the gruesome battle below, the boy watched the fight with the curiosity typical of his age, talking to himself.

"What in the world is happening? They all seem to be the bad guys...."

The fight had now evolved from a human skirmish into a clash of monstrous beings.

As the two sea monsters grappled on the deck, the pirate ship rocked violently as if caught in a tempest.

Thump! Thump! Splinter—

Some pirates were smacked by the Aboleth's tentacles or the Mosasaurus's massive fins, while others were crushed under the monsters' weight, their bodies compressed.

The boy frowned at the gruesome sight, his mind returning to Big Mama's words.

Just then, the boy felt an intense stare.

Rylie was watching him from the transparent aquarium on the pirate ship's deck. Surprised, Jis turned to meet her gaze.

The boy hesitated for a moment, then scratched the back of his head and muttered,

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to just open the lid slightly, right?"

With that, Jis cautiously began to descend towards the pirate ship.