Chapter 26 Nikita_1

The sun hung high in the northern center of the sky at noon, with not a trace of clouds. Against the deeply blue backdrop, only a large black bird spread out its vast wings, soaring between the open sea and the sky.

The scorching sun hit the shimmering sea, resulting in a spectacle of captivating hues.

The open sea stretched out endlessly to where the sky met its far horizon, devoid of any signs of intrusion or peculiarity, displaying just thick layers of blue.

The gentle sea breeze moved across the surface of the water, teasing out a school of flying fish from underwater. They hit their large fins against the water surface in the direction of the sun.

The disturbance startled these small creatures, not by some fierce ocean predator, but by a three-masted boat that was approximately a hundred meters long.

A quiet black ship lay on the surface of the sea.

The ship's body was jet black. The ebony hull appeared as if glazed, gleaming in the sunlight.

The first two main masts bore five dim latitudinal sails, and the last mast held a large triangular longitudinal sail; all sails were unfurled, yet the black ship eerily remained in the same spot, unmoving. The surface of the sea within several miles remained undisturbed.

A lantern was on the ship's stern deck, the flames weak and green. Yet even under such clear sky with the sun high above, the lantern radiated a brilliant light, enveloping the entire ship in its glow.

Tightly tethered to the mast jutting forward at an angle from the bow were several thick ropes that ran through the entire ship, firmly bound to the large mast in its center.

Under this forward angling mast at the ship's bow, a figurehead of a praying female demon had been placed.

The female demon's gleaming crimson eyes shone dimly, her expression almost lifelike, her body as white as jade, contrasting starkly with the black ship. A piece of chiffon was the only coverage on her body, but a thick blood-red iron chain was coiled around her neck, arm, and body.

Circling above her head were dozens of large, thin-scalled snakes, each arm-length in size. At this moment, these lovers of dark cold caves lethargically drooped their bodies in the intense sunlight, hanging their tongues out from the spike-like mast at the ship's bow.

Warm days always tended to make people feel lazy.

This laziness would often lead to a sleepy atmosphere enveloping everyone.

The deck was empty, no diligent crew members busily scrubbing the floorboards could be seen, not even the ropes hanging from the mast deigned to sway.

A canvas lounge chair was placed on top of the ship cabin.

On the chair, a young man with black hair, wearing a pink polo shirt and variegated beach shorts, had a spread out copy of 'Ladies in Flowers' resting on his face. Faint snoring sounds came from underneath the magazine.

On the main mast right behind the sleeping young man hung a burly bald man wearing only a pair of shorts, his head drooping motionlessly, showing no signs of life. He had spread out his arms wide as if emulating Jesus on the cross, and his muscular body was covered in scars.

Done on the left side of the ship railings, a tall blonde young man was leaning. He had a large cigar in his mouth and was soon still, his eyes fixed on the fishing rod in front of him.

Maybe he was the only person awake on the deck.

The black ship was desolately moored in this quiet sea, as far as the eye could see there were only rolling waves. Apart from fishing, there was no other amusement available for this bored individual.

But even this little bit of fun was slowly melting away under the intense sunlight.

"Damn it!" the blond young man cursed in irritation.

His fishing pole hadn't seen any action since morning, the calm sea surface was like a slab of blue glass, not a ripple disturbing its tranquility. Even the piece of intestine hung on the fishing hook failed to attract a greenhead fly.

"Have these wizards been conducting too many deadly experiments recently, so much so that even the flies despise their bloody flesh?" the blond young man speculated maliciously, lifting his head out of boredom.

Then he saw the black dot circling high in the sky.

"Damned feathered brute!" The young man took a heavy puff of his cigar.

All of this was the fault of that large bird.

He lifted his eyelids, casting a glance at the black dot in the sky with his bloody eyes, and exhaled a smoke ring heavily.

Ever since the captain had spotted a pair of wizard's eyes hanging above them, he ordered everyone to weigh the anchor and set the sails.

So the black ship was stuck in this barren place, where only a bird relieved itself.

At this time, everyone should have been on the white beaches of the Mediterranean, listening to the sirens sing their songs, slaughtering a couple of Minotaurs raised by the Under Moon Council, singing praises to the beautiful moon.

Who would have thought we'd ruin it all because of that large bird.

"Harry!" The blond young man threw the half-smoked cigar into the sea, his eyes fixed on the lounge chair atop the ship's cabin, yelling angrily, "You didn't actually go egg collecting recently? That damned brute has been circling over our heads for three days now!"

The snoring under 'Ladies in Flowers' paused, the young man in the pink polo blocked his ears, mumbled a few words, turned his body, showing his backside to the blond youth beside the ship railings, continuing to enjoy the relaxation under the sun.

The blond youth squinted his eyes again.

A hint of blood flashed in his eyes, a fierce grin tugged at the corner of his lips.

Three days of suppressed rage only needed a made-up reason to be ignited.

Perhaps after a fight, both of them would be brutally beaten by the captain and then hung on the mast to dry in the wind.

But if he didn't retaliate, he feared he would burn to ashes under the flames of anger simmering in his heart.

The blond youth rubbed his palms together, conjuring a series of subtle popping sounds.

His backside toward him, the young man in the pink polo had his muscles tensed, the snoring under 'Ladies in Flowers' had disappeared without a trace.

The scaled snakes coiling on the angled mast at the bow seemed to sense something, all straightening their necks hissing at the blond and the pink-clothed youth.

The head of the burly man hung on the mast gently swayed.

For a moment, a strange silence fell over the deck.

At that moment, a sound resembling a popped bubble came from bow of the ship, breaking the silence on the deck.

A lithe figure appeared at the tip of the bow's inclined mast, twirling in sync with the sound.

The sounds of high heels hitting the deck echoed rapidly, the figure walked in small running steps along the mast.

As she ran past the bottom of the mast, the figure snorted coldly, stomped heavily, and the large scalled snakes coiling on the mast, witnessing their companion get stomped in half, screamed in terror, scattering and retreating to the top of the female demon figurehead.

"Nikita, seems like your temper has gotten a lot worse over these years," the blond youth watched the snake flesh fall into the sea, his tone was anything but pleasant: "When did the people of the Witch King start throwing their weight around in the sea."

The calm sea surface started churning. A school of white fish, like froth, drowned the piece of snake flesh. Before a drop of blood had a chance to seep out, the snake flesh dissolved into the foam that looked like it was made of snow.