Chapter 151: Battle with Hydra!!!
The clash of armor and the sound of horse hooves echoed in the ears.
Looking around, only an immense wilderness could be seen.
Before the eyes was the dawn, gradually breaking through the horizon.
Beside a large rock, a blonde girl in a magnificent ceremonial dress lay motionless.
There was no longer any trace of life's rosy hue on her face, and in her hand she gripped a dagger in reverse, mustering the last of her strength to aim it at her own throat.
"First twilight. The impossible illusion assaults the nasal cavity."
"Second twilight. The unheard breath tears through the lips."
"And at the third twilight ——————"
She looked up at the rising sun and, with the last ounce of her remaining strength, plunged the blade deep into her heart.
The small, sharp pain gradually spread throughout her body, but compared to the suffering of the past days, it was nothing.
In the final moment of life, the girl raised her head to gaze at the newly risen sun, a regretful smile blooming on her lips.
"Ah, I truly hoped… in this last moment, that someone—…"
Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of loneliness surged into Ethan's heart, swallowing him completely.
...
"Hey! How long are you planning to sleep!!!"
Suddenly, a sharp pain came from his calf!
Ethan instantly snapped his eyes open!
In his view, Draco was standing right next to him with her arms crossed.
That stinging pain in his leg just now—no doubt she caused it.
"What the hell?!"
Ethan sprang up and immediately scanned his surroundings.
Good, it was still the temporary tent he was staying in.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
"Hmph, I really don't get how you can still sleep so soundly, especially after getting ambushed by some nameless Caster just yesterday."
As she spoke, Draco lifted her foot as if to kick Ethan again, but he quickly pulled his leg back.
That small action made Draco's gaze toward Ethan even more irritated.
Back in the village, Draco always maintained the appearance of a weak little blonde girl—nothing about her revealed that she had once been the Beast of Sodom who sought to devour the Human Order.
"I'm the type of person with a positive mindset. Doctor Romani also said it—one has to learn how to manage mental stress."
Sleep well to stay healthy.
Ethan stood up and stretched, then turned to look at Draco, who clearly didn't seem pleased beside him.
That dream just now—most likely a memory of Nero Claudius herself.
The origin of Draco—after all, she still couldn't escape all that belonged to the true Nero.
Emperor of Roses, and at the same time, a Beast.
Could it be that her deepest desire, buried in her heart, was just a single star?
"Hey, why are you staring at me like that?!"
Draco's eyes turned razor-sharp as she looked over.
"Speaking of which, I haven't even thanked you for yesterday."
"Foolish. Everything I did was out of interest, I just didn't want you to die too soon, that's all."
Draco suddenly crossed her arms and walked out.
"Hmph, that boring woman is coming again, I'm leaving!"
Not long after, Himiko entered from outside, carrying a bamboo basket.
"Yo, Ethan, Draco-chan, sleep well? Eh, where's Draco-chan?"
Then Himiko began scanning the room, even bending down to check under the bed.
"Ah, sorry, she went out early."
Ethan quickly explained.
"She went out, huh? Haizz, guess there's no helping it then."
Himiko looked a little disappointed.
After all, someone as bright and lively as her always tried to befriend everyone.
Moreover, she treated all the villagers as her close friends.
"Hey, these are some clams I just picked up on the beach. Each one is huge, real rarities~~~"
Then she placed the bamboo basket in her hand on the table.
"This basket was traded from the ship. It's not only finely crafted but also really practical. I didn't expect that a country named 'Qin' would have such convenient tools—it makes it easy to separate clams from the sand. People from that country must love eating clams, right?"
"No, that actually wasn't made for that sort of thing at all..."
"Really? I've only ever had contact with a country called 'Wei.' I even received a mirror and some other stuff from them, and I think there was some kind of seal too. Wait, where did I put that?"
Himiko crossed her arms, tilting her head in thought.
"Ah, forget it. Even if I find it, it's not like it matters. Let's just get up and eat clams!!!"
As she spoke, Himiko pried open a large clam with her bare hands, then prepared to take something from the ceramic container on the table.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!"
Ethan immediately raised his voice to stop her.
"Huh? Obviously I'm dipping it in soybean to eat!"
Himiko looked at Ethan with a puzzled expression.
Eh?!
You can eat it like that?!
"It's really good, you won't try?"
"No… I'll pass..."
"What a shame. I think this way of eating will definitely become popular one day!"
Well, maybe some people will like eating it that way.
But for him, it was a bit…
Looking at the twin-tailed girl who looked thoroughly satisfied, Ethan suddenly realized—being able to cook was truly an important skill.
Fortunately, the rice around here was still pretty good.
"Oh right, later we just need to get on that merchant's ship, and we'll be able to find the one who brought danger to this village, right?"
"In theory, yes."
After all, according to Xu Fu, that sea monster kept following her around. There seemed to be some kind of karmic connection.
"Great! Once it shows up, I'm gonna punch it to the moon!!!"
With her face smeared with soybean, Himiko raised the clam shell in her left hand as if throwing a punch.
Looking at Himiko like that, Ethan suddenly thought—if Martha were here too, the two of them would definitely become good friends, huh?
...
"We are grateful for the queen's presence aboard. This humble one is the alchemist serving 'Qin'—Xu Fu."
Xu Fu brought her full entourage and ship craftsmen out onto the deck to greet them.
"No need to be so formal. Honestly, I'm not that big of a deal."
Himiko boarded the tower ship under Ethan's guidance.
"Oho, this is my first time on this ship. I didn't expect it to be so big."
Himiko strolled around the deck, marveling as she went.
"Fufu, this is the precious tower ship granted to me by the First Emperor for my voyage to seek medicine. It truly isn't an ordinary vessel."
Hearing Himiko's praise, Xu Fu couldn't hide her pride.
After all, it was only in moments like these that Xu Fu remembered she had once been someone specially favored by Qin Shi Huang.
"I heard from the envoy earlier that Her Majesty is willing to assist me in defeating the sea serpent. I am truly grateful."
At Xu Fu's thanks, Himiko immediately waved her hands.
"Haha, it's nothing at all. After all, the villagers are being seriously threatened by that creature, especially the half-human, half-snake folk on the shore. Every now and then, it swims in from the sea."
"In that case, there's no time to waste—let's set sail right away!"
Xu Fu waved her hand, and the guards at her side immediately understood the signal. They began calling out to the sailors on deck to retract the gangplank and haul up the anchors from the water.
Immediately after, the sailors below took their positions, shouting out a unified chant as they rowed together, dozens of massive oars on both sides moving in sync.
The massive ship gradually pulled away from the shore, heading toward the heart of the ocean.
"Uwaa, a ship this huge can actually move so fast—how amazing."
"Fufu, Your Majesty, this is just the beginning. We'll be accelerating into the offshore waters shortly."
As she explained, Xu Fu subtly glanced at Ethan's position.
After all, Ethan was the one primarily responsible for communication. If a battle really broke out, it would fall on him to speak with this queen.
More importantly, the little blonde girl standing next to that young man—she clearly wasn't a normal person.
"So? How does it feel to ride a ship on the sea? Pretty novel, isn't it???"
Ethan looked at Draco, who was standing at the prow of the ship.
"Hmph, it's nothing but a toy crafted by humans to cross the ocean. But it's precisely because of things like this that cities become prosperous. Once humans conquered the sea, their desires only grew stronger... For the time being, I suppose it can be considered a fairly useful object."
Draco's words were, as usual, never far from terms like "Desire" and "Depravity."
"If I reclaim the Saint Graph of the Beast, I could unleash a tsunami on oceans like this at any moment and bring extinction to mankind."
Her eyes radiated killing intent.
"I'm not joking. The apocalyptic flood, my doomsday wave—you've seen it with your own eyes. That disaster could reset the entire world."
"..."
Seeing Ethan's serious expression, Draco suddenly burst into laughter.
"No need to panic so much. My Authority was destroyed by the Divine Ancestor, and this current Saint Graph doesn't possess the abilities that only the Beast form had. Rejoice, humanity has escaped another catastrophe."
At that moment, the live broadcast screen showed Ethan and Draco standing at the bow of the tower ship, with the vast, endless ocean stretching out beyond them.
[Uwaaaa~ The ocean!]
[I'll be the one to find One Piece and become the Pirate King!!! Nishishishi.]
[Gurararara, I've come to save you, Ace!]
[Daddy!!!]
[Shirohige, this shall be your grave!!!]
[Gurarara, leash your dog, Sengoku. Don't let him out biting people like this.]
[Shirohige! Take this: 'Red Dog Meteor Strike'!!!]
[Gurarara! Go train for another 69 years: 'Daddy's Tremor of Love'!!!]
[Kyaaaa! Admiral Pikachu, Sengoku, DIO, help me!]
[Yare yare: 'Buddha's Descent'!!!!]
[ZA ICE!!!]
[Pika-Pika-CHUUUUUUUUUUU!!!]
[Zehahahaha. Let me lend a hand: 'Black Hole'!!!]
[Daddy, look out!!!]
[Ughhhhhhhh.... Teach, you bastard! I'll kill you right here, you ungrateful son! 'Shirohige Punch.']
[UGHH.... Zehahahahaha, even on the verge of death you're still this strong, old man.]
[Even if I die, you'll nevertake away your ambition. The one Roger was waiting for… is not you, Teach!]
[NANI!]
[Ace, daddy's sorry he couldn't save you...]
[Daddy...]
[ONE PIECE...]
[YAMEROOOOO SHIROHIGE!!!!!!!]
[IS REAAAAAALLLL!!!!]
[OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!]
[Narrator: And thus, the Great Pirate Era opened a new path. The number of boys and girls around the world running away from home to search for One Piece sharply increased.]
[Narrator: A little later.....]
[Curse 'Red-Haired' Chef: This battle ends here!!]
[Narrator: The End.....]
...
Ethan glanced at the stream of comments in front of him.
Ever since he was forced to separate from everyone, his livestreaming style had started to drift off course.
In the eyes of many viewers, he had completely turned into a streamer specializing in outdoor relaxation.
The number of live viewers was visibly decreasing.
After all, people didn't come to watch a livestream just to see him farming and wandering around every day.
As a result, the accumulation of points from livestreaming had slowed significantly.
He checked yesterday—his total accumulated points had only just passed 950,000.
And unlocking the Divine summon required one million points.
Even though he'd been livestreaming almost every free moment lately, the score increase was still painfully slow.
Compared to the final phase of the Roman singularity, the point gain now was downright pitiful.
But with Himiko and Draco here now, plus Xu Fu—though she wasn't exactly reliable...
Three Servants versus one Hydra.
Surely that wouldn't be too hard, right?
It should be just like farming materials, shouldn't it?
As he was thinking this, a shout suddenly rang out from atop the mast—the lookout's position.
"Report!!! A giant sea monster spotted ahead!!!"
Upon hearing the alert, the message was instantly relayed down the decks by the soldiers in charge of communication.
"Report! All unrelated personnel, craftsmen, and handmaidens, immediately retreat to the inner cabins for shelter!"
"Report! Archers and crossbowmen, prepare yourselves!!!"
"Report! Sailors in position, preparing to accelerate!!!"
All hands on the tower ship sprang into action.
Only Xu Fu stood there with a panicked expression. She turned to Ethan and shouted:
"Envoy! Envoy, get over here now!!! It's appeared!!!"
Ethan looked out from the prow of the ship. The sunny sea suddenly grew stormy, dark clouds churned overhead, and not a single seabird remained in the sky.
The once-blue sea, now stripped of sunlight, turned pitch black in an instant.
A massive shadow was moving beneath the surface, heading straight for the tower ship.
"It's finally here! That's the monster that's been keeping the villagers from gathering clams and picking wild vegetables!!!"
Himiko could also sense the ominous aura. She clenched her fists tightly.
"Draco!!!"
Ethan immediately shouted to the blonde girl beside him.
"Hmph, just a little snake. Why are you panicking like that?"
Seeing Ethan's tense expression, Draco finally let out a laugh.
"Relax, didn't I already promise I'd help you?"
"RUMBLE, RUMBLE————————!!"
At some point, the ship had been caught in an undercurrent. The water below rumbled ominously.
"All crew, full speed ahead!!!"
As the ship struggled in the swirling current, from the now-ink-black sea surface, massive serpent heads rose one after another!
"SPLAAAAAAASH————————!!"
A huge surge of seawater, dragged up by the monsters, crashed directly onto the deck!
Several unsecured goods—along with some of the archers—were swept overboard by the wave and vanished instantly into the whirlpool.
Immediately afterward, nine deformed serpent heads surfaced all at once, surrounding the tower ship now caught in the eye of the maelstrom!
Their glowing red eyes stared down menacingly, tongues flicking, hissing threateningly!
"AAAAAAA…"
As soon as Xu Fu saw the serpent heads, she clung tightly to the mast.
"How are we supposed to fight a monster like this!? What the hell was I thinking!? First Emperor, please save me~~~"
Ethan looked at Xu Fu—now utterly useless—and could only sigh.
"Haaah aaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
Himiko struck first!
She dashed forward and leapt high into the air, focusing all her strength into her right fist.
Targeting one of the serpent heads on the starboard side of the deck, she delivered a heavy punch straight down!
"Take this!!!"
The moment Himiko's fist connected with the serpent's head, a thunderous explosion rang out!
"BOOOOOOOOOM——————————!!!"