"Excellent," the captain said, a satisfied smile forming on his face.
"Signal the other ten battalions stationed along the coast—we're taking out the source of this invasion."
Without wasting a second, the massive ships began to fill with thousands of elite soldiers, each bonded with powerful Vassels, ready to march into war.
Raisa, still in her Miranda form, boarded one of the great vessels alongside Kenji, who remained transformed as Thor, lightning crackling around his arms.
Seraphim Julia and Ignies Ramon followed, wings and flames trailing behind them.
Barbara, still in her seductive Pirate Vassel form, lounged comfortably on the command deck of the lead ship. She sipped from a steaming mug—freshly brewed by Bastian, who stood behind her with perfect composure.
With a playful wave of her hand, the ten warships began to move, gliding effortlessly across the water. There was no wind. No engines roared. Yet the ships advanced smoothly and swiftly.
They were propelled entirely by Barbara's will, her connection to the ships amplified by the hidden arcane propulsion wheels beneath each hull—an ancient technology accessible only through her Vassel's control.
The sea, once a battlefield of chaos, now bore the weight of a silent, coordinated invasion.
As the ten warships continued their steady advance across the sea, the situation ahead grew worse.
Far from giving up, the enemy forces intensified their assault. More goblins surged from the depths, accompanied by larger sea monsters—mutated krakens, aquatic trolls, and flying serpents—charging straight toward the fleet.
A relentless barrage of magical and physical attacks rained down upon the ships.
But the defenders fought back valiantly.
Vassels blessed with protection-type abilities formed shimmering shields around the vessels, absorbing spells and projectiles with brilliant flashes of light. At the same time, offensive Vassels launched devastating counterattacks—fire, lightning, and energy beams slicing through the sky and sea alike.
Still, the battle was brutal.
Many Vassels were devoured by monstrous sea creatures—torn apart in midair or dragged beneath the waves. But moments later, hundreds of brilliant lights rose into the sky like shooting stars.
These glowing fragments of energy raced through the stormy air, converging onto the remaining nine ships, where they began to reform into new Vassel bodies, weakened but still whole.
The commanding officer quickly moved into action, calling for his aides
The commanding officer aboard the lead ship didn't hesitate.
He generously distributed Life Potions, rare items provided by the city council, capable of reviving fallen Vassels.
However, the healing process wasn't instant.
Each Vassel's recovery time depended on the severity of their wounds. Minor injuries took minutes. But if a Vassel's body had been completely destroyed, it could take up to a full month to regenerate—drawing heavily from their summoner's internal Stellar Energy.
This created a dangerous trade-off.
Whenever a Vassel was in recovery, the flow of stellar energy would be diverted—not only slowing the user's growth and cultivation, but also weakening their overall performance.
The more powerful Vassels quickly began to dominate the battlefield—those blessed with deadly abilities such as Miranda, Thor, Ignies, and Seraphim stood out among the chaos. Though still only at Star Level 2, their attacks were devastating enough to wipe out dozens of monsters at once.
But the adults were not to be underestimated.
Many of them had achieved higher star ranks, unlocking high-tier Vassels capable of unleashing advanced techniques and wide-range destruction. The combined strength of youth and experience created a force to be reckoned with.
As the ships drew closer to their destination, the ocean grew strangely shallow. It became clear that the stretch between the beach and the BloodVassel island was just a flooded plain, allowing even land monsters to approach.
From the mists emerged two-legged sea beasts, giant goblins, water dragons, and massive krakens, stomping or swimming toward the fleet.
These towering creatures wreaked havoc, tearing through both Vassels and warriors alike.
Miranda, holding her AK201, had to switch to precision mode—aiming directly for the skulls or hearts of the beasts to bring them down. Each shot had to count.
The relentless fighting began to wear on her. Her energy dwindling, Raisa made a snap decision.
She deactivated Miranda and instead transformed into Ranita, her necromancer Vassel.
With glowing eyes and skeletal markings, Ranita summoned two zombie women—one made entirely of bones, and the other oozing with deadly toxins.
Without hesitation, both undead beauties leapt into the sea.
The bone zombie extended her spine like a flexible tail, slithering up the backs of massive sea monsters before launching herself to their heads. With a quick thrust, she drove sharpened bone spears into their eyes, the spikes exploding from within their skulls.
Meanwhile, the poison zombie dove deep beneath the waves. Moments later, the water around her began to bubble and sizzle.
She released a toxic cloud so potent it began to melt the aquatic beasts from the inside, leaving nothing but drifting carcasses in her wake. Strangely, her poison instinctively avoided the nine remaining ships—ensuring that her allies were untouched.
With coordinated effort and unwavering determination, the fleet finally reached the edge of the island.
Standing on a blackened cliff, five figures cloaked in dark robes awaited them. Their garments were marked with bloody sigils, pulsating faintly like living veins. One of them wore a crimson hood, clearly identifying him as their superior.
Each figure had a role.
One was relentlessly summoning goblins—from mere foot soldiers to monstrous Titan-class goblins that towered over the sea. Another conjured random beasts, some weak and erratic, others horrifyingly powerful.
A third raised his arms to the sky, conjuring a barrier of bloodlight, forming a vast protective shield that wrapped the entire island like a dome.
Behind the crimson-hooded leader stood a horrifying sight—thousands of civilian prisoners, bound together by glowing red ropes that drained them of life. The ropes pulsed, leeching stellar energy, vitality, even their very souls, to fuel the unnatural powers of the BloodVassel cult.
A wave of fury rippled through the approaching army.
Now it all made sense—how five people could summon armies of monsters. Their answer lay before them: an ocean of commoners exhausted, hollow-eyed, and dying, their life force used like fuel.
Even Ranita, the undead summoner, clenched her fists in visible anger.
She didn't hesitate.
In a flash of light, she transformed back into Miranda, eyes burning with focused wrath. Without a word, she summoned two nuclear-armed drones, and with a cold command, launched both warheads toward the island's barrier.
BOOM.
The first explosion tore through the sky like a sunburst, shaking the ocean and shattering part of the shield. It cracked—but began repairing itself instantly.
BOOM.
The second warhead followed, and this time the barrier nearly collapsed. The dome flickered violently, only seconds away from disintegration.
The Crimson Hooded Man narrowed his eyes, watching the drones realign for another strike.
He realized, too late, that he had underestimated them.
These were no ordinary weapons. Nuclear strikes on this world were common—but Miranda's nukes were powered by stellar energy, infused through her Vassel bond. That made them lethal to magical constructs like the shield.
He knew now: If the barrier fell, they would be slaughtered. The enemy numbered nearly ten thousand strong.
With a sneer of defeat, he raised his hand, opening a swirling blood-red portal.
One by one, his four followers stepped into the void, and finally, he vanished too—leaving behind all the prisoners, still bound, still dying, still feeding energy into the breaking shield.
That was their final act of cruelty.
At once, Seraphim took flight, her wings glowing brilliantly. She launched a focused laser beam of light, piercing the fractured barrier like a needle through glass.
The shield shattered.
Cheers erupted.
Heroes surged forward, landing on the shores of the island, storming the prisoner cages, cutting the red bindings, and freeing the people.
But victory was bitter.
Though the BloodVassel leaders had fled, dozens of civilians had already perished—drained dry of energy. Their Vassels had faded. Their bodies lay cold and limp.
Despite the triumph, grief swept through the army like a wave.
With the departure of the BloodVassel cultists, the remaining civilians—those who had survived the horrific energy-draining bindings—were quickly evacuated. They were gently loaded onto the massive warships and escorted back to the city, where the best hospitals and healers awaited them.
The moment they arrived at the harbor, the City Governor personally came to greet them.
He shook hands with the military captain, whispered a few words, then turned to acknowledge several individuals among the crowd—his gaze falling on Raisa and Kenji, along with Julia, Ramon, Barbara, and Bastian.
Even Bastian, who had not directly engaged in combat, was summoned due to the critical support role of his Vassels—one of whom could clean blood, poison, and corrosive monster fluids with surgical precision. Without him, the battlefield would have been far more chaotic.
Standing before the group, the governor bowed deeply, surprising everyone with his humility.
> "You have not only defended this city… but saved countless lives. For those of you whose Vassels fell in battle and were not retrieved from the field, I offer full replacements, at the city's expense."
The crowd murmured in awe.
> "And beyond that," the governor continued, "you may each choose a reward of your desire—no limitations. The city owes you that much, and more."
Raisa and Kenji exchanged glances, already knowing what they wanted.
> "We'd like to claim one of the Giant Monster Cores," Kenji said. "The one with the highest stellar energy density you recovered."
The governor nodded. "Consider it yours. It is the least we can offer."
Nearby, Bastian received a rare Alchemist's Toolkit, capable of purifying toxins and creating blessing-enhancing tonics. Julia chose a Wings of Light enchantment to further enhance Seraphim's aerial abilities. Ramon asked for dragon scales—materials he could use to strengthen his bond with Ignies.
Barbara?
She simply smiled and requested a merchant's license to open a coastal trade route—and access to import rare magical goods.
As the sun began to set, painting the sky gold and crimson, the heroes of the battle stood in silence. Exhausted, yes. But victorious.