"B-Blue flames…"
The words trailed from Arianna's lips slowly before she stumbled backwards on the wet sand, completely ceasing her attacks.
Her Master's unsettling words and the vivid image of his tense expression flashed through her mind as the floating ship began to move towards the shore.
S-Stay calm… The Sea Kings are at the Conference of the Seas, and the soonest they could arrive is tomorrow, so this is at worst a Commodore…
Her attempts to reassure herself allowed her to regain her balance and stand firm again, facing the approaching vessel.
Its appearance was still of a normal fishing boat with only a small patch of blue fire, dancing across the surface of a sail before vanishing as if it had never been there.
Eh? It disappeared?
Arianna furrowed her brow while she raised the flintlock at her side and pointed it directly at the hull of the ship.
One pale white finger gently wrapped around the trigger before a deafening explosion was heard from within the barrel.
BANG!
The projectile smashed straight into the glowing barrier that blocked her attacks; however, she didn't even wince as she reloaded the weapon and fired once again.
Clink.
She twitched her eyebrow slightly and looked down at the gun with confusion, yet she couldn't have expected what prevented her from shooting.
"What the f…"
Gripping the handle of the crimson flintlock was a large blue crab who was making direct eye contact with the silver-haired woman with an unfazed expression.
Arianna yelped as the crustacean stabbed its sharp peg legs into her arm, peeling the object from her hands in one smooth motion.
"How dare you!"
She screamed in fury as she spun around with a sharp kick that struck the crab straight in the middle of his body with a loud crunch, and sent him flying into the sea.
Pathetic creature… Is it a rogue sea terror, perhaps?
The woman sighed, bending down to retrieve her flintlock while keeping her eyes focused on the mysterious ship that floated closer with every moment.
Its exterior faded slightly, with signs of decay apparent on the surface, and a smug smile began to make its way across Arianna's face.
"Now then, where was I…"
Arianna paused mid-sentence as her gaze caught on the edge of the waves, noticing a group of tiny blue crabs scurrying across the sand towards her.
Strange…?
Without much thought, she raised her hand, summoning black flames to her palms, and threw a spell at the creatures.
「Burn.」
In an instant, the crustaceans went up in a burst of fire with only a few popping sounds marking the end of their lives.
"Perfect."
She smiled as she stared at the ship in the distance, which grew even more damaged as time went on.
Aiming her gun at the vessel once more, she let another bullet of pure darkness soar through the air, piercing through the wind that tried to suffocate it, and hitting the shield that wrapped around the ship's exterior.
Arianna waited a moment to assess the results of her latest attack; however, only silence echoed through the empty beach as the dark blue waves crashed against the shore.
"Nothing? Really?"
The woman had hoped it would shatter the barrier or, at the very least, visibly worsen the damages; however, unlike before, this time there was no change at all.
Bzzzzzzz.
Without warning, hideous buzzing filled Arianna's ears, nearly making her collapse to the ground.
Deep within her chest, she felt like something was clawing at her ribcage, as if begging to be let out.
She frantically looked around but could not figure out the source of the noise, nor the origin of the strange force piercing her innards.
Her vision swayed as her legs finally gave out, and she fell onto the wet ground with a soft thud.
Soon after, tiny clicking sounds began echoing around her, drawing closer with each passing second, until it felt like they were crawling straight into her ears.
She attempted to move, turning her body in different directions; however, one by one, each of her limbs grew stiff and restrained, leaving her completely defenseless.
W-Whats happening… My chest… My arms… My legs…
Arianna let out a muffled shout, but her mouth was quickly covered with a strange, hard material that held it closed tightly.
At that moment, she regained part of her vision, revealing the cause of the paralysis binding her body.
N-No. I-I killed it.
Covering every piece of her body were hundreds of turquoise crabs whose black, beady eyes were locked directly on her own, watching. Waiting for something.
She tried to flail with even more vigor than before, but it was to no avail, as the crustaceans held her down with an uncharacteristically strong force beyond that of a simple animal.
Could it be a higher-level sea terror?
Panic began to spread through her normally tranquil mind as she attempted to free herself from the horde of spider-like creatures coating her from head to toe.
Every prod and poke they made felt like a thousand needles digging deep under the surface of her skin, and drawing thin streams of blood.
Dammit… Are these insects going to make me use it? Tsk, the Master said to use it only if a Sea King arrived, so it would be pathetic if he learned it was only to tackle a few meddlesome crabs, sea terror or not.
Inwardly, she made up her mind, gradually relaxing every muscle, slowly allowing the shelled creatures to dig into her skin and plunge her deeper into agony.
One…
She tightened her legs.
Two…
She tightened her arms.
Three…
And finally, she tightened her jaw, popping out the small crab that had been holding her lips sealed, yelling a single chant before another could wedge itself where the previous had lain.
「Vortex of Tears.」
Immediately, the wind stirred, pulling drops of water from the air and pooling them together in a brilliant display of dark magic that roused the sea itself.
The crashing waves began to recede at a rapid speed, pulling some of the crustaceans with them into the depths.
Shadows danced around the shore, converging at a single spot surrounding Arianna's sprawled out form, slowly sinking her into the darkening sand.
"This is where we part ways, you pathetic insects."
Her words were uttered with absolute malice and hate; however, the crabs only stared at her with their unblinking eyes as the woman sank deeper into the ground.
Why did I expect a bunch of damn crabs to respond to me…
She sighed as the water above her head came crashing down on her head, only to wash her body away like dust swept from a windowsill.
Each of the blue creatures took turns checking the spot where she vanished before they cleared a path, allowing a larger, more regal-looking animal through the pack.
Its left claw was cracked, and a pegleg took the spot of another one of its legs, already the fourth one, leaving the creature hobbling on the empty sand.
With its healthy right claw, it clicked twice before jumping into the sky and vanishing into turquoise sparkles, taken by the wind into the night.
Following the large crab's lead, the remaining smaller ones each clicked their claws twice before jumping and vanishing, each into a multicolored particle disappearing into the air immediately, leaving not a trace of the strange battle behind.
…
Meanwhile, in the Holy Capital, where the Conference was held, cracks coated the walls of a certain room as a man seethed with anger, growling under his breath.
"Someone synced with the core, my ass…"
Cosmoti groaned and wiped his face with his hands, then stood up and began to walk through the bright hallway with Palmer close behind.
"S-Sir… Are we setting out to the Sea of Polar Storms now? The Conference isn't finished yet, and you haven't even greeted Lord…"
He paused, noticing the green-haired man stop dead in his tracks with a strange look plastered across his face.
"O-Orion…?"
The black-haired vice-captain spoke in a confused tone; however, a single glance from not his friend Orion Cosmoti, but from the King of Curses himself, silenced him instantly.
"Gather the crew immediately. We need to set sail now."
Without another word, he reached within his robes and fished out a small emerald pocket watch.
He gently caressed the surface before clicking it open and muttering to himself in a tone that Palmer, standing less than a meter away, could still hear clearly.
"May the gods of luck be on our side today, tomorrow, and forever."