Two hours before Aaron escaped the ruins of Sea Fallen and the Sea King Lepaie Quinn was injured, a Ghostship emerged from the World Between in the Sea of Polar Storms.
Instead of icebergs and snow that covered the ocean, long tendrils of divine light stretched out farther than the horizon, warming the sea.
The roots of each strand connected to a small rock that jutted out of the darkness with flashes of black lightning that covered the sky.
"Deity's Descent. We've finally arrived."
Orion Cosmoti stood at the bow of the emerald green Ghostship, observing the flashes of darkness in the distance.
To his right stood Palmer, who looked pale and agitated by the strange feeling making its way around the waves.
"Sir, the water has been heavily diluted with Heavenly Ichor, so I suggest you refrain from taking any dips in the currents."
He sighed, knowing his words were in vain as the green-haired man in front of him typically did whatever he fancied regardless of the consequences.
However, unlike usual, there was no humorous response from the man; instead, just a booming silence that left him nervous.
"Sir?"
Cosmoti shifted his feet as he reached into his cloak, revealing his signature pocket watch that glistened in the moonlight.
"Order everyone to be on high alert. I will make landfall alone, and unless you see the signal, you will not follow."
His voice was serious and hard, making even Palmer worried about what could cause the cheerful and upbeat man to change his tune at such speed.
"Yes, sir…"
As the black-haired man nodded his head, he watched as the Sea King tensed his legs, preparing to launch forward.
THNK-CRRK!
Splitters exploded into the air as the man jumped from his position into the air, where he soared towards the island that glowed an ominous black.
"Good luck, sir."
…
On the island, two figures stared at the approaching vessel in silence, watching the green-haired man brace, then leap from the edge of the ship.
"Esme, is the ritual ready?"
The horned man turned back to ask the girl who was breathing heavily while finicking with the central altar.
"A-Almost~"
Her tiny voice stuttered as she focused back onto her work, making sure it would be perfect for the arrival of the Sea King.
KRRK!
An explosion of rock and snow appeared across the island from the black-haired man as he watched a figure rise from the smoke.
Orion Cosmoti, King of Curses and member of the Council of Kings, stood before him, staring daggers at the man's horns.
"Welcome to Deity's Descent, Your Lordship."
A cruel smile formed across the horned man's face as the Sea King simply stared at him in silence.
"It's you, isn't it? The mysterious leader of the Seven Head Order."
He paused as he checked his pocket watch as if worried about the time.
"The same man who caused the War of Chains six years ago, that ended the lives of over one hundred thousand innocents and greatly reinforced the sea terror population."
As he spoke, an unimaginable amount of bloodlust and malice shot out of his form, covering the entire island in a crushing aura that threatened to obliterate every living thing it touched.
"Perhaps it was my doing, perhaps not. Who would really know…"
The horned man grinned as he twirled a strand of his jet-black hair, simultaneously matching the Sea King's aura with his own.
"Now, please tell me, oh so great Orion Cosmoti, how do you think I survived even after being the target of every single one of your so-called Council?"
His smile widened as he waited for the response he had been craving for years.
Cosmoti simply scoffed as he pulled out a dagger from inside his coat, placing it in his right hand silently.
"Hmm? No bite? Oh well… I guess I'll tell you since you're itching for my answer."
Another wave of bloodlust shot from both men, leaving a stressed Esme trapped between the growing tension.
The ground shook and the waves trembled as the two magnificent forces collided, yet neither man even so much as flinched.
"I made a pact with an ever-so-kind god. A truly wonderful deity, honestly. In exchange for a simple ritual here at the grave of one of their brethren, it would grant me the power to destroy—"
He paused, waiting for a reaction from the man; however, as it never came, he continued with three words that finalized his plan.
"Every. Single. Seal."
Silence echoed through the unusual island as cogs turned inside the Sea King's mind, finally concluding in a single line that would send shivers down even the bravest of men's spines.
"Then, you shall die here."
With those words, he flicked open the protective lid that covered the hands of his pocket watch, slowly adjusting them carefully.
『Spear of Luck』
An immense flash of clover green light covered the rock, forming a gigantic spear that towered over the man.
It crackled with bolts of white and lime lightning that made their way from the tip down to the base of the weapon.
On the other side of the island, the horned man's expression finally changed into what looked to be a madman's glee.
"Oh, how lucky I am! The luck of Cosmoti shines upon me!"
He bounced up and down with excitement before his face melted into a deadpan look of disappointment.
『Satan's Curse』
Black flames exploded from every orifice of the man's body, covering his previously bland clothing with a fiery suit of armor that glistened with a red glow.
In his hand was a blackened sword that bore many cracks and scratches that would normally make it obsolete.
That was until it was enchanted, of course.
Shadows danced around his feet as the pressure encompassing the island intensified to a degree that the air itself boomed under its weight.
Inside Cosmoti's mind, his warning reverberated through his skull, reminding him of who he owed this power to.
"God of Luck, be with me for I offer you a sacrifice on this dim morning."
Standing tall, he grabbed the spear in his left hand, holstering the simple pocketwatch at his side.
In his right hand, the dagger vibrated in tandem as it was moved closer towards the heavenly spear that sat in his opposite hand.
『Divine Intervention』
He simply mouthed the words; however, as if heeding his call, the stars above his head covering the night sky blinked repeatedly.
Each light was sporadic and unpredictable, yet a pattern began to form, much to the dismay of the horned man, who prepared himself for the battle yet to come.
"Cosmoti's Clover. Nobody has ever lived to see its completion."
He spoke quietly with a sense of calmness seeping into his words as he watched the blinking stars become a constellation that resembled a clover.
"Let us beg—"
He was cut off at a speed faster than the human eye could comprehend, as the Sea King plunged the spear straight into his chestplate, sending him flying through the sky.
A sonic boom could be heard as far as the Sea of Chains as the horned man fell into the sea.
The ocean bubbled and fizzed as it darkened, spitting out his angered form that resounded with fury.
Without a word, the shadows surrounding Orion jumped from the ground, covering his body in a sticky solution that rapidly hardened, trapping him in place.
『Clover's Dawn』
The sound of a bell echoed across the sea, obliterating any sea terror within half a kilometer of the island, leaving them to float helplessly to the surface, in pieces.
In the stars above, the clover-shaped constellation clicked once as if it were the hands of a clock turning through the motions of the day.
At the Sea King's side, the pocket watch clicked once, turning to the marking labeled three.
His form flickered as it expanded, growing to the size of a full-grown elephant towering over the tiny Esme, who let out a peep in distress.
Lucky for her, however, his attention was locked onto the small speck of black in the distance that, in an instant, appeared in front of his eyes.
The horned man's blade swung through the air, nearly blinding Cosmoti, who moved his dagger in front of his eye, protecting his vision.
With his other hand, he flipped the spear around, making the hilt face toward the sky, where he quickly retracted his arm and slammed the dull end into the man's jaw.
The horned man didn't even flinch as his jaw audibly cracked, instead taking the opportunity to dissolve his sword into shadows and form a dagger in his free hand.
At a speed beyond that of a cheetah, he thrust the blade into Cosmoti's chest, puncturing his skin thirty-eight times before the emerald spear collided with his leg.
An explosion of pain rocked the horned man's body as his limb was blown clean off, leaving residual charges of lightning flickering where the stump bled.
Backing away cautiously, he laughed, looking at the Sea King, who merely scoffed at his injuries as if they were nothing but scratches.
『Clover's Noon』
Within seconds, the man's wounds faded away with another rumbling echoing throughout the heavens as the stars themselves struck noon.
Similar to before, the pocket watch matched the alignment of the constellation filling the Sea King with even more power than before.
"You are the first to get me to Noon so soon. It will be a commendable achievement you can take to your grave."
Cosmoti laughed as he teased the horned man; however, the response he got was simply muffled chuckles.
"You haven't seen anything yet."
And like before, the two collided with such force that the barrier between life and death split for a fraction of a second.
That one moment was all it took for Esme to open a rift, one that would spark terrifying consequences for the fate of the world.
With a devilish smile, the black-haired man pulled himself away from the fight, grinning at Ms. Blair, who had given him the signal.
『Devil's Descent』
Those two words caused Orion to freeze in his place.
Silence gripped the island as an unspeakable urge of despair and doom rushed through the King's body, warning him of what was to come.
Around the island, the water split apart, leaving the ocean floor exposed for a brief moment, as the heavenly tendrils were drained dry by the altar that rested in the center of the rock.
The green-haired man's heart sank as he realized what this truly psychotic devil's plan was from the very start.
"YOU IDIOT—"
His words were drowned out as a blast beyond anything recorded in history exploded from the horned man's figure.
Darkness consumed the particles of light that graced the world, leaving only the small sparks of lightning that wrapped around Cosmoti's spear.
In front of him, what once was the horned man stared ominously at the Sea King curiously.
The small horns that looked like a goat's had grown into grotesque antlers that gleaned a blood red hue.
His pupils had become slits with a soulless light that frightened even the great Orion.
"Ah… The wonders of a physical body… Magnificent."
Each word threatened to create a sonic boom as the man cracked his neck while staring at the green-haired man ahead of him.
"You must be my opponent. How cute~"
Cosmoti could only blink before his throat was in the hands of the man choking him silently.
『Clover's Evening』
At the last moment possible, the stars above broke through the endless darkness, revealing that the clover-like constellation had finally struck nine, granting Cosmoti strength equal to that of a demigod.
With all of his strength, he grabbed the horned man's hand, peeling it from his neck while simultaneously readying his spear.
The figure who once gripped Orion let out a grunt in surprise as he was impaled with the emerald weapon, leaving him gasping for air.
His body was knocked away to the very edge of the space of darkness, allowing the Sea King a moment to speak.
"YOU FOOL! Making a deal with an actual devil in exchange for power? Not only that, but to make a pact with one with so much… Malice…"
He breathed in and out heavily as he prepared for another onslaught, yet the man who was once the horned man laughed in his face.
"That pocket watch is some neat trick… Now let's see what happens if it strikes midnight…"
With those words, a fierce battle began in the skies above Deity's Descent, with the seas themselves lying in wait for who would come out victorious.
Their clash sent ripples across the entire world, causing strange weather readings, unusual bouts of nausea, and further abnormalities that would plague the world for the coming weeks.
Ten o'clock struck the pocket watch as Cosmoti slammed the man's face against his knee, breaking every bone in his skull.
He simply laughed off the pain as the damage healed in an instant, leaving the Sea King in a dangerous position that the attacker quickly leveraged.
The horned devil's blade slashed against his ribs, leaving a massive cut that bled a crimson red across his body.
As it ticked to eleven o'clock on the watch, an immense rush of strikes plagued Orion, who struggled to dodge even the simplest of cuts as his stamina dwindled.
The devil only continued his laughter as the darkened space around the two fighters continued to grow and grow until it consumed the entire rock of Deity's Descent.
It was truly a disaster, one that only intensified as the sound of a deafening gong resounded through the sky.
Everyone within the Sea of Polar Winds could hear the noise, including the crew of the Ghostship, who watched the battle with bated breath.
They had been ordered not to move until the final clover struck; however, as that time finally came, it was too late.
In the skies above, the stars blinked in conclusion as they slowly began to fade away, returning to their origins.
Cosmoti's head exploded into a rush of adrenaline and fatigue as the spear within his hand flashed twice, signaling the end of its usage.
Time was up, and he knew it.
His form shrank until it returned to its regular size, collapsing to the cold, hard ground of the rock altar where he nearly passed out on the spot.
Following him every step of the way was the horned man who mocked him from afar.
"Little Sea King is too tired to play…"
His jabs and jeers infuriated the green-haired man, but his energy had been drained.
He knew that in a fair fight without hellish intervention, he would've won by evening; however, he also knew a single fact that was absolute.
In a fight between good and evil, there was no such thing as fairness.
With the last of his strength, he looked up at the beaming devil that stood ahead of him.
"If I am to meet my end today… Then it shall not be in vain, for a monster of your caliber should be locked in the depths of hell for all eternity."
He coughed up blood as he uttered one final chant that shocked even the horned man opposite him.
『Erasure』
[END OF VOLUME ONE: THE DREAMER][1]
[1] Author Note: Here we are! The end of volume one is here, and I would just like to thank anyone who has been reading this almost every day, waiting for free new releases! I want to thank my two proofreaders, MineaSolas and Firi, who helped me correct and edit these chapters quickly and efficiently. Another person I want to thank is my Patreon subscribers, such as DanBurrito, who support this series monthly and get early chapters in exchange! Thank you all for reading Volume One of The Fall of the Sea, and Volume Two will be starting in 1 week!