Driven by the immense Knock Up Stream, the ship shot from the ocean like a rocket, climbing higher and higher at incredible speed.
The howling wind tore at Creed and Ain's clothes as they ascended.
Very soon, the sea and islands below shrank rapidly into tiny specks.
Gripping the rail, Ain leaned out over the side, her hair whipping wildly in the fierce wind.
Her flawless face glowed with wonder, like a little girl discovering something magical for the first time.
"Haha! Creed, we're flying in the sky!"
Her cheeks were flushed with excitement.
It was her first time seeing the ocean from so high above. The vast sea seemed to shrink beneath her eyes, the islands now no bigger than grains of rice.
Creed, on the other hand, felt no particular thrill—he'd flown on airplanes before.
For the people of this world, however, rising thousands of meters into the air was like a fantasy.
Before long…
Their surroundings turned white—thick, misty clouds now wrapped around them.
They had passed through the lower atmospheric clouds, and the climb continued.
1,000 meters…
2,000 meters…
…
4,000 meters…
Soon, they reached around 7,000 meters.
Above them loomed an endless, solid mass of cloud, like a vast white continent floating in the heavens.
"Almost to Sky Island," Creed said, gazing up. "Ain, take a deep breath, hold it, and grab the rail."
She obeyed.
The next instant—
Shhh!
The Knock Up Stream hurled the ship straight into the massive cloud layer.
Instantly, it was as though they were underwater—the "cloud" felt like a dense sea, though visibility was far worse.
Ain's eyes went wide in shock.
She could clearly see living creatures within the cloud—fish and even Sea Kings, their bellies swollen like balloons.
Her gaze hardened in disbelief. This was 7,000 meters above sea level, yet there were living things here.
And the "cloud" was truly like seawater—if she didn't know they were high above the earth, she might have thought she was in the ocean itself.
The powerful current pushed them onward.
It took over ten minutes to pass through, and they only managed it because they were Marines accustomed to long dives—ordinary people would have drowned.
"So… beautiful."
Beneath them now stretched an endless expanse of pure white, like an ocean of cotton candy, with fish occasionally leaping from its surface.
This was the White Sea.
The White Sea was formed from countless cumulus clouds compressed together, vast in area and frighteningly deep. Its size rivaled that of the Blue Sea below.
And though made of cloud, it was no different from an ocean—teeming with marine life and Sea Kings, navigable by ships.
The Knock Up Stream continued to push them upward.
Above the White Sea lay the White-White Sea, at an altitude of 10,000 meters.
Their ship surged higher.
Before long…
Another "cloud continent" appeared overhead—a thick layer marking the White-White Sea.
For now, its surface was calm.
Then—suddenly—the surface churned violently, a colossal whirlpool forming with terrifying force.
Near the coast…
Not far from shore, a tiny craft bobbed on the water—more a raft than a ship.
On it, a youth of about seventeen held a fishing rod, staring in horror at the violent upheaval in the sea.
The waters roiled as though boiling, the whirlpool sucking at everything nearby.
"W-What the hell is that?!"
His face went pale, scalp prickling.
He had never seen such a sight—after all, the White-White Sea's cloud-sea floor was nothing like the complex seabed of the Blue Sea. Disasters like tsunamis, whirlpools, storms, or downpours simply didn't happen here.
This was utterly alien to him.
He frantically began paddling away.
Then—
BOOM!
A massive water column blasted upward, the sea exploding into huge waves.
He fought to steady his raft—
Only for another enormous crash to sound as something heavy slammed into the sea, sending a towering wave to flip his craft.
Fortunately, he swam well, clawing his way onto the wreckage.
And then…
His eyes went blank, his focus slipping away.
A ship?
Right in front of him, a full-sized vessel floated on the sea.
He looked up—and a voice drifted down from aboard.
"Ain, we've arrived. Welcome to Sky Island."
…
(End of Chapter)
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