The sea was no longer empty behind them.
Three ships.
One formation.
All maintaining pressure without breaking rhythm.
Kevin kept the ship moving forward, but not at full speed anymore.
Not because he couldn't.
Because full speed was no longer safe.
"…They adjusted to acceleration patterns."
Carina held onto the railing tightly.
"…So we can't just run away anymore?"
Kevin replied calmly.
"…Correct."
No emotion.
Just confirmation.
A cannon shot landed closer than before.
The water explosion rocked the ship's side harder than earlier hits.
Carina flinched.
"…That one was too close!"
Kevin adjusted the helm immediately.
"…Hull impact range increasing."
He checked the ship briefly.
Reinforced structure held—but stress marks were forming.
"…Damage is accumulating."
Behind them, the enemy formation stayed tight.
Not rushing.
Not panicking.
Just maintaining pressure.
The central ship remained visible in the distance.
The captain stood unmoving.
Watching.
Measuring.
Carina frowned.
"…He's not even trying to finish this quickly."
Kevin nodded slightly.
"…He is forcing depletion."
Carina blinked.
"…Depletion?"
Kevin explained while steering.
"…Energy. Supplies. Reaction capacity."
"…Eventually, movement fails."
That made her silent for a moment.
"…So we lose by getting tired."
Kevin replied.
"…If we do nothing differently, yes."
Another volley of cannon fire.
This time split between two angles.
Blocking escape correction paths.
Kevin adjusted instantly.
But the margin was shrinking.
Carina noticed it too.
"…They're tightening it more."
Kevin nodded.
"…Controlled compression strategy."
The ship shook again as a near impact wave hit.
Wood creaked loudly.
Carina grabbed a rope to steady herself.
"…We can't take too many of those."
Kevin replied.
"…Correct."
A short silence passed.
Then Carina spoke again.
"…So what do we do?"
Kevin didn't answer immediately.
He analyzed wind direction.
Wave spacing.
Enemy reload timing.
Then—
"…We break their coordination window."
Carina frowned.
"…That sounds complicated."
Kevin replied.
"…It is."
The enemy formation tightened further.
Now almost symmetrical.
Left. Right. Center pressure.
No gaps easily visible.
Carina looked uneasy.
"…They really studied us."
Kevin nodded.
"…Yes."
The central ship moved slightly closer again.
The captain's voice carried across the water.
"You cannot outrun structured pursuit."
Carina muttered.
"…He talks too much for someone trying to kill us."
Kevin replied.
"…Confidence expression."
The enemy ships prepared another synchronized volley.
This time tighter spacing.
Less delay.
More coverage.
Carina held her breath slightly.
"…That looks bad."
Kevin adjusted sails lower again.
Then shifted rudder angle subtly.
"…We compress movement."
Carina blinked.
"…That doesn't sound good."
Kevin answered.
"…It reduces target predictability."
The cannons fired.
But Kevin didn't move immediately.
He waited.
Just a fraction longer than before.
Carina's eyes widened.
"…You're waiting?"
Kevin replied.
"…Timing shift required."
Then—
At the last possible moment—
He moved.
The ship slipped through a narrowing wave gap between impact zones.
Barely.
BOOM—!
Explosions hit behind them.
Water rose violently.
But the ship survived the window.
Carina gasped.
"…That was too close!"
Kevin didn't respond.
He was already calculating the next one.
"…They adjusted again."
Behind them, the enemy formation didn't stop.
But something changed.
Slight hesitation.
Not retreat.
Just recalculation.
The captain narrowed his eyes.
"…He is adapting faster than expected."
Carina noticed something too.
"…They're slowing a bit."
Kevin nodded slightly.
"…Their prediction model is losing accuracy."
Carina frowned.
"…So we're not losing yet?"
Kevin replied simply.
"…No."
But the ship creaked again.
Another near impact.
Stress spreading across reinforced hull sections.
Kevin glanced down briefly.
"…Structural fatigue increasing."
Carina looked alarmed.
"…That sounds worse than it is, right?"
Kevin answered honestly.
"…It is not."
Silence followed.
Only wind and waves filled it.
Then Carina spoke quietly.
"…We can't keep doing this forever."
Kevin replied without looking back.
"…No."
A pause.
Then—
"…We only need to do it until their system breaks."
Carina stared at him.
"…And if it doesn't?"
Kevin's answer came instantly.
"…Then we evolve further."
The sea stretched endlessly ahead.
But behind them—
Pressure continued building.
Not random.
Not chaotic.
Structured pursuit.
And now—
A real war of endurance had begun.