Once again, the Alzar Kingdom's fleet was attacked by the Imperial Council's fleet. Although Admiral Aura adapted to the times and adjusted her fleet composition and strategy accordingly, could Admiral Kang not do the same? The two admirals were locked in another restless conflict in the Maelstrom Gulf. The name was truly appropriate because the gulf was a maelstrom of chaos! Admiral Aura shouted out her orders non-stop as she coordinated with the captains and commanders, sailors and soldiers alike moving everywhere. Battles erupted across the ocean as ships tangled with one another in a majestic, yet deadly dance. The devastated landscape was contrasted by a man sitting atop the crow's nest of the kingdom's flagship. From here, he overlooked the entire battlefield like a man watching a good show. A second man hopped up and landed gracefully beside the first.
"What are you doing here?" Hidek asked.
"Waiting for the Featherwind Sect, but it doesn't look like they're coming," Lanar replied with a yawn. "To be honest, I'm still finding it hard to believe. Could birds really do all that?"
"I don't know, but Her Highness was quite serious about it. It's hard to fake that. Otherwise, Her Highness wouldn't have granted our requests so easily."
"Our requests weren't anything difficult to her. It's not like she had a lot to lose from it."
"Be that as it may, we'll have to play along with Her Highness's game until she reveals her survival from the Battle of Liguang," Hidek pointed out.
Lanar clicked his tongue. "How annoying. What should we do about the battle below then? Should we ignore it?"
"We did make a promise to guard the fleet. It'd be in poor taste to turn back now."
"You can take care of that. I'll continue watching from here."
"I don't think that's the right mentality, Lanar," Hidek sighed.
"What do you mean?" Lanar snarled back.
"We should treat this as another competition between us. This is our first public appearance after all. Unless… you want to admit you're weaker than me?"
"Huh? Say that again. I dare you!"
"You're weaker than me," he announced every word carefully, as though Lanar might miss them.
Instantly, Lanar drew his sword and charged at Hidek, while Hidek soundlessly did the same. Boom! The two collided in the middle of the crow's nest and unleashed a gigantic shockwave away from them. It directly shredded the crow's nest and part of the mast to pieces, as it slammed into the deck below. Even the ship groaned and swayed from the sudden pressure, much less everyone on board. Everyone was rightfully shocked! They thought their ship was sinking! Hidek and Lanar remained locked in a stand-off before suddenly disengaging. Now that their master was absent, they could do as they pleased! Still, they did not lose all rationality because they knew that a fight on their scale would easily destroy the entire ship below them. They were not suicidal.
"Should we settle this like usual then?" Lanar sneered.
"The same as usual. Whoever sinks the most ships wins."
"Fine by me!"
Using Martial Energy, the two swordsmen blasted off the crow's nest in opposite directions. Hidek fanned his sword in front as ten translucent spectral swords formed in his afterimages. With a flick, they darted out at near-imperceptible speeds, flying across the open waters, towards a nearby enemy ship. These small swords then enlarged to the size of a house halfway and effortlessly pierced through a ship's hull. Boom! Ten large holes immediately appeared! Lanar was not one to lose either as he slashed his sword wildly in the air. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason, but when he pulled his sword back, it was like he pulled a thousand strings taut. Boom! Another ship was diced into a dozen different pieces! Everyone, regardless of ally or enemy, widened their eyes until they almost popped out. What did they just witness? What in the world happened?
However, that was not the most shocking thing. When Hidek and Lanar finally landed on the ocean surface with a big splash, they did not sink… Rather, they stood on the water! It was another unbelievable miracle! This time, everyone had to doubt their vision. Was this really possible? But it was true that once someone reached Perception Realm Master, their Martial Energy proficiency and density would reach the prerequisite to stand on water. If they took it one step further and reached Instinct Realm like their master, then they would gain the ability to step on air and fly! Regardless, both feats still required a high amount of energy and concentration to perform. They could not continue endlessly. Hidek and Lanar also had no intention to drag things out. Moonlight flickered under their feet as they flew across the waters at super-high speeds. Cloud Sea Style: Moon Flash!
Hidek raised his sword and summoned over a hundred spectral swords in the sky above. The domineering sight gave everyone chills. This was what it meant to be a king of swords! Cloud Sea Style: Monarch's Descent! The hundreds of swords filled the skies and rained down on the enemy fleet with earth-shattering momentum! It looked like the entire sky was falling. Boom! Countless tremendous water plumes rocked the battlefield and obscured everyone's sight. When the water settled, everyone could finally see where there was once an enemy fleet, there was a sea of shrapnel, debris, and bodies replacing it. The battlefield was cleared in an instant!
Lanar brushed his hand over his sword, giving it a shimmering glow. Although it appeared underwhelming and inconspicuous, it radiated a hair-raising aura. It felt like a demon was about to awaken! Cloud Sea Style: Demon's Claw! He clutched the sword with two hands and swung down. As it came down, his sword seemed to morph into five-fingered demon's claw. Boom! Five gigantic flying strikes erupted from his sword like five heavenly curtains. They split the ocean into five perfectly divided domains, bisecting and eviscerating anything they came into contact with, be it wood, metal, or flesh. Everything was destroyed! When the five heavenly curtains of water came crashing down, another sea of shrapnel formed. Both sides were cleared in an instant! Their destructive potential was ridiculous to behold.
That said, they did not annihilate the entire enemy fleet. Even their master was doubtful that he could, so how could his disciples accomplish what he could not? The truth was that their battlefield was just a small part of the overall battlefield which spanned a space larger than the capital city. They only cleared the enemies in the immediate vicinity. Yet, that did not mean their actions were any less impactful. No, rather than that… their feats swept through the battlefield like a plague. Everyone stopped to see the commotion from afar. It was simply too eye-catching! They also carved out a path in the enemy's encirclement. Admiral Aura was quick to capitalize on the opportunity and shouted out her orders. The kingdom's ships funnelled into the opening and ripped it open. The enemy formation was shattered! With their morale and formation in pieces, Admiral Kang had no choice, but to call off the assault. The kingdom won!
As for the stars of the show, Hidek and Lanar landed back on what remained of the crow's nest with none the wiser. They were utterly disinterested in the fame or the glory in winning the battle. It was nothing, but a consequence of their contest! If the soldiers and sailors below realized that their so-called heroes were busy bickering like children, only the heavens would know how twisted their faces might be.
"Did you see that? I destroyed seven ships!" Lanar laughed.
"How could you be proud of that?" Hidek's lips curled up. "I sunk fifteen ships!"
"Huh? Who are you trying to fool? I clearly saw you sink six!"
"Look again." Hidek smiled mischievously. "Some of those ships had boarding rafts on them. Since I destroyed them too, doesn't that count as my win?"
"We're only counting sunken ships. You can't count those!"
"They did eventually sink, so they do count."
"No, they do not!"
"They do!"
"In that case, then I won instead!" Lanar sneered. "Counting those boarding rafts, I destroyed nineteen ships in total!"
"Hmph. I didn't see it, so you can't prove it."
"You can't tell your head from your ass! Just admit that you lost!"
"Huh? Who said that I lost?" Hidek snapped back.
And like that, the curtain drew on their battle once more… It was another stalemate.