For the past thirty days, the sailors aboard the ship had lived in relative peace, their security ensured by the looming threat of force. Yet, Ikidan, the captain of the sailors, had never once allowed himself to grow complacent.
Though his crew, with the strength of knights, seemed far superior to the mere apprentices of wizards, what would the future hold? Once these apprentices truly mastered their craft, they would undoubtedly possess the power to effortlessly slay two or three knights. Moreover, their potential for growth was limitless—a fact well understood by every apprentice. Meanwhile, Ikidan's knights, even if they were fortunate enough to ascend to the rank of Legendary Knight, would forever remain servants to some powerful wizard, seeking only greater strength.
Just as the legendary knight Baron had once done, and the current Legendary Knight Captain of the sailors, they would become mere tools to the wizards. After all, this was a world dominated by wizards!
It was this realization that kept Ikidan on edge. While his sailors were undoubtedly stronger than the small groups of wizard apprentices, the latter harbored a deep disdain for them, even an aversion—an emotion born of their inherent resistance to anything different. Thus, Ikidan could never afford to relax, especially when it came to the so-called "Five Kings" of the wizard apprentices.
Even though the magic wielded by these Five Kings would seem laughable to a true wizard apprentice, it still held the power to easily kill a knight.
And today, when the "Sword of Light King" Amrand declared the formation of the so-called "Bloodsail Alliance," Ikidan's heart skipped a beat. This was bad!
Without a moment's hesitation, Ikidan drew his long blade, paying no attention to his stunned subordinates behind him. He roared, "What nonsense is this 'Bloodsail Alliance'? Without the consent of our sailor crew, you won't see this alliance formed today!" He turned to the hesitant wizard apprentices and barked coldly, "Anyone who dares join will be killed on sight by the sailors!"
Though Ikidan trembled with fear, his face twisted into a fierce, menacing expression, glaring at those apprentices who wavered in uncertainty.
Perhaps he could not stop them from forming an alliance in the future, but for now, he had no choice—he had to stop them or else his sailors would be doomed!
Only then did his sailors, who had been slow to react, begin to draw their weapons, positioning themselves at Ikidan's side, their eyes full of hostility as they stared down the wizard apprentices.
At the front of the opposing camp stood the Five Kings, with their respective teams behind them. They raised their weapons, locking their stares on the sailors.
"Sailors, five of you must be thrown into the sea today!" Amrand, the Sword of Light King, sneered coldly, his words a clear declaration of superiority. "If all five of us stand together, you stand no chance."
"Try me," Ikidan retorted defiantly.
"Hmph! Do you think the apprentices aboard this ship are still the children they were a month ago?" Amrand scoffed, his left hand flashing with a blue gemstone ring. As he chanted a spell, a glowing golden sword appeared before him, only to vanish in a flash moments later.
Ikidan barely managed to dodge the fatal strike of the sword, but a deep gash appeared on his right shoulder. At that same instant, like a shadow, a white puppet darted forward and ripped out his heart.
The puppet, no taller than half a meter, was dressed in a ghostly white, its appearance deceivingly innocent, almost cute. Yet in its hands, it held a blood-soaked heart, still beating. With a childish giggle, the puppet dashed away, looking like a mischievous child who had stolen candy, as the sailors rushed forward in fury and fear.
With a thud, the sailor leader collapsed, lifeless.
Elsewhere, Green and Yorkris worked in perfect unison. As Yorkris held off the incoming sailors, Green swiftly slit the throat of a sailor bound by vines with his dagger.
Boom! A fiery ball of flame erupted.
In moments, the remaining sailors who could still stand were surrounded by wizard apprentices. Many apprentices felt a surge of excitement. Their thrill was not only due to the fact that, for the next three days, they would no longer have to risk their lives in battle, but also because they had witnessed firsthand the tremendous power of a wizard apprentice.
The power of a wizard was something that knights could never hope to resist. It was a magical force, a force that no knight could contest.
Five of the weakest wizard apprentices, along with twenty or so assistants, had easily overpowered nearly twenty strong, burly knights!
Once they reached the wizard academy, these apprentices, having survived life-and-death struggles, would undoubtedly absorb all knowledge that could strengthen them, achieving a transformation that would be nothing short of revolutionary.
The battle had cost four sailors their lives, seven were severely wounded, five lightly injured, and one had fallen unconscious. The rest were all bound tightly with ropes by the apprentices.
Though the wizard apprentices had suffered some losses—Green had emerged unscathed, but Yorkris had been lightly wounded, and four others from the Kings' teams had died due to carelessness—it was clear that the sailors had fought desperately in their final moments.
As they looked on with pride at the many apprentices eager to join the Bloodsail Alliance, the Five Kings were filled with a sense of accomplishment. Only the Sword of Light King sighed, "It's a pity, three more died than expected." The others looked surprised but soon dismissed the matter as trivial. A few relatively weaker female apprentices took on the task of recording the names of those joining the alliance, informing them of their new duties and responsibilities.
Laughter echoed across the deck from the apprentices, a rare sound that broke the oppressive atmosphere that had once hung over the ship.
"Ha! Weren't you all calling us pigs for slaughter earlier? Where's that arrogance now? Hahahaha!"
...
The following morning, the faceless masked wizard let out his characteristic shrill laugh, "Hehehe, looks like there's been quite a change aboard the ship. Not bad, not bad, six fewer of you."
The apprentices were now brimming with energy and confidence, no longer the cold, heartless individuals they had once been. They seemed united by some force, though it was far from unshakable.
Neither Yunli nor Bibilianna reacted to the camaraderie among the apprentices on the deck. To them, their talents had been treated as treasures from the moment they were discovered, and with their power to easily kill, they never truly understood the cruelty faced by lower-level apprentices.
On the other hand, Soram, that enigmatic figure, watched the new alliance with curiosity, his gaze shifting between the Five Kings.
The Captain's face was grim, as most of the sailors aboard had once been his subordinates, and now they had become little more than pawns for these wizard apprentices, their fates sealed, and the sea ready to claim them.
As everyone's emotions fluctuated, the Faceless Masked Wizard suddenly addressed the assembled apprentices of the Bloodsail Alliance. "But let me tell you all some bad news..." The word "bad" was drawn out deliberately.
The apprentices, once full of confidence, now stiffened, their eyes locked onto the "evil, perverse, and cruel" wizard, fearful of what he might say next. Some instinctively backed away from their fellow apprentices, nervous about the unpredictable turn of events.
"The bad news is..." the wizard continued with a sinister chuckle, "heh heh, heh heh... Tonight, we will arrive at the Wizard Continent. So, those sailors you've caught... I'm afraid they won't be of much use to you... heh heh, heh heh..."
Upon hearing this, nearly every wizard apprentice felt a surge of frustration. If not for their lack of power, some would have struck the wizard down on the spot. Yet, as the tension eased, a spark of excitement ignited in them. Was it finally time to reach the Wizard Academy?
The countless times they had watched other apprentices cast into the sea—each of them had sworn to themselves they would learn powerful magic and master their destiny!
The harshness of the past month aboard the ship, filled with endless battles, had left an indelible mark on the apprentices. Yet it had also hardened them, teaching them the brutal truth of the wizard's path. The survivors might one day surpass those who had perished.
That day, almost all the apprentices stood on the deck, gazing into the distance. Slowly, more ships began to appear around them, and the horizon between sea and sky seemed to shift.
As the sun set, with the Captain skillfully anchoring the ship, the vessel that had traversed the endless ocean for over two months finally arrived at an unfamiliar port.
Amid the undeterred excitement of the apprentices, the Faceless Masked Wizard's cloak billowed as countless black ravens poured forth, lifting him gently into the air.
"Hehehe... Welcome, my little ones, to the great Black Sota Wizard Academy on the Wizard Continent!"