Hearing his words, Zuriel sighed, stretched his right hand forward, and placed it on Finn's shoulders. "Don't be afraid. I will handle this and ensure we get out of here in one piece. In the meantime, follow me and do as I say," he said, his voice and expression serious, and he exuded a confident demeanour.
Without waiting for a response, Zuriel advanced forward. "Let's go," he said, his words directed towards Stormshell, who was in the room.
In an instant, Stormshell emerged through the door and followed after Zuriel.
"Impossible," Finn muttered under his lips as he rubbed his right hand over his eyes. He looked at Thunder Reef Tortoise before him with an expression filled with shock and disbelief.
He knew that the tortoise was previously a bronze rank Tier Five, but now that wasn't the case because the tortoise before him was a Black Iron rank Tier One magical beast.
Has the captain been hiding his true strength all this time?
But if that were true, then there was no reason for him to have been defeated and knocked back by Malik. Or maybe he had hidden his strength and was putting an act to deceive Malik, as he had a way to secretly communicate with the Salt Rock Shelter Ship. Though it was a good plan, Finn remained sceptical.
Varouis's thoughts raced through Finn's mind before he swiftly dismissed them. He knew the only way to understand the truth was to ask Zuriel himself.
After making his decision, Finn turned and followed Zuriel. He wanted to see how Zuriel planned to handle the situation and what other secrets he might reveal.
Zuriel reached the upper deck. The weather was rough, with wild winds and waves battering the ship, causing it to sway from side to side. Some water splashed onto the deck, only to be packed and poured back overboard by the crew members carrying a bucket.
Zuriel glanced around and saw other crew members holding the sails in place, shouting to one another as they rushed across the ship to keep it steady amid the turbulent storm.
Suddenly, a loud sound pierced the air.
Zuriel watched as a trail of fire appeared in the distance behind them.
"BANG!" A fireball crashed into the waves as the crew quickly manoeuvred the ship to the side, dodging the attack.
Zuriel cursed under his breath, realizing the Salt Rock Shelter Leader was trying to sink his ship.
Without hesitation, Zuriel grabbed Stormshell and raced toward the ship's helm. When he arrived, he saw a cacao-skinned man dressed in a brown loose-fitting beige shirt with a vest and trousers with a simple black sash tied around his waist, securing a curved sword hanging by the side of his waist.
He also has matching black boots on his feet and is steering the ship with a ponytail. He was the helmsman—Poison Philip.
Over the past few days, Poison Philip had been teaching Zuriel how to steer the ship and was one of the few crew members with whom Zuriel had managed to build a decent connection. However, they still weren't close enough for Zuriel to fully trust him with his life.
When Zuriel stepped onto the bridge, Poison Philip noticed him and shouted, "CAPTAIN! WE'RE IN TROUBLE!" He pointed backwards in a specific direction.
Zuriel followed his hand's direction and saw a ship nearly the same size as theirs chasing them from behind.
It was the Salt Rock Shelter Leader's ship.
After pushing Malik to his limit, Zuriel learned that the Salt Rock Shelter Leader had not left the shelter with his main ship to avoid detection; instead, he had used a common ship similar to theirs.
Another loud sound echoed, and a fireball shot toward their ship. At that moment, Zuriel realized it was a cannonball.
"Steer to the side!" Zuriel commanded, his eyes widening in fear as he saw the cannonball heading straight toward them.
Heeding his command, Poison Philip steered the ship sharply to the side. The cannonball arrived within seconds, narrowly missing them and smashing into one of their masts, breaking it apart before crashing into the waves,
Zuriel turned to look at Finn, who was standing behind him. "Give me your spyglass," he said.
Finn nodded and quickly handed over the spyglass, which he had stored in his pocket.
Zuriel dropped Stormshell onto the floorboards, opened the spyglass, and pointed it toward the approaching ship. He peered through it and saw the Salt Rock Shelter Leader crew members handling the ship against the fierce storm, each accompanied by their magical beasts as they navigated toward them.
He scanned the individuals, both men and women until his gaze locked on the person he had been searching for.
At the other end of the spyglass was a man with dark skin, his black hair tied in a ponytail. He was dressed in blue armour with bluish shades on particular sides inscribed with mysterious markings, and he gave orders to the crew around him. Suddenly, the man paused and looked directly toward Zuriel, his eyes narrowing into a menacing glare.
He advanced to the edge of the ship and stretched his hand forward. In an instant, a massive fish, the size of a whale, leapt out from the raging waves and swam beside the ship.
A blue helmet inscribed with markings materialized on the man's head, covering his face and exposing only his eyes, mouth, and chin. The helmet extended down to his upper neck.
Without hesitation, the man leapt from the edge of the ship and landed on the back of the enormous fish. The creature submerged itself underwater and swam swiftly toward them, making it appear like the Salt Rock Shelter Leader was riding the waves, rapidly closing the distance.
Witnessing this scene, Zuriel's heart pounded in fear. His body was drenched in sweat, mixed with the salty seawater that poured into the ship. He dropped the spyglass and frantically tried to figure out how to handle the situation.
He glanced back at Finn, who lowered his binoculars, his face pale with horror.
Catching Zuriel's gaze, Finn's voice trembled as he asked, "Captain, what do we do?" He shivered as he watched the Salt Rock Shelter Leader rapidly close the distance.
Zuriel scanned the sea around them to assess their location. He stopped when he spotted a formation of densely packed rocks rising out of the water in the distance.
He instantly understood they had finally arrived at the formation marking the territory where the special dungeon Malik had raided in the beginning chapter of the novel was located.
"It shouldn't be too far from here," Zuriel muttered. He swiftly pulled out the torn Death Flag Banner from under his shirt and bit his thumb until blood oozed out.
He smeared the blood across the banner, and a notification flashed before his eyes.
[ You have created a special bond with the Death Flag Banner. ]
[ Equipment: Death Flag Banner (Legendary Rank, Grade Four) (Inactive) ]
Feeling the unique sensation of his bond with the Death Flag Banner, Zuriel immediately handed it to Finn.
"Go and hang this on one of the masts immediately!" Zuriel ordered. He had considered keeping and activating the banner himself, but he realized that countless magical beasts lurking beneath the water would be drawn toward him once its effects took hold.
He would also become the primary target, with the Salt Rock Shelter Leader already after them. To balance the pressure, he decided it was best to hang the flag on one of the masts, where he wouldn't be the sole focus of attention.
Finn was momentarily stunned by the request, but he snapped out of his daze when he heard Zuriel's words. "Are you planning to use this magic tool, Captain?" he asked, swallowing hard.
He knew that by activating this magic tool, they wouldn't just be facing the Salt Rock Shelter's ship and the other magical beasts lurking beneath the raging sea. They hadn't even figured out how to escape from the former, and now setting the stage for the latter felt like literally waving a death flag.
"DON'T QUESTION MY ORDERS! DO WHAT I SAY! HANG THAT BANNER ON ONE OF THE MASTS, OR I'LL THROW YOU OVERBOARD TO DISTRACT THAT OVERSIZED FISH!" Zuriel shouted, his voice booming over the crashing waves. His fierce gaze was locked on Finn.
Finn swallowed the words he had wanted to say, nodding quickly in understanding. His teeth clenched, and various emotions raced him as he turned and ran down the bridge, heading swiftly toward the masts.
Zuriel approached the helm and stopped. "I'll take it from here. You go down and join the others," he said.
"Are you sure, Captain? I'll do my best to get us out of here!" Poison Philip responded, his expression filled with wariness and suspicion, worried that Zuriel was making a hasty decision that could endanger them all.
"Yes, I'm sure. I'll handle it," Zuriel replied with a firm nod.
Poison Philip gritted his teeth before relinquishing control of the helm to Zuriel.