As a sea slave, he couldn't disobey Zuriel's orders without facing consequences.
However, instead of leaving the bridge, he stayed nearby, ready to intervene if the ship ran into danger beyond Zuriel's control or if Zuriel's decision proved reckless.
Zuriel focused forward, where he saw that Finn had already reached one of the masts and was climbing swiftly toward its top.
Without hesitation, Zuriel locked his gaze on the razor-sharp spires of rock that loomed ahead and redirected the ship towards their direction.
Poison Philip frowned, observing his actions. "What are you doing, Captain? We will crash if we keep on heading towards that direction. We are supposed to go around it!" he said, gritting his teeth anxiously.
"If you don't have anything reasonable to say, then remain silent, or else I will throw you off this ship so we can secure more time for our escape," Zuriel scolded while brushing away the seawater that splashed onto his face as he looked at Poison Philip. He then refocused on the fierce waves ahead.
Poison Philip quickly sealed his mouth shut. Still, he clenched his fist and said a prayer in his heart. He continued to observe the unfolding scene with a fierce gaze.
Suddenly, an echo resonated from one of the masts. "CAPTAIN, THE BANNER HAS BEEN HOISTED!" Finn screamed from the top of his lungs and waved his hand towards Zuriel.
Zuriel looked at the raised Death Flag Banner fluttering against the strong winds and nodded in approval at Finn. Without hesitation, he activated the banner's effect.
┏━━━━━━༻✾༺━━━━━━┓
System's notification
Death Flag Banner Skill Activated: Aura of Madness
An aura of madness will engulf all magical beasts within a 50-meter radius.
Warning: Prolonged activation may lead to mental instability for the host.
Skill Activated: Mana Amplification
-The host has acquired a +100% mana increase.
-All allies within a 50m radius have acquired a +50% mana increase.
-All magical beasts within a 50m radius have acquired a +50% mana increase.
┗━━━━━━༻✾༺━━━━━━┛
[ You are under the effect of Death Flag Banner Skill: Mana Amplification.
Your mana has increased by 100%
Your mana advanced 260 ––> 520. ]
[ Your magical beast, Stormshell, is under the effect of Death Flag Banner Skill: Aura of Madness. ]
[ Your magical beast, Stormshell, is under the effect of Death Flag Banner Skill: Mana Amplification.
Stormshell's mana has increased by 50%
Stormshell's mana has advanced 203.5 ––>305.3. ]
[ Host mana has advanced 520 ––> 780. ]
A wave of spine-chilling mana surged from the banner, enveloping the entire ship. Everyone on board, whether human or beast, sensed a peculiar connection to the banner, accompanied by the dreadful mana that descended upon them.
Suddenly, a system notification appeared before their eyes.
The death flag banner emanated oozy black and crimson mists, shrouding it from view. Anyone who tried to gaze upon it felt their hairs stand on end as an aura of death washed over them.
Although it was an incomplete magical tool, it was still powerful enough to produce such a mysterious and potent effect. This led Zuriel to understand how the Zahara Household had risen to such heights with the aid of the Death Flag banner and why so many sought after it, ultimately contributing to the clan's destruction.
Zuriel quickly dismissed the system's notification and turned his attention to the ship. It had fallen silent. Everyone was frozen in their places, their eyes fixed on the astonishing notification screen before them. They occasionally glanced at the fluttering banner as if trying to comprehend what had just occurred.
Even Finn, who was about to get down from the mast, was frozen, his mouth wide agape. He used his right hand to rub against his eyes in disbelief at the surge of mana that had flowed within his body.
Poison Philip gulped audibly and couldn't help but ask. "Is this real?" His words echoed the thoughts of everyone on board.
Looking at them, still in their trance for over a minute, Zuriel became slightly annoyed and shouted, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ALL STANDING THERE FOR? WHY HAVEN'T OUR CANNONS BEGUN FIRING IN RETAILATION? GET MOVING!" His voice echoed across the upper deck, blending with the sounds of fierce waves crashing against each other and the splashes of seawater flooding the ship.
Everyone turned their heads to him and stared at him blankly. They were still frozen in their position, as though attempting to connect the dots of everything that had just transpired to Zuriel.
"Aye, my mana just increased by 50%! Is this real?"
"It wasn't only yours; mine also increased! Everyone's mana has also increased! It had something to do with that bizarre spine-chilling banner the Quartermaster hoisted!
"Hey, if you summoned your magical beast, they also gain a 50% mana increase, thereby adding up to a 100% mana increase! This is insane!"
"It's true. I summoned my beast and received the same mana increase of 100%! This is amazing!"
When they snapped out of their trances, the crew began to speak among themselves. Soon, every crew member summoned their magical beast to experience the extraordinary effects of the death flag banner.
Meanwhile, Finn snapped out of his trance and raced back towards the bridge.
Witnessing this scene, Zuriel took a deep breath and exhaled to calm his emotions. He realized the crew members' respect for him was much lower than expected. He finally understood why Malik had effortlessly turned them against him.
Fortunately, Poison Philip, who had been standing by his side and had experienced the brunt of Zuriel's scream to awaken the crew from their trance, turned around, raced towards a medium-sized bell near them, and shook it fiercely.
"GONGG!! GONGG!!"
The bell repeatedly rang across the upper deck, drowning out the crew members' voices with its deafening echoes and forcing them to block their ears to dampen the vibrations.
Taking a deep breath, Poison Philip released the bell and shouted, "ARE YOU ALL DEAF? DIDN'T YOU HEAR THE CAPTAINS?! ALL HANDS ON DECK! ALL HANDS ON DECK!!" His voice echoed across the ship,which was surrounded by the tumultuous forces of nature, causing it to sway from side to side.
Immediately, the crew members noticed their wrongdoings and responded loudly, "AYE, CAPTAIN!!" They returned to handling the sails, filling a bucket with water and pouring it into the ocean. Others went down to the gun deck to service and load the cannons.
Finn stopped to oversee the activity on the upper deck, improving their efficiency.
Poison Philip returned beside Zuriel.
Zuriel nodded at him in acknowledgement. He now considered Poison Philip one of the least men to throw off board. It seems like Zuriel, having capable men by his side, came with a contract for his character.
Posion Philip responded silently and summoned his magical beast. An obsidian scorpion, approximately 36 inches (3 ft) long, with large, sharp red claws and similarly coloured lower limbs, appeared before them.
Poison Philip swallowed as a system notification popped open before him. He realized that what the crewmen had said was true-his mana had increased by 100%!
It appeared that even the scorpion felt the sudden surge of mana within it, and couldn't help but jump around happily.
Witnessing this cute scene gave Zuriel a moment of amusement before refocusing his attention on the harsh ocean ahead.
Zuriel steered the ship to the side, as he noticed that the Salt Rock Shelter Leader was preparing to jump aboard their ship. He abruptly felt his mind itch and mana drained, sensing several new forged connections tied to him along with his crewmen and their magical beasts.
As he turned his head to the side, his eyes suddenly fixed on something unusual in the distance. Upon closer inspection, he realized that large schools of fish and other mysterious magical beasts covering the ocean like a carpet, swiftly moving toward them. He realized that the magical beasts were at the bronze rank.
However, he wasn't the only one to notice this scene.
The Salt Rock Shelter Leader noticed this scene and halted his chase. He narrowed his eyes at the countless distinct magical beasts and schools of fish heading their way. He withdrew his gaze, and refocused on a ship sailing further away from him, his attention fixed on the mixed black and crimson mist-shrouded flag hanging on their mast.
His expression abruptly shifted into a frown, before twisting into a scowl.
At this point, Zuriel's ship was already closing in on the unknown number of magical beasts approaching them.
Zuriel decided to test his control over the magical beasts by guiding them around the ship, hoping to mitigate the damage it would sustain by their frenzy or prevent it from subsiding.
Though the ship was magically, enchanted to deal with the elements of the fierce sea filled with countless unknown formidable magical beasts, Zuriel was unwilling to take any chances.
As the magical beasts surrounded the ship, the rest of the beasts were also influenced. They pushed back the others, too immersed in the frenzy whenever they attempted to get close to the ship.
A bizarre sense emerged around Zuriel's ship, making it seem like they were riding a wave of magical beasts rather than the ocean.