Surviving without God

Meanwhile, Gunther’s comrades were also holding their positions on the front lines with everything they had.

— Where’s Gunther?

— Having the time of his life with the Apostle of Justice.

— Hm. Then maybe we should focus on our own work?

Despite the confusion of being dragged into the past and thrown back, their bodies moved on instinct. Just moments ago they had been fighting the warped monsters of the “Forgotten Era,” so their battle momentum hadn’t cooled. Moon Wolf quickly issued orders, and everyone spread out in an organized manner.

— Cheonmae and Zahara, with me—on the naval forces... The rest, take care of those who landed on shore.

Woooo—

Dark clouds began to gather beneath Moon Wolf’s feet. The “Black Cloud”—a legendary transport capable of carrying up to three people. Zahara and Cheonmae jumped onto the dense dark mass without hesitation.

Whoosh—

The Black Cloud sharply turned toward the sea and shot forward at tremendous speed toward the enemy fleet closing in on the allied ships. Fierce wind and sea mist lashed their faces. Cheonmae narrowed her eyes and slowly touched the bowstring.

— Came swarming like a pack of dogs. One, two, three... Just how many are there? No end in sight.

— Looks like they scraped together all the trash they could from Black Wind.

The enemy moved in two main groups. A separate unit that had landed troops on shore and was now circling, and the main force already engaged with the Blue Blade fleet. The real problem was the separate unit.

Rumble—

The roar of magic engines at full output echoed. Using oars and sails, the maneuverable group pressed hard against the flank of the allied fleet at full speed. The expressions of the three on the cloud darkened at once.

— We’re about to get pincered.

— Position is extremely dangerous.

— Even with the Great Admiral, they won’t hold.

Losing ships here meant losing any path of retreat. They would be stranded on the continent and hunted down like prey. Moon Wolf gave a short, precise command:

— They’re aiming for close combat. We form a blockade line and buy time for the fleet to widen distance. Zahara, prepare your abilities. Cheonmae—sniper support is on you.

— Understood.

— Yeah, leave it to me.

Zahara prepared first. Until now, she had only shown “Concealment” skills, but Grand Crow hadn’t included her in the death squad for nothing. Her power was far from limited to stealth.

[The ruler of those you wish to conceal prepares a ritual.]

The essence of the deity she had contracted with was simple.

Sealing.

Shhh—

A sound like countless bandages unravelling echoed through the air. Though it wasn’t real cloth, the sound was unmistakable. Pale ribbons streamed through the thick mist, rushing toward the forward enemy ships. They wrapped around sails and masts, engines and cannon ports.

— Stop.

At that moment, the roar of the magic engines died. The thunder of cannons diminished sharply. Panic erupted on the enemy decks. Helmsmen spun their wheels, but nothing responded. Gunners pulled triggers, but no spark came.

— What the hell is this?! What’s wrong with the ship?!

— Idiot, fire! You can’t freeze up now!

— Damn it, their guns are turning toward us!

...Zahara’s Seal doesn’t destroy. It doesn’t physically break the object. But it forces it to temporarily “forget” what it’s supposed to do.

Function blocked. The engine can no longer “push.” The cannon can no longer “fire.” The sail can no longer “catch wind.”

The essence remains, but the function disappears. On a battlefield, that can sound like a clearer death sentence than any destructive spell or sword strike.

— I can’t hold this long. The resistance is too strong. The ships are huge, heavy, and there are too many.

— Got it, stop whining.

Creak—

The string of the massive bow was drawn to its limit. In the dim mist, a light like the sun ignited at the arrow’s tip. The radiance grew brighter, as if the very center of the zenith had been forced into a single point.

Meanwhile, Moon Wolf skillfully maneuvered the Black Cloud, descending and aligning the angle so the immobilized enemy ships formed a single line. Like comrades who had fought through hundreds of battles, they understood each other without words.

[Midday Arrow locks onto target.]

A moment of silence. Then the light exploded.

The arrow carved a blinding white line through the air, slicing the sea mist and tearing across the ocean’s surface.

Crack!

The hull of the first ship was pierced through completely. But the arrow didn’t stop. Second, third—

Crack!

Three ships were skewered in a line below the waterline. Water surged upward so high that the spray reached the faces of those on the Black Cloud. Victory cries erupted from all sides.

Boom!

The Great Admiral seized the moment and ordered a full volley.

— ...Hm.

— However, Cheonmae’s expression was not satisfied.

— Should’ve pierced five more.

At the last moment, high-ranking priests on the decks had deployed defensive barriers. But that wasn’t the worst part. Red and blue magic circles began to ignite across the enemy ships. Dozens of targeting lines converged on the Black Cloud.

— They’re countering too fast.

— Looks like many chose offense over defense.

— Brutal lot.

Instead of saving their ships, they targeted the trio in the sky. Cold, accurate calculation. No matter how high their hierarchy, no one could survive a simultaneous magical volley from nearly twenty ships.

— Evasive maneuver starting. Hold tight!

— ...What am I supposed to hold onto on a cloud?!

Woooo—

The Black Cloud veered sharply, skimming the water. Streams of magic projectiles, flaming spears, and lightning filled the space they had just occupied. Some spells curved, continuing pursuit like guided missiles.

— Annoying.

Cheonmae’s arrow flared, shooting down one projectile midair. Zahara invoked the power of Sealing again, neutralizing several more.

Dodge, deflect, dodge again. But the attacks didn’t stop. While they spent time evading, the enemy prepared new spells, tightening the net of fire. The original plan was to weaken the enemy as much as possible, then have Moon Wolf land and finish everything in one blow. But at this rate, they would waste all their strength defending in the air.

“...And the moon hasn’t even risen yet.”

Unable to hold back, Cheonmae snapped:

— How long are they going to keep firing?! And Zahara! Why are you still holding back?!

— ...Because something’s wrong.

Zahara’s face had gone rigid with tension. Moon Wolf and Cheonmae looked at her at once.

— What’s wrong?

— That ship.

Zahara pointed to a vessel standing apart from the main battle. It rocked gently on the waves, as if untouched by the chaos. No gunfire, no spells, no clashes nearby. No visible weapons. An ordinary ship.

“At a time like this?”

...That’s exactly why it was strange. Zahara narrowed her eyes.

— I can feel a Seal. Extremely high-level. I’m not sure even I can undo it.

— Their ship?

— Most likely. Doesn’t look like a fishing boat.

Before she could finish, another barrage of magic followed. The Black Cloud swept past the strange vessel. Zahara’s pupils trembled.

One who commands Seals understands their structure. What could be locked inside to require such overwhelming restraint?

The moment Zahara shuddered at the realization—

Swee—

A strange whistle made all three look up.

The tension in their eyes turned into tired disbelief as they recognized who arrived. Cheonmae clicked her tongue.

— What are you doing here? What about the ground forces? And wait... Great Admiral, why the hell did you leave your post?!

Cutting through the sky, the “Seren Gless” glided beside the Black Cloud. Balanced precariously on its mirror-like surface were two figures.

— ...Damn it, the sky isn’t my element.

The pale Great Admiral and Blanc, teeth clenched, barely maintaining balance. And slightly below them, supported by a swarm of drones, floated another figure.

— ...And Dimona too? Are you kidding me?

Blanc’s snow-white hair whipped violently in the wind.

— No, Dimona said... it’s important... absolutely...!

— Important? What exactly...?

Dimona Ryen—the best Arcane Runner on the continent. A profession that doesn’t tolerate fools. Among Night Raven, she was considered a strategist. So Cheonmae fell silent, ready to listen.

Dimona spoke without hesitation:

— We need to board that ship. Cover us.

Before the others could object, she dropped a shocking statement:

— A Sea Dragon should be sealed inside.

This was exactly the role Gunther had expected them to play.

.

.

.

From the very start of the battle, Gunther reached one conclusion.

Before being thrown into the past, they had definitely been sailing toward Pendrox. Yet they appeared in completely different coordinates—Gunther’s homeland. That wasn’t a navigational error. It was deliberate displacement. And only one being could do that in open sea.

The Sea Dragon. It had awakened. And not through the Great Admiral.

“Luthien definitely had a hand in this.”

They had long tried to obtain the Sea Dragon. With such power, one could control the entire ocean. But the process clearly hadn’t gone smoothly. The fact that the awakened dragon sent Gunther to his homeland proved it. There, he met Ellen Beyra and made an incredible leap in growth in a short time.

Was it coincidence? No. Most likely Ellen Beyra had calculated it. After reviewing countless timelines, she placed him exactly where he needed to be.

Conclusion: the Sea Dragon is Ellen’s ally—and therefore theirs.

...But here logic broke down. If a friendly awakened dragon were free, Luthien’s forces couldn’t operate so freely in coastal waters. So Gunther reached the final conclusion:

“The Sea Dragon awakened—but something happened to it.”

And another clue. Ellen Beyra said her abilities had been “usurped.” The Cult of Light’s powers were mostly unknown, but Gunther—having lived this world dozens of times—already knew the truth.

Copying abilities.

...Dimona, who had been held in Pendrox as an experimental subject, knew it too.

Those creatures even stole time. The sea was no exception. A high-ranking priest of the Cult of Light must have intervened and, even if not completely, copied the Sea Dragon’s “Authority over the Ocean.”

Everything fell into place.

— In short, — Dimona said firmly, — if we secure the Sea Dragon, and the Great Admiral awakens its true nature as it should be...

Her golden eyes shone calmly, as if she already saw the correct answer. She glanced at her comrades, the isolated fleet, and the place where Gunther had vanished into battle with the Apostle.

— ...this battle will be ours.

A minute of silence.

— And I’m sure this is exactly the role Gunther assigned to us.

***

Step—step—

Clenching his teeth, Gunther retreated, maintaining a dangerous distance from the Apostle of Justice. Strikes, blocks, counterattacks—this entire dance was deliberate maneuvering. He was luring her... deeper inland.

“I need to pull her as far away as possible.”

Right now all her attention was on him. But if she came to her senses and started crushing the allied formations, the consequences would be catastrophic.

“But... where do I go?”

His breathing was heavy. Even Gunther found it nearly impossible to remain completely calm with something like that chasing him.

And so—

Step—

His feet instinctively carried him in a familiar direction. Home. The forest.

“Damn it, mistake.”

He couldn’t expose the villagers to danger. Old Berta who always fed him, his first sword teacher Mason, the talkative Catherine—they all lived in that tiny village not marked on any map.

Step—step—

Gunther sharply changed direction, heading toward harsher, wilder cliffs. But suddenly, the relentless pursuit stopped. Gunther turned and met a chilling, insane laugh.

— Ahahahaha! Ahahahahahahaha!

After laughing, the Apostle of Justice tilted her head, breathing out. She looked at Gunther with triumph, as if she had just delivered a decisive blow.

— Do you really think your village is still intact?~