I-I-I!
The maddened roar shattered the clouds, and the once calm Silent Sea had already become a tempest of towering waves.
A ferocious beast over ten thousand meters long burst forth from the water—a slender sea dragon covered in faint blue glowing spots.
Six eyes on its massive draconic head gleamed with murderous intent, while countless thick tentacles sprouted from the back of its neck, lashing furiously at the sky.
The bizarrely shaped colossal sea dragon raised its head and roared, mana converging as a blinding light gathered in its throat, seawater pouring in reverse to fill it.
The next second, a spiraling torrent breath carved a vicious wound across the ocean surface and shot skyward.
“ROOOAR—!”
High above, the majestic Golden Dragon soared through the heavens, fixing its gaze on the incoming torrent.
With a thunderous cry, scorching dragonflame erupted from its maw.
The dragonflame and torrent collided with a deafening boom.
The shockwave from the explosion spread outward, kicking up colossal waves over a hundred meters tall that sent both the Golden Dragon and the sea dragon reeling back a considerable distance.
The Golden Dragon looped through the air to shed the residual force, while the sea dragon plunged into the sea before righting itself, its six eyes locked unwaveringly onto the Golden Dragon circling overhead.
The two recomposed and stared each other down across the void, locked in a standoff.
What struck the witch as strange was that the sea dragon, despite holding home-field advantage, dared not launch an active assault on the Golden Dragon.
Instead, it warily surveyed the waters beneath itself.
A closer look revealed a deep shadow slowly circling the sea dragon beneath the churning surface—like an abyss, biding its time, lending the already eerie Silent Sea an added layer of inexplicable dread.
Seizing the moment of the sea dragon’s distraction, the Golden Dragon aloft let out a roar and dove at breakneck speed, carving through howling wind currents, its razor-sharp claws aimed straight at the sea dragon.
THWACK!
But just then, the sea surface erupted in violent spray as a massive serpent—its body covered in pitch-black scales, four eyes blazing, rivaling the sea dragon in size—burst forth from the water.
Seizing the perfect moment, it opened its maw wide and sank its vicious fangs deep into the sea dragon’s neck, tangling with it in close combat.
Seeing this, the sea dragon dared not hesitate.
The tentacles at its neck rose high, flailing without cease, while water beneath it condensed into countless arrows that shot toward the Golden Dragon, blocking its assault.
A piercing screech rang out as the wounded sea dragon thrashed its head like mad.
The four-eyed serpent had coiled nine full loops around the sea dragon’s body, scales grinding against scales in a grating cacophony.
Tentacles whipped relentlessly, trying to shake off the uninvited guest clamped onto it.
But alas, no matter what, the serpent refused to let go, coiling ever tighter, churning the entire Silent Sea into surging waves and shattered foam, fully transforming it into an arena for three colossal beasts.
Against tsunami-like swells and the frenzy of three leviathans, the Willy cut through like a withered leaf, weaving nimbly through the pounding waves and the residual might of the giant beasts, riding the wind and splitting the surf.
“Ohoho! Hold tight, ladies—our voyage ahead is gonna get wild!”
Mickey wrenched the helm, blasted the steam whistle into a wailing cry, and drove the Willy through the raging storm like a speedboat, excitement blazing in his eyes.
Hai Lanyue gripped the railing at the ship’s edge—even as seawater soaked her through, it couldn’t quench the girl’s curiosity toward the battlefield.
Guocha, meanwhile, curled up in the cabin, staring at the three battling titans with tearful despair, her fragmented voice dripping with grievance.
“No, no, this isn’t right meow! The way you’re fighting the Ancient Dragon Leviathan isn’t witch-like at all meow! Meow didn’t come here to watch monster brawls and get caught in the crossfire—meow hates water!”
Amid the surging tides, the Ancient Dragon Leviathan, sensing mortal danger, madly lashed its tentacles at the four-eyed serpent clamped onto its neck.
Each strike carried enough force to shatter mountains, yet against the serpent’s jet-black scales, it was like throwing mud at a wall—utterly futile.
The four-eyed serpent’s fangs were driven deep into the Ancient Dragon Leviathan’s flesh, corrosive shadows seeping in like venom, trickling bit by bit through the fangs into its body, spreading as fine black veins along its bloodstream, corroding its organs and disrupting its mana flow.
Gradually, the Ancient Dragon Leviathan’s roars grew hoarse, its struggles visibly weakening by the moment.
Vitality drained away in droves, sinking it into a state of helpless exhaustion.
Sensing the Ancient Dragon Leviathan’s feebleness, the four-eyed serpent shot a glance at the Golden Dragon.
Understanding at once, the Golden Dragon abandoned its assault on the Leviathan and dove headfirst into the water, sending ring after ring of colossal waves cascading outward.
Moments later, a radiant beam of golden light shot straight into the heavens.
The Golden Dragon emerged with the Ancient Dragon Leviathan’s tail clenched in its jaws, its wings tearing through the clouds, letting sunlight pour down without reservation.
Working in tandem, the four-eyed serpent and the Golden Dragon wrenched the Ancient Dragon Leviathan’s vast body completely free of the sea, stripping it of its aquatic support and home-field advantage.
Its strength plummeted, its body growing increasingly sluggish, and a mournful cry laden with defiance and despair echoed across the Silent Sea.
The four-eyed serpent felt no pity.
Instead, it raised its head and, together with the Golden Dragon, yanked outward with brutal force.
With sheer, unreasonable strength and ruthlessness, the four-eyed serpent and the Golden Dragon stretched the Ancient Dragon Leviathan’s ten-thousand-meter frame taut as a bowstring.
Its tough scales shattered with crisp cracks, and the agony of being torn apart flooded its eyes with blood.
At last, amid the Ancient Dragon Leviathan’s screams, the four-eyed serpent and the Golden Dragon ripped it clean in two.
Flesh and blood sprayed everywhere, shattered entrails sliding from the tear and plummeting into the sea, while spurting blood fell as azure rain, blooming one stunning blood flower after another across the surface.
As for why the Silent Sea suddenly became the stage for a monarch-killing scheme, we’ll have to start from the beginning.
“Seriously, is this big guy trying to race us?! Running that fast?”
On the Willy’s deck, Tunzuo—captain’s hat perched on his head—sat grumbling atop a glittering pile of materials, clutching the Material Distribution Map with a deeply furrowed brow.
Combined with his utterly undignified posture, he looked every bit the kind of pirate who terrorized the seven seas, looting everything in sight.
Olivia stood beside Tunzuo, her golden hair streaming in the wind, her gaze steady, while Naiya served as Tunzuo’s ever-loyal first mate.
After much effort and struggle, Tunzuo and her crew had finally gathered nearly all the materials needed from the Silent Sea region—all except the last one: the Ancient Dragon Leviathan’s fang.
And it was precisely this final missing piece, so long sought and never found, that had lit the fuse for Tunzuo’s profanity-laced tirade.
It wasn’t a matter of being unable to defeat it.
From Tunzuo’s understanding, Antuxi and Fafnir wouldn’t resort to combat prowess to stump her and Olivia on the first trial.
The single root cause of Tunzuo’s headache was simple: they couldn’t catch the Ancient Dragon Leviathan.
Yeah, that’s right—couldn’t catch it.
On the Material Distribution Map, the Ancient Dragon Leviathan’s icon flickered in and out, perpetually in high-speed motion.
One moment it appeared at the map’s southeast corner, the next at the northwestern edge—its movement path utterly unpredictable.
Even relying on Yuge’s spatial teleportation, the Leviathan would swiftly relocate whenever Tunzuo and her crew dove underwater, leaving nothing but a blurry silhouette in their wake.
Couldn’t even touch it, let alone pull its fang.
And so it went—the Leviathan fleeing ahead, Tunzuo and company chasing behind, both sides locked in a stalemate, never reaching the truth at the finish line.
Left with no choice, the quest progress bar got stuck at 99%, enraging Tunzuo to the point where she gnashed her teeth audibly and kicked the railing relentlessly with her heel.
Watching Tunzuo’s frustration, Olivia had no immediate solution for the predicament.
But Hai Lanyue, after a moment’s thought, tilted her head, walked over to Tunzuo, and extended a hand.
“Tunzuo, if you don’t mind, could you hand me the Material Distribution Map? I think I might have a way.”
“Hm? Hai Lanyue, what’s your idea?”
Tunzuo handed the map to Hai Lanyue with a measure of skepticism, confusion written across her face.
Taking the Material Distribution Map, Hai Lanyue carefully spread it flat on the deck, weighing down the corners with pebbles.
Then she fished out a Witch Gold coin, pinching it between her fingers, and flashed Tunzuo a cheeky grin.
“I’ve kept up with my training in the School of Prophecy—maybe now’s the time it pays off? Though, this will be my first time casting a divination without Lena’s guidance. Hope it works.”
With that, Hai Lanyue tossed the coin high, pressed her palms together, and chanted an incantation to perform her divination.
“Coin of gold, guide our way, peer through the river of fate and glimpse the path ahead…”
Hearing that Hai Lanyue had chosen the School of Prophecy, Guocha—curled by the ship’s rail—cracked an eye open, her heterochromatic gaze fixed on the coin spinning through the air.
The next instant, her pupils snapped into sharp focus.
In Guocha’s vision, countless Fate Threads coiled around the coin in an eerily unnatural dance, wrapping it layer by layer like spider silk.
The entire destiny of the Silent Sea converged upon that single tiny coin.
That was not something a novice could do.
“When the coin lands, if heads is up, then wherever the coin rests is most likely where the Ancient Dragon Leviathan will appear. Tails, and it’s a place it won’t. As long as we try a few times, we’re bound to narrow it down.”
Hai Lanyue explained as she eagerly awaited the results of her first independent divination.
Hearing her explanation, the witches all focused their attention on the coin descending from the air.
Yet none of them expected what happened next—instead of landing flat, the coin spun in endless circles along the edge of the Material Distribution Map, letting out crisp, tinkling chimes.
After several rotations, it came to a baffling stop standing upright at the very location Tunzuo and the others currently occupied—neither heads nor tails, perfectly motionless.
“Ugh, it failed. Guess I really haven’t mastered this yet…”
Hai Lanyue felt a pang of disappointment at her result, thinking she truly couldn’t be of use beyond sheer luck.
“The divination didn’t fail, blue-haired miss.”
A teasing voice suddenly cut through the air. Following the sound, they saw Guocha licking her paw while staring at the coin on the map.
“An ordinary divination doesn’t hand us the answer we want directly. It only casts out clues—we have to interpret the deeper meaning from the surface ourselves. Take this, for instance: a coin standing upright doesn’t mean failure. It signifies a new possibility—or rather, an ambiguity suspended between heads and tails.”
Guocha slithered over to the map’s edge, her tail tip brushing gently across the coin. The coin didn’t topple from her touch.
“The coin spinning in circles is actually confirming the Ancient Dragon Leviathan’s territory—mapping out that thing’s patrol route. As for why it stopped in an ambiguous state at our position, it’s because…”
Guocha paused briefly, casting the faintest glance at Hai Lanyue before adding:
“Barring any surprises, the Ancient Dragon Leviathan is the overlord of the Silent Sea. Its constant swimming is territory patrol. The seemingly random movement patterns are actually a circular patrol around some central point. Looking at all of it together—maybe we can make it come to us instead, meow. All we need is to stir up a big enough commotion, meow.”
Guocha’s explanation brought a look of sudden realization to Hai Lanyue’s face, while Tunzuo and Olivia sank into thought, seemingly weighing the feasibility of Guocha’s plan.
After a moment, Tunzuo narrowed her eyes at the languid Guocha, voicing her suspicion.
“A witch who studies the School of Time and Space—how’d you manage to read all that from a divination? The stuff you just rattled off doesn’t sound like something you’d just pick up by ear.”
“Meow’s captain studied the School of Prophecy. Meow was steeped in it day in and day out, so it rubbed off naturally. Witches of the School of Prophecy get real chatty once they go deep—always rambling about things like ‘the weavings of the loom of fate,’ ‘breaches in causality,’ ‘overlapping states of probability clouds.’ Meow’s ears nearly grew calluses from it.”
Facing Tunzuo’s interrogation, Guocha idly swished her tail with her paw, explaining with casual indifference, as though that were simply how it was.
“Is that so? If it were Meryl, that would fit the stereotype well enough.”
Recalling Meryl’s angelic witch appearance that practically screamed ‘I can divine things,’ Tunzuo pondered for a moment before ultimately judging Guocha’s explanation to be logically sound.
But just then, a fair, slender hand gently rested on Tunzuo’s wrist, cutting off her spellcasting.
“In that case, let me create the little disturbance that’ll force that big fellow to stop.”
Tunzuo pulled out Huanye, a brilliant smile spreading across her face,fierce shadow mana converging in her palm.
She was all set to deliver a full spa treatment to the Silent Sea without a second thought.
“Let me handle this one, little ghost. It’s also a good chance for you to see the Golden Dragon’s true form.”
Tunzuo turned her head in surprise, only to find Olivia gazing at her with a warm, gentle smile.
“The Golden Dragon’s true form?”
Before Tunzuo could process what Olivia meant, fierce dragonflame erupted across Olivia’s entire body, unleashing an earth-shattering aura.
The blinding radiance forced Tunzuo to shut her eyes, raising a hand to shield herself from the heat rolling off the flames.
By the time her vision cleared, Olivia beside her had vanished entirely—replaced by a Golden Dragon nearly a thousand meters long, soaring alongside the Willy.
The dragon’s golden scales bore not a single impurity, their edges gleaming with a lustrous sheen.
Its massive golden horns cut an imposing figure, and a row of sharp bone spikes ran from crown to tail along its spine.
Its overall appearance was ferocious and commanding—yet the brilliant golden vertical pupils gazing at Tunzuo brimmed with tender affection.
[Seventh-Circle Spell: Golden Dragon Transformation]
The Golden Dragon beat its wings and soared skyward, their span blotting out heaven and earth.
Reaching the critical point, flames surged in its maw as golden dragonfire incinerated the sea of clouds, blossoming into dazzling golden sparks high above—like blooming jasmine.
Dragon Starfall erupted with a thunderous crash.
Scorching dragonflame streaked across the sky like meteors, plunging into the sea.
Layer upon layer of explosions hurled towering waves skyward, throwing the entire Silent Sea into absolute chaos.
The once-inky black waters were dyed in an instant with a hazy veil of gold.
“Now that’s… something else.”
Tunzuo propped her chin on one hand, gazing at the Golden Dragon wheeling along the horizon, a spellbound smile on her face.
Under Olivia’s relentless, unbroken bombardment, a roar brimming with fury finally sounded from the distance—so powerful it set the entire Willy vibrating with a deep hum, even across such a vast stretch of sea.
The sea surface churned violently.
A colossal silhouette approached from far to near, its immense presence carving streak after streak of white wake across the water.
“It actually lured it over—can’t take a joke at all~”
Watching the Ancient Dragon Leviathan close in on the Willy, Tunzuo’s lips curled into a malicious arc as shadows roiled beneath her feet.
Just as she prepared to strike, Naiya’s giggling voice reached her ear.
“Hehe, young master, feeling like something special? I’ve got a brilliant idea—guaranteed to make a grand spectacle!”
“Something special? What clever little scheme have you cooked up now?”
Naiya’s words sparked Tunzuo’s curiosity, halting the surging shadows beneath her.
“Oh, young master, don’t you worry about that. You just need to wear me on your face—I promise you’ll be pleased. Trust me just this once~ I definitely won’t let you down!”
“Fine, fine. Since you’ve done well before, I’ll trust you this time.”
Tunzuo shrugged and let Naiya fully cover her face without resistance.
The next moment, the Pale Mask began to melt, viscous pitch-black liquid trickling down Tunzuo’s neck.
Soon, the nameless mist wrapped Tunzuo entirely, plunging straight into the Silent Sea.
The pitch-black cocoon stretched and expanded.
In an instant, the revived four-eyed serpent opened its eyes in the deep.