- Fir - On the sea -

Damn it, I didn't expect that driving too fast would cause us to veer off course so severely. After sailing for a while, Uncle Monte realized that the nearby climate was off and had to stop to wait until nightfall to determine our direction by the stars.

While we were waiting, suddenly, Oyado noticed several lights streaking across the sky in the distance, which appeared to be Dale's electromagnetic cannons.

With a casual attitude since there was nothing much else to do, I decided to fly alone towards the direction where the lights appeared to investigate. Oyado and Aliyah stayed on the ship to protect it.

It was basically just slacking off.

Well, it wasn't a big deal, after all, if something were to happen, it wouldn't be good for the girls to get hurt. So, it was best to leave the risky business to me.

As I flew towards the direction of the lights, I was shocked by what I saw before me after a short while.

The sea, which was calm moments ago, was suddenly covered by a large area of glaciers.

Among the glaciers, there were several ships, seemingly engaged in a battle.

"No... Could it really be them? Dale... on the sea... Could it be the Aquatic Tribe again?"

I flew closer, but before I could get much closer, a dark figure suddenly leaped out from the midst of the glaciers and into the air.

I wasn't sure if the figure was flying or jumping, as I didn't see any wings.

But what he did next left me at a loss. He produced a huge black sword out of nowhere, aimed at the fleet below.

"What the heck!"

I stabilized my position quickly.

"Mystic Art·Holy Empire Lighthouse!"

At my summoning, the enormous lighthouse emerged from the sea again.

"Target locked, the black... ghost?"

Upon closer inspection, the figure seemed muscular with horns on its head, resembling a ghost of some sort... and judging by its appearance, it seemed to be at a demon god level.

But even from a distance, I could roughly make out his name. This guy wasn't the Horned One.

...

"Has something happened in the Abyss again? This guy looks... Oh, whatever, fire!"

...

The Holy Lighthouse remained still.

"Huh?"

I glanced at the lighthouse.

"Is it broken?"

No way! Isn't this a skill? How could it be broken? Is there something wrong somewhere?

I scrutinized the lighthouse and then flew to where the light was being emitted.

Previously, I hadn't paid attention to what was emitting the light. As I got closer, I saw a crystal-like object where the light was coming from, unlike any ordinary crystal, it had a twinkling star in the middle.

Okay, that's not the issue. How do I make this thing fire?

I helplessly stared at the glowing object, unsure what to do.

Could there be some function I am unaware of?

I opened the skill tab and read the description of the skill.

Designate target for attack, huh, I've done that. Why isn't it attacking?

As I scrolled down, I suddenly noticed an arrow-like symbol at the bottom, resembling a draggable dialogue box. I examined it, then grabbed it and pulled it out.

What's this? I've never seen anything like this before when using other skills.

After I pulled it out, the object flew towards me like a floating panel, displaying something resembling a bar along with a few buttons.

Charge

Fire

Standby

Voice Control Mode

And right now, only Voice Control Mode was lit up, which means...

"So, this thing... actually has a control system, and it's a voice-controlled system, how advanced..."

I smiled wryly, but there was no time to waste. I quickly shouted, "Charge!"

In an instant, the crystal inside the lighthouse began rotating rapidly, with golden streams of light flying towards it from all directions.

Wait, isn't this lighthouse supposed to operate based on my magic? Why is it charging now?

I checked my magic gauge – it was clearly decreasing as I summoned it, so why the need for charging?

Helplessly watching my magic gauge slowly deplete, while the energy bar filled up gradually, it seemed I would need to pick the right time to recharge after each use to avoid encountering this problem again.

Well, powerful things indeed require additional care and time to manage, the deities sure know how to keep one on their toes.

Meanwhile, the ghost had already smashed the enchantments on the ships with his long sword. Though the people on board used spatial magic to evade the ghost's first black sword attack earlier, dodging would be challenging now with him up close.

"Damn it! Stop charging, aim at that ghost! Fire!"

As my words fell, a beam of light shot out directly from the crystal, blasting the airborne ghost away.

I glanced at the flying ghost, nodding in satisfaction.

"Great Ultimate·Tear Cross!"

A red long sword materialized in my hand, then I shouted loudly towards the distance.

"Everyone~ good afternoon~"

Shortly after I finished speaking, the yellow names on the ships in the distance all turned green, indicating they had recognized me as a friendly.

"Good~"

I addressed the ghost attempting to rise from the sea.

"This is indeed a new challenge! Let's see the extent of my boosted power!"