Captain – Chapter 650 – Divine Blood

Storm Corner was not a cliff, but a sea.

When Roy heard the old man speak those words, she didn’t have much of a real sense of it.

It wasn’t until that black dream, which had been abruptly interrupted and then resumed, reached its perfect conclusion—when she and Caine pushed open the door, walked through the dense crowd on deck, came to the bow, and saw that magnificent view that shouldn’t belong to the mortal world—that she finally understood.

The violent waters, the overturning dark clouds, the sudden wind and rain and the towering waterspouts—though such scenes were terrifying, they were far from enough to move the captain.

What truly amazed her, and then made her solemn, were those thick, winding bolts of lightning.

They were like cruel giant serpents that had been hungry for countless ages, constantly extending their bodies from the sea of clouds, then viciously biting down at everything in the present world.

And not just ten or a hundred—wherever the eye could see across the sea, all was shrouded in electric light. Thousands upon thousands, even countless electric serpents fell without cease.

This was the true natural barrier. Compared to this scene, the great waterfall was truly too gentle.

Moreover, just as that person had taught her before coming, from these bolts of lightning that clearly transcended natural law and were filled with destructive intent, Roy could clearly perceive the divine authority belonging to the gods—something that even made her somewhat fearful.

Like the disasters hidden in Annisdora’s Box, these thunder and lightning should also come from that shield called “Aegis”—magical power that had been released.

If she could manipulate them, no—even if she could just guide them, then eliminating the giant serpent and suppressing the disaster it would cause after death would no longer be just a pipe dream.

But the problem was… how to guide them?

In her dark golden eyes, reflecting the lightning flashes like weaving, Roy couldn’t help but silently ask herself.

The key undoubtedly lay in that small shield.

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If she only wanted to open the door to the Cursed Sea, the problem would be much simpler—she need only follow the Lady’s intention and embed it at the top of a black cliff, because those cliffs were also manifestations of divine will.

If they could accept visits from great people of the past, they could naturally accept returns from their descendants.

But the current situation was different.

She wanted to use that damned specter’s head as a true peak. This wasn’t impossible to achieve, but the problem was how to activate the small shield.

If she didn’t follow the “divine oracle,” how should she proceed?

Thinking this, Roy couldn’t help but recall what her first mate had mentioned to her about his duel with the Deep Sea Captain. That battle was when Aegis first showed its prowess.

Of course, it was also the only time since it appeared in the world.

After that, no matter how the two tried, even recreating the situation at that time, they could never make the serpent-haired human face on the small shield open its eyes again.

Was it not forceful enough? Or did it need stimulation from multiple external factors?

Questions came one after another, and none were the kind that could be answered in a short time, or rather, by just standing there thinking. Roy could only sigh softly and turn her gaze away.

She had originally wanted to discuss recent matters with her first mate first, but when she shifted her gaze, she discovered that Caine’s complexion was very poor, and even his body was somewhat stiff.

He just stared into the distance like that, watching without blinking at the lightning falling from the sky.

As if through this familiar, terrifying scene, he was recalling unbearable memories of the past, recalling… the tragic sight of dozens of imperial warships being destroyed.

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At that time, the sea had also been this violent, with electricity and fire annihilating all life.

Swallowing up all the people he was familiar with.

But just as the young man was trapped in memories and unable to calm down, a cool, soft hand gently grasped his palm, while comforting words sounded beside his ear.

“It’s alright, Caine. Such things won’t happen again. I promise you.”

Feeling the coolness transmitted through his palm, hearing the captain’s gentle yet confident—almost matter-of-fact—words, the first mate gradually escaped from that dark curtain.

“Of course I believe you, Captain.”

Taking a deep breath, the young man nodded slightly to Roy in response.

Regarding the fleet’s destruction, they had reached an agreement long before this journey to seek Devil’s Island began—they were already walking the path of revenge.

They would make the devil swallow his own bitter fruit.

After confirming that the first mate was alright, the two discussed briefly and decided to anchor temporarily, waiting to find a way to awaken the divine artifact before setting sail into that thunder sea.

So for the next several days, although the sound of thunder continued in their ears and lightning flashed incessantly nearby, the atmosphere on the two warships was surprisingly stable.

The bridge of the Goddess Hestia became the place where Roy and her companion spent most of their time.

Because it was the highest point, closest to the heavens, and similar to the environment during the battle with the Nightmare King. Even if the small shield suddenly summoned lightning, nothing would go wrong.

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However, what made the girl somewhat discouraged was that no matter how she and her first mate tried, the small shield had no reaction—not even a white mark appeared on its surface.

During this period, the two even asked every crew member for suggestions, not sparing even those of the skeletons and water ghosts, but all were ineffective.

Even the siren’s suggestion of the blood-dripping method that had previously lit the ice tower’s light met with failure before this “impervious” divine artifact.

Regarding this, Roy had even jokingly mentioned whether her blood wasn’t pure enough to meet the standard set by the gods, which was why it disdained to respond.

It was just a thoughtless remark, but who would have thought it hit the nail on the head.

It was another day no different from usual.

On the great ship’s bridge, Roy stood wearily with her arms crossed, leaning against the railing. Although she was in a rainstorm, both her body and the ground beneath her remained dry.

On the other side was Caine, holding the strange curved blade and small shield, frowning as he couldn’t figure it out. He was certain his memory was absolutely correct.

The same high place, similarly shrouded by storm, and the force of their previous clash would only have been greater than before. So why didn’t this shield react?

What element was missing?

Just as the captain was lost in thought out of boredom and the first mate was conducting experiments in puzzlement, a fluffy gray shadow that hadn’t been seen for a long time leaped up from the stairs.

Then it looked up at the two people who seemed somewhat dispirited and called out questioningly.

“Meow?”

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Asking why they still weren’t advancing to open that door. If they stayed much longer, its ears would probably be deafened by the disturbing thunder.

Hearing the cat’s call, Roy and her first mate exchanged glances, then she lightly patted her arm.

“Damn, how could we forget about you?”

During these days, although people came and went on the bridge—crew members, “monsters,” even transcendent beings like sirens and ghosts had all made their rounds.

But they just hadn’t seen this cat.

“My good Mango…”

Interrupting with a “meow,” the Siamese cat raised its paw, indicating it wouldn’t accept the girl’s embrace that carried “entangled interests,” then lightly leaped onto the railing.

After listening to the two people’s account, sentence by sentence, the cat licked its paw thoughtfully, then called out to the captain, saying she was actually very close to the answer.

“Meow.”

Seeing the girl’s completely confused expression, the cat slightly drooped its eyebrows and called out again, indicating that her previous view was correct—her blood just wasn’t pure enough. How could mere mortal spirit blood possibly drive a divine artifact?

And to make Aegis shine again and command thunder, they could only rely on…

Divine blood.