Chapter 78: Infamous V

Tens of thousands of onlookers below watched as the bottom half of the ship started to sink. Half of the colossal vessel tore through the clouds that it previously rode on, and the latter top half of the ship struggled vehemently to keep itself afloat, and alive.

Expressions of surprise and disbelief littered the many faces below once again. Unaware of how the flying ships really worked, most of them assumed that the mysterious stranger, in the span of thirty short seconds, must have fought through the army of Everrain warriors, killed the strongest officers of the fleet, and destroyed vital parts of the colossal ship that kept it flying.

Although of course, the reality was very different. The thousands of warrior-casters aboard the sinking ship did not dare to attack the stranger when he held such an important hostage on his shoulder. Unknown to Zan, he had accidentally kidnapped not a random woman, nor a random Rain Priestess, but the daughter of an illustrious general, and…the sister of a terribly powerful brother.

From aboard another flying ship, a tall man with long black hair stepped into the open air of the deck. He was handsome with gentle features, his looks resembling the stereotypical male lead from an Eastern historical romance novel. Although he looked to be in his early twenties, his actual age according to the solar calendar was twenty-seven.

The most striking part about the man was not his looks however, but the long, slender katana on his back. If the man’s height was around six feet tall, then the blade had to have been around five foot, ten inches long or one-hundred and seventy-eight centimeters.

On every ship, Everrain’s multiple forces looked to the man for instruction, but instead he continued to walk calmly upon the otherwise urgent and tense atmosphere. A subtle smile hung on his face as he breathed in the smell of the rain, which was tainted by the smell of destruction that Zan caused to the other two ships of the fleet.

Stopping just on the edge of his ship, he placed his half open eyes towards the mysterious attacker, and then towards his half sister.

Despite his sister being kidnapped by a powerful unknown assailant, the man seemed mellow and easygoing. Actually…he was unnaturally so. His mild and relaxed temperament did not seem to come from his confidence in his own power, and therefore control over the situation, but something within him that was inborn. It was…simply his nature.

Unsheathing the long blade from his back, the surrounding rain that fell around him seemed to have stopped in place. In its full glory the lengthy blade was held high in the sky, displaying a dark blue sheen that gleamed upon the reflection of the surrounding raindrops. Those very raindrops that had their time seemingly stopped, then started to glow…

On the ship, chaos ran wild once again. Half of the fleet ran towards the rowboats, sending pleading expressions towards their Rain Priests. While half of the other fleet froze, with their weapons directed at Zan.

Nerves on edge and tension on high, the warrior-casters gripped their weapons and magical tools even firmer. Especially so, for they did not want to drop them from the sweat that was pouring from their hands. Yet although their hands were firm, their will was not. Hesitation flickered in their eyes.

Thoughts raced in their mind if it was even worth it to fight the mysterious attacker. After all, even if they did kill him they would die soon after from the fall. How many of them were so loyal to their nation that they would forgo their own life in exchange for killing the enemy? Was it the nation that gave them life? Was it the nation that gave their life meaning? Did the responsibility of duty really precede the significance of their lives?

Fortunately the warriors of Everrain did not have to answer those questions. Within the chaos and mass disorder, a shining light brought calm back to the scene. Heads turned towards the source, and from a young girl's outstretched hand, blue and white intertwining light came forth.

Around that light and subsequently around her hand, was a revolving circular formation of rain droplets.

Lines of invisible energy sprung out from the ship and connected to the source of light coming forth.

The revolving formation of rain drops sped up, until they spun so fast that an optical illusion of a magical circle was made, and suddenly the bottom half of the ship stopped sinking.

Witnessing these events, warrior casters, rain priests and deckhands alike kneeled towards the young lady.

The girl breathed out a sigh, both of relief and because of the energy spent. Once again she met eyes with the stranger. This time her eyes were full of clarity, and although that glowing red eye threatened her to back down, the pure blood of rain coursing through her demanded her to hold her own.

"Wh– Why?"

Although difficult, the young lady's voice finally escaped her lips.

"What?" The stranger replied.

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Resolving herself once more and despite the dangerous air exuding from the stranger, she sent out a series of questions.

"Why did you attack us? Who are you? What's your enmity with us?"

"If you were an assassin you should have already killed me."

"If you were sent to destroy us then you should have already known how our ships work."

"But you're not all those things. So then who are you and why are you doing all this!?" The girl shouted as if she was venting her frustration.

In response the mysterious assailant straightened his posture, and put on a grave expression. Oozing power and solemnity, Zan's subtle actions resulted in a wicked change of atmosphere.

Tense and frightened expressions unknowingly appeared on their faces. The power of will and the natural biological might of Zan's body played a huge part in his unintentional fear tactics.

The young girl, the warrior-casters, and the rain priests readied themselves to attack— they were half expecting the stranger to say some corny, but dooming and inevitable line.

"I am your death."

"What!?"

The young girl opened her eyes wide and channeled rain energy into her palms. She looked around the scene again but it seems no one else had the intention of attacking other than her. Instead, all of them carried stunned expressions of sheer disbelief.

"...Pa– Pardon? What did you say?"

"...Your ships."

"Ou– our ships…?"

"I want some." Zan stated his intention without flinching.

Rain Priestess Lara had a dumbfounded look on her face. It seems the first line that came out of his mouth was something she imagined out of fright…

But then, a startling realization took hold of her once again.

"You attacked us because you wanted our ships!?"

Albeit true, Zan, who was too embarrassed to say he was initially here to rescue someone, simply nodded his head with a serious expression.

In response to this, the girl scoffed in disbelief as she zoned out on a passing cloud. All because of this deranged man’s whimsical desires, one ship was totally destroyed and another had a gaping hole through it.

“Why did you destroy them then!?”

Somewhat caught in his half lie and half truth, Zan panicked within but stoically responded with whatever thought first appeared in his head.

“...Why are your ships so weak?”

…A domineering statement that only the strong could say.

The girl’s jaw dropped from both the audacity that came from the man, and because of the pride in her nation’s ships that was just crushed. Collecting her bearings, Lara asked him a few more questions.

“So…what’re you going to do now? Did you even think about how you were going to take control of these ships? ”

The answer was an obvious no. For Zan was first a man of action before he was a thinking man. It was no surprise then, that one of his life goals was to become so strong that he did not have to think too hard.

The girl stared at him, waiting for a reply. Although the stranger was crude, his intentions at least did not lie in destroying them…

In response to her gaze, the man simply crossed his shoulders and held his head high.

“Hey!? What is that even supposed to mean!?”

Zan looked at the divine blessing on her hand, which was still shining with blue light.

“You will be in control of my ships from now on.”

“Wha– What!?”

The man said his words as if it was a royal decree. He did not even think about whether he could or couldn’t take control of the other ships, he simply said it as if they were already his.

“Hey! No I won’t!”

“Are you even listening to me!?”

Zan kept the same self serious face. Instead of replying to his future subordinate, he took half a step to his left and resumed the same posture he had on before. Arms crossed and head held high.

“What’re you even doing now!?”

Already frustrated from his behavior, the girl was left further incensed by his most recent nonsensical actions.

“Hey!”

“Can you— “

Her words caught themselves in her throat. A deafening silence pervaded the surrounding atmosphere as Lara realized that she could no longer hear the sound of the raindrops falling. Her eyes lost focus on Zan, and refocused on the droplets that were all around them. The rain that was falling…had stopped in place as if frozen in time.

A subtle feeling of mellow sadness carved itself in the hearts of all, before once again, time continued to flow. The sound of rain drops echoed as they fell on Lara’s skin and with it…the ship they stood on also started to fall.

Thunderous destruction blasted in their ears. Time did not only flow again, but it seemed to have restart as the ship that Zan and Lara stood on was split, completely bisected. This time however, it was not snapped in half but sliced in two.

People dove to the ground or onto the wooden railings, looking for anything to hang on to. It was common knowledge to stick low to the ground, else they might fall off before someone could rescue them again.

Lara also fell to the ground, but in her case it was because of her blessed blood, and her outrageous talent. The sadness within that attack was something only those who were gifted could feel. Once the rain continued to flow once again, very faintly she felt the feeling of something leaving her heart.

…And then destruction followed quickly afterward.

The intense emotions left her sprawling towards the ground, breathless. Her mind was sunk deep into the metaphysical elements of that annihilating strike. Unconsciously, the girl started muttering to herself.

"Sadness…and then absence."

"Absence, and then destruction? No…"

"Absence, then…rage. No! That's wrong too…"

"The destruction…"

"Grief."

An unfamiliar voice interrupted her spoken thoughts.

"Wha– What?"

Lara raised her head, meeting that menacing wisp of red light once again.

"The rage and destruction. In the end it's grief."

Those words struck deep into her heart, and played a melody that had long been buried by the sound of endless falling rain.

The stranger turned his head to look behind him, and her eyes followed. That strike not only bisected the ship, but also the air, the rain, and the passing clouds.

Their sight followed a clear path free of clouds and clutter, towards a man holding a long, dark blue katana. His long hair veiled his face, but when he directed his sword to the skies again, the sheer power contained in it resulted in sweeping winds that revealed his handsome countenance once again.

A gentle smile placed itself on the man’s face despite the destruction he caused. The man could be said to be relatively famous, and smiling subtly and gently was a trademark of his alongside his mellow attitude.

But Lara noticed something off about that brother of hers. That stupid smile always followed him around no matter what, but today something was different. In that otherwise sweet smile…hid a trace of bitterness.

Her sight followed upward, and above his head was not just his sword, but a memento from the past that he took wherever he went. A yellow tassel, attached to his sword.