I clapped my hands, which helped me control my Ord, and I spewed out a large glob of water that wrapped around the ship. With a forceful tug, I made the ship sink underwater and formed a bubble around it. Additionally, I dragged Agon and Anika underwater too, as they weren't in the ship.

The blast was going to be too big for something like Sei's mirrors to cover!

"Put up a shadow barrier!" I yelled at the Kuro Clan Head as Perfect Me turned off. I tried to maintain what was already built and sank the ship so deep that the sunlight started disappearing. However, a new, brighter light shined down, and even underwater, I could see the water starting to sizzle and heat up.

Then it happened—it got hot, ridiculously hot. It felt like being trapped in a sauna. But it didn't end there; an explosion rang out. The closest comparison I could make was a point-blank nuclear bomb detonation.

The entire ocean seemed to shake. My water bubble, the shadow coating, and any other barriers the exorcists had put up shattered instantly. The water crashed onto the boat, and we were all on the verge of death when suddenly Sei started shining and intertwined his fingers in a hand seal.

"{Ultimate Technique: Mirror World}," Sei declared.

Immediately, the whole ship was enveloped in a new barrier. This barrier transported us into a world of light and mirrors. Every wall, flower, grass, tree—everything—was made of mirrors. The only things that stood out were the boat and us humans who had entered this realm.

This was the pinnacle a Creator could achieve—creating a barrier around the world in their mind and technique, and manifesting it.

Sei had brought us here before the after-blast hit us, which was fortunate. While I could have probably survived, the others would have had to rely on luck.

Unlike them, I could breathe underwater when fused with Carpy. Outside of battle, I should be able to maintain this fused form for hours.

Sei breathed heavily, a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek. Dragging a ship of this size and hundreds of people into a barrier like this showcased the monstrous extent of his Ord reserves. He had reached this level without needing a shortcut like me and without putting his lifespan on the line.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

Sei nodded, his breathing labored. "I don't think I'll be able to hold all of us in this barrier for even a full minute. Created Worlds aren't meant to accommodate many people like this. They're mostly designed for a Creator to engage in one-on-one combat with a superior opponent."

He fell to one knee, struggling to catch his breath. I nodded, taking a deep breath myself, preparing to stop the incoming avalanche of water when we were outside.

Exactly one minute later, a crack appeared in the mirror world, and all the reflections turned dark. In an instant, we were back in the real world, with a boiling sea awaiting us. The heat was so intense that some people instantly passed out as if they were being boiled alive.

Utilizing every ounce of power I could muster, I brought the ship up above water. As far as the eye could see, the sea was steaming—an indication of a colossal blast. This was no ordinary force; it belonged to a level that even the average ultimate class demon wouldn't be able to handle.

Dark clouds filled the sky, erasing the clear day we had just experienced moments ago. Rain poured down, while lightning crackled and struck the sea in various places.

The weather had never undergone such a rapid and drastic change before; there had to be some external interference at play.

Searching for any signs of danger, my gaze halted when I spotted a large lump of charred meat in the distance. It was a corpse, bearing a familiar signature, which crumbled and disintegrated into ash resembling brittle charcoal.

That was the shark ultimate class demon. To burn a water demon to such an extent was exceedingly rare, a feat achievable only by the upper echelons of the ultimate class.

A massive bolt of lightning descended, lashing the sea. But for a fleeting moment, as we all gazed at the sky, the lightning bolt had served as a light source illuminating the clouds, and giving us a glimpse of a serpentine silhouette creature gliding in the sky.

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"Oh, fuck! What the hell was that?!" screamed one of the exorcists aboard.

Confusion enveloped everyone, but I, on the other hand, knew exactly what it was and nearly suffered a heart attack. Whether encountering something like that out here was a stroke of bad or good luck, only the future would reveal.

Sheathing my sword and joining my palms together in a respectful gesture, I spoke, "Honorable dragon, thank you for assisting us."

Regardless of the intentions of the entity above, it didn't matter. The only appropriate response was to show respect. We stood no chance against it.

A colossal head emerged from the clouds—a dark blue dragon. It possessed the elongated, serpentine form rather than the Western kind. As it descended closer, its immense size became truly horrifying. It appeared capable of obliterating mountains with a mere swipe of its tail!

Its dark blue scales glistened, and one of its whiskers was as large as Carpy. The yellow tint in its eyes resembled that of a wild beast, yet behind that gaze lay the wisdom of a demon who had outlived any human's comprehension.

The dragon exuded an intimidating presence, so powerful that even the wind seemed to cease its movement around it. Additionally, due to Carpy's sensory abilities, I could discern further than just physical power. On a spiritual level, the dragon's Ord felt like an infinitely tall pillar pointing towards the sky, as if its inner energy was boundless.

Glancing back at the wide-eyed, awe-struck individuals behind me, I motioned for them to follow suit, and they complied. Even someone with a basic understanding of Ord could sense that this was not an opponent we could confront.

The only one who frowned at this was Agon, whom Anika slapped on the back of the head and forced him to act respectfully. I wasn't sure how well Orochi, if he possessed Agon's body, would fare against a dragon. After all, he couldn't heal after being turned to ash.

"What are you humans doing here?" asked the dragon, its voice brimming with power, as if its words alone could manifest miracles.

Seeing a dragon was surreal. It represented the pinnacle of power I aspired to reach, surpassing even my wildest imagination. Since no one else answered, I decided to step up and be the spokesperson. "We're heading to Avalon Island."

I dared not lie, considering the dragons' abundant magical abilities, surpassing even those of the nine-tailed foxes.

The dragon frowned and snorted, its head inching closer to the ship. It was so enormous that the ship could fit inside its nostril. If it breathed even slightly heavily, the ship would be overturned.

"You smell familiar," the dragon commented.

"I have a high-class demon that used to be a Carp," I stated, leaving the rest open to interpretation. I didn't want some of the degenerates on the boat to know my true intentions.

"You will die in there," the dragon declared, as if it were an inevitable fact. "That place is filled with creatures that slipped into the outside world and returned. However, my father placed a barrier around this place to protect humans from the monsters outside. But that doesn't mean he will shield others from their own stupidity."

What he failed to mention was that his father, the Dragon King, often sent demons to Avalon Island, those monsters who had made it back from the outside world. Typically, demons who ventured to the outside world were overwhelmed and returned here with their tails between their legs, but they were still altered upon their return.

Furthermore, he didn't even hint that if we were to survive, we might bring something from Avalon Island with origins in the outside world, potentially endangering humanity.

The dragon flew back into the dark clouds, the storm trailing behind him as he departed. Once he was far enough away, some people dropped to their knees, perspiring profusely. It was likely the first time they had sensed such raw power.

"Okay, let's not linger here for too long before something far beyond our abilities starts sniffing around," I said, keeping Carpy fused with me until he woke up. Then I glanced at the Kuro Clan Head. "You take charge now."

He nodded. The irritating bastard probably only allowed me to speak with the dragon because he believed I possessed knowledge of the future. It was fortunate that we encountered the Dragon King's son, as he had only one daughter, an actual murderous dragon who would have killed us for even daring to go to Avalon Island.

Hopefully, nothing else would interrupt us on our journey there.

…

It took a week of nothing happening before we finally saw land again. The vast expanse of water gave way to the sight of Avalon Island rising from the horizon. At first glance, the island appeared deceptively normal, adorned with lush greenery, swaying palm trees, and golden sandy beaches. But upon closer inspection, a sense of unease began to settle in.

The island seemed to defy the rules of nature in subtle yet disconcerting ways. The trees bore leaves of unusual hues, their vibrant colors not found in any known plant species. The chirping of birds carried a haunting melody that echoed through the air, filling the atmosphere with an otherworldly ambiance. The gentle waves lapping against the shore emitted a faint, melodic hum, as if the sea itself was singing a melancholic tune.

The flora and fauna seemed ordinary at first glance, yet there was an underlying strangeness to their forms, like nature had taken an unexpected twist. Flowers bloomed in patterns never seen before, their petals arranged in intricate geometries that defied conventional botanical knowledge. Butterflies fluttered about, their wings adorned with mesmerizing patterns that seemed to shift and transform with each passing moment.

As our ship cautiously approached the enigmatic shore, a peculiar sight greeted us—a figure lying motionless on the sand, a survivor who had washed up on this strange island.