The evening sky glowed gold, dyeing the endless ocean in a warm shimmer.

Under that light, the colossal Red Dragon Boat shone brilliantly, like a floating divine palace born from flames.

Ships that had been anchored nearby were already fleeing because of the earlier chaos.

But suddenly—

"Hey... what is that?"

"A shadow?"

"No... no way... I’ve heard of that thing... the ship that travels inside its own shadow..."

"The Shadow Pearl... Phantom Pirates!"

"They’re coming straight toward the Red Dragon Boat... and not slowing down!"

A cold silence spread across the sea as every sailor and Immortal Practitoners turned to watch.

The lonely, drifting silhouette didn’t hesitate.

It didn’t dodge.

It didn’t turn.

It simply glided across the waves—

and then merged directly into the Red Dragon Boat’s shadow, disappearing like a drop of ink falling into darkness.

The guards of the Red Dragon Boat panicked.

"Find the intruder!"

"Jump! Check below the hull!"

They dove into the sea, splashing wildly, searching for the Shadow Pearl.

But no matter how deep they looked, they couldn’t find even a hint of it.

Then—

Hands burst out of the shadows.

"W-What—?!"

Arms made of darkness wrapped around the legs of the guards, dragging them down into the black abyss.

The guards struggled desperately, but a small floating chessboard illusion appeared before their eyes.

Their limbs weakened instantly.

"Ugh... my strength..."

In moments, they were pulled into the shadows and vanished.

One guard barely escaped and landed back on deck, panting, water dripping from his armor.

His hand holding the sword trembled violently.

He slowly lowered his gaze—

A hand crawled out of his own shadow, gripping his leg.

"A-AAAHHHH!"

He slashed wildly, but his blade cut nothing.

There was no target.

A whisper came behind him.

"Behind you."

He spun—

And the scenery changed.

He was no longer on the Red Dragon Boat.

He stood inside a dark, eerie ship, the interior warped like a twisted reflection.

Through a thin layer of gloom, he could faintly see the outside world—like he was trapped inside a glass lantern filled with shadows.

A footstep echoed.

A woman wearing a plague doctor mask walked out, holding a vial emitting purple smoke.

"Ohhh... good, good~ Looks like my hallucination gas still works perfectly."

She bowed gracefully.

"Hello~ I am Malefic Catalyst. You may call me MC."

Her voice revealed her identity—Mathilda.

More shadowy figures appeared one by one, slipping out of every patch of darkness aboard the Red Dragon Boat.

MC rose, the shadows beneath her feet swirling like liquid.

She appeared on top of a pillar’s shadow only a moment later, like teleportation.

As long as the Shadow Pearl remained merged with the Red Dragon Boat’s shadow—

any shadow on the boat was an entrance.

MC raised both arms and laughed wildly.

"NOW!

Rob the ship!

Capture the women!

Kill all men!"

"YEAHHHH!!"

The Phantom Pirates surged forward.

Chaos exploded instantly.

Guards clashed swords with shadow figures.

Merchants ran screaming.

Some pirates were slashed before they could even form a thought.

Others were dragged down into the shadows by numerous hands.

A flash of light sliced through the battle.

A figure descended from above—the girl with one angel wing and one demon wing.

Astrid.

She landed beside MC, raising her hand.

A soft white light burst forth, washing over every Phantom Pirate—

their wounds healed instantly, and their shadows stabilized.

"Thanks, Angel~" MC winked.

The battle resumed immediately.

Above them, in swirling black smoke, a girl floated while holding a large umbrella.

A pirate tried to stab her—

But her body vanished, leaving only the umbrella behind.

She reappeared behind him, kicking him in the spine.

Darla.

On the deck, a bunny girl with a giant scythe stood casually atop a pile of bodies.

Su Fei.

She wiped her blade and flicked blood away like she was bored.

Another group of pirates tried to climb onto the Red Dragon Boat—

and were punted away like trash.

A brown, tanned girl wearing a revealing outfit cracked her knuckles.

Her Phantom mask hid her expression, but her overwhelming strength didn’t need words.

Myrtle.

Wind blades suddenly shot out, slicing weapons apart.

A masked magician twirled her staff.

Lanny.

Just when the Phantom Pirates were gaining momentum—

A thunderous dragon roar shook the sea.

Everyone looked up.

A massive white dragon descended, its scales glowing with divine force.

"Master Zin!!"

"Damn it—he’s here!"

"Those Phantom Pirates are finished!"

The white dragon opened its jaws, gathering frightening power—

A giant Dragon Breath shot straight toward MC.

MC threw dozens of talismans, but they evaporated instantly.

Her eyes widened.

The breath engulfed her and Astrid—

---

Earlier, before all this—

"The enemy is a Loose Immortal. Can we even fight against that...?" Darla asked nervously.

"Hehehe~ Don’t worry," Mathilda said confidently.

"I’m sure Tyler has already prepared something."

"Huh? No," Tyler said.

Mathilda froze.

"...No?"

"No plan. None."

She grabbed him by the collar.

"What do you MEAN no plan?! We already put on phantom masks! We already turned into Phantom Pirates! WE’RE ALREADY ON THE WAY THERE!"

Everyone stared.

Zuzia.

Priscilla.

Lanny.

Myrtle.

Even Astrid’s wings drooped.

Tyler coughed lightly.

"Ahem. Well... I do have something."

He waved his hand.

A stack of glowing golden armors appeared.

"Celestial Armours?!" Mathilda gasped.

"But you beat that guy in the Abyss while he was wearing this, didn’t you? And you were only a 1-star Grandmaster back then..." Mathilda said in disbelief.

"That’s because Adam and Dusk weakened the armor first," Tyler explained. "In normal condition, even a Beginner Immortal would struggle to kill someone wearing this."

The girls immediately put them on —the armor shifted shape and turned black to match their Phantom Pirate outfits.

"Okay... maybe this won’t be useless..." MC muttered.

---

Back to the present—

The smoke cleared.

MC and Astrid stood there unharmed, their Celestial Armors glowing faintly.

MC exhaled in relief.

"Hahaha... well... that was close..."

A loud explosion shook the boat.

Part of the Red Dragon Boat’s first floor collapsed as something massive tore through it.

A giant black dragon, covered in lava-like veins, burst out roaring.

Zuzia.

Her dragon form radiated overwhelming pressure.

She roared once—

Then launched herself straight at the white dragon above.

The clash of two dragons sent shockwaves across the entire Red Dragon Boat.

The true battle...

had just begun.