The colossal, mountain-sized Red Dragon Boat did not merely explode— it detonated with a violence that defied mortal understanding. In the span of a heartbeat, its entire structure vanished in a blinding sphere of emerald light. A towering mushroom cloud of green fire roared upward, blooming like a celestial inferno.

The temperature spiked so drastically that the clouds overhead evaporated instantly, leaving a gaping void in the sky. Entire layers of seawater beneath the vessel flash-boiled into vapor, erupting into a hissing tsunami of white mist that shrouded the horizon.

This was no ordinary explosion. The volatile Alchemical Spirit Liquid had triggered a catastrophic alchemical chain reaction — raw chaotic energy released unchecked, tearing through the very fabric of the atmosphere. Every crew member aboard the Red Dragon Boat was vaporized in less than a fraction of a second, leaving not even ash behind.

Because water is non-compressible, the blast traveled through the sea far faster and harder than it could through air. The shockwave slammed outward like a divine hammer.

Ships that had begun fleeing moments earlier were overtaken.

Some were simply gone — disassembled at the atomic level. Others fared slightly better but were still doomed; their hulls buckled inward from the water hammer, decks splintered, and crew members were hurled overboard, blinded or burned by the incandescent flash. The ocean floor shook from the violent transmission.

Hundred kilometers away, even ships protected by multiple defensive arrays groaned under the pressure. Barriers —erected by seasoned practitioners —shattered like brittle glass as the emerald wall of energy struck them. Smaller vessels were flipped or crushed outright, swallowed by boiling water or smashed to pieces by the spiritual shockwave radiating outward.

Even the Floating Island, suspended five hundred kilometers from the blast site, was not spared. The chaotic pulse rippled across the sky and collided with the island’s intricate protective formations. Flight arrays etched into the island’s foundation flickered, then screamed — a high-pitched keening as thousands of prana stones overloaded and burst.

The inscriptions anchoring the island dimmed, then blackened entirely, severing the flow of stabilized energy keeping it afloat. With a thunderous groan that reverberated across heaven and earth, the colossal landmass tilted. Its anti-gravity formations failed one after another, and it began a slow, dreadful descent toward the emerald maelstrom below.

At the center of the blast site, a hollow column of water had been carved out. As it collapsed, it created a massive, donut-shaped ring of emerald radioactive mist that spread outward in all directions. The swirling vapor shimmered with lethal corruption; anything caught within would be riddled with deadly energy — an invisible doom for any crew not sealed deep within reinforced sanctums.

Far away, near the Nox Pass, a spatial tear ripped open with a violent screech. From the distortion emerged a battered red dragon, its once-magnificent scales cracked and shedding like dying embers. Smoke poured from its maw, and its single eye burned with fury.

"Phantom Blackwood... Mana... I will kill you both!" the Red Dragon howled, its Loose Immortal aura flickering and unstable. Its domain was shattered, its vitality drained, and its spirit trembling from the detonation it barely escaped.

Meanwhile, the ones responsible — the Phantom Pirates — were nowhere to be found.

Not a shadow. Not a footprint. Not a whisper of their presence.

They had already vanished into the depths of the Shadow, and depth of the ocean leaving behind only chaos, ruin... and a dragon’s vow of vengeance.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

Somewhere near the Nox Pass, inside a sleek merchant ship whose entire crew currently wandered around with glassy hearty eyes — victims of Manhunter Isadora Nightkiss’s irresistible charm spell — the atmosphere was strangely calm.

Lily, dressed in her Temptress outfit, turned toward the open sea. A sudden surge of wind hit the ship, rocking it hard enough to make the deck creak. The wind didn’t stop — it continued in waves, like aftershocks from some distant catastrophe.

"What the hell was that?" Lily muttered, her brows knitting.

"Is that the aftereffect of an Immortal battle?" Isadora’s sultry voice floated over. She appeared atop a throne-like chair carried by four charmed men, swaying like royalty as they obediently walked in perfect rhythm.

Lily stared at her and sighed. "I don’t know..."

Before either woman could analyze further, Masha leaped into the sky with a burst of wind, heading straight toward the sea to investigate.

"Is she always like that?" Lily asked, watching Masha vanish into the horizon.

"Y-yeah... such a free spirit," Isadora sighed dramatically.

Lily folded her arms. "So... what exactly are you planning to do with that guy?" She pointed at the tied-up Ling Tian lying unconscious near the mast.

Isadora’s lips curled into a smirk. "Oh, him? He’s bait for a very rich customer. Her name is Lily Gomes. Apparently, she has a kink for dressing up as a Phantom Pirate."

Lily paused.

Then lifted her chin proudly.

"As expected. I had a hunch. I knew you’d already guessed it was me."

"Hehehe~" Isadora giggled, twirling a lock of her dark hair. "My intuition is flawless. The Phantom Pirates and the White Merchant Group have shown up in the same places way too many times. Only someone who stalks both groups would connect the dots."

Lily leaned closer. "Sometimes, yes. But not always. Actually — many times we weren’t even close." Her eyes narrowed shrewdly. "You charmed someone on our ship, didn’t you?"

Isadora froze.

Then groaned.

"Fine, I’m busted. As expected of Detective Lily Gomes." She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I charmed a random crewmember the first time I boarded your ship. He’s no longer under my control, but I still have a sense for his presence. Coincidentally..." She smirked. "He’s always nearby whenever Phantom Pirates appear. And also when the White Merchant Group shows up."

"Keep it a secret," Lily said firmly. "As you already know, my captain is rich. Ridiculously rich. He can pay you enough to shut that pretty mouth."

Isadora tapped her lips. "Or..." Her eyes glimmered mischievously. "Maybe I should seduce your captain."

Lily stared.

Then shrugged.

"You already tried. And failed. Miserably. But if you seriously want him as a sugar daddy, just join our crew."

Isadora actually paused, thinking about it. "...Not a bad suggestion," she murmured. Then she added with a whisper, "By the way, don’t tell Masha. She’s torn between wanting to kill your Phantom captain... and wanting to date his other identity." She giggled gleefully. "Drama is so delicious."

---

Masha returned from the sky with a thunderous sound, landing on the deck while carrying a man who looked half-burned, half-cooked, and fully miserable. Smoke still curled off his hair.

Isadora wrinkled her nose in theatrical disgust. "Who is this?"

Masha dropped the man unceremoniously onto the deck, "Found him floating in the sea. There were traces of spatial fluctuation around him — fresh ones. Means he used some sort of teleportation escape charm a few minutes ago." She crossed her arms. "Probably related to the impact we saw."

Lily raised a brow. "Teleportation charms in the northern region? With the void this unstable?" She whistled. "That means he had no choice. He must’ve been desperate."

Before Lily could examine the man, Isadora strutted forward and crouched beside him. She placed a finger on his forehead, and pink mist flickered around her fingertip.

His eyes snapped open — glowing with a giant pink heart inside each pupil.

Behind her plague mask, Lily grimaced.

"Alright, sweetie," Isadora said softly, batting her lashes. "Tell big sister: What happened before you teleported?"

Even through his severe burns, the man’s expression melted into a lovestruck grin. "Phaa... Phantooom... Pirates..." he sighed dreamily.

Lily pinched her ears. Maybe she heard it wrong.

Both Masha and Isadora were staring at her now, waiting.

Lily pretended not to notice and focused instead on the information in front of her. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

The man continued, voice slurring but oddly enthusiastic, "They invaded the Red Dragon Boat! And — and within hours, they defeated the Red Skull Pirates and even the Vice Master of the Red Dragon Boat. We... we don’t know what happened to the Red Dragon Master..."

Isadora leaned closer, eyes gleaming.

"But— but... then the impossible happened," the man wheezed. "The whole crew retreated suddenly and the entire ship— blasted apart. Annihilated! Everything within hundreds of kilometers was wiped out. I was three hundred kilometers away... and I still almost died!"

Masha and Isadora slowly turned their heads.

Their gazes locked onto Lily — who is now Temptress, Vice Captain of the Phantom Pirates.

Lily’s eye twitched. "Okay — before either of you say anything — I was literally here with you the entire time. I have no idea what happened."

Masha pointed a clawed finger at her. "Destroying a Dragon Boat... do you understand what this means? This isn’t just piracy. This is declaring war on the whole Dragon king. Both the Sky Dragon Palace and the Sea Dragon Palace will hunt your crew!"

Lily’s expression froze.

Then — the realization hit her.

Her Captain who just regained his memory did something chaotic again.

Lily threw her head back and bellowed loud enough to scare the sea birds off the mast:

"WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO, CAPTAIN?!"

Her voice echoed across the ocean.

Even the charmed crew flinched.