Isadora clasped her hands behind her back, leaning forward with a smirk. "Well, Temptress, if even half of what this crispy man said is true... your captain might’ve just committed mass immortal-level property damage."

Masha added dryly, "And killed multiple powerful Immortal practitioners."

Isadora lifted a finger. "And destroyed a Legendary Dragon Boat under the Dragon King’s authority."

Masha lifted another. "And created a mushroom cloud visible across half the ocean."

"And," Isadora continued, "almost destabilized a floating island."

Lily slowly lowered her head into her hands. "I swear... if he’s not dead, I’m going to kill him myself."

Isadora chuckled wickedly. "Ooh, violent. I like this side of you."

The half-burned man under her charm giggled dreamily at Lily. "Your captain is... amazing..."

Lily gave him a flat, deadly glare. "Shut. Up." Then she muttered under her breath, "They dare to have so much fun without me..."

"Like Captain, like Vice-Captain," Masha sighed.

Isadora nodded in agreement, though she still looked more shocked than amused.

Suddenly, Isadora snapped her fingers. "Oi! Check the Northern Net!"

Lily tapped her watch, opening the digital feed. The moment the holographic screen materialized in front of her, her expression froze.

Something was trending.

Something very, very bad.

Isadora leaned over her shoulder, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"Oh... this is going to be good."

---

In Northern Network News (NNN)

A shocking news began to spread across the entire world.

From the frozen cliffs of Northern Nox Pass, across the bustling empires of the Ixalaria Continent, all the way to the stars light pouring borders of the Southern Edge.

one name thundered through every port, palace, sects, academies and pirate den.

Whispers rose... then turned into fear.

Fear became panic. And panic became chaos.

For the first time in centuries, the Dragon King’s absolute authority had been challenged.

Recently, a newly risen pirate group—the mysterious and infamous Phantom Pirates—displayed a level of power that no one expected from such a young crew. In a confrontation that left the seas trembling, they defeated a Loose Immortal-level cultivator, the Dragon Boat Master, a direct subordinate of the Dragon King himself.

But what truly shook the heavens wasn’t just their victory... It was the scandal that followed.

The crew’s captain, the enigmatic Phantom Blackwood, had allegedly manipulated the Dragon Princess herself, turning her against her own lineage and provoking an attack on one of the Dragon King’s Floating Trading Hubs. With calculated precision and overwhelming force, Phantom Blackwood and his crew infiltrated the Red Dragon Boat, dismantled the infamous Red Skulls Pirates, subdued the White Dragon Vice Master, and even ambushed the Red Dragon Master.

Though they failed to kill him. He was seriously injured and was forced to escape.

What came next was nothing short of apocalyptic.

With years of stolen resources and secret preparation, the Phantom Pirates unleashed a forbidden alchemy blast that obliterated the entire Red Dragon Boat. Nearby vessels were vaporised, shockwaves shattered communication arrays for miles, and even a flying island was nearly torn from the sky.

In the aftermath, the seas boiled. Literally and politically.

The Sky Dragon Palace and Sea Dragon Palace — the twin pillars of the Dragon King’s Territory — were enraged beyond reason. Their wrath echoed across continents as they issued multiple bounties, each one so astronomically high that even veteran Immortals felt their hearts stir with greed.

---

Bounties are getting Issued Simultaneously by the Sky Dragon Palace & Sea Dragon Palace

Relayed across Nox Pass, Ixalaria, and the Southern Edge

---

A deafening roar of information spread throughout every cities, port, and teleportation hub.

『 WORLDWIDE BOUNTY DECLARATION — PHANTOM PIRATES & ASSOCIATED CRIMINALS 』

Many bounty posters are getting distributed.

Note: "*" indicates unverified strength estimates based on battle reports, detection arrays, and eyewitness accounts.

A wave of papers burst from sky, raining down like snow almost everywhere in the world.

Every sheet carried a face... a name... and a bounty that made even Immortals swallow hard.

---

◆ LONELY WIDOW ◆

A silent omen drifting beneath a cursed umbrella.

Image: A veiled girl floating gently under a ghostly umbrella, clad entirely in widow’s garments.

Strength: Grandmaster Level*

Bounty: 100 Million Lydia

"Avoid direct eye contact — victims report losing memories upon gaze contact."

—Dragon Palace Intelligence Unit

---

◆ ABYSS ANGEL ◆

The Fallen Balance.

Image: A young woman with one white wing and one black wing, halo cracked and flickering like a dying star.

Strength: Grandmaster Level*

Bounty: 250 Million Lydia

"Believed to possess forbidden dual-divinity. Approach with caution."

---

◆ LADY REAPER ◆

Death by snusnu.

Image: A bunny girl with tall ears, a Kitsune mask hiding her face, and a deadly crescent sickle.

Strength: Divine Seeker Stage*

Bounty: 500 Million Lydia

"Her dance resembles teleportation. Bodies usually found smiling. Suspects to have Time Element"

---

◆ MALEFIC CATALYST — "MC" ◆

The Pink Plague Alchemist.

Image: A shapely woman in a provocative outfit, plague doctor mask, and glowing pink alchemical vials.

Strength: Unknown

Bounty: 700 Million Lydia

"Confirmed use of emotion-altering toxins. Do not inhale her pink toxic fumes."

---

◆ THE GHOST PRINCESS ◆

The Eerie Maiden of Sweets.

Image: A voluptuous girl in a yukata, long black hair covering half her face as she licks a kulfi ice cream.

Strength: Unknown*

Bounty: 800 Million Lydia

"Recorded walking through walls. Last seen giggling."

---

◆ TEMPTRESS ◆

Vice-Captain of the Phantom Pirates.

The Lightning Whip Siren.

Image: A dangerously tempting woman in a seductive combat suit, wielding a whip crackling with lightning arcs.

Strength: Divine Seeker Stage*

Bounty: 900 Million Lydia

"Able to manipulate battlefield morale. Responsible for multiple naval disruptions."

---

◆ DRAGON PRINCESS ◆

The Fallen Royal Flame.

Image: The Dragon Princess herself, with molten lava wings, obsidian horns, and eyes burning with rebellion.

Strength: Divine Seeker Stage*

Bounty: 900 Million Lydia

"Her betrayal ignited the floating trade hub’s destruction."

---

◆ PHANTOM BLACKWOOD ◆

Captain of the Phantom Pirates.

The Abyss in Human Form.

Image: A man in a half-white, half-black mask, dressed in a gentleman’s suit. Darkness swirls around him as he grips the Abyss Trident.

Strength: Unknown*

Bounty: 1.1 Billion Lydia

"Primary orchestrator of the Red Dragon Boat Catastrophe.

Direct confrontation is forbidden."

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

Inside the White Pearl — now as the respectable White Merchant Group — chaos broke out the moment the bounty posters appeared.

"HOLY MOLLY — I GOT A BOUNTY!"

Mathilda spun in circles, doing a ridiculous jig that shook the floorboards.

"Since when can I take remove memories?" Darla blinked at her poster, confused. "Also, Where the hell did they even get these pictures?"

Mana materialized out of thin air, floating upside down with a straight face. "Mana saw these pictures in Mathilda’s gallery."

Everyone slowly turned toward Mathilda.

Mathilda giggled nervously, hands behind her back. "W-well... I did upload them to NN a while ago. Anonymously! I didn’t want bad rumors spreading about us, so I posted little stories like ’Phantom Pirates robbed multiple ships’ and... stuff. Tee-hee..."

Silence.

Everyone collectively decided to ignore her existence for the next ten seconds.

---

Back at Isadora’s ship

Isadora whistled low.

"Wow... your bounty is HIGH, Temptress. Even I’m tempted." She licked her lips dramatically.

Lily smirked. "Such a small amount? If you joined us, you wouldn’t need money ever again." She winked and leaned over to check her own poster.

Her smile froze.

’Looks like Lily Gomes needs to use a different weapon from now on...’ she thought grimly.

---

Far to the North, beyond Nox Pass, beyond the frost storms, and beyond anything mortals dared to chart, space itself tore open like ripped cloth.

From the gaping wound in reality, a scaled hand emerged — massive enough to crush mountains. It clenched around the body of a colossal Titan Kraken, a creature whose tentacles could blanket islands.

The hand squeezed.

"Disintegrate."

One word.

That was all.

The entire kraken—flesh, bone, core, and soul—crumbled into glowing dust. The spatial tear collapsed with it, erased cleanly from existence.

The figure stepped out fully into the frozen air. His eyes—golden, slit-pupiled, and ancient—gleamed as he turned his gaze southward.

"Hehe... looks like some children are playing around again."

He shook his head in mild amusement.

Then his body expanded — scales rippling, bones stretching — until a giant golden dragon towered above the sea. He flapped his wings once and shot deeper into the North, leaving behind a sight no mortal could comprehend:

A black hole floating above the water’s surface. A perfect sphere of darkness.

Yet the sea did not enter it.

As if the ocean itself feared touching it.

Moments after the dragon vanished, multiple mermaid heads peeked out from the water’s surface. Their delicate fins shimmered like gemstones.

"Good... the Dragon King left," one whispered.

Another nodded. "Then let’s finish the task the Mermaid Queen gave us."

Without another word, the beautiful mermaids dove beneath the waves. Their bodies dissolved into water like ink spreading through the sea, vanishing completely.

Far above, the sky remained quiet.

But the world itself was beginning to stir.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

Author Here:

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