The battle on the cliff was nearing its end, but the raid on the Black islands was only just beginning.

  The Black islands consist of three large islands and several smaller ones. The raid was carried out on one of the three which was the one closest to Middleworld, because it was the only one heavily populated and fortified. If Two’s group were to settle on any of the islands, it would be this one, thanks to its supplies, defenses, and housing. The other two large islands were mainly used for agriculture.

  The reason why Two wanted to eliminate the western fleet was clear. One of the reasons he wanted to get rid of the eastern fleet was certainly that it would be the only fleet capable of reaching another island, allowing its people to continue from there toward the main one. That could have led to a surprise attack.

  Some could say that a smart thing for the united army of Middleworld would be to debark on the surounding islands, however the united army didn't want to risk Two's group noticing the united army on the other islands as Two's group would have more time to escape.

  Raven stepped off the anchored ship onto the northern part of the island. Alongside her were 149 other members of the united army. Everyone began scanning the surroundings, checking whether anyone from Two’s group was nearby. At that moment, a person cloaked from head to toe with a scarf covering their face jumped out of the bushes.

  The figure drew a sword and attacked Raven. One army member stood in front of her and tried to subdue the attacker with a single strike. The cloaked person dodged the blow and slashed the soldier deep across the stomach, ending his life.

  The cloaked figure reached Raven, and their swords met. They began fencing, each strike blocked by the other’s blade.

  The moment the cloaked attacker attempted to strike Raven’s head, Raven ducked and drove her sword into their body, sending the person to the ground.

  “Who the hell is that?” - “No idea, but it’s strange they didn’t use any abilities.” - Similar whispers echoed in the background as Raven prepared to examine the person she had just killed.

  The moment she reached to pull back the sleeve and check the number, several more cloaked figures attacked the army led by Raven.

  Meanwhile, Wind landed on the southern part of the island. A short distance from the shore stood several trees forming a forest - like this all around the island. Wind spotted several cloaked figures hiding behind those trees and attacked them, ensuring her fleet, already very close, could debark safely.

  Thanks to the power of the white Crystal, Wind had no trouble defeating them.

  Strange… No one used any abilities. Could these be just pawns of Two’s group? Whatever. I need to reach the center of the island before they start escaping. I have to stop at least most of them.

  Wind rose into the air again while, in the background, the southern fleet began disembarking.

  The northern force left about twenty people behind to deal with the cloaked attackers. The rest continued toward the center of the island. This raid was a race against time, the more time lost, the more members of Two’s group could escape. That said, no one participating in the raid knew that almost all members of Two’s group were already at the cliff.

  The northern and southern forces continued toward the island’s center. Meanwhile, the eastern fleet began disembarking or rather, the four ships that remained of it. The eastern soldiers began their journey toward the main island.

  View of the main island:

  As for the western fleet… CHAOS.

  120 members of the united army were in the water. Only one ship remained intact… everyone was trying to swim toward it.

  The remaining ship was large enough to take all 120 people aboard… but there was another, far more terrifying problem.

  Ow… I think I hit my head… Still, it’s kinda nice lying here… in the water. - Grin’s thoughts were interrupted by another person in the water shaking him.

  Grin snapped back to reality and surfaced. He grabbed onto a wooden plank which was a remnant of the ship destroyed by Nine.

  Most of the four destroyed ships had shattered into billions of tiny pieces due to Nine’s ability. Some parts, however, had separated from the ships before the ability fully destroyed them… those pieces now floated in the sea between Middleworld and the Black islands. That was also why everyone aboard survived as the fragments weren’t attached to them, so they didn’t disintegrate with the ships.

  Most people in the sea swam toward these floating planks to catch their breath before heading for the last remaining ship.

  Some people, like Grin, had hit the water badly, struck by falling debris. These people were sinking toward the bottom, while those still conscious tried to save them.

  Grin and two other members of the united army clung to a plank. - “Everyone alright? This water is freezing… the Brown month is really messing with us haha.” - “Please… you just can’t handle a little cold… this water is warm compared to the north!!” - The two exchanged jokes. Grin laughed internally, but his focus was elsewhere.

  “Hey you two… I think… I think I saw something pull someone under.” - “He probably just dove under… Don’t worry, I’ll catch my breath and start helping pull people out.” - “I’ll join too,” said Grin. The northerner pointed at Grin’s bleeding head and advised him to head for the ship instead.

  True… my head hurts a bit… BUT DAMN IT. I’m supposed to be leading this group. This is nothing compared to Lava lake… A little blood? Whatever. - “A little blood won’t stop me, I’ll help pull others” - Before Grin could finish… chaos began.

  His sentence was cut off by screams. All three turned toward the sound… Blood… everywhere.

  People in the water were being dragged under. Wherever someone vanished, the water turned red.

  “EVERYONE OUT OF THE WATER NOW!” - Came a shout from the last standing ship.

  “LISTEN… HE… HE’S BACK… IT’S… NINETEEN… NINETEEN IS IN THE WATER!!” - Shouted a member of the blue Crystal kingdom in the water, someone who had heard a lot about Nineteen biting off the arm of leader Aqua and steal the legendary trident.

  The moment he shouted, Nineteen emerged from the water and bit his head off. Then he dove back beneath the surface and continued hunting.

  Panic spread. Everyone swam toward the remaining ship. Grin swam with them. Archers aboard tried to hit Nineteen but failed because he moved through the water with terrifying speed. One archer even accidentally hit a united army soldier. The half-man, half-shark was back.

  100, 95, 90, 85… the number of people in the water kept dropping. - So this is Nineteen… A DAMN SHARK MAN!! Funny thing is, I’ve never even seen a real shark… BUT A HALF SHARK? YEAH… Damn… I need to reach that ship fast… only about 30 to 40 meters left. - Grin thought as bodies disappeared beneath the surface behind him.

  Back on the main Black island, the united army continued advancing through the forest separating the inhabited area from the beach.

  The journey through the forest was eerily calm… - Did Two really prepare defenses only at the beach? Were those few people supposed to stop us?? Raven wondered as her group emerged from the trees.

  The island’s main area contained only a few trees, bushes, and small hills. Otherwise, it was completely open terrain. This was where Horw once fought Two’s entire group.

  “Stay alert… anything could be waiting for us in the main area.” - Raven said as her group prepared their weapons.

  After an hour of walking, the group exited the forest. Ahead of them… nothing. No original inhabitants in sight. Only houses and larger buildings constructed before Two’s group arrived.

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  “Uh oh… I don’t like this.” - “Where is everyone?” - “Raven… orders?” - The group was confused. Raven wiped nervous sweat from her forehead. - “Let's split into small groups of ten. We… we continue toward the center. If... (Raven grabbed her trembling hand.) if the other fleets weren’t attacked, we’ll meet them there.”

  The southern group followed a similar plan, advance toward the center. If legendary weapons were anywhere, they would be there.

  Before the groups reached the center, the battle at the cliff and Nineteen’s hunt had already ended.

  Yellow month, day 33.

  Grin II - leader of the black Crystal kingdom’s army rested in a room on one of the highest floors of the Main castle located in Main city.

  Horwann had a room on the same floor. The higher someone stayed in the castle, the more important they were.

  Grin began hearing footsteps on the stairs. Louder and louder. They stopped on his floor. A figure entered the room… it was Grin III - his son.

  “Son! How was the journey? Was Lava lake nice?” Grin III approached the bed. - “You could say my feet were literally on fire haha!... Um… dad… how are you?”

  Grin worried deeply about his father. They hadn’t spoken much since the Dark celebration. - “My wounds are healing! Don’t worry. My ear won’t grow back, but I’ll be fine within a month!!” - Silence settled between them.

  “Hey dad… why did you name me Grin? You know… it gets confusing when someone calls for us haha…” - “True… me and your mother didn’t think about that like that back then. I thought it would be nice if you carried my name… because… when I’m gone, someone will still bear it… my legacy.”

  Grin didn’t know what to say for a moment. - “Dad that’s… kinda dark thinking… why think so far ahead… You know… I… I… Dad. At Lava lake… I saw death right in front of me.”

  Grin tried to rise and comfort his trembling son. Whatever happened at Lava lake didn’t matter to him, he just wanted to hold his son.

  “DON’T TOUCH ME… Sorry. Dad, I don’t know what’s happening to me. A few weeks ago nothing was really that serious… Horw and I just wanted to become the greatest swordsmen… and now… I miss those days.”

  “My mindset changed… I feel it. I don't walk around smiling, thinking only about enjoying today anymore. I lost my best friend, almost lost you… and almost burned to ash myself. I try to keep my carefree attitude on the outside… but the truth is… I don’t know what comes next. My goal feels pathetic now.”

  Grin finally embraced his son as he collapsed onto his shoulder.

  Brown month, night 27 - Western Fleet.

  Grin stopped about fifteen meters from the ship. - Why am I running? This man surely played a role in Horw’s death. Shouldn’t I face him? My father leads an army, and I want to become the greatest swordsman. Am and want are very different. I’m nobody. My friend is dead and I’m running from his killer. Why… why did Ash let me go? I don’t deserve it.

  Nineteen was already close, ready to bite. Grin floated motionless in the water. People screamed at him to climb aboard. He didn’t move. Had he given up?

  Nineteen opened his shark jaws. A millimeter from Grin’s leg. Ready to bite. But Nineteen was outplayed.

  The moment Nineteen bit down, Grin’s sword pierced through his jaw. Grin hadn’t given up. Grin had focused, carefully listening to Nineteen’s movements, counting the exact moment he would approach. The original plan was to stab him before the bite… but this worked too.

  Best swordsman my ass. How can I claim that when my partner is dead and there are so many stronger people who could kill me easily? And of course… I’ve achieved nothing… NOTHING. - These thoughts raced through Grin’s mind as he drove his sword deeper.

  Nineteen released him and sank in the water. - “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING? YOU THINK YOU CAN HUNT US ALL? LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, LITTLE FISH… YOU HAVEN’T MET ME YET… GRIN III, SON OF THE BLACK CRYSTAL ARMY’S LEADER!!!” Inside zero confidence. Outside the fearless Grin everyone knew, burning for revenge… revenge for Horw.

  

  Grin dived underwater, following Nineteen’s sinking body while dragging his completely ruined leg behind him, thanks to Nineteen’s bite… If Grin had reacted even a moment later, he would already have been underwater and dead.

  Grin wanted to make sure he had killed Nineteen… He hadn’t. Nineteen, with his jaw pierced through, looked at Grin and attacked. He began circling around him at an extremely fast speed. Grin was on guard again, carefully watching Nineteen’s movements. Nineteen could lunge at him at any moment… This was a battle of reactions.

  Grin was slowly but surely getting closer to the surface, pushed upward by the pressure of the water. The closer he got, the greater the chance that Nineteen would attack.

  Dad… I wish I could talk to you right now. You’re the only one I can confide in. I… I’m scared. Until Two destroyed you and until he attacked Horw, I thought the world was all rainbows and sunshine. I’m very lucky to have been born into a powerful family. Luck can go kill itself though… I want to earn everything myself… I want people to know I’m not just following in your footsteps… I want… I want to fulfill my goals… But first I’ll have to earn that. - “BY DEFEATING THIS DAMN LITTLE FISH.” - Grin shouted this sentence underwater. Even though it couldn’t be heard very well, Grin insisted on yelling something underwater… hoping Nineteen would somehow hear him.

  The moment Grin shouted, Nineteen lunged at him, hoping Grin would be distracted. But Nineteen forgot one thing… Grin had been taught combat strategy by his father. THE COMMANDER OF THE BLACK CRYSTAL KINGDOM’S ARMY.

  Grin had expected exactly that Nineteen would try to use this moment and attack him from behind. With all his strength, Grin spun quickly and drove his sword straight into Nineteen’s neck.

  Grin thought Nineteen had to be dead for sure… but he was wrong. Nineteen’s body began to shake violently. Grin was running out of breath and wanted to surface, but at the same time he wanted to see what would happen.

  Nineteen stopped shaking… Nineteen transformed back into a human. His shark form was dead, but he as a human still lived. Nineteen began to panic and swam rapidly toward the surface. Grin followed right behind him, swimming after him despite the intense pain in his leg.

  Both of them surfaced. Grin a short distance from Nineteen. He was already preparing his sword to deliver the final blow. Suddenly, an arrow flew through Nineteen’s head.

  Nineteen was dead.

  Grin began looking around. The person who had fired the arrow was Coral, who had managed to climb back onto the ship while Grin fought Nineteen.

  “Good job, Grin!!! Get back on the ship quickly, we’ll take a look at that leg of yours!!!” - Another survivor shouted. A huge smile appeared on Grin’s face… a forced smile. “Of course!!! I’m swimming back already!!!”

  The others helped Grin climb onto the ship. - “Come with me below deck, Grin, I’ll look at your leg… and… amazing work down there in the water! I truly bow to you… You’re one of the few who defeated a member of Two’s group without Crystal assistance. Wow!!” - Grin began aggressively scratching his neck. - “SURE! Below deck… just give me a moment, okay?!!”

  Grin limped toward Coral. Coral held out his hand. - “Good job, Grin… you really showed yourself out there.” -“Thank you very much, Coral… that arrow of yours flew nicely too… straight into Nineteen’s head.”

  The two looked at each other for a moment. Coral smiling, excited that he had helped defeat a member of Two’s group. Grin with a forced smile.

  “Hey Coral. (Grin’s smile completely disappeared from his face, his eyes filling with anger.) You stole my kill.” - “What? Nooo, I’m sorry, I didn’t think about it like that at all! I just shot Nineteen to be safe, in case he escaped or something!!”

  Grin started laughing loudly, clutching his stomach, leaning all the way back.

  “Do you know who I am? DO YOU KNOW WHO THE HELL I AM??… An enemy wouldn’t escape the son of Grin II.” - “Hey, I’m really sorry, I didn’t think it would upset you this much. Hey! Next time we sail back to Middleworld, I’ll buy you a Pivson.” - (Pivson is an alcohol widespread across Middleworld… comparable to beer.)

  “That’s what you’d like, huh? You take the honor of killing a number and I get a shitty Pivson.” - “Grin, relaxxxx. Everyone’s giving that honor to you anyway!!” - “You’re right… YOU’RE RIGHT.”

  Grin tapped Coral on the shoulder and turned as if to leave.

  Suddenly, Grin turned back and punched Coral in the head. Before Coral could even realize what was happening, another hit landed. Right, left, right, left, Coral was on the ground. But Grin kept going, repeatedly punching Coral’s head. - “YOU STOLE MY KILL… MY DAMN KILL.” - The others on the ship rushed toward them and pulled Grin away.

  “STOP! I’m calm… I’m calm.” - Grin was dragged away and the people let go of him.

  Grin lowered his head and began pounding his fists against the ship’s deck. At the same time he screamed loudly. There was so much anger in his scream, but above all disappointment.

  Back on one of the Black islands, the separated groups were approaching the center after two hours of travel.

  How is this possible… how have we not met anyone yet except the people on the beach? They couldn’t all have escaped. They couldn’t have packed up their stuff and fled that quickly. I think… I think we underestimated the abilities of the person creating the portals.

  The raid on the Black islands had been based on a clear thought. Once Two’s group began to flee, in their haste they would leave their stuff and possibly group members behind. Another part of the thought was that the western, northern, and southern fleets would have enough time to reach the center of the island, because even if Two had people stationed on the beaches, by the time they reached the center, the fleets would already be right behind them. That said, the entire operation smelled strange… Two had a trick up his sleeve that the united army had not expected.

  The northern groups began reaching the center of the island. The first part to arrive was Raven’s division.

  Raven sent several units to split across the island and several others toward the center from different directions.

  The center of the island was the most populated area. There was also the small stone keep located there.

  From the other side of the island, Wind had already arrived, with the southern group right behind her. The last surviving western ship had been heavily delayed and only now reached the island. The eastern group was already crossing the small stretch of sea separating the back island of the Black islands from the main one.

  Raven met eyes with Wind. Both of them looked at each other with a “Really nothing?” expression. Suddenly, several cloaked people jumped out from the houses in the island’s center.

  The groups began fighting them. Meanwhile, a single person stepped out of one of the houses the only one not cloaked. Burned into his arm was the number seventeen.

  Raven pierced her opponent. At this point she was really confused. She finally decided to uncover the cloaked person. The person behind the scarf was no one suspicious. That said another attacked Raven...and Raven once again defeated them and unscarfed them. Those people had same face.

  Raven panicked and quickly looked at the persons hand. The number burned out into the persons hand was ten. Ten has the power of duplication.

  Suddenly, Seventeen cut off his own arm, looked toward the house he had come from, and shouted. - “SIX… IT’S TIME!!! GET ME OUT OF HERE.” - Raven stared at the scene wide-eyed and ran toward him. Being compltely stressed out.

  Suddenly Seventeen began to panic. - “WHERE IS THE SMALL PORTAL??? WHAT THE… THAT’S NOT… ah I see… I understand.” - Tears began falling from Seventeen’s eyes. At that moment Raven reached him and stabbed through his body.

  “What is this supposed to mean? WHO THE HELL ARE ALL THESE PEOPLE???” Raven asked nervously. Seventeen smiled through his tear-streaked face.

  “Trap.”