Chapter 461: 78. On the Small Boat
Fisher leaped down from the spatial crack at the edge of Jianmu Palace, cradling the flower-covered, semi-conscious Hela in his arms, quickly falling through the outer spatial rift towards the ocean.
Compared to the grand Jianmu Palace, Fisher and Hela were undoubtedly very small in their free fall. Fisher collided with the ocean, quickly sinking into the cold seawater.
At this moment, Fisher felt extremely uncomfortable. First, there was the wound formed when the Duke of Peach tried to stop him from shattering the head of G. The peach blossom branches growing from the flesh felt like knives cutting into him as he moved, and he had no way to deal with these flowers for the time being, so he could only swim as far away as possible.
More importantly, he had to reseal the power left by Renee in his chest.
Just moments ago, he had forcibly activated the power that Renee left him to return to reality, intending to perish alongside the Duke of Peach, but now that he resealed it inside, it seemed to be in a state of agitation, unable to calm down. The restless power surged within him, causing him intense pain, as if he were swimming in lava.
Behind him, the two beings of the Nineteen Rank were about to engage in battle. Fisher had just experienced the terrifying aftershocks produced when Hela collided with the Duke of Peach and found it hard to imagine what would happen when two beings of the Nineteen Rank clashed directly. Judging by the terrifying power that had just opened the crevice, even if they stayed in the ocean, they would not be safe.
Having witnessed the Mythical Rank in action, Fisher was now firmly convinced of the terrible situation that awaited the northern region from the invasion of the Chaos Race and the second war of existence, known as the Mythical War, which would sink the Tree Continent.
Grinding his teeth, Fisher held Hela tightly and swam deeper into the ocean, navigating quickly through the water. He had previously possessed the special ability to breathe underwater, and now with enhanced aquatic abilities, he didn’t feel as uncomfortable as before. Instead, it felt like returning home, and if he could overcome the disadvantage of not being able to see anything underwater, he felt that visiting Jasmine in the ocean trench upon returning to reality wouldn’t be impossible.
The mark left by Renee caused him great discomfort, and to relieve the pressure, he pondered how to lighten the mood.
Fortunately, Hela was an angel, so even without consciousness, she didn’t need to breathe, and in reality, she was very light, providing Fisher no burden at all.
While swimming quickly, the extremely agitated mark of Renee on Fisher suddenly seemed to calm down bizarrely. For the time being, he could no longer feel the dangerous sensation of it racing wildly within him.
Fisher glanced down at his chest but found only the unconscious Hela pressed against him, while the inverted eight-shaped mark originally on his chest seemed to have disappeared.
His gaze lowered slightly, and finally, he spotted the chaotic mark on his waist, which had been restless before but now settled strangely.
Fisher’s face darkened; he wondered if being closer to Hela made this damned mark adopt her mischievous habits, even choosing to rest in such a place.
“Boom!”
But just then, a deafening sound erupted from the direction of Jianmu Palace behind Fisher, a sound so immense that even the vast and heavy seawater couldn’t contain it. Following it was a wave of water rushing towards Fisher like a tsunami, forming a visible shockwave.
The Duke of Peach and Remiel had begun to fight!
Fisher hurriedly shielded Hela in his arms and swam desperately forward, surrounded by countless fish and sea beasts also fleeing for their lives, evoking the feeling of innocent bystanders in a city gate fire.
“Boom!”
However, the aftershocks from the battle of the two Nineteen Rank beings were simply too fast; in the ocean, Fisher could barely swim against those shockwaves, and soon he was helplessly caught and swept away, spinning uncontrollably towards the distance.
“Cough!”
In the water, Fisher expelled a mist of sweet blood from his mouth, yet he remained conscious, striving to swim farther away.
In his peripheral vision, he glanced up at the surface of the ocean, which was several dozen meters above them. Through the murky water, he vaguely saw peach petals swirling down from the sky and the terrifying lightning writhing like snakes and dragons. Even though the lightning in the sky was a great distance away, its terrifying energy caused arcs of electricity to appear around the ocean and close to Fisher.
Fisher stared at the electricity dancing in his hands, only to realize that the pain didn’t come from his physical body but from his soul.
The lightning could affect the soul.
“Boom!”
Just as the lightning in the sky became more intense, as if ready to envelop heaven and earth in an electric net, a rift suddenly opened in the ocean space next to Fisher, from which a swaying wooden boat emerged, heading straight for Fisher and Hela.
“Fisher, get on the boat! If you stay here, it’s all over!”
At the bow of the boat, Gouwen extended his hand towards Fisher and shouted at him.
Fisher gritted his teeth and reached out to grab Gouwen’s hand, who pulled Fisher up onto the Moon Sailing Boat. Gouwen then shouted to Neceria at the stern, who was holding a scythe, “Let’s go!”
Neceria, without daring to hesitate, quickly swung the scythe, opening a spatial rift once more, allowing the Moon Sailing Boat to submerge into it, completely disappearing from the ocean that was about to be swallowed by the peach blossoms and storm.
“Splash~”
Simultaneously, on a vast, seemingly endless calm sea, a large wooden boat suddenly appeared.
“Splash~”
The weather here was clear, the breezes were gentle, and the waves gently lapped against the wooden boat floating on the surface of the ocean, resembling a mother softly singing a lullaby to a sleeping baby.
“Luckily, when Archangel Remiel arrived, he brought the Moon Sailing Boat where Hela was hidden; otherwise, we wouldn’t know how to escape their battlefield.”
Gouwen sat at the bow of the boat, ensuring they were far from the Tree Continent before finally collapsing onto the boat, gasping for breath and clutching his chest as he muttered, “Oh, I can’t take it anymore, I’m going to drown. I need to go underwater in a bit. Hah.”
With a pale face, Gouwen struggled to rise from the muddy situation they had just escaped, nearly sliding off the boat like a salt-dried fish, and relaxed in the water, swishing his huge whale tail as he swam.
Neceria at the stern let out a sigh of relief, placing the scythe she had been clinging to on the boat and moving her injured wings a little.
Fisher cautiously placed Hela beside him, letting her lie flat. Once things quieted down, without the adrenaline to numb him, every part of his body felt like it was breaking in pieces, especially where the Duke of Peach’s attack had caused the peach blossoms to grow, which made his face twitch in pain.
He gasped, using his left hand to cover his right arm and back which was covered in peach branches, cold sweat trickling down, and asked,
“Gouwen… what should be done about these peach branches?”
The surrounding ocean fell silent for a moment, and just as Fisher began to suspect that Gouwen might have slipped away, Gouwen’s wet head broke the surface of the water. He shook his head and said, “Whales need to stay in the water to survive; oh, this feels so good.”
He wiped his face covered in seawater, then looked at Fisher, who was panting and drenched in sweat from the intensity of the situation.
“Those peach blossoms are just a manifestation of the Duke of Peach’s power. You can think of it as a wave created by a Mythical Being exerting their power, similar to your magic before. So, these peach blossoms are merely peach blossoms. You can forcibly pull them out, though it might hurt a little.”
Fisher glanced at the peach blossoms on his body, finally understanding the mechanics behind it from Gouwen’s explanation. It turned out that the Duke of Peach had only used his power to nudge him rather than wield it completely, and fortunately, he hadn’t ended up permanently injured.
This also explained why, when facing the base in the northern region, Fisher had also grown black feathers; others referred to that as a “curse,” but in reality, it was just the power of the mindless Phoenix Race base manifesting externally. Even though that base lacked consciousness, it was still a Fifteen Rank entity.
Hearing Gouwen’s words, Fisher no longer hesitated and drew his Fluid Sword, skillfully threading it through each peach branch, forcibly extracting them from his flesh.
“Pfft! Pfft!”
Fisher gritted his teeth and painfully pulled out one branch after another, while both Gouwen and Neceria watched, unsettlingly feeling phantom pains. Gouwen turned his head away to look at the ocean, saying, “You’re a tough one; pulling them out like that.”
After a moment of silence, he smiled again and turned to look at Fisher. “But on another note, it’s a miracle that we survived the Duke of Peach’s hand. I hadn’t even reacted to what happened when we came over with Hela; I realized something was wrong only when I saw the Duke attacking you. I really don’t know how you managed to navigate things in front of the Duke of Peach. Hela too, she rushed in so fast; she must have sensed you were in trouble.”
Having pulled out all the branches, Fisher was drenched in sweat, but upon hearing Gouwen’s words, he glanced at the peach blossom-covered Hela lying on the deck.
After a moment of silence, he didn’t put down the Fluid Sword but instead looked over at Mikhail and Tang Zeming Asuka, saying to Gouwen, “Gouwen, Tang Zeming should be fine; she just passed out, but Mikhail has been seriously injured due to the Duke’s influence. You’re a doctor; can you check on him?”
Gouwen looked over there, arms crossed, and said, “No need to check; I already examined them both when I caught them just now. Little Tang Zeming is unharmed, just seems to have fainted from shock. Mikhail’s situation is different.”
“Is it serious?”
Fisher immediately pressed on, but Gouwen simply stroked his chin and shook his head, saying, “I’m not sure, but he still has a pulse. Look, there’s a lot of iron in his head, and it’s sparking; it goes way beyond my capabilities as a barefoot doctor.”
Following Gouwen’s direction, Fisher indeed saw that Mikhail’s face, overtaken by peach branches, was not just covered in blood but was also flashing with arcs of electricity. It appeared he had some extra implants, given that his structure was different from an ordinary human, confirming that Gouwen’s hesitance to treat him was prudent.
In light of that, Fisher had no other options but to bandage his own wounds first, then looked down at Hela.
She had also grown numerous peach blossoms, many of which were dripping with golden blood. Fisher decided to remove the peach blossoms first and then give her a simple bandage.
Gouwen hadn’t received any holy relics from Archangel Raphael yet, so he was not quite knowledgeable about angelic treatment. Nevertheless, it was true; the gap between Mythical Beings and other life forms was vast, which manifested not only in combat power but also in medicine.
As Fisher meticulously cleaned Hela’s peach blossoms, Neceria at the stern spotted a dark sandstorm approaching them from the horizon and, expressionless, turned back to question, “Is there a sandstorm at sea too?”
Gouwen glanced at it, then shook his head and chuckled, “That’s not a normal sandstorm; it’s the disaster formed from the battle between the Duke of Peach and Archangel Remiel. We’re only a few hundred miles from the edge of the Tree Continent, so it’s normal to feel this. It’s just like how my wife’s dissatisfaction on the first day of the month transforms into a heavy fist on the fifteenth; a single butterfly flapping its wings at the coast could create a tornado, let alone the aftershocks from those two’s battle. But it’s fine; the sandstorm has lost much of its threat by the time it reaches here.”
Fisher, hearing this, looked at Gouwen, who had his feet in the ocean, and upon hearing him mention his wife again, thought he must be missing home and said, “I’ve figured out the truth about the theft of the World Tree’s tears. When Remiel returns, I can return your freedom. Anyway, your purpose for going to the Holy Realm has already been fulfilled, so it doesn’t matter if you go back or not.”
Gouwen looked at the sea, smiling gently. “It’s all good; having one more doctor in the team is better, right? Besides, hasn’t the angel Salie said there’s another reward if we can return the World Tree’s tears? Thinking about it, Archangel Raphael’s medical skills are quite enticing. Plus, I wrote in my letter to my wife that it would take a while to return, so whether I go back now or later, I’ll probably get hit by my wife’s heavy fist anyway, so I might as well delay it.”
After hearing Gouwen say that, Fisher didn’t know whether he wanted to go back or not.
Perhaps this was what others called “bittersweet”?
“However, if one were to say that Miss Neceria is a Phoenix from the Tree Continent, she didn’t encounter any issues, yet she was forced to escape with us. The Duke of Peach may have already remembered you, so your return…”
Expressionless, Neceria contemplated for a moment, then also gazed out at the ocean, saying, “This is the guidance of fate, perhaps a necessary experience in my life; I will adapt accordingly.”
“Your mindset is excellent.”
Gouwen chuckled, unsure what else to say, and turned his gaze back to the sea. Consequently, silence enveloped the boat; Fisher continued focusing on tending to Hela’s branches, and not long after, Gouwen jumped back into the water, claiming he wanted to swim.
Indeed, Fisher still hadn’t finished treating Hela’s injuries, and the longer he worked, the more shocking it felt.
Unlike him, Hela had taken the full force of the Duke of Peach’s attack, resulting in particularly severe injuries. If it weren’t for the halo above her head still glowing, Fisher would genuinely believe she was on the verge of death.
Fisher carefully bandaged the wounds he had treated, uncertain how effective it would be for an angel, but figured it was better than nothing.
As he continued, Fisher couldn’t help but recall that morning light that once loomed in front of him and the way it seemed to fill him completely, along with her silhouette.
If all that had occurred before could be simply justified by “seeking fun,” then what reason lay behind her actions moments ago?
Fisher’s touch was gentle as he bandaged Hela’s wounds, doing his best to avoid causing additional harm beyond removing the branches. But even after finishing bandaging all her wounds, her appearance remained tragic, akin to a large porcelain doll covered in cracks, on the verge of shattering.
Her ethereal wings had even lost the last remaining feather, and Fisher couldn’t help but stare at her wounds for a long time, pondering what he was contemplating, seemingly lost in thought. His gaze kept shifting between her wounds and the memories of her.
Just as Fisher’s complicated gaze finally moved slightly away from her tragic wounds towards her face, he suddenly realized this woman had quietly awakened sometime without him noticing, quietly smiling with that familiar mischievous grin as she squinted at him.
Yet, at this moment, her smile seemed somewhat weak, weighed down by her injuries.
“When did you wake up?”
“Just now.”
Her voice was hoarse, and her smile deepened, as if she had seen something that brightened her mood.
“How long ago was that?”
“Hmm, probably when you were almost done cleaning my wounds? Because your movements were so gentle, they felt entirely different from before—so gentle and soothing.”
Fisher squinted, as if realizing something, crossing his arms and saying, “You didn’t just stand in front of me to block the Duke of Peach’s attack solely to see me now worried about your well-being, right?”
Perhaps Fisher wouldn’t have such suspicions about others, and perhaps deep down, he didn’t think that way either, but at this moment, maybe in a bid to confirm or to provide himself with an excuse, he spoke out loud.
Fisher didn’t know what answer he truly sought; he just forced himself to tear his gaze away from the damage on her body and focused intently, solely on her face.
Unexpectedly, Hela’s smile spilled over like a jar of wine being opened, and she tilted her head slightly to meet Fisher’s gaze, her slightly disheveled golden hair falling into bangs, obscuring one of her eyes, reminiscent of wheat stalks beaded with dewdrops in the morning light.
In her fragile state, she resembled a butterfly with broken wings resting in Fisher’s palm, fluttering slightly and causing a faint itch from the depths of his heart.
Gazing into her blue-golden, scattered pupils, Fisher could only receive her playful, vague answer, provoking an unnamed anger and a desire to tease and discipline her, yet her fragile wounds and the shadow that had filled his vision like morning light made him wish to cherish her.
“You little rascal.”
Looking at Hela before him, Fisher couldn’t contain the urge to lean down and catch her lips, responding through a method that resembled both care and reprimanding to reciprocate her ambiguous answer.
But upon seeing her flickering halo, he ultimately refrained.
After a moment of hesitation, he awkwardly reached out to smooth the messy golden bangs off her forehead, and she closed her eyes contentedly, silently enjoying Fisher’s ministrations, which irritated him further.
This girl truly remained as troublesome as ever.
“Boom!”
Just as Fisher was annoyed and ready to give her a lesson, dense thunderbolts began flickering in the sky, their roaring sound drawing attention from everyone except Hela, who lay still, resting.
Neceria stood up to look towards the approaching sandstorm but found no lightning in that direction.
But soon, her confusion dissipated.
Because the next second, the cloud layers above them began to part, and from amidst them descended an angel wielding a trident that resembled lightning.
This angel, with androgynous white hair and brown skin, was Remiel, the Archangel sent earlier for support, overseeing the first day of the mortal realm.
At this moment, over half of his originally intact garments had disintegrated, and several peach blossoms bloomed across his featureless upper body, but his halo and wings remained undamaged.
“Is it over there?”
Gouwen poked his head out of the water and murmured, watching Remiel descend slowly towards them.
(End of Chapter)
