The Chronicles of New Havens

On the flagship, Protector Avin watched the waves roll by with a tense expression. He felt anxious for some reason. Did something happen to Freon? Although many more people were on the deck, no one had the courage to bother him. His slight anxiety had translated into a threatening aura. As he ruminated over this feeling, another unsettling thing occurred. The Conquestian, a man he despised, walked over and joined him in overlooking the ocean. Out of all the free spots around them, he had to choose this one. It was clear he had no good intentions. This worsened Protector Avin's already bad mood. Before the Conquestian had a chance to say anything, Avin was halfway ready to leave.

"Leaving so soon?"

"Is that a problem?" Avin snorted.

"Not at all."

His flippant attitude angered Avin again. Suddenly, he felt like he should not leave, since it might represent weakness. Childish as it may be, he returned to his spot next to the Conquestian with a black face. He was surprisingly stubborn. The Conquestian showed a hint of amusement. Even a legendary Blue Depth Core was human in the end.

"We're lucky that the storm lifted. Otherwise, I didn't think we would weigh anchor," the Conquestian said. "However, because of it, we're a week behind schedule. We'll be too late to participate in the final battle. I wonder how they're doing."

"…"

"I was surprised to hear you let Freon go. Are you having second thoughts now? I admit he's a smart kid and hardworking too, but he's only a High Gaseous Fog Arcanist. What can he do? You might have made the wrong choice."

"You talk too much." Avin glared at him.

"Don't mind this old man. It was idle advice," he chuckled.

"…"

"I must say though, you must be confident about Freon. Is it your strength as a Blue Depth Arcanist? Or… is it your 'instinct'?"

Avin narrowed his eyes. "How do you know that?"

When he advanced to Blue Depth Core, his senses took a qualitative leap forward. It was different from his eyesight getting stronger, or his hearing getting better. No, it was a lot more… vague and faint, as though he could sense things beyond the physical world. He was a logical man. He believed that only things he could see, hear, smell, taste, and feel were real. Anything else was fake. That was how the world worked. That was how it would always work. Yet, this mysterious feeling made him question that. He was still trying to understand what it meant, but the Conquestian seemed to hint that he knew. It made Avin suspicious.

"Know what?" he replied vaguely.

"What do you want?" Avin sighed. He was not keen on playing this game anymore.

"Nothing. I merely wanted to chat… but if I had to say something, it's that I wanted to thank you for accepting our request. I didn't imagine you'd be willing to hear us out after what happened."

"You would have forced Nassandra to act if I hadn't. Don't act innocent with me."

"We'll leave it at that then."

"Don't worry. I'll help the kingdom when it's needed. Is that fine with you?"

The Conquestian smiled. "Of course."

A horn sounded as multiple enemy fleets appeared on the horizon. From the deck, it was like a black fog in the distance, very hard to see any details. Protector Avin casted a spell to sharpen his eyesight and counted more than sixty enemy ships. That was considerable. Ever since the Imperial Council enlisted mercenary groups and pirates to their cause, the Alzar Kingdom found it difficult to break through. The enemy vessels were too numerous and agile, completely outmaneuvering the slower and bulkier warships. That was the main source of grief for Admiral Aura and Jacken. Normally, it would be an uphill battle to win except… the Conquestian and Protector Avin were here! Their strength could change everything. Admiral Aura learned that lesson from the Sword King and his two disciples. To be placed on that high pedestal made Protector Avin uncomfortable. At the same time, he was curious about the Sword King. An Instinct Realm on par with a Blue Depth Core… Just how strong was he?

"Shall we begin, Protector Avin?" the Conquestian asked. He pointed his wand forward.

"Very well."

They released their Magic Auras. Boom! The entire flagship was suddenly submerged by their monstrous auras, startling every soldier and sailor onboard. That was not all, since Protector Avin's aura continued to climb higher and higher. It soon eclipsed the Conquestian's. The large ship creaked and groaned under the pressure, as though it could not withstand the 'weight' of the aura. It had taken on a physical quality! Waves splashed up while the ship swayed from side to side. The sailors rushed to stabilize it. His aura could be felt on the other ships too, as everyone looked to him in horror. Another monster appeared again! Liquid World Energy coalesced around Protector Avin like streams or rivers of water. He raised his wand. The strength of an Arcanist laid in their area of effect and range. They were the perfect weapon for the seas! Magic Circles formed under his command.

The Conquestian acted first. He conjured a large burning ball of energy and aimed it at an enemy ship. The air sizzled under the intense heat. Thankfully, this was a spell, and not a true flame, or the ship might have ignited. The ball contracted before shooting a super fast beam of light. It was so fast that it tore through the sound barrier with a boom and created a large wake on the ocean's surface. Despite its incredible speed though, it still took more than half a minute for the beam to reach the enemy fleet. That was how big the distance was between them. Boom! It slammed right into a ship and blasted out the back, destroying the hull, killing hundreds, and sinking it. The projectile went through two more ships before finally fading. Unbelievably, before the two sides had seen each other up close, their side had already lost three ships. It was a horrifying thought. As expected from the second strongest Arcanist in the human world, his methods were truly formidable.

Protector Avin took longer, despite his faster casting speed. That hinted at his spell's complexity. He aimed at the water surface, and a patch glowed in response. The glowing body of water then rushed towards the enemy fleet, morphing into a school of swordfish. There were easily more than a hundred! As they rushed over, their 'swords' shimmered with rainbow-like colors. Anyone could sense how dangerous they were! In that time, the Conquestian casted three more spells on the enemy fleet. Streaks of light filled the sky. Sadly, his first time seemed like a fluke as his next beams narrowly missed the nimble ships. It was difficult to hit anything with thirty seconds of delay after all. Hitting nothing was expected. Protector Avin's spell eventually caught up as the swordfishes leapt from the water and plunged into an enemy ship. Their strange 'swords' pierced through the hull and created large holes. Icy water poured in, flooding the cabins. The sailors tried to rescue their ship, but it was too much. Their ship sank before long. One was down.

The swordfishes reformed under Avin's command and attacked a second ship. They, too, were helpless, as they plunged into a cold abyss. Protector Avin continued to weave his spell through the enemy fleet like a play. The ocean was his stage, and all the ships a player. It was his place to shine! Ship after ship kept sinking. Nothing could stop his rampage! Admiral Aura, Jacken and everyone else was amazed and horrified. They could barely see the ships on the horizon, yet Protector Avin could effortlessly destroy them. This was arguably a feat more impressive than the Featherwind Sect or the Sword King! Five minutes later, he retracted his spell and the horizon was empty! Perhaps, the most staggering thing was that he looked perfectly at ease, not like someone who destroyed over sixty enemy ships at extreme range. Was this the power of a Blue Depth Core? He pocketed his wand and stepped away. His role was done. When the kingdom finally arrived at the remains of the enemy fleet was twenty minutes later, there was nothing but floating debris and bodies everywhere. To kill thousands, maybe even tens of thousands, in such an overwhelming fashion… This was the power of Protector Avin Arcellius!