Fighters on the Stormy Sea 3

Confrontation

The roaring sea winds stir up huge waves. The weather is getting worse near the Abyss, and the currents stronger.

Atlas has been advancing for fourteen-day without rest. Though he has known that Bane and his well-armed pirate ships had been after him, Atlas doesn’t worry too much about it.

There is only one thing in his head. That is, get to the Abyss at full speed and lift that ancient curse with Aurora’s Heart

At this moment, the Abyss is getting so close. Those suffering people, those dark days when his people were forgotten and forsaken by the world. All this welled up within him.

'It’s been thousands of years, and this is the last leg of the long journey, my people.'

With only the last leg of the voyage left, the mech, controlled by atlas, gripped Aurora's Heart in his hand and sped forward.

As was about to reach the Abyss, Bane's 'Black Shark ' fleet arrived just in time. They blocked the sea route with heavy iron ropes and surrounded Atlas.

'Look, you piece of junk, give me Aurora’s Heart now. It was mind in the first place.'

'Or I'll blow you to pieces!' Bane shouted arrogantly from the bow of Ymir. For him, Aurora’s Heart is already within his grasp. All he needs to do is to take it from the hands of Atlas, who is such an easy prey now that he’s been surrounded.

'When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. Pirate Bane.'

Atlas rose slowly, the sound from his body came from the core of the mech. Amplified by the sea wind, it is ringing through the sea area.

'You can’t stop me. None of you can. After today, a new day will come to the Frozen Sea, an ancient race will come back to life.'

Indeed, nothing could shake Atlas’s conviction of reaching the Abyss. An entire race is waiting and expecting in despair from the depths of the Abyss.

'You just won’t listen, will you?!'

'Load the cannons and blow this pile of junk into the sea!' Enraged, Bane ground his teeth and waved his cutlass, ready to attack.

'Aha, look who it is, Bane, head of the circus!' Just as Bane was about to attack, a familiar voice that disgusted him came from the sea.

Bane turned his head around. He has never expected, not even in his wildest dreams, that Franco not only survived but has brought with him Valkyrie and a mighty fleet.

'Look, as long as I'm around, you ugly bastard will never touch Aurora’s Heart.'

'Great! I'm gonna kill you myself! ' Bane said fiercely.

On the stormy sea, Freya and Franco, Atlas, Bane, are locked in a stalemate. Atlas’s way has been blocked. Bane and Franco are both expecting the other side will attack first. No one dares to break the deadlock.

Looking at the determined Atlas, Freya said slowly, 'I know what it's like to lose someone you love. All you feel is despair, pain, and regret.'

'So, I understand you,' she said, clenching her sword in her hand.

'But Aurora’s Heart the sacred artifact of Northern Vale. You have no idea what kind of power it holds! It will destroy Northern Vale and the entire Frozen Sea. A lot of innocent people will die.'

'It belongs to all the people of Northern Vale. No one can take possesses of it because of their own selfish desires.'

Through the hard armor, Atlas met Freya's burning eyes. However, at this moment, the cries of his suffering people are ringing in his ears again.

'I don't care.' With a low murmur,' Atlas rushed forward without hesitation.

Crisis

Atlas keeps heading forward, pulling the iron ropes that could go unattached at any second from Bane’s ships. The pirate ships are going at full speed in the opposite direction to stop Atlas from breaking loose.

'Destroy Heaven or create Hell!' Atlas thundered, smashing a pirate ship into pieces with a single blow.

The defense of the pirate ship is compromised as the chains were broken. Due to inertia, the pirate ships were thrown in different directions.

The pirates’ line of defense has collapsed, and Atlas’ dream of a thousand years is about to come true.

'Stop him! Franco!' Freya shouted, witnessing the sudden change of situation.

'Aye aye, Captain!'

'All aport! You will not pass, big fellow!' Franco ordered his ships to block Atlas’s way. They trapped Atlas using special fishing nets as cannons.

'You know what, big fellow, you destroyed my Nightwheel, but I, Franco, am not a vindictive guy.' Cried Franco as he is commanding his fleet to stop Atlas.

These nets are made of special material bought from the Eruditio They are designed especially against huge sea beasts. Compared to those sea beasts who have no brain, Atlas is obviously an intelligent creature. He did not struggle with brute force. Instead, is going back and forth within the ring of encirclement.

'Surrender now, or you'll be in for a cannonball feast!' Cried Franco triumphantly.

However, Franco and Freya are only focusing on Atlas, ignoring Ymir and other pirate ships that have approached unnoticed.

Heavy iron ropes were thrown from the pirate ships towards the giant, who was hooked soon. Subsequently, the ships began to go at full speed in the opposite direction, with all the cannons firing at Atlas. The giants, caught in the nets, can no longer defend himself against the attach. After round after round of artillery attack, Atlas slumped down, finally.

Atlas's huge body collapsed, splashing huge waves, obscuring the sight of Freya and others. When the curtain of water dispersed, they were astonished to find that the Bane has taken the possession of Aurora’s Heart.

'Now, Aurora's Heart is mine!' Bane looked at the artifact in his hand with greedy eyes. He is already picturing conquering the world in his mind.

'Now, let me take a closer look.' he grinned, holding the artifact in both hands.

'Stop! Aurora's Heart contains the power of resurrection. If you take the draw its power, it will go out of control. Once exploded, it will cause a tsunami that will bring destruction to the entire Northern Vale!' Seeing Bane extending his evil hands to Aurora's Heart, Freya shouted at the top of her voice.

'Really? Don’t bullshit me. I, Captain Bane, will soon rule the world.' Bane, ignoring Freya's dissuasion, began to absorb the energy of Aurora’s Heart.

Aurora Heart was triggered and began to burst out with tremendous power, and the entire sea trembled was shaking. Bane's body was getting bigger and bigger, and gradually exceeded the size of his ship, like a huge mountain standing above the sea level.

'We must stop him now. When his body can’t withstand the power, he will explode!' Freya yelled.

'Everyone, fire at Bane!' Franco gave the order. His fleet changed formation and began to move towards Bane.

Bane's body was still expanding. He feels that energy is running through his body, which is powerful enough to create an earth-shaking tsunami. Bane's body was more resilient because it had been modified by Aurora’s Heart, but even so, he was unable to absorb all of the artifact’s energy.

'Stop them!' Bane has gone mad with his wild ambition and will stop at nothing now.'

At Bane's command, the pirate's ship formed a defensive formation, spreading out in lines in front of Bane and firing all their cannons at the enemy.

'Damn it, these goons are too much to handle, we won't be able to get through any time soon!' Franco gave the order to fire cannons while reporting to Freya, who was standing in the bow.

Bane's body has reached its limit. The surge of energy will burst through Bane's body at any second, causing an unprecedented explosion.

Freya looked at the crew who are still fighting, turned around and looked out in the direction of Northern Vale, then remembered her sister. She remembered that night, the sacrifices she had made, and the expectations her sister had for her.

'We are the daughters of Northern Vale, and we will…'

'Guard this land to death!' Freya took a deep breath, leaped high above from the bow and headed towards Bane and Aurora’s Heart.

The Final Battle

After a loud bang, Bane's body no longer expands, and Aurora’s Heart stopped energy surge. However, Freya is nowhere to be seen.

For a moment, silence reigns over the sea.

'You bastard! I’m gonna kill you!' Franco yells angrily, like a frenzy beast, as he launches an attack against Bane.

Although unable to absorb any more energy from Aurora’s Heart, Bane has become incomparably huge now. With each move he makes, heaven and earth are almost shaking.

Bane waves his tentacles, with which he keeps splashing the sea, causing huge waves that destroyed ships one by one.

For all those who see Bane wreaking havoc on the sea, this could be their worst nightmare.

At this time, Freya feels like she is having this colorless dream that is perpetual. She is floating in the endless darkness and infinite void, her consciousness fading away.

'Freya…wake up…Freya.' Just as she is about to be devoured by the endless darkness, a familiar voice, constantly calling Freya, helps her regain consciousness.

'Si…sister…?' Freya, who heard the call, suddenly wakes up and finds herself in a strange space. Not far away, a vague and familiar figure is standing quietly, calling her name softly.

'Si…sister…is that you?' Hearing this voice that in her mind for years, Freya could no longer suppress her feeling and starts running towards her sister with all her might. However, no matter how hard she tries, her sister is always out of her reach.

'Calm down, Freya. I don't have much time. You must listen to me carefully.'

'I'm sorry, sister! You got stuck here, all because of me.'

'No, Freya, it was not your fault. I'm not stuck here either. This is my illusion,' Skuld’s illusion said quietly.

'We people of Northern Vale have kept Aurora’s Heart for many generations. Most people think of it as nothing more than an ancient artifact. In fact, it is one of the most powerful things the world has ever seen – Twilight Orb.'

'Twilight Orb?'

'Yes, Aurora’s Heart is one of those omnipotent Twilight Orbs, which hold the power of hope and resurrection. Each Twilight Orb has some kind of unique power.'

'As to where the Twilight Orbs come from, how many of them there are, and what will happen when they are all gathered, it’s beyond my power to see.'

'Before the explosion, I secretly studied everything about Aurora’s Heart. What I discovered was not only its origin and power but a terrifying existence as well: The Master of the Abyss'

'This primitive and evil force seems to have some very close connection with the Twilight Orbs and can perceive the existence of each of them. My investigation of Aurora's Heart alerted him. Because of his power, the artifact went out of control the last time.'

Freya is so astonished to know these mysteries.

'In order to stop Aurora’s Heart from losing control, I had no choice but to go into the huge energy field to prevent this catastrophe. The energy within was so huge that I was soon consumed by its impact. I knew I couldn’t last for long, so I used the last bit of my strength to form this illusion, hoping that someday I could tell someone all that happened.'

'But I didn't expect you to be here, my dear Freya.'

'Remember, the evil force is recovering, and this world will see more and more crisis. You must live and become the guardian of Northern Vale!'

'Now go, Freya. You are yet to fulfill your duty, and I will always be with you.'

A burst of dazzling light flashes as the illusion in front of Freya disappears, replaced by the turbulent sea, raging Bane and Franco who is in a tough fight.

At this time, Freya’s body is full of power that she has never felt before. She knows that it is more than the power of Aurora’s Heart. It’s a gift to her from her sister.

'I am the daughter of Northern Vale, and I will defend my land till death!'

Freya clenches the sword in her hand and flies up into the sky, and like a sharp flash of light, she is coming towards Bane. In a loud cry of pain and agony, the insufferably arrogant Bane slumps down and vanishes in a violent explosion.