Rivals Reunited

On the twin-masted ship, a banner soaring high like a cloud slowly unfurled—the Tenth-rank Aqua Cloud Banner Du Chen had once witnessed in the hands of Divine Envoy Donna. Immediately after, Sword Slave's booming voice announced their identity and purpose.

The approaching force was merely an ordinary swordfish patrol from the Grand Delta Sea. Water's Embrace Lake, Margaret, Xue Ji? They'd never heard of any of it. Yet, they distinctly felt the immense pressure emanating from the Aqua Cloud Banner! Daring not to act on their own authority, the small patrol hastily returned to summon an Admiral of sufficient standing—one qualified to understand the true import of "Water's Embrace Lake"—who also served as the supreme commander of this particular sea region.

When the Admiral arrived near the ship, he muttered inwardly, "Disciples of Goddess of Flowing Water, Margaret, wish to see the Sea King. Are they his friends or foes? Damn it, my men and I are currently at loggerheads with the Sea King!"

By now, Sword Slave had grown impatient after the long wait. The Aqua Cloud women had been sailing for over ten days, out of touch with current events. Upon seeing the General of the Grand Delta Sea, she still believed him to be a servant under the Sea King's command. She snorted heavily, glaring at the General standing on the sea, and demanded, "Why have you not yet reported to your Sea King? Do you dare to slight an Aqua Cloud Divine Disciple?"

The Admiral thought, *Report nothing of the sort! Whether you are friends or foes remains unclear. Our Great Triangle Navy sees no need to risk offending Water's Embrace Lake by dealing with you. It's better to simply send you away!* So, he spoke aloud, "Esteemed Divine Envoy, His Majesty Seins is currently in Emerald City attending a ceremony. If you have an urgent matter, you may seek him there."

Sword Slave frowned. Xue Ji gently tugged her sleeve, then stepped forward and softly inquired, "It is acceptable if the Sea King is not present. However, General, do you happen to know if there is a person named Francis on Bog Island? He is a Divine Envoy of Du Chen's Divine Cult, quite renowned; the General must surely have heard of him."

This Naval General was a confidant of Gode, privy to the entire plan. He helped Du Chen deflect, saying, "Esteemed Francis was indeed negotiating with His Majesty the Sea King on Bog Island a few days ago, but he, too, has now departed for Emerald City!"

Xue Ji nodded in disappointment, then bowed slightly. "Thank you, General! We shall now alter our course for Emerald City and trouble you no further."

With that, Xue Ji turned to instruct her sailors to adjust their course. The Sea Clan Admiral secretly sighed in relief. *Phew, finally sent those plagues away. Damn it, our Sea Clan fears neither the Pontiff nor the nations of the Three Continents, yet we dread these formidable women of Water's Embrace Lake…* Just then, a sudden, piercing cry like a dragon's roar erupted, and the golden bird on Xue Ji's shoulder abruptly bellowed.

"You lied! The Sea King is on the island!"

The Admiral froze, instinctively glancing back at Bog Island. There was indeed a "Sea King" on the island, but how did *it* know?

The Dragonfinch turned its head. "My Lady, I sense it. A Disturbance is occurring on Bog Island. Near the Goddess's Palace, a Sea Clan unit is loudly shouting, 'Your Majesty Seins, now that you have secured the item, lead us in a breakout!' This unequivocally proves Seins is on Bog Island!"

Though the Dragonfinch's sensory abilities were not on par with a Tyran Beast, they were still formidable. Sword Slave's face instantly darkened. She declared coldly, "General! You dare to deceive an Aqua Cloud Divine Envoy? It seems you wish to be an enemy of Water's Embrace Lake!"

The Admiral was instantly speechless. Truth be told, commanding a large army as he did, he wasn't afraid of a mere two dozen people. But the opposing party represented Water's Embrace Lake! If he mishandled the situation today, provoking hundreds of thousands of Water's Embrace Puppet Legion to attack the Grand Delta Sea, then his head wouldn't be enough to pay the price! The Water's Embrace Puppet Legion was the only amphibious army during the Fallen Gods era capable of fully penetrating the Deep Sea!

*Gulp*. The Admiral's Adam's apple bobbed. He hurriedly feigned ignorance, "Strange, wasn't the Sea King in Emerald City? Esteemed Divine Envoy, I genuinely do not know what is going on. Someone, quickly…"

Sword Slave cut him off with a look. How could such an old fox, having lived for millennia, not see through the thoughts of a mere young whippersnapper of a few decades? She gave a cold smile. "It seems, General, you've had a 'moment of oversight'! Very well, if you could overlook His Majesty the Sea King, then perhaps Francis might also have been 'overlooked'… he might very well be on the island! Dragonfinch, what else have you discovered? Are there any traces of Francis?"

"Currently, the northern part of Bog Island is occupied by the Sea King's Garrison Fleet, while the south is held by human armies! I can only sense that the northern forces are all shouting, 'Long live His Majesty Seins!' However, Francis's traces cannot be confirmed. There are at least millions of humans on the island; it's difficult for me to pinpoint one specific human like Francis!"

Sword Slave pondered for a moment. The Dragonfinch's hints and the current situation made everything perfectly clear: the Grand Delta Sea's armies had betrayed the Sea King, engaging in unsavory deeds here to aid the humans. Seins was trapped on Bog Island, attempting to break out! Francis had come to Bog Island to negotiate with the Sea King, and they were friends. So, if the Sea King was now trapped on the island, and considering the Sea Clan General's evasive tone, it was quite possible Francis was also trapped alongside him…

Realizing this, Sword Slave smiled knowingly and addressed the Sea Clan Admiral, "General, let's speak plainly! I've figured out the situation between you and Seins. I presume Francis is also trapped by you, yes? To be blunt, we only want Francis. All other matters are none of Water's Embrace Lake's concern! You… name your price!"

Sword Slave's presumptuous demand left the Sea Clan Admiral dumbfounded and exasperated. He muttered inwardly, *Blast it all! Francis is indeed on the island, impersonating the Sea King, but he's our future Imperial Tutor. I'd be damned if I let you catch him! However, from what that Dragonfinch implies, Francis has achieved his objective and is probably about to leave! So… I'll just stall for half a day here!* Thinking this, the Admiral spoke unhurriedly, "Your esteemed suggestion will be given serious consideration by our Great Triangle Navy. However, I am but a General and cannot make such decisions. May I ask you to wait a moment? I shall go seek instruction from His Majesty the Sea King…"

"Very well! Dragonfinch, lock onto the entire outer coast of Bog Island. Alert My Lady and me immediately if there's any Disturbance!" While they engaged in this verbal sparring, the situation on Bog Island rapidly changed.

The Sacred Artifact Box was opened, and inside… was another Sacred Artifact Box! This one, however, was a common high-grade box with a keyhole. Du Chen glanced at it and felt certain. He was just about to tell Snoopy to find a secluded spot to secretly hand the Sacred Artifact Box over to him…

But the Garrison Fleet, whose discontent had long been simmering, didn't give him the chance. "Your Majesty, break out!" The generals surrounded Snoopy at the Crypt entrance, followed by the soldiers who roared in unison, "Your Majesty, you have toiled for five years for this item, and your brothers fought desperately to guard him for you. We accept that! But now that the item is in hand, quickly lead your brothers in a breakout!" This was the shouting Dragonfinch had heard, confirming Seins' presence on the island.

Snoopy gave an awkward smile, trying to argue further, but the soldiers tightly encircled him, their eyes burning with a mix of expectation and fury, as if to say, "If we don't break out, we'll no longer acknowledge you as our Sea King!"

Seeing the situation showed signs of spiraling out of control, Du Chen hastily whispered into Snoopy's ear, "Agree to their demands, then lead them in a breakout—I'll help you project the aura of a Sea King!"

Snoopy, now confident, embraced the Sacred Artifact Box with one hand and raised the other high. "Alright, brothers, we'll break out to the south! Uh, why are you all staring at me?" "Your Majesty! The south is currently occupied by humans. We should break out to the north, where there are fewer humans!" "Ah, this Emperor was truly flustered and confused! We'll go north then!"

The army generals had long despaired of Snoopy, but regardless, His Majesty had agreed to break out. The generals, long accustomed to obeying the Sea King, felt their discontent somewhat dissipate. They sighed, then led the soldiers in a roar, "Long live His Majesty! Break out!!!" This was the sound Dragonfinch heard during its second reconnaissance.

The Garrison Fleet majestically began their breakout operation. Snoopy, having lost actual control over the army, could only watch as the massive force headed north. He, along with his two thousand-plus Sea King Retainers, symbolically marched in the center, clutching the Sacred Artifact Box—or rather, was implicitly held captive there! He then watched with detached eyes as the troops encountered an interception, and a massive battle erupted on the beach… "Kill! Wipe out this last army, and our nation will be completely restored!" "For the restoration of our nation, kill! Don't let them escape!"

Neither side had famous generals to command, they lacked sacred artifacts of war, and their formations were equally chaotic. Yet, one side, fueled by the dream of "national restoration," fought with reckless abandon, regardless of cost or casualties, like frenzied beasts! The other comprised desperate soldiers fighting for survival, with only victory or death as options! The battle was extremely fierce! However, after some time, the Sea Clan's weakness in land combat was exposed. The Garrison Fleet's already disorganized escape formation was shattered and scattered. Within a short while, over a hundred thousand soldiers were fragmented and encircled by Miki's main army and supporting forces stationed there. Snoopy, "protected" by his two thousand-plus Retainers, also found himself encircled on a section of the beach!

Clinging tightly to the Sacred Artifact Box, Snoopy let his Retainers protect him without engaging the enemy himself. He grumbled indignantly, "Damn these common Miki soldiers! They don't know I'm fake, yet they actually dare to aim their stray arrows and javelins at Your Grandpa! Grandson, when can we sneak away!?" With battle cries shaking the heavens, Snoopy openly asked Du Chen, who was in his ear, without concern. "Wait a little longer! These common Miki soldiers don't know the truth yet. If we break out now, we'll likely kill many of them! Once Philip and Damon, the two generals who know the truth, arrive with reinforcements, we can leave!"

As he spoke, Du Chen noticed many of Snoopy's Retainers were gone. Fearing he might be injured by stray arrows or darts, he took out Fourth Bro's Invisible Shield and shielded bunny-grandpa's entire body. "Don't worry, my shield is right by you. You won't die!" Snoopy laughed heartily, "Heh, you truly care for Your Grandpa. Come, Your Grandpa will give you a smile…"

Just as he was about to grin widely, several Retainers turned back, almost weeping, "Your Majesty, there are too many Miki soldiers, our brothers are almost all dead! You, please make a move!" Snoopy clung tightly to the Sacred Artifact Box on his chest, shook his head, and bellowed sharply, "This Emperor must protect this item, so silence yourselves!" The shouting Retainer froze, then collapsed almost despairingly under the blade. Most of the Garrison Fleet had long given up on Snoopy—this "Sea King" who only cared about protecting a box, refusing to use his titled martial power to carve out a path to survival for his brothers. They were all busy breaking out separately. Only the two thousand-plus, now reduced to seven or eight hundred, Retainers still clung fiercely to Snoopy's side! Alas, their loyalty was meaningless…

The battle cries from the south suddenly multiplied several times over. A Retainer glanced, then turned back with a bitter smile, "Your Majesty, Miki's reinforcements have arrived! We might…" Snoopy's eyes lit up. He jumped high to look! "Heh! Reinforcements truly came! It's General Damon's banner! So… Your Grandpa can sneak away now!" After another moment, seeing General Damon's troops had joined the encirclement and suppression operation, Du Chen tightened the Invisible Shield around Snoopy. Then, battle qi erupted, and Snoopy's body shot into the sky like a long rainbow, suddenly ascending! Any flying Retainers immediately followed. Upon seeing this, the Miki soldiers roared, "Seins is escaping! Javelins! High-level Battle Gods, quickly!!!"

"Wait!" Damon, who had already taken command, waved his hand and quietly ordered, "Instruct the front-line soldiers to kill the Sea King's Retainers, but let the Sea King escape. This is Queen Liana's command!" With that, he secretly clasped his hands in a distant salute towards Snoopy's rapidly receding figure… Once this battle concluded, the great cause of restoring Miki Duchy would soon be declared complete!

*Phew!* Everything was a success! Du Chen lay on the Precious Lotus Scripture, breathing a sigh of relief. "We'll continue flying higher. Bear with it a little longer, and once we enter the clouds, we'll be truly safe!" Before this, Du Chen hadn't dared to use his Lotus artifact. Imagine a lotus suddenly appearing on a battlefield with hundreds of thousands of soldiers, then disappearing with the "Sea King"—everyone in the world would know by the next day that Francis wasn't in Emerald City but on Bog Island! By now, a flash of the Lotus and a person vanishing had become one of Du Chen's Divine Cult's hallmarks! That's why Du Chen needed Snoopy to fly into the clouds before switching to Arcane Artifacts for flight.

Snoopy, panting heavily from exhaustion, replied, "Understood! Ugh, this trip was truly exhausting!" He patted the Sacred Artifact Box in his hands, then looked down at the sea. "We've already left Bog Island airspace and are now above the sea… Let Your Grandpa think. We broke out from the north, so if we head east, we can return to Emerald… Damn it, shut up quickly, someone's coming!"

Du Chen was lying comfortably when he was startled by the words. He saw two dozen white-robed women rapidly approaching. One of them was exceptionally tall, possessing a figure like Aliza's! And the other… Du Chen's heart trembled! Xue Ji… That Goddess of Fate really knows how to play tricks on people sometimes! The Sea Clan Admiral who had gone to "seek instruction" to stall for time didn't return for a long time, and Sword Slave and the others had grown anxious. Meanwhile, the Dragonfinch had continuously monitored the island's situation. The "Sea King's" act of abandoning his soldiers mid-battle to escape naturally didn't escape its perception, and it promptly relayed this to Xue Ji and Sword Slave. Sword Slave had initially suspected if Francis and the Sea King were trapped together. Now, upon seeing "Seins," she wasted no time and immediately led her people to intercept them in the sky!

Hiding in Snoopy's ear, Du Chen gazed at Xue Ji's healthy appearance. He touched his chest—that strand of long hair was still there—and sighed self-deprecatingly. "I knew this moment would come eventually, but I didn't expect it to arrive at such an inopportune time…"

"Grandson, shut your mouth!" Snoopy raged exasperatedly. Just moments before, they had believed themselves high in the sky, free of all reservations, and talked loudly and openly. But when Snoopy saw the golden bird on Xue Ji's shoulder, his face instantly turned ashen! Twelfth-rank Dragonfinch, Sephilis—this was Snoopy's old comrade-in-arms from back in the day! How could he not recognize her, or not know the Dragonfinch's formidable capabilities? *It's over,* he thought. *How much of our conversation did that Dragonfinch overhear?* Still, there was a chance to salvage the situation. *Your Grandpa never calls anyone by their name, always "Grandson." And Francis didn't use his name either, keeping his words ambiguous; only the two of us understood! Sephilis shouldn't have realized that the person beside me is Francis!*

As he anxiously thought, the Aqua Cloud women had already arrived. Two dozen of them formed a circle, trapping Snoopy in the center! The Dragonfinch indeed spoke first, "Your Majesty Seins, with whom were you just speaking?" It glanced around at the empty clouds. "If my hearing wasn't exceptionally good, and you hadn't spoken aloud, I really would have missed an expert capable of evading my perception!" *You little rascal! Even back when Your Grandpa ran with Wolf, I never liked the look of you!* Snoopy thought.

Snoopy feigned the pathetic posture of a defeated Sea King, pretending not to recognize them and deliberately causing trouble. "Are you the rebels they hired to kill me? Humph! Come at me, all of you!" He clasped his hands before his chest, striking a battle pose!

Xue Ji stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Xue Ji of Water's Embrace Lake greets Your Majesty Seins…"

"Water's Embrace Lake of Goddess Margaret? Haha, who would've thought Water's Embrace Lake would collude with those rebels too… Enough wasted words! Today, I am defeated and downtrodden. If you wish to capture me, then act! If you lack the guts, then begone!" Snoopy glanced back at the ground with a start. By now, the Miki forces on Bog Island surely wouldn't have pursued them, and the Grand Delta Sea Admiral, who had gone to "seek instruction from the Sea King," still hadn't returned. Without a central figure, no one in the army dared to easily get involved in matters concerning Water's Embrace Lake. Moreover, apart from that Admiral, none of the ordinary soldiers knew the Sea King was fake! *Forget it. The Garrison Fleet is already annihilated, and Seins is a lone man. Why court trouble? And judging by the Aqua Cloud Divine Envoy's demeanor, Seins won't live much longer anyway. Heh, better to just watch the show!* All of the Grand Delta Sea's forces shared this sentiment.

Xue Ji shook her head with a smile. "Your Majesty need not worry. We are not here to pursue you. We merely wish to ask if you know Francis's whereabouts?"

*A possibility! Their target is solely Francis, but I am "Seins" right now!* Snoopy's heart stirred. He said angrily, "Francis went to Emerald City long ago! If you're not here to capture me, then make way! From this day forward, I, Seins, will owe Water's Embrace Lake a life!" As he spoke, he prepared to continue flying forward, but Sword Slave blocked his path, sneering, "Your Majesty, let's speak plainly! We suspect Francis is also on Bog Island, and we are currently intercepting him! Besides Francis, we have no interest in apprehending anyone else!" She looked Snoopy up and down. "Your Majesty, have your friend—the one who just spoke and wishes to return to Emerald City—come out. As long as he is not Francis, we will immediately make way. We are disinclined to meddle in your Sea Clan's affairs!"

"Who's there? That little bird must have misheard!" These words almost slipped from Snoopy's mouth, but he knew the Dragonfinch too well—this Divine Pet of his previous master's mistress—and he knew those words would only make things worse. He swallowed them back, thinking of a different response. Glancing at the Sacred Artifact Box in his hand, bunny-grandpa had a flash of inspiration. He shook the box and declared, "My friend is inside here!" Du Chen suppressed the myriad anxieties in his heart, forcing a disguised, muffled voice into bunny-grandpa's ear, "That's right, I'm in the box!" The faint, indistinct sound wave truly seemed to emanate from within the box, bearing the same accent as before. Hearing this sound firsthand, Xue Ji's face suddenly turned deathly pale. She seized the opportunity to take a step back, her heart hammering.

*Is that his voice? It sounds so similar, yet there's a subtle difference…* Xue Ji lowered her head, concealing her emotions. The Dragonfinch's small face showed a look of relief. *Heh, I thought my Innate Racial Power had failed! So he was in the box all along! To make such a mistake is truly laughable…*

Snoopy continued, "Fine! I'll tell you everything. I, Your Grandpa, was defeated on Bog Island, and even my newly acquired Divine Pet was trapped by the rebels in this box. I was on my way to seek refuge and borrow troops from my ally, Batuoke, and also to ask Batuoke to help me open this box and rescue my Divine Pet! Are you satisfied now?" He patted the box. "Do you really think a living, breathing Francis could hide inside such a small Sacred Artifact Box? Would I be so foolish as to hide Francis inside this already sealed box?!"

*Could a living, breathing person hide inside such a small box?* Xue Ji gave a bitter smile. She knew precisely one person who could do that! *Could the person in this box truly be him!?* Xue Ji's heart hammered even more intensely. She desperately maintained a calm smile. "Sword Slave, the Sea King has a point. We shouldn't waste any more time here! Why don't we split into two teams? One team can continue the interception here, and the other can go to Emerald City to investigate…"

Sword Slave thought for a moment and nodded. In her knowledge, no one could hide in such a small box, not even with a Secret Technique like Goddess Margaret's ability to assimilate one's body into the elements, because one's volume couldn't change too much regardless. Besides, the box was sealed; she truly had no way to open and inspect it herself! "Very well! Your Majesty Seins, please proceed!" Sword Slave waved her hand, clearing the path. Snoopy inwardly cheered, *Haha, Your Grandpa is a bunny, but Your Grandpa bluffed his way through!* He was about to ascend and fly away, but just then, the Dragonfinch frowned. "Damn foul thing, what are you stirring up trouble for!?"

A squirming movement could be seen inside Sword Slave's sleeve, as if something was trying to crawl out—it was the congratulatory gift they had prepared for Batuoke, recently tamed and now carried by Sword Slave. "Dragonfinch! Can't I come out and see my old foe's pathetic state after I've found him?" A small snake head emerged from Sword Slave's cuff, followed by another. *Was it a multi-headed sea serpent?* No, it was a strange Aberrant Beast. Once fully emerged, it hovered in the air, its body a fist-sized mass resembling seaweed, but all its aerial tentacles were snake heads, numbering in the hundreds!

It was a Medusa Seaweed! *Hasn't this thing gone extinct yet?* Snoopy was startled, thinking, *Is it still Seins's old foe?*

The hundreds of snake heads of the Medusa Seaweed burst into wild laughter simultaneously, yet only a single voice spoke, "Tsk, tsk, Seins, you've finally met your match!" The voice was resentful and chilling!

Xue Ji's heart tightened. This Medusa Seaweed harbored a deeply ingrained grudge against Seins. If the person in Seins's box truly was him, she absolutely couldn't allow the Medusa Seaweed to go berserk seeking revenge! Thinking this, Xue Ji said mildly, "Since you've seen your old foe, let's return. We have more important matters to attend to!"

Sword Slave was also about to recall the Medusa Seaweed, but the creature's hundreds of heads, nearly a thousand eyes, suddenly stared at Snoopy in shock. "You, you are not Seins!" Sword Slave's expression changed. The Medusa Seaweed had been tamed, and it was far too familiar with the Sea King to be mistaken! The situation had changed; no matter who he was, there was definitely something suspicious here. Could Francis have disguised himself as Seins?! "Water's Embrace Sword Array, capture him!"