The sky darkened before the sun had even begun to set. At first it was just the rhythm of the waves, faster, heavier, uneven. Then came the sound like rain striking metal, followed by a faint blue shimmer rippling across the sea.

Ludger’s eyes narrowed. “They’re coming.”

Moments later, the ocean broke open. Hundreds of sahuagins surged up from the depths, riding the waves like living torpedoes. Their scales glistened under the dull light, weapons of coral and shell clenched in clawed hands. They leapt through the air in arcs, propelled by the tide itself, and opened fire, streams of condensed water bullets cutting through the sky like volleys of liquid glass.

“Contact, starboard side!” a lookout shouted. “Multiple formations!”

The first barrage slammed against the fleet’s mana barriers, sending shockwaves across the decks. Spray and steam erupted as impacts rippled along the shimmering wards.

“Return fire!” Varik’s voice rang out, sharp and commanding. “Silver Talons, ignite cannons! Fire!”

At once, the decks lit up with power. The magic cannons mounted along the ships’ flanks began to hum, the runes on their barrels glowing crimson and gold. Engineers barked incantations as the runic fuses activated, the inscribed cannonballs pulsing with volatile mana.

Then came the thunder. The fleet roared as every cannon fired in unison, the air tearing apart from the force. Flaming projectiles streaked across the sea like comets, trailing smoke and heat before crashing into the oncoming swarm.

The first volley struck the water. The ocean erupted. Each shot detonated with a blinding flash, shockwaves ripping through waves, tearing bodies apart in sprays of blood and foam. The explosions rolled across the surface, vaporizing sea spray into pillars of steam.

The cannonballs that burst midair turned the sky itself into firestorms, scattering burning fragments that shredded the sahuagins before they could even land. Those that managed to hit the waves sent up walls of water taller than the ships, obliterating entire clusters of the creatures.

Ludger braced against the railing as the deck shuddered beneath the recoil. Even through the barrier’s hum, he could feel the sheer force of the explosions. His eyes tracked the arcs of mana tearing across the sea, and he couldn’t help a quiet, low whistle.

“Those are two times stronger than my stone cannonball,” he muttered.

Gaius glanced sideways, smirking faintly. “Told you not to underestimate Imperial artillery.”

“Yeah,” Ludger said, squinting through the haze as another volley lit the horizon. “Guess they make up for subtlety with overkill.”

Varik strode along the command deck, shouting crisp orders while the Silver Talon crews reloaded the next barrage. “Adjust elevation! Compensate for current! Second volley, fire on my mark!”

The cannons fired again. This time the air itself seemed to tremble. The detonations carved craters into the sea, sending cascades of boiling water skyward. Sahuagins riding the outer waves were caught mid-leap, their bodies torn apart before they ever reached the ships.

Even Ludger, who had faced down beasts, labyrinth constructs, and northerners felt the scale of it settle in his bones. It wasn’t a battle anymore. It was annihilation. And yet, through the smoke and steam, new shapes still moved—darker, heavier, forming beneath the surface. The sahuagin army wasn’t done.

He set his hands on the railing, the heat of mana still buzzing under his skin. “So much for an easy welcome.”

Gaius’s eyes narrowed toward the horizon, where faint blue lights began to pulse beneath the waves. “Get ready, boy. That was just their greeting.”

Ludger cracked his neck, the air shimmering faintly around his forearms.

“Good,” he said quietly. “I was getting bored.”

And as the next swarm began to rise from the depths, the cannons fired again—thunder answering the sea’s roar.

The ocean became a graveyard.

Every sahuagin that tried to close the distance met a wall of thunder and flame. The magic cannons roared in constant rhythm, each shot a miniature sun bursting across the waves. Creatures leapt from the water only to be shredded midair, their bodies disintegrating under the shockwaves. The sea boiled, churning with blood and smoke, until the once-relentless swarm finally broke—what was left of it diving for the depths in retreat.

The fleet advanced through the haze of steam and charred coral, the bridge looming behind them like a gray spine leading back to the mainland. Ahead, the mist began to thin, and the first island emerged from the fog.

It was breathtaking and wrong all at once. Jagged cliffs of black stone jutted upward, veined with glowing blue coral that pulsed like living veins. Waterfalls of luminescent fluid spilled down into tide pools below, and enormous spires of coral trees rose from the shallows, their branches humming faintly with mana. The air shimmered with humidity and salt, thick enough to taste.

Lucius’s voice carried across the deck. “First island in sight! Ready landing crews!”

Rathen, standing beside the command mast, barked over the wind. “You all know the plan! The labyrinth entrance is on the third island, but we need a path first. This one’s the closest. We secure it, build a bridgehead, and move inland!”

He turned to Ludger and Gaius, eyes sharp. “You two handle the bridges! We’ll cover you from here!”

Ludger and Gaius exchanged a nod. No hesitation. Both reached into their belts and pulled out pouches of sand and scattered the contents into the wind. The grains glittered briefly before obeying their call, coiling and compressing under focused mana.

The air trembled. Two earthen platforms burst upward, forming beneath their boots, floating steady above the ship’s railings.

“Let’s go,” Ludger said.

Gaius grunted, already rising into the air. “Try not to show off.”

“No promises.”

They kicked off the deck, the platforms shooting forward with a surge of mana, gliding above the raging surf. The sea exploded around them as sahuagin marksmen surfaced again, firing volleys of compressed water bullets that hissed through the air like thrown knives.

Ludger grinned. “Persistent bastards.”

He shifted his stance, tilting the platform sharply, like a board cutting across a wave. The stone sled whipped sideways, dodging a barrage so close he could feel the spray hit his face. Then, twisting his wrist, he dove low and let the momentum sling him upward again.

He was surfing through the air, carving paths of dust and light as the ocean raged below. Gaius followed more controlled, arms outstretched, channeling stone shards into the sea to intercept the next volley. Each impact bloomed into bursts of foam and debris.

“Less acrobatics, more bridges!” he shouted over the wind.

“Working on it!” Ludger yelled back, the excitement in his voice undeniable.

Eventually, Ludger reached the beach and then touched the ground with both hands as he focused his mana. The particles ignited with mana, fusing together into massive stone arcs that extended from the sea toward the island’s jagged shore. The platforms of earth formed midair, one after another, linking like vertebrae across the gap.

Gaius joined in, reinforcing the structures from below, raising coral-enforced supports that locked into the first island’s black cliffs. Within moments, they’d built a half-complete causeway sturdy enough for troops to sprint across.

“Bridge one stable!” Gaius called out.

“Good! Keep going!” Rathen’s voice thundered from the flagship. “Ironhand units—prepare to land!”

Ludger swerved left as another volley of water bullets shot past him, barely grazing the edge of his platform. He twisted the stone, banking around one of the coral pillars that jutted from the sea like a spear. The move sent a spray of mist in his wake.

Viola, watching from the deck, laughed. “He’s enjoying that way too much!”

Arslan smirked. “He’s his mother’s problem until he sinks.”

Ludger landed his platform on the new stone bridge, hand pressed against the ground. With a pulse of mana, the structure fused completely, solid, stable, and glowing faintly with mana patterns.

The air was thick with heat and motion, the ocean glowing from the reflections of cannon fire and runic light.

By the time the first Arslan, Viola and the others began running across the newly-formed bridge, the sound of cheering rose from the decks.

Ludger straightened, brushing sea spray from his face. The adrenaline still burned in his veins, and he couldn’t help the grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. He turned toward Gaius, who floated a few meters above, his usual calm composure intact.

“See?” Ludger shouted. “Told you I could make it fun!”

Gaius shook his head, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like idiot, but even he was smiling faintly. Below them, the waves crashed against the coral pillars, the first island looming larger by the second—its cliffs waiting, its labyrinth heart calling. The battle for the archipelago had truly begun.

The sound of boots on stone echoed across the makeshift path as the inland teams advanced in formation. The Lionsguard led the charge, followed by Ironhand members. The bridge that Ludger and Gaius had created held firm beneath their weight, the mana-infused stone glowing faintly underfoot. Ahead, the first island loomed larger with every step, a stretch of uneven black rock and dense, low vegetation twisted by salt air.

From a distance, it almost looked normal. Almost. Up close, the illusion broke. The coral along the coastline pulsed faintly with light, and the tide pools scattered along the shore reflected eerie blue hues instead of sky. The air smelled faintly of brine and mana, and the ground underfoot wasn’t entirely stone, it was half-living coral, smooth and slightly warm to the touch.

“Lovely place,” Kharnek muttered as they reached the first ridge.

“Let’s keep moving,” Lucius ordered, stepping forward, his saber drawn. “We make for the inland cliffs. The labyrinth entrance is on the third island, we clear a path and establish a forward base here before sundown.”

No sooner had he spoken than the sea below erupted again. Sahuagins surged from the waves, riding the tide in coordinated bursts. They launched themselves upward in arcs, claws glinting, tridents spinning through the air.

“Contact!” someone shouted.

But this time, the fleet was ready. Varik’s voice carried over the war-horns from the command ship. “All batteries, fire at will! Keep the shoreline clear!”

The magic cannons thundered again. Flame streaked through the sky, and explosions tore the water apart. The first wave of sahuagins never even touched land, their bodies vaporized midair, torn to pieces by shockwaves that flattened waves for dozens of meters around.

Those few who did make it across hit the sand hard, hissing and shrieking as they charged toward the advancing soldiers. Lucius raised his saber, the fire along its edge igniting in a single motion. “Forward!” he commanded. “Don’t stop! We push inland, Varik and his cannons will cover the flanks!”

Ludger was already in motion. With a flick of his wrist, spikes of stone burst from the ground, skewering two sahuagins that leapt toward the front line. Beside him, Viola dashed forward, her sword cleaving through another with a burst of Overdrive, her red cloak slicing through the mist like a banner of flame.

Ironhand members followed close behind, shields locked as they formed a wedge to hold the ground while Gaius reinforced the slope with thick walls of rock.

Overhead, cannonfire continued to light up the sky. Each impact near the coast sent geysers of flame and spray rising higher than the cliffs. The explosions painted the dark coral with flashes of gold and red, the rhythmic thunder of bombardment keeping the ocean itself at bay.

Ludger ducked beneath a swing, countered with a burst of palm force that shattered a sahuagin’s chest, and glanced back toward the sea. Even through the chaos, he could see Varik’s ships positioned just off the coast, its silver banners gleaming in the firelight. The commander stood near the bow, calmly directing the cannon crews with surgical precision, every volley timed perfectly.

So far, he was doing his job. Lucius’s voice rang out again, steady amid the battle. “Keep your formation! Don’t waste mana, Varik’s covering the flanks, we just need to break through!”

Ludger nodded once, focused. He pressed his hand against the ground, and tremors rippled outward, several more sahuagins lost their footing, impaled by stone spikes before they could recover. Viola leapt over one and landed beside him, grinning despite the fight.

“See?” she said between breaths. “Much better than being seasick.”

Ludger smirked. “Don’t get too confident. That was the small wave.”

“Then we’ll hit back harder,” she said, blade flaring with heat.

The fleet’s cannons fired another volley, the thunder echoing across the island as the Lionsguard pressed inland through the shattered coral plain.

Behind them, the ocean burned. Ahead, the jungle loomed—dark, humming with mana, and waiting.

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