Chương 50: Chapter 47: The Roar Across the Churning Sea

The rhythmic, soothing churn of the ocean waves parting against the heavy wooden hull of the civilian passenger vessel did little to calm the tempest raging inside Blake Belladonna's mind. She stood alone on the starboard deck, leaning against the polished iron railing as the salty sea breeze whipped her long, black hair around her face.

Without her signature black ribbon, her feline ears twitched freely, picking up the distant cries of seagulls, the creak of the ship's rigging, and the low, murmuring conversations of the passengers scattered across the deck. The vast, sparkling expanse of the open ocean stretched out toward the horizon, leading her ever closer to Menagerie. Leading her home. Blake's grip tightened on the cold iron rail until her knuckles turned stark white. Her thoughts were a suffocating, violent spiral.

Adam is going to kill my father... She thought. The encrypted words of the White Fang missive burning in her memory like branded iron. The sheer, terrifying weight of Adam Taurus's malice cast a long, dark shadow over the glittering sea. But alongside the fear for her parents, a deep, persistent ache throbbed in her chest. She had left them. Ruby, Weiss, Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren. She had walked away from the airship docks, turning her back on the people who had fought and bled beside her.

They were flying into the unknown dangers of Mistral without her shadows to watch their flanks.

"The sea has a funny way of making the world feel incredibly large, and our problems feel incredibly heavy, doesn't it?" Blake blinked, her cat ears swiveling as she turned her head. The captain of the vessel, a grizzled, broad-shouldered man with a thick, salt-and-pepper beard and a weathered blue coat, stepped up to the railing beside her. He carried a wooden pipe in one hand, his eyes crinkling warmly at the corners as he looked out at the horizon.

Blake relaxed her posture slightly, though her golden eyes remained guarded.

"It does. I suppose it's hard to ignore what you're leaving behind when there's nothing but water for miles." The captain nodded slowly, leaning his forearms against the rail. He had seen countless faces on his ship over the decades. Merchants, refugees, Huntsmen, and runaways. He recognized the heavy, solitary burden pulling at the young Faunus's shoulders.

"You've got the look of someone carrying a storm inside them, miss," the captain said gently, his voice a rumbling, comforting baritone.

"Running toward a fire, or running away from one?"

"Running toward one," Blake admitted softly, her gaze dropping to the churning whitecaps below.

"There is... a problem at home. Something I have to settle myself. But to do it, I had to leave my friends behind. They're heading into their own storm right now, and I can't help but feel like I abandoned them when they might need me." The captain hummed thoughtfully, taking a slow draw from his unlit pipe.

"It takes a lot of courage to walk into a fire alone. But let me tell you something I've learned from a lifetime of ferrying people across these waters. If your friends are true, if they're the kind of crew worth their salt, they won't see it as abandonment. They'll see it as you trusting them to hold their own line while you secure yours." He turned to look at her, offering a warm, fatherly smile.

"Whatever problem is waiting for you at home, you handle it. Your friends? They'll understand. And if they're half as tough as you seem to be, they'll be just fine until you see them again." Blake's breath hitched slightly, the tight, suffocating knot in her chest loosening by a fraction. A faint, melancholy smile touched her lips.

"Thank you, Captain."

"Don't mention it," he chuckled, tipping his hat.

"I've got a ship to steer. Try to enjoy the breeze, young lady." As the captain ambled back toward the bridge, Blake turned her amber eyes back to the horizon, contemplating his words. He's right. She thought, feeling the faint, lingering warmth of her team's final, crushing group hug. They're strong. They have each other. And they have Saitama guarding the home front. Suddenly, the hair on the back of Blake's neck stood on end. Her feline ears swiveled sharply backward, flattening against her skull.

The distinct, unmistakable feeling of being watched crept over her. Blake turned slowly, her golden eyes scanning the upper observation deck. Tucked away in the shadow of a large ventilation stack, a figure stood cloaked in a heavy, oversized brown traveler's hood. The silhouette was perfectly still, its face entirely obscured in the gloom. Blake's posture instantly shifted into a predatory, combat-ready stance. Her hand drifted smoothly to the hilt of Gambol Shroud resting at the small of her back.

"I know you're there," Blake called out, her voice cutting sharply through the wind.

"Who are you? What do you want?" The hooded figure flinched, taking a hesitant half-step backward, raising a pair of hands defensively. Before the figure could speak, the ocean erupted. KRA-KOOM! A deafening, concussive roar shattered the peaceful afternoon. A colossal geyser of seawater violently exploded off the port bow, showering the deck in a torrential downpour of salty rain. The passengers screamed in pure terror as a massive, serpentine shadow blotted out the sun. It was a Sea Feilong.

The aquatic Grimm was a titanic, dragon-like nightmare of dark blue scales and white bone plating. It possessed massive, leathery wings that beat with hurricane force, and a jagged, elongated snout crackling with erratic, violent arcs of blue electricity. The beast unleashed an ear-splitting screech, its serpentine body twisting in the air before it brought its massive tail down, slamming into the side of the passenger ship. CRASH!

"Brace for impact!" the captain roared from the bridge, gripping the ship's wheel as the vessel violently lurched to the side. The wooden deck splintered, sending unanchored barrels and screaming passengers tumbling across the floorboards.

"Hard to port! Get us out of its strike zone!"

"Captain! The port side is taking heavy structural damage!" a frantic deckhand shouted, scrambling to secure a sliding cargo net.

"The hull plating won't hold another hit like that!"

"Get the civilians below deck! Everyone, move!" Blake commanded, her Huntress training instantly overriding the chaos. She drew Gambol Shroud, the blade snapping out with a sharp, metallic shing as she leaped onto the ship's railing. The Sea Feilong circled high above the masts, its jaws parting as blinding blue electricity gathered in the back of its throat. It fired a massive, concentrated beam of lightning directly at the main deck.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Blake blurred into motion. She launched herself off the railing, leaving a solid shadow clone behind that absorbed the stray voltage with a violent hiss of dissipating energy. In mid-air, she transformed Gambol Shroud into its pistol form, firing a rapid barrage of high-caliber Dust rounds directly into the beast's glowing maw.

The explosions staggered the dragon, interrupting its breath attack, but the Grimm recovered in a microsecond. With a furious roar, it swept its massive, barbed wing forward, swatting Blake out of the sky with the force of a freight train. Blake grunted, crossing her arms to block, but the sheer physical mass sent her crashing back down onto the wooden deck. She skidded backward, her boots carving deep grooves into the polished wood. The Sea Feilong dove, its jaws unhinging to swallow her whole.

Blake's aura flared, her muscles screaming as she prepared to roll.

"Need a hand?!" A bright, enthusiastic shout pierced the roar of the ocean. From the upper deck, the hooded figure threw off the heavy brown cloak, revealing a shock of messy blonde hair, an unbuttoned white shirt, and a golden monkey tail whipping excitedly in the wind. Sun Wukong launched himself into the sky, his iconic staff, Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang, already spinning in his hands.

"Sun?!" Blake shouted, her eyes widening in absolute bewilderment.

"In the flesh!" Sun grinned, his semblance flaring to life. Two glowing, golden light-clones of himself materialized in mid-air. The clones grabbed the Sea Feilong by the horns, completely halting its downward dive for a crucial, shuddering second.

"Don't just stand there, lads! Give the Huntsmen some cover fire!" the captain bellowed, leaning over the bridge railing.

"Man the harpoon cannons! Hold the line!"

"Aye, Captain!" the crew responded in unison. The heavy, metallic clanking of the ship's mounted defenses swinging into position filled the air. Sun dropped directly onto the Grimm's snout. With a sharp flick of his wrists, his staff detached into its dual-wielding, shotgun-nunchaku configuration. BANG! BANG! BANG! Sun unleashed a point-blank, devastating barrage of shotgun blasts directly into the creature's bone-plated face, moving with a fluid, rhythmic choreography of hyper-kinetic strikes.

The Sea Feilong shrieked in agony, violently thrashing its head and throwing Sun back toward the deck. Blake didn't hesitate. She threw the ribbon of Gambol Shroud, the black cord wrapping securely around Sun's waist as he fell. Using his momentum, she planted her feet and swung him like a human wrecking ball, reversing his trajectory and launching him straight up into the creature's right wing.

"Nice catch!" Sun yelled, spinning his nunchaku into a blurring wheel of fire and steel that tore through the leathery membrane of the Grimm's wing, completely crippling its aerial mobility. The beast crashed violently into the ocean waves alongside the ship, thrashing wildly as it tried to stabilize itself.

"Fire!" a crewman screamed. Heavy steel spikes launched from the ship's cannons, burying deep into the beast's scales and tethering the monster to the side of the hull. The thick iron chains groaned under the immense tension of the struggling dragon.

"Now, Blake!" Sun shouted, landing beside her on the railing. Blake nodded, her amber eyes locking onto the exposed, crackling electrical sac pulsing in the creature's throat. She leaped off the railing, Sun directly at her side. The two Faunus moved with a flawless, unspoken synchronicity. Sun's golden clones manifested once more, providing a flurry of distracting blows while Blake glided beneath the chaos.

With a fierce cry, Blake swung Gambol Shroud's blade in a massive, sweeping arc fueled by her downward velocity, slicing cleanly through the exposed electrical sac. The Sea Feilong stiffened, a blinding surge of internal electricity short-circuiting its own biology. With a final, pathetic gurgle, the colossal sea dragon dissolved into thick, evaporating black smoke, its ashes blowing away on the ocean breeze. The ship rocked gently, settling back into the calm waters.

The passengers, realizing the danger had passed, emerged from the lower decks and erupted into a chorus of relieved cheers.

"Fantastic work, you two!" the captain called down from the bridge, wiping his brow with a hearty, booming laugh.

"Drinks are on the house for our Huntsmen tonight!" Blake landed gracefully on the deck, holstering Gambol Shroud with a sharp click. She stood still for two seconds, letting her breathing slow, before she turned her head. Her golden eyes narrowed into a terrifying, unamused glare as she locked onto the blonde monkey Faunus, who was currently dusting off his jeans with a wide, triumphant grin.

"Sun Wukong," Blake said, her voice dropping into a dangerously calm, icy register. Sun flinched, his smile freezing as he slowly looked up.

"Uh... hey, Blake! Crazy weather we're having, huh? Giant sea dragons, who would've thought?"

"How are you here?" Blake demanded, closing the distance between them with rapid, aggressive steps.

"What are you doing on this ship?! You are supposed to be in Mistral with Team SSSN! Haven Academy issued a mandatory evacuation recall!" Sun rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, his golden tail wrapping nervously around his leg.

"Okay, okay, don't be mad! Look, two days ago, right before you guys deployed, I got a text from Yang." Blake froze, her anger stuttering for a moment.

"Yang?"

"Yeah," Sun nodded, his expression turning surprisingly genuine and serious.

"She told me you were breaking off from the main group. That you were heading to Menagerie completely alone to deal with a White Fang assassination plot. Yang said you were being stubborn, and she was worried sick about you walking into a warzone without anyone to watch your back." Sun offered a soft, earnest smile.

"So, I ditched my team. I told Neptune I had some 'urgent personal business' in the lower ports, bought a ticket, and snuck onto this boat before it left Vale. I wanted to surprise you... but then the giant lightning snake kind of ruined the dramatic reveal." Blake stared at him, her chest tight. The sheer, idiotic loyalty of it all, leaving his team, risking academic expulsion, stowing away on a slow passenger ferry just to make sure she didn't have to face her demons alone.

She let out a long, heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose as the fight completely drained out of her.

"You are an absolute idiot, Sun," Blake muttered, though her voice lacked any real venom.

"Hey, I'm your idiot for this trip," Sun laughed, crossing his arms behind his head and leaning back against the railing.

"Besides, there's no way you're shaking me now. We're in the middle of the ocean." Blake looked at him, then out at the rolling blue waves. A small, reluctant smile touched the corner of her lips.

"Fine. But if you cause any trouble in Kuo Kuana, I am feeding you to the local wildlife."

"Deal!" Sun beamed. They stood together in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, the adrenaline of the battle finally fading into the rhythmic lull of the sea.

"So," Sun started, leaning forward on the railing and looking at Blake with intense curiosity.

"You gotta tell me. Since I haven't seen the guy in like four months, or more... how is Saitama doing? My team and I have been seeing all those crazy 'Hero of Vale' broadcasts on the underground feeds! The guy looks like a total superstar!" Blake couldn't help it. A genuine, breathy laugh escaped her. The contrast between the public's perception of Saitama and his actual reality was always a source of immense comedic relief.

"A superstar?" Blake chuckled, leaning her elbows on the rail.

"Sun, he is exactly the same as he was when you left. His daily life is a complete, comical disaster. He spends most of his time sweeping the courtyards in an oversized green janitor suit, complaining about the price of cabbage, and running away from first-year students who literally worship the ground he walks on."

"No way!" Sun laughed, slapping his knee.

"You're telling me the guy who shattered the Wyvern is getting chased by freshmen?!"

"Oh, it's true," Blake smiled, her golden eyes shining with fond nostalgia.

"But... despite all the absurdity, his presence changed everything at Beacon. Headmistress Goodwitch actually made him the 'Tactical Kinetic Evaluator' for our advanced combat classes." Sun's eyes widened.

"What does that even mean?"

"It means he stands in the center of the arena like a training dummy, and we attack him with everything we have," Blake explained, her tone shifting into one of profound respect.

"For weeks, we threw our ultimate combinations at him. Explosions, high-caliber rounds, glyphs... and we couldn't even make him blink. Eventually, Glynda put a fragile wooden bucket on his head and told him he was allowed to dodge. His speed... Sun, it defies reality. But because we had to fight an immovable object and an untouchable ghost, our reaction times skyrocketed. The sheer pressure of trying to catch him forced us to break past our own limits."

Sun paused, a look of sudden, intense realization dawning on his face as he looked at Blake.

"Whoa... so that's why you were moving like that out there."

"Moving like what?" Blake asked, tilting her head.

"Like that," Sun gestured wildly toward the ocean where the Sea Feilong had fallen.

"I mean, you were always good, Blake, but against that sea dragon? You were dodging lightning strikes like it was absolutely nothing. Your reaction time and your precision are completely off the charts compared to the last time we fought together during the Vytal tournament." Blake looked down at her hands, a quiet sense of accomplishment settling in her chest.

"It's hard not to improve when the benchmark for survival is set by a god in a yellow suit." Sun let out a long, dramatic sigh, looking up at the clear blue sky, shaking his head.

"Man... I am so jealous! We've just been doing boring textbook drills back in Mistral! I wish Team SSSN could spend a week using that guy as a training dummy. We'd be unstoppable!" He leaned back against the railing, his golden tail swishing thoughtfully.

"I just wonder... do you think he still remembers that paper coupon I gave him for the Mistral banana sale before I left? I drew it myself. It was a masterpiece." Blake looked at the earnest, goofy expression on Sun's face, thinking back to the utterly simplistic, single-minded priorities of the strongest man in the universe. She offered a dry, knowing smirk.

"Honestly, Sun? Knowing Saitama... that coupon is probably the only thing he actually does remember."