“Damn you, Raven…!” heaved the ao god. He struck down at the water’s surface in frustration, having just rinsed the blood off his face.
Ayura’s body began to stumble forward, but Hakurai caught her in his arms just before she fell. Ishiha rushed over to them.
A deep, heavy drone echoed through the air, as if the entire sea was groaning. The wind caressed the water, creating small yet fierce ripples on its surface.
Jusetsu could hear waves breaking. Far out across the water, the waves surged high into the air and whirlpools formed on the sea’s surface. Everyone could hear the wind howl.
“Look at the sky!” exclaimed Onkei, his voice tense.
Gray clouds quickly gathered, surging like waves. Before they knew it, the entire sky was concealed by clouds, and the area was so dark that it felt like dusk had arrived early.
The clouds were black now. A flash of lightning soon followed. Just as the bolt appeared to slither down into the sea, a deafening roar rumbled through the air. It was as if the very ground beneath them was being torn apart. Lightning flashed all over, followed by rolls of thunder. The waves in the sea grew more violent, appearing to thrash around and making the whirlpools even more aggressive in the process.
What’s happening?
The wind blew against the sand, and sea spray showered down on Jusetsu and those around her. It almost felt like it was raining.
“Niangniang, stay back,” commanded Onkei, standing protectively in front of her and slowly edging backward.
“The battle has begun, then,” Jusetsu muttered. “The battle between the Raven and the ao god.”
Having regained her missing half, the Raven had been set free. Now, the liberated Raven was doing battle with the ao god.
Jusetsu couldn’t see her with her own eyes. She could, however, see the waves raging out at sea before breaking apart and disappearing into nothing. These were traces of the battle that was being carried out in front of them, and she felt as if she could see the Raven’s flapping wings and the White Turtle’s legs kicking up the waves.
While the gods continued to brawl, Jusetsu found herself anxiously staring in the direction of the underwater volcano.
Won’t it anger the sea god once again to see them wreaking havoc in such a spectacular way?
The Owl had brought the eruption under control for now, but there must have been a limit to what he could do.
As if it had sensed Jusetsu’s misgivings, the water began to rise. Before she knew it, a black pillar of water was soaring high up into the air.
Whatever the sky was doing, it wasn’t normal.
Senri had been laid up in bed inside the Jo family residence, but when he caught a glimpse of the sky through the window, he heaved himself up in astonishment.
The surrounding area had suddenly become dark, and thick clouds had covered every remaining inch of the sky above. To make matters worse, it had even started to thunder. This was no ordinary weather.
Now was not the time to dawdle. Senri dashed outside, not even taking the time to tidy his hair or put on a change of clothes. The lightning seemed to be getting closer and closer to the sea. Senri ran to the headland from where he’d be able to get a better view of the water. As weak as his body still was, he managed to make it there.
As swift as he was at climbing up to the headland, someone else had beat him to it—Cho. He was standing on the headland, looking out to sea.
“Cho, what’s happening…?” Senri asked him.
“The gods are scuffling,” he replied.
There was another flash of lightning, illuminating Cho’s face from the side. A drop of water fell on Senri’s cheek. For a moment, he wondered if it was a raindrop—but he then realized that a splash of seawater had made it all the way up to where the two men stood. A big wave had crashed violently against the rocks and dispersed, sending spray flying in all directions. This stormy sea was no laughing matter.
“I don’t know which gods are brawling, but I can tell you one thing—the sea god won’t be happy about this,” Cho murmured, but his voice was drowned out by a peal of thunder.
Senri’s eyes widened, his gaze fixed on the raging waters. The wind blew fiercely, and sea spray struck his face. A lightning bolt shot down toward the sea, illuminating the skies above.
A scuffle between the gods… Does that mean that Uren Niangniang and the ao god have gone into battle? Senri pondered to himself.
Had Uren Niangniang retrieved her missing half? Where had Jusetsu gone? Senri was perplexed, but no amount of worrying was going to help anything. This wasn’t the sort of issue that a human could meddle in. At least, that was the sense that Senri got.
A remarkably fierce wave crashed and broke against the rocks, and that was when it happened. A deafening roar echoed through the air and familiar-looking black clouds surged up into the air.
“Argh…”
Senri gulped. Another eruption?
From the depths, pitch-black water surged and erupted into the air, scattering small rocks across the water. The sight of the black water spouting out in every direction reminded Senri of both the wings of a butterfly and the tail of a chicken at the same time.
“This is just a thought, but…” Cho began, his voice soft—but the thunder and the eruption made it hard for Senri to hear him.
“What did you say?” said Senri, but since Cho’s eyes were directed straight ahead, he couldn’t see his lips moving.
“I can’t wrap my head around why the sea god wouldn’t have taken my life,” Cho continued. “The waters were rough. I, being the seafaring mourner, was meant to have been killed and chucked into the sea. I dived in before they got their hands on me, but the sea god still could have killed me if they so wished. What did the sea god want from me? I’ve tried racking my brains for answers, but I still don’t have a clue.”
Finally, Cho turned toward Senri.
“Nowadays, I get the feeling that the sea god is calling out for me. Maybe that’s just because I’ve gotten older—kids and the elderly are closer to god, after all. At the end of the day, I’m still a seafaring mourner too.”
“Cho…”
“I don’t know whether it’ll work, but I’m going to request the sea god put a stop to this.” Cho then chuckled and positioned himself at the edge of the headland.
“Cho!” Senri yelled.
“I’m sure I’ll wash up on the shore if the sea god decides there’s no use for me again.”
Senri threw his hands into the air as Cho jumped and began to fall down toward the sea.
The sound of him plunging into the water was drowned out by a roar of thunder, rendering it inaudible.
Before long, the surging pillar of water transformed into black spray. Jusetsu was powerless to do anything but gaze at it in blank amazement, but she suddenly noticed that the spray was getting weaker.