Chapter 231 - The Ashen Isle ( Part 3)

Jennie turned her head to look towards the staircase.

"We’re leaving."

Her words held no uncertainty. No hesitation. No fear. Those were a declaration. A command. Absolute and without question.

Lilia was alive.

That was all that mattered.

She didn’t care about how perfectly Azrael had designed the place. She didn’t care about how many traps the demons had set up under the island. If they wanted her to enter their territories, then she would do that.

But she would do it on her terms.

Jennie took a single step forward, and Rudy started moving alongside her.

But Snow stopped.

"Jennie."

She stopped moving and turned back. The Divine Wolf’s voice carried some warning. Some sort of feeling that told her she should be careful.

He looked towards the center of the ancient room, his nine tails motionless and his ears low.

"There’s a problem."

Jennie frowned. "What?"

Snow didn’t immediately reply. Instead, he walked towards the point where she had created the dimensional route using all five Divine Swords. Divine energy started gathering around his body, circling like a mist, and he closed his crimson eyes.

Several moments passed without anything happening.

Then his expression changed.

"The route is gone."

"What?"

"The dimensional route," Snow opened his eyes, and his voice gained some heaviness. "It has collapsed."

"I know," said Rudy, stepping closer.

"It is odd," the Divine Wolf said, looking at the ancient ruins. "Very odd."

Jennie approached him. "Can you restore it?"

"No."

"Why?"

"The connection was severed."

Snow pointed at the ruins. "Somewhere here."

Jennie stared at him. "Wasn’t?"

Snow nodded. "From the moment Azrael appeared I could sense that the dimensional structure was being changed."

"It was closed," Snow’s expression became grim. "Closed."

Silence filled the entire room.

Jennie looked towards the passage leading out of the place. For a moment, she couldn’t understand what it meant.

Then she understood.

The demons weren’t waiting for them. The demons were cutting off their only way out of the place.

Rudy slowly lowered the dagger she had taken. Her voice was barely audible.

"So, we’re trapped."

Snow nodded. "Trapped on an island surrounded by the ocean."

Jennie looked at the five Divine Swords: Excalibur, Leviathan, Tempest, Eclipse, and Gram. They were floating behind her silently—five swords that were able to change the fate of any kingdom. But they weren’t able to open the route that they’ve used to come here.

Jennie clenched her hand into a fist. "They want us here."

Rudy looked at her. "That’s what Azrael said."

"No," Jennie shook her head. Her tone of voice became sharp. "It is more than that."

She looked around the room—the seven statues, the seven pedestals, the ancient inscription, the recently activated pedestal, Azrael’s appearance, the collapse of the route.

Everything was connected.

"They didn’t just expect us to come."

Jennie went to the ancient tablet and touched the inscription on it.

"They prepared for that."

"Why?" Rudy’s expression became serious.

Jennie looked at her. "Because they don’t want us to leave."

Snow’s ears suddenly twitched. He turned his head towards the staircase.

"Someone is coming."

Rudy immediately took out the dagger. "Azrael?"

"No," Snow shook his head. "Many."

Jennie’s eyes narrowed. "How many?"

Snow closed his eyes, trying to hear—using his divine senses to perceive everything around, through the stone, through the sand, through the sky.

Several moments passed, and his eyes opened.

"A fleet."

Rudy blinked. "A fleet?"

Jennie immediately started walking to the stairs.

"Let’s see it."

The three started climbing the ancient stairs.

Step. Step. Step.

The darkness was slowly fading. Cold air touched their faces, bringing with it a scent of salt and something else—something smelling of iron and ash.

They left the ruins.

Ashen Isle looked exactly as it was before. Black sand, dead trees, ruined structures, and grey skies.

But something has changed.

The ocean wasn’t empty.

Rudy stopped beside Jennie. Her golden eyes widened.

"Oh..."

Jennie stared at the horizon.

Dozens of black ships. No—more than dozens.

A massive fleet was slowly emerging from the fog. Their sails were black, their hulls made of dark metal, and their sides decorated with crimson symbols glowing faintly against the grey waves of the ocean.

Demonic ships.

And they were heading straight to Ashen Isle.

Snow stopped beside them, and his expression became grim.

"They came quickly."

"Yes," Rudy looked at Jennie. "Too quickly."

Jennie didn’t reply.

She watched the fleet. There was one ship among the others, much larger than any other. It had a skull-like bow, black smoke rising from it. Various magical formations were glowing along its hull.

There were weapons—hundreds. Thousands?

Rudy swallowed. "That’s not a patrol."

"No."

Jennie’s voice remained calm.

"It is an army."

The fleet kept approaching.

Ocean was churning around those ships, demonic energy spreading on the water like a dark fog. Jennie could feel it even from the island—a pressure against her skin and a whisper in her mind.

They weren’t hiding themselves from the group. They wanted the group to see them. To understand.

There was no escape.

"They knew the route would collapse," said Rudy.

Jennie nodded. "Yes."

"They knew we’d be stranded," she added.

"Yes."

"And they sent the fleet."

"Yes."

Rudy stared at the approaching fleet of ships. "Then Azrael wasn’t here to kill us."

"No."

Jennie looked down at the ruins of Ashen Isle.

"He was here to make sure we stay."

"What then?" Snow growled.

Jennie didn’t answer. She knew the answer.

They wanted them to fight. Here. On Ashen Isle. Before they could reach Demon Continent.

Why?

That was the question.

Jennie looked once again towards the fleet. Maybe they wanted to weaken them. Maybe they wanted to test the five Divine Swords. Or to capture Rudy.

Or maybe, they wanted Jennie alive.

But there was something else. Something that she couldn’t ignore.

The inscription.

When the King returns, the seven blades shall awaken.

Seven statues. Seven pedestals. Five swords. An incomplete crown.

Jennie’s eyes slowly narrowed.

"Rudy."

"Yes?"

"How many Divine Marks do the demons already have?"

"Five."

"And how many are left?"

Rudy considered her response. She pressed a finger to her chest.

"Mine and Lilia’s."

Jennie nodded. "Exactly."

Rudy’s expression changed slightly. "They can’t complete their ritual without us."

"Correct."

Snow studied the two females. "So?"

Jennie looked toward the approaching fleet. "They need us alive."

"And that means..." Rudy gasped softly.

"They can’t just bombard the island."

Snow allowed himself a faint smile. "Unless they’re ready to destroy what they came here to capture."

Jennie nodded. "That means there are limitations."

The demonic ships got closer.

Jennie could see now the figures standing on the ships’ decks. Hundreds of those figures. Demon soldiers. Warriors clad in armor. Mages and monsters.

At the very head of the biggest ship was standing a tall figure clad in black armor. Jennie couldn’t see the face of the figure from where she was standing, but she felt its aura.

Powerful. Very powerful.

Rudy took a step backward. "Jennie."

Jennie glanced at her.

"We should move inland."

"No."

Rudy blinked. "What?"

Jennie’s gaze was still fixed on the fleet. "We are not running."

Snow narrowed his eyes.

Jennie went on. "They cut off our route of retreat. They sent a fleet. They made us understand that we are surrounded."

She glanced at the ships. "They want us to panic. They want us to look for an alternative way out. They want us to flee toward the Demon Continent."

Rudy understood slowly. "And if we don’t?"

Golden eyes of Jennie grew sharp. "Then their plan will change."

Snow smiled. "You are going to use their trap against them."

Jennie nodded. "Demons are certain that they trapped us."

She glanced at the ancient ruins. "But they made one mistake."

Rudy raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Jennie smiled slightly. "They showed us the battlefield."

Wind swept across Ashen Isle. Silver-white hair of Jennie fluttered with the wind, catching the pale rays of light and scattering them like fragments of broken moonlight.

The five Divine Swords were floating around her. Excalibur. Leviathan. Tempest. Eclipse. Gram.

Each of the blades was emitting its own power. Black clouds gathering above the island were responding to that power. Lightning flashed in the distance. Sea water below darkened.

Demonic fleet was still approaching. Closer. Closer. Closer.

Rudy looked at Jennie. "How many can you handle?"

Jennie did not answer immediately. Her gaze was still fixed on the biggest ship.

"Enough."

Snow chuckled quietly. "That’s not an answer."

"It doesn’t have to be."

Jennie moved a step forward. The ground below her feet cracked, and golden energy spread outward. Five Divine Swords floated behind her, forming five pillars of light.

Gold eyes of Rudy glinted. She pulled her dagger. The blade caught the rays of sunlight.

Snow lowered his body. Nine tails spreading behind his body, his paws were starting to ice up.

Demonic fleet was now close enough for the demons on their decks to see them. Roar erupted from the ships. Weapons were raised. Magic circles appeared.

The first row of demonic soldiers was preparing to land.

Jennie did nothing. She was watching.

They wanted to control the battlefield. They wanted to dictate the terms of the journey. They wanted to push Jennie towards the Demon Continent.

But they forgot one thing.

Jennie spent her entire life refusing to follow the path just because it was written by someone else.

Her eyes became cold.

"If they want us to enter their territory..."

Excalibur appeared in her hand. The golden sword burned with golden fire, pushing back the darkness.

"... then let’s make sure they remember how we arrived."

Jennie raised Sword of Kings.

The moment Excalibur pointed towards the fleet, the other four Divine Swords reacted.

Tempest roared with lightning, silver blade crackling with power.

Leviathan emitted a wave of blue energy that enveloped the whole island.

Eclipse absorbed the surrounding shadows, its black blade swallowing the rays of light.

Gram burst with crimson flames painting the sky with colors of fire and blood.

Five powers merged into one.

Whole Ashen Isle started shaking. The ground trembled, and the ancient ruins under their feet pulsated with awakened energy.

The soldiers of the largest demonic ship suddenly stopped cheering.

For the first time... they hesitated.

Jennie smiled. Not a warm smile. The smile of someone who stopped running at last.

The battle had not started yet. And already... demons were afraid.