Hooray!

A colossal sea monster has awakened, summoning all its descendants to the Distant Harbor; the siege of the Azure Fleet has been lifted.

After an hour of careful exploration, including deploying diving bells to survey the seabed, the fleet's life-finding ships confirmed that the sea monster swarm had retreated.

After receiving a positive response from the Navy, they began work to melt the ice.

The ice fortress built by the fleet commander in a flash of inspiration and the united efforts of the entire fleet has withstood the siege of the beast horde and is now ready to retire in glory.

The Keeper of the Secrets Nixiyasi, breathed a long sigh of relief. After arranging the unsealing plan, she began to consider how to write the battle report. She realized that the tactic of using the fleet to construct ice layers and build large sea platforms might have broader applications and prospects.

And at that very moment, Kang De arrived.

Previously, due to the urgency of the war, although Kang De fulfilled his promise and delivered supplies several times, both of them were busy with the war and did not have a proper exchange. Now that Kang De has come again, Nixiyasi and the fleet's high-ranking officers are welcoming the Dragon of Cathay —putting aside the grudges between the other party and the Council, they owe the Cathayan a favor.

"You said you owed me a favor, now it's time to pay it back."

After they met, Kang De got straight to the point, his tone resolute.

Nixiyasi was taken aback.

She had said something similar during her brief conversation with Kang De earlier. At that time, the Keeper of the Secret was determined to die and refused to obey the Council's orders, abandoning her officers and soldiers to escape alone. Facing Kang De, whom she found quite congenial, she said a few somewhat inappropriate things. Her feelings at the time were understandable; after all, she was about to die, so it didn't matter if she was a little unrestrained. As a spirited naval officer, she wasn't that pretentious.

In the ensuing battles, when Kang De delivered Magic Power supplies to this place, she would think of the legendary Cathayan. She had heard about him; he was powerful and a womanizer, but she had never truly grasped his story until today... Kang De actually understood her thoughts and even made a similar choice to her.

The Council said that he refused to provide full support to the Azure Fleet in order to save the remaining 10,000 people of the Broken Isles, and denounced this as an insult to the Council and a vicious conspiracy, because his real intention was to watch the Azure Fleet be destroyed and weaken the Council's power in the Western Sea.

Nixiyasi felt that Kang De genuinely wanted to save those people.

Then the situation changed. The endless, ferocious sea monsters that had been relentlessly attacking the frost defense line one moment turned and left without hesitation the next. The soldiers went from disbelief and bewilderment to cheering with tears of joy. Soon after, the Keepers of the Secret received the news from the Council.

A colossal monster, the size of a mountain, has appeared on the Broken Isles. Its hatred is focused on Kang De, and it has summoned all its descendants, its gaze fixed on Distant Harbor.

The message from the Navy Department regarding elemental resonance carried a hint of delight; they were pleased to see this outcome.

The Cathayan rejected the Council 'Council goodwill and humiliated its dignity, ultimately shot themselves in the foot. In the end, the Azure Fleet emerged unscathed, while Kang De put the entire West Coast in danger. He had the opportunity to obtain the Council's assistance, but his arrogance and selfishness ruined it all.

Is there anything more gratifying than this?

Upon receiving the message, Nixiyasi silently deleted all communication messages and remained silent for a full five minutes. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly— Kang De had undoubtedly made the right choice, but right choices often don't yield good results, and that was exactly the case now. The world has always been a mess, and it is still the same today.

Even so, she was helpless and could only pray in secret that the Cathayan would continue to amaze the world and win this brilliant battle.

Now, Kang De appeared before her.

They told her to repay a favor.

... Damn it, this isn't how I envisioned it.

At that time, Nixiyasi was determined to die, so she became much more reckless, even using the word "date," but it was nothing more than a joke of letting loose when facing death.

After all, it is well known that most sea creatures are quite promiscuous. Although Nixiyasi, the Flower of the Navy, rejected many suitors with her staff and saber, she inevitably became involved in lewd jokes.

So when I was chatting with Kang De, I inevitably had thoughts like, "This man seems nice," and "He might not refuse if he wants to go on a date with me." So I made a joke on a whim. His reply was very unromantic, but Nixiyasi still said something rather ambiguous, "If I survive, I'll owe you a favor and I'll do anything for you."

Now Kang De has come knocking on our door.

Nixiyasi was certain that the other party didn't want her to do things like "hooking up," "having sex," or "getting married."

A colossal beast, as large as a small mountain, charged toward the Distant Harbor; Kang De is now coming to find her...

Nixiyasi's eyes narrowed, and her friendly and benevolent attitude immediately vanished. Now she was the supreme commander of this entire fleet and was responsible for these tens of thousands of living lives.

"If you want the Azure Fleet to join the battle, I must refuse. As you can see, we can barely hold on under the siege of the beast horde alone. Adding a mother beast would mean we have no chance of winning."

The Keeper of the Secret said apologetically, "Without a doubt, the magical resources and medicines you provided have enhanced the Azure Fleet's endurance; otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to hold on until now. You saved us, and we should repay you, but if the reason for saving us was merely to delay our deaths by a few hours, that's unreasonable."

Kang De gazed at the fleet commander opposite him.

Her blue curly hair was tied back, and her rare red eyes were like jewels. She wore a naval robe from the Council, dark blue and white, exuding an imposing aura. The spellcaster gave her a mysterious and elegant temperament, while the naval commander endowed her with a powerful aura of commanding calmly amidst raging waves and commanding thousands of sails. This unforgettable military temperament even overshadowed her beautiful appearance as a woman. Clearly, she was also a remarkable and good woman.

"You're right, that doesn't make sense."

Kang De said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, I won't force you. What I'm asking you to do isn't this..."

As he said this, the Fire Thief raised his right hand.

The ethereal, misty crystals floated in my palm, like a dream.

"I need all the Magic Power of the Azure Fleet, from the spellcasters' Magic Power reserves to the elemental energy of the magic core. Please infuse it into this crystal."

Nixiyasi looked surprised; even with her extensive knowledge, she didn't recognize what it was.

The tentative probe of mental energy was immediately repelled.

She asked, "What is this?"

Kang De shook his head. "It's complicated to explain, and it's not something you need to know."

Nixiyasi frowned and said, "The Magic Power of an entire fleet?"

Kang De nodded and said, "Yes, the requirement is not small; just fill it up."

The Keeper pondered for a moment, "Magic Power is the Azure Fleet's source of combat power. If the entire fleet's Magic Power were to be completely depleted, it would be very dangerous for the fleet."

Kang De replied, "The supplies to replenish your health will arrive soon. Besides, even without Magic Power, you still have sails. Set sail far away from the Broken Sea, and you will be safe."

Upon hearing this, one of the captains couldn't help but ask, "What if those monsters come back?"

Kang De said calmly, "No, its target is me and Distant Harbor. I've already said, after the enchantment, you should set sail immediately and leave. There won't be any danger."

The captain added, "We don't necessarily have to leave, Kang De Highness. The Azure Fleet will sail freely within areas deemed necessary by the Council. Our mission is not yet over."

The Fire Thief glanced at him, his expression neither pleased nor angry. "I do not recommend that you proceed, soldiers. Even if your idiotic senator orders you to advance and observe, do not do so."

The other person looked directly at him. "Why?"

"Because from now on, the tens of thousands of square kilometers of sea area between the Broken Isles and the Distant Harbor will be the battleground between us and it. If you get too close, you will be affected."

That's all I have to say. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Kang De raised the Mist Crystal in his hand. "Let's begin."

"... The Guardian," the captain said to Nixiyasi, "Using up all the spellcasters' and even the entire fleet's magical energy reserves now is not only dangerous, but will also affect the mission ahead..."

"I've said all the nice things," Kang De said coldly. "Stop dawdling, I'm in a hurry."

The man retorted angrily, "We haven't agreed yet!"

Kang De's gaze turned icy. "If you don't agree, I'll have to use this fleet to force you to submit—if you're worried about being powerless against the attacking sea monsters after running out of Magic Power and being devoured, then I'll use Forbidden Spell to send you to the sea to feed the fish, and that will be the end of it."

The officers of the opposing fleet turned pale with fright.

The captain, filled with shock and rage, cried out, "You!"

"What's wrong, you idiot?"

Kang De coldly replied, "You'd better get your facts straight. The current situation is that a giant is heading towards Distant Harbor, and the entire West Coast is under direct threat. It wants to cut off global maritime trade, but because my first target is me, your congressmen are all standing by and doing nothing."

"And to fight it, I need your Magic Power —so in this situation, do you think I'll kneel down and beg you, or will I use Forbidden Spell to make you kneel down and agree to my request!"

The other person's expression grew increasingly grim. "This... this is war!"

"No, this isn't war, you idiot. Let me show you what war is."

Kang De said ominously, "War was the monster that ravaged Distant Harbor while you stood idly by, causing Goth immense casualties before achieving a complete victory. Only after that did war begin. Let me tell you what war is."

"The war was caused by these casualties. I had no face to stay in Goth, so in a fit of rage I joined the Dusk Moon Dynasty, married the Phoenix King, and then devoted myself to the war against the Arcane Council. Following that, Forbidden Spell paved the way, and the unparalleled military might of the elves, fully armed with my alchemical skills, stormed into your land, completely razing the Council to the ground within a month. That's what you call war!"

He stared at the other man, his tone grim. "If you utter another word now, I'll kill you immediately. We'll start the war right now, and I guarantee your name will appear in the history books."

Just then, Nixiyasi decisively ordered, "All ships, adjust your magic core power supply mode and prepare to inject magic."

Kang De, expressionless, nodded to her. "Thank you."

A magnificent mist rose from the still-unmelted Frost Fortress.

The magical cores of each magical warship, the platform circuits of the temporary spell array, and the Magic Power infusion of the spellcaster legion, all flowed into the Mist Crystal through precise and grand guidance.

Kang De stood beneath the Mist Crystal, reaching out to lift and guide the torrent of energy.

Nixiyasi approached him, gazing at the hazy, ethereal mist, and exclaimed, "It's beautiful, like the refracted light and shadow we see at sea..."

Mirage?

Kang De turned his head and said, "You know about this too?"

Nixiyasi was somewhat surprised, then said, "The illusory projection technology produced by the Council evolved from this. Currently, at least ten light element research centers are trying to use this principle to preserve events that occur over a period of time as eternal images, and at least twenty others are trying to use this phenomenon to monitor areas thousands of miles away. Unfortunately, they are all still in the laboratory stage."

She paused for a moment, then said calmly, "Although His Highness Kang De's alchemy is unparalleled, there's no need to Council. We understand this phenomenon of light refraction."

Kang De looked up and sensed the Mist Crystal; it would take some more time, and he figured he might as well have some free time anyway.

He took out his phone from his pocket, turned on the camera, took pictures of the surroundings, then pointed it at Nixiyasi and filmed a short clip of about ten seconds before showing it to the commander.

The Keeper of the Secrets saw the calm sea and the floating corpse of a sea monster. The sky was blue, the sun was warm, and above the fleet, there were tangible torrents of Magic Power energy that merged into the ethereal mist in the sky.

Finally, she saw herself, her blue curly hair swaying gently, like a painting against the backdrop of the blue sea and sky.

She was first surprised, then blushed—not from shyness, but from annoyance.

I've never felt so embarrassed and unable to back down in my entire life.

Kang De put his phone away and said calmly, "That's why I don't understand why the Council to be my enemy."

It sounds like, "Don't you know you're trash?"

How am I supposed to respond to that?!

Nixiyasi roared inwardly, even questioning Kang De for a moment—how could such a man win the favor of Princess Tina and even the Elf Queen? He shouldn't be able to find a wife! Princess Tina, who nearly brought ruin to her kingdom, was one thing, but how did the Goth Phoenix King even take a liking to him!?

At that moment, she heard Kang De say, "I feel very sorry about what happened today."

"N-nothing."

You have the bigger fist, so you get to call the shots.

"I don't want this," Kang De added. "This is not the outcome I want to see. What I want to see is that, faced with this crisis that threatens the safety of the entire world, nations unite in an epic fashion to fight together and confront the enemy, instead of each harboring their own agendas, standing idly by, and letting honest people suffer such a great loss."

Wait a minute, is this honest guy talking about himself? No way!

Using Forbidden Spell to blackmail and extort Magic Power, constantly threatening war—what kind of honest person are you?

Nixiyasi remained silent; she seemed somewhat withdrawn.

Before today, she had never imagined that the Dragon of Cathay was such a complex person.

"Your Starry Sky Council members, including the speaker, are all brain-dead," Kang De Council, turning to add, "There's no chance one of them is your father, is there?"

Nixiyasi said irritably, "My father is just an ordinary mid-level mage."

"That makes sense," Kang De nodded. "A purebred brain-dead man couldn't raise such an understanding daughter."

The commander's red eyes reflected Kang De's image.

"Wait a minute..." she asked, puzzled, "I get the feeling... are you nervous?"

Kang De tilted his head and asked, "What?"

"Because you've been making conversation out of nothing, and talking is a subconscious way to relieve tension. But your current words and actions, your threatening behavior just now, and even your state when you first started talking to me are all different."

Nixiyasi said seriously, "What are you so nervous about? Are you going to do something you're not sure about?"

Kang De withdrew his gaze.

He paused for a moment, then smiled softly, "I suppose so."

"You still haven't told me what this thing is, or what you're going to do with it."

"I can't tell you, firstly because it's too complicated to explain, and secondly because you'll tell the Council."

Are you afraid they'll find out your secret?

"I'm afraid they'll wet their pants."

Nixiyasi didn't take it to heart. She looked curiously at the Mist Crystal in the sky. "It can destroy that giant beast? What do you plan to do?"

Kang De replied, "Find it, stop it, and kill it."

The commander exclaimed in surprise, "You're going to fight it in the open sea?"

"Right."

"This... are you confident? I've already done the simulations. If I were in command, I would evacuate all the civilians from the Distant Harbor, and then assemble an army of spellcasters and a massive amount of magical artifacts..."

"I know this is a wise tactic," Kang De smiled slightly, "But I want to destroy it at sea, I want the people of Distant Harbor to never have to leave their homes, never have to see its ferocious form."

Nixiyasi asked, confused, "Why?"

Kang De gazed at the dispersing mist in the sky and said softly, "Does it need a reason?"

Just then, the ship beneath their feet trembled a few times, tilting and swaying slightly.

After that, neither of them spoke again.

As Magic Power converged, a massive amount of energy poured into the Mist Crystal, wiping out almost all of the main fleet's Magic Power reserves. The mysterious crystal, which remained stable despite absorbing such a huge amount of energy, floated in the air, fluctuating with unsettling energy waves.

Kang De held up the Mist Crystal and slowly exhaled.

He turned to the Keepers of the Secret, then to the officers and soldiers of the Azure Fleet, and nodded to them. "Thank you all. Although you are not happy about it, I still thank you."

The Fire Thief nodded to the beautiful commander one last time. "Thank you, and see you again someday."

The Phase Gate swirled open, and Kang De vanished from this world.

A rustling sound finally broke the silence throughout the fleet, and someone whispered, "Who's there...?"

Only Nixiyasi gazed at the spot where Kang De had disappeared, her heart surging with emotion. Undoubtedly, the Dragon of Cathay was a fool, constantly making foolish things and foolish choices, and this time would surely be no different.

"The battle is going well..." she said silently.

What an idiot.

White Mist World, off the coast of Zhuerban.

The Knight Astolfo, with the Mist Crystal in Kang De, placed it in the bridge.

Are you ready?

"Ready, Father."

"Now comes the real challenge." Kang De stroked the panel on the bridge. "We need a vessel that is fast and stable, and also has a large capacity... We have no choice but to send her."

"Don't worry, Father, everything will be alright."

Horus reassured, "Without her, we'll go after Iowa."

Kang De chuckled and shook his head, saying, "We're almost developing feelings for each other... I hope it goes well."

His gaze gradually sharpened.

How's it going over there?

"Based on the time, they should have already arrived near the target area."

"Okay... let's begin then."

Mental energy was injected into the Mist Crystal, guiding the Magic Power changes, and a vast amount of energy was released.

This extraordinary power, usurped from the God of the Star Palace by the Power of the Fire Thief, began to distort and expand under Kang De's will and intention, slowly obscuring the Knight Astolfo.

Then, the Phase Door opens.

Earth.

Eastern Pacific Ocean.

The space beacon, sunk in the sea, unfolded its black portal, and a massive warship leaped out.

The Mist Crystal transformed, parting the seawater to form a gigantic shape resembling mountain mist. The Celestial Phenomena Scroll manipulated the clouds, and tentacles over a thousand meters long lashed into the sky, unleashing a violent roar that shook the heavens!

"1200 kilometers."

On the bridge, Kang De, gazing at the coordinate map, said coldly, "Slow down."

The Pacific Ocean isn't covered; he's almost there.

One hour later.

The White House.

"Mr. President! You must take a look at this!"

This room is called the United States. Military Intelligence Operations Room. When the blond president was invited into this room, he was still clutching his phone tightly—he had only half-written a Twitter.

"Oh, what exactly is it...?"

The president then saw the live video displayed on the screen.

"What—the..."

"It's not a movie, not a composite clip. It's been personally confirmed by the intelligence chief. The reconnaissance plane is en route to the target area."

All members of the National Security Council were present, and the Department of Defense personally explained, "This is a creature beyond common sense, with a body approximately three kilometers long. We have no further information. We are currently gathering biologists and other relevant experts, but the most important issue is that it is heading straight towards our mainland. Based on its current trajectory and speed, it will reach California within two days at the latest..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Near Los Angeles."

"Mr. President, I don't believe it was there to watch the game. Even disregarding any actual damage, the mere sighting of such a monstrous creature, defying common sense, would unleash a massive wave of panic, riots, stock market crashes, and civil unrest. Moreover, I don't believe it's a benevolent being."

The Department of Defense looked at the President, who was seated in the middle of the conference table. "Please prepare for the worst."

The Grand Commander did not reply; he simply stared blankly at the screen.

"It's... I's..."

Slowly, his eyes widened.

He stared at the enormous, ferocious beast on the screen, roaring to the sky. His lips trembled, his body trembled, and his mind trembled as well.

He clenched his fists, trying desperately to control his emotions and expressions, but it was too difficult for him. Shock, confusion, unease, and anger were merely instinctive reactions. Once reason intervened, the Grand Commander gradually understood everything.

He stood stiffly, his fists clenched, pure emotion accumulating within his aged body.

Finally, this emotion burst forth.

"--wonderful!"

He pounded the table, his face flushed, and roared, "Excellent! Damn-good!"

The president was laughing wildly.

He waved his arms wildly. "Yes!"

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PS1: 6,000 words.