Counter-Encirclement and Vinia's Return

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

Not even the ferocious storm could drown out the piercing serpent cries over the sea. Its body bore stark, deadly black-and-white stripes, while its broad fin leaves had flushed and spread fully open, revealing a warning-purple crimson on their inner sides.

The thousand-meter giant snakes coiled amid the raging waves, opening their mouths to reveal rows of gleaming fangs. Their four longest venomous fangs were scarcely any shorter than the Theseus's masts.

From this detail alone, it was clear that creatures worthy of these behemoths using their venomous fangs against them were certainly not rare within the Storm Belt.

Even Legendary Battleships, humanity's greatest creations for ruling the seas, seemed like tiny snacks delivered straight to their mouths. Being fixedly watched by six pairs of cold serpent eyes devoid of the slightest emotion was enough to make anyone shudder.

But Evan's group quickly noticed something abnormal about these three suspected Children of the Sea Goddess.

Though these giant snakes were enormous and powerful, and could indeed be called Children of the Sea Goddess outside—ranking among the true upper echelons of the extraordinary world as long as demigods did not appear—here, they seemed to be nothing more than mindless monsters.

Forget communicating with people; apart from bloodthirsty brutality, their red snake eyes did not contain even the faintest glimmer of intelligence.

"Theseus, dead ahead! Charge!"

Boom!

Copper Horn Mountain, having built up momentum to the limit, shot forward with the immense force of the currents. Countless streams of water swirled around the battleship, allowing it to leap from one wave-formed mountain to another as though it were flying at high speed over the crests.

They did not alter their target because of the two giant snakes that had just appeared, instead heading straight for the original sneak attacker.