The horrifying scene they had imagined—corpses strewn throughout the cabin—did not occur the instant they plunged into the sea.
In fact, the impact was far weaker than anyone had expected, so much so that they found it hard to believe they had just dived headfirst into the ocean from one or two thousand feet in the air.
They had never heard of any Astral blessing and simply assumed it was some spell cast by their lord.
What was more, the Dragonbound Knights who had taken deep breaths in preparation for suffocating in the depths were astonished to discover that they could still breathe freely beneath the surface. It was as if they had truly become fish of the sea—not only able to breathe through "invisible gills," but even able to communicate without obstruction.
Only, sounds carried through seawater were far deeper and more distant, like an auditory hallucination, as though they were trapped in a dream.
Only then did they remember the so-called amphibious combat suits the combat logistics department had issued each of them before departure. Apparently, they would even have to write trial-use reports after returning to base.
At the time, some had complained that the skintight suits were unseemly, especially since the crotch was so uncomfortable. But now, they had become the crucial straw that saved their lives.
Otherwise, being able to hold their breath underwater for three or four minutes would have been impressive enough, let alone fighting beneath the sea—something they had never even heard of.
Freed from the restraints and difficulties of breathing, the fear of the deep sea in the knights' eyes immediately faded considerably. Once the entire upper deck cabin had filled with seawater, they were finally able to clearly see the situation beneath the surface—and their eyes abruptly widened.
Ahead of