Three days later.
The wind blew across the sea from the southeast, carrying the distinctive salty tang of the deep ocean and a cold metallic scent that had never before appeared along the Sun-Moon Continent's shores.
Along the gray-blue skyline, dozens of slender, dark-silver silhouettes slowly rose above the horizon, like steel behemoths surfacing from the depths. They broke through wave after wave as they sailed toward the Sun-Moon Continent's coastline.
The warships' hulls were covered in densely packed soul guidance patterns, shimmering with an eerie blue glow in the afternoon sunlight, like burning blue rivers flowing slowly across their surfaces.
At the center of the fleet, the enormous dark-gold flagship advanced like a moving fortress. As it plowed through the waves, its wake pressed a deep hollow into the surrounding sea, which slowly closed again after the hull passed.
At the bow, Eva stood beside the railing, her deep-purple robe fluttering gently in the sea breeze. The wind lifted her ink-black hair, letting it fall across her shoulders.
Her gaze rested on the coastline growing steadily larger ahead. The distant outlines of gray-white hills and scattered buildings along the shore were reflected in her emerald eyes.
The Sun-Moon Continent.
At last.
Meanwhile, at the far end of that coastline, a messenger stumbled into the main hall of the temporary imperial palace with an urgent intelligence report.
"Report! A massive unidentified fleet has appeared off the empire's southeastern coast! It is believed to have come from another continent!"
The instant the messenger's voice burst through the hall, the entire court fell briefly into deathly silence.
The ministers arguing over defensive lines and retreat routes turned their heads, their gazes converging on the messenger kneeling on the floor. One forgot to close his open mouth, another dropped his court tablet, and