Ambush Plan

"Calamity—"

Someone in the crowd whispered those two words.

The voice was soft, but the air in the square was too quiet—so quiet that those two words reached every ear with perfect clarity.

A commissioned officer wearing a coat of justice pushed through the crowd. Judging by his epaulets, he was a colonel. He drew the saber at his waist and pointed its tip at Annus.

"All hands, prepare for battle! This is Marine G-12 Branch! Whoever you are, surrender immediately!"

This colonel was not the sort who had risen through the ranks by seniority in an office. He was a man who had truly seen battle.

"This is the White-White Sea, a Sky Island. You are currently on the third layer of land above God's Island, within the airspace of the Heavenly Kingdom."

Annus spoke as his gaze swept across the seven islands floating in the sea of clouds around the square. "The island beneath your feet was moved here from the Blue Sea by Shiki. He did not ask for your consent when he moved it. But now that you are here, you have two choices."

The colonel did not answer. His grip on his saber tightened further.

"First, lay down your weapons and surrender. You will be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, but you will live. Second, resist, get beaten down, and then be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison."

"The only difference is that those who resist will get hurt. How badly depends on their luck."

The colonel's mouth twitched.

"The Marines never surrender to pirates!"

"I am not a pirate," Annus said. "I am a god."

He said those words with extreme calmness. It did not sound like a declaration, but more like he was correcting an improper form of address.

Yet when the Marines in