The World Serpent

Back on Blue Star, Jiang Hao headed straight for an internet café.

He did not book a hotel room, since he would soon be leaving the Eastern Isles.

At the café, Jiang Hao searched for information on the Divine Artifacts he had earmarked as his trump card, intending to choose one.

"The Spear of Longinus, the god-slaying spear. Longinus used it to wound the Son of the Christian God. Did it become a divine artifact because it was stained with divine blood? Its wielder is said to be protected from death and unbeatable in battle."

"Fragarach, one of the four great Divine Artifacts of the Tuatha Dé Danann, also known as the Sword of Vengeance. Its wielder can use this razor-sharp secret sword to cut through any armor as easily as tofu. Anyone it wounds continuously loses life and cannot recover."

"Gungnir, the Eternal Spear, weapon of the great god Odin. Forged from a branch of World Tree Yggdrasil, its shaft bears Runes of near-omnipotent power. Once thrown, the spear is certain to strike its enemy."

Jiang Hao read through the information, carefully weighing which artifact suited him best.

The Spear of Longinus protects its wielder from death, giving me an unbeatable advantage from the start. But it carries a curse: lose the spear, and I'll die on the spot. An enemy wouldn't have to kill me. They'd only have to take it.

Fragarach is incredibly sharp, and anyone it wounds keeps losing life without recovering. That would make it effective against the Legendary and Demigod, but it's a poor fit for someone with as little combat experience as me.

Gungnir, the Eternal Spear, hits its target whenever it's thrown. It's tremendously powerful, and oaths sworn upon it are certain to come true. This Divine Artifact suits me best.

Jiang Hao nodded. He decided he wanted all three.

He shut down the computer and left the café. Once he found a deserted spot and confirmed there were no cameras nearby, he became a streak of light and flew out of the Eastern Isles to the seas off Eastern Europe.

He took out the Yata Mirror and aimed it at himself. Divine power surged, creating a mirror-image duplicate.

Under his control, the duplicate transformed into a towering wolf.

But after thinking it over, Jiang Hao changed it into a massive serpent instead.

The serpent plunged into the sea. Its enormous size and Demigod aura sent all sorts of strange marine creatures fleeing, both those Jiang Hao recognized and those he did not.

The World Serpent makes its entrance!

The North Sea Fishing Grounds.

Formed where the warm North Atlantic Drift met cold currents from the Arctic, the North Sea Fishing Grounds were rich in fish. Their annual catch averaged three million tons, roughly five percent of the world's total.

Every year, countless Open Ocean fishing fleets cut through wind and waves to harvest this fishing ground, a gift from the heavens to humanity.

The Eastern Isles–Yusenar joint fleet was one of them.

Established by Eastern Isles Fisheries Co., Ltd. and Yusenar Fisheries Company, the fleet supplied nearly a fifth of the two fishing giants' annual seafood needs. As a result, it spent most of its time at sea.

On the deck of the Yusenar, an Eastern Isles sailor placed a small miniature Torii before him. He filled a wooden ladle with water, tilted its handle downward, and let the water run along it into the blue sea.

When he finished, Yoshii Teru bowed to the miniature Torii. He struck his left palm against his right with a sharp clap, then murmured his wish. Afterward, he bowed again and put the Torii away.

"Yoshii Teru, what are you doing?" a Black sailor asked curiously.

"He's praying for blessings. Like us going to church," a white sailor cut in with a laugh.

"Praying? I thought Yoshii Teru didn't believe in gods."

"That was before. Things are different now... They say their god appeared and blessed them. Now people in the Eastern Isles worship that god like crazy. It's like they've been brainwashed."

"Come on. How could gods possibly exist?"

The Black sailor's eyes widened.

"Haha, I don't think gods exist either. But people in the Eastern Isles seem convinced. Travelers on Twitter say the Eastern Isles have turned into a religious country. It feels like the Papal State, with worshippers visiting Shinto Shrines everywhere."

"I've been to the Papal State. I didn't like the atmosphere, especially at Christmas. Everywhere else was celebrating, but they were holding some grand service. Then the Pope gave this long, tedious speech, and everyone acted like listening to him was a joy worth cheering for. I just don't get it."

"Heh, I don't get it either. That's why I never go to the Papal State. The pastors back home don't show it much respect anyway. They never tell us to visit when they lead services, even though it's so close."

Hearing his coworkers openly mock his faith and insist that gods did not exist, Yoshii Teru's face darkened.

Half a month ago, he would not have cared. Back then, he had not believed in gods either. He visited Shinto Shrines to worship and pray, but only for peace of mind. It had nothing to do with faith.

But after Amenominakanushi appeared, Yoshii Teru had come to believe.

And now he was furious.

Yoshii Teru glanced at the burly Black sailor, then recalled how well the heavily built white sailor usually did in fights. His expression returned to its usual calm.

He did not need to punish his coworkers himself.

The great Amenominakanushi would never spare those who slandered him.

Neither of the two noticed the change in Yoshii Teru. They moved on from gods to women, from actresses to football, chatting about anything and everything that interested them and bursting into laughter now and then.

They failed to notice that something strange was happening at sea.

But someone else noticed.

"Hey, guys!" a sailor shouted, interrupting them. "Doesn't something seem wrong around here?"

"Wrong?"

"Not that I can see."

The two looked at the blue sky and the blue sea. Everything seemed normal.

"It's too quiet." Despite his growing dislike of his coworkers over what they had said about gods, Yoshii Teru warned them when he noticed it. "These are the North Sea Fishing Grounds, one of the richest fishing grounds in the world. But look at the water. Does it seem like there are any fish here?"

"Quiet..."

Yoshii Teru's words made both men tense.

Suddenly, a sailor pointed downward and shouted, "Guys, look beneath the water! There's something down there."