"Am I right, Saturn-sama?"

The voice of the Vice Admiral, tinged with a faint smile, echoed across the deathly silent deck of the official ship.

Saturn gave him a cold glance and replied flatly,

"Put away your presence, Daren... if you value your life."

Daren turned to face him.

Their eyes met.

Three seconds later, he suddenly smiled, shrugged, and said,

"As you wish."

Without any visible movement from him, Saint Barbo suddenly felt control of his body return.

The suffocating killing intent that had locked onto him faded like a retreating tide. With a thud, he collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath, his face drained of color.

Several seconds passed before he finally caught his breath. He glared at Daren, eyes filled with hatred.

"You bastard!!

You dared to lay a hand on me!?"

Barbo's eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging with fury. He struggled to his feet, his expression unhinged.

"You've got a death wish!!"

Daren's smile deepened.

"How could I? I wouldn't dare lift a finger against you, Barbo-sama."

"As you can see, I'm simply carrying out my escort duty."

Seeing the Marine still acting so unbothered, a wave of uncontrollable rage surged in Barbo's chest.

He was a god by birth!

A being born above all humans!

Even among the Celestial Dragons, thanks to the Figarland family's revered status in the Holy Land and his uncle Saint Garling's power and influence, he stood among the most feared and respected.

And yet, this lowly commoner dared to strike him!

To make him show such disgrace!

It was beyond unforgivable.

Worse yet, the strange glances from the surrounding Celestial Dragons burned against his skin like fire.

His dignity... utterly shattered.

Barbo glared at Daren, seething, teeth clenched. Just as he opened his mouth to speak—

Saturn-sama's aged, emotionless voice slowly rang out.

"This farce ends now. We're nearing our destination."

"The other three official ships will arrive shortly."

He shifted his gaze toward the red-haired Celestial Dragon, whose face was twisted with resentment, and said softly,

"Barbo... if you still harbor any grudges, feel free to vent them during the upcoming hunting tournament."

"I look forward to your performance."

Barbo froze at those words.

Daren also frowned slightly.

As expected, Barbo immediately understood what Saturn-sama meant.

A twisted grin of glee crept onto his face.

His venomous gaze flickered, then gave way to mocking amusement.

Unexpectedly, he didn't lash out again. Instead, he flashed Daren a saccharine smile.

"Thank you for the guidance, Vice Admiral Daren. Don't worry—this lesson... I'll never forget it."

Daren narrowed his eyes, his fingers twitching slightly.

But just then, an eerie red glow flared in Saturn-sama's deep-set eyes at the front of the cabin.

Daren raised an eyebrow, let out a slow breath, and relaxed his hand.

Noticing the Vice Admiral's subtle movement, the red-haired Celestial Dragon sneered even harder...

He leaned close to Daren and whispered,

"It's hard to endure, isn't it?"

"You want to kill me so badly, but you don't dare to move..."

"You're as powerful as a monster, but you can only beg for mercy from the Nobles of our world."

He smiled and took half a step back.

Under the calm expression of the Vice Admiral, he raised his hand and straightened his slightly messy tie.

"Pour me another glass of wine."

He called out casually.

Soon, a servant crawled over on the ground and handed him a glass of wine with both hands.

Barbo took the glass, smiled, and raised it to Daren.

Then, he turned the glass upside down.

The mellow and fragrant liquor poured out, splashing all over the floor.

"No matter what, I have to toast you."

Barbo laughed heartily.

"Thank you, Vice Admiral Daren, for escorting us here."

With that, he turned around and returned to the group of Celestial Dragons surrounding him.

Daren stood quietly in place, facing the mocking glances of the Celestial Dragons, and suddenly smiled.

He turned toward the bow of the ship, his expression calm, and politely asked a trembling World Government official,

"Hello, when will the other three official ships arrive?"

The official, who had witnessed the entire scene, replied tremblingly,

"Vice Admiral Daren, they are expected to arrive in fifteen minutes."

"Our ship, the Falcon, was the first to depart, carrying only 120 nobles."

"The other three official ships are carrying more nobles than ours, with an average of 150 people on each ship, so there has been a slight delay."

The four official ships of the World Government, carrying more than 500 young Celestial Dragons, were all the participants in the World Noble Hunting Tournament.

Daren nodded and smiled slightly.

"Fifteen minutes, you say?"

"All right, thank you."

His eyes flashed, and a few faint bloodshot veins appeared around his pupils, his smile becoming even more intense.

I really can't wait...

Immediately afterwards, a series of low, solemn military bugle calls suddenly rang out from the distant sea.

Everyone on the official ship was startled and looked in the direction of the sound.

The group of young Celestial Dragons couldn't help but stand up abruptly, revealing an eager look on their faces.

They saw the outline of a snow-covered island gradually appear on the sea in the distance.

We're here!

Philseque Island... The venue for this year's World Noble Hunting Tournament!

Looking at the island getting closer and closer, Daren's eyes became slightly dazed.

But soon, something else quickly caught his attention.

Three nautical miles off the coast, a line of warships was arrayed in a grim formation surrounding the island.

The familiar warships, the familiar flags, and even the familiar faces that could be vaguely seen...

At this moment, however, they seemed somewhat unfamiliar.

Daren stood frozen for several seconds before gradually coming to his senses.

He saw the snow-white seagull flags of freedom and peace gradually opening a gap in the blockade.

Like a blooming iron-blooded military flower, they gently welcomed the arrival of the authoritative "cross" flag.

The sea breeze was bitterly cold, and the world was frigid.

Heavy snowflakes fell from the gloomy gray sky.

On those warships, familiar figures stood there in a daze, looking with mixed expressions at the Vice Admiral of the Marines at the bow of the official ship.

Some gritted their teeth, some were numb, some clenched their fists...

But the Vice Admiral did not look at any of them.

He just stood at the bow of the World Government's official ship with his hands in his pockets and a cigar in his mouth.

He stood there proudly.

Smoke and white robes fluttered, and under his black hair, his eyes were indifferent.

The magnificent official ship and the battle-scarred warships

passed each other.

In front of the ship's cabin, Saturn held his mottled cane in his hand and watched the scene with a smile.

On the ship, an official of the World Government shouted in a stern voice,

"One of the Five Elders, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, has arrived... All personnel below Commodore rank must avoid Saint Saturn's 'true form'!"

"Anyone who shows disrespect will be killed on the spot!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the world fell silent for two seconds.

Then...

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

On the decks of several warships, the heads of more than a dozen curious Marines exploded like watermelons, splattering red and white all over the ground, and then they fell to the ground with a loud bang.

Everyone stared at the scene in fear, the soldiers trembling with fear and keeping their heads down.

The Marine generals above the rank of Commodore looked at the old figure in disbelief, their hearts trembling.

The old man wearing a black flat cap had blood-red light emanating from his eyes.

It was as if a true deity had descended...

...

(100 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon com / PinkSnake