CHAPTER 465: 465. SEA DRAGON PALACE

Su Fei stood on the very edge of the deck, the sea breeze whipping at her hair. Clad in her black bunny-girl costume, the curve of her hips outlined by the snug leather, she gripped a long obsidian scythe that seemed to drink in the light around it. The way she stood there—balanced on the Shadow Pearl’s railing, framed by the endless ocean —was almost theatrical, like she had spawned straight from the darkness itself.

Out on the horizon, the water began to rise. Not just swells, not just rough waves— titanic walls of water surged upward, curling in slow, terrible arcs. The sky dimmed in their shadow.

"Hmm..." Su Fei tilted her head, expression calm, almost bored. "Looks like some small waves."

"In what world is that small?!" Darla shouted from behind her. "That’s a freaking Tsu—Na—Mi!"

Before Su Fei could say anything, Darla spun toward the crew. "Dive in the shadow! Now!"

"Oh, so I don’t have to slice it... huh. Maybe not," Su Fei muttered, spinning her scythe in a lazy figure-eight.

The ship shuddered, its black hull dissolving into ripples of inky shadow, lowering itself beneath the waterline. But the first wave came faster than expected, a roaring, frothing wall of salt and foam. Su Fei stepped forward, lifted her scythe, and with one smooth, precise motion, she cut the wave in half. The split waters roared past, parting around the ship before collapsing into chaos behind them.

The Shadow Pearl then sank completely into its own shadow, disappearing from the surface. The sea above churned violently, but in the inky black Shadow of the ship, all was still.

---

Meanwhile, deep under the surface, Tyler, Lily, and Mana hovered among a scattered crowd of Immortal Practitioners. All eyes were fixed on the Wyvern Nest in the distance, where countless sea creatures poured out like a flood. Great shapes twisted through the gloom—wyverns, serpents, armored fish the size of houses.

"The Dragon Princess is still inside," Myrtle murmured.

"Well," Tyler said, his voice carrying that casual calm he used when he was actually watching closely. "Looks like we’ll be waiting here for a while."

Whispers spread among the other survivors.

"Is that Phantom Pirates? The new ones who took down the old crew?"

"Next to them— that’s the Dragon Princess’s Lady-in-Waiting!"

"What? No way... whoa. It’s really a shiny tur—"

"Don’t say it," one hissed.

Too late. A crushing pressure rippled through the water, making several cough blood. Tyler’s brows lifted. "Shiny?" he repeated, clearly amused.

"Don’t you dare say it," Myrtle snapped.

---

Hours passed before the tremors ceased. Still, the Dragon Princess did not emerge.

"Looks like she found something interesting down there," Myrtle finally said. "We’ll meet her after she’s had her fun. For now, let’s head to your ship."

"Our ship?" Tyler echoed.

"Yeah. Before leaving, the Dragon Princess told us to wait there."

He didn’t argue. Instead, he guided them toward a lone patch of shadow drifting across the seabed.

"So where is your ship?" Myrtle asked.

Tyler pointed down. A shape began to rise from the shadow— massive, black, and sleek. It emerged like darkness lifting from the horizon, water cascading from its hull.

A girl stood at the bow, draped in a long black dress, a widow’s veil falling over her face, a black umbrella resting lightly on her shoulder.

"Welcome back, Captain. Vice Captain," she said in a tone so heavy with sorrow it chilled even Myrtle.

It was Darla— in full Phantom Pirate disguise.

"I am just a lonely widow on this drifting sea," she went on. "Welcome, guests."

Tyler sent a voice transmission to Lily and Mana. ’Well... didn’t expect her acting to be this good.’

"Exactly," Mana replied. "Also... Lonely Widow? That’s a cool name."

"Phantom Blackwood, Temptress, Ghost Princess, Lonely Widow..." Myrtle gave Tyler a sidelong look. "Is this really a pirate ship, or just your harem ship?"

"Oh, do you want to join?" Tyler started to say, but Temptress beat him to it—cupping Myrtle’s chin with a sly smile. "We could always use another beauty."

"I only serve my Princess," Myrtle replied without hesitation.

They boarded. The air on deck was thick with a black mist that seemed to swallow the light. Myrtle’s guards shifted uneasily, gripping their weapons. The crab soldiers scuttled nervously; the reptilian man’s tail flicked. Somewhere nearby, the chameleon man panicked and changed color to match the deck.

Weapons lifted at a sudden sound —footsteps.

Out of the mist stepped a bunny girl in a tight black bodysuit, scythe resting on her shoulder. She didn’t glance at them, simply walked past like they didn’t exist.

"Who’s that?" Myrtle asked, motioning her guards to lower their weapons.

"That’s Lady Reaper," Temptress said. "She’s an introvert."

Then came a cheerful, eerie voice. "Hello, hello... didn’t expect a sexy lady to board our ship. Welcome Welcome."

From the swirling black mist, she appeared—tall and striking, clad in a black dress that fit like it had been sewn on her body. A long-beaked plague mask hid her face, its crimson lenses glowing faintly. A wide-brimmed hat shadowed her head; a silver cross rested against her chest before drawing the eye down to long, fishnet-clad legs traced with thin crimson lines. Each step clicked sharply on the deck, heels like daggers. In her clawed hands, she carried glass bottles swirling with strange liquids, each emitting a faint, otherworldly glow.

The sight of the approaching figure made Myrtle pause mid-step. Every instinct told her this girl was dangerous— lethally so. And for good reason. This was Mathilda.

Temptress gestured with a sly smile. "This is our alchemist."

"You can call me Malefic Catalyst. Or just MC," Mathilda said with a graceful bow. Her mask tilted ever so slightly... but her gaze stayed locked on Myrtle’s body, unblinking.

"What a radiant body... Can I taste it?" MC’s voice was low, hungry, almost trembling. She licked her lips in a way even though Myrtle couldn’t see that, it still made Myrtle’s skin crawl.

"You can’t eat me," Myrtle said quickly. "I’m not turtle soup." Stronger or not, that look made her shiver. It was a look of predators looking at their prey.

"She didn’t mean that kind of eat." The Lonely Widow stepped in and bonked MC lightly on the head with her umbrella.

"Shhh... I will be gentle..." MC took a step back in disappointment as she muttered.

Before Myrtle could respond, a thunderous BOOM shattered the moment. The deck vibrated under their feet.

A cannon shot. But the Arrays in the ship blocked it perfectly.

They turned toward the noise. The mist around the Shadow Pearl thinned, revealing another ship—sleek, armored, and painted with the giant ancient character that resembles "海" (Hai), coiled by a silver dragon emblem.

"It’s the Sea Dragon Palace," Myrtle said, her voice hard with annoyance.

Tyler tilted his head. "Like the Sky Dragon Palace?"

"Yeah... except unlike Sky Dragon Palace, these guys are a pain to deal with. They’ve got an old feud with the Dragon Princess. Whenever she’s not around, they take it as an invitation to harass us."

"That still doesn’t explain why they’d fire on our ship," Tyler said, voice cold under his mask.

A booming voice carried across the waves. "Hey, Shiny Turtle! I know you’re on this pirate ship—come out!"

Tyler and the others walked to the Shadow Pearl’s edge. Across the churning water, the enemy ship’s deck was crawling with Dragonions—dragon-blooded warriors, most of them half-breeds, their scaled hides gleaming in the light.

At the bow stood one in a dark coat and brimmed hat, his green scales catching the spray of the sea. Embroidered on his coat was the same "海" like emblem wrapped in a silver dragon.

"Hahaha! Since when did the Dragon Princess join forces with a pack of half-baked pirates?" the Dragonion called out mockingly. Behind him many Dragonions laughed. They all dragon scaled humanoids.

Like Myrtle, her guards also got angry and wanted to throw insults. But they stopped when Myrtle gave them a look.

Tyler’s gaze sharpened. "Are you the one who fired at us?" His voice now carried the deep, chilling resonance of Phantom Blackwood.

The Dragonion smirked. "Ohhh, are you her boy toy? Did the Princess pick up a pet?" His crew chuckled behind him. He didn’t even look at Phantom Blackwood or anyone else, his eyes were on only Myrtle.

Myrtle’s lips curled in disdain. "Jia... did you forget how the Princess broke your nose last time? And you’ve got the nerve to show your face again?"

"That was just luck—" Embarrassed Jia began, but his words faltered as an oppressive weight pressed down on him.

He turned, and his eyes widened. The pressure came from Phantom Blackwood.

Rain began to fall in heavy, cold sheets, drumming against the decks. Tyler stepped forward, his voice cutting through the storm. "Looks like you don’t take us seriously... so I’ll show you exactly how serious I am."

The waves churned, the mist thickened again.