As the ship drew closer to the storm-ravaged area, the usually beautiful and tranquil ocean became furious and inky black with the arrival of the tempest. The surging, monstrous waves roared like ten thousand galloping horses.
The lightning striking from the heavens and the thunder roaring nearby were even more dazzling against the pitch-black sky. A furious gale howled, and rain poured down, striking the deck with a constant pattering sound.
Gatt and Haisier stood before the helm, struggling to control the ship's direction, but the surging waves seemed intent on capsizing them. The rainwater hitting their bodies felt like being pelted with countless stones. Wave after wave descended from the sky, threatening to swallow the vessel navigating the rough seas.
Raiden Ei stood at the bow, facing this terrifying scene directly. Her heart pounded. The blinding lightning, the thunder in her ears, the roar of the gale, the heavy impact of the downpour, and the churning of the waves momentarily made her dizzy, as if confronting the might of heaven and earth.
Holding onto the ship's railing, it took Raiden Ei a while to adapt. The scene before her no longer brought fear, but courage welling up from within. The books said, 'Between life and death lies great terror'; only the ignorant are fearless.
Did knowing mean she had to be afraid? Raiden Ei didn't know. She felt as if she had undergone a sublimation. Now, she barely paid attention to the heavens and earth. The lightning was just lightning, the gale was just a gale, and the waves were merely ordinary splashes of water.
Raiden Ei turned her head and saw the two men struggling to hold the helm. Their hands gripping the wheel were trembling, and their appearance was utterly wretched. She turned back, no longer looking at them, and retrieved the Kusanagi no Inabikari from the system backpack.
The Kusanagi no Inabikari, as tall as Raiden Ei, was held in her hand, simultaneously wrapped in Armament Haki. She unleashed the Flying Slash she had just learned with all her might, swinging forward. A streak of blade light extended from the Kusanagi no Inabikari, swiftly slicing forward, severing the waves and the storm ahead one by one.
The rain no longer poured down, the waves no longer crashed forward, and the wind no longer obstructed. Gatt and Haisier were stunned when they saw Raiden Ei act. Although they had witnessed her fight before, they never knew she was this strong. She was like a Valkyrie now, cutting down everything that stood in her way.
Raiden Ei watched as the slash dissipated after cutting through waves and storms nearly a hundred meters high. 'Is this Flying Slash! It's so much stronger than Wave Slash. Let's carve a path out of here with slashes, or the ship will be destroyed and we'll all die.'
The ship sailed along the path carved by the slash, reaching the fastest speed it could manage. Raiden Ei cleared the way while the ship sped forward. Before long, they passed through most of the storm area.
Gatt and Haisier cheered. They had thought they would perish in the storm just moments ago. The storm was too immense, blowing away all their hope. Fortunately, Raiden Ei stepped in and pulled them back from the brink of death.
Haisier, a smile on his face, held the helm with Gatt. 'Gatt, this is absolutely the most dangerous thing I've ever experienced in my life.'
Gatt had been blaming himself earlier because he had irresponsibly led the whole crew into the storm. He had been too arrogant, having never witnessed the terror of a natural disaster, and presumptuously believed he could safely pass through, nearly costing them their lives.
Gatt said, 'Haisier, did I do wrong? I haven't officially served as a Navigator yet, only worked on this ship for a few days, and I became so arrogant that I thought the sea was nothing special. I didn't take the warnings of my seniors to heart. So many seniors warned about the dangers of the open sea, yet I still brought you all here.'
Haisier hadn't thought about that before, but hearing Gatt's confession, he understood. However, the incident was over now; saying anything more was useless. What mattered was not repeating the mistake in the future.
'Gatt, then remember today's lesson! Don't repeat it from now on. Can you do that?'
Gatt looked steadily at Haisier, an expression of affirmation in his eyes that solidified his resolve. 'Okay, I promise!'
Haisier smiled. 'Actually, you don't need to take all the blame yourself. We all agreed. If everyone hadn't agreed, you couldn't have taken us into the storm. Relax.'
Gatt felt much better. He stopped looking at Haisier and turned to look at the sea ahead. Raiden Ei was there, wielding her long-handled tachi, cutting down waves and storms with successive slashes, seemingly tireless. 'Haisier, I feel much better. Thank you for the comfort, but we need to man the helm now. We're about to rush out of the storm range.'
Haisier stopped talking to Gatt and focused on observing their surroundings.
A slash shot out from within the storm. There were no obstructions on the sea ahead, and the blade light traveled for a kilometer before dissipating. A battered three-masted ship rushed out of the storm and continued sailing at a rapid speed. Having just exited the storm's range, it coasted several nautical miles on inertia before finally stopping.
Raiden Ei put her sword back into the system backpack and sat down at the bow, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Clearing the path with slashes all the way had truly drained her energy. Today was definitely the first time she had been this exhausted since arriving in this world.
Looking at the sea ahead, which was clear blue under the sun, and the faint thunder still audible behind them, she smiled. She had conquered her fear; this victory belonged to her.
Gatt and Haisier also collapsed onto the deck. In less than an hour, they had experienced more than they had in the previous day. Now, looking at the cloudless sky, they felt it was far more beautiful than any sky they had seen before.
Half an hour later, Raiden Ei had recovered, and the others also emerged from the cabins. However, every one of them had a sickly, ashen complexion, looking as if they wanted to vomit but couldn't.
Raiden Ei encouraged them, 'Hold on, everyone, let's get the ship moving. It won't be good if we get sucked back into the storm. Let's stop and rest once we're a safe distance away.'
Everyone snapped to attention upon hearing Raiden Ei's words. They absolutely did not want to experience anything like that again. So, despite their discomfort, they hoisted the sails and set off.
Although the ship's exterior was battered, its internal structure was still sound. It had no problem sailing on the sea; it just needed some repairs.
After sailing for an hour, everyone stopped the ship. They weren't planning on sailing any further today; they all needed rest. The scene they endured today would likely be unforgettable for the rest of their lives, perhaps even leaving them with psychological trauma.
The next day.
It was barely dawn, but Raiden Ei was already up for her customary early morning training. Yesterday's experience gave her a different insight into today's training. She slowly absorbed everything until the sun hung high in the sky.
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