The Sea of Oceanus, the Storm Belt.
The sky hung dark as thick ink. Hundreds of tangled air currents twisted upward, drawing pillars of water into spiraling towers that shot straight into the heavens. They wound around each other like serpents whipping across the sea's surface, forming deadly rifts. Once caught inside, a ship could be capsized and torn apart in an instant.
Splash!
From the fathomless black sea, a Leviathan whale leapt up with a low cry, carrying its tiny master on its back. Its massive tail slapped the waves into bursts of white spray.
"It's full of undercurrents and tornadoes inside! You have to stay close to me!"
The reckless yet earnest little mermaid pumped her fist as she turned back to shout the warning.
Unable to refuse her eagerness, and confident in their skills, the Argonauts hesitated only briefly before deciding to follow their guide, cutting straight into the Storm Belt to shave nearly half the distance on their way to the Kingdom of Colchis.
The Argo crashed through layer after layer of rolling water, following the Leviathan closely. Like agile fish, they sliced apart the dark currents, slipping through gaps between misaligned wind pillars.
The deeper they sailed, the wilder the whirlwinds and undercurrents became.
But with the little mermaid who knew the area so well leading them, and Jason's Technique improving by the moment, they managed to press on without incident.
"Plip… plip…"
About half a day later, crisp droplets echoed in everyone's ears. Cold rain began to fall in scattered taps, striking the cheeks and arms of the crew on deck.
Looking up, they saw silver-purple lightning serpents writhing within the thick black clouds that blanketed the sky—an ominous, terrifying sight.
"A storm! That's trouble!"
Orion finally wriggled free from the Moon Goddess's embrace. His face tightened as he stared up, his innate sensitivity to the sea catching a fierce, dangerous shift in the air.
The sudden change in weather disrupted the mermaid's sense of the channel's flow. More than once, the ship nearly slammed into a wind pillar.
As the wind shifted, the chaotic currents made the Argo sway violently across the heaving waves. The sturdy wooden frame groaned under the pressure.
"BOOM!"
Thunder exploded like a raging dragon within the clouds, and for a moment Orion's vision turned white as day. When the glare faded, the next towering wave threw the ship upward again, shaking it hard. The unprepared crew staggered and nearly fell over.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!
All hands to stations! Ready oars! Defense spells at maximum!"
In that brief flash of light, Jason had spotted several dozen massive water columns rolling toward them from every direction, converging like a crushing net. The fierce winds whipped up waves several meters high, and within the dark foam, he could vaguely see broken sea beasts torn apart by the storm. The sense of danger spiked so sharply his eyelids twitched, and he burst into frantic cursing.
Spurred by the crisis, the heroes laughed rather than panicked. Grinning wildly, they rushed into the ship, took their positions, gripped their oars, and waited for orders. The thrill of adventure surged hot in their veins.
"The wind and waves have shifted! For safety—Big Sis, Ana, keep eyes on the course and look after our navigator!
Heracles, protect the captain! Circe, watch the defensive spells and use Summoning to bring out some golems and dragon-tooth warriors! Handle deck clutter and drainage—move!"
Standing atop the lookout, shoulder to shoulder with the two archers, Samael's chest vibrated as he unleashed a roar that cut straight through the storm's clamor and carried across the ship.
Theseus, my brother!
With his worries eased, Jason—who had been tense inside the captain's cabin—looked at Heracles standing beside him like a living fortress. Relief bloomed across his face, and he exhaled deeply before refocusing on commanding the Argo.
"Thirty degrees south-east! Six hundred meters! Speed level three—steady advance!"
"In seven breaths, hard to port! Forward five!"
Standing atop the amplifying spell, Jason swung his sword to signal commands. The heroes rowed in perfect rhythm, divine strength surging as they sang and pulled the oars.
"Graceful notes grant us joy and wisdom, guiding us safely through the seas.
Storms can never be our foe, the ocean bends to our charge!
The trials of the gods let the brave taste hardship, yet savor it like honey!
Our courage shines like sun and moon across the world, our glory carved into the hearts of all!"
Proud and fearless, the Argonauts sang back at nature's rage. One by one, they moved like human engines, making the massive ship glide like a swift fish—accelerating, steadying, turning—executed in one seamless motion as they dodged the towering water pillars sweeping toward them.
"Careful—the wind pillars… they're coming again, so many of them! We can't get through…!"
The little mermaid yanked the Leviathan to a stop, panic rising as she pointed ahead through the storm. She cried into the magecraft talisman in her hand, frantically gesturing as fear scrambled her thoughts.
But in that instant of distraction, several wind pillars surged toward her, sharp and slicing, and in a blink she was completely surrounded.
"Tauropolos Skia Thermokrasia!"
"Purifying Arrow: Dispel!"
At the final critical moment, two streaks of light—one crimson-black, one silver-white—whistled past. Each arrow struck the center of a wind pillar closing in on the young navigator. With a deafening blast, divine radiance burst outward, scattering the terrifying storm vortexes in an instant.
That was close…!
The reckless little mermaid thumped her small chest in relief, throwing a grateful look toward the two figures on the lookout platform.
Behind them, Samael casually dispersed the golden phantom bowstring curling around his palm, completely composed.
"Just focus on leading the way. We've got the lookout handled!"
After sending a resonance message into the mermaid's talisman, Samael freed a certain toy bear from the Moon Goddess's clutches.
"Big wave incoming! Ten breaths!"
Orion, finally getting a taste of open air, felt a rush he hadn't experienced in ages. Drawing on both his divine sea blood and his memories as a sailor, he shouted the warning in a voice cracked with excitement.
"All hands brace positions! Circe, defensive spells to full!"
Jason received the alert and gave orders immediately.
At this moment of danger, even the Great Witch—though she typically couldn't be bothered with Jason—found herself instinctively obeying every command of the captain.
"BOOM!"
The ship angled nearly ninety degrees against a monstrous surge of water. Deck clutter slid toward the stern, but thanks to the heroes—living engines in human form—rowing with all their might, the Argo forced its way up the torrent, cresting the top of the wave.
"Bam!"
The drop on the other side sent the ship into a violent plunge and trembling sway. The waves battering the stern struck like falling hammers from the heavens, making the Argo's defensive spells flicker unsteadily.
"Another one!"
Orion spotted a wave nearly a hundred meters tall rising in the distance. He grabbed a stick from who-knows-where, banged it against the mast, and roared the warning.
Despite the raging storm, the Argo sliced forward, charging up each massive swell and riding the peaks with fierce momentum.
"Vortex belt ahead! Hold steady!"
Orion's urgent, wavering shout echoed from the lookout.
Through Circe's magecraft, Jason saw dozens of gigantic whirlpools spread across nearly the entire sea before them. His expression tightened—this was beyond anything he had handled before.
"Listen—there's no avoiding them now. Keep our heading parallel to the vortex currents. Maintain speed. Begin entering the first vortex!"
Amid the barrage of crises, Samael tapped the lookout railing lightly, his calm voice cutting through the chaos as he relayed the guidance to Jason.
"Are you insane?! That's like sailing straight into the whirlpools!"
Jason's face paled, fear slipping into his voice.
"When facing a vortex, taking it perpendicular will flip the ship instantly. Unless you're some massive beast that can ignore the pull entirely, the right way is to sail along the tangent. Match the flow and adjust with every shift! Trust in Athena's wisdom!"
"…Forget it, I barely know that goddess. I trust you more. Don't you dare get me killed, man!"
"Relax."
Samael chuckled at Jason's desperate humor, an air of unshakable confidence radiating from him—like a conductor guiding the decisive rhythm of a grand symphony.
After countless jolts and sharp turns, the creaking Argo finally burst out of the pitch-black vortex field. Beams of golden light pierced through the fading gray storm, spilling across the ship with long-lost warmth.
They had finally escaped that cursed stretch. The weary heroes all breathed a deep sigh of relief.
But before the Argo could surge forward through the thinning mist, the Leviathan broke the surface. The little mermaid spread her arms wide, positioning herself at the bow with a tense expression.
"Stop! Don't go forward! There's a collision reef ahead! You'll be smashed flat!"
A briny sea wind swept past, thinning the mist just enough for Samael to see.
Two colossal bronze structures stood ahead, each hundreds of meters tall. Between them lay a narrow passage—like a cleft carved through mountains, or two immense bronze gates towering into the sky.
...
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