"Retreat!"
Having lost his greatest advantage, Hanzō knew he couldn't possibly defeat the Leviathan of the Seas and had no intention of staying to fight. He turned and fled.
However, because he had gone to retrieve Gen, he was now extremely close to the Leviathan, and couldn't escape far before being firmly ensnared by the immense gravitational pull of the deep-sea vortex created by the beast.
"Roar!"
The Leviathan of the Seas, its fury bottled up by the pink crystal earlier, finally unleashed its full power as the monarch of the sea.
Ice shards, sonic waves, black holes, tidal surges...
Multiple forms of power converged, gathering unimaginable magical energy, attacking Hanzō from all directions.
The captains on deck marveled at the display.
"Holy shit! What a ferocious barrage of attacks!"
"With all this power clashing together, if Captain Shimada took a hit, he'd be toast."
"Likely... But now that he's caught in the vortex, and with a burden, how will he escape?"
"If he abandoned his brother and ran, he might have a chance to survive..."
"Oh? That blue light is impressive! It actually broke free from the vortex's grip!"
"Good heavens, what a sacrifice... This must be some kind of blood escape technique, with a tremendous cost."
"After all, it's his own brother, and they have such a good relationship, it's only natural he'd pay a price..."
"Hmm? But isn't his escape route a bit off?"
"Why does it look like he's heading straight for us?"
"Huh? Now that you mention it, it really does look like it!"
"Oh no, are we going to attract the enraged Leviathan of the Seas by doing this?!"
The captains' faces changed drastically as they realized the implications.
They all enjoyed watching a spectacle.
But it was a different story when they themselves became part of the spectacle!
The Shimada brothers' firsthand experience had convinced almost everyone of the Leviathan of the Seas' power.
For them, at least, it was currently an insurmountable foe.
Thus, countless people in their hearts were cursing Hanzō to death.
Why couldn't you have just died with your brother? Why did you have to struggle!
And if you had to struggle, why did you have to struggle towards us!
Now, by diverting this disaster, no one on the ship could find peace!
"Steer! Turn! We're retreating!"
Someone immediately rushed forward, grabbed Tanihiko Koga's collar, and roared at him.
Tanihiko Koga was completely petrified, unsure of what to do.
The Shimada brothers being pummeled by the Leviathan of the Seas was completely outside of their plans!
He had been imagining all sorts of witty remarks to celebrate and mock other countries after the Shimada brothers returned.
Now that things had taken such a turn, it was utterly devastating.
Seeing Tanihiko Koga's stunned expression, the man grabbing his collar grew even angrier.
"Are you deaf? I told you to turn the ship!"
"If you don't want to doom everyone on this ship, do as I say immediately!"
Only then did Tanihiko Koga jolt back to reality.
Right! He still had a ship full of people, and more importantly, he was on it too!
Among those who didn't want to die in this world, Tanihiko Koga was undoubtedly a prime example.
"Turn around! Turn around!"
"Steer quickly!"
But at this moment, was it easy to make such a large ship successfully change its course?
The Amakusa Tarō, proud of its size, had now become its most fatal weakness.
"We're doomed! It's too late!"
Watching Hanzō and the Leviathan of the Seas closing in, many faces were filled with despair.
At this moment, they were all thoroughly cursing the people of Sakura Country.
First, this bastard Tanihiko Koga insisted on causing trouble and taking his ship to Sakura Island.
That aside, after an accident halfway, they summoned a large fleet of outwardly strong but inwardly weak ships to merely tickle the Leviathan of the Seas...
It seemed absurd when thinking about it now!
What kind of logic did these people have to think of using ordinary standard warships to deal with an eighth-tier lord-class ferocious beast.
What was even more outrageous was that this Leviathan of the Seas was fighting on its home turf.
As for Hanzō and Gen, those two scoundrels, they were no good either.
Before they even fought the Leviathan of the Seas, one boasted more than the other.
But as soon as they clashed, their confidence was shattered.
The stark contrast was astonishing.
If it were just that, it would have been fine, just a remarkably spectacular circus performance for everyone present.
But now, Hanzō's actions were about to flip the whole stage and drag them down with him!
Bastards!
Despite their gnashing teeth in anger, they could only prepare for battle, intending to face the Leviathan of the Seas together.
There was simply no other choice in this situation; they were pure hostages.
They weren't like Lin Ran, who had only brought his girlfriend, and if they were fed, the whole family wouldn't starve.
On this Amakusa Tarō, there were their people, all of them!
Some had brought families, some brought servants, some brought subordinates, some brought sisters...
Even for the tens of thousands of their countrymen, there was a reason they had to fight.
As for Lin Ran...
He frowned naturally and retreated behind the crowd.
As the saying goes, "Mind your own business and stay out of trouble." Although, as the embodiment of the pink crystal, subduing the Leviathan of the Seas would be as easy as picking something from a pocket – Hanzō's earlier attack that could injure the Leviathan was proof of this.
But there was absolutely no need for him to do so.
What did the lives of these foreigners have to do with him...
In fact, Lin Ran somewhat hoped things would escalate, leading to some deaths, and causing these numerous countries to conflict with Sakura!
So, even if the Amakusa Tarō capsized and the people and ship were scattered, Lin Ran wouldn't feel a ripple of emotion, and might even find it a little funny.
After all, with his divine might, he had nothing to fear...
He just needed to find the most opportune moment to make his entrance.
If he rescued them too early, those people might not even thank him!
Only by bringing them despair first, and then bringing them hope, was the correct approach.
Thus, amidst the turmoil of the Leviathan of the Seas, Lin Ran was almost the only one who remained calm.
*Boom!*
Almost at the moment Lin Ran made up his mind, a waterspout stirred up by the Leviathan of the Seas surged from the sea, sending the entire Amakusa Tarō flying into the air.
"Aaaahhhh!!"
Countless people screamed in panic, desperately clinging to the few available handholds on the ship, trying to suppress the fear of losing their balance.
Lin Ran, though he also took action, chose to grasp something else...