A Villain's Journey Begins in the Type-Moon World

"The offerings have vanished, so this arena has naturally lost its meaning, hasn't it?" Wang Chong's voice rang out calmly. He looked at the still-shaken Ritsuka and said slowly:

"Get ready, it's going to get a little exciting."

"Huh? Ah—!!"

Ritsuka was stunned by what she heard. Before she could fully understand what it meant, the stone brick ground beneath her feet suddenly became as illusory and transparent as a phantom!

A tremendous feeling of weightlessness suddenly overwhelmed her. She only had time to let out a short scream before being pulled rapidly towards the deep, cold sea below by the relentless pull of gravity!

Not only Ritsuka, but everyone who remained on the arena platform vanished completely as the magnificent building dissolved, screaming and shouting as they plummeted into the sea like dumplings being dropped into a pot!

Just as everyone was about to crash into the surging sea like stones, at this critical moment, a strange and gentle attraction arose out of nowhere, precisely binding each falling figure.

This force perfectly counteracted the fatal acceleration, leaving them suspended on the surface of the sea as if caught in an invisible net, floating in a state of shock.

The bewilderment and fear of surviving the ordeal were clearly etched on every pale face.

"Listen up, all you pirates..."

A majestic and grand voice, like rolling thunder, echoed across the entire sea, drowning out the roar of the waves.

Everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound—and there they saw Wang Chong, the ultimate winner of this "Chosen One Tournament," hovering high in the air.

He held aloft a deep, dark sphere that seemed capable of swallowing light, looking down indifferently at the floating beings below like a god.

"The traitors of the Agor have betrayed the will of the gods and audaciously stole the sacred offerings that should have been given to them! This act has thoroughly enraged the gods!"

Wang Chong's voice, like a cold gavel of judgment, struck heavily into the hearts of every pirate:

"What is even more unforgivable is that you ants, instead of hunting down the sinners who blaspheme the gods, dare to question the existence of the gods! For such disrespect alone, the gods have already issued a divine decree to bury you all in the belly of fish in order to quell their raging anger!"

As if to confirm the truth of his words, as he uttered his last word, the sky above everyone's heads, which had been relatively clear, suddenly changed color!

Thick, inky clouds gathered and churned at a visible speed, instantly obscuring the sky and turning the sea into a somber, leaden gray.

At the same time, the seawater beneath their feet lost its calm and began to churn and roar violently. Beneath the surging waves, a huge, chilling shadow could be vaguely seen swimming and stirring in the deep sea.

A suffocating aura of destruction permeated the entire world, as if the end of the world had arrived.

The pirates, who had just scoffed at the "illusory image of the sea god," were now terrified as they witnessed this dramatic change in the heavens, which seemed like divine punishment.

Fear instantly overwhelmed anger and doubt, and cries for mercy, screams, and confessions filled the air.

Some people slapped themselves hard, until their mouths bled; others knelt on the floating planks, kowtowing repeatedly to the sky, cursing themselves for their stupidity and foul mouth.

Even Ritsuka and the others, who knew some of the inside story, couldn't help but feel a little shaken and doubtful in the face of this realistic power of heaven and earth.

Could it be... that the phantom of the sea god wasn't entirely fake?

However, they quickly realized that this was probably just a performance created by Wang Chong using some kind of power.

"but--"

Wang Chong's voice rose again, like a resounding bell, drowning out all the noise:

"As the ultimate victor of this divine selection competition, I, acting in accordance with the will of the gods, and considering that you still hold some insignificant use on this vast ocean, plead with the gods for mercy! The gods are merciful and grant you permission to atone for your sins through meritorious service!"

His arm, holding the black gravity ball aloft, remained motionless; his voice was deep and powerful, as if reciting a divine oracle:

"Just as you are witnessing this miracle! If you are willing to follow me, pledge allegiance to the gods, retrieve the stolen offerings, and eradicate those sinners who have betrayed the gods... then you can be spared the fate of perishing in this cold seabed!"

His gaze suddenly sharpened like a knife, sweeping across every terrified face below, the chilling threat palpable:

"Otherwise! I can immediately retract this grace, sever the miracle, and send you down to Hades, the god of the underworld, to personally confess your sins of impiety and endure the torment of purgatory!"

"Yes! We are willing to follow the Divine Envoy!!"

"Follow the messenger of God! Atone for your sins with good deeds!"

The pirate representatives, who were completely terrified, grasped at the straw and eagerly raised their hands, shouting their support at the top of their lungs.

The pirate fleets that had rushed over upon hearing the news and were still observing saw such a "miracle" and extraordinary phenomenon, and without the slightest hesitation, they all raised their flags and sent signals, indicating their willingness to submit to Wang Chong's command.

"Remember! You are all guilty at this moment!"

Wang Chong's voice carried an unquestionable air of authority:

"If you dare to outwardly comply but inwardly defy, and harbor a heart that betrays the gods, your sins will be a hundredfold greater! You will then fall into the underworld and suffer punishment for countless years, yet even that will not be enough to atone for your sins!"

As he spoke, a gentle force began to pull the floating crowd back to their respective boats or nearby floating objects.

At the same time, the churning dark clouds in the sky seemed to be wiped away by an invisible giant hand, quickly dissipating and revealing the light of day again; the terrifyingly huge shadow beneath the sea also quietly disappeared, and the surging waves gradually calmed down.

The earth-shattering scene just now vanished without a trace in an instant, as if it were a collective hallucination.

"Now, in the name of the divine messenger, I hereby issue the first decree!"

Chapter 657 Issuing an Edict

"The first edict!"

Wang Chong's voice clearly reached the ears of every pirate who had just landed back on the ship:

"I order you all to act immediately and mobilize all available pirate forces across the seas!"

"Regardless of whether those pirates not present are participating in this duel, in the eyes of the gods, they are all guilty at this moment! You must do everything in your power to spread the wrath of the gods and my divine decree throughout the seven seas! So that all pirates may submit to my command!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Chong flicked his finger lightly towards the crowd below.

Several fine yet condensed streams of black light, as if they possessed life, shot out from his fingertips and precisely entered the bodies of each pirate representative.

A cool and strange sensation instantly imprinted itself deep within their senses.

"The second edict!"

Wang Chong's voice was beyond question:

"Once you have gathered the strength of all the pirates in the world, you need to focus on one thing—at all costs, find the whereabouts of those criminals on the Agor! Blockade every sea area they might pass through!"

"The marks I have just placed upon you are the bridge to my contact. Once you have located them, immediately report to me through the marks! I will personally descend to inflict divine punishment and punish the rebels!"

Wang Chong's gaze swept over the silent crowd below one last time, and the pitch-black gravity ball in his hand silently dissipated into the air.

"Now—immediately! Take action!" This final command, like a drawn sword, cut off all hesitation.

……

The Sea of ​​Tides, a sea that has just experienced the threat of divine punishment and the salvation of a miracle, is now unusually busy.

Pirate ships of all sizes, like a swarm of bees being driven away, rushed off towards the horizon in all directions with a sense of awe and urgency, fleeing the eye of the storm.

Of course, no one dared to forget the important task entrusted to them by the "divine messenger"—to find the scattered pirate accomplices and to dig up every clue about the Agor.

As for the whereabouts of that "divine messenger"...

At that moment, Wang Chong, Ritsuka, Mashu, Drake, and others returned to the Golden Deer.

"So, Mr. Wang Chong intends to continue using the prestige of the 'gods' to incite these pirates to blockade the sea and search for the Argor?"

On the communication screen, after listening to Wang Chong's account, Dr. Roman habitually scratched his fluffy pinkish-orange hair, his tone tinged with confusion:

"I feel like... it's a bit of a waste of talent."

"Moreover, given the strength you demonstrated just now, Mr. Wang Chong, personally catching up with and dealing with those people from the Agor shouldn't have been difficult, right?"

“Dr. Roman, you have… a lot of questions.” Wang Chong’s words carried a hint of detachment, but his face wore a gentle smile, as if he didn’t care about the issue.

"The principle is actually very simple..."

Wang Chong slowly walked up to Ritsuka, reached out his hand, and gently patted the girl's shoulder with the expectation of an elder, then continued:

“It would be easy for me to catch up with them, or even take them out from the very beginning. But... if I did that, the journey through this singularity would lose most of its meaning for Ritsuka.”

After speaking, he glanced at Ritsuka and Mashu, his tone becoming meaningful: "Compared to the previous dangers, the environment here is remarkably 'mild.' Wouldn't it be a waste not to give her some opportunities to face challenges independently and grow through experience?"

"Ah... I see... That does make sense..."

Dr. Roman smiled somewhat awkwardly, then asked with concern:

"But is it really okay to just let Jason and his men kidnap the goddess like this? What if they do something to her..."

"It's alright. The real key point is the Ark of the Covenant, not the goddess. You know, there are already several goddesses that have appeared so far, just the ones I know of."

Wang Chong interrupted his worries, his tone resolute:

"The real core threat to this singularity is only one: the goddess must never be allowed to come into contact with the Ark of the Covenant. As for the dangers of the Ark of the Covenant, I think Euryale has already explained them to you in detail."

Upon hearing Wang Chong mention the Ark of the Covenant, everyone nodded in agreement, confirming that Euryale had indeed brought up this matter before.

Seeing that everyone was no longer confused, Wang Chong continued to explain:

“Currently, the Ark of the Covenant is under my personal supervision and is under absolute control. Therefore, as long as we successfully rescue the goddess before the Ark is found on the Argonaut, Jason and his fleet will not be able to cause any real trouble.”

"At that time, it will be necessary for you, Ritsuka, to unite the power of the heroic spirits who have answered the call in this sea, defeat Jason head-on, and reclaim the Holy Grail."

Wang Chong looked at Ritsuka with encouragement in his eyes: "The repair of this singularity will naturally follow."

After listening to Wang Chong's clear and logical explanation and plan, Ritsuka, Mashu, and Dr. Roman on the other end of the communication all nodded slowly, their faces showing understanding and agreement.

"Next, you will come with me to 'Wyvern Island'."

Wang Chong quickly made arrangements:

“That’s my temporary base for now. Your Golden Deer has gone through a series of battles and voyages and needs a thorough overhaul and upgrade. Otherwise, in the fierce pursuit of the Agor, the ship’s durability could become a fatal weakness.”

He then added:

"Moreover, there is a high-quality spiritual vein node on that island. It is perfect for you to set up a summoning circle, allowing Chaldea to provide more stable remote support, transport necessary supplies, or conduct more precise observations."

"Anyway, there won't be any news about the Agor for a while, so we might as well prepare ourselves properly, stock up on food and water, and arm ourselves before targeting those people on the Agor."

“Since Mr. Wang Chong has made such thorough arrangements, shall we head to the Pteranodon Island?” Dr. Roman consulted Ritsuka and Drake. “Ritsuka, Captain Drake, what do you think?”

"Of course I have no problem!" Drake waved his hand heartily. "After all this turmoil of the competition, the rum and food on the ship are almost gone, and resupplying is the top priority! Since we have a good place to stay and can repair the ship, what are we waiting for?"

Ritsuka nodded as well: "Well then, Mr. Wang Chong, please lead the way for us."

Wang Chong nodded: "Then please wait a moment, I will go and bring my boat over to pick you up."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Chong lightly rose into the air, as if he had broken free from the constraints of gravity, and stepped into the air in a certain direction.

Now, with the upgraded Dark-Dark Fruit, he has completely mastered gravity, and flying is as natural and effortless as breathing, no longer requiring any external aids.

Only after Wang Chong's figure disappeared into the sea and sky did Drake let out a long sigh of relief, lean against the ship's railing, take a large gulp of wine, and remark:

"Although I had guessed that this farce would fizzle out—after all, the sacrifice was fake, and the intimidating sea god was fake too. But I never expected it to end in such a... well, earth-shattering way."

“Indeed, Captain Drake.”

Mashu agreed, then looked at Ritsuka beside her, her tone becoming more relaxed:

"However, according to Mr. Wang Chong's plan, our next goal is much clearer. Concentrating our efforts on rescuing the Goddess and eliminating the Agor should be enough to quell this singularity, right, senior?"

"...Huh? Hmm...Yes, that should be it...No problem..."

However, Ritsuka's reaction seemed somewhat slow and absent-minded. If Mashu hadn't asked her, she seemed lost in her own thoughts, her gaze unfocused as she stared in the direction Wang Chong had left.

"Senior? What's wrong? Is there something bothering you?" Mash keenly noticed Ritsuka's unusual behavior and took a step closer to ask with concern.

"N-nothing...it's nothing, I just..." Ritsuka snapped out of her daze, subconsciously shaking her head, trying to cover it up.

suddenly!

A strange yet unusually cheerful and loud shout came from the sea outside the Golden Deer without warning:

"Hey—! That ship up ahead! Is that the Golden Deer?!"

Chapter 658 Achilles Seeks Help

"who is it?"

The sudden sound broke the silence of the sea, and Ritsuka and the others immediately looked in the direction of the sound.

Below the Golden Deer, a simple little wooden boat was slowly approaching, cutting through the fine waves. The figure steering the small boat was particularly striking—it was Achilles, the very person he had spoken with in the arena yesterday!

"Mr. Achilles?!" Ritsuka exclaimed involuntarily, her voice filled with obvious surprise.

On the small boat, Achilles looked up and saw Ritsuka appear at the side of the boat. His tense expression seemed to relax a little, and a slightly tired but sincere smile appeared on his lips.

“Looks like I didn’t pick the wrong ship,” he said loudly.

The Golden Deer quickly lowered the rope ladder. Achilles, agile as ever, climbed up and landed steadily on the deck, bringing with him a cool sea breeze.

"Mr. Achilles, what brings you to us... Ah!"

Ritsuka looked at Achilles, about to ask a question, but then she suddenly remembered their conversation before they parted yesterday. A thought flashed through her mind, so she asked, "Are you here to ask for help?"

"good."