Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 348
The drowning curse had been around for quite some time. If the Japanese were unable to find the reason behind it, there was nothing they could do, either. Their only choice was to focus on the matter at hand.
"Is Mo Fan coming back to the team?" Jiang Yu asked Mu Ningxue.
Mu Ningxue did not answer. Whether that asshole was coming back to the team or not was none of her business!
------
Qiyi Mountain to the north of Tokyo...
Qiyi Mountain was a famous attraction in Tokyo. It had scenic views of mountains, streams, and temples. There were camping spots along the river too, and lots of maple trees with fiery-red leaves during the right season.
Mo Fan followed Mochizuki Chihaya up the mountain and immediately saw quite a number of families setting up tents on both sides of a river blessed with clear water and lots of pebbles. It was a peaceful, heart-warming sight.
It was a trend for the people in modern cities, a getaway from the concrete buildings, all the noise in the cities, a time to enjoy and appreciate nature by breathing fresh air and eating clean food...
"Take this thing back yourself. Seriously, such a waste of my time."
The pleasant view did not dispel the grudge in Mo Fan's heart.
They had come all the way here to find Mochizuki Ken's old friend, yet it turned out that the man had already passed away three days ago.
Mo Fan was seriously doubting if the man was actually Mochizuki Ken's friend. He had no idea that his friend was already dead, and he did not even come to mourn for him. He even asked Mo Fan to deliver the evil orb to the man!
"The old man has been living in seclusion all along. He didn't use any modern communication device, and he never told anyone how he was doing either. It's most likely that people would only learn that he's dead after at least half a year if we weren't trying to deliver the orb to him..." Mochizuki Chihaya remained respectful toward the old man.
Mo Fan, on the other hand, was running out of patience.
Didn't they promise to give him the battle soul after he delivered the orb? His Swift Star Wolf was still waiting for an upgrade. Why couldn't that old man's friend wait a few more days before passing away? He should at least have died AFTER cleansing the orb! Now what, the orb was still in his hands...
"You keep it first, I'll contact teacher after we go down the mountain," Mochizuki Chihaya was utterly scared of the orb. There was no way she would take it from him.
Their phones finally had signals once they were almost down the hill. Mo Fan was wondering why Japan's mobile network coverage wasn't available in every area. Why were there no signals on Qiyi Mountain?
"Crap, my girlfriend is in trouble!" Mo Fan took out his phone and saw messages swarming in. There were all from Zhao Manyan!
"Which one is your girlfriend?"
"The silver-haired one. Take this, I'm heading to the East Maritime Fortress!" Mo Fan immediately summoned the Swift Star Wolf.
Chapter 816 - The Approaching Tide
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
"Hang on, keep the orb, I'll bring you to the East Maritime Fortress," Mochizuki Chihaya waved her hand and wrapped a magic vine around the Swift Star Wolf's leg to stop Mo Fan from running away.
"Miss, what is it now? I was asked to deliver the orb to here, and I've fulfilled my role. You haven't given me the reward you promised, and now you're asking me to do more manual labor!" protested Mo Fan.
"Aren't you interested to learn more about the last Red Demon?" said Mochizuki Chihaya.
"Alright, fine, but we'll go to the East Maritime Fortress first. We'll deal with the orb later."
"Are you sure you're riding this creature across Tokyo city? You don't have a permit," said Mochizuki Chihaya pointing at the Swift Star Wolf.
"I never had a permit in my country... but I still ride him anyway!" Mo Fan waved his hand and patted the Swift Star Wolf's furry head.
The Swift Star Wolf raised his head and howled into the blue sky. The Japanese families that were camping nearby immediately panicked...
"Hey, who asked you to howl, can't you run without howling? And you, come up quick, stop wasting my time!"
There were lots of zigzagging paths down the mountain, but the Swift Star Wolf managed to maintain his speed. Whenever there was a sharp turn, he would simply jump down the slope, descending from the mountain as quickly as possible.
"Wolf, remember this woman's face, she owes you a battle soul for your upgrade."
"ARH…WOoo..." The Swift Star Wolf was just about to howl when he remembered that he was not allowed to let go as he wished. He quickly withdrew the howl halfway.
----
The journey from Qiyi Mountain to the East Maritime Fortress did not just involve crossing the city of Tokyo. The distance was greater than Mo Fan had imagined.
When they were finally close enough to feel the sea breeze, Mo Fan discovered that the color of the sky had changed. It was dark gray, as if there would be a great downpour in no time.
"Judging from the wind, the clouds, and the moisture of the air, the rise of the tide is going to be big. Let's hope it's not going to rain..." Mochizuki Chihaya frowned. Her eyes were fixed in the direction of the East Maritime Fortress.
"What's wrong with a huge tide rise?" asked Mo Fan.
Mochizuki Chihaya went to a university in Tokyo. She had come to the East Maritime Fortress many times as an intern, but she was not a fan of the maritime battlefield. As a result, she ended up going back to the family business.
"The army of sea monsters invades every time the tide rises. The bigger the tide rise, the higher the number of sea creatures. The East Maritime Fortress is a town built as a part of a sea reclamation. It's normal for the tide to overrun the streets. The prefixed zones in the fortress are part of the battlefield," explained Mochizuki Chihaya.
"Oh, that sounds quite interesting!" Mo Fan was excited when he heard about the environment of the battles against the sea monsters.
Fighting inside a town, that was his specialty! He used to be a City Hunter, not to mention that most of the impressive fights he had against the Black Vatican took place in the city, too!
"Are you good at fighting underwater?" asked Mochizuki Chihaya sharply.
"Not really, since my main weapon is Fire," replied Mo Fan.
"The structures in the East Maritime Fortress are carefully planned. When the tide rises, the streets will all be flooded. Those who are not capable of fighting underwater can stay above the buildings. The gaps between the buildings aren't large, allowing Magicians to move freely between the roofs. If you're in a pinch, you can escape to the zones that have not been invaded yet, and use the alleyways that are too narrow for the sea monsters..." Mochizuki Chihaya quickly gave Mo Fan a brief lesson on the battle environment of the East Maritime Fortress.
"I'm looking forward to the fighting after hearing what you said!" Mo Fan's fists were itching. He had yet to experience an enjoyable fight after coming to Japan!
"You better ask which zone they are in first," Mochizuki Chihaya reminded him.
"Oh, right!"
----
After arriving at the East Maritime Fortress, Mo Fan immediately saw two magnificent dams, one quite a bit taller than the other. The dams were spread across the shoreline in a crescent shape. As the tide slowly approached the dams, the East Maritime Fortress was soon covered in a strong magical aura. It felt like many magical formations had been activated. The fortress was quickly covered in colorful lights as the energies of the magic formations clashed...
The tide continued to rise, from being a hundred meters away from the shorter dam to reaching the bottom of the dam. The waves were stronger each time they splashed against the dam, with a loud impact and water pouring down like a great storm!
Unlike the Ancient Capital, where the Magicians would hold the undead off along the walls, the shorter dam served as a boundary that represented the battlefield!
The Japanese did not try to stop the tide from entering the fortress, nor did they stop the sea monsters from invading the fortress. There was not a single guard on the shorter dam, as they had all withdrawn to the taller dam, standing in a line!
The taller dam was the real line of defense for the shoreline of Tokyo. It was as tall as a mountain cliff, and as sturdy as steel.
Meanwhile, the East Maritime Fortress was divided into thirty-two zones, with Magicians standing on the roofs of the buildings in every zone. When glancing down from a great height, the number of Magicians was rather shocking, too...
The tide approaching the fortress was far from a natural phenomenon. Even the waves of the strongest natural tide would only reach around ten meters high, yet a wave of such height was enough to make a human feel minuscule standing before it.
The tide approaching the fortress was created by countless sea monsters channeling their magic simultaneously. Its height could easily exceed the shorter dam. It was like a giant tongue of the ocean, trying to suck the maritime fortress into its stomach!
A great rumble occurred. Mo Fan and Mochizuki Chihaya could hear it from far away. Even the ground was trembling.
The clouds had stacked up across the sky without a single gap between them. The enormous wave was obviously connected to the clouds. The stunning sight and the fear it brought had totally surpassed Mo Fan's imagination...
On top of that, Mo Fan could already see black dots upon the giant wave that was approaching the fortress. The dots were densely scattered across the wave. He was unable to tell how far the black dots were away, but those in the East Maritime Fortress clearly knew that the black dots were the sea monsters poking their bodies out from the water!
The scene was horrifying, yet spectacular!
If the tide that devoured the shorter dam was a night sky, the sea monsters were like stars scattered across it. Even standing far away from the incoming wall of water, everyone could still feel the overwhelming fear, enough to shatter a strong heart to pieces!
"My God, it's a huge tide!" Mochizuki Chihaya exclaimed.
"I can tell for sure, the wave almost razed the clouds to the ground!" agreed Mo Fan in astonishment.
"Which zone is your team at?"
"The twentieth..."
"Every zone after the tenth will surely be flooded considering the size of the tide. Half of the buildings in the twentieth zone will be underwater, the sea monsters will be able to move freely!" said Mochizuki Chihaya.
"Are they going to be alright?" Mo Fan was feeling a bit nervous.
Mo Fan thought the maritime battlefield was nothing for him, since he was a man who had already experienced the calamity of the Ancient Capital. However, he finally realized that the battles here were even crazier than the risen undead surrounding the Ancient Capital when the sun was setting!
Chapter 817 - White Sobbing Demon!
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
"Who's there? Non-authorized personnel aren't allowed to enter the fortress at the time of a battle, leave at once!" A few soldiers had intercepted Mo Fan and Mochizuki Chihaya on the taller dam.
Mo Fan looked at Mochizuki Chihaya, hoping that she could use her reputable identity to get them access and convince the soldiers to let them pass.
To his surprise, Mochizuki Chihaya did not do anything apart from whispering in his ears, "You will have to settle this yourself."
Mo Fan was thoroughly unimpressed by the woman. An instructor of the national team who did not even have a pass?
Luckily, Mo Fan had brought his Hunter identity card with him. It was a valid form of identity in most countries. Mo Fan handed his identity card to the soldiers.
The soldiers shook their heads, telling him that he needed a higher clearance to enter the fortress.
"Hold on, I've got another one..." Mo Fan searched in his pockets for a higher-level identification.
Meanwhile, the giant tide had reached the East Maritime Fortress. The buildings close to the shorter dam immediately collapsed from the strong impact. Some structures over twenty meters tall were no match for the momentum of the wave.
The soldiers immediately glanced in the direction of the crashing noise, their faces full of surprise. They were relieved that they were stationed here at the taller dam. It was almost impossible for the sea monsters to reach their position, since they had to cross thirty-two zones before reaching it, and the tide would never reach the taller dam!
"It's going to be a tough battle!" exclaimed one of the soldiers.
"You don't say, look at the number of sea monsters… hey, you two, stop right there!"
"Damn it, stop it at once, entering the East Maritime Fortress without permission is a serious crime!"
When the soldiers were sidetracked, the Swift Star Wolf carrying Mo Fan and Mochizuki Chihaya had already jumped off the hundred-meter tall dam. The dam was like a mountain cliff. Anything would simply fall to their death without a way to slow their fall!
There was no way the Swift Star Wolf was stopping. His blue fur drifted wildly in the wind as he dove through the air. Mochizuki Chihaya was sitting behind Mo Fan, and did not expect him to so recklessly barge into the fortress. She quickly hugged Mo Fan as she started to lose her balance. Mo Fan felt a great sensation when the woman's busty c.h.e.s.t stuck closely to his back!
The Swift Star Wolf landed on a building around thirty meters tall, leaving cracks in the concrete roof...
Mo Fan and Mochizuki Chihaya felt a little dizzy. The Swift Star Wolf's suspension was simply non-existent. The drop was only seventy meters, yet the impact was so powerful!
The Swift Star Wolf tried to catch his breath. Normally, he would be perfectly fine if he was falling on his own, but he was carrying two extra people on his back. His limbs felt numb after the landing.
"Where's the twentieth zone?" asked Mo Fan.
"Straight ahead!" Mochizuki Chihaya pointed.
----
Their eardrums felt like exploding from the loud rumbling, added to the occasional shouting of some Japanese Magicians. Judging from their expressions, it seemed like the scale of the tidal wave had exceeded their estimations, forcing them to make changes to their setups.
Sea water began to pour into the city. The surging current brought with it the debris of the buildings that were destroyed by the tide. Most of the structures in the zones after the sixteenth were seriously damaged before the battle even took place. They either collapsed entirely, falling onto the buildings nearby, or were shattered into pieces by the strong tide...
The water pouring in was full of debris. It was fine if it was only water, but the debris posed a great threat to the Magicians when the strong waves launched the pieces of buildings at them!
The East Maritime Fortress had the shape of a crescent, and the distance between the two dams was rather close.
The last sixteen zones were scattered along the shorter dam, forming a line of defense consisting of buildings and Magicians. In the past, when a small, or medium tide hit, the water would not reach the first sixteen zones. However, this time, the tide had easily broken through the first line of defense. Half of the fortress was already flooded!
"I finally know why all the buildings look so new. They f**king get destroyed in every battle, and they just rebuild the buildings later!" cursed Zhao Manyan.
The tide also brought a mist, so thick that it simply felt like a huge rain. Everyone was already soaking wet in it.
The tide was split into different streams by the buildings after it reached the East Maritime Fortress. Every flow was like a surging flood on its own, devouring the streets and the lower half of the buildings.
"These buildings are already constructed specifically to resist the current, yet so many have fallen straight away. Our range of movement has shrunk significantly," Jiang Yu stood at the edge of a building and watched the currents surging past the building. His heart began to pound heavily.
"Waaa!" came the cry of a baby from below the building. The cry was filled with fear of the surging flood.
"Damn, who the hell let their kid be caught by the current!" yelled Zhao Manyan when he heard the cry.
"Save the child!" Nan Rongni did not hesitate. She immediately jumped to the opposite building.
She ran to the edge and saw a sleeping bag floating on the rapid current. The cry was coming right from it.
Nan Rongni quickly summoned magic vines to form a ladder, allowing her to slide down to reach the sleeping bag that was being carried away by the current.
The strong current was only inches away from her feet. The mist was a lot thicker this close to the current, which limited Nan Rongni's vision. She summoned another magic vine and wrapped it around the sleeping bag to pull it toward her.
She was being extremely cautious to avoid hurting the baby inside the sleeping bag...
"Waaa!"
The cry was a lot clearer. Nan Rongni could barely see the baby's head in the mist.
Nan Rongni was relieved when she heard the baby was still crying. It was fortunate that they had heard the cry. Otherwise, the baby would have drowned soon.
"It's ok, I'm bringing you up," Nan Rongni reached out her hand, trying to carry the infant out of the sleeping bag.
"Nan Rongni, don't go any closer!" However, Jiang Yu's voice suddenly came from above.
Nan Rongni could not hear it clearly as the current was too loud.
Meanwhile, the infant's head poked out from the sleeping bag, yet it was nothing like an infant. It was a flesh tumor on top of a ghastly looking creature!
"It's a White Sobbing Demon, stay away!" yelled Jiang Yu.
Nan Rongni was pretty quick with her reactions. She immediately controlled the magic vine to pull her up.
However, the White Sobbing Demon was no ordinary creature. It dashed out from the sleeping bag and chased after Nan Rongni.
The White Sobbing Demon's arms were like tentacles with extremely sharp ends, stingers emitting a purple glow.
