The Guardians' Throne - The First Magic Swordsman

                                                    At the price of half of his mana, Zaos managed to open the path in the enemies' formation even more by messing with the mobility of fifteen ships, but that wasn't their goal. Their goal was to find Ferdinand and kill him. Orleand told them what kind of ship Ferdinand mostly used, but they were no signs of any ship that had a trident in their flags. As time was passing, their whole situation was becoming more dangerous since more ships were chasing them.

"What are the chances that Ferdinand isn't with his main fleet, after all?" Drannor asked.

"He wouldn't run away now of all times," Orleand said. "I didn't confirm that yet, but I heard that those four people that we're seeing with him in Noemi's birthday parts haven't been seen in weeks. He probably killed them in order to become the absolute ruler of Vezar… he is betting all his money on this battle."

                                                    That seemed logical. In the end, someone that would go as far as trying to assassinate almost fifty families just to get their riches and influence wouldn't be someone half-assed. If Ferdinand doesn't win this fight, then his dream of becoming the supreme leader of Vezar will fall into pieces, and he won't have any chance like this one in the future. So, he might as well do his best to try to succeed this one time.

                                                    Eventually, they found the ship with the trident flag. However, that one was surrounded by forty ships. As if things weren't troublesome enough, those ships didn't move a single inch when they noticed the approach of enemies. They wanted to serve as a shield to Ferdinand's shield no matter what.

"Brace yourselves!" Erean shouted. "We are going to get that son of a bitch now!"

                                                    Three allied ships moved forward and a bit faster than their ship, and then those approached each other. They really wanted to force an opening in order to let the main ship arrive where Ferdinand was… but there was a problem. By opening a path like that, they lose their speed, and then they will be caught by the enemies on the side and on the back.

"Captain…" Ameria said when she realized that.

"Don't think about that, Ameria," Erean said. "Don't think that they are dead yet. Besides, I gave the order, and they obeyed without hesitation. You have to respect the will of those people."

                                                    Ameria clenched her teeth in exasperation because the chances of her allies surviving that would be pretty low. Zaos didn't like that either. Even if he didn't know the people in those ships, he disliked sacrifices. That is why he aimed his hand toward the main masts of the enemy ships. This time, he didn't hold back and then hit five of them with all his might. As one would expect, their main mast fell and then crushed some of the enemy's crew as it also damaged an excellent part of the ship. Thanks to that, the allied ships had an easy time breaking their formation, even passing by their formation. Erean looked at Zaos since he didn't give that order, and it was evident that Zaos's mana was low, but the young soldier just shrugged.

                                                    There was no time to argue or think about anything else. Ferdinand's ship was right in front of them, so they had to focus. However, the enemy ships began to hit their ships by the sides. The sound of the impact and of the creaking was so powerful that it made everyone feel shivers. In the blink of an eye, four of their ships slowed down to the point thanks to the attacks that the ships behind caught them, and one could only wonder what will happen to them next.

                                                    That was something that Zaos couldn't have avoided, but in the end, it was a price that they had to pay. Ferdinand was right in front of them, so they just had to finish him off… or so Zaos thought. Just like him, everyone else got caught off guard when Ferdinand's ship turned to the North and set sail in that direction at their top speed.

"Son of a bitch…" Zaos said. "After all this, after all the problems he caused to us, even though he has hundreds of ships around… he decided to run away?"

"No, he just doesn't want to risk himself while facing us," Erean said. "We managed to deal with everything he threw at us, so he is wary of us."

                                                    In any other situation, Zaos would be thankful for not being underestimated for a change. However, they couldn't afford to let the enemy run away. The longer that fights longs, the more soldiers and ships they will lose. Erean gave the order to chase Ferdinand, but it was evident that they wouldn't catch up in the end. Ferdinand's fleet had the best ships that he had fabricated, but his own ship was probably the best of the best. They didn't have any chance of catching up… unless…

"I will use my magic to damage his ship," Ameria said.

                                                    Zaos had thought that, to use his own magic, but Ameria was faster in saying that out loud. However, he stopped her. If worst comes to the worst, she will have to protect herself, and she can't do without mana.

"Nah, I will do it," Zaos said. "I have more mana, and I am more used to allocating more mana to a spell. Besides, you might need your mana later."

"Are you planning to hog all the glory to yourself?" Ameria asked.

"Glory? Hah! Well, if you want to do something memorable, I will cut Ferdinand's limbs and then give you the chance to finish him off," Zaos said. "What do you think?"

"… No thanks," Ameria said that with a really uncomfortable expression on her face.

                                                    In the end, Ameria didn't let all those battles turn her into someone who really wanted glory. She just thought that Zaos wished to use her idea. Still, in the end, he wasn't that type of person either. Regardless, Zaos used all his remaining mana and then created a Thunder Sword. It wasn't a real spell per se, but it probably he was the masterpiece of his customizations.