In Ark Simulator, why do I always get a tough start?

Chapter 151 A thousandth of a second apart, Chen Qi's sacrifice?

"puff!"

"You beast, dare to come again?"

In the ocean, Goredia once again thrust her spear, piercing through several sea creatures. Facing this endless horde of beasts, she was handling the situation with ease, even though it wasn't the first time she had been in dire straits.

Only in the sea can deep-sea hunters unleash their full power.

Although there were only three of them—Gredia, Skadi, and Laurentina—they moved through the sea creatures as if they were in an empty field, and no sea creature could touch their bodies.

However, the battle, which seemed effortless but was actually like dancing on a tightrope, could not be sustained for much longer by the three deep-sea hunters.

Fortunately, they finally received good news while inside the Hai Si Chao.

"Swordfish, sharks, I see the fleet."

Skadi, whose greatsword was covered in the blood and flesh of Hai Si, swam swiftly to Goredia's side like a mermaid.

Skadi's usually calm voice now held a hint of joy as she spoke:

"If nothing unexpected happens, this should be the last batch."

"It looks like we'll be able to break through soon."

"That's really good news!"

Upon hearing that her compatriots were all safe and sound, Laurentina nimbly went to her teammates' side, and her tense expression immediately relaxed a lot.

"My saw teeth are almost dulled by the flesh and blood of these beasts. It's time to say goodbye to them."

"Don't get distracted, stay alert."

While Goredia was focused on fighting the enemy, she was only happy for a moment when she received the news before regaining her composure as captain and coldly reminding her two teammates:
"Next, Hai Si will definitely do everything he can to stop our people from escaping and rush towards the land."

"The real test is about to begin, so don't be careless."

"...But, swordfish."

However, as soon as Gretia finished speaking, Skadi, who was both slaying Hai Si and observing the situation of Milia Rium in the distance, noticed something was amiss.

"The Sea Siege's target does not seem to be the fleet."

"what?"

Skadi's whisper startled Greta, but she quickly realized that Skadi was right.

"Crack——!"

A sound like shattering glass made the hearts of the three deep-sea hunters skip a beat.

The next second, the thing they were most worried about finally happened.

The protective shield, which was still visible to the naked eye and supported by Chen Qi, shattered along with the already fragmented "dome".

The moment the last barrier preventing the invasion of the Sealings shattered, the Sealings, like sharks smelling blood, surged madly into the city, as if they wanted to devour everything in it.

As a result, not many of the fleets escorting the refugee cabins went to surround them.

Soon, from the fleet approaching Goredia's group, Clementa's relieved voice could be heard:
"Greteia, you're all alright! That's wonderful!"

"Consul Clemenza?"

Before she could even rejoice at Clementa's survival, Grandia solemnly turned to Clementa and quickly asked her the question that concerned her most:
"What on earth is going on? Consul Clementa? Has Miliarum fallen?"

"Also, where is Qi? Is he in the refugee cabin?"

“...Governor Goredia, please calm down.”

Faced with Goredia's relentless questioning, Clementsa didn't even have time to mourn, and answered in a rather subdued tone:
"His Majesty fought to the very last moment to buy us time to escape."

"He chose to stay in Miliarum and continue with Plan Two, eliminating the Hai Si here and preventing those filthy beasts from launching a counterattack on land."

"Gredia, what we need to do now is to lead the Agor people to land for refuge. This is the best way to honor His Majesty's sacrifice—"

However, before Clementa could finish speaking, Gladys ignored her and turned her gaze to her two teammates, saying calmly and resolutely:

"Skadi, Laurentina, you two will accompany the fleet and escort the people in the refugee cabins to land."

"Captain, what about you?" Laurentina couldn't help but ask, seemingly aware of Gretia's behavior.

"—I'm going to save him."

Under the watchful eyes of her two teammates, Goredia spoke without the slightest hesitation, her mind made up:

“He’s not from Agor, but he’s helped Agor countless times.”

"I absolutely cannot let him die for the Agorians again!"

"I will go with you."

Upon hearing this, Skadi realized that Chen Qi might die here. The lingering consciousness of Isamara caused her a sudden, intense pain in her heart, and she immediately stepped forward to fight alongside Grandia.

But the next second, Skadi was forced back by Gretia's cold voice:
"Skadi, get out of my way."

"I am the fastest here, and I am the only one who can rescue him from the sea before Qi executes Plan Two."

"You're just a hindrance to me."

"Execute the order now!"

With that, a sonic boom ensued, and Gretia's body transformed into a black bullet in the deep sea, hurtling towards the already fallen Miliarum.

"...Let's go, Skadi."

Beside Skadi, Laurentina, knowing her captain's temperament, gently patted her best friend's shoulder and softly comforted her:
"We don't need to worry too much about the captain. She said she can rescue His Majesty, and she definitely can."

"If even the captain can't do it... then perhaps, this is His Majesty's fate."

Skadi remained silent for a long while, watching Gladys's departing figure, before finally nodding with a hint of reluctance and saying, "...I understand."

……

"Come on—you sea creatures! Don't you want me to be assimilated into your ranks?! That's far from enough!"

In the heart of Milyarum, the only area in the city that had not yet fallen, Chen Qi's solitary figure still stood proudly.

Despite bleeding from all seven orifices and being able to clearly sense his life rapidly slipping away, Chen Qi still confronted the Hai Si who were trying to break through his final barrier with cold eyes and arrogant laughter.

However, given the circumstances, it was clear to everyone that Chen Qi was in dire straits.

Faced with the endless sea creatures, all that awaited him was to be devoured and assimilated.

If Chen Qi wanted to leave, he certainly had many ways to escape unscathed.

But if he leaves, the sea creatures will use this city, which is only a step away from the land, as their nest, and continue to breed new sea creatures here.

At that time, the people on land will face a frenzied counterattack from these creatures, whose assimilation speed is no less than that of demons, and whose aggression, numbers, and evolution speed are far more terrifying than those of demons.

This is a price that the land can never afford to pay.

Therefore, Chen Qi absolutely cannot leave.

He intends to annihilate all the sea creatures in this area!

Chen Qi was multitasking, absorbing all of Miliarum's remaining energy into his own body and converting it into a massive amount of Originium Arts!
He continuously channeled Originium Arts into the barrier with one hand to ensure it could not be breached.

Meanwhile, the fingers of the other hand, following the melody of the "Golden Melody" still playing in their ears, nimbly traced spell symbols as if holding a conductor's baton, gathering surging energy fluctuations!
This is a terrifying scene that completely overturns any warlock's imagination!
Such a surge of energy input alone would be enough to cause any warlock to explode and die, not to mention the impossible feat of multitasking.

It is important to know that conjuring up a powerful spell is an act that consumes a great deal of mental energy. If there is even the slightest mistake, the spell may harm the caster before it is even released.

Not to mention a terrifying spell like "Golden Melody".

Moreover, with such terrifying energy support, it surpasses Chen Qi's "Golden Melody" which tore through the Ursus defenses with a single blow.

The power of this "Golden Melody" is several times stronger!
Without a doubt, this was a devastating blow.

No living being can survive this blow—not even the caster himself!
This is why this is the first time Chen Qi has felt so close to death!
But he still resolutely did it.

All for the sake of protecting everyone he loves on land.

"Come on! Let's keep going!"

Chen Qi roared and laughed maniacally. As he sensed the danger emanating from the sea creatures and launched an even more frenzied attack to stop his spellcasting, his laughter grew even more rampant.

"Not enough! Not enough!!"

"Just a little bit more, just a little bit more—"

Sensing the Originium Arts circuits within his body nearly bursting open, and the "Golden Melody" spell in his hand about to go out of control, Chen Qi gritted his teeth.

"puff!"

Finally, unable to withstand the energy within his body, even blood gushed from Chen Qi's veins!
Soon, like a plague, after the first blood vessel burst, the second, the third... and more blood vessels burst one after another because they could not withstand such an overload.

Bleeding from every part of his body, Chen Qi, who was already on the verge of collapse, became even paler.

The vitality in their eyes dimmed even further.

In the end, with the rupture of blood vessels in his throat, Chen Qi was almost covered in blood, his face as bluish-black as a corpse.

Even so, Chen Qi persisted.

He persevered and unleashed his strongest attack before reaching his critical point!
Driven solely by willpower, but not by the stubbornness of "revenge."

It was the power of "love" that propelled him to accomplish that impossible miracle! "Pray!!"

However, just a second before everything was about to erupt, a voice that Chen Qi found familiar, but was not as cold as before, pierced through the protective shield and entered his ears.

For a moment, exhausted Chen Qi could only vaguely see... a tall silhouette approaching him at an astonishing speed.

...Is it Gretia?
Was she here to save herself?
Chen Qi, who was already nearly exhausted, had no more energy to think about anything else.

Before all consciousness vanished into darkness, gazing at Gretia who had come to rescue him, Chen Qi's last thought... was only joy.

...Even on his deathbed, he knew that he was not fighting alone.

that's enough.

It's not so bad that everything ends like this.

With this thought in mind, Chen Qi smiled with relief and completely severed the link between himself and the spell he had condensed in his hand.

For a moment, it was as if time itself had stopped.

Graceia, approaching at supersonic speed, desperately reached out her hand, trying to catch the emperor's collapsing body...

At that moment, she was less than ten centimeters away from the emperor's body.

For Goredia, who travels at supersonic speeds in the ocean, this takes less than a thousandth of a second.

But at this moment.

But for Goredia, those mere ten centimeters seemed as unattainable as the ends of the earth.

She could only watch helplessly as the terrifying spell, a symbol of destruction, twisted and exploded before her eyes—devouring all life around it.

"boom--!!!"

In an instant, it felt like the end of the world.

The golden light swallowed up all life thousands of miles away in the ocean.

The surging sea creatures, as powerful as ocean tides, left not even a trace of remains or flesh the moment their bodies came into contact with the exploding golden light.

Their bodies seemed to have been broken down into countless tiny molecules, invisible to the naked eye, and completely disappeared from this ocean.

It was as if they had never existed.

"boom--!!"

"what happened?!"

On the coast of Iberia, operators from Letania, Great Flame, and Rhodes Island are pulling the Agorians, who have just returned to the shore, out of their shelters one by one.

The next second, they saw a beam of light shooting into the sky, emerging from the deepest part of the sea!

"That is!"

On the shore, Wei Yanwu, Jian, Viviana, and the others, who had been rescued by Chen Qi using teleportation magic, stared blankly at the pillar of destruction shooting into the sky, falling into a long silence and daze.

They could all sense the terrifying, all-destroying power contained within that pillar of light.

They all knew very well that there was only one person in the world who could unleash such terrifying magic.

But at that moment, none of them wanted to admit it.

Because they all know it.

What will be the fate of the person who unleashes this spell the moment they realize it...?

"boom!"

"team leader?!"

Meanwhile, just as everyone's attention was drawn to the beam of light, a dull thud came from the shore.

Skadi and Laurentina, who had just returned to the shore, quickly recognized that the person who had landed was none other than their captain, Grandia, who had gone to rescue Chen Qi alone.

However, Gladys, who had just been thrown onto the shore by magic, seemed not to have recovered from her daze before Skadi and Laurentina rushed over and quickly helped her up.

"Captain? Are you alright?"

"Captain? Where's Qi? Did you save him?"

Before Skadi and Laurentina could finish speaking, a sudden and extremely strong force violently pushed them away.

The next second, Goredia's swaying body was forcibly supported by Jian, who arrived immediately.

"...where are the people?"

Jian's bloodshot eyes stared intently at the silent Goredia.

In a state of extreme emotional turmoil, she placed her last hopes on this exceptionally powerful deep-sea hunter she had once been hostile to, and questioned him word by word:
"Where's Qi?! Where is he?!"

"……Feel sorry."

However, all that could be heard from Gretia's mouth when she came to her senses was a despair that utterly broke her heart.

Even the proud Goredia lowered her head silently for the first time, unable to look directly into the broken eyes of the sword, but she still mustered her strength and spoke the truth:
"I...couldn't save him."

"I am ashamed that I couldn't save your husband, my only friend on land."

After saying that, Goredia slowly closed her eyes. What echoed in her mind was Chen Qi's relieved smile before witnessing the magic explosion.

Whenever she thought of that smile, Goredia felt a sharp, agonizing pain in her heart—a pain as if her heart were being pierced.

Clearly, it was just a hair's breadth away.

She was just a fraction of a second away from saving the emperor before he could unleash his fatal spell.

She was just a fraction of a second away from saving this friend on land with whom she had been having such a pleasant conversation.

But she was still too slow.

The supersonic speed that burst forth in the sea... Now, when Goredia thinks back to this skill she was so proud of, she wants to laugh at herself.

No matter how fast you are, what difference does it make?
He can't save the people he wants to save... Even if he surpasses the speed of sound, he's still just a useless person.

"..."

Upon hearing Goredia's silent reply, Jian gradually loosened her grip on Goredia's shoulders.

However, upon learning that the man she loved had left her for the second time, her face turned deathly pale, and Jian, standing to the side, staggered back several steps.

"Mother Mace!"

Just a second before Jian's body was about to collapse to the ground, Viviana stepped in and supported her.

"Mother Jian, what's wrong with you...?"

"Don't scare me... Mama Jian..."

Upon learning of her father's death, Viviana, who was nearly overwhelmed by the shock, didn't even have time to grieve.

Looking at the mace she held in her arms, which she regarded as her own mother, Viviana's eyes reddened, and she sobbed softly through her tears:

“Mother Jian… Father… he has left us…”

"I don't want Mother Mace to leave me too... Mother Mace... Waaah..."

However, lying in Viviana's arms, even with his eyes open but devoid of any light, Jian showed no reaction to Viviana's weeping.

She simply gazed silently at the sea before her.

It was as if they were waiting for a figure that could never return to come back to them from the ocean.

Faced with this situation, Clementa, as the governor, did not know how to respond and simply lowered her head in shame.

Beside him, Wei Yanwu, who had narrowly escaped death, silently puffed on his pipe after learning of his brother's demise, his eyes tightly closed, without uttering a word.

Kal'tsit and the Doctor, gazing at the chaotic, nearly shattered scene before them, fell into a deep silence, unsure of what to say.

"...This is all my responsibility."

After a long silence, Kal'tsit finally spoke softly, her eyes filled with sadness and disappointment, as she murmured:
"I was too trusting of Agor's attitude toward the land and underestimated the intensity of this Sea Siege counterattack."

"The emperor of the earth was thus sacrificed... I should take responsibility for this."

"--No."

However, at that moment, Goredia, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly raised her head and answered in an absolutely cold voice:

"Dr. Kal'tsit, the responsibility does not lie with you."

"As a deep-sea hunter and someone who facilitated this collaboration between the ocean and the land, I have an inescapable responsibility."

"But I think there is one more person who must provide an explanation for everything that happened today."

The next second, Gladys's tone shifted abruptly, and she spoke to Kal'tsit in a voice filled with icy killing intent:

"Dr. Kal'tsit, I need you to help me contact Archon Heratia."

"She should give a reasonable answer to this matter!"

(End of this chapter)