The morning sun rose over the horizon, bathing the river in a bright, golden shimmer.
A steady southern breeze filled the black sails of The Creator’s Judgment, sending the vessel sweeping down the wide river channel at full speed.
Haruto and Aoi stood at the prow, watching the changing landscape.
The rocky mountains had receded completely, replaced by rolling green plains and dense forests that signaled the approach of the coastal region.
Aoi had changed into a set of comfortable travel robes retrieved from the ship’s quarters—fitted to her frame while allowing total freedom of movement.
Her broadsword rested across her back, clean, polished, and entirely free of the Inquisition’s restraints.
“The energy flow on this ship feels different now,” Aoi remarked, closing her eyes to take in the salty sea air blending with the sweet river breeze.
“That heavy, rotten pressure from the container is completely gone.” “That’s because the ship runs on the environment’s natural energy now,” replied Haruto, who had rewired the vessel’s channel core using the principles of the Ancient Way.
“It no longer consumes souls to move.
The energy flows cleanly through the hull.” Haruto pulled his small notebook from his coat, where he logged his discoveries and calculations regarding the Ancient Way.
With a flick of his fingers, the pages flipped to an illustration depicting the structure of the four great Arches they needed to overcome to reach true immortality.
“We’ve completed the first phase,” Haruto said, looking at Aoi.
“We broke the System seal in the Holy Capital, survived the Third Division’s pursuit, mastered the Dual-Circuit Link, and dismantled the Inquisition’s network in Valoria.
Officially, we’re no longer prey.” “Now we’re the hunters,” Aoi added, a fierce determination flashing in her eyes.
“When Cardinal Lucian finds out what we did to his port and his ship, he’s going to lose his mind.” “Let him,” Haruto smirked coldly.
“When he decides to send his Shadow Hunters or the other Cardinals after us, he’ll find us waiting on the open sea.
And this time, we won’t just defend ourselves.
We’ll tear down every absorption tower the Church has raised on this continent.” Aoi held out her right hand to him.
The crimson runic marks on her arm glowed brightly, pulsing with the refined spiritual energy she had tempered through their battles.
Haruto took her hand without hesitation.
The blue runes on his skin merged instantly with hers, creating a violet spark that danced between their fingers before vanishing into the morning air.
“To our freedom,” Aoi said, looking at him with unwavering trust.
“To our immortality,” Haruto answered.
Together at the prow of the ship that once belonged to their oppressors, the strategist and the warrior looked out at the vast path stretching before them.
The Inquisition had branded them heretics, the Vatican had placed a bounty on their heads, and the entire world sought to chain their fates.
But to Haruto and Aoi, those obstacles were mere stepping stones on their rise toward eternity.
The vessel sliced through the river waves toward the great Southern Sea, marking the official beginning of the legend of two reincarnates who defied the gods to claim their own destiny.
[END OF VOLUME 1: THE FLIGHT OF THE HERETICS]