Chapter 720: [Set Sail!]

Allen walked up to the ghost ship.

It looked like the hull was over a hundred years old. The sails were not adjusted and the entire place looked like there was a haunted crew.

Drink rum, and drink rum…. why's all the rum gone…?

Sail the five rivers… we are the fastest ship…!

Following the sea breeze! Riding on the waves!

When we are drunk we are not homesick!

Let’s all sing out with a Don! Drunk rum with a Don! As the ship sets sail~

The voice of seamen singing was heard.

The voices of the men matched with the sound of the waves.

The ghost ship was rocking significantly but it was still floating like a proper boat. Allen watched the cheery sailors and listen to their amusing song. When the sailors had finished their preparations, they immediately stand at the side of the main deck in order.

“Sire!”

A voice called out.

Allen turned towards the shore—at the side of the ship, standing on the ground was Nessus with his usual nasty grin.

“The ship has finished reloading, I wish ye a pleasant voyage~”

“What’s the name of this ship?”

Allen asked in curiosity.

“Name matters not sire! It has been forgotten long, long ago. The ship is yours, the name will also be yours,” Nessus bowed.

“So be it…I shall call it… …the Mischievous Wench…!”

Allen thought for a moment, and then he grinned. Then, he faced the long river of Fire, "Now, on deck! My very Mischievous Wench. Batten down the hatches, weigh anchor! We sail...with the tide."

Allen cried out the words that appeared inside his mind, after thinking of a certain great pirate.

“Aye, Sire!!”

The undead crews and the Centaurs responded with high morale and started to do their work, and the Mischievous Wench made its first voyage!

Nessus watched the ship sailing with an amused smile, "My dear sire, run along and have a good time. You're only young once, remember that."

Then, he slowly turned around.

… …

“The old moon in the arms of the new one. The journey will finally come to an end, just like how the moon set aside,”

A shot of pain went through Asmodeus as memories flooded back.

Her family… in the end, would never return again.

The family that she loved and cherished—

Allen beside her, replied, "Why is that?" and looked up at the moon, a bit shocked as good and bad memories flooded back to him, too.

“Not everything would end, Asmodeus, not yet at least. Everything will still continue just like the way it was…”

“Master… them… when did our path start to part…?”

Asmodeus asked as she smiled bitterly.

“I still can remember them laughing beside us, playing and teasing each other… but now. We are all against each other, wanting to kill one another…”

“That is life, Asmodeus…”

Allen sighs.

“Life can never be predicted…just like a woman’s heart. What you think will continue, will change in just a few steps. No matter what you do to prevent it, the change will always come…as our fates didn’t run on the same track.”

He stroke Asmodeus head like a brother to his sister, like a man to his lover, like a father to his child—

“We might have started from the same place, however, even still, our thoughts have always been very different. Each of us was just walking on the road we think is right, unknowingly heading in different directions, walking on different paths.”

“Do master not feel sad?”

Asmodeus bit her lower lip.

Allen smiled bitterly.

“I did,” he answered truthfully. Then, he continued with a ‘but’; “There’s no reason to cry, nor be sad… it just meant that they had found a life they wanted and desired… although we are pointing swords at each other throats, at least our hearts are not clouded by vengeance and hatred towards each other…"

"... ..."

"They are just acting on their own definition of justice, and that no matter what happens they would see to it till the end, even if it means discarding those we treated as important…because for those they are fighting for, they deemed it even more important…that's their resolve.”

Allen muttered with a helpless sigh.

Yes, that's right... this what we call the Game of Life.

Change is the only thing that remains the same. No matter how many centuries passed, how many lifetimes one experienced. No matter what world it is.

“A resolve they have that they are willing to sacrifice everything. Don’t you think that you need to be happy for them…?”

Allen finished in understanding, staring at the sunset and the way the reflection danced across the waves and made the vast river look orange and even fiercer.

It was Asmodeus turn to study him, and she eyed him thoughtfully as he continued: "And it's because it is. Life itself, it has a magnificent call and draws. Treacherous, certainly, but only if you don't know how to tread it."

"Many people would disagree."

Asmodeus murmured, and Allen turned to look at her as he answered firmly: "Many people would be wrong."

Asmodeus simply watched him, listening, and Allen went on in earnest: "You see, what those foolish braves get wrong is that you can tame neither life nor fate. That’s what I had realized up until now, despite not wanting to acknowledge it. Also, it’s useless and unwise to try. You can love her. But rule her? Out of the question. Her nasty fingers are too choppy and her feedback too stormy.”

“… …”

“That's why, the key to living is in letting the spirit of the world take you, whether it's as a challenge or as an ally. It's in being free…"

Allen stared into Asmodeus eyes with a faint, gentle smile and she stared back as she listened with wide eyes. As he trailed off, Asmodeus was suddenly aware of how close they were, both having leaned in unconsciously in their sincerity.

Allen seemed to realize it as well as his eyes gleamed in blazing presence but Asmodeus was impressed when he kept his gaze fixed on her eyes. He stared into her bright blue eyes, getting lost in them just as he had in the life he had been living all this time…in countless lives.

He found her eyes fascinating in the same way, open and yet mysterious: her emotions were clear as open skies, but they were deep and constantly changing like the seasons of a year. And he found himself content to just keep watching, noting each small change, just as he did with time.

“I prefer how they look like now, no matter what the outcome will be, at least they followed the feelings of their hearts.”

Allen cleared his throat a little, trying to regain himself, but he kept his eyes locked on hers as he murmured softly: "The only rule that really matters is this: Choice…is it not?”

“… …”

“Everyone has their own choices…their own options, and that choice will be the starting line of the path one would tread from then on. Whether the fate is stormy or smooth sailing, one can only cling to that one choice as things would never return to give you a second chance just as much as time would never turn back. There's no such as thing as second chances...just forgiving and move on.” Allen grinned and he stretched his hand, tucking the strand of hair that had covered her eyes behind her ears.

“This is what it means to be living, love…”

Asmodeus’ heartbeat quickened, and she swallowed.

Allen grinned as he glanced at the sky and the clouds in the distance, and his face fell into a grim frown as he replied seriously: “…well, let’s go back, I think things would get rough,”

On that cryptic note, he turned and walked off, dragging Asmodeus towards the cabin. She frowned and peered into the distance, trying to work out what he meant.

A few hours later, she got her answer. It hit her in the face with a literal splash as the storm broke out and the waves thrashed around them, threatening to tip the ghastly ship with every movement while lightning flashed in the distance.

Between the heavy rain and the waves that crashed over the ship, it was almost impossible to see, but the crew did their best as they half ran, half skid along the decks to secure the ship against the storm.

Fortunately, Allen had somewhat repaired the Mischievous Wench with his [Creation] abilities just after they left the River of Fire and he was somewhat assured that it would not flip over and sunk so suddenly in the middle of the voyage, as sinking in this waters is much harsher than any seas in the Mortal World. Especially the weapons such as the cannons, upgrading some into high technological beam cannons. Even the broken mast was renewed using black timber.

In the process, Allen took care of the wooden hull and deck railings. He also created a black dyed flag with a demonic horned human skull above two long bones set in an X-mark arrangement—facing a lightning bolt sideways. He even went further due to drive and interest as he painted the ship's hull black as ink and gave her black sails in order to strengthen her image as an infamous pirate ship similar to the one that's crewed by the damned and captained by a man so evil that Hell itself spat him back out; Captain J*ck Sp*rrow’s precious Bl*ck Pearl!

Even still, the storm and the sea prove rather malevolent than one had expected.

“…Master, how did you know that even the Hell Rivers would also have a storm…?”

Asmodeus asked in surprise, as she too even almost forgotten about the trials of the Rivers of Hell. The stormy torment.

It should be unpredictable, even to the ones who had lived their lives in this Hellhole. While asking, Asmodeus was running around with the lot of them, none of them able to afford let even one hand rest though Allen warned her to stay near the center of the deck and to hang onto the safety ropes just in case.

Despite this, Asmodeus was doing rather well, helping the men tie the ropes tightly as they fought against nature itself.

“Instinct,”

Allen grinned as he pulled the rope that tied the sails.

“Even in this world, my senses would never dull me~ Hang onto the rope, love, I can’t have you falling into the sea…only to me,"

He replied all while calling in warning as a particularly high wave came crashing down on the side of their ship, throwing up sea spray full of shivering iciness and threatening to send them all tumbling across the deck and over the other railings.

Cocytus…

The river of lamentation!

They had passed the River of Fire and were now sailing in the icy cold river.

Poor little undead who was splashed by the accursed waters of freezing inferno, they turned into little popsicles.

Asmodeus did as Allen said, hanging on for her dear life for the moment as the wave crashed over them and knocked her down before she struggled back up and moved carefully back along the deck. She clung to the safety rope for support as she reached the riggings beside him, and she began to tug on them as well.

"How can we sail to the rivers of hellish torment, leaving only on fate and chance,"

Allen turned at Asmodeus questioningly over the howling storm as he hauled on the ropes beside her, "…with only a measly crew of undead, with some missing limbs?"

“… …”

“Well, this can also be called thrilling adventure—many had sailed the seven seas, but only some had able to conquer the five rivers of hell~”

"Yeah, its romance, is it not master?"

Asmodeus agreed, her lips curled upwards, seemingly enjoying this little escapade of theirs. Then, Allen walks staggeringly at the steering wheel, taking it from a skeleton’s hand.

“Now it’s high time! Lads! Hands aloft to loose t'gallants! With this wind at her stern, she'll carry every sail we've got.”

One Centaur turned to stagger up to Allen as he yelled: "We should drop canvas, sir."

"She can hold a bit longer,"

Allen replied as he eyed the ship and their path critically before steering them again.

"What's in your head that's put you in such a fine mood, Captain?"

Asmodeus asked with a grin, albeit teasingly noting Allen’s lifted spirits despite the storm.

"…the smell of adventure, in desperate times, is more thrilling than ever,"

Allen answered as he smiled, and it was a little frightening really in the darkness only lit by the flashes of lightning.

Asmodeus caught his expression before she was flung to the side once more as the ship rocked dangerously and she was forced to grip onto her rope lest she be lost to the river of freezing inferno forever.

“That’s why I can’t stop living! Hahahahaha,”

Along with the laughter of Allen, the Mischievous Wench playfully sailed through the storm. The terrible weather doesn't seem to hinder the path of that poor black ship as it sailed through the icy river with rays of light behind them

… …