While the second calamity—the swarm of frogs—had tormented us with their immense size and the heavy Magic Resistance emanating from their massive bulks, the third calamity, a swarm of biting lice and insects, began to assault us with a sheer quantity that defied common sense.
[Don't even think about counteracting them with insect manipulation! It's easier to think of those not as insects, but as familiars that are bundles of curses. Using the Preta Path to directly refine and absorb the magical energy would be more effective!]
"…Then Medea's Rule Breaker should work well too. You can get rid of some of those!"
"Are you joking right now?! I'm a Caster, not a Saber! This is a ceremonial dagger!!!"
If one had to pick who was moving most busily right now, it was undoubtedly Jason and Romani.
While his Noble Phantasm was the most unstable among the group and his personal stats were lacking, Jason was a man whose leadership and seafaring skills were second to none. He had effectively commandeered the ship from Edward Teach and was handling the navigation and steering alone.
Romani, for his part, was conducting the briefing and tracking the origin of the curse. Hearing his distressed voice over the comms, I could feel his lifespan shortening in real-time.
Of course, that didn't mean everyone else was idling about.
"Mutant frog appearance on the rear port side!"
"The ammunition and cannons regenerate automatically anyway! Since the Caster girl and Chaldea's Master are holding back the insects, let's focus our direct fire on the frogs!"
Led by Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who were already accustomed to pirate ships, the Servants of the Argonauts banded together to fire the cannons and check the approach of the frog swarm. Atalante, the only one capable of long-range precision, modified her strategy to target the frogs' vitals, such as their eyes and tendons.
"Damn it, is there no end to them…"
"At least we're lucky. If you lot hadn't boarded this ship, we would have been lacking in firepower…"
"That's not the important part. If it takes forty-eight hours to find the origin, two more curses of this scale will overlap, won't they? Do you have the confidence to endure that?"
As Atalante snapped at them, Anne fell silent, her face turning pale.
Just as she said, while Medea and I were barely holding back the plague of lice, if the plague of flies and the plague of livestock pestilence were added to the mix, the Queen Anne's Revenge might truly sink.
[Crazy, crazy, crazy!! Prana spike detected 2km to the rear! It seems they can even increase production by pumping additional magical energy into the curse… Karma, that 'real gimmick' of the Queen Anne's Revenge you mentioned, I think we have to use it now!]
"No, not yet… Right, Altera!"
"What is it, Master?"
In that moment, an idea struck me, and I shouted to Altera.
"Release your prana! Maximum output, right now!"
"…The aftershocks will affect the ship. Is that acceptable?"
"…Suppress it as much as possible so the ship isn't damaged."
"Acknowledged."
Suddenly, the three-colored blade in Altera's hand began to spin, emitting a blinding radiance.
It wasn't a True Name Release or a Noble Phantasm activation—it was a simple discharge of 'Magical Energy.' Yet, its power manifested as a storm that seemed to far surpass an average Noble Phantasm.
[Y-Yes! With this, we can definitely block the approach of the frogs! Furthermore, in that state…]
"The Reanimation Jutsu allows for an unlimited supply of magical energy… provided that I, the caster, am alive, of course."
"That's it! If that's the case, we have no reason to keep dealing with those frogs!"
Altera's Prana Burst caused a surge akin to a tsunami. As the frogs chasing us momentarily faltered, Caenis, brandishing his spear, let out a boisterous laugh.
"Medea and I will handle these godforsaken lice!"
"…Can you do it? It's a literal swarm."
"Hey, kid, my Noble Phantasm is an Anti-Army type! These bugs that aren't even worth the dirt under my nails… are nothing!!!"
A brilliant light filled the air.
A massive, burning golden bird manifested intensely enough to cover the entire ship. It dove toward the biting insects that were swarming around the Bounded Field of my Shinra Tensei, trying desperately to find a way in.
The sight was like moths to a giant campfire… no, more accurately, it was a massive forest fire rushing to incinerate those moths and pests.
The shimmering bird, seemingly forged from molten gold, swept through the swarm of insects filling the void.
And so, we seemed to have found a solution for the third calamity as well.
*
That day was essentially one continuous battle after another.
The brief moments when we managed to drive away all the insects and frogs were our only rest. The Servants, their spirits exhausted beyond words, would either frantically chug various liquors I kept in the Human Path or simply collapse onto the deck to steal a moment of sleep.
[Magical energy signature confirmed 4 kilometers ahead!]
"…Damn it, those bastards really never get tired!"
"Medea, prepare the magecraft circles again! Chaldea's Master, climb the mast and identify the enemies with Atalante. The rest of the Servants, prepare to welcome the frog swarm!"
At some point, the person handling the briefings had switched from Romani to Director Olga Marie.
"Hm? You're not the man from before."
[I am Olga Marie Animusphere, the Director of Chaldea. We have temporarily rotated personnel for the purpose of rest.]
"…Well, that man might have special powers, and we are Servants, but he was certainly overexerting himself."
"It doesn't matter who is doing the briefing. Olga Marie, how is the identification of the source going?"
[Romani identified roughly five locations where major prana fluctuations are occurring. We plan to set major observation points at each of them and activate SHEBA, the Near-Future Observation Lens, to verify.]
"…That's too slow. How long does it take to observe one set of coordinates with the lens?"
[About two hours!]
"Then send me those coordinates. Give me the one that's closest to us and has the most activity clustered around it."
Edward Teach spoke up with a sleazy grin.
"Duhuhuhu… Master of Chaldea, could it be that what I'm thinking is correct?"
"Yes, exactly."
[Absolutely not! The reason Romani pinpointed this area as the source is because the magical energy is most concentrated here! This is effectively the origin of the curse and the spawn point for those horrific magecrafts! You're going to charge in there?!]
"Duhuhuhu, it seems our lovely Olga Marie Animusphere-chan underestimates my Queen Anne's Revenge a bit too much?"
[Eek! Shut up!!! You, shut your mouth! Don't call my name like that with that filthy mouth of yours! Every time you open your mouth, Chaldea's work efficiency drops!]
"Now, that won't do. Teach, I'm going to need you to shut up."
"This humble one feels wronged!"
Quickly gagging and tossing Teach aside, I spoke to her again.
"Five locations means ten hours. In about two hours, the plague of flies will activate. Even if we're lucky and find the enemy quickly, by the time we arrive or engage, the plague of livestock pestilence will be active as well…"
[...]
"Director of Chaldea, Olga Marie Animusphere. This isn't a game or a prank. You know that, don't you?"
[…That's my line. If you die, there is effectively no future for the Human Order. Deploying to the Singularity was a gamble with a chance of winning, but this is a gamble with your own life. I absolutely cannot permit—]
Olga Marie cut me off firmly, but her words were soon interrupted by a burst of static.
[…I'm late. The fourth calamity hasn't triggered yet, has it?]
"Romani, you're going to get yourself killed by Olga at this rate."
[Haha… Well, I'm the head of the medical staff, so she won't actually kill me. Anyway, this is a speed game… From Olga's perspective, your life is more precious, which is understandable… I value it too, of course. But here, we need to act with speed.]
"Well, coming from you, I suppose you'd know best… Anyway, where is the location?"
[We're already investigating one of the five suspected source locations. The one closest to where the Queen Anne's Revenge is currently located… is Pirate Island. It should take about three hours at full sail.]
"Then the destination is decided!"
Teach drew a cutlass from his waist and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Turn the sails to starboard and tie the ropes tight! Prepare for full speed! The destination is our paradise, Pirate Island!"
"Altera, can you use your Prana Burst to create waves? We need more speed."
"Acknowledged."
The conquest of this Singularity was only just beginning.