The atmosphere inside Cabin 41A changed instantly.
The moment Rio muttered those words—
Sayanaki's smile disappeared.
"…So."
She slowly stood up.
"What's the plan?"
Rio's eyes remained fixed on the distant black ship outside the window.
Its silhouette was growing larger.
Closing the distance.
Fast.
Rio turned around immediately—
then looked down toward Ryota.
Still asleep.
Completely defenseless.
"…Unbelievable."
Sayanaki crossed her arms.
"How is he still sleeping?"
Rio crouched slightly beside him.
"Ryota."
No response.
She lightly shook his shoulder.
"Ryota."
Still nothing.
Sayanaki stared.
"…Did he die?"
Rio pinched the bridge of her nose.
"He's just a deep sleeper."
She shook him harder this time.
"Ryota."
"…Mnn…"
A tiny response escaped him—
before he immediately went back to sleep.
Rio and Sayanaki both stared silently.
"…Wow," Sayanaki muttered.
Rio sighed deeply.
"…There's no time."
Carefully—
Rio slowly lowered Ryota's head away from her shoulder.
She opened her inventory.
A bundle of white silk appeared in her hands.
She curled it tightly into a makeshift pillow before gently placing it beneath his head.
Ryota shifted slightly in his sleep.
Then immediately hugged the silk pillow comfortably.
Sayanaki looked horrified.
"…That's actually impressive."
Rio stood back up.
Then suddenly—
WARNING — SAND RAID HAS COMMENCED
A crimson system notification exploded across the cabin.
At the exact same moment—
BOOOOOOM
The entire sand ship shook violently.
The lantern overhead swung wildly.
The walls trembled.
Outside—
cannon fire erupted across the desert.
Screams echoed from the upper deck.
Then—
THUNK
Something heavy slammed against the ship hull.
Hooks.
Metal chains scraped violently across the outer walls.
Another explosion shook the vessel.
The distant sound of pirate war horns echoed through the night desert.
Sayanaki grinned immediately.
"There it is."
Gunshots erupted outside the hallway.
Then sword clashes.
Shouting.
Panic.
Players screaming.
NPC crew yelling orders.
The Sand Raid had fully begun.
Rio immediately opened the cabin door slightly and peeked outside.
The hallway was chaos.
Smoke drifted through the corridors.
Sand pirates wearing black desert coats and bone masks were storming the ship.
Some wielded curved sabers.
Others carried long rifles.
Several players were already fighting them near the stairway.
Rio closed the door again calmly.
Then looked at Sayanaki.
"Plan is simple."
She raised one finger.
"Clear the pirates aboard the ship."
A second finger.
"Protect the NPC crew."
Third finger.
"And destroy the pirate ship."
Sayanaki smiled.
"…Sounds fun."
Suddenly—
heavy footsteps approached the cabin rapidly.
Rio and Sayanaki both turned toward the door.
Then—
BANG
The cabin door exploded inward.
Two sand pirates stormed inside immediately.
Both carried long rifles.
"DON'T MOVE!"
"Hands where we can—"
The first pirate stopped speaking.
His body froze.
Then suddenly—
his head slid clean off his shoulders.
Blood sprayed across the cabin wall.
The head rolled across the floor.
The second pirate stared in horror.
Sayanaki stood beside him silently.
Fenrir's Fang dripped blood in her hand.
She smiled sweetly.
"…Oops."
The remaining pirate panicked instantly.
"MONSTER—!"
He turned and tried running toward the hallway—
BANG
A gunshot echoed.
The pirate's chest exploded forward.
His body collapsed lifelessly near the broken doorway.
Sayanaki blinked slowly.
Then looked toward Rio.
Rio casually lowered the smoking pistol she had taken from the dead pirate.
"…You were taking too long."
Sayanaki laughed.
"I wanted him to think he could escape just a bit."
Outside—
more explosions rocked the ship.
The sound of cannon fire grew louder.
The pirate vessel was now directly beside them.
Massive hooks connected both ships together.
Dozens of pirates were boarding.
Rio walked toward the shattered cabin window.
Wind and desert sand blasted violently into the room.
The black pirate ship surged beside them through the dunes like a war beast.
Cannons fired continuously from its sides.
Red lanterns glowed along its deck.
Skulls decorated the front hull.
Sayanaki whistled.
"…That's excessive."
Rio pulled a grappling launcher from her inventory.
Then attached the hook to the pirate ship railing.
Sayanaki looked at her.
"You're actually boarding that thing alone?"
Rio tightened her grip on the line.
"I'll disable the ship."
She looked toward Sayanaki seriously.
"You deal with everyone aboard this vessel."
Sayanaki spun Fenrir's Fang once.
"…Got it."
Rio looked at her one last time.
"Good luck."
"Stay safe."
Sayanaki smirked.
"You too, Guild Leader."
Then—
Rio jumped.
CRASH
The rest of the window shattered apart as she launched herself into the desert night.
The grappling line tightened instantly.
Her body flew violently through the air between both moving ships.
Wind roared around her.
Below—
the endless dunes rushed by at terrifying speed.
Behind her—
the sand ship continued shaking under cannon fire while pirates flooded the hallways.
And ahead—
the massive black pirate vessel waited beneath the storm.
Rio's blue eyes narrowed.
Then—
she drew Crimson Bloodmoon.
The blade glowed crimson against the dark desert sky as she flew directly toward the enemy ship.
The desert wind howled outside the ship.
Sand scraped violently across the wooden hull while the massive vessel continued gliding over the endless orange dunes.
Inside the enemy sand pirate ship—
Blood covered the hallway.
Bodies littered the floor.
Broken rifles.
Severed limbs.
Shattered blades.
The dim lanterns hanging from the ceiling flickered weakly, illuminating the horrifying scene like a nightmare.
And in the middle of it—
Rio stood alone.
Her white hair swayed gently beneath the storm winds pouring through the torn sail overhead.
Blood dripped from the edge of her crimson blade.
Around her—
More than twenty sand pirates lay dead.
Some had collapsed near the walls.
Others were still frozen mid-motion from the effects of Chronos Eye before being cut down.
A severed rifle slid slowly across the floorboards.
Rio exhaled quietly.
"…Too slow."
A pirate behind her screamed and charged.
Rio didn't even turn around.
The pirate raised his saber—
And Rio's sword moved first.
A crimson arc flashed through the hallway.
The pirate froze.
Then his body collapsed in two pieces.
Silence returned once more.
Outside—
The destroyed sail snapped violently in the wind.
The entire pirate ship tilted heavily from the damage caused by Moonlight Melody earlier.
Rio stepped over the corpses calmly.
Then suddenly—
Footsteps.
Multiple.
Fast.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
More pirates.
They rushed down from the upper deck.
Some carried curved sabers.
Others carried rifles.
One of them shouted.
"THERE SHE IS—!"
Gunfire erupted instantly.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Rio activated—
[Unique Skill: Chronos Eye]
The world slowed.
The bullets drifting toward her became sluggish.
Heavy.
Visible.
Rio calmly walked between them.
Her crimson eyes glowed faintly blue.
One pirate widened his eyes in terror.
"…W-What the hell—"
Rio vanished.
Then reappeared directly in front of him.
Her blade moved.
The pirate's body collapsed before he even realized he had died.
Rio spun.
Another sword strike.
Another pirate fell.
Then another.
And another.
Blood splattered against the walls.
A rifle fired point blank—
Rio tilted her head slightly.
The bullet passed beside her cheek.
She stepped forward.
Her sword pierced through the pirate's chest instantly.
Behind her—
Three pirates jumped down from the upper railings at once.
Rio raised her hand calmly.
[Sword Skill: Butterfly Dance]
Four glowing blue butterflies materialized around her.
The pirates laughed.
"…Butterflies?"
One of them swung his axe.
The butterflies scattered instantly.
Like guided spirits.
The first butterfly struck a pirate in the forehead.
The second pierced another through the shoulder.
The third curved sharply through the air.
The fourth flew upward toward the sail net.
High above—
Snipers hidden among the ropes suddenly widened their eyes.
"…Wha—"
The butterflies hit them simultaneously.
And the moment they were marked—
Chronos Eye activated its effect.
Time around them slowed by five hundred percent.
Their movements nearly stopped completely.
They looked frozen.
Suspended in midair.
Rio looked upward calmly.
Then raised her blade.
[Sword Skill: Moonlight Melody]
A massive crimson energy wave erupted upward.
The entire sail exploded apart.
Wood shattered.
Ropes snapped.
The giant sail collapsed downward—
Crushing multiple pirates beneath it instantly.
The ship shook violently.
Rio landed lightly on the deck.
Then paused.
Her eyes shifted eastward.
Far beyond the sandstorm—
Another black ship was approaching.
A second sand pirate vessel.
Rio sighed.
"…Seriously?"
The second ship accelerated through the dunes rapidly.
More cannons became visible.
More armed pirates.
Rio looked at the approaching vessel silently.
Then muttered—
"…I better take out this one too."
She raised Crimson Bloodmoon once more.
The blade glowed red.
[Sword Skill: Moonlight Melody]
A gigantic crimson slash tore through the air toward the approaching ship.
But Rio didn't stop there.
Her pendant suddenly glowed brightly.
[Pendant of Eternal Grace][Soul Echo Activated]
A familiar notification appeared before her eyes.
Activating Linked Skill: [Scalular Impact]
Rio's eyes sharpened.
She grasped the force flowing through the attack.
Then amplified it.
Violently.
The crimson slash distorted.
Compressed.
Expanded.
The air itself screamed.
The attack collided with the second pirate ship—
And instantly erased it.
BOOOOOOOOOOM
The explosion illuminated the desert night.
Wood.
Cannons.
Pirates.
Everything vanished beneath the overwhelming force.
The remaining pirates aboard Rio's ship stared in horror.
"…Monster…"
Rio ignored them.
Meanwhile—
Back aboard the passenger ship.
Inside one of the lower hallways.
Darkness.
Blood.
And screaming.
A sand pirate trembled violently on the floor.
Around him—
The entire hallway was painted red.
Corpses were piled everywhere.
Some had claw marks.
Others had clean cuts through their throats.
The pirate's breathing became frantic.
Because sitting casually atop one of the corpses—
Was Sayanaki.
Her crimson hair swayed gently.
Fenrir's Fang rested in her hand.
Beside her—
Two spectral wolves growled quietly.
Skoll.
And Hati.
Their glowing eyes locked onto the terrified pirate.
Sayanaki smiled softly.
A terrifying smile.
"You better tell me what your pirates are planning."
The pirate stuttered.
"I-I already told you—!"
Sayanaki tilted her head.
"…Did you?"
She slowly stood up.
The wolves growled louder.
The pirate immediately backed away.
"T-There's nothing else!"
Sayanaki walked toward him casually.
"…Hmm."
She crouched beside him.
Then smiled wider.
"Otherwise…"
"…I get to have fun with you a bit."
The pirate froze.
"…W-What do you mean by fun?"
Sayanaki's red eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.
She raised one finger.
"Option A."
She pointed toward the wolves.
"I cut your fingers off one by one."
The wolves growled excitedly.
Sayanaki continued cheerfully.
"First your fingers."
"Then your arms."
"Then your legs."
"Until there isn't enough of you left to recognize."
The pirate's face turned pale.
Then—
STAB
Sayanaki casually drove her dagger through his shoulder.
The pirate screamed.
"AAAAAAAHHHH—!"
Sayanaki ignored him completely.
"Or…"
She suddenly grabbed him by the collar.
"…we could go with Option B."
Before he could react—
She dragged him violently across the hallway.
Then kicked open a damaged section of the ship.
The pirate suddenly found himself hanging halfway outside the vessel.
Below him—
Nothing but endless orange sand.
Sayanaki pressed his face close to the opening.
The pirate panicked instantly.
"N-NO—!"
Sayanaki casually dripped blood from her dagger onto the sand below.
Silence.
Then suddenly—
The sand moved.
The pirate's eyes widened in horror.
Five massive Dune Stalkers burst upward from beneath the desert.
Gigantic sand sharks.
Their jaws snapped violently toward his face.
The pirate screamed so hard his voice cracked.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!"
One of the sharks nearly bit his head off.
Only missing because the ship kept moving.
Sayanaki laughed.
A genuinely happy laugh.
"If I were you…"
She leaned beside his ear slowly.
"…I would start talking."
The pirate sobbed violently.
"I-I'LL TALK!"
"PLEASE!"
"PLEASE DON'T DROP ME!"
The wolves barked excitedly behind her.
And somewhere outside the ship—
The sound of another massive explosion echoed across the desert night.