The next day.
Because the diva had moved a bit further ahead, the fish could only sense Noel and Anna in the ship. It was still too much, so there was still no demon coming to them.
As a result, he consulted with the admiral, wondering if it was appropriate for him to leave the ship. Anna might also be doing the same just for the sake of the soldiers' training.
After some consideration, the admiral actually gave an approval.
It would be better if some people got injured when this was still calm rather than if the expedition failed or most people were dead or injured because of a future attack.
As a result, Noel and Anna took off the ship, using their runes to float a bit further away from the ship.
Of course, the admiral didn't tell anyone about their position, making sure that they thought they still had Noel and Anna to take care of them in case something big happened.
Noel and Anna took this chance to observe them.
As expected, the moment they flew off, the demons started flocking around the ship.
The spirit grandmasters were the first ones to feel them. Obviously, the admiral did too.
Without hesitation, the admiral shouted, "Activate the barrier! We will slow down!"
The ship slowed down by putting less energy into the rune. The barrier then formed, protecting the ship from any attacks.
The demons started their attacks by ramming themselves against the ship. Even then, the material of the ships should be sturdy enough to withstand it without any damage.
However, it was time for Mid Level and Advanced Level Demons to attack. They were actually spurting water or fins, trying to destroy the barrier.
Some bigger demons ended up jumping off the water and flapping their bodies to hit the ship.
The ship shook violently, but it was nothing for the barrier.
"Hang on!"
"There are demons approaching from our sides."
But this was when the humans showed the reason why they went down.
They suddenly unleashed a strike that erupted underneath the water. There was no need for it to be strong.
As long as they released enough force to knock them into the air, it was enough.
After all, several people suddenly jumped into the air and struck them. The fish couldn't handle an attack while in the air, so they ended up dying right away.
The admiral squinted his eyes, thinking, 'Good. It's progressing quite smoothly. If this continues, they should be able to kill the rest of the demons in just several minutes.'
"Second squad, GO!" The admiral shouted.
As the first squad was pulled out of the water, the second wave of people jumped off the ship, picking their respective opponents. They killed the demons using the same method.
However, a lot more fish were coming. The admiral thought this was due to the fact that they hadn't killed any fish before, so he ordered out loud, "Pull up the second squad. Weapon Squad, fire! We'll thin out their number with the runes!"
"Yes, sir!"
While they were thinning their numbers, there was another squad that would gouge the demon crystals on the back of the ship.
It might not be enough to recharge everything, but it was enough to lessen the burden on the demon crystals.
Normally, they would just ignore these corpses, thinking that they didn't want to slow down the ship with a lot of luggage.
But this was a necessary process for the rune ship.
Besides, the barrier also provided enough protection for them.
Several people dragged the demons to the ship, where they peeled their bodies and recovered the demon crystals before releasing the corpses again. Some had to go underneath the water.
In the end, the admiral took care of the attack in just twenty minutes, killing more than two hundred demons. It was an effective way of defending the ship.
Noel couldn't help but smile. "I guess that's the power of an admiral. His command is effective and efficient. He knows what to do and his experience is preparing for the next step. I guess we don't have to worry about this ship."
"Yes. I'm glad that they spare such a reliable man." Anna nodded. "But the journey will become much harder after this, right?"
"Yep. We have to get ready, since we might end up having to fight soon."