The fiery red setting sun slowly sank into the ocean, its last rays gradually fading into the rising curtain of night, bringing with it a slight chill.
Under the alternating cold and warmth, the biting sea breeze from the depths of the Sea of Okeanos swept in, stirring the deep waters upward and creating layers of waves that pushed toward the surrounding islands and mainland, crashing against the rocks and sand along the way, forming patches of snow-white froth and spray.
Accompanied by the rhythmic sound of the waves, the ripples on the sea's surface sparkled under the moonlight, as if stars had descended into the vast ocean, creating a stunningly beautiful scene.
However, the more beautiful things are in nature, the more dangerous they tend to be.
Along with the rising tide also came the unique saltiness of the deep sea and the rustling sounds of climbing at the hidden reefs.
Nighttime, not only the time of high tide, but also when marine life is most active.
And in the age of gods, these marine creatures naturally included sea monsters...
They often chose to come ashore at night, attacking coastal livestock and settlements to hunt for food.
Under the cold moonlight, several grey-brown sea scorpions, each as large as a truck and with multiple sharp limbs, rode the surging tide onto the beach, quite conspicuous.
As soon as they landed, these deep-sea giants excitedly waved their limbs and scrambled towards a pile of fresh viscera on the sand.
Savory, delicious, and rich in magic power nutrients!
They were attracted here in groups by the unique and strong scent of blood emanating from the island.
However, before these arriving sea scorpions could cheer and start feasting, the soft sand suddenly gave way, and bone-white skeletons wielding sword and shield suddenly leapt up, swinging their blades at the sea monsters' soft underbellies and joints.
Instantly, several unprepared sea scorpions shattered, collapsing to the ground like chariots stuck in mud pits.
Even though they realized what was happening and struggled to fight back, they were still in vain against the fearless and surprisingly powerful skeletons around them.
Before long, several sea scorpions didn't even get to start their feast before being strewn haphazardly across the ground.
Then, on the beach, the dozen or so skeletons methodically finished off the not-quite-dead sea scorpions and dismembered them, flinging their parts towards the nearby shallows.
Streams of pale blue blood flowed from their ghastly wounds, saturating the nearby sand and blending into the undulating tides, spreading through the seawater, emitting an even stronger scent of blood and attracting new prey from the deep sea.
This time, the sea scorpions not only failed to enjoy their meal but also became the bait for an ambush, a truly unfortunate turn.
The instigator of it all leaned against a standing rock, calmly wiping his bronze long sword, continuing to squat at the edge of the hunting ground, quietly waiting for the right target to come ashore.
Despite their size, these sea scorpions had pitifully low amounts of magic power inside them, barely at the level of superior bronze, at most they were only the bottom of the food chain in the Sea of Okeanos, basically shrimp peas.
However, their blood and flesh were quite popular with carnivorous sea monsters, and together with the two-legged flying dragon innards he had previously piled up on the beach, they should soon attract higher-level predators.
Indeed, after about half an hour, snow-white waves rose on the sea surface, and fins sharp as swords broke through the waves, moving toward the bloody shallows.
The floating sea scorpion debris was promptly torn apart and devoured by two rows of sharp fangs.
Feeling the insane convergence of Magic Power in the air and the rapidly rising temperature around her, the Lamia's slit pupils contracted sharply, and she instinctively tried to retreat.
Trying to run? Too late!
Luo En's lips curved into a cold smirk as he reached forward with his right hand, then suddenly clenched it tight.
In an instant, scorching Fire burst from the ground, and the Lamia who stepped into the trap immediately burst open, her scales peeling away.
"Hiss!"
The serpent woman twisted in agony, her mouth emitting a piercing scream, trying to use her bloodline's talent to summon water to extinguish the flames around her.
However, unbeknownst to her, the shallow path to the sea behind her had been turned into a wall of sand, shutting out the tide from the foundation of the Magic Array.
Soon, the small amount of vapor summoned and clinging to the Lamia's body to try to cool down was unable to withstand the searing flames and dissipated into nothingness.
Similarly, the dying serpent woman, along with the explosive flames, turned into a charred black carcass.
Golden-red particles then began to emerge from the twisted remains, transforming into streams of light and converging on Luo En's chest.
Accompanied by a strangely scorching sensation, Luo En felt his blood boiling and his bones cracking with growth, while on the bronze altar in his sea of consciousness, specks of gold and red light twinkled.
Clearly, these were the essences of Divinity he had extracted from the hunt.
As the dust settled, Luo En slowly opened his eyes, cut off the control to the Magic Array, exhaled the stale air built up in his chest, and looking at the remains of his first prey, he muttered to himself.
I seem to have overestimated the intelligence of these sea witches; this Ascension doesn't seem so tough after all.
He had nearly used up all the materials obtained from Circe to set up nearly a hundred Magic Arrays and traps on this island, just to make sure nothing went wrong.
If only he had known, he would have saved some for later use.
Just as Luo En was silently criticizing himself, several streaks of golden light began to emerge beneath the distant sea, and one after another, sinuous and enticing figures rapidly approached the desolate Volcanic Rock Island.
The hunter who had just been thinking how "very simple" this was twitched his eyelids and suddenly remembered something.
Lamias, they tend to live in groups...
And the dying screams of their kin had already become a signal for rallying and calling for help.
What a jinx...
Luo En tugged at the corner of his mouth self-deprecatingly, but his gaze remained unchanged; instead, he took a deep breath and raised his hand slowly, his thoughts spreading like a tide in all directions.
Hum!
With a strong humming and trembling sound, Hermes Scripts across the island flickered in response, the now assembled Magic Arrays rotated and focused, turning the entire isolated island into a fortified bastion of war.