Floating up from the ship into the air, Rio and I began gathering magic in preparation for our attacks. First, we would unleash an overwhelming amount of magic power into earth magic. Rio also conjured a massive boulder above her head.

“Hah!?”

“What the hell is that size!?”

“It’s… enormous…”

Rex and the others stared at us in shock, but we ignored them completely.

I could also hear some shouting, but I pretended not to notice.

Once the boulders reached about ten meters in diameter, we launched them. We infused additional magic at the moment of release to boost their speed. Rio’s boulder, even larger than mine, followed closely behind.

Their massive forms stirred the sea beneath them, leaving behind a trail of scattered fragments as they soared toward the turtle.

“Hmm… It feels like the projectile can’t withstand the force of launch.”

The impact widened some of the pre-existing cracks on the turtle’s shell—though only slightly.

“We need to compress the projectile to increase its hardness.”

“Agreed. Let’s test it out.”

Since there was no need to be subtle, we boldly experimented.

We compressed a boulder of similar mass down to the size of a balance ball. If we were going to reshape it anyway, why not make it more like a bullet?

“Alright, launching.”

The projectile made a sharper, higher-pitched sound as it shot toward the turtle.

“Impact.”

“Oh, it’s embedding into the shell.”

“Nice! Let’s try different shapes.”

“Should the tip be more pointed?”

“Not just the tip—what about the thickness? Oh, and rifling! Maybe adding rotation to the bullet.”

“Oh, that’s an interesting idea.”

We applied what little knowledge I had of firearms and continued experimenting. Thick bullets, thin bullets, flat-tipped bullets—after several tests, the flat-tipped projectiles seemed best for breaking the shell’s surface.

“If the projectile exploded after embedding, the impact would be even stronger.”

We infused the bullets with fire magic to test explosive effects, but they didn’t produce the expected results.

“Hmm. Rather than an explosion, it’d be better if the impact force were transmitted more effectively…”

Maybe it wasn’t about the blast, but the vibration effect. Speed was another factor.

“If only we had a magic barrel like Linford’s.”

“That’s not something we can replicate on the spot.”

We would need practice before mastering that technique. If we could learn it before the turtle reached land, that would be ideal—but for now, we had to focus on refining the projectiles rather than their launch method.

“...Huh?”

Suddenly, I realized that the only explosion sounds were coming from our attacks. Looking toward the two ships, I saw Rex slumped over, while the other adventurers had put away their staffs and were resting.

“Huh? Are we wrapping up the operation?”

I approached Linford and asked, receiving a wry smile in return.

“Ah, yeah. We’ve used up enough magic to still make it back to port, so the operation is over. But… you two still look like you have plenty of energy left.”

Had that much time already passed? While we still had plenty of magic power left, continuing our tests while being watched wasn’t ideal.

“Let’s make this our last shot.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to feel a bit tired.”

We might as well end it with a grand finale.

“Alright then. Go all out.”

Checking my status with Appraisal, I still had about 15,000 MP left. Rio, on the other hand, had around 80,000 remaining. I wasn’t sure how accurate those numbers were, but we could afford to burn some of it.

We distanced ourselves slightly from the ships and concentrated our magic. As we poured in more power than ever before, the air around us began to crackle. No, it wasn’t just my imagination—Rio’s magical pressure was overwhelming. The ocean surface beneath us rippled unnaturally.

We conjured ultra-compressed projectiles above our heads and gradually applied rotation.

Rio’s bullet spun even faster than mine. I adjusted the timing so our shots would land simultaneously, but Rio still had an edge—her bullet speed and rotation were superior.

The high-density bullets tore through the air, slicing the ocean surface as they streaked toward the turtle’s shell.

Upon impact, an unprecedented shockwave rippled through the air.

“Did that do it!?”

A voice called out from somewhere, but I wasn’t foolish enough to believe we had defeated it. Checking with Appraisal, the turtle’s HP hadn’t decreased at all.

However, at that moment—

A sharp, tingling sensation surged through my mind, sending waves of unease through me. I had never felt anything like this before, but I knew one thing for certain—something dangerous was about to happen.

“Rio! Watch out!”

Where was it coming from!? The only possible threat was the Sea Emperor Turtle, but I saw no sign of anything happening on its shell.

“—!?”

Below!

My eyes darted downward to see the ocean churning violently.

“Below us! Move!”

I shouted as I accelerated away at full speed.

At that exact moment, something burst from the sea, passing through the space where I had just been.

In the corner of my vision, I caught a second flash of light—engulfing the space where Rio had been moments before.