The Great Black Sea
黒海
Arthaex
Chapter 7: The Silver Queen and the Black Tide
7/6/1542
The horizon over Ryushima was already trembling before Umi No Omi arrived. From afar, the island looked alive, rivers of molten lava glimmered like veins of fire beneath cracked obsidian rock, smoke curling into the sky like tendrils seeking escape. Ash hung thick in the air, choking, stinging at every breath, and the wind carried the smell of sulfur and scorched earth across the jagged cliffs. Volcanic tremors shook the beaches, waves of heat radiating outward, warning any who might approach. This island was no mere landmass; it was a furnace, a crucible, and today it would witness a battle unlike any in living memory.
Umi No Omi stepped onto Ryushima's volcanic shore, the Staff of the Sea in his hand. The currents responded instantly, black waves swelling and lapping hungrily against the molten coastline. The seas around the island recoiled and twisted at his presence, rising in jagged spikes, as if eager to obey him. He paused for a moment, letting his black cloak billow in the sulfurous wind, eyes narrowing as he surveyed the land. His pulse was steady, controlled; his mind worked like a tide, measuring, predicting, calculating. Every fissure, every flow of lava, every tremor spoke to him, giving insight into his battlefield.
In the shadows of Ryushima's peak, a figure appeared. Shirogane Ayame, the Silver Queen, wings unfolded like a storm-torn sky, silver scales glinting faintly in the ashen light. Her sword, a weapon infused with ancient currents, shimmered like liquid mercury, catching reflections of the lava below and turning them into dancing ribbons of light. Her eyes, the color of molten silver, fixed on Umi No Omi with a mix of resolve and restrained fury. The wind howled around her, carrying ash and the tang of sulfur to her senses, but she ignored it, focusing instead on the waves bending at his command.
"You've come," she said, voice steady despite the tension thick in her chest. "I should have expected nothing less."
Umi No Omi's lips curved into a slow smile. "You are strong, Shirogane Ayame," he said calmly. "But strength alone will not stop the tide. The sea bends only to those who command it fully." He lifted the Staff of the Sea slightly, and the ocean trembled. The black waters below surged and twisted like living tendrils, lapping hungrily at the base of the volcano. "Today, the Black Sea takes another step toward perfection."
Shirogane's eyes narrowed, wings flaring. She leapt from the cliff, dragonfire erupting from her maw as she soared into the sky, silver scales glittering with heat and light. Lava eruptions mirrored her motion, molten rocks thrown like projectiles. Umi No Omi raised the Staff of the Sea, and the black waves twisted upward, forming a barrier that intercepted her assault. The golden heat of her breath met the inky blackness of his currents, and steam exploded in a deafening roar, sending tremors through Ryushima.
She thought rapidly: I cannot underestimate him. His control over the Black Sea is beyond anything I have ever felt. I must strike, but every attack he anticipates. If I lose focus… if I hesitate… Her mind raced as she maneuvered, fire curling around her claws, wings slicing the wind with razor precision. Every leap, every dive, she calculated the optimal path, aiming to force him into a reaction.
Umi No Omi, seeing her approach, moved with inhuman grace. The Staff of the Sea traced patterns through the air, and the waves below split and surged, forming blackened spears of water that erupted toward her. Each strike was precise, aiming not to kill immediately, but to exhaust, to break her rhythm, to dominate the battlefield. She is fast, he thought, but every move can be predicted, every leap countered. She must fall today, and the Staff will claim her essence.
Shirogane's claws struck at a pillar of black water, shattering it midair. She landed atop a jagged rock formation, sweat and ash streaking her face, every breath labored. The heat from the lava beneath her feet mingled with the icy chill of Umi No Omi's currents, creating a stifling atmosphere that pressed against her lungs. She twisted, lunging at him with her silver blade. The Staff moved preemptively, black tendrils wrapping around her weapon mid-strike, redirecting it toward the ground. Rocks exploded beneath her, lava spitting violently from the impact.
She struggled, muscles burning, lungs screaming for air. I cannot fail. I cannot let him take more of the sea. She thought of Kurohane, Ryukai, the countless battles fought in their name. I will not fall so easily. She pushed herself harder, attacking in rapid succession, dragonfire colliding with black tendrils, molten rock meeting shadowy water. Each clash sent shockwaves through the island, cracking stone, splitting rivers of lava, and shattering the surface of the sea.
Umi No Omi's eyes narrowed, the corners of his lips tilting in that calm, unnerving smile. He had anticipated her every move. His mind ran faster than any human could perceive, reading her timing, her intentions. The Black Sea flowed like an extension of his own body, wrapping around rocks, engulfing her attacks, countering them before they landed. She will resist, as all Umi No Oni do, he thought, but resistance is irrelevant. Today, her power becomes mine.
Shirogane leapt high above the volcano, wings beating furiously, silver scales catching the black ash and sunlight alike. She unleashed a torrent of dragonfire toward Umi No Omi. He raised the Staff, and the black water responded instantly, forming a swirling dome that absorbed the flames. Steam hissed and roared, and she was forced back by the intense heat and pressure. She landed on a bridge of stone that spanned a river of molten lava, trembling, sweat and blood mixing in streaks across her face.
This cannot be it, she thought, heart pounding. I will not be trapped. I will not fall… not yet. She readied herself, summoning every ounce of her strength, her mind focusing on one goal: survival and resistance, one final act of defiance. The lava beneath her began to shift, responding to the heat and shock of the battle, forming new pathways, rivers surging unpredictably. Shirogane adjusted midair, her dragon form twisting with agility, golden light from her inner energy crackling around her claws and teeth.
Umi No Omi's smile widened, the Staff pulsing. Black currents lashed outward like living predators, enveloping the lava rivers, redirecting their flow. He moved with eerie grace, anticipating her every adjustment, the very earth and sea bending to his command. She is strong, he thought, but power alone cannot resist inevitability. The Black Sea consumes all.
They clashed again, and this time, the impact shattered the summit of Ryushima. Lava sprayed into the sky like fountains of molten gold, the air thick with smoke and ash. Shirogane felt her wings burn from the heat and friction, muscles screaming in agony, yet she pressed on. Every strike was a dance of desperation, every block a fight against the currents themselves. She thought of the Realm of the Great Sea, of Kaigan no Shugosha, of Kurohane and Ryukai training far away, unaware of this confrontation. If I fall… everything we've fought for may crumble.
Umi No Omi moved silently through the chaos, each motion calculated, unerring. He anticipated where she would strike next, where she would land, and how the currents around her could be manipulated. With a flick of the Staff, he redirected molten rock, black water, and volcanic debris into a coordinated attack, cutting off escape routes, forcing her into a corner atop a jagged cliff.
Her breath came in ragged gasps. Sweat, ash, and blood streaked her face as she crouched, claws digging into the volcanic stone. I cannot let this be the end. I am the Silver Queen. I am the guardian of these seas. She lunged with a final, desperate strike, a spinning motion that would either kill or be her own undoing.
Umi No Omi responded perfectly. The Staff's black tendrils wrapped around her midair attack, absorbing the kinetic energy and redirecting it. She crashed into the cliffside, stone shattering beneath her, her body skidding down the slope. Lava sizzled around her, scorching her scales, her wings battered and torn. Pain lanced through her chest as she struggled to rise. Her mind screamed: No… I will not… I…
The Staff glowed ominously. Black water tendrils snaked into the sky and wrapped around her, restraining every movement. The heat of the lava, the weight of the currents, the pressure of the storm, everything combined to crush her. Yet even in that moment, her eyes blazed with defiance, her spirit refusing to fade.
With deliberate, controlled movement, Umi No Omi drew her closer. The Staff hummed with dark energy, pulsing in rhythm with her heartbeat, siphoning strength, binding her essence. She struggled, clawing at the currents, screaming in fury and frustration, but the Staff's power was absolute. Finally, she collapsed, immobilized, her silver dragon form dissolving into flickering light, her consciousness drawn into the Staff itself.
Umi No Omi held the Staff aloft, the silver essence of Shirogane trapped within it. Her light pulsed faintly, a reminder that while defeated, she was not destroyed, her spirit preserved and contained. With a calm and measured breath, he surveyed Ryushima. Lava rivers roared and shifted, ash clouds rose into the sky, the island quivering from the battle. The seas surrounding the volcano bent unnaturally, black waves curling toward distant lands, threatening ships and islands alike.
He whispered softly, almost to himself: "Another step closer. The sea will remember this day. The Black Sea will obey." The winds carried his words across the horizon, the tremors reaching even distant shores, warning all who dared sail its waters. Beneath the ocean, currents twisted, storms formed, islands quaked, the Black Tide spreading its shadow over the world.
Shirogane's consciousness flickered within the Staff. She was trapped, yet aware. The knowledge of her defeat burned, yet she clung to life, a spark of resistance still alive. She knew that Umi No Omi had won, that the seas themselves were now in greater peril. She had not been destroyed, but the Black Sea was now a step closer to complete domination.
Umi No Omi turned his gaze outward, the Staff of the Sea pulsing with black and silver light, the trapped spirit of the Silver Queen marking his power. The oceans quaked, islands trembled, and the horizon became a shifting expanse of chaos. Every sailor, every coastal town, every wave felt the presence of the Black Tide, and all who could sense it shivered in the knowledge that the sea's new master had emerged victorious.
He smiled faintly, the satisfaction of conquest mingling with the calm precision of his calculations. The Black Sea was rising, and the world would soon bow before it. Yet within the Staff, Shirogane's spirit pulsed, a subtle defiance, a promise that her essence would one day return to challenge him.
And far away, unknown to Umi No Omi, Kurohane and Ryukai sailed toward an uncertain horizon, unaware that the Black Sea had claimed another of its guardians, and that the world was inching closer to total darkness.