Later that day, when the sun had fallen...

Roseus, Lencho, and Blodwen dragged their feet through the sands far past the town they were staying in.

They kept their group small, as everyone else had already started on missions or tasks of their own.

Besides, Roseus believed that he had the two greatest fighters in the crew with him. Petyr was close in strength to Lencho, but the islander was still ahead as of now.

The winds blew sand into their faces, forcing them to shield their eyes as they walked.

It had been hours now...

"The Sand Chasm isn’t far now, though I must warn you. Nobody dares to enter this place, not even as a group. The rumours that come from this place..." Lencho shouted over the sound of the blowing wind.

Blodwen laughed.

"That’s because this island isn’t made of fighters. You Alzabe are peaceful. Of course this man frightens you. He is probably dead, or in an extremely weakened state."

After reading the mission, Roseus had been filled in on exactly who this Mikoto was.

Roughly half a year ago, the Southern Sunny Islands faced one of the worst storms they had experienced in years. This storm prevented them from trading for an entire month, disrupting many of the systems that the islands had in place.

This man appeared on RedSand Island and demanded that he be given a secluded place to stay, or else he would bring forth the wrath of the thunder god Susanoo.

Since that day, Mikoto had never brought forth another storm. However, that didn’t stop the island from feeling paranoid and wondering when it might strike again.

So, the Church of Yazu researched the man’s bounty, discovering that he was a well-known pirate from the Third Ocean, belonging to the Purple-Hand Crew. However, it was believed that he had deserted.

His bounty was 26,000H, and the church offered that, along with an Epic Treasure, to whoever was brave enough to hunt him down.

Few had taken up the mission, but none had returned.

Those who were potentially strong enough to rival the man, such as Admiral Grace, were not bothered by the petty happenings of a single island. She was more focused on the greater scale of the oceans.

...

When Roseus heard the name Susanoo, his body stiffened.

A deep feeling spread throughout the entirety of his body, and he thought that he could even hear Rai’zac stirring somewhere within his soul.

He would be lying if he said he did not feel great fear, but with the fear came something else.

That was an intense desire to test himself against the god who was a direct rival to his allied god, Rai’zac.

"We’re here, Captain."

Roseus and the small crew came to a great opening in the sand, located within a crater surrounded by numerous sand dunes.

This great opening was a cave larger than any Roseus had seen before. The sand sloped downwards, creating a slide that led into what looked like a mouth a hundred times wider than Nammon’s.

Within this cave, only darkness could be seen.

Luckily, Lencho had a way to fend off the darkness.

Slowly, the man drew his sabre, and it set alight, creating brilliant orange and red flames. These flames provided a moderate amount of light for them to use to navigate the chasm.

Lencho looked back at the red-haired captain and the shark-wearing second mate.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Aye," Roseus and Blodwen grunted in unison.

Then, the trio began to descend into the Sand Chasm.

...

At the bottom of the slide leading into the cave’s mouth, not much stood out.

Sandstone and glass had formed on the roof of the cave, creating a strange ceiling that resembled icicles made from glass. This held the sand up and was all that prevented the entire desert from collapsing on top of them.

As for the cave itself, it was simply a giant corridor of emptiness.

The flaming sword only allowed them to see so far ahead, but even after ten minutes of travelling, nothing seemed to change. It simply appeared to be a desert cave with no end.

Roseus kept his hand gripped on his weapon the entire time. Lencho’s eyes darted around constantly, as though he expected to be attacked at any moment. Blodwen remained calm and fearless throughout.

The trio did not speak for a long time. The silence was only broken when Blodwen noticed something in the distance before anyone else did.

He held out a hand to stop the two men walking beside him.

Roseus and Lencho paused, looking ahead to try and see what it was.

They saw nothing.

"My eyesight isn’t so good..." Lencho pointed out quietly.

Blodwen shook his head.

"Don’t look," he said. "Listen."

The trio fell silent once more and listened.

Then, they finally heard it.

Slowly approaching them was the sound of footsteps in the sand that belonged to none of them.

Roseus instinctively drew his father’s cutlass, feeling the speed boost and combat knowledge spread throughout his body.

He widened his stance and stared ahead, waiting for whatever it was to appear in the light.

After an entire minute, they saw a figure standing fifty metres away from them.

This figure was dressed in nothing but tattered black robes that seemed to be made from ash. His hair was long and purple, falling well past his shoulders in a matted mess.

He walked with a hunched back, dragging his feet along the floor, with his head protruding slightly forwards. He was also looking down, preventing them from getting a good look at his face.

Despite his tired movements and poor posture, when Roseus laid eyes on this man, he felt an incredibly powerful presence crash into his body.

It was like a wave of wind that sent sand granules scattering.

The trio became even more alarmed than before.

Even Blodwen.

Eventually, the purple-haired man stopped approaching. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

He looked up slightly, causing his neck to crack a little.

They could see his face now.

It was covered in numerous burn scars, and the entirety of his eyes were purple, seeming to carry sparks within them.

As he examined the three men before him with a terrifying gaze, he eventually spoke.

"They still send more?"