Black Sail
Chapter 66: LXVI. So-called Pirate

Chapter 66: LXVI. So-called Pirate

Marcus sensed the commotion over there.

Fen’s phantom spirit body was still on the shore, barely resolving the onslaught with the Ice Crystal Giant Sword.

It seemed like Shifting.

"What?"

Marcus could hardly believe it.

The distance from the ship to the pier to the shore was over a hundred meters.

In an instant, not even a moment passed.

Fen himself had switched places with the spirit body, which exploded instantly, and Fen himself arrived suddenly, with the Death Curse Runes surging on his body.

Marcus did not delay; he swung the Ember Spiral Greatsword vigorously, using up all his Magic Power.

In an instant, black dust filled the air, the heat scorching, covering all light, but where the embers obliterated, they burned fiercely with the strength of the wind, capable of consuming a person in moments.

Fen’s body was covered in spell runes, and the Death Spirit and the Celestial Map Seal burst forth with blood-red light, tearing his flesh, causing blood to flow, activating all the runes on his body.

This state would drastically consume his concentration; it was a burst of strength from squeezing his physical power. Dark blood trickled from Fen’s nose. He understood that he too must fight swiftly and decisively, as long as he could block this last outburst from the priest.

Marcus would be...

A just pounding.

Senluo Death Technique, Fifth Rank.

Unleash.

The purple mist turned into thousands of wailing Death Spirits, converging on Fen’s arm.

"Vanish!"

To give oneself a psychological suggestion, making the cursed technique enslave one’s own spirits, Fen mustered all his strength and swung out a punch.

These spirits were not any significant figures, but a change in quantity could lead to a qualitative change.

The tormented spirits surged like a long river, tearing through the embers in the air, accompanied by shrill cries like steam, rupturing the hot ash curtain.

Marcus’s offensive was all torn apart; the curse power of this river of spirits was incredibly terrifying.

The Death Spirits poured directly into Marcus, and in this state, Fen could manipulate others like puppets on strings without needing them to die; simply by forcefully infusing them, the Magic Power would imprint curse seals in their limbs and body, allowing for direct and violent control.

Fen rarely fought this way; he preferred to take a person’s blood or hair and use spells to bring about death, but that required many materials and ample preparation time.

Seeing this, Marcus swung the Special Large Sword like a madman, grinding all the incoming spirit river into dust.

The spiraling ember sword winds were pulled to their maximum intensity by Marcus’s burst, unavoidable and inescapable.

Senluo Death Technique, Sixth Rank.

Unleash.

Fen was scorched by the embers until his whole body was festering.

Marcus thought he had won.

But Fen’s figure transformed into a flock of ravens, fluttering towards Marcus.

Marcus wiped them out with one sword strike.

But what he hit was only Fen’s spiritual body; Fen himself was now standing to the side, having swapped places with the spirit body again, Shifting.

"It’s about time... This is where you stop."

Fen opened his hand with one hand, Seventh Rank, Unleash.

All the Death Curse Runes converged on his hand, and this time, what he swung was not spirits but innumerable twisted wailing skeletons intertwined, ghastly skulls tangled and frightening as one could imagine.

Boom!

Marcus swung the Ember Spiral Sword furiously; the black and grey char from the sword wind tore and scorched through this river of skeletons.

Bang!

When Marcus made his final slash, splitting all the skeletons, his remaining strength had been pushed to its limit, his breathing began to become erratic, and he was nearly spent.

Marcus was battle-hardened.

His experience was terrifying to witness.

He needed to preserve his last strength to fight his way out of the siege, leave this place, report back to the Church Court, and send stronger troops.

The Spiral Sword no longer turned; controlling something over three hundred pounds required immense physical exertion and was immediately discarded by Marcus.

Marcus drew a regular long sword from the ground with a force field, ready for what was to come.

Seeing this, Fen no longer overextended himself. He too was nearing his limit. The Death Curse Runes on his body ceased to surge, and he wiped the blood from his nose, having achieved his goal; Marcus was now at the end of his rope.

What followed was... a just pounding. There was no doubt that Marcus would die.

The pirates who had fallen into water all swam to shore; the previous battle was damn terrifying, but looking at the state of the priest, he too had reached his limit.

In no time at all, Marcus was surrounded by the Pirate Gang, who cast friendly glances at him.

Swan and Shadi had suffered some sword injuries, Wolman wasn’t doing well either, and Rein, still bleeding from the wooden splinters that had pierced his body, also crowded around.

"General Fen is truly formidable! So fierce!"

Rein had been with Black Sail for five years and had never seen Fen show this hand. This time they indeed faced the most twisted enemy since the founding of Black Sail, without equal. What’s called a hexagonal warrior, able to defend and to heal and to turn and to deal high noble area damage, this is the confidence brought to Rein by the graduates of Pedan National Arcane Academy.

Morison did not waste words.

He stepped forward quickly, trying to kill Marcus with a swift strike.

But Marcus still had strength left; he hadn’t bottomed out. He no longer used Wood Magic nor did he waste Magic Power for spirals, he didn’t waste any bit of strength for large-scale attacks. He simply used the force field and the regular long sword, using his swordsmanship and agility to break through the encirclement one by one.

Marcus dodged like instantaneous movement, his sword swinging violently.

Morison didn’t expect the man to still have reserves and brought out the Wing Blade to block, retreating several steps, his eyelid twitching. True to being from the Witch Hunting Secret Department, he was too cunning, completely changing his tactics.

"Don’t act rashly, this cleric still has strength," Morison ordered the eager pirates behind him; Marcus was still a first-class fighter, not one for foot soldiers to meddle with.

Marcus changed his strategy from slaughter to breakout, never imagining he’d be pushed to this point by a group of pirates.

"Just kill yourself. Don’t make us waste effort; it’s a dead end for you anyway."

Rein hissed, the wound on his leg from the wooden splinters still paining him.

Marcus understood that the chances of successfully breaking through were limited.

"Pirates, eh... Just a bunch of rabble. I’ve exterminated many bandits before, have your most authoritative person step forward."

Marcus no longer carried the nonchalant air of his former priestly status. His expression was terrifying, his killing intent was dense, as if he had returned to his days in Old Aran, becoming a killing machine once again.

The giant ship corroded by fire, the storm outside the cave drawing to a close, leaving only a drizzle.

Liszt sneered coldly.

"What are you trying to say? If you’re thinking of offering amnesty, forget it... I’m not releasing anyone. Everyone here has a rap sheet a mile long, and you can’t handle it."

Liszt spoke icily, the situation already decided.

A heavy feeling settled in Marcus’s heart, but he quickly changed his strategy, well aware that pirates, akin to hoodlums and ruffians, would rashly give up their lives over the slightest provocation.

"It looks like you’re the captain of this ship. You’ve indeed surrounded me now, but anyone who approaches will have only death to greet them. I still have some fight left in me; I’ll die, but I’m taking a few of you with me. The big shots won’t show their faces, sending the little ones to do their dirty work. What kind of behavior is that? Do you call that living by the pirate code?"

Marcus’s message was clear: he was playing the game of the streets, reverting to his old ruthless mentality, provoking Liszt into a one-on-one fight. If he could kill the captain, this band of self-interested bandits would surely descend into chaos.

"Have you gone senile? Don’t waste time; let’s team up and butcher him."

Rein was speechless.

The reason Liszt could be captain wasn’t because of his formidable strength, but rather his methods and decisions that enabled Black Sail to make money. As a matter of fact, that was indeed the case. The twelve hundred Golden Dragons and the privateer certificate had been secured. No matter how talented one is, without the ability to make money, there are no good days ahead, so what use is it?

However, Marcus’s words were not without effect. Indeed, some were watching Liszt’s reaction, including key members. Black Sail...now there was significant loot onboard, and without someone audacious... one couldn’t command respect.

Liszt’s expression was ice-cold; Marcus was playing dirty, putting him on the spot.

"Is that so... Well, it’s simple then. You’ve got some fight left in you, and others may die if they approach. Just us two, a real man-to-man fight."

Liszt sheathed the Junlin Sword, not wanting to appear as though he were bullying, also because he wasn’t adept with the sword. He pulled out the double-headed Chain Mace from behind his back and picked up a short-handled axe from the side of a corpse on the ground.

Everyone was shocked. Liszt had actually... accepted.

Fen, greatly unsettled, spoke out, as words once spoken are hard to take back. He tried to stop Liszt and shook his head at him. Although pirate customs dictated that Liszt had to fight, as this was a duel, from a smart man’s perspective, even if some prestige were lost, it could be compensated for later—it wasn’t worth risking one’s life.

"No one is to interfere; this is the captain’s order. All us pirates live rotten lives, and the captain is no different. I’ll show you... how pirates of the East Shore kill."

Liszt had completely changed, becoming utterly cold-blooded.

Reflected in his gaze were the flames engulfing the giant ship. His tall stature, rough skin, and for six out of ten years, Liszt didn’t have the so-called Junlin Sword.

"Come..."

Seeing Liszt take the bait, Marcus’s eyes gleamed viciously.

Fen let out a deep sigh. Liszt was leading Black Sail down a dangerous path. Liszt had a knack for controlling people and held something over the crew. He had followers in Heaven Port, and if he were to die, it would be an endless source of trouble.

But by then, Liszt had already made his statement, and it was too late to take back.

Holding the Chain Mace and short-handled axe, without any hesitation, Liszt charged towards Marcus.

Marcus sneered, seeing nothing but flaws; it wouldn’t take much effort to kill him. He took a stance, ready to use his full power.

Immediately, he swung his sword, using a bit of magic power to unleash several invisible sword energies, mighty as a bamboo-splitting force.

Using the swirling ashes in the wind as a guide, Liszt discerned the attacks with incredible agility, dodging one by leaning to the side and then crouching to avoid another, closing the distance. He launched an upward axe strike, a feint though it was.

How could Marcus not see through such a feint? The axe strike clearly lacked strength; he didn’t even bother with it, lunging forward with a heavy thrust toward Liszt’s chest.

Liszt.

A foreign exchange student from Ivy League schools, majoring in applied optics.

But...

A desperado.

Liszt didn’t bother to dodge or avoid the strike, instead moving his hand towards it. The long sword pierced his arm, going through the shoulder blade, continuing towards his chest as blood gushed out.

But the Chain Mace’s chain tightly entwined Marcus’s right arm, jerking it fiercely so he couldn’t move an inch, pulling Marcus towards him.

Even Marcus’s reactions were delayed by such brutal tactics, as Liszt from the beginning was playing for keeps. His movements were fluid, without a hint of hesitation.

The axe was already chopping violently towards his head. Liszt had survived countless fights, allowing him to scrape by in the East Sea Domain. Speed, strength, skill—all qualified him to rank as a Gold Level adventurer with no problem.

Marcus had never intended to waste magic power on defense, he activated his force field in an attempt to deflect the attack.

But it was too late. He had been constantly depleting magic power just to see, and now he was at his limit. The hastily summoned force was but a fragile thread, barely covering a fraction, and couldn’t withstand Liszt’s powerful blow.

Bang!

The axe buried into his skull, blood and brain matter spattering, splashing onto Liszt’s face. Marcus, gravely injured, lost all reaction. Liszt delivered several more ruthless axe blows, and Marcus collapsed on the spot, dead.

Under the great flaming ship, Liszt’s silhouette was cast in an eerie light.

"Fuck, that was close to hitting my heart. Guess I’m pretty tough to kill."

In the face of near death, Liszt let out a sardonic laugh, his left arm hanging limp.

Splashing, rushing...

Blood eagerly spilled out.

"Remember in your next life, never challenge the captain’s authority in front of the crew."

With his one functioning hand trembling, Liszt fumbled in his pocket for a high-grade cigarette from the Cangwu Mountain range.

Everyone was subdued by Liszt’s cold and crazy act.

A tattooed bald muscular man hurried forward, striking a match and lighting it for Liszt.

The big job was done.

Although Liszt was gambling with his life, he did so only by a little, because he knew, as long as he could lead these men to money and held leverage over some of the core crew, if he were really on the brink of death...

These men...

Would come to his rescue.

This was...

Machiavellianism.

In the deep blue depths, Black Sail fluttered.

Gold and silver treasures clinked together.

Murder and pillage, with no reverence for the divine.

As time quickly passes...

All are reduced to feasts and wines.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.