"Kill him!"
Leilin waved his hand nonchalantly, as if swatting away a fly.
"Why?"
Alfred's face contorted in panic, and a scroll radiating the fluctuation of a [Teleportation] seal already began to shimmer on his body.
But moments later, the brilliant spell aura shattered abruptly, and despair crept across his face.
A torrent of weapons crashed down, and among them, a surge of red battle qi carried a draconic power approaching legendary levels, mincing the envoy into a pulp in an instant.
Only after subconsciously carrying out the order did the pirates react, their bodies trembling once more.
Even though these pirates would stop at nothing, they still harbored a sliver of reverence.
"He was just a cleric. Dead is dead — and what's coming is far more terrifying." Leilin said, clapping his hands with utter indifference. Red flames descended, reducing the corpse on the ground to ash and making the other pirates feel as though they were dreaming.
"Did he give us false intelligence?" Isabelle's focus was elsewhere.
"No! The intelligence is genuine!" Leilin shook his head, rolling up the map. "Take this to our navigator and have him plan our attack along this route!"
"Then why did you…" Isabelle felt she could barely keep up with her cousin's train of thought.
"Even though the map is real, it came wrapped in malice. And since I have more than enough strength now, the only appropriate response is to send him to his death!"
Leilin said with a faint smile, a cold glint flickering in his eyes.
During the last Pirate Tide, his own strength had been insufficient, and he'd had to rely on the Barbarian Pirates and the Thieves' Guild. He'd tolerated their petty scheming then.
But things were different now. Not only was he himself a [High-ranking
Let alone the fact that the Faolan Family was no longer what it once had been. Even if they couldn't claim absolute dominion over the outer seas, their influence could cover the vast majority of its waters!
With such power, Leilin was the undisputed overlord of the outer seas. What was there left to compromise on?
Moreover, those clerics of the God of Murder — if they truly had the strength, why go to such lengths to incite conflict between the two pirate gangs instead of taking action themselves and claiming dominion over these waters?
Therefore, Leilin was certain that the other party not only harbored ill will toward both him and the barbarians, but likely had a plan to eliminate both in one stroke.
"The God of Murder…"
Leilin used the Chip to instantly pull up all available data on this Greater Deity.
"Despite his seniority, he's infamous for his capriciousness. Lately, there have even been rumors of outright madness. A god like this — even if one of his archbishop-level divisions were wiped out, he'd probably barely react. Besides…"
Leilin's eyes narrowed with wariness as he read a particular passage displayed on the Chip's screen.
"He once battled the Twisted Shadow and publicly announced that he had killed this Eighth-level Archwizard…"
Leilin now had a thorough understanding of the Twisted Shadow's power. He simply didn't believe that such a figure would have fallen so easily under the god's hand.
"And it was precisely from that period onward that
Leilin stroked his chin, a contemplative look in his eyes. "Was he gravely wounded during the battle, causing a fundamental change in temperament? Or did he fall for the Twisted Shadow's trap and have his personality twisted by that power?"
Even though the Twilight of the Gods had long since passed, the shadow the wizards had cast over the divine world did not seem to dissipate so easily.
"Regardless, the claw that the God of Murder has extended into the outer seas must be severed!"
Leilin made his decision and gave the order: "We move out!"
The colossal Crimson Tiger roared to life, surging toward the battlefield like a deep-sea leviathan.
Such a large-scale mobilization by the Crimson Tiger Pirates naturally drew the attention of the numerous factions throughout the outer seas.
Meanwhile, in the Pirate Port, the Barbarian Pirates had likewise mustered all of their combat personnel. It seemed the two great pirate gangs were about to wage a battle of annihilation to determine who would hold power over the entire outer seas.
This dramatic shift sent waves of terror through the region.
Everyone understood clearly that no matter which side won, it would spell their doom.
And yet, more than a few madmen were making their own secret preparations, hoping to profit from the conflict — or even take out both great pirate gangs in one fell swoop and ascend to leadership of the dark world themselves!
"He actually killed Alfred! My child!"
BOOM! In the hidden underground chamber, the flames lining the walls surged several times over, illuminating the twisted face of the bishop of the God of Murder.
"Y-yes, my lord!"
The thief delivering the report stammered in a trembling voice. Ever since the bishop had received divine grace last time, his personality seemed to have been profoundly affected — becoming deeply paranoid… and insane!
Before, the bishop would never have conceived a plan to manipulate two pirate gangs into a death match, then sweep in to destroy both.
"Heh heh… Good riddance! That Alfred! He should have gone to hell long ago. Well done — you've saved me a great deal of trouble!"
"M-my lord! I shall take my leave!"
The sight of the bishop in this state was an enormous psychological burden on the thief.
He reported with quaking dread, already edging backward.
"Alfred is dead — so why are you still alive?" The bishop turned his head, his gaze falling on the thief, and the man felt as though he had plunged into an ice cellar.
"No! It has nothing to do with me! My lord!" Realizing the danger, the thief spun and fled, but it was already too late.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Black flames erupted from all directions, engulfing the thief and drawing from him a scream like a slaughtered pig's squeal.
"Heh heh… Soon! My lord! I will soon offer up far more flesh and souls to you!"
The bishop watched the thief gradually disappear into the flames, a sickly smile plastered across his face. After the execution was complete, he knelt before the divine statue and bowed his head in prayer.
The statue gazed coldly down at the bishop, the dark crimson glow upon its surface growing ever brighter…
…
"Huonunu Island — this is the place!"
Surrounding the entire island with such a massive pirate fleet would be unrealistic, but with the aid of magic, sealing off a few key shipping lanes was child's play.
Leilin held up a spyglass and gazed at the island — its entire surface flushed red, with a volcano rising at its center.
"According to the earlier intelligence, Ougede's barbarian tribe lives and multiplies right here…"
Leilin lowered the spyglass and issued his orders: "Combat personnel, disembark! We're razing this place to the ground!"
In war, of course, everything goes. But this sort of thing was still considered taboo.
Before, Leilin wouldn't have dared to make such a move — because once he set this precedent, the other side would think nothing of attacking his family at Morning Star Harbor.
But now? With the existence of the Wizard Tower, Leilin would actually welcome Ougede charging into Morning Star Harbor to seek his own death.
The orders spread quickly. Countless pirates boarded small boats and swarmed toward the shore like ants.
"Robinhan, Ronald, and
Leilin's voice softened.
"Boss!" Robinhan came to Leilin's side, standing respectfully and awaiting his orders.
"Take the fleet and pull back. Don't return until I give the signal!"
Leilin commanded.
He could well imagine that the moment word spread of his attack here, the Barbarian Pirates would come barreling in like madmen. And when that happened, Leilin had no intention of letting his fleet take losses.
Attacking the Pirate Port directly would be far too troublesome. If he could lure the enemy out instead — well, why not?
"The heat and wretched conditions here are unimaginable. Why would the barbarians choose this place?" Isabelle cut through the vines blocking their path. All around them stretched enormous green broad-leaf plants, and droplets of rain mixed with a pungent stench fell upon them, making her frown.
"These barbarians migrated here from elsewhere. The safety of their tribe is paramount. If even you think no one would want to live here, then they've achieved exactly what they wanted," Leilin explained.
Ever since setting foot on the great island, he had not a shred of worry left. Once he had pinned down the approximate location, no large-scale life force on the island could escape his detection.
"Boss! We've hit resistance at the mountain pass ahead — it's barbarians!"
At that moment, a pirate ran up to report.
"Kill them. We don't need prisoners."
Leilin nodded casually. Pirates didn't hesitate to slaughter even their own kind, let alone other races.
Before long, as they passed the outpost, Leilin beheld a field of barbarian corpses. Many bore wounds that spoke of rage-fueled blows, and their builds appeared lean and small.
"Looks like they were all old, weak, women, and children! Ougede must have taken all the able-bodied fighters with him!"
Leilin nodded, all remaining doubt about the tribe's destruction now gone.
In all fairness, Ougede had been a remarkably wise leader — not only had he decisively moved his people to the outer seas, but he had also forged a tenacious survival for them.
Any tribe that wished to survive and grow could not do so without external resources, and so turning to piracy had been a necessity.
To have risen to become one of the three great pirate gangs of the outer seas and even seize control of the Pirate Port spoke to real ability.
But he had stood in Leilin's path, and that alone doomed him to be swept aside.