"So long as we hold the position of rulers of the
A smile played across Leilin's face. "But what's come this time are just a few delusional little mice… Ronald, what do you think we should do with them?"
"Of course we chop off their claws, cut off their heads, and stuff them into oil jars!"
Ronald spoke with murderous intent. In the pirate code of the Outer Seas, there was only one word for anyone who dared challenge your status and interests: kill.
…
Sail after sail stretched across the horizon. Countless sailors and pirates shouted as they worked the sails and oars, driving the pirate ships forward at breakneck speed.
On the largest vessel among them, the Bishop's brow was furrowed with a creeping sense of unease.
"Logas! Push the ships faster! We need to reach the battlefield as quickly as possible!"
"At once, my master!" A pirate chieftain standing beside the Bishop replied immediately and respectfully. "But this is already our maximum speed…"
"Is that so? Then why is it that both the Crimson Tiger and the Barbarians' Tsunami can manage speeds above eighteen knots?"
The Bishop's brow arched.
*Of course it's because they're large-scale pirate crews, and those two ships are main magical warships,* Logas thought quietly, but dared not say it aloud. He hesitated twice before finally saying with apparent difficulty, "That's only an isolated case, it has nothing to do with the fleet's overall speed…"
"No! That's wrong! You're trying to deceive me! Deceive the supreme God of Murder and its priest!"
The Bishop stared at Logas, and the muscles on his face twisted into a grotesque snarl.
"No! That's not it… My master, my loyalty to the god— Oh! No! Please forgive me! Please forgive me!"
The pirate chieftain, who had already witnessed this Bishop's cruel methods, dropped to his knees instantly, his face filled with terror.
This was no small accusation. Especially since this priest's recent behavior had grown exceptionally bloodthirsty and unhinged, killing people over the slightest provocation.
Logas was already regretting ever accepting the man's recruitment.
*Pfft!* But before he could finish his plea for mercy, a black dagger swept across his throat, severing his windpipe. A torrent of blood sprayed outward.
Logas's eyes rolled back. Both hands clamped desperately over his neck as blood cascaded through the gaps between his fingers, gurgling from his throat.
His death throes passed quickly. The pirate chieftain who had been alive and animated just moments ago was now a lifeless corpse.
The surrounding pirates seemed to freeze for an instant. Then they all wished they could bury their heads in their chests.
"Clean him up! And… speed up. Is there a problem?" The Bishop turned his gaze to the pirate second-in-command who had been standing off to the side.
"N-No problem! I assure you, sir! Absolutely no problem!"
The second-in-command had been half-paralyzed with fear, but the moment he saw the cold light in the Bishop's eyes, he snapped fully awake. He straightened up and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Then get moving, or that'll be your fate!"
The Bishop waved his hand dismissively and paid no further attention to the pirates who now threw themselves into their work with desperate energy. His distant gaze was dark and contemplative.
"Damn it! That damned little noble! I shouldn't have let him go during the last Pirate Tide!"
The Bishop's original plan had been exquisite. Continuously sow discord between both sides, aid the weaker faction, and once both the Crimson Tiger and the Barbarians' pirate crews had been thoroughly weakened, his forces would swallow them both whole and become the undisputed rulers of the entire Outer Seas.
He even had plans to declare independence from the Outer Seas and establish a terrestrial kingdom of the divine after unifying the Dark World.
But everything had been ruined by that damned little noble.
Bloodshot veins surfaced in the Bishop's eyes. He could never have imagined that the other party would have such audacity, to outright kill the envoy he had sent.
"This kind of fearless blasphemer must be executed immediately, his soul nailed to the Wall of the Faithless to wail for eternity…"
As a religious figure, the Bishop felt an immediate surge of intense revulsion toward Leilin.
Someone without reverence could never become the Lord's lamb. If the spirit could not be brought to submission, then the body would simply have to be destroyed.
Might had made right since ancient times, and it always would.
Only he did not know that the gods themselves had once possessed that same fearless audacity when they first rose to power — the shared conviction of all heroes whose names were etched into the annals of history.
If you cannot succeed, then you fall from the cliff and become soil for the worms below.
Though the Bishop did not grasp this philosophy, deep in his heart a murderous intent had taken root.
This kind of person… he truly wanted eliminated as soon as possible…
"There's still time. The Barbarians' crew should have only just engaged them… Even if my plans have been disrupted, the Barbarians' strength should certainly inflict heavy casualties. And then…"
Just as the Bishop was indulging in pleasant fantasies, his jaw dropped open. His eyes locked on the dense cluster of sails lining the distant horizon where sea met sky.
The Crimson Tiger led the charge. The blood-red skull and dagger emblem on its prow sent a wave of terror through the opposing pirates.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!* The Crimson Tiger pirate crew opened fire without a moment's hesitation. Their ships sliced through the opposing fleet like searing knives through butter, carving the massive armada into countless isolated fragments.
When it came to the caliber and morale of their rank-and-file pirates, the Crimson Tiger crew outclassed the enemy by a mile — an invincible confidence forged through beheading enemy after enemy in battle after battle.
"See how it's going?"
Leilin had handed command duties over to Ronald and
Recognizing one's own shortcomings and striving to compensate for them — that was the mark of a true leader.
*I may not be suited for certain roles, but I can choose the right people for them and keep them under control.* Otherwise, trying to handle everything by oneself would only lead to being worked to death.
"From the looks of it, Robin Hood and Ronald are both doing splendidly!" Leilin said with a smile to
"They were both handpicked by you. Are you trying to brag about your impeccable eye for talent?" Isabel was genuinely surprised as well. Leilin seemed to possess an extraordinary gift for reading people, never once making a mistake in his judgment.
But she simply refused to let him feel smug about it, so she replied with a huff.
"No! I just—"
Before Leilin could finish speaking, his expression changed abruptly. He shoved Isabel aside.
A semi-transparent dark shadow seemed to pass straight through space and materialized before him.
Shadow Leap! A powerful ability of high-tier assassins — an advanced technique that only those approaching the realm of Legends could comprehend! Traversing space through the Shadow Plane to launch a surprise attack on the enemy.
An ability like this was the nightmare of every adversary.
If a mage like Leilin was caught in close quarters with a rogue, and especially as the ambushed party, the outcome went without saying.
This high-tier assassin performed not a single superfluous movement. There was not even a flicker of satisfaction at a successful mission. His eyes held nothing but deathly calm and indifference. The black dagger, laden with potent curses, had already pierced through Leilin's defenses and plunged into his heart.
"No!" Isabel instantly lost her mind, transforming into her half-dragon form and lunging forward.
The sensation of real flesh, the spray of scalding blood — finally, a flicker of disturbance appeared in the assassin's eyes. He applied force to his right hand, intending to extract the dagger and withdraw.
After all, fighting a high-ranking swordsman head-on was not an assassin's business. He had successfully assassinated their leader — that was enough.
But the expected smooth withdrawal of the dagger failed. The assassin paused in confusion, then stared in astonishment as countless fleshy tendrils sprouted from 'Leilin's' chest, wrapping around the dagger like creeping vines, binding it firmly in place.
That single moment of hesitation cost him his chance to escape.
*Boom!* 'Leilin's' chest burst open. A mass of blood-red tentacles shot outward, latching onto the assassin and binding him tight. Suction-cup-like organs on their surface had already begun piercing his skin, attempting to drink his blood.
"Necrotic Sac术? No! That's not…" A hoarse voice of shock issued from beneath the assassin's veil.
"Just a flesh golem. A spell developed specifically for you!"
A portal opened, and the real Leilin stepped through.
"You must be that high-tier assassin from the last Pirate Tide — the one who killed so many temple bishops. Quite the parting gift you've given me!"
"So… you've already advanced to High-tier
The assassin's eyes showed no change, letting the blood-red tendrils parasitize his body as though he had lost all will to escape.
"Drop the pretense. Every trick you have is laid bare before my eyes!"
Leilin spoke coldly, unleashing several spells in rapid succession. Anchored by Dimensional Anchor, he had even specifically sealed off the Shadow Plane.
"You… you…"
With his final trump card exposed, the assassin finally lost his earlier composure. But moments later, Leilin's Finger of
"You bastard! Do you have any idea how worried I just was?! You should have at least consulted me first!"
After the enemy's death, Isabel rounded on Leilin and roared.