Cassius' eyelids fluttered open only to find that the ship was still intact. His first instinct was to check on the Duchess. He imdiately turned behind to look where she had been just monts ago, and he found her sitting on the railing of the ship's bridge like before. But then, as his eyes drifted past her, his breath caught in his throat.
At first, he thought it was just the towering waves of the sea, a vast wall of water rising high behind the Duchess. But as his gaze swept across the horizon, his pulse quickened. The water didn't break against anything—it moved with an unnatural fluidity. No matter where he looked, the rolling sea surrounded them in every direction.
It was as if the sea itself had beco sentient, orbiting the ship like a living, breathing entity. The water didn't crash or break, but flowed with a fluid grace, constantly in motion yet never overwhelming the vessel. The ship drifted within the sea, surrounded by these ever-moving currents, but there was no shore in sight—no land, no horizon.
"Water... no, considering the density, sea manipulation but to this extent…" Cassius murmured, his thoughts racing.
"rfolks?" the Duchess guessed, her voice steady but carrying a note of uncertainty.
"rfolks have always maintained a peaceful and respectful relationship with humans, even with the Duke. They've never interfered with any kind of ship, no matter how tense the situation might be. However, I know who's behind this trap, and he won't be long now. You need to leave this place, Miss, before he arrives." Cassius said, his voice laced with urgency, his eyes scanning the horizon
"Who?"
"This is not the ti for questions, Miss," Cassius replied sharply. Leave right now."
"B-But what about you?" asked the Duchess, her voice wavering with concern.
"It is not possible for to leave this place," Cassius said with a deep sigh, his gaze fixed on the tranquil sea surrounding them. "Though the water appears calm and serene from here, I can sense the shift in mana beneath the surface. It's moving rapidly, far too fast for to fly through. The currents will tear through anything in their path. And with my affinity is... the most unfavorable one in this scenario."
He then turned his attention to the Duchess, his eyes softening but with a sense of urgency. "But Miss, you can leave. Considering the nature of your power, you have the ans to escape. You can easily fly out of this place using your power. It's the fastest and safest option for you."
"It is not possible for to leave this place," Cassius said with a deep sigh, his gaze fixed on the tranquil sea surrounding them. "Though the water appears calm and serene from here, I can sense the shift in mana beneath the surface. It's moving rapidly, far too fast for to fly through. The currents will tear through anything in their path. And my affinity cannot even help, it is... the most unfavorable one in this situation."
He then turned his attention to the Duchess, his eyes softening but with a sense of urgency. "But Miss, you can leave. Considering the nature of your power, you have the ans to escape. You can easily fly out of this place using your power, or you can head deep into the land of rfolks, with your Identity, they will keep you safe. It's the fastest and safest option for you."
"But I can't leave you here."
"Miss, don't argue," Cassius said, his voice hardening as urgency crept into his words. "You must rember the promise you made when you first asked to help you escape the mansion. You said it yourself—you'd throw away without hesitation the mont danger ca upon us. You have to keep that promise."
His eyes t hers, filled with a mix of determination and sorrow. "I have no one waiting for . But you... you have the Duke and the Young Miss. You cannot fail them, not now, not in the hands of that man."
His words hung heavy in the air as his focus sharpened, sensing a massive surge of mana approaching rapidly in their direction. "You have to go. Now."
"I cannot," said the Duchess
"Miss, you are—" Cassius began, but she cut him off.
"It's not about you, I can no longer use my power with its full force anymore."
"What do you m—" Cassius began, but his words were cut short by the sudden, deafening sound of waves crashing violently. The tranquil waters, once so calm, now roiled and churned as the surface of the do above them began to tear. A massive rift appeared in the water, splitting wide open with a thunderous roar.
From the depths, the bow of a ship erged. Mounted on the bow, was a large flag—black as night, with a glaring white skull emblazoned upon it. The unmistakable symbol of death and destruction.
The pirate ship had barely broken the surface when chaos erupted. Pirates, their silhouettes dark and nacing against the stormy backdrop, leaped from their vessel and landed with a thud on the rchant ship's deck. Ard with gleaming sabers and nacing spears, they began a ruthless assault on the already scared crew. Without uttering a single word, they unleashed a blind massacre.
The air was thick with the sounds of cries and desperate pleas as the crew of the rchant ship faced their grim fate. They were not fighters, but simple sailors, unprepared for the brutal onslaught. Helpless, they watched in horror as their friends were slaughtered like animals, each one waiting for their own turn to co.
Neither Cassius nor the Duchess made a move to save the crew. The pirates, oblivious to their presence thanks to the concealnt scroll, continued their savage assault.
Cassius's hands trembled as he gripped the hilt of his sword. He knew that with a single stroke, he could dispatch these pirates, who were far weaker than him. Yet, he remained frozen, because of the Pirate King.
That formidable figure had yet to show himself, and the re possibility of his involvent kept Cassius paralyzed with caution.
Cassius prayed in his mind that the pirates would go back after killing the sailors. He knew that even though the Pirate King was an Ascended Ranker, such a do could not be maintained indefinitely.
The sheer power required to hold it in place would eventually falter. It would take more than five minutes to slaughter everyone on board, and in that ti, an opening should show itself sowhere in this big do.
The mont that opening appeared, he would force the Duchess to escape, no matter what it took. Cassius eyes flickered with determination. He was prepared to sacrifice everything—to give his life if necessary, to buy even a single extra second for her to flee.
Alas! Cassius's prayers went unanswered. By the ti the massacre of the rchant crew was complete, eight harrowing minutes had passed, yet there was still no sign of an opening. The pirates, covered head to toe in blood, gathered on the deck, laughing and mocking as they trampled over the lifeless bodies. Their grueso task was done.
Cassius and the Duchess could only watch in silence, their hearts heavy with helplessness. The weight of their inaction bore down on them.
'Why? Why? WHY IS THERE NOT A SINGLE OPENING THIS ENTIRE TI? Cassius scread in his mind, his frustration and despair mounting with every passing second. His hands clenched around the hilt of his sword, the trembling now impossible to control.
'You're telling a pirate is at the level of the five heroes? And all those sailors died in vain.' He couldn't fathom why the do continued to operate with the sa flawless efficiency as it had from the very beginning, trapping the ship for over eight minutes without any noticeable decline.
A man slowly hovered off the pirate ship, his movents fluid and effortless, before gracefully landing on the deck of the rchant ship. In one hand, he carried a trident, its sharp prongs resting casually over his shoulder. As soon as his feet made contact with the wooden planks of the deck, a heavy silence fell over the pirates, whose raucous laughter had filled the air monts before.
Then, in an instant, the entire crew erupted with a single, thunderous shout, their voices crashing like waves against the ship's hull:
"WE HAIL THE PIRATE KING!"
"MASTER OF THE DEEP!"
"RULER OF THE SEA!"
After repeating their chant three tis, the pirates beca silent. From within their ranks, a limp man erged, his movents slow and deliberate. A brightly colored parrot perched on his shoulder. As he reached the Pirate King, he sank to one knee, his head bowed in respect. The parrot squawked softly in the silence.
"We have killed everyone on the ship, as per your order, Sir"
The Pirate King's gaze shifted to the kneeling man, his expression unchanging—bored, almost disinterested, as if the slaughter of an entire crew was nothing more than a minor task. "You an everyone, Birdey."
"Yes, Sir. Including the rchant who was hiding himself in the barrel inside the cabin," the man said, a dark laugh escaping his lips. His teeth, bloodstained and jagged, glead in the dim light as he grinned, the remnants of his brutality still evident in his expression.
"Then why are those two alive?" The Pirate King's voice was low, laced with a dangerous edge, his eyes narrowing as they fixed on Cassian and the Duchess.
Without waiting for a response, the Pirate King raised his trident high, the shaft gleaming in the dim light. In one swift, effortless motion, he swung it through the air.
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