The Black Throne was a ghost ship left behind by the Solomon Empire. Its design was ancient and imposing. Except for the fact that the left and right sides of the hull were in completely different styles, making it look awkward to the eye, it was still quite striking.
Originally, this ship had been hidden at the edge of the Sea of Mist, among the Oradek Islands, but more than a hundred years ago it was discovered by Roselle, who used it as his vessel during his explorations.
Unfortunately, because Roselle drove the Black Throne into the Abyss, the ship was polluted. Its "spirit" fell and was eventually erased.
Now, it could no longer be called a ghost ship, but was instead a large mystical item with many extraordinary abilities.
Even so, in the eyes of many pirates, the Black Throne was still an unspeakable treasure. Miss Gwen had been able to keep it only because of a mystical item Roselle had left on board that looked like an ornament.
This item could be mounted on her Golden Serpent Sword, and from there it borrowed the power of the Black Throne, clothing her in a manifested suit of armor that allowed her to display power on the level of a Chaos Mentor.
If she was willing to pay a certain price, she could even unleash a single strike that carried the effect of a demigod-level "chaos."
However, while this item was powerful, it could only transform her into an armored warrior within a nautical mile of the Black Throne, and its side effects were frightening. It could gradually erode the user's mind, and once the armor was worn for more than thirty seconds, the corruption became irreversible, causing the user to slowly degenerate into a "cold-blooded one" comparable to a demon.
If it were another pathway's Beyonder, it could only be used to fight desperately in dire straits. But as a Weapon Master, Gwen could effectively reduce the harm from its side effects. For her, the limit could surpass two minutes.
If she prepared in advance with defensive potions or items for the mind, she could even use it for more than three minutes.
It could be said that, aside from the somewhat embarrassing appearance of the armor, Miss Gwen was extremely satisfied with this newly acquired mystical item...
And the prior recognition she had received from the Admiral of the Deep Seas had made her a little arrogant, which was why she made the decision to intercept a slave ship without much planning or investigation.
As was only natural, Miss Gwen and her crew paid the price for this—she fell into an ambush, surrounded by both the Admiral of the Deep Seas's fleet and warships from the Intis military.
Even though the Black Throne's abilities were not bad, without its "spirit" it could not display its full power... In a sense, Roselle had created the item that allowed one to "transform" using its power precisely to make up for this flaw.
And the Admiral of the Deep Seas, a pirate admiral famed across the Five Seas, was powerful in his own right. His subordinates were all experts of the middle sequences, and his vessel, the Dominator, was itself a bizarre ghost ship. So the moment the battle began, Miss Gwen's side fell into disadvantage.
Even when Miss Gwen transformed into the Lady of Dragon's Might and entered the battle, she only managed to temporarily drive back the encirclement and open some distance, but she still could not break through.
After all, upon "transforming," Gwen radiated the majesty of the Black Emperor pathway, which made the living beings around her unconsciously lower themselves, yearning to submit. Because of her moniker, people called this form of hers the Lady of Dragon's Might or the Warrior of Dragon's Might.
When Ebner's warship reached this sea, what he saw was Gwen, in her desperation, unleashing a demigod-level chaotic power that caused several blocking warships to inexplicably shatter and sink into the sea.
"This strike was indeed powerful. It even frightened Admiral of the Deep Seas Hal Constantine for a while. But from my observation, Gwen's spirituality has probably been drained dry, and the mental corruption is severe. The fact she hasn't immediately lost control is already sheer luck…
"Tran and Lydia's states don't look very good either. The former may have advanced to a Wizard, but in naval combat his usefulness isn't much—Lydia's dark spells are more practical.
"As for the rest of the low-sequence crew, the fact they haven't betrayed her on the spot shows that Gwen's prestige has usually been solid..."
"They're barely holding out, but they won't last much longer… The next attack may be the end for them!
"Rather than let the pirates make a move and cause needless slaughter, I should take this chance, while they're cowed by Gwen's strike, to act myself. If I capture Gwen now, it'll also count as protecting her and her crew.
"At the same time, I can build prestige among the pirates and the Delien family's private forces, seizing the initiative for what follows."
In the span of a thought, Ebner made his decision. Relying on the "Wind-blessed" he had shepherded through the Magic Mirror, he stirred up a gale, lifting himself into the sky and swiftly closing in on the Black Throne.
After dodging several magical and sorcerous attacks, he directly unleashed his demigod-level Dragon's Might.
In an instant, the crew and officers aboard the Black Throne found their bodies, minds, and spirits all out of their control. Some stood frozen, trembling in place. Some fled blindly and irrationally. Some soiled themselves and collapsed weakly to the ground. Some fainted outright into unconsciousness. Others wore feverish expressions, becoming Ebner's fanatical followers.
Only Miss Gwen, Lydia, and Tran resisted the effect.
But one by one, virtual personalities had already slipped silently into their mental islands, beginning to "manipulate" their actions.
Of course, this incursion from Ebner was genuine only for Gwen. For the other two, it was a mere touch and nothing more.
He did this because he discovered that the price Gwen had paid for that last strike was even greater than he had imagined. Without immediate "psychological treatment," she might be in real danger.
Even so, Tran completely lost the ability to act, seized by crew members who had been subdued by the qualitative Dragon's Might and turned into Ebner's zealots.
As for Miss Gwen, her mental state was in such bad shape that Ebner had no choice but to support her personally, treating her closely.
Fortunately, this matched the persona of "Owen," so it aroused no suspicion.
Of the three, only Lydia, aided by Ebner's deliberate leniency, managed to activate a mystical item and then leapt into the sea.
As expected of Lady Helene's daughter—though this level of "psychological stealth" couldn't fool me, in the boundless ocean she'd have little problem slipping past the encirclement.
Ebner gave a quiet note of admiration in his heart. Looking around, he saw that several of "his side's" ships were already drawing near. Leading them was a large warship whose deck sprouted strange wooden tentacles—the flagship of the Admiral of the Deep Seas, the Dominator.
Ebner glanced at the man standing at the bow of the Dominator—a blond-haired, blue-eyed man in his early thirties, wearing a long coat, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
Without any intent to meet him, Ebner simply scooped Gwen up in his arms and flew back to his own warship.
Before bringing Gwen into his cabin, he instructed his own captain, Intis Navy Lieutenant Colonel Darren Delien:
"Don't kill the crew of the Black Throne. Just confine them on board and put people to watch them… So many ready-made sacrifices are perfect to take along for the Deep Sea Sacrament.
"Also, the Black Throne is our spoil of war. I won't allow those pirates to board and plunder my property.
"Finally, speed up. We dock at Isaca tonight."
As a formal officer, a member of the Delien family's military faction, the captain naturally looked down on the pirates brought by the Admiral of the Deep Seas, even though they were temporarily cooperating.
So, after receiving the Saint's orders, he immediately stood at attention and replied solemnly: "Yes, Lord Owen! Your orders will be carried out to the letter!"
Ebner nodded in apparent satisfaction, then carried Gwen into his cabin.
Afterward, he sealed the room with spirituality, treating Gwen's mental injuries even as he released his true body, which slipped through the cabin walls and into the sea.
On the other side, the pirates were extremely displeased with Owen's commands. After all, they had suffered heavy losses before and had been waiting to vent their anger on the crew of the Black Throne...
But dissatisfaction was one thing; they had no choice. This was a demigod's command, and no one dared defy it.
…..
Out at sea, Lydia looked around at the endless horizon, and her heart sank into despair.
She had lost her sense of direction!
Back on the ship, navigation had always been Tran's job. She had never worried about it. Now, with only herself left, it was fatal.
Lydia could swim, and even briefly transform into a bat to fly, but neither could last long. If she couldn't find land, once her strength and spirituality ran dry, she'd drown!
And drowning was hardly fitting for the elegance of a vampire...
"Papa, Mama, Brother... someone come save me!"
With three demigods as close kin, Lydia had already, right after falling into the ambush, written a letter via messenger to summon "reinforcements."
Perhaps her prayers had worked... The next moment, Lydia felt herself pulled out of the sea. Countless shifting color blocks slid past her eyes, and when she came back to herself, she was already on a small island.
Lydia finally let out a sigh of relief, then turned to look at the figure who had saved her.
"Detective Bryan, what are you doing here?" When she saw who it was, Lydia asked in both delight and surprise.
"Lady Helene asked me to come help you," Ebner answered with a smile. "And I just happened to be nearby."
This wasn't a lie. Ebner had known back in Trier that the Delien family intended to capture Gwen. Of course he had told Lady Helene.
The latter clearly trusted him greatly, and so entrusted the matter fully to him.
So it was Mother who contacted Detective Bryan... Lydia nodded thoughtfully, recalling her brother and mother's usual praise of the detective's abilities. She quickly grabbed his hand and pleaded:
"Detective Bryan, the captain and Tran have been captured by the pirates... Please, you must find a way to rescue them!"
She then explained the enemy's situation in detail—including the demigod who had appeared at the end!
"Don't worry. They'll be fine. I'll have them out tonight."
(End of Chapter)