The effectiveness of the Holy Light was unquestionable.
In the Warcraft universe, it was the most direct and effective weapon against evil.
Unfortunately, in that world, the power carried a terrifying self-awareness.
It could reshape thought, twist cognition, and drag its user into blind faith.
In Noah's hands, however, the Holy Light was different.
What he possessed was a version refined and purified by the System.
It could not brainwash him.
And more importantly, he had a mobile battery continuously supplying it.
The fragment he had chipped off that Prism was perfectly sized.
Not too large. Not too small.
Its effect was ideal.
It was essentially a battery.
A solar one.
One that ignored weather, location, and even universes.
It could freely absorb Holy Light from different worlds, dimensions, and realities.
In practice, it completely replaced the System's need to slowly gather Light for Noah.
All the System had to do was erase the will embedded within it.
In fact, the System had even suggested that Noah handle that process himself.
A small trick.
One meant to temper willpower and mental strength.
The Light's ability to deceive was too strong.
If Noah could strip away those wills on his own, it would be a meaningful improvement.
Naturally, Noah hadn't refused.
He just wasn't planning to do it right now.
He was on vacation.
He had no interest in immediately dropping back into work mode.
The power he was using at this moment came entirely from the System's refinement.
He hadn't yet had many chances to properly test the Holy Light's true capabilities.
Even when it flared before, it had never been pushed to its limits.
This was the perfect opportunity.
Immortality.
Evil curses.
These things fell squarely under the Holy Light's jurisdiction.
Even more interestingly, Noah's right eye could see things through the Light.
Very interesting things.
He immediately understood the nature of the pirates' curse.
It was crude.
Simple.
And easy to break.
The curse was essentially a displacement of "life."
Life was stored elsewhere.
A spirit controlled a physical shell.
In theory, this could be turned into an active ritual or spell.
With precise magical control and voluntary participation, one could achieve a form of immortality.
Something similar to a Lich.
What Barbossa and his crew had triggered, however, was the passive version.
A sloppy one.
When they took the Aztec gold, they activated the curse.
They surrendered their lives in exchange for the right to possess the treasure.
Their "life" was extracted.
Their existence shifted into an undead state.
Because life no longer resided within their bodies, they appeared immortal.
But this was punishment.
The curse was never meant to grant real benefits.
So even after becoming undead, they continued to experience the suffering of the living.
Hunger.
Thirst.
Pain they could never satisfy.
That was not immortality.
It was torment.
With the right methods, it could be broken effortlessly.
Even without dispelling it, Noah could destroy these low-level undead with brute force alone.
Once he saw all this through the Holy Light, Noah lost interest almost immediately.
If anything, he felt a bit disappointed.
This wasn't what he wanted.
It was interesting, yes.
But he had no desire to become a Lich.
So there was no reason to keep anyone around for research.
What surprised him was the Light itself.
He had never seen it used like this in the game.
But he didn't dwell on it.
A positive change was still a positive change.
He wasn't the type to overthink it.
Right now, he was more interested in one thing.
Seeing exactly how powerful the Holy Light could be.
Using it on ants was a waste.
But it was fun.
And that was enough.
As Noah's mana surged, a holy hymn seemed to echo between heaven and earth.
The brilliant Light did not scatter.
It softened.
It was no longer blinding.
Instead, a warmth unlike anything before spread outward from Noah.
God.
Deity.
Messenger of the Lord.
Almighty.
Every word related to divinity that the British soldiers knew surfaced at once.
And when the clouds above were torn apart-
When a colossal, incomparably holy sword of light descended from the heavens-
Shock turned into awe.
As the sword continued its descent, screams erupted from the Black Pearl.
Smoke rose from the pirates' bodies.
Some collapsed to their knees, faces twisted, howling in agony.
The Holy Light was merciless.
Especially when wielded by someone like Noah.
These low-level undead were forced into a state akin to dying the moment they saw the light.
One person suffering could be ignored.
Two or three might not matter.
But when it happened across the entire ship-
The pirates' confidence shattered.
They had believed their immortality would protect them.
Now it betrayed them.
Even Barbossa froze mid-charge.
Then he collapsed onto the deck, screaming.
The holy sword of judgment.
The roaring wings of Light behind that mysterious figure.
Together, they stripped Barbossa of all will to resist.
He had faced storms.
He had faced death.
He thought he feared nothing.
But now-
He was certain.
He was finished.
The immortality he relied on felt like poison.
In his desperation, he even believed this was divine punishment.
That God had sent a messenger.
That undead abominations were forbidden in this world.
That judgment had come.
Noah, of course, explained nothing.
As the sword fully descended and merged with the Black Pearl, the hymn reached its peak.
In the blink of an eye-
The Black Pearl was erased.
The terrifying blade pierced through ship and sea alike.
The pirates vanished.
The ship vanished.
Nothing remained.
The singing faded.
The sea became unnaturally calm.
As if nothing had ever happened.
Only the angelic figure suspended in the sky remained, radiating Light.
Proof that this was no illusion.
"Damn it! My ship!"
A wail of pure grief tore through the silence from the nearby Interceptor.
It was so raw that even Noah, quietly sensing the surroundings, was startled.
There was no need to guess.
That voice belonged to Captain Jack Sparrow.
Jack was kneeling at the railing, staring in Noah's direction.
Weeping.
The sight was painful.
Noah sighed.
A little awkward.
Had he... gone too far?
He glanced at the empty sea.
Only then did he remember-
He was supposed to leave prisoners.
And the Black Pearl.
After a moment, he dismissed the thought.
It didn't matter.
He needed to test the Holy Light.
And now he had.
This power wasn't like Dragonborn magic.
It was far less repulsive.
And far more interesting.
It wasn't just a radar.
The Light focused through his eyes could pierce darkness itself.
He had seen straight through the curse in a single glance.
Turning toward the Interceptor, the golden glow withdrew.
In an instant, Noah returned to his original form.
Still floating.
He raised a hand.
Space warped.
Before anyone could react, the Interceptor shifted.
When the people on board realized what had happened, they were directly beneath Noah.
Without reference points, they might not have noticed at all.
Only the subtle sensation of the ship settling into the water confirmed it.
Noah descended slowly.
Hermione wore a strange smile.
The others were frozen in shock.
Noah shrugged and looked at Jack, still kneeling.
"Alright. Calm down," he said.
"It was just a ship."
"That wasn't just a ship!" Jack snapped, grief overriding reason.
"That was my baby! My only one! That was my ship!"
"The pirates are gone too," Noah replied evenly.
"See? Commodore Norrington isn't angry."
"N-No, my Lord... uh-"
Norrington realized he didn't know how to address Noah.
His posture had already changed.
His tone had already softened.
"Enough," Noah sighed.
"This was my mistake."
He paused.
"Since I promised you, I'll make good on it. I don't break my word."
With that, Noah stopped speaking.
He raised his hand.
A rune formed in his palm.
Green energy began to spread.