At the harbor.
"Boom! Boom!"
Cannon fire roared in unison.
Before the chaotic docks, four or five pirate ships lay broadside on the water, their cannons aimed at the shore, firing without restraint.
Among them was even an ironclad warship that had betrayed its allegiance to join the pirate fleet, its firepower the fiercest of all.
"Yeah!"
With each cannon blast, a building was struck, and the pirates erupted in cheers.
The coastal batteries had long been destroyed, and another warship docked at port had been swallowed by the bombardment.
Nothing could restrain this fleet now.
The soldiers attempting to mount a defense couldn't even raise their heads under such fierce artillery fire.
They could only hide behind cover, praying the shells wouldn't find them.
Before the docks, what had once been a bustling square was now a scene of devastation, populated only by sailors hauling goods back and forth.
"We're rich! We're rich!"
Filia pushed a handcart piled high with naval weapons and ammunition.
His group had discovered a nearby munitions depot, successfully broken in, and was now working to transport everything to the ships.
Other sailors were also coming and going endlessly.
Some carried armfuls of military rations, some pushed carts loaded with coal, and others simply commandeered wagons to haul cartloads of cannonballs.
"Load all those medicines for me, you idiots! Otherwise, when someone falls seriously ill at sea, don't expect me to save you!"
Amid the surging crowd, the portly ship's doctor Duckwill jumped up and down, shouting and spraying spittle everywhere.
"This is amazing, just amazing!"
Filia pushed his cart, excitement and exhilaration coursing through him, as if he had boundless energy.
He felt he'd truly chosen the right captain to follow.
To actually pull off something this big: using a warship disguise for a surprise attack, sweeping through Blue Mountain Island, beating back the navy, acquiring countless supplies.
His previous twenty-some years couldn't compare to this single month!
"Haul more coal!"
Walter, the "Sea Serpent" boatswain, shouted. "The steamship needs it! And you guys with the rifles, come with me. The first mate needs backup!"
He quickly assembled a team and led them charging toward the front of the square.
Meanwhile, ahead...
"Boom!"
Anderson's hands erupted with firelight as he hurled flames continuously at the tuxedo-wearing man across from him.
Blazing columns of fire rose one after another, yet always fell just short, barely grazing past the blonde secretary's body.
"Dodge faster! Careful, or you'll burn off what little hair you have left!"
He taunted with a laugh, though inwardly he cursed.
These "Lawyer" pathway folks are really troublesome. Good thing I've got a backup plan.
Across from him, the blonde secretary Lyurian, whose hairline had clearly receded somewhat, darkened his expression.
He then pulled off one white glove and tossed it toward Anderson.
Of course, the blonde secretary wasn't crazy enough to challenge Anderson to a formal duel.
He was using his ability.
The glove landed not far in front of Anderson without touching him, but the flames in Anderson's hands suddenly weakened.
"Bribe."
Once activated, it could suppress the opponent's power!
Anderson immediately grabbed a button on his shirt.
"Bribery is forbidden here!"
He shouted, and as his words landed, the ability Lyurian had just activated instantly lost its effect.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The blonde secretary's expression remained unchanged.
He raised his hand, and soldiers hiding behind cover unleashed a volley, keeping Anderson pinned down.
At the same time, boatswain Walter's squad had just arrived on the battlefield.
Just as both sides were about to continue fighting, a series of sonic booms suddenly rang out from the distant sky.
The "Sea King" was returning!
Before Lyurian could feel relieved, another sharp whistling sound rapidly approached, this one much clearer and obviously closer!
Lyurian looked up in confusion to see Silas's figure rapidly enlarging overhead.
He waved a hand at him.
"Boom!"
Violent wind struck without warning, brutally hurling Lyurian's body away.
His "rules" could barely resist the higher-tier force and he crashed hard into a wall, losing all ability to fight back.
"Captain!"
Anderson, Walter, and the others saw Silas and their faces lit up with delight.
"Tell everyone to board the ships. We leave before the 'Sea King' arrives," Silas said in a low voice.
"Quickly!"
"Yes, sir!"
The crew scattered to obey.
Anderson and Walter knew how formidable the Sea King was, so they wasted no time.
They immediately organized the sailors to retreat. No matter how much cargo remained, no second trips were allowed. Everyone had to board now!
This operation had reached its most critical conclusion.
Of the two objectives for this mission, only one had been achieved.
Roy King and Dice had been secured, but "Elaine" couldn't be found.
On the contrary, they'd ended up bringing along Feysac's Third Princess, which might create problems later, like being wanted by the Feysac Empire or something...
Silas had no time to take stock. He simply took this opportunity to release Qonas's body, opened his palm, and activated "Grazing" on him.
In the bone-chilling cold wind, Qonas's soul, wrapped around his Beyonder characteristic, was forcibly extracted and absorbed into Silas's body.
He closed his eyes and communicated with Qonas's spirituality, quickly mastering all the abilities of the "Lawyer" pathway from Sequence 9 to Sequence 4.
All he could say was that it truly lived up to its reputation as a pathway that manipulated order.
Many of the abilities were extremely useful and provided excellent support.
So which three should he retain?
As a Sequence 4 Black Knight, Silas could directly project his soul, and the projected soul could use all abilities, meaning the three he retained didn't require overly careful selection.
He quickly decided: he would keep "Exploit," "Magnify," and "Distort."
"Exploit" rules, "Magnify" effects, "Distort" order!
If he needed other abilities, he could achieve them through soul projection.
Grazing complete, Silas burned Qonas's corpse with a burst of flame.
Within minutes, his sailors had obeyed orders and assembled, returning to the four or five ships.
Silas could hear the Sea King's sonic booms drawing closer and closer, until they thundered directly overhead!
The Sea King would arrive any moment. He had to move faster!
His body transformed into shadow, flickering and appearing above the harbor fleet.
The sailors had already arranged the four or five ships in a tight formation as he'd instructed.
Though they'd just pulled off a major heist, their faces still showed traces of tension.
After all, that terrifying sound kept booming overhead.
That was the "Sea King," the absolute lord of the seas. How would the captain help them escape?
Suddenly, they felt the seawater turn black.
No, it wasn't the seawater.
It was the captain's shadow! It floated on the sea surface, enveloping all four or five pirate ships in blackness.
The sailors felt the ground drop beneath them and discovered with horror that they and their ships were sinking together, sinking into the captain's shadow!
Silas stood on the now-empty sea surface.
The four or five ships that had made such an impressive sight moments ago had vanished, leaving only him and the shadow beneath his feet.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Sonic boom after sonic boom rang out, the sound growing louder, as if it would shatter a person's heart.
In the sky above, a furious figure was rapidly approaching!
The sky began to turn leaden and heavy. Deep, grand thunder rumbled. Wherever the Sea King went, majesty and destruction followed!
Facing the enraged Sea King, Silas's expression remained calm.
"Rustle, rustle..."
An invisible tome flipped open before him, and a lofty voice rang out, clear even amid the thunder's roar.
"I came, I saw, I recorded."
"Creak..."
An invisible door opened with him, swallowing his figure within.
"Boom!"
A thunderbolt of earth-shattering proportions followed immediately, striking violently at the sea surface.
Instantly the waters surged, countless fine tendrils of lightning leaping and flashing across the surface!
But the terrible lightning was still a step too late.
The rampaging electricity filled the air with a strange odor.
The "Sea King's" body floated in midair as he coldly surveyed the devastated harbor, finally resting his gaze on the square.
There, on the flagpole, a black flag bearing a blood-stained skull fluttered in the wind, snapping loudly.