Ack! My mind is getting hazier as time goes by. Ellisa and Nyoko have already fallen in misery while their body succumbed to the poison we took not long ago. I should have known much better!- These people care nothing more than our money!- They're pirates; of course, all they do is tricking and lied to us. Why am I such a fool to lean my trust onto them? It's getting much worst now. It's hard for me to breathe correctly when I'm constantly bleeding through my mouth. We're going to die here, aren't we?!-
"Bahahaha! Look at him, gasping for air desperately like a dying fish out of the sea! What's the matter, young boy? With that look on your face right now, I can tell how much you want us dead, don't you?" Captain Willis mocked me while grabbing my hair and pull my face close to his,
"Y- You going to- pay for this!-" I responded to him agonisingly,
I spitted the blood in my mouth onto his face. His laughter soon ended, and his expression gradually turned sour. He wiped the blood off slowly while staring his menacing eyes into mine. Then, all of a sudden, he jabbed me with his hook as hard as he could, sending me flying to the back, and rolled closer towards Ellisa and Nyoko. The pain was ten times extreme due to this poison that flowing in my blood,
"You know, you're still annoying despite being at the doorstep to the afterlife. Whatever, I won't prolong all of these any longer. Boys! Send them straight to the Krakegant!" He yelled as he walked away from me,
Fuck! I need to fight back- I need to overcome this misery and bring everyone out of here alive! I hate to think of this, but the only power that's been lurking in my mind was the Sinner's System. Although I'm against using it before learning how to control it at my will, this is my only option to overcome this poison from devouring me even more!-
"Re-release. The-" But then,
"If you're thinking of using Sinner's System because of this unfortunate event. I advise you to stop right there, Kiseki." That voice. It's Ichijou for sure,
When I turned and looked towards him, I was surprised to see that Ichijou was still standing as if nothing had happened while surrounded by the Captain's crewmate. However, I wasn't the only one that was startled by it. The crew have no idea how Ichijou can still move and talk when the poison is in effect.
"Oi, oi, oi! What's going on here?! Why are you still up?!" asked Captain Willis as he slowly moved backwards.
Ichijou smirked whilst approaching him and replied, "Come on now, old man. Do you really think a mere poison can stop me from killing you?"
Captain Willis quickly unsheathed his sword and alarmingly responded, "That's an impossible feat, you maggot! That poison is one of the most potent we had in the sea! Just gulping it down can kill you in mere hours!-"
"For someone your age that has deceived dozens if not hundreds of innocent strangers, it's very unbelievable how you can not tell when someone is fallen for your trick or not," Ichijou said to him, "True; Maybe that poison is deadly. But what makes you believe that I drink the poison, to begin with?"
"What?! I saw you chug the whole bottle until it's empty! You did drink that poison right before my eyes!" he replied,
"You know... There's something called diversion when it comes to tricking someone. You have so much to learn, pesky pirate, so much to learn..." Ichijou muttered as he pulled out his artefact.
So Ichijou never really took that potion?! How? We both chugged that thing at the same time! But, wait- I just realised something. Throughout our conversation, after we took it, Ichijou never really spoke to us about anything. At that time, I thought he had something in his mind about this sailing. So basically, he didn't swallow that potion at all?! Still, that didn't explain how bits of the poison didn't get into his body, though. The size of that potion is too big to keep in his mouth without anyone noticing! Did he just bluffing right now?!
Nevertheless, something seems awfully wrong. Captain Willis didn't seem that much in distress. Did he have something else up in his sleeve?-
"Kuekuekuekue! I must say. You did me well back there. I never imagined that I could get dumbfounded by monkeys like you!" he murmured,
Ichijou then pointed his blade towards the Captain and said, "Now, why don't you turn this ship around before I stick your head up in your ass?"
"Hehee," Captain Willis chuckled, "Do you really think I came unprepared for any event?! Whatever you did, I'm still one step ahead of you. Oi, Hobbes. Get your ass down here and deal with this rat. Let see how entertaining it will be to watch two Sinners fighting together,"
A moment later, amongst the crowd of the crewmember, one man stood up and walked towards Ichijou. He was wearing a ragged brown cloak with a partial face mask, concealing the top of his face, including his entire body. I haven't seen any Sinners in the entirety of my journey except Ichijou. From what I know, most Sinners had either died from the war or been killed by Ichijou himself. Thus, our population drastically plummeted from that day. Besides, if this Sinner isn't with one of the nations in Ruina, he must be none other than an Unmarked Sinner! A criminal!
"I guess you really do come prepared. But how naive. Hunting down an Unmarked Sinners used to be one of my main occupations, Captain Willis," said Ichijou,
The Captain then responded, "Is that so? Then I hope you can show us bits of your experience you have gained from it,"
"I'll get you to shut up after I deal with this guy, Willis," Ichijou smirked as he stood in a defensive stance.
The unknown Sinner drastically pulled out his dagger artefact on both hands. Faintly I can hear him whispered to himself, "Release the Sin,"
Things getting from bad to worst!- He knows about Sinner's System too! Ichijou won't stand a chance to go against this guy!
In a flash, his dagger immediately essence out an eerie black thunder. He swiftly threw them towards Ichijou at high speed. I couldn't believe my eyes. Ichijou was able to dodge that attack a mere fraction of the time!- Although, Ichijou didn't move fast enough. One of the blades did graze him right on his cheek and exploded an electrical shock upon impact.
Ichijou screamed as the discharge sent him flying few feet away from where he was standing,
"Ichijou!- Watch out! He's using Sinner's System!-" I shouted,
Ichijou's whole body was pulsating from the attack he just received. He tried to stand back on his feet, and I could see the damage that had done to his cheek. It was horrible!- Just from a simple graze, Ichijou's cheek was charred to the point that it wasn't even able to bleed out,
Captain Willis briefly sat on the set of a staircase at the stern of the ship and said, "HAHAHAHA! What an overconfident bastard! This is truly amazing!- Getting an Unmarked Sinner as one of my personal bodyguards a few days prior was a great decision! Now let see what you are capable of, Hobbes! Kill that guy immediately!"
Hobbes silently nodded and rushed towards Ichijou, leaving him no time to react to the incoming attack. Every sword clashes that Ichijou made with this guy only resulted in him getting electrocuted. He had no chance to block nor parry if it kept on going like this. Eventually, Ichijou's hands were shaking, and he started sweating like crazy.
It was true. Ichijou was bluffing about the poison. Even though he spit out the potion from his mouth before, it's still pointless if there's still some residual of that poison stuck down your throat!- I need to help him too! I need to do something before it's too late! But, Fuck! I can't even move my limbs right now! This poison is really holding me back.
"Hear my Command! Insulation!-" Ichijou shouted,
Using the basic understanding of how electricity works. Ichijou utilises his Karma to insulate not only his whole body but also his artefact. The battle rages on; they exchange blows from left to right, and it seems like Ichijou is no longer at a disadvantage. However, although he could get accustomed to this battle, I doubt he can keep it going any longer. His movement is clumsier, and his strikes are getting weaker.
"You're one annoying pest, don't you think? How did you feel when your electric shock is useless against me now? Pissed?" Ichijou taunted him, but Hobbes didn't respond to his words.
Instead, Hobbes did the unthinkable. He retreated himself from Ichijou. What is his next move now?
"Grew tired already? Then how about letting me do the offence now!-" Ichijou shouted as he dashed at Hobbes,
He didn't falter. He was expecting Ichijou to come at him like this. When Ichijou was about to run his blade across Hobbes's chest, Ichijou lost his stance. The poison has fully kicked in!- Does that mean Hobbes knew about the bluff?!-
Ichijou slammed to the ground, and his blade slid across the deck before dispersing into thin air. His whole body is trembling right now. He can't even force himself up again!
"Hahahaha! Seems like all you know was talking big about yourself. Seems like your time has come! Finish him!-" said the Captain towards Ichijou and Hobbes.
Gradually Hobbes took his dagger and stabbed it at the back of both Ichijou's hands. He was no longer insulated with his Karma. The fiery electrical shock travels into his body almost instantaneously.
"Argghhh!!-" Ichijou screamed his lungs out,
No, no, no! This really needs to stop, NOW! This is my only chance to turn everything around!
I desperately move my hand and focus my mind. I need to channel my Karma no matter how hard it is. I won't be relying on my Sinner's System just yet; It's too risky. I kept struggling and struggling until, eventually,
"Calling of the Heroes: Olympius! Strike the land beneath us and shook it with your terror!-" I shouted while summoning my shield on my hand,
Olympius immerged behind me within seconds, and he started pummeling down his shield onto the deck. As a result, everyone losses their balance and was sent flying around the ship. Some even got thrown out into the water and immediately got dragged under the sea by the Krakegant. The ship itself was rocking back and forth, slamming the hull firmly against the jagged rocks around it. Finally, Ichijou set himself free from the grasp of Hobbes daggers and made some distance away from him.
"You fucking retard! How could you do that to my ship! My love and pride!- You're going to pay for what you've done!" yelled Captain Willis.
I know that I shouldn't feel thankful for him still being on board the ship. However, He's the only one that has the antidote for us all right now. If he were to get killed by the Krakegant, we all would be dead here too. Eventually, the ship has stopped rocking around, and everyone seems to be on their feet again,
"Hobbes! What are you standing there for?! KILL ALL OF THEM NOW!" Captain Willis ordered,
But then, something unexpected arose. Out of the blue, Krakegant started to roar once again, and its tentacle began to slam onto the ship. It's going rogue. But for what?!-
The ominous screeching became much and much louder afterwards. Its tentacle had already immobilised the ship. We were lifted up by Krakegant a few feet above the water while everyone seemed clueless about what was going on right now.
"Oi! What is wrong with that stupid squid! All of you! Make that thing calm down now! We don't want it to bring us any unwanted attention! Use any kind of method to keep it shut! I don't care how- JUST FIND A WAY!-" Captain Willis immediately ordered his crewmate.
Besides that, Hobbes didn't seem to approach us any longer. Instead, he just stood at the distance and silently stared at us. It was all fruitless even after a few minutes of the crew trying to settle the Krakegant down. Then, the screeching getting even worst until it was unbearable for us to listen to it, and subsequently, our ship slowly crumbled in its forceful grip of the tentacles.
In the midst of this terror, things took an unforeseen event. We eventually knew the reason behind Krakegant screeches. It wasn't because of anger, nor it is because of wrath. Rather, Krakegant was actually sending out a distress signal onto the other Devil's sea monster to let them know where we were.
Far over the distance, a similar yet fainter roaring can be heard around us. It's gradually become much clearer as minutes pass by; They're coming. We don't have much time to fight with these people right now. Somehow, we need to get the antidote from Captain Willis and leave this place at once!
"Ichijou!- Can you still move?-" I asked him,
He nodded his head and replied, "Yeah! But I don't think I can fight with that Unmarked Sinner anymore."
"That's not a problem! Our main target is not Hobbes, but him!-" I pointed my index finger towards Captain Willis, "We need to get the antidote now! We don't have much time!"
"I know! But even if we have the antidote, do you even know how to get out of this situation?! We're surrounded by not only the pirates but also the Devil's sea creature!" Ichijou responded,
"Maybe I do have a way to leave this place. I'll explain to you later! First, the antidote!" I replied,
Afterwards, we forced ourselves to stand up in this chaos and rushed towards Captain Willis without him noticing. We tried to ambush him in two different directions so we would have a better chance to get the antidote off his jacket,
"My ship! My fucking ship! You retard! Just blew the bomb that we set in the Krakegant cage and kill it! I don't fucking care anymore! I want it dead! DEAD!" Captain Willis yelled,
"Oi, scumbag! You forgot about us!-" Ichijou shouted while running from his left towards him,
"Wha-" instantaneously, he got hit in the face with Ichijou's knee and lost his balance. He was in shock seeing us coming for him, and he said, "Hobbes! I told you to handle these idiots! Why can't you do that?!-"
Surprisingly, Hobbes was never to be seen on the ship anymore. He mysteriously vanished when no one was watching him. Well, whatever. Maybe he chickened out and saved himself from this trouble. At least we don't have to deal with him, and that's what matters.
"Hey- Don't forget to watch your back, stupid pirate!-" I stated as I tackled his legs, sending him flat to the ground.
Ichijou and I simultaneously pressed our artefact against his chest and said, "Give us the antidote, or we'll put a hole on your chest,"
Captain Willis began to smirked, "You want this?! Hahaha, then try and get it from me!" He showed the vile on his hand for a brief moment and suddenly swallowed it in his mouth, "Do you really think I would let you live after what had happened to my ship! If I were to die here! Then I'll drag both of you with me too!"
Ichijou had this scary looks on his face, and he blatantly replied to Captain Willis, "I got no time for your stupid joke," His sword immediately thrust into Captain Willis chest and went all the way to the right side of his lungs.
"Agh!- Stop! That's hurt!-" Captain Willis squealed,
Ichijou swiftly grabbed onto Captain Willis's neck and said, "Enough with your trickery! I know damn well that what you just swallowed isn't the antidote! Give it to me now or trust me, I'll cut your chest open and stuff all your guts down your throat,"
Wah- That's a bit too extreme for me, but I can tell that he's not joking around right now. Ichijou is pissed off. Like, literally mad.
Eventually, Captain Willis responded, "O- Okay! Argh!- It's in my right pocket! Take your blade off my chest! Ackkk!"
I searched the pocket that he mentioned. He was telling the truth; the antidote was there. But why did he tried to lie to us about the fake antidote he just swallowed?- Nevermind. There's no point in thinking of that. We better hurry up,
"We got it, Ichijou," I said as I showed the vial at him.
He quickly let go of Captain Willis and dispersed his weapon. Willis immediately moved away from us while he was gushing blood from his chest, and Ichijou stated to me, "Kiseki, I doubt the antidote in such a small vile like that is enough for all four of us,"
"That's true. But this thing is more than enough for Ellisa alone," I replied as I walked towards Ellisa,
Ichijou was a little confused as to why I wanted to give it to Ellisa. So he asked, "Wait! Why are you only giving it to her?! We are all equal in the same danger right now. You can't prioritise your girl above all!-" and he gripped onto my shoulder, stopping me from moving forward.
I gently moved his hand away and said, "I'm not prioritising her, Ichijou. She's our only way to get out of here alive."
He didn't question me any further and move along with my plan. Ellisa seems to be still conscious after all these ruckuses. That's good. Meaning she can quickly help us once the antidote kicks in. Without wasting our precious time, I hold Ellisa's head gently and pour the cure down her throat. And just like that, her eyes were wide open, and her breathing began to ease up.
"AH!- I'm no longer in pain! Wha- What just happened?! WHY THERE ARE TENTACLES HOLDING ONTO THIS SHIP?!" she yelled in confusion,
I guess she didn't focus on what had happened around her ever since she got diluted by the poison. Anyways, I should proceed with the plan now,
"Ellisa, listen up! We need your help right now. Do you know how to do teleportation magic?-" I asked her,
She swiftly responded, "I- I know how to, but I never tried it before! I haven't trained myself on using it,"
I smiled and said, "That's good enough, Ellisa." I suddenly coughed some blood out when I tried to explain to her even further. My body is almost at its limit now. Just let me talk to her for a few more seconds, please! Don't go down yet, myself!
"K- Kiseki!- Don't force yourself to talk!-" she said to me,
I immediately interrupted her words and said, "No!- Ellisa! You need to use that magic now! Bring all four of us back to Avonline Port! I know you can do this!-"
"I- Kiseki! You don't get it! Teleportation magic is hard to master. If I did one wrong step, we could end up teleported into the ground or, much worst, our body could be dismembered and teleported in a different location!" She muttered seriously,
I kept my eyes straight to hers and just said, "Ellisa, I believe in you. You're the most talented mage I've ever met. You can definitely do this,"
She looked a little pressured by what I just said, but eventually, she replied, "Fine!- Besides, I'm the only mage you've met so far, though. Excluding Darren from Croterin Empire, of course. Anyways, give me a moment! You all have to come close to me!"
Ichijou quickly grabbed onto Nyoko and dragged her into his arm. Then, we all began to cramp ourselves as close as possible to each other. Before Ellisa was about to chant the magical spell, I handed her the vial of antidote and said,
"Ellisa, this might be the last time Nyoko, Ichijou, and I will be conscious. We're at our limit right now. So whatever it takes, please recreate this antidote! Got it?"
She took it from my hand and replied, "I'll do my best! Kiseki! I'll teleport us away from this place now! Everyone hang on tight!"
And so, the chanting began. At the same time, Captain Willis saw what we were trying to do, and he yelled at his crewmate, "Stop those assholes from leaving! I'm not going to let us die alone! Bring him with us! HAHAHA!"
Unfortunately, none of his crewmates even care about his order. They all were screaming uncontrollably and desperate to save themselves from the ship. Captain Willis couldn't believe his eyes; He's all by himself now.
Just as we were consumed by the lights that Ellisa's chanted, the last thing I saw was a giant sea monster that filled in every corner of the ship. It sure is horrifying, but gladly we made it out just a second before it all went south,
"H-Help me," begged Captain Willis. That was the last word of his,