Now that half of the ship was gone, ocean water began to flood in. It was an inevitable outcome. The cargo ship was starting to sink. In about fifteen minutes or so, the broken vessel would be on a one way trip to the seabed.
Right before landing on the deck, wind mana revolved around Flynn's body. His figure slowly turned ephemeral then disappeared altogether. He was invisible. It even seemed to be a bit more than that. The mute elf had left the physical plane.
Shu lightly touched down and burst into motion. He sped down the stairs, entering the long hallways. One could only catch a glimpse of silver before blood splattered the walls. The young samurai slaughtered anyone and everyone. It was a sick and twisted blade dance. Most of the people he killed didn't even have much fighting experience.
Panicked screams could be heard all across the cargo vessel. Rooms were flooding, and those who survived Shu's initial attack were forced to slowly bleed out or drown. Multiple impacts could be heard topside. Stark was rampaging.
BOOOM
The backside of the ship was tilted vertically into the air. At first, the lazy swordsman was dashing through the stretched out halls. Now he was falling straight through. His feet planted on the wall, allowing him to keep moving. The incredible momentum forced him to accelerate. Hostages and pirates alike were suspended in midair. Shu's silhouette flashed by and they were immediately diced into pieces.
Once the ship evened out, he could stand on the ground again. There was important intel on this ship. Nobody was allowed to escape. Everyone had to die in order to ensure zero chance of information leakage.
Eventually, Shu kicked open a door to his left. He dashed into the room. His eyes were dull. Empty. The young samurai had dampened his emotions in order to get the job done. When he saw what was beyond the door, he paused.
There were women everywhere. It was mostly elves and beastkin. Every single one of them were chained in positions that allowed easy access. Their clothes were torn. The smell was unbearable. All of them had an expression that begged for salvation. For death. Release from their torture. These people were broken.
Shu calmly walked into the middle of the room. He sat down cross legged and brought his hands together. A ball of iridescent mana formed in his hands. It constantly changed color.
"Forgive me…I will make it painless. It will be over soon." He spoke quietly.
The distorted voice from his mana breather resounded across the room. It shook slightly, as Shu knew what had to be done. He felt sick to his stomach at what he had to do.
Mana quickly funneled into the glowing ball of mana. It grew brighter and brighter. Once it reached a certain threshold, its size began to expand. The young samurai's figure disappeared as the orb engulfed him. There was a constant increase, and the light soon reached every corner of the room. The broken women were covered in the soothing radiance.
"May you all find peace in the afterlife." He chanted.
When the light died down, nothing remained. The chains were gone. The people had disappeared. There was no smell. Everything had vanished. Shu had granted them a soothing end.
The lazy swordsman rose to his feet. When he turned around, he saw Flynn. The blonde haired elf stood there silently. His hands were clenched as he glared at the ground. Shu patted him on the back.
'I'm sure he's been part of Silent Night for a long time. I guess the job never gets easier.' He thought.
Killing people was easy to turn numb to. Murdering the innocent, weak, and helpless was a different story. It would be hard to forget that. Only the mentally unstable would sleep easily after such a feat.
"Come. We must carry on." Shu spoke quietly. He vanished as soon as his words finished.
Flynn stood there for a few more seconds. After performing a ritualistic bow, his body went invisible once more. He was gone.
The slaughter continued. There was no target. Anything that moved was cut down. This was an extermination. Silent Night wasn't playing the savior this time. They were the cleanup crew.
Shu killed and killed. A constant stream of blood dripped from the blade of his katana. When he turned the corner, he saw a single pirate. The man was leaning against the wall. An arm was missing. A trail of blood could be seen below him.
"I must live! The Althana…I must bring this to them!" He gasped.
There was a folder in his hand. Blood splattered the cover. The young samurai dashed over and kicked the man to the floor. He then yanked the folder out of his grip.
"Noooo! Bastard, give it back-"
SHNNT
The katana pierced his head. It ended the pirate's life. A dark expression adorned Shu's face. He was bloodthirsty.
"Althana." He growled while opening the file.
That name brought a plethora of memories that plagued his mind. His vision turned red with anger. The surroundings began to fragment and disintegrate. An aura of absolute fury spread throughout the ship.
Stark, who was still rampaging topside, stopped and turned toward the source. An excited grin appeared on his face. The presence of mana was strong. Overwhelming even.
"Hoho…That twerp is incredible. I can't wait to fight him!" He exclaimed.
The rest of the battalion stood on top of the large raven. They floated high in the sky, the moon shining down on them. Aiden, Rin, and Muzette all focused on the massive pressure.
"Shu!" Rin exclaimed.
She clutched the hilt of her odachi and prepared to jump down. The red eyed commander grabbed her arm, pulling her back. He shook his head when she turned to him.
"He can handle himself."
The succubus' eyes dilated. Her vision zoomed in, and the structure of the ship turned transparent. Muzette could now see the young samurai in all his glory. The pressure washed over her.
"Mnnnn ~ Amazing! That's so hot…" She moaned.
Time passed and the aura eventually died down. The cargo ship was almost fully immersed in the ocean. Shu, Flynn, and Stark were now standing on the only part still above water. It was silent. No other living beings were left.
When the raven descended beside the three, they quickly hopped on. Aiden, Muzette, and Rin were surprised upon seeing the swordsman's expression. His silver eyes were dull. The relaxed, sleepy persona was nowhere to be found. Something was wrong.