"What are you gazing at, Battle Magus?" Worn asked smugly.
His "Soul Transmutation" had never met its match among mages of his rank.
"Look behind you," Bairon replied, a sly smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
The Return Wind Blade technique had worked seamlessly on its first attempt!
Instinctively, Worn turned his head.
The ten Wind Blades circled in mid-air before hurtling back in his direction.
His blood-red eyes widened in horror.
In the next moment, the blades sliced cleanly through his thick, slightly bear-furred neck.
Thud—
Worn's head tumbled off his shoulders, rolling to the side.
Worn had been defeated in just 50 seconds.
Bairon shifted his gaze to White Gull.
Thanks to Bairon's warning and the bitter pill still dissolving in her mouth, Chapman's "Rend Spell" was rendered ineffective.
In response, Chapman invoked "Soul Transmutation," replacing his soul with that of a blood wolf.
His limbs sprouted sharp claws as he lunged at Seasoft, assuming a half-man, half-wolf form.
Seasoft deftly dodged Chapman's attacks, rolling away from his lunges and bites.
Simultaneously, she frequently drew her bowstring, launching one Wind Arrow after another.
True to her lineage, Seasoft was proving every bit the formidable half-Elf with Elfish blood running through her veins.
She moved with an ethereal grace, evading Chapman's attacks by mere inches each time he lunged.
And even without looking back, her Wind Arrows never failed to find their mark on him. But it was all in vain.
In his half-wolf form, Chapman's skin was as resilient as that of a blood wolf.
The Wind Arrows that Seasoft fired could not even scratch him, let alone draw blood.
Soon, Chapman had her cornered.
"Hehe... Let me taste the flesh of a half-Elf, just one bite," Chapman sneered, saliva dripping from his mouth, his eyes burning an even deeper shade of red than Worn's.
The intensity of the hue indicated the extent to which his soul was tainted.
With her back against the ship's rail, Seasoft cast a discreet glance overboard.
If Chapman lunged at her, she planned to jump.
However, in the process of turning to jump, she would be utterly defenseless, very likely to suffer a fatal bite from the razor-sharp teeth of Chapman.
"Planning to jump, are you? Hehe... I'll let you. Prey is always tastier when it's fleeing," Chapman saw right through her, chuckling darkly.
Seasoft's face paled even more.
"Not jumping? Then it's time to feast."
Just as Chapman prepared to pounce, a voice resounded from behind him.
"Time's up. I'll take it from here," Bairon declared.
Chapman wheeled around to face Bairon, his gaze narrowing in confusion as he noticed Bairon's unscathed form, devoid of any battle damage.
"How are you here? Where's Worn?"
No sooner had the words left his lips than Chapman noticed something in Bairon's hand.
A flash of terror crossed his crimson eyes.
It was unmistakably Worn's magus ring.
"Ice Blast!"
With a mere flick of Bairon's wrist, dozens of icy spears erupted from beneath Chapman, skewering him and lifting him off the ground.
A guttural whimper escaped Chapman's lips.
Within seconds, the red in his eyes faded and his limbs hung limply.
"Are you hurt?" Bairon inquired, turning his attention to Seasoft.
She shook her head in response.
Bairon blinked, "You can spit out what's in your mouth now. The battle's over."
"Ptui, ptui, ptui!"
Seasoft, reminded of the bitter pill she still had in her mouth, contorted her face in disgust, crawled to the ship's edge, and spat into the sea.
After ensuring her mouth was clear, she didn't bother about maintaining any decorum as she scrubbed her tongue, muttering, "The one who concocted this pill must be a sadist!"
Bairon wore a sheepish expression. "I made that concoction myself."
"Then you're the sadist!" Seasoft exclaimed loudly.
Bairon chuckled wryly.
During his early days guarding the gates of Shadeveil Mountains, Bairon had been ambushed countless times by dark magi who used mental assaults against him.
To counter this, he had experimented with various remedies, finally settling on the bitter pill. If Seasoft thought Bairon was bizarre, it's because she hadn't seen the even more peculiar things Bairon had ingested in his quest for the right formula.
Yet, being called a madman was far preferable to meeting death in the Shadeveil Mountains.
Outside Frank's cabin aboard the ship, Bairon knocked lightly on the door.
"Frank, it's Bairon."
Silence enveloped the room within.
Bairon waited patiently.
A few moments later, the door creaked open.
Frank peered out, visibly relaxing upon seeing Bairon standing at ease by the doorway.
Bairon's battle was over, but Frank's was just about to begin.
The Death Ship struck terror into the hearts of every merchant vessel on the high seas.
But alongside its notorious reputation, tales of its vast riches had many salivating.
Frank, leading a handful of sailors, boarded The Death Ship, prying open its hatches to begin their scavenging.
Bairon chose not to accompany them. To him, the most significant trophies — the magus rings of the two dark magi — were already in his possession.
Nonetheless, the treasures of The Death Ship would also be shared with him, down to the last gold coin.
Frank and his crew wouldn't dare pilfer any part of that wealth.
A mage capable of defeating two dark magi was not someone they wished to cross.
After leaving instructions with Frank, Bairon made his way to the first-class cabins.
He first visited his own room, ensuring Evelyn's safety.
Then, without hesitation, he entered Stephen's quarters.
By now, the man known by his true name, Donovan, had awoken.
"I heard the commotion outside," Donovan remarked.
Then, his eyes landed on the two dark magus rings in Bairon's hand.
Donovan's pupils constricted subtly.
Noticing the slight change in Donovan's expression, Bairon intoned gravely, "It's over, Mr. Linton."
Donovan chuckled, "No, the game has just begun. Did you think killing two dark magi would put an end to this? Their power runs deeper than you perceive, Bairon."
Bairon, gazing steadily at Donovan, paused momentarily before replying, "I never intended to play your games. For me, it's finished."
Donovan's face registered shock. "Don't you realize what you're doing?"
"I'm perfectly aware," Bairon responded, a hint of exasperation in his voice.
"I've simply eliminated anyone who stood in my way to San Sorus by sea. All I wanted was a peaceful journey, yet you all seem so intent on causing chaos."
Had Bairon known things would turn out this way, he would have preferred traveling overland, escorting Evelyn to San Sorus by coach and canal.
Donovan erupted into laughter, "Oh, you're quite the unfortunate one then. You've disrupted their plans; they will surely not let you off easily."
Bairon waited patiently for Donovan's laughter to subside, then asked gravely, "Let me confirm once more: you weren't deceiving me about the second Greyscale survivor, were you?"
Donovan readily said, "Her name is Vivian. You can easily inquire about this name in San Sorus, but I doubt you'll meet her."
Bairon furrowed his brows, "Why?"
"She is the chosen vessel of the Light Faith church, personally guarded by the Cardinal. It's said that her recovery was due to some kind of divine revelation," Donovan replied.
The Cardinal of the Church of Light is synonymous with a Master Magus.
Given that there's only one in the Provincial Alliance, this Cardinal might be no ordinary Master Magus.
After a moment's reflection, Bairon inquired, "How are you so sure that Vivian had Greyscale?"
"One day, the Cardinal wished to host a distinguished guest and summoned me for company," Donovan shrugged. "You know how scribes have all these odd bits of knowledge that can be entertaining."
Bairon patiently awaited the continuation.
"At the banquet, Vivian suddenly made an appearance. I caught a brief glimpse of her."
"Ah, the esteemed guest saw her as well, and it seemed to create quite an awkward moment. The Cardinal's servants promptly shooed us away," Donovan recounted.
"Thank you," Bairon said, rising with a composed demeanor.
"You're welcome," Donovan tilted his head, questioning, "So, will you release me?"
"I've struck a deal with Captain Frank," Bairon replied. "He'll be taking you back to Rustburg."
"Oh, well, that's not so bad," Donovan shrugged again, adding cheekily, "Hey, I feel like we really connect. Aren't you curious to ask more? I have many secrets."
"Not interested," Bairon left the room.
As he closed the door, he cast a frosty glance back, warning, "If I were you, I wouldn't attempt to escape before White Gull reaches San Sorus."
Bairon wasn't concerned about how Frank would detain Donovan once they disembarked.
But until then, Donovan needed to remain compliant.
"No worries," Donovan nodded in agreement.