Over an hour later, at the edge of the deserted island.
If it had previously been just one side's account, then the sight of the small boat's hull covered in filthy blood settled everything.
That dense, rusty stench of blood sent chills through everyone present, making every Marine tighten their grip on their weapons.
Besides grief,
there was even more anger!
"Colonel!"
After the three warships circled the island for an inspection, Lieutenant Colonel Jordi came to the deck, stood at attention, and saluted. "No sign of Lowett. He should have escaped into the forest."
The small boat was here. Lowett could not have gone far.
Unless
he had prepared in advance and had another ship waiting.
But that would only further confirm his guilt... after all, this was the direction taken by the criminal who had assassinated the Princess of the Kingdom of Goa.
"Mm, I understand."
Upon hearing that, Monka's solemn face revealed neither joy nor anger, but the bulging veins on the back of his hand proved that he was far from calm.
I have to kill him!
The beast in Monka's heart roared madly, dragging the chains binding it until they creaked.
And Kuro!
They were the only two factors that could bring him down!
They were also the only two keys to clearing his name and avoiding Marine punishment!
He thought of the thrill of giving orders in his office, of the awe those low-ranking soldiers showed him, and of how, once upon a time... he too had looked at Skinner with that same reverence.
"Never!"
Snap!!
The chains broke. The trapped beast burst from its cage, and a lion opened its bloody maw before pouncing forward.
A murderous aura surged from Monka as he gave the order.
"Land on the island and search!"
"..."
Lieutenant Colonel Jordi fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "Understood!"
The signs of battle on the beach were so obvious that Jordi had thought of cat claws the instant he saw them.
With the two targets he had to kill still of unknown fate, Monka would never give up even knowing there was danger.
"Well, I only need to stay back and command anyway."
With a wave of his hand, the prepared soldiers dropped anchor, sending white spray across the sea as they cautiously began landing on the island to search.
Yet what disappointed—and even terrified—everyone was that blood covered the forest floor, but there was not a single corpse in sight.
When the soldiers who had set out from both sides met in the center of the forest, they all saw the terror in one another's eyes.
Strange. Too strange!
The amount of blood had dyed the undergrowth an alluring crimson, yet forget corpses—they could not find even a severed limb.
Only the weapons left around the bloodstains and the sticky entrails they occasionally stepped on proved that some unknown horror had occurred here.
"Could some passing pirates have killed them?"
Noticing Monka's dark expression, Lieutenant Colonel Jordi cautiously offered his guess.
From the footprints, it was almost certain that two groups had fought here. One was undoubtedly the Black Cat Pirates led by Kuro, but the other... had left no trace.
It was not just Lowett.
There had been other beings in this forest at the time!
And there had even been quite a few of them.
It would be best if some passing party had ambushed them and wiped both sides out, but without bodies, their fate remained unknown and no conclusion could be drawn.
As a result, Monka had no choice but to notify his superiors and await their decision.
"Perhaps... I could take that position too."
A sharp glint flashed through Lieutenant Colonel Jordi's eyes. When he noticed Monka looking over, he quickly lowered his head.
After a long silence, Monka suddenly turned and swung his axe into a tree trunk, cleaving the waist-thick Big Tree in two.
Rumble!
Amid the dust, Monka gritted his teeth and said,
"Let's go. We'll finish the escort mission first!"
Since no one could be found on the island, where had Lowett gone?
The answer was not complicated.
"Ah, that was really close."
The waves slapped against the hull, making the wooden triangular-sailed ship creak and groan.
The Hundred Plans Black Cat drifted aimlessly across the East Blue. The black cat figurehead at its bow stared blankly ahead with its feline eyes, just like its new owner, with nothing to do.
Leaving the Undead to control the sails and rudder, Lowett lay on a beach chair under the moonlight, waiting for his Mental Power to recover.
In his battle with Kuro, the most crucial magic had not only been Crimson Fury, but also the two Bone Magic spells—Bone Fang Sword.
It was the brute-force suppression under Crimson Fury's enhancement, combined with the surprise attack of Bone Fang Sword, that had severely wounded Kuro and ultimately killed him.
Along with repeatedly using Blood Cone Technique, Blood Coagulation, and Skeleton Revival, the battle had completely drained Lowett's Mental Power.
Naturally, he could not remain on the deserted island and allow himself to be surrounded by the army led by Monka.
So he had made use of the Hundred Plans Black Cat that Kuro and the others had sailed on.
Zango knew that if he fled, Kuro would certainly come after him. To trap Kuro on the island, tampering with the pirate ship had been inevitable.
Damaging the ship itself would not do. Not only would it take too long, but it would also be difficult to avoid the crew's notice.
So Zango had chosen to pile explosives in an inconspicuous cabin and detonate them with a timer.
That was what Lowett was sighing over.
When he arrived, there had only been three ticks left before detonation. Three seconds!
If he had sat on the beach a little longer...
this ship would have exploded into the brightest star in the twilight.
Then, with only a lifeboat, his survival truly would have been uncertain.
A warship was faster than a manually rowed boat no matter what.
But there were no what-ifs. He had made it in time, so he was safe.
Lifting his wineglass, Lowett smiled faintly at the moon.
"Cheers!"
Then he opened his mouth and drank the Soul Light Orb soaking inside, along with the wine, in one gulp.
On the Undead black ship, he drank souls beneath the moon.
Lowett savored the exhilaration of surviving a great battle.
"Hiss... ha!"
Soul Devouring did not require any particular method. Necromancers relied on their unique understanding of souls to strip away their shells and merge them into their own souls.
It was a soul consuming another soul.
When one's soul strength was insufficient, "sipping" was the best way to control the amount consumed at once. But Lowett no longer needed to be so stingy.
Thump! Thump!
The swelling sensation from his soul made Lowett's heart race. He closed his eyes and felt the cool, pure energy spread through the scorching, aching depths of his soul.
From the perspective of the Soul Sea, tiny fragments of mirror-like dust were drawn toward the light blooming from the orb and slowly merged into it.
The amount was minuscule, but it truly was gradually recovering.
After refilling his glass, Lowett lightly swirled his wrist. Beneath the hair covering his forehead, his eyes were deep and tranquil.
"I thought killing Kuro and taking the ship would let me shake off the pursuit easily... I didn't expect you to give me such a surprise, Zango."
Honestly, Lowett had almost failed to escape. He would not forget this "kindness."
"Then let me look forward to it! When you discover that Kuro has vanished while I am still alive, what wonderful flavor will that soul, caught between hope and despair, have?"
Lowett had not left behind clear evidence that he had killed the Great Pirate Kuro.
Because it was not enough.
There was not enough fear, and not enough missing people!
He needed more corpses. He needed more fear.
His achievements would not be forgotten. As long as no one found the answer to where the vanished corpses had gone, no one would ever be at ease.
And time would slowly ferment that fear, continuously piling it into people's hearts. Then, when everything was revealed...
the rebound after hitting rock bottom would carve his name into the depths of everyone's hearts!
As a Necromancer, one was undoubtedly unqualified if one did not toy with human hearts.
"By then, I suppose I'll have made an outstanding contribution to peace in the East Blue..."
With a soft laugh, Lowett looked behind him.
Two Zombie Puppets dragged over a corpse each by one leg, then lifted them and tossed them into the center of the blood-drawn magic circle.
Kuro had not died with lingering resentment, because he knew his defeat had not been undeserved.
Failing to see through an enemy's trap and getting killed because of it—only fools would find that frustrating.
Smart people knew that it was simply a matter of disparity.
"But now, it's time to deal with the real business!"
A stream of blood was drawn out and turned into a scalpel floating at his side. Lowett brushed up the stray hair before his forehead and, with difficulty, used his severed arm to secure a cloth bandage.
Then he stepped into the magic circle and lit the six soul lamps made from severed heads arranged around it.
An evil, filthy aura spread wantonly, accompanied by the hissing murmurs of Undead Souls, terrifying the sea creatures and sending them fleeing.
Looking at the corpse beneath his feet, Lowett's expression was solemn and serious, more like a doctor than a Necromancer.
"I wonder how far I can modify him. With so many souls and corpses, I should at least be able to meet the passing mark, right?"
As he spoke, the blood scalpel shaved off a patch of hair from Kuro's head. Lowett's gaze turned grave.
"The 329,451st Black Knight Modification begins!"
Recently, there were two things that had left Big Tree feeling emotional. One was World of Warcraft.
Is BL full of losers?
Fine!
You just went dark the moment you said you would? You did not even give them a chance?
Come out and die, writers... What? The last time I was online was twenty-seven days ago?
Never mind, then.
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