A Peerless Hero Who Doesn't Overstep

The Navy ships anchored along the coast were currently hauling up their anchors and hoisting their sails.

Kujaku stood beneath the boarding ramp, pacing anxiously while occasionally standing on tiptoe to peer into the distance.

Bling Bling clutched his rifle, crouching behind the reefs arranged along the shore.

Ain leaned against the railing, gazing toward the Opera House, her sea-blue curls whipped into undulating waves by the ocean breeze.

On deck, Shuzo directed the crew, shouting downward: "Board the ship now; we are ready to set sail at any moment."

Bling Bling turned and boarded the ship; no matter how worried he was, he was a Marine, and his primary duty was to follow orders without causing trouble.

Kujaku gripped her whip tightly, and after a moment of hesitation, she stepped onto the ramp.

All preparations for the Navy ship's departure were complete, and Shuzo ordered: "All troops, prepare for the final five minutes. We set sail to evacuate."

"Five minutes?" Kujaku's squinted eyes widened, and she finally couldn't help but question him: "Conrad is covering our retreat; he'll be back any second. If we leave, how is he supposed to get on board?"

Shuzo stood tall, chest puffed out, and replied: "The Mafia forces could pursue us at any time, potentially carrying heavy weaponry. To prevent our ships from being sunk and the entire fleet from being wiped out, our primary objective now is to reach the open sea and ensure a clear, safe line of sight."

Kujaku didn't understand, but the word "sacrifice" immediately sprang to mind.

Although the Navy was always full of life-and-death partings—like the family of Grandfather Zephyr, or the little lion cub crossing the river, only to be eaten by a crocodile right under its mother's nose—everything felt so abrupt and sudden.

But those were things she had only heard of from afar; now that it was happening right before her eyes, Kujaku was suddenly overcome by a sense of powerlessness.

"I ate the Return-Return Fruit when I was ten," Ain walked over to Kujaku's side, standing quietly and speaking to the sea as if to herself:

"At the time, there was a beautiful peach-colored flame on my hand, and it didn't even burn. My neighbor's little sister insisted on playing with it, and the moment she touched it, she vanished. I hadn't prepared for that at all."

Kujaku felt empty inside; she suddenly missed that sour, aching sensation in her chest.

The Navy ship's smokestacks began to billow, and after a loud blast of the siren, it set sail. It would not stall for those left behind. The moon had already slid past the zenith and was gradually descending into the west.

Thwack!

Bling Bling dropped a kayak and two oars.

As they moved further from the shore, Kujaku's vision gradually blurred until she could only see a patch of black.

She wiped her eyes, turned around, and leaned against the railing just like Ain, staring at the stars.

Those who die go to the sky and become stars; that was what her grandmother, Tsuru, had always told her. Looking at the sky now, she realized there seemed to be two more stars than before.

A Marine holding binoculars raised his hand to report: "Report! Emergency report! There is an unidentified creature pursuing our forces at sea!"

"Unidentified?" Shuzo frowned, hurriedly taking the binoculars, only to see a red, snake-like creature in the distance, leaping up and down on the surface of the sea with exaggerated movements.

"All troops, alert! Prepare for bombardment!"

The Marines obeyed, lining up and standing firm by the railing. The front row knelt with rifles held steady, while the back row stepped forward, aiming their weapons.

The triple-barreled cannons at the bow also shifted, locking onto the monster leaping across the sea.

Kujaku snatched a pair of binoculars, swaying left and right until she finally locked onto the target. After staring for a few moments, her blush slowly deepened, and her delicate voice cracked as she shouted:

"Stop! Everyone stop! It's Conrad! He's back!"

"Shut up!" Shuzo barked: "Do you take me for a blind man? You've lost your mind from missing that guy!"

Kujaku gave a wicked smile, flicked her Combat Whip, and delivered a heavy horizontal strike across the backs of the Marines.

"Stand at attention, all of you!"

The Marines' eyes instantly went dull as they clutched their rifles and stood firm.

"You!" Shuzo pointed at her in anger, drawing his sword: "Are you trying to get everyone killed?"

"I said it's him, so it's him!" Kujaku didn't yield an inch, tilting her round chin up with a scornful smile: "Who do you think you are, drawing a blade on me? Do you know who my grandmother is!"

Even though the guy had grown much taller and now had red hair, and she hadn't recognized him at first glance, that distinct black face! She could never mistake it!

Shuzo's hand on his sword stiffened, his face full of resentment.

The red-haired figure coming across the waves was getting closer and closer. With every leap and landing, one could almost smell the scent of blood carried on the wind from hundreds of meters away.

Just as the entire force was on high alert, a familiar laugh rang out.

"Haha~ Welcoming me? You're making such a scene, you're too kind."

Conrad tapped his toes repeatedly against the water, performing a light-footed dash across the surface. With a burst of speed, his aura pressed a semi-circle into the water, and with one final leap, he soared into the air and landed on the ship's railing.

A strong wind blew, causing his waist-length blood-red hair to dance like a nest of snakes, framing his black face and white teeth. His exposed upper-body muscles were as clearly defined as marble carvings, and the charred, bloody marks on his right arm looked like war tattoos as he leaned on his Whale-Slaying Tyrant Spear.

Though he was only eight centimeters taller, he had transformed from a boy into a young man, his heroic spirit laced with a bone-chilling, piercing aura of slaughter.

"Conrad?" Shuzo asked tentatively.

"I have fulfilled my duty." Conrad jumped gracefully, landing on the deck.

After speaking, he rubbed his rumbling stomach and laughed, heading straight for the kitchen: "I'm starving. Where's the cook? Make me some food, quickly! Otherwise, I'm going to start eating people, haha!"

The crew on board was stunned. They had already found it incredible that Conrad could hold off the Mafia for so long, but they never expected him to return safely.

The pity for those who had sacrificed themselves quietly transformed into the seeds of admiration.

"Whoa!" Bling Bling ran over and hugged Conrad, wanting to toss him into the air to celebrate as they had in the past, but when he exerted his strength to lift him, Conrad didn't budge an inch.

"I'm eating first, and after that, I need to sleep." Conrad clutched the gun in his arms and cast a sidelong glance at Bling Bling.

Only then did Bling Bling notice that Conrad's eyes were one black and one crimson; the blood within the crimson eye surged like a living thing, making him feel like a pig or a lamb being eyed by a butcher.

It was only after Conrad had descended the stairs and entered the cabin that he finally shook off that sense of horror, a layer of cold sweat breaking out across his back.

Conrad entered the kitchen, hugged his gun, and crouched in the corner, closing his eyes to rest while eating the oranges from the crate.

Just moments ago, he had truly believed his time was up and that he was about to be possessed by his inner demon, yet he hadn't expected the demon to be so fragile—it had suffered a mere kiss and its defenses had been shattered instantly.

As for Conrad, he had always maintained his composure in the face of feminine charms; he was broad-minded, possessed high moral integrity, and was a renowned, peerless hero capable of passing the trial of beauty.

It had taken him a mere eight minutes, during which he admired the moon for a while, to easily suppress the restless blushing and backhand suppress the still-dazed Demon Seed.

"Despicable!" a shrill scream echoed inside his skull.

Conrad offered a disdainful smile, "Things with base natures are nothing but trash; your willpower is pathetic."

With the inner demon's momentum gone, Conrad only needed to eat his fill to smoothly practice the Heart-Freezing Art, reverse his blood flow, and compress it back into the state of a Demon Seed.

"Time to eat!" Kujaku, wearing a chef's hat over her pink one, carried a bucket of food and crouched down in front of Conrad.

Conrad opened his eyes, just about to say thank you, but his gaze involuntarily fell upon the strawberry-patterned tube top Kujaku wore, and the two wheat-colored mounds that were just beginning to take shape.

Damn that inner demon! Still trying to lead me astray!

He hurriedly squeezed his eyes shut and, after much hesitation, was forced to say, "Kujaku... could you trouble yourself to feed me? I am currently at a critical..."

"Okay~" Kujaku scooped up a spoonful of food, smiling with her eyes narrowed as she shoved it into Conrad's mouth.