Black Devil Simon

At the sight of the Black Devil Order, Arthur felt as though he had "seen" a filthy stone in an outhouse.

His stomach churned involuntarily, but he suppressed the nausea threatening to make him vomit.

A surge of anger rose within him, and he desperately wanted to raise his musket and blow the sailors' heads apart!

[Whisper of the Moth]

The buzzing of wings filled his mind, driving away the rage in his heart.

Using this method to remain clear-headed, Arthur immediately took out the [Ease] stored within the Rite.

Throwing [Ease] into the battling pirates and sailors, Arthur shouted, "Everyone, stop!"

"Stop!"

Arena responded.

As Ease spread, it amplified the orders of the two "leaders," and the fighting on the deck gradually came to a halt.

More than a dozen corpses were left behind, scattered across either side of the deck.

First Mate Kaia panted heavily, his face full of dissatisfaction. "Why did we stop?!"

Arthur raised a hand and pointed at the black cloak. "They're from the Black Devil Order. Do you still want to keep fighting?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Kaia let out a shriek. "Damn it!"

"Get back! Nothing good comes from getting contaminated by these freaks!"

The Black Devil Order, branded as cultists, was one of the Church of Light's primary targets for purification.

If pirates like them ran into those freaks, it would be easy for the Church to mistake them for accomplices and purify them along with the cultists.

"Oh my God!"

Dragging their wounded bodies along, the pirates retreated from the Jasmine's deck to the Great White Shark.

"Turn the ship around and run!"

Wick held a longsword in his hand and was just about to order their escape.

Arthur strode over and slapped him across the face without holding back in the slightest.

The blow sent Wick spinning in place.

"Everyone, remain where you are. Tend to the wounded immediately. The battle isn't over yet."

Marcus sucked in a breath, then urged Arthur with his dark-ringed eyes, "Captain, we need to run!"

"Those are cultists, bastards who sacrifice human virtue to make deals with demons!"

"Shut up!"

Arthur planted both hands on his broadsword and said in a deep voice, "No matter which side wins, they'll have to pay a tremendous price."

"A pirate's creed has never included returning loot that has already fallen into our hands."

"If the situation turns bad, I'll order us to leave, but not now!"

The pirates gradually calmed down, while cries of pain rose and fell across the deck.

"Followers of the Black Devil!"

Dorian gasped, immediately drew his sword, and pointed it at the black-cloaked figure.

Simon looked at Arena and said calmly, "Are you going to break our agreement?"

"Or do you intend to offer up your precious life and soul to serve the great Black Devil?"

Arena snorted and drew the sword at her waist, assuming the opening stance of Stuart Family Swordsmanship.

Simon could not understand how Arena dared to break their agreement. Burdened by the Black Devil's Curse, she could drop dead at any moment.

He took out a piece of white bone from beneath his cloak, crushed it into powder, and gave Arena a bloodthirsty smile.

Arena seized the opening, slid from the merchant ship onto the deck, and thrust her longsword at Simon.

Hm?

The Black Devil's Curse had not taken effect!

"Impossible!"

Flames ignited in Simon's eyes. The fire of his fury became tangible, and endless strength surged through his arms.

He swung his pirate cutlass and charged at Arena.

"Impossible! No one can lift the Black Devil's Curse, and the Stuart Family certainly doesn't specialize in that!"

"You went to the Church of Light for help? Impossible!"

"The Church of Light would never help the Stuarts. They'd only purify you as a cultist!"

Simon stared at Arena, trying to get an answer.

Arena's sword flashed with chilling brilliance. Relying on her agility, she circled around Simon and ignored him completely.

"Answer me!"

Simon roared furiously, provoking Arena's anger.

Arena had already been full of rage. Through a bizarre twist of fate, she had been coerced by the Black Devil's Curse and nearly become a cultist herself.

Now, Simon's extraordinary power drew out Arena's anger.

Behind Simon's Eye of Wrath lay composure and calm. Unable to think of a reason for the moment, he could only stir up his opponent's rage.

He wanted Arena to clash with him head-on. As a Sequence 8 Priest of Fury of the Path of Desire, frontal combat was what he excelled at most.

In terms of strength, he held an absolute advantage.

After struggling with himself for a while, Dorian drew his sword and joined the battle. Having also been sponsored by the Stuart Family, his Swordsmanship came from the Stuarts.

With Arena's cooperation, their chances of taking down this seemingly weak cultist were high.

This was far too different from the original plan.

Simon had thought that he and Arena would slaughter the Jasmine's sailors together, then leave with the Moon Bone.

He had never expected Arena to join forces with another Swordsman to surround and kill him.

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly as his gaze fell on the Jasmine's cabin. It seemed these people still did not understand the allure of the Moon Bone.

"Ha!"

Simon's body shot into the cabin like a cannonball. While fending off two sharp swords, he searched for the Moon Bone.

If he found the Moon Bone, he might still be able to complete his mission.

Noticing Simon's unusual actions, Arena immediately asked, "What contraband are we escorting this time?"

Dorian did not answer. He could not defy his superior's will, and the contraband's nature was highly compatible with the Darkness Path.

"If you still won't tell me, the Black Devil Order may seize an opportunity, and we could all die here."

"I think it's called the Moon Bone. It's highly compatible with the Darkness Path, but I don't know its exact use."

Aztec's Moon Bone?!

Arena remembered the Moon Bone's origins. Rumor had it that in the distant New Continent, after Aztec extraordinary individuals died, their bones would be sealed inside coffins.

The coffins would be placed in special tombs, sealed away during the day and exposed to moonlight at night.

Furthermore, the Moon Bone possessed an exceptionally strange power of temptation. Silver items had to be used when transporting such special contraband.

"Found it!"

Simon revealed an eerie smile. In a corner of the cargo hold, he found a well-preserved silver flask.

He kicked the silver flask flat. Through the damaged container, a bone of pure white, almost transparent, was exposed.

A Sequence 7 contraband item: Moon Bone—Skullcap.

The instant the Moon Bone was exposed, Simon suddenly launched an assault, using brute force to briefly suppress Arena and Dorian.

During the attack, he quietly took out a blue stone and threw it at Dorian.

Dorian tried to dodge, but the blue stone seemed to have grown wings and followed him, striking him on the head.

Simon let out demonic laughter. His laughter provoked Arena's roar, concealing a seductive whisper.

A seductive whisper sounded beside Dorian's ear, pushing his mental defenses to their limit.

The Moon Bone glimmered with silver light and, while Dorian had no spare strength left, quietly took control of him.

"The moon is everything."

Dorian's eyes went vacant. His lips moved as he spoke. "The moon is everything."

"You idiot!"

Arena could not help but rebuke him. Dorian had been guarding against her the entire time and refused to tell her what contraband they were escorting.

Now that he had been tempted by the Moon Bone, the situation was reversed in an instant.