Chapter 219
Zeke also spotted demons clad in black armor, exuding an ominous aura, behind the hounds.
Their movements seemed far more stable than before, indicating that the experiments had yielded some results.
One of the hounds approached Bastian.
"Hey, you pirate scum. Come here."
Bastian spat out the lizard meat he was chewing, disgusted by the hound's insulting words.
As other pirates beside him began to rise, he raised a hand to stop them, then slowly walked towards the hound.
"What is it?"
The hound casually tossed something towards Bastian.
It was a wooden cylinder, sealed with information inside.
The hound sneered at Bastian and said,
"You filthy pirates. Do exactly as it says inside. Then, maybe we'll give your wretched bodies a chance to rub shoulders with the Empire."
At the hound's words, the other hounds chuckled.
Bastian slowly bent down and picked up the wooden cylinder.
Then, he twisted the cylinder according to a predetermined sequence. It opened, revealing an encrypted paper inside.
Bastian quickly read the contents of the paper and swallowed it.
The hound spoke to Bastian,
"You stinking pirates. Don't go spreading Southern fleas, you unlucky bastards."
At that, the other hounds chuckled again.
Bastian, who had silently endured the insults, scratched his head, then turned and flung the wooden cylinder he was holding at the hound.
The hound instinctively caught the cylinder Bastian had thrown.
That's when it happened.
Whoosh!
A venomous snake, its body colorful, darted out of the cylinder.
"You crazy bastard!"
The hound hurriedly swatted the snake away and retreated. The snake, seemingly enraged by the retreat, raised its head defiantly.
Seeing this, Bastian, who had been watching, drew his long, pointed sword and thrust it into the snake's head.
Kiiiiik!
The snake, pierced by Bastian's sword, slumped lifelessly.
Bastian picked up the snake, thrust it towards the hounds, and said, "Oops, how did that get in there? I put it in for my snack. Are you perhaps scared?"
He put on a sly expression, shrugging his shoulders as he looked at the other hounds behind them.
"So? Anything else you want to say?"
The hounds glared at Bastian, grinding their teeth, but seemingly judging that prolonged talk would gain them nothing, they spat and returned.
Bastian scoffed at the retreating hounds.
Then, he spoke to his companions in a rough Southern accent,
"Central continent dandies. They always seem like they're dying to get themselves killed, don't they?"
At his words, the other pirates burst into laughter. Most of them were members of the Favela Cartel.
Zeke clicked his tongue, watching Bastian, who was wielding the venomous snake with utter ruthlessness.
'His temper's the same now as it was in my past life.'
While Don Juan was still renowned as the most ill-tempered person in the Southern Continent, Bastian was equally eccentric and quick to anger.
Furthermore, unlike Don Juan, who led the cartel through organization and tactics, Bastian was known for his direct combat prowess.
Though he concealed his identity, he was a former rough Southern Sea pirate and was also famous as a notorious outlaw.
'He was even more troublesome than the Blue Knights.'
Ultimately, Bastian was one of the cartel bosses Zeke failed to assassinate in his previous life.
As Zeke recalled events from his past life, Bastian led his subordinates deeper into the forest with a swaggering gait.
Whoever was in command, it was clear that Bastian was coordinating with the hounds.
'Did Abel give the order? I doubt that cautious man would come here himself...'
Zeke sent a Dragon Tooth Soldier ahead and trailed Bastian's group from a greater distance.
Then, Bastian's group stopped, seemingly having discovered something.
"Found them. Get ready."
At Bastian's words, the pirates drew their weapons.
Zeke sent his Dragon Tooth Soldier further ahead to investigate and saw the Silver Knight's encampment at the point Bastian was preparing to attack.
'Is Sister Cali there?'
Bastian and the pirates drew their weapons, looking for an opportunity.
The knights in the encampment were already exhausted, and many were wounded.
As Bastian gave a signal to the pirates, they secretly descended.
'In that situation, no matter how skilled the Silver Knights are, they'll have a tough time.'
Pirates and cartel members were accustomed to the chaotic melees and close-quarters combat of such rough situations.
Zeke quickly ran towards the encampment.
Just then, Bastian threw a magic bomb towards the encampment.
Boom boom boom!
The sound of the bomb exploding shook the entire forest.
Startled by the magic bomb, the Silver Knights hastily rose to their feet.
"Enemy attack! Everyone scatter!"
Each knight of the Silver Knights possessed the skill of a hundred men.
They likely judged it better to move independently and showcase their abilities rather than fight clumsily grouped together.
However, in the current situation, that judgment was wrong.
'It doesn't matter when you have supporting forces behind you, but in a defensive situation like this, it's a huge disadvantage.'
Moreover, Zeke had another concern.
Zeke's Grim Premonition
Swish, swish, swish—
Zeke's grim premonition was not mistaken.
At the sound of the magic bomb, Giant Spiders began to swarm.
Growl!
The knights, though flustered by the sudden influx of spider monsters, calmly readied their swords.
"Hah!"
True to the Silver Knights' reputation, each knight's skill was unparalleled.
They pierced through tough carapaces with their swords or severed legs to cripple the spiders' mobility.
However, in battle, victory and defeat aren't determined by swordsmanship alone.
While the knights were engaging the spider monsters, hidden pirates launched a surprise attack from behind.
Whoosh!
The pirates threw hand axes at the knights' backs.
Thwack!
The moment the knights, anticipating the attack, briefly turned to deflect the axes, the spiders seized the opportunity and spewed webs.
Normally, these creatures would shoot webs at fleeing prey or as a last resort. But these Giant Spiders, having faced knights several times, had already learned how to fight them.
Splatters!
"Ugh!"
Sticky webs adhered to their armor, making it impossible to move their hands and feet properly.
Grrr!
The spiders spewed even tougher webs at the knights caught in their entanglement.
The knights struggled, but soon they were bound tightly by the hardened webs, completely immobilized.
The spiders then retreated, carrying the knights, now encased like cocoons, in their mouths.
The Silver Knights were overwhelmed by the spiders' attacks and the pirates' ambush.
"Retreat! We must get out of here!"
When the order to retreat was given, the Silver Knights moved in an orderly fashion to withdraw.
The problem was the wounded.
Those whose feet were bound by webs or who had been struck by the pirates' ambush couldn't retreat.
One of the knights shouted, "Go on ahead! I'll hold them off!"
He cried out, offering to sacrifice himself for his comrades.
The other Silver Knights gritted their teeth and pulled back, taking other wounded knights with them.
The last remaining knight ignited his aura, blocking the spiders and attackers.
"Haaaaah!"
As if burning the last flame of his life, a distinct aura blade surged from the knight's sword.
The knight's sword moved in accordance with the Dragon-Slaying Sword Forms. His blade simultaneously cut down the charging spiders and the pirates behind them.
Thud, thud!
The spiders' bodies and the pirates' bodies were completely shattered by the destructive power of the aura blade.
"Hah, hah."
The knight, completely drained of strength, gasped for breath, barely supporting himself.
It was then that Bastian appeared from behind.
"Hah, those Draker bastards. They're truly tenacious."
He drew his long, pointed sword and twirled his wrist.
The knight let out a battle cry and charged at Bastian.
"Chaaah!"
But Bastian deftly dodged the knight's sword and thrust his own blade.
Thunk!
"Ugh!"
As the knight retreated, blood seeped from the stab wound.
Bastian whistled and approached the wounded knight.
"Let's finish him quickly and go after the ones who escaped. We need to catch them and find out where that Cali bitch is."
At Bastian's words, the pirates chuckled.
That's when it happened.
Slash—
The head of a pirate, who had raised his axe to strike the immobilized knight's neck, rolled to the ground.
"Wh-what was that?"
The pirates panicked, looking around.
They searched for any remaining knights but found no one.
Slash—
Again, another pirate's head fell.
Bastian's expression hardened.
Then, he grabbed the nape of one of his nearby subordinates and shoved him forward.
"Huh?"
Thud!
The subordinate stumbled forward, and his neck was instantly severed.
"Bastard!"
Bastian immediately rolled to the side, evading the attack.
Whoosh!
A chilling sensation brushed past his neck.
Bastian slowly rose to his feet.
"Are you a hitman? I don't know who you are, but you're damn good."
The moment he finished speaking, Zeke appeared before Bastian.
Using the Stealth skill along with Soul Technique: Will of Silver, his presence couldn't even be detected by pirates of their caliber.
However, Bastian, at least, seemed to have instinctively felt Zeke's murderous intent.
Zeke emerged, holding his Annexie Dagger.
He tossed a potion from his pocket to the wounded knight.
"Drink that and go towards your comrades."
The knight, unaware of Zeke's identity, hesitated while holding the potion bottle he had caught, then drank it down.
Being a top-grade potion, his wounds healed rapidly.
Without hesitation, the knight immediately got to his feet and dashed into the forest.
Bastian saw this and yelled,
"What are you doing! Catch that bastard!"
Just as Bastian's subordinates hurriedly tried to chase the knight, Dragon Tooth Soldiers appeared behind them, blocking their path.
Zeke spoke to Bastian,
"Bastian of the Favela Cartel. Tell me why you are here. Then, I'll at least give you a more comfortable death than Don Juan."
At Zeke's words, Bastian's eyes widened.
"Don Juan! You were the one who killed that damn old pig bastard!"
He glared intently at Zeke and said, "I've been wondering who simultaneously brought down Mekain and the Favela Cartel, and now I see you here."
Bastian gestured with his eyes, and the pirates slowly approached Zeke.
Zeke then spoke to Bastian,
"Don't do anything useless. If you save my time, I'll kill you with less suffering."
Bastian grinned, telling Zeke,
"I know you're skilled. But a hitman shines brightest when performing an assassination. You shouldn't have shown yourself to me."
Then, Bastian pulled something out from his pocket.
He pointed a long, metal rod-like object at Zeke.
Zeke knew what Bastian was holding.
'A magic gun... Did he get it from those Siemens bastards?'
It was shorter than the magic gun possessed by Airon, the Knight Killer.
Bastian smirked and said to Zeke,
"You can't even imagine what kind of item this is."
Zeke then let out a short sigh and said,
"Do you think you can kill me with that?"
"Of course. It's a weapon faster than any magic or sword. With this, conquering the continent isn't just a dream."
Listening to Bastian's absurd fantasy, Zeke took a step forward.
Bastian then fired his magic gun at Zeke.
Bang!
A bullet embedded itself at Zeke's feet.
Immediately after, a cylindrical chamber attached to the magic gun rotated with a ‘whirring’ sound, reloading another bullet.
'A magic gun capable of continuous fire?'
In his previous life, the biggest reason magic guns became mere playthings for nobles was the excessively long reload time.
The heat generated by firing a concentrated magic bullet was so intense that if it wasn't properly cooled, the barrel would warp, preventing bullets from firing correctly and even posing a risk of explosion.
'Has Siemens succeeded in mass-producing magic guns? If so, why weren't they used in the war of my past life?'
While Zeke pondered, Bastian grinned slyly and aimed the gun.
"Just die already."
Bang!
A bullet flew towards Zeke.
Thwack!
Zeke instantly drew the sword from his back, swung it, and split the bullet in half.
"What? H-how?"
Bastian saw Zeke cut the bullet with his sword and realized he had been gravely mistaken.
"H-he's not a hitman... K-knight?"