Chapter 336: Chapter 287: The Eagle’s Leap, The King of Assassins
Adventurers who had long roamed beyond civilization, regardless of their original Sequence or Extraordinary Profession, all possessed an inherent lawlessness, a trait embedded deep in their bones that clashed with the civilized world.
After all, in the wilderness, on the high seas, in ruins—in all places Human civilization could not reach—established social norms no longer applied.
Losing one’s Human Nature means losing much; losing one’s Beastliness means losing everything.
Everything naturally reverted to the simplest, most direct law of the jungle.
—The one with the bigger fist and the greater cunning controlled the right to speak within the team.
The best frontline Adventurers, in particular, believed this implicitly.
Thus, when the new acting Governor Byron, accompanied by a few of his pirate officers, arrived at the naval harbor with all due etiquette to welcome the incoming *Raven*, he found himself on the receiving end of an intimidating display.
More accurately, everyone at the naval harbor—the port workers, passersby, and sailors alike—was thoroughly startled by the adventurer ship’s display.
During the interval before Byron received word and came out to greet them, the ship had already neared the port. It was clearly visible even without the aid of the lookout tower.
The *Raven*, as it appeared before them, was a two-masted brigantine.
The vessel was long and narrow, built for speed. From a distance, its dozen or so striking red sails resembled a fiercely burning Blaze.
Its mainsail, shimmering with a Divine Light, bore the embroidery of a large, silver fish with spread fins, somewhat avian in appearance.
It was unmistakably some kind of wondrous artifact.
Just as Byron locked eyes with the ship’s master—a scruffy-bearded man in a hood, perched in the crow’s nest of the mainmast—the man grinned wickedly and blew a whistle.
WHOOSH—!
A gust of sea breeze picked up.
The entire outline of the adventurer ship became edged with a brilliant silver radiance, vaguely forming the shape of a streamlined great fish.
Then, its massive tail struck the sea surface, and the entire vessel abruptly soared from the water.
Before the onlookers’ steadily widening eyes, the *Raven* glided towards the naval harbor on the sea breeze at approximately 15 meters per second, or 30 knots.
This Human creation had transformed into a veritable flying fish.
The entire hull was over four meters above the water, its Rudder skimming the wave crests. It flew a full 400 meters in a single burst!
"Creator above, the ship can actually fly!"
"Am I dreaming? This ship... it took to the Sky!"
The harbor personnel and the sailors who had sought refuge in the port all gasped in astonishment.
The *Raven*’s entrance was a perfect ten.
Its arrival left an indelible impression on all spectators.
Only Byron remained unfazed, thinking, I never care whether other people’s ships are fast or not, because even the fastest ship is not as fast as I am. Fast enough to fly, but you’re still just a ship.
With Byron’s advancement to the Third Order and the continuous strengthening of his Spirituality, the maximum range of his ’Echoes of History’—allowing him to read the History of people and objects—had steadily increased. It had now extended from the original six meters to sixty meters.
As his opponent rapidly approached and entered the effective range of his ability, Byron instantly gleaned some of their secrets.
This brigantine lacks a Wonder Ship Figurehead. Instead, skilled Artisans and Black Witches sealed the soul of a Caudal Flying Fish, a large species of Sea Monster, into its fish-skin sails. Furthermore, the materials used in its construction—the keel, masts, and Rudder—were likely all derived from the bones of that same large Sea Monster species. They flayed it, stripped its bones, and bound its soul—a Caudal Flying Fish capable of contending with a Battleship—to create this Wonder Battleship.
Any adventurer ship daring to navigate the World Serpent’s Celestial Current Belt must possess a way to counter the Doldrums. While others might be immobilized by the lack of wind, this flying *Raven* could likely use the vertical updrafts there to glide effortlessly, flying faster and higher than anywhere else. It was clearly designed and built specifically to traverse the Celestial Orbital Belt. This also implied the ship’s owner... was very wealthy!
Just as the *Raven* reached its zenith, the scruffy-bearded captain, grasping a feather, leaped from the masthead, dozens of meters above the sea.
"AHHH—!"
"Someone’s committing suicide!"
The spectators in the harbor once again let out a series of shocked cries. Experienced sailors knew that while diving and swimming seemed ordinary, a fall from too great a height, or with improper Posture, made the seemingly soft sea surface as unforgiving as rock.
A fall from forty to fifty meters was enough to shatter a Human body.
Furthermore, this captain wasn’t aiming for the sea, but for the wooden wharf extending from the harbor—and for Byron, who stood at its very edge!
But the adventurous captain did not plummet as everyone had anticipated. Instead, he spread his deliberately widened white cloak, gliding down from the Sky like a predatory Eagle swooping for its prey.
The wind slightly lifted the hood that constantly covered his head, revealing a pair of sharp, yellow, Eagle-like eyes that shot Byron a clear, provocative glance:
Bet you’re shocked, I can fly!
The ability he employed was the assassin’s signature skill, ’Eagle’s Leap’! It ensured that as long as he held a feather, no matter the height of the fall, he would not die. It was also a renowned technique of the Eagles’ Nest Assassins from the West Coast in bygone days. For over a century, it had made dignitaries of all stripes tremble with fear, utterly dismayed.
"’No object shall hold eternal truth, no method shackled.’ Sea Hunter? Are you the new Governor of the colony mentioned in the notice from the Kingdom’s Navy Department? Let me see what you’ve got! Taste my blade!"
CLANG!
With a flick of his wrists, two gleaming Sleeve Swords sprang forth, striking like an Eagle’s beak, their cold light stinging the eyes.
Byron knew that even among bandits establishing a mountain stronghold, a pecking order was essential. When a group of Transcendents, strangers to one another, teamed up, they inevitably had to establish dominance. Shedding the veneer of civilization, nothing was more direct and decisive than fighting like a Beast. It was far preferable to the workplace charade of superficial amicability that masked backstabbing and petty sabotage.
Moreover, this first arriving reinforcement was clearly an ostentatious and unconventional assassin.
"’Captain James Kent of the *Raven*, Hawkeye? I admire your courage,’ Byron said, simply placing his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, calmly watching the assassin swoop down from the Sky.
An unyielding, murderous aura instantly filled the space between them.
No one believed that the protector of this harbor, the notorious Great Pirate, would be an easy mark.
Just as the onlookers anticipated a duel of exquisite swordsmanship, a Spiritual Radiance suddenly erupted from both combatants. The resulting whirlwind momentarily blinded the spectators.
Now’s my chance, Hawkeye thought.
The pair of slender Sleeve Swords in Hawkeye James Kent’s hands vanished instantly, like a Dream or a mirage. In their place appeared a... Battle Axe with twin blades almost as large as wagon wheels!
Hefted high overhead in the Roof-Raising Style and infused with his presence, this monstrous weapon instantly gained the material properties, weight, and lethality of a genuine wheeled Battle Axe. A radiant Rune symbolizing [Gravity] even materialized on its blade. Though the Battle Axe appeared normal-sized, its actual weight surpassed that of a 32-pounder cannon (3 tons). If he brought it down with the momentum of his aerial descent, its sheer weight alone could smash both man and wharf to smithereens.
"Despicable!" Byron’s pirate officers behind him exclaimed, a mixture of shock and anger in their voices.
This adventurer captain’s profession was, surprisingly, the [Phantom Blade]—the same as Gus’s—a path derived from the Eagles’ Nest Assassins of the West Coast. However, he was clearly far more powerful than Gus, who was merely Second Order. He had already awakened the Third Order [Fantasia Armory]. He could materialize not only conventional items like knives, spears, swords, and tridents, but also various Miracles possessing Extraordinary Power. Even though such manifested replicas were inevitably weaker than the originals to varying degrees, this ability was truly deserving of the term ’Myriad Transformations’.
This also embodied the supreme tenet of the assassin’s creed: "No object shall hold eternal truth, no method shackled!"
As the saying goes, how could one become a grandmaster without knowing how to use a Firearm? If one couldn’t grasp that wrenches, crowbars, Battle Axes, Firearms... were all merely extensions of the Sleeve Sword philosophy, how could one ever aspire to be the king of assassins?
Thanks to this element of surprise, Hawkeye James Kent was undoubtedly a top-tier combatant among all Third Order Transcendents.
Then... he experienced Byron’s "swordsmanship" firsthand.
His Eagle-sharp eyes narrowed abruptly. Then, with a THUD, he landed on one knee before Byron. His stylish and dashing [Eagle’s Leap] was broken on the spot. The formidable, artifact-grade Battle Axe in his hands also slowly dissolved into iridescent particles, scattering in the sea breeze. This special effect, capable of easily deceiving the senses, was certainly visually striking.
Hawkeye James Kent stared at the thick, hard muzzles aimed at him from every direction—front, back, left, and right. He swallowed hard, his forehead instantly slick with sweat. Beads trickled down his cheeks and scruffy chin, DRIP, DRIP, onto the wharf planks. He didn’t dare raise a hand to wipe it away.
Slowly, he raised his head to look at the [Sea Hunter], who stood three paces away, still smiling. James Kent forced an incredibly ugly grin. "Your Excellency the Governor, this is all a misunderstanding! I’m a man who enjoys a good joke. This was just a bit of fun to welcome you and congratulate you on your appointment as Governor."
Byron regarded him with an unwavering smile, his voice tinged with skepticism, "Is that so?"
Hawkeye James Kent insisted earnestly, practically swearing an oath, "Absolutely! I’m most skilled in Illusion Techniques that manipulate the senses. Please, you must give me a chance to perform for you next time. I guarantee your satisfaction!"
Hearing this, Byron’s tone softened, and he gestured for the man to rise. "Alright, I forgive you. But remember, when you’re on someone else’s turf next time, show some courtesy. Otherwise, you might get your head smashed in."
A look passed between them; both recognized a kindred spirit in tactical flexibility and shifting bottom lines. This collaboration, Byron mused, should be quite pleasant.
James, as if granted amnesty, repeatedly assured him, "Understood! It won’t happen again!"
SNAP!
Byron snapped his fingers.
The cannons aboard the dozens of Warships in the nearby naval port, along with hundreds of large-caliber fortress cannons in the coastal batteries, swiveled back to their original positions, guided by the Storm Elves. He disengaged the Manual Guidance lock, retracting his unparalleled "Fleet Law"!
This allowed a visibly relieved James Kent to finally exhale, no longer daring to try any of his wilderness antics. He scrambled up from the wharf, wiped the sweat from his face, and praised Byron with genuine admiration, "Governor, on the assassin’s path of ’No object shall hold eternal truth, no method shackled,’ you have ventured far beyond me. Astounding, truly astounding! One day, you could genuinely contend for the title of King of Assassins. And as a Great Pirate, your strength and luck are both formidable. I’ve never witnessed such an ability before."
This was because the core professional ability of a Third Order Great Pirate is [Plunder as Fire], which allows them, under certain conditions, to seize others’ transcendent abilities. Byron, the renowned [Sea Hunter], had shot to fame by completing the ’Pirate’s Treasure Chest’ Promotion Ceremony on Silvergold Island. In the eyes of all outsiders, he was a genuine Third Order Great Pirate. Therefore, no matter what kind of professional ability he displayed, it wouldn’t seem strange to others.
The maxim "To seize is better than to toil" was not just empty words, after all.
In the future, even if he openly used [Storm Admiral] abilities in plain sight, it wouldn’t arouse suspicion. After all, for Byron Tudor—a Great Pirate, a Great Loyalist of the York Party, and the commander-in-chief of the anti-bandit forces—to use the techniques of his arch-rivals, the Lancaster Party, wasn’t that perfectly justifiable?