Writer's Note: Hello! Gary's ship is badly damaged and cannot continue forward to assist the pirate crew on the other ship. Meanwhile, Lance's plot succeeds and Garret's ship takes heavy damage. However, Gary succeeds in sinking the merchant ship and sends half of his crew after Lance and the others. Now, they stall for time to let the fleeing passengers to escape to land. What price must they pay? Why is the island so feared by Gary and some of the passengers of the merchant ship? Enjoy.

Chapter 32: End of the Struggle

"Forward! We must secure a way off the island! The other ship can't come here. We must secure the deck before their reinforcements arrive!" the captain roared as he and the sailors assaulted Garret's pirate crew. The passengers who stayed behind to fight also yelled and charged.

"Where's Lance?"Mei cried as she slashed a nearby pirate across the throat.

"Over there!" Lingqi shouted and Mei saw Lance by the bridge, lashing his way into the captain's cabin with his lava chains melting and burning all it touched. Pirates screamed and burnt meat filled the air around him as he kicked the door down and made his way inside.

"The other ship is not moving! However, they're sending reinforcements!" Lingqi cried, realizing now why the captain made the order. "Whatever Lance did, it worked."

"FIRE!" a voice screamed inside the captain's cabin, followed by a loud explosion. The ship rocked and all eyes turned to see a teen fly in the sky and crash onto the deck. Mei's eyes widened as she saw it was Lance who was on the deck, groaning as his chest was badly burnt. The top three pairs of ribs could even be seen touching his sternum.

Lance coughed blood twice as the same voice roared, "Get the mana cannons out there and shoot him again! He's a fucking Meteor Vessel and probably the one who killed Garvin!"

Lance put his right hand on his chest as he lifted his left hand into the air. He screamed into the air and a dark purple water orb appeared and floated above his left hand. Soon, sailors and pirates both felt as if something was wrenching their very souls. At her cultivation, Mei could actually see green, tear-shaped lights come out of the hearts of the sailors and pirates and enter the purple water orb.

"What is this sorcery?" she gasped as the water orb shined and broke. The water fell onto Lance's chest and the deck. Lance's wounds began to heal and even the deck that got drenched by the water began to shine and become as radiant as newly cut wood.

"This is soul magic, the most miraculous and forbidden type of magic," Lingqi gasped as Lance's wounds completely healed. Meanwhile, the sailors, pirates, and even a few passengers felt light-headed and their knees wobbled. Because of their numbers, only an insignificant amount of their soul was drained. However, most of their energy was drained in the process.

"You made me bleed! You made me bleed!" Lance roared as he stood on his feet, his mana surging wildly. The rei neidan within his Soul Realm trembled as it began to surge and convert wave upon wave of spirit energy into mana. The tortured souls within the depths of the Sea of Souls wailed in pain as more of their energy was forcibly ripped and drained from them.

To this day, it could be said that Lance hardly felt any physical pain from his enemies. A tough fight or two, but not to the extent of so much damage at once. It reminded him of his days as a snake, slithering in fear as birds would claw and peck at him viciously. Parts of him were eaten and those traumatic experiences were ingrained in his heart.

Fear.

It was an emotion he had never felt in a long time. Frustration was felt when he fought a Meteor Vessel Practitioner who witnessed Mei kill people. Envy and rage was felt when all people were forced to kneel and kowtow when imperial guards once came to inspect the Divine Tattoos of the people of Gold Lotus City. He had no felt fear in so long.

This time, he wasn't afraid of birds or humans. He was not afraid of the cold cages which imprisoned him when he was weak and defenseless against human trappers. He was not afraid of tiny chicks who looked at him as he was dropped in their nest as if he were lunch.

He had nearly died and was afraid of Death, itself. Five mana cannons shot into him at once, combining into one powerful beam of spirit energy.

"He's still alive," Garret cursed and stepped onto the deck, eyes reeling as he saw Lance practically unharmed. "WHAT? Those cannon beams blew open his chest! How the fuck did he heal so fast?"

"Who the hell's Garvin? Who keep yelling his name, but I don't know the guy," Lance said, Mei and Lingqi noticing him buy time as the panther stealthily approached the edge of the deck. The panther licked its lips as it stared at the sea.

"You don't even know who he was?" Garret roared as his men positioned the mana cannons. "He was the captain of the pirate crew you slaughtered. You killed him!"

"In position," a pirate whispered and Lance curled his lips as Garret momentarily took his eyes off him to confirm. He used his Mirror Mirage Art and vanished before Garret looked back.

"Where did he go? Where is he?" Garret roared as the panther leaped off the ship, its body covered in flames as it lunged at Gary's first mate who was in the leading lifeboat sent help Garret.

Garret turned his head as he heard screams and cried out as he saw a giant sword appear before him. He hastily dodged out of the way and a huge crash resounded behind him as the great sword pierced through the mana cannons behind him. Due to the great sword, the formation was broken and some pirates howled in pain and agony as some mana cannons rolled onto their feet or banged against their shins.

Lance appeared exactly where he had disappeared. He only knew how to swing a sword. He merely used brute strength when he invaded the first pirate ship and looted it. This time, he threw the great sword as if he were throwing a javelin or spear.

"You probably thought I lost my nerve, right?" Lance inquired Mei and Lingqi, both nodding in agreement. "Well, I did. You go kill the pirates and save the sailors. I don't care about them. I'm going to make Garret my next test subject. He'll know the meaning of pain."

Lance teleported beside the pirate and kicked him inside the ruined captain's cabin. As he made his own way inside, he lashed out his lava chains and killed the pirates rolling on the floor in pain from the mana cannons. Screams and metal clashed all over the ship and on the ocean's surface.

The panther was having the time of its life. Its claws tore and gored several pirates and each of them had the talent to cultivate. It was a pity their meat did not feel as savory and tender as their cultivation was too weak, but the panther had them all to themselves. Most of all, they were living. Most animals preferred their prey alive than dead. Humans would consider the act barbaric as they were incapable of eating most animal flesh raw.

"My little brother will avenge us both. You're stronger than us, but he will kill you in the end. He's a smart pirate!" Garret said as he backed against the wall with his hands and butt on the floor.

"You pirates thought to destroy us by flanking. How simplistic. You call that intelligence? Not only that, he's too busy saving his own ship with half of his crew. The other half, I permitted my panther to partake of as an all-you-can-eat buffet. No one can help you now. If he was truly heartless and determined for vengeance, he would have destroyed this ship with mana cannons and picked off the survivors as they swam for shore. If he was truly smart, he would have sent his men after our own lifeboats and used them as hostages. That is using your head. You're both fools," Lance mocked.

"Then kill me! I ain't going to beg for my life like a coward! I died a free man! Free from the empire!" Garret roared, Lance's eyes narrowing.

"Now we're getting somewhere," Lance said as his lava chains disappeared and grabbed the collar of the pirate as a black and silver chest appeared in his left hand. "Now, tell me where you got this from and what's inside it. Also, is this empire you speak of a part of the southern continent?"

"Laddy, you have no idea of the true power moving behind the scenes. Tell me, have you ever heard about the Elemental Sovereign of Lightning?" Garret asked.

"Of course I know of the Elemental Sovereign of Lightning. Lightning is one of my five elements," Lance answered and let the pirate go, picking up the great sword and pointed it at him. "What's an Elemental Sovereign got to do with this empire you spoke of? Is this chest a part of it? I'm not going to lie. I aim to kill every pirate that came from both ships. If you tell me, I'll let you live. Talk or I'll torture you mind, body, and soul until you cry and beg to tell me. Tell me I'm lying."

"A monster like you, why would you lie to someone like me? What's inside that chest is one of five things the empire desperately needs. That empire is Malikutas, Black Sun Empire. Your life, my life; none of that matters. They'll do anything they want to reach their goal," Garret said and began to talk about a particular empire in the southern continent.

"They're fleeing beneath the deck! Kill them all! Those with rifles, assist that panther and snipe those pirates on the lifeboats. If you're a poor shot, aim for the lifeboats. They're a bigger target," the captain roared as the battle dragged on outside the cabin.

"I don't hear screaming and Lance is not out here. Did something go wrong?" Lingqi asked.

"No. I sense two spirit energies within the cabin. He'll be alright. No screaming might not necessarily be a bad thing. After all, it means less bloodshed. Let's focus on killing the pirates so less sailors and volunteer fighters die doing so," Mei answered and stabbed a pirate in the heart.

"You five salvage some wood from our sinking ship. A ship does not sink in seconds. You two ladies, please assist them. With your cultivation, I'll need one of you leading the charge below while the other helps retrieve our supplies below deck," the captain asked.

"I'll lead the charge. My cultivation is higher. You go get the supplies," Mei nodded, Lingqi dashing to the sinking merchant ship. The panther returned to the ship, its fur, teeth, and claws covered with blood not of its own. It didn't take a magical beast or a beast tamer to see a smug smile on the panther. Save for the humans, the panther was clearly having fun and enjoying the battle.

"Master," the panther said mentally as it dipped its head.

"We have a situation. We are not going on the island. We'll assault the other pirate ship undergoing repairs," Lance said and got on the merchant ship and a school of bone ship appeared on the surface, making a small path to the other ship. "We need to leave now. They'll be too busy making repairs. Kill the weaklings first. Let my bone-armored sea wolf deal with the captain. That little captain is only at the middle stage of the Element Adept Tier. Go."

"Yes master," the panther said and sprinted across the bone fish, a sea wolf covered in bone armor racing after it.

"Mei! Lingqi! We're leaving. Head to the third pirate ship! We'll...sink it before they send further reinforcements," Lance said.

"Mei's below deck. I'll get her," Lingqi said as she appeared on deck with some crates of fruit. She set the crate aside and went below deck as Lance went on ahead toward the last pirate ship.

Lance ignored the screams, putting the pirates out of their misery with a quick lava lash to the neck. They were decapitated and died before their body registered the pain fast enough to scream. He stared silently at whom he supposed was the captain, tilting his head as the sea wolf snapped the man's neck and absorbed some of the man's blood. With a wave of his hand, the sea wolf returned to his storage ring and he used his practitioner control over the water element and closed his eyes.

Blood was water and ocean water contained diluted blood of countless ocean creatures. Letting his spirit sense flow, he detected the spirit energy within the bodies of the pirates and willed them off the ship. The panther stared in wonder as even tiny drops of blood levitated in midair before going overboard. The panther felt amused as it drank some floating drops and streams of blood before they tipped overboard.

"Thank you for your help. You saved many lives today. Both of you," the captain said and bowed his head respectfully as Mei and Lingqi returned to the deck. Perhaps, with the pirates dead, our journey will--"

"Captain! There are demons ashore! They're.....killing the passengers who got off the ship," a sailor cried, his face pale with fear.

"Demons? You're joking. That island is....part of the Mad Demon Chain!" the captain gasped and took out a magic telescope. "It's true! There are demons. Actual demons. Could the island here be one fallen to the demons completely? It was a mistake to assume this island had a human fortress still standing. We must make haste to shore!"

"We'll never make it Gabriel! They'll be dead before we cast the first lifeboat onto the ocean," the first mate said.

"No. We are responsible for their safety. We must--" Gabriel began before the first mate grabbed his shoulder and shook him.

"Gabriel! Cousin! We cannot save them. We cannot save them! You risk the lives of those on this pirate ship if you do!" the man cried as a sailor rushed to them.

"Captain, the pirate captain of this ship was found in the captain's quarters. His, his...." the sailor began but could not continue.

"Speak man. By the gods, speak!" the captain roared.

"Captain, the man's heart was carved out yet he still lives. I, I don't dare investigate such sorcery. He's all chained up though," the sailor said.

"I know that magic. That's necromancy. The heart is carved out but the person still lives. It is through a dark blood magic that the heart is covered and preserved with mana. So long as the heart beats, the man cannot die and serves with absolute obedience to whoever possess the heart," the first mate said. "I saw it back in the southern continent. That's how the slave masters control the gladiator slaves in the arena."

"Blood magic?" Mei gasped, Lingqi shrugging.

"What?" Lingqi said as everyone turned to look at her. "Hey, certain types of blood magic is tolerated to control war prisoners, high profile prisoners, and slaves. It's quite common in the eastern continent."

"That's....true," Gabriel nodded and saw Lance wave a head as he checked the third ship with his telescope. "It seems the third ship is no longer a threat. The supreme expert over there must have single-handed killed them all with his magical beast and sea wolf. Oi, lad, bring the pirate captain here."

A little later, the sailor returned with the pirate captain and said, "Here he is captain."

"Why chase us to the extent of even entering the waters of Mad Demon Chain?" Gabriel asked.

"I ain't saying nothing. Filthy government dog," Garret said, spitting at the man's shoes. "I gave my information and the boy let me live. Should have accepted death. Bastard actually used slave magic and carved out my own heart. I can't escape, hurt you people, or commit suicide. Mind you, I ain't going to kill myself. Rather die on the seas fighting than take my own life like a coward."

"Do pirates have cells in this ship?" Gabriel asked.

"Yes captain. There are a few cells. Quite a few slaves too. They were all women. They....had lost all life in their eyes. They've been raped so many times, they begged us to kill them rather than live on with such shame. Some were even impregnated. It was horrible. We killed them and tossed them overboard with the pirates," a sailor reported.

"You did the right thing. That island is overrun with demons and we'll catch disease from the corpses. It is unfortunate that even our brothers had to be tossed overboard. Men, we'll never sail this route after this," Gabriel sighed sadly.

"Do we take both ships?" his first mate asked.

"No. We'll take apart some of one ship to repair the other. Take some men and sail to that other ship. Begin taking it apart and sorting the supplies there as we sail over. This ship has less damage toward the bottom of the hull. We can replace the mast of this ship with the other one. Salvage the flag from our merchant ship. Once we reach port, we'll repaint this ship and stay beached until its fully repaired. Honest sailors can't keep using a pirate ship," the captain said, the others silently touching their right chest with their left hands as they saluted toward the dead passengers on the beach.

"No matter how great the plan, lots of people still die," Mei sighed sadly as the sailors cleaned the ship and set sail to the other ship.