785 Performance

Seeing the assassin who had been hiding suddenly sit openly on a chair by the window, calmly watching him as if he didn't care about the ongoing battle, Admiral Deep Sea, Howl Constantine, felt a sudden heavy weight in his heart.

Such a posture and expression suggested that the opponent didn't consider him a threat and was absolutely confident in dealing with him.

That's why he didn't attack immediately to support his companions but instead sat there, arrogantly smiling and observing.

Without any hesitation, Howl Constantine instinctively aimed his obsidian trident at Lumian.

A bolt of silver-white lightning formed in his hand, amplified by the trident's tip, and shot out like a raging thunder serpent towards Lumian.

Lumian kept his right foot on his left knee, his face bearing a mocking smile as if Howl Constantine's desperate counterattack was just child's play, incapable of changing the outcome at all.

Of course, this was just a front he put on.

In reality, he couldn't attack Howl Constantine or leave the hundred-meter range, or else the Fate Exchange would be interrupted.

But not being able to attack didn't mean he couldn't influence the current battle. Lumian left his shadow form and deliberately revealed his presence to Howl Constantine, using himself as bait to attract most of Admiral Deep Sea's attention and create a sense of pressure and fear, forcing him to react hastily and increase the chance of making mistakes.

Even a Hunter who couldn't strike, speak, or communicate could still provoke, scheme, and set traps!

The thick silver-white thunder serpent struck Lumian.

With a crack, Lumian's figure shattered like a mirror, leaving only the quickly charred wooden chair behind in the ravaging lightning.

He disappeared again, and the thunder serpent, constrained by the chair's material, didn't dissipate much.

This made Howl Constantine anxious, considering whether to break through the window and dive into the sea.

Underwater, he feared no Beyonder below demigod level!

Even many Saints couldn't dive into the depths to fight him!

Just then, he felt his limbs and body being bound layer by layer, making it difficult to move or turn the obsidian trident quickly.

The bindings tightened rapidly.

Taking advantage of Lumian drawing away most of Howl Constantine's attention and caution, Franca had set up the spider silk of a Demoness of Pleasure, entangling Admiral Deep Sea layer by layer.

Faced with this restricted situation, Howl Constantine stopped and let the translucent octopus on his face glow with dawn-like brilliance.

The light suddenly exploded into countless fragments, sweeping through the captain's cabin like a storm.

The long table with food shattered into pieces, the metal walls were marked with deep scratches, and Franca and Jenna's figures shattered into countless mirror fragments again, while the invisible spider silk broke inch by inch, unable to restrain Howl Constantine any longer.

In the corridor, away from the captain's cabin door, Anthony was unaffected by the light storm, as was Lumian outlined beside him.

Lumian placed his hand on the metal sliding door of the staircase, using his contractual ability.

He enclosed the area within the Bottle of Fiction, with the entry and exit condition being female.

This effectively blocked any rescue attempts by the pirates, preventing interference in their battle. Except for teams with female captains, most pirate ships had very few female Beyonders, if any at all. The non-Beyonder women on board were merely ship prostitutes, incapable of becoming regular pirates.

...

Outside the Carnival Bar.

The real pirates, the disguised Mason, and the rest simultaneously noticed that the glass windows no longer reflected the scene of Great Shark Jörg and the others fighting the unknown adventurer.

The glass appeared dim, showing the bar's interior with no bartender or customers.

"What happened?" a pirate asked loudly, uncertainly.

"What ability was used?" Similar questions echoed.

They all suspected the unknown adventurer was behind the changes, as Great Shark and his crew wouldn't hide their fight; they would want to showcase their strength to more pirates.

Within the Bottle of Fiction.

Great Shark Jörg, wearing black gloves, was surrounded by signs of explosions and charred marks.

He had timely distorted the unknown adventurer's attack intent, avoiding injury in the recent bombardment.

However, his companion, Ship Destroyer, another Beyonder of the Hunter pathway, had long been unconscious from a combination of Beyonder powers and explosion damage.

The other pirates were also scattered, none unscathed.

Gazing at the unknown black-haired, blue-eyed adventurer several meters away, Great Shark Jörg cursed the teleportation ability.

Just as he was about to shift positions and attempt a Bribe, the handsome adventurer's figure rapidly faded like a projection and disappeared.

Worried it was another teleportation, Great Shark Jörg dove to the side, turning to look behind him.

Nothing happened.

Jörg and the remaining pirates, suspicious and tense, maneuvered cautiously multiple times, but the adventurer never reappeared.

Finally, the bald Great Shark began to grasp the situation.

That was just an illusion?

We fought an illusion and nearly lost?

Where did the real one go?

Realizing this, Great Shark Jörg blurted out, "Sh*t! The Newins!"

The unknown adventurer's real target was the Newins and the Admiral!

Jörg and the others grew anxious but were trapped in the Bottle of Fiction, unable to get out.

After trying several methods and abilities without success, they resorted to violent disassembly.

...

Aboard the Newins.

As the light storm began to subside, Jenna quickly appeared behind Admiral Deep Sea, in a blind spot created by his own body.

Then, using all her strength, she stabbed a dagger covered in silent black flames into Howl Constantine's back.

Although he couldn't turn or redirect the trident in time, Howl Constantine remained unfazed.

From his cloak emerged a silver-white lightning bolt that struck Jenna at a speed too fast to dodge.

Countless tiny electric serpents coursed over Jenna's body, but she seemed largely unharmed and only slightly slowed.

Pfft!

The dagger covered in black flames pierced Howl Constantine's black cloak.

At the beginning of the fight, Jenna had thrown a Louis d'or at Howl Constantine, not to seek luck but to activate the Decency brooch, completing a Bribe that significantly weakened his attacks, defenses, and controls against her for a while!

Since then, neither the rampaging lightning nor the light storm had affected her as much as she let on.

Her frantic dodging and use of the Mirror Substitution were meant to psychologically deceive Admiral Deep Sea!

She didn't expect Howl Constantine to be unaware of the Bribe ability, given that his deputy was likely a Briber. Instead, she performed as if the Bribe had failed, leading him to attribute the Louis d'or toss to another ability.

At the start, Howl Constantine might still have guarded against the Bribe, but in the heat of battle, and with time running short, he instinctively responded without caution.

Thus, he ignored the Bribe from before and didn't stop Jenna's assassination!

With a pfft, the black-flamed dagger pierced Howl Constantine's cloak and flesh.

Acting was for a better assassination!

After the successful strike, Jenna felt a strong resistance and wriggling flesh as if alive, preventing further progress with the dagger despite her full strength.

She abandoned force, instead channeling the black flames into Howl Constantine's body.

As the black flames surged, Admiral Deep Sea howled in pain.

Franca seized the opportunity to reach Howl Constantine's side, stabbing the transparent Wintry Blade into Admiral Deep Sea.

The Wintry Blade pierced the skin and flesh but couldn't go deeper into Howl Constantine's body.

But it was enough.

Howl Constantine's body stiffened as if frozen, and his thoughts became sluggish.

Franca slid to Jenna's side, retracting the Wintry Blade.

Simultaneously, she flipped out a compact mirror with her left hand, reflecting Howl Constantine's body.

Then, with her right hand, she smeared black flames on the mirror's surface.

Demoness' curse!

Black flames erupted from Howl Constantine's body, burning it but not touching the octopus on his face.

Howl Constantine let out a pained shriek, breaking free from the stiffness and mental fog, slamming the obsidian trident onto the metal floor.

Blinding lightning burst forth.