"Why is it so noisy!?"
Bahar shouted angrily at his subordinates to report. After checking the surveillance footage of the Yuanying Stone installed in the casino, one of his subordinates said in a panic that they had been attacked by pirates.
"Pirates attacking at this time...? Damn it!"
Seeing that Bahar suddenly became furious and his subordinates were still confused about the situation, Bahar ordered all his men to suppress the pirates, and at the same time he also rushed out equipped with a saber.
"Kelvin and the five guys, follow me! And where's Ace!"
"Ace went underground a while ago and hasn't come back yet. So, boss, where are we going?"
"Go find Tigne," Bahar replied with a bitter expression upon hearing Kelvin's question. "Someone get Ace!" he shouted, rarely seen so anxious.
Seeing Bahar's appearance, Kelvin and others knew that the situation was unusual, so they followed Bahar silently.
Using a shortcut, Bahar and others quickly arrived at Tignes' room. He didn't even knock on the door, but opened it violently as if he wanted to break in.
Bahar ignored the confused Tigne and without saying a word, he pulled her arm and led them forward through the underground passage.
"Kelvin, take Tigne off this island and use the emergency boat. Before things cool down, flee as far west as possible. The farther the better. Of course, you can't get close to Antica, and you can't get close to the mainland either. You guys should follow Kelvin."
"I understand, but... Boss, they're just pirates, isn't that a bit too much?"
Kelvin agreed, but he was still confused. This was understandable, as the emergency boat entered the sea directly from a corner of the underground passage, then used magic to force it to the surface and continue on. Furthermore, it was one of Bahar's prized speedboats.
After using it, Bahar lost his means of escape in an emergency.
Bahar did not answer Kelvin's question, but began to give other instructions.
The person who tried to stop him with an anxious look on his face turned out to be Tigne.
"Father! Please explain! What exactly happened!?"
"Shut up! Just do what I say!"
Normally, Tigne would have apologized and backed off, but this was different.
"I don't want it!"
Tigne shook off Bahar's hand. This could be said to be the first time Tigne had firmly refused. Seeing the incredibly strong light in Tigne's eyes, Bahar couldn't help but stop.
Kelvin and the others were so surprised that their eyes widened when they saw that the girl, who was originally quiet and lacked self-assertion, was emitting an unexpected radiance.
"I'm not going anywhere until you explain."
"Stop messing around, you bastard!"
With a loud slap, Tigne was slapped. Tigne was originally petite and weak, and under normal circumstances, she would probably have fallen to the ground... However, although Tigne's body swayed, she stood firm on her feet and did not fall.
Then she glared back at Bahar with a sharp gaze.
Bahar took a breath unconsciously.
"Please explain, Father. Otherwise, even if you force me onto the boat, I will jump off and swim back."
“…Damn it, why did he have to show his side of her at this very moment?”
Hearing Bahar's muttering, Tigne showed a surprised expression, but she had no intention of backing down.
Because Tignes had to wait here, waiting for the day when her sister would come to take her away.
She couldn't leave the island easily.
Seeing the unyielding determination in her eyes, Bahar smacked his lips again and took Tigne's hand. Tigne couldn't help but want to shake it off, but before that -
"I'd explain it to you, but we don't have time right now. Let's talk while we walk."
"Oh, okay."
Tigne hurried to catch up, her eyes wide with surprise at Bahar listening to her. Kelvin and the others seemed to be in the same mood, more stunned than Tigne's resistance.
Bahar ignored their gazes and began to speak:
"Listen up! Pirates are causing trouble up there. They're from the ghost ship."
Tigne couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, but Bahar ignored her and continued:
"They weren't defeated by the Knights, and they chose this very moment to attack us. Our opponents are the Knights of White Light? A division led by their leader himself? And the Knights let them go, and even let them attack us? This is a joke, outrageous!"
Bahar spoke with disdain, while Kelvin said with a bitter expression:
"Does that mean the church has given up on us?"
"That's what it is. I don't know what the Church thinks the pirate group is worth, but I think it would be best if they were allowed to rule Antica."
"But Boss, why don't we just go kill those pirates? It's just a power struggle, right? Just like in the past, why don't we just kill them all?"
"Indeed, that's the only way we can survive. If we can't convince the Church that we're more useful than the pirates, we're doomed. But whether we win or lose, we'll definitely lose something."
Bahar's gaze shifted to Tigne, who was walking furiously beside him while listening intently.
"The Church intends to take her away without a word."
"Take me away..."
Indeed, the Church had long been aware of Tigne's existence and had hinted to Bahar that, as a sign of loyalty, he should voluntarily surrender Tigne. But given the current situation, the Church's thinking had probably changed. They probably wanted Tigne, too. Allowing pirates to attack and Tigne to perish in the chaos would be foolish; the Church would never do that.
That is to say, they will definitely come to seize it before the pirates take action.
(However, this was a rather clumsy move... I thought the Church would have already found Tigne with the pirates' attack...)
This is the reason why Bahar is anxious, but fortunately Bahar has secured a place in Tignes in advance.
Fearing the church's surveillance or the presence of a traitor, they had originally considered hiding in the underground labyrinth rather than letting Tigne escape, where it would be more likely to slip through. However, things had come to a point where they could only gamble and let Tigne escape from the island during the chaos.
"Kelvin, I beg you, take her and run away with all your might. Even then, it's hard to say whether you can escape... But this may be my last request, please agree."
"Boss...don't say such unlucky things. Leave it to me. I will never hand the young lady over to the church."
Hearing Bahar say the last two words, Tigne looked up suddenly.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at a vast space. Within the dome-shaped space, a small, lightweight boat sat in the central spring. The front, in keeping with the characteristics of an island, featured a wall of seawater.
At this moment, the cave shook violently, cracks appeared on the ceiling, and small stones fell. Everyone knelt on the ground to protect their heads.
At the same time, Tigne's eyes widened in surprise.
"F-Father?"
"Shut up."
Bahar covered Tignes with his body, as if protecting him from rocks falling from the ceiling.
The shaking stopped, and Tigne looked at Bahar blankly. Bahar looked into her eyes and said:
"...Listen up, you too. Run for your life, and don't give up until the very end. Don't let the church manipulate you. No matter how restricted or miserable your life may be, you must not let your will be taken away. You are Liju's daughter, the proud daughter of a strong woman born in Andica. Don't forget the courage you just displayed! Got it?"
“Ah, ah, I, I understand. But, but Father… Father, you…”
You don't love me...you love my mother...
Before he could utter that word, Bahar had already helped Tigne to his feet and walked towards the boat.
Tigne's mind was still in a state of confusion. His sister might be approaching soon; now was not the time to escape. Perhaps he should flee Bahar and hide in the underground labyrinth. But Bahar's presence had left Tigne feeling lost.
Watching Kelvin and the others hastily preparing to set sail, Tigne cried out inwardly, "Wait, please wait a moment." Kelvin and the others' quick movements only made Tigne resentful at this moment.
It didn't take long for the preparations to leave the port to be completed, and Tigne was led by Bahar to the ship's gangway.
Tigne's heart was torn between his confused mood and the agreement he had made with his sister.
However, Tigne's wish came true due to an unexpected event.
"Sorry to have kept you all waiting."
The one who spoke was Ace, who had arrived at some point in time.
"Ace! You're late! I wanted you to come too."
"Yeah?"
Ace looked a little off. He remained expressionless, answering Bahar's questions calmly. Without stopping, Ace somehow walked in front of Bahar and Tigne, stopping at the gangway.
"Hey, Ace, what are you doing? Hurry up and get on the boat."
He should be loyal to his boss, but he stared into the void without any reaction.
"Hey, Ace! What are you daydreaming about?!"
Bahar roared. Ace seemed to whisper something, but to Tigne, it looked like he'd said "Yes, sir." A chill ran down Tigne's spine, and she couldn't help but squeeze Bahar's hand tightly.
Bahar was suddenly startled, and he looked at Ace with a hint of caution. Ace was his most senior and trusted advisor, and rationally, Bahar didn't need to doubt him. However, as the King of the Unlawful City, the leader of the villains, his instincts were ringing with alarm.
"...Ace, I'll say it again, hurry up and get on board—"
"Boss, I have a proposal. How about inviting the young lady to the ruins?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'd like to ask you to remove the seal, young lady. If we can free Antica from the calamity, we can eliminate not only the pirates but even the Church with our power."
"Are you kidding? Waking up a monster you can't control is just courting destruction. Do you understand the meaning of 'disaster'?"
"Is that so... That's going to be a headache."
"...Hey, Ace, what's wrong with you?"
Ace looked clearly uneasy. Bahar, shielding Tigne behind him, slowly retreated. Kelvin and the others, though confused, seemed to sense something unusual was afoot. They jumped off the boat and moved ahead of Bahar and the others.
Ace had a cold expression on his face, looking at his companion with eyes devoid of emotion, and said as if it was a matter of course:
"I just want to respond to my god's expectations, right?"
“! Kelvin—”
Bahar's hair stood on end as he ordered Kelvin to kill Ace.
Because Bahar immediately understood who the traitor was who had informed the church about Tigne's affairs, and that Ace had become a member of the church without him noticing.
Before Kelvin could act, Bahar felt a blow to his abdomen.
"Eh?"
The voice came from Tigne behind her. She opened her eyes wide, unable to understand for a moment.
Why is there a bright red hand growing on my father’s back?
"Ahem!"
As the hand was pulled out, Bahar vomited blood and fell to the ground. The person who pierced Bahar's abdomen with a knife was Ace.
Kelvin yelled, "Ace! You—!" and activated his unique magic, "White Claw." In an instant, his hands transformed into white bear arms as thick as a human's, and three thirty-centimeter-long claws swung at Ace.
Ace swung his knife and easily cut off Kelvin's claws.
Before they could even react with surprise, Ace swung his knife so fast that afterimages appeared. The five men in black who had drawn their weapons either had a hole in their abdomen or were beheaded, and all of them fell to the ground.
"S-Sir...I'm sorry."
Kelvin, who lost both hands and had a hole in his abdomen, left these words with the light gone from his eyes.
Bahar gnashed his teeth, cursing, "Damn it!" as he looked towards Tigne, who was trembling on the ground. Tigne understood his intention and snapped back to his senses, preparing to cast his inherent magic, "Recovery," on Kelvin and Bahar, but...
"I can't completely break the seal on my own. I need your strength. Please don't waste it."
Ace grabbed Tigne's arm, and the moment his eyes met, the light in his eyes faded, and he stopped resisting. Ace picked Tigne up and turned back to walk towards the underground passage.
"Stop... let go of Tigne... let go of my daughter!"
"Don't stand up, it's useless."
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Despite a hole in his abdomen, Bahar still stood up with a saber in his hand, while Ace looked at Bahar with cold eyes.
"Puppet King, perish in your dreams along with your tiny kingdom."
The light in Bahar's eyes faded, and he suddenly collapsed forward. Ace didn't look at him, and prepared to walk away...
“Ah, Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
A cry echoed, and Ace, startled, turned around abruptly. He saw Bahar, blood-soaked, his eyes gleaming with a clear will, approaching.
"I didn't expect you to be able to resist my charm..."
The saber swung down, and Ace caught it with his hand blade, making a sound that didn't seem like a physical impact. As the weapons clashed, Bahar didn't look like he'd been ripped open in the stomach. He roared with dominance and strength:
"Antikka will not fall. The Free City will not be controlled by you! Return Tigne... my daughter to me!"
You'll Also Like
-
An ordinary profession creates the world's strongest
Chapter 860 1 hours ago -
Equipment Printing School Mage
Chapter 478 1 hours ago -
1932: Playing with the Japanese Communist Party with a doll
Chapter 711 1 hours ago -
Ikari Shinji's Harem Comedy Daily Life
Chapter 122 1 hours ago -
Connect to Yuan Tiejue's chat group
Chapter 69 1 hours ago -
As a commander, I will never meet a heavy female ship girl
Chapter 290 1 hours ago -
Why wasn't I the one who got the male lead's script?
Chapter 189 1 hours ago -
This second dimension is too immortal
Chapter 580 1 hours ago -
Terra Succubus Development System, but calm office workers
Chapter 101 1 hours ago -
I'm collecting in the Pokémon world
Chapter 377 1 hours ago