Pirate Kingship

Chapter 425 - 339: Have we violated the heavenly rules? This is all an illusion!

Chapter 425: Chapter 339: Have we violated the heavenly rules? This is all an illusion!

As armies bearing the banner of the "Father of Healing" gathered from all directions, scavenging various advanced equipment along the way and rushing towards Tayapan, Byron’s true body leisurely returned from the International Port to Torrent Fortress, the stronghold closest to the battlefield. He didn’t immediately rush to the front lines to take command but instead sought out Violet, his "other wing," who was also engrossed in her work. Her dedication to governmental affairs was no less than Catherine’s.

For Violet, the Governor of Rapid Stream Port and chief engineer of the major factories, dispatching envoys to demand accountability was just one of a myriad of tasks; her work was never-ending. Sometimes she wished she could split herself in two or wondered if Black Sorcery offered any reliable cloning spells. She had even recalled the Level 4 Ship "Flame Rose," which had been roaming the seas, and pressed the elite Bayfolk under her standard as Pirate Warlord into service. Women were worked as if they were men, and men as if they were beasts of burden. Witnessing such fervor, an uninformed observer might have thought the entire enterprise belonged to the Harold family.

As time passed, even if those in charge were oblivious, the well-informed personnel within the colony’s various units gradually began to see what was happening. The entire domain slowly formed a general structure: civil servants, commerce, and finance personnel gravitated towards Catherine, while research and development, military-industrial, military, and pirate personnel gravitated towards Violet.

"Miss, work is a bottomless pit; don’t wear yourself out," Byron said. "Come, take a break. Watch a good show with me."

The silver-haired girl, wearing a pair of tortoiseshell glasses, shot the absentee manager a mildly irritated glance, but her eyes clearly conveyed her thoughts: Who on earth am I doing all this work for? And he has the gall to stand there making light comments? Honestly, is that something a human should even say?

The Undead at the World’s Edge Branch, working overtime to supply Financial Street, are practically weeping, Byron mused.

Yet, she set aside her work and sat beside Byron on the sofa in a corner of the study, naturally picking up a bag of buttered popcorn. She casually fed a piece to Byron.

POP!

With a snap of his fingers, the Golden Law descended upon Violet’s simple and tidy study, displaying a massive three-dimensional sand table map. Guided by the faith-based locators tied to the "Father of Healing" within each contingent, points of light appeared one after another on the vast map surrounding Tayapan. The Golden Law temporarily granted access to the leaders and guides of the various units, enabling large-scale, troop-level communication. The proportion of Transcendents in the Allied Army was extremely high, fully capable of compensating for any shortcomings in coordination. The "locally sourced guides" within the teams continuously reported their progress:

"Picomos City, 300 personnel, 10 kilometers northwest of Tayapan’s corner."

"Pokeman City, 450 personnel, 17 kilometers from Tayapan’s west gate."

"Uspan Tek City, 220 personnel, 5 kilometers from Tayapan’s south gate."

"Kakchiquel City, 340 personnel, have reached the designated location and are establishing Artillery Positions..."

"Kiche City and Chutuxil City forces met unexpectedly. However, all are followers of the ’Father of Healing.’ In the Crown War, our own people don’t fight our own people. The identity as a believer fostered a closer bond than their shared Taya heritage."

...

This first joint operation of the "Father of Healing’s" followers showed Byron the immense vitality of such an initiative. He nodded repeatedly. "A good start."

Indeed, it was the common faith in the Creator that had allowed the collective subconscious of the Old Continent to unify, across its various nations and groups. The once-glorious Taya civilization had also attempted a similar method, using thirteen Crystal Skulls—representing thirteen past great kings or gods—as a medium. They had tried to unite all tribes within the empire through cultural inheritance and blood sacrifice. Unfortunately, it seemed their efforts were thwarted by the interference of some Old Gods.

Now, Yucatan Island finally possessed a unified Golden Law covering both great empires. A vast Law Net connected scattered points into lines, weaving them into a comprehensive network. Sooner or later, this could form a psychic bulwark to protect the entire people, replicating a spiritual continent as vast as that of the Old Continent. The economic colonization led by Byron’s "Franchise Contract" and the faith integration spearheaded by the "Father of Healing" had already proven the viability of this plan. If this continued, the faith network consolidated by the Father of Healing would soon significantly enhance the Golden Law’s strength, eliminating the need for any blood sacrifice of Nature Spirits. It would naturally bring a definitive end to the Crown War, which had persisted for over a thousand years—a monumental achievement for the entire Tenno Natives.

Of course, this network was also one of the primary fishing lines Byron intended to use to bait Luanyun City. Anyone who dared to hinder him would die!

While the various forces were marching and assembling outside Tayapan City, Byron didn’t forget to apply the day’s due Curse Seal to Violet.

"Come, Miss, open your mouth, ah~"

Of the six locations required by the Beast Number 666, only the left foot, the root of the tongue, and the most important—the first cervical vertebra, also known as ’Atlas’—remained. After discussion, they chose the root of the tongue as the location for the fourth Curse Seal. The Blood of Metamorphosis was inherently adaptable, and the blood of the Prince of Night Demons was even more potent, making it ideal for her to cast the Calamity Curse.

Violet shyly pinched the corner of her garment and took several deep breaths before closing her sapphire-blue eyes. She tilted back her snow-white, delicate neck and parted her cherry-colored lips.

Byron watched as the girl stuck out her tender pink tongue. He couldn’t help but swallow. I can hardly take this.

He activated "Flow State," forcibly suppressing his distracting thoughts, and guided her to adjust her posture slightly.

"Lower."

"Extend it a bit more."

HISSS!

Violet felt a sharp pain at the root of her tongue, and then she heard Byron announce, "Alright, it’s done."

When she opened her eyes and looked in the mirror, she saw that the inscription was indeed completed in an instant. This was because Byron, having become the Prince of Night Demons, had long since achieved a transcendent control over blood. No longer needing a tattoo needle, he simply directed a crimson line of blood, and in the blink of an eye, inscribed a beautiful red Curse Seal on her tongue, resembling an agave plant.

—Eloquent Words.

With the power of the Blood of Metamorphosis, Violet’s tongue, throat, and vocal cords would become more flexible. They could even alter their form to some extent, mimicking the vocal organs required for "Dragon Speech," greatly enhancing the Might of the Calamity Curse. It was just unknown whether they would have a chance to showcase their abilities today.

「In the dead of night, a turmoil in Tayapan City had settled.」

The five-colored Demon Dragon, also the fallen incarnation of the Heavenly God Itzamna, had retracted back into the Crystal Skull. The temple was now filled with half-human, half-dragon lizard monstrosities, colored blue, green, red, black, and white. The city-state’s main guard force was also contaminated, not a single one spared. The tainted Divine Light even spread from the pyramid’s center throughout the entire city-state, threatening to drag all its citizens down with it.

Only a puddle of fresh blood remained at the temple entrance, symbolizing the last resistance. That was Alvin, formerly the Falcon.

Skin-wearers and true Dragon Lizard Warriors were ultimately different. After being hit by the dragon’s breath, the active human skin he wore was greatly enhanced, but it instantaneously degenerated into a man-eating Cursed Object that began to turn on Alvin, a Skin Wearer of insufficient Class. He was already a dead man and did not fear death; he transformed into a human bomb, detonating himself on the spot and taking a ring of Dragon Lizard Warriors with him. Only his soul escaped. His Rank as a Wild Hunt Servant was stripped away, and Byron casually tossed it to Edward at the World’s Edge Branch. If he proved himself, he might return with an identity like "Painted Skin Ghoul" or something similar, possibly even advancing further. If not, he might fade into oblivion.

The Coiled Nose King merely thought this warrior possessed a strong will, preferring death to becoming a monster, and didn’t dwell on it. He simply instructed the chieftain of the small tribe, "Lakamha, in this world, honest men are the easiest to bully. Tomorrow at dawn, you will lead the way to seek an audience with that Mr. Sea Hunter. You are to whip yourself mercilessly with a horsewhip—the more pathetic you appear, the better. A Great Good Man like him will definitely not have the heart to harm you; he’ll surely feel pity and intervene to stop your self-mutilation. Then, we’ll all rush him at once and tear him to shreds on the spot!"

"Yes, Your Majesty. I guarantee it will be done," Lakamha replied.

However, just as the Coiled Nose King, brimming with satisfaction, was ordering his soldiers to reopen the temple gates, one of his trusted aides, whom he had stationed outside, burst in, scrambling and stumbling in panic.

The Coiled Nose King’s expression changed, and he snapped, "What’s all the panic about? I’m not dead yet!"

The aide wailed in despair, "Ene...enemy attack—!"

"What?"

The Coiled Nose King and the Great Shaman rushed out of the temple and ascended to the highest point in the city, looking out beyond the city-state. On the Candelaria River before the gates—now swollen as wide as a lake by the rainy season’s floods—a long, fiery serpent snaked its way towards them. It was a seemingly endless fleet of pirate ships. With the onset of the rainy season, the river had become exceptionally wide; not just pirate ships, but even mainline Battleships could navigate it with ease. Simultaneously, on the surrounding land, countless Artillery Positions were already established, as dense as stars in the sky.

"Have we violated the Heavenly Laws?" the Great Shaman murmured in disbelief. "Why would even the Aztecs travel thousands of miles to attack us? No, it’s an illusion. This must be an illusion."

"Fire!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!...

His only answer was the deafening roar of cannons. Thanks to the side effect of Byron’s Halo of the Great Benefactor—the "Fear of Insufficient Firepower"—the "wild armories" were exceptionally well-equipped. The flash from countless muzzles suddenly illuminated the entire night sky, and the city gates, as if made of paper, collapsed in an instant.