Chapter 157

Black clouds pouring down lightning strikes.

A massive bolt of lightning, like it was slicing through the sky, fell right onto the heads of the pirates.

This was not just any lightning, but a strike imbued with the intent of a Grade 12 Grand Magician.

It resembled…


God’s Punishment, capable of annihilating everything that exists on the ground.

-Kwakwakwang!!!!

An enormous roar and blinding light rained down.

In an instant, a tremendous shockwave struck Gibraltar, shaking the entire area.

In the midst of it all,

The weakling among our party, Queen Louis, felt a single word arise automatically in her mind.

Death.

A blinding light that obscured the view ahead,

And a noise that violently assaulted her eardrums.

And…

A burning pain sweeping through her entire body.

In agony, as if her very life was being scorched away,

She could do nothing but flatly lay on the ground, desperately hoping this storm that felt endless would pass.

How much time had passed…?

Just as the burning pain began to ebb away,

And the dazzling light dimmed…

Queen Louis cautiously opened her eyes, only for her expression to harden in despair.

“Ah… Ah…”

“Ugh…”

“Damn it…”

Before her eyes lay the scene…

All of her companions, who had been standing just moments ago, were sprawled on the ground.

Auriel…

Cheshire… Schrödinger…

Even Franklin, who boasted incredible might…

Each one, once beings of unapproachable power, was now dealt considerable injuries.

Franklin had suffered less damage, thanks to her own defensive magic,


And Queen Louis, who had been protected by others, was in the best condition among them, but it didn’t change the fact that they all struggled to regain their footing.

And… standing before the incapacitated party,

Was one person.

“Ugh…”

“Le… Lemain!”

The battered and barely standing Lemain.

With a broken sword as her crutch, she looked like she might fall any second, prompting Queen Louis to rush towards her anxiously.

“Are… are you okay? Lemain!”

“Kugh!… ”

Without answering Queen Louis’s question, Lemain let out a pained groan.

Yet…

“Ugh!”

In the next moment, a dreadful fear sent shivers down Queen Louis’s spine.

The thick dust cloud generated by the tremendous lightning attack began to lift slowly,

Revealing before her eyes… a woman who stood at the brink of their presence.

Nelson.

That demonic figure, sporting a chilling smile on her lips, still draped in lightning, opened her mouth with a calm voice.

“Indeed… you have remained as predictable as always. Even in such chaos, wasting your energy to save your subordinates. For a pirate, your loyalty is rather impressive.”

“…”

“…Le… Lemain… you…”

Though Nelson’s strike was horrifically powerful, someone of Lemain’s caliber should have been able to avoid it or defend sufficiently in self-limited scenarios.

That she was injured to this extent was due to her overexertion to protect her companions.

Though she managed to avoid fatal damage, it was barely so… had it not been for Lemain’s help, it was possible that all present would have been brutally wiped out, with the exception of Franklin, who could respond to a degree.

However…

Such sacrifices merely allowed them to survive one death-defying moment; the situation itself had not changed.

No… the fact that they were rendered incapable of fighting had already plunged them into the worst of circumstances.

Amidst that horrific despair, Queen Louis truly felt that her death loomed before her.

It was pointless to speak of being a queen at this moment.

After all, no one would believe it, and even if they did, being dragged into the clutches of this monstrous Britannia Empire would likely lead to a fate even more horrific.

Above all, Louis had already decided to relinquish her identity as a queen.

Now, she neither wanted to cling to that title to beg for her life nor did she wish to survive while abandoning her companions.

‘Right… I’m dying… together with my comrades… At least this route to the underworld won’t be lonely compared to that cursed throne…’

With such determination, she braced herself.

Then…

“…!”

In the next moment, Lemain suddenly began to caress her head.

It had been a common occurrence during the past few days…

But in this desperate scenario, the touch felt somehow different from before.

As Queen Louis began to question that feeling…

Lemain whispered softly.

“…It seems… this is it for us… Your Majesty.”

“M… what?”

Lemain abruptly began addressing her with honorifics.

Alongside this ominous feeling, Queen Louis trembled as she asked with a quivering voice,

“W-what do you mean? W-what do you mean… this is it?”

But instead of answering that question, Lemain merely continued to stroke her head.

Then she smiled gently at Louis.

Warm yet soft…

An oddly familiar feeling somehow…

That kind of smile.

And then.

“Don’t look back, and run with all your might.”

“Ah… No, what do you mean…?”

-Hook!

“!!”

In the next moment, an aura began to envelop both Louis and the pirates behind her.

That dark mist rapidly spread, and the sensation of Lemain’s hand that had been caressing her head vanished in an instant.

And then.

“Huh?”

What began to appear before Louis’s eyes were… herself and her other companions aboard the ship docked at the port.

“Wha… what is this…?”

“This is Lemain Vice-Captain’s…! Huh? W-where’s the Vice-Captain?”

Franklin realized this was Lemain’s ability.

A teleportation spell they had experienced numerous times before.

Yet, this time, there was one significant difference compared to before.

Unlike usual, Lemain was not here.

*

“…Huh?”

The pirates of the Golden Leaf Pirate Crew that had vanished in the blink of an eye.

Through many battles, they had understood that such means of escape existed for them.

However…

With a result vastly different from before,

Nelson asked the girl before her with a hint of curiosity.

“What’s going on? Aren’t you escaping? Why did you leave your subordinates behind?”

“…Are you really asking that genuinely, or are you just trying to provoke me knowing the answer?”

“Heh, obviously the latter. Do you really think I wouldn’t know that you stayed behind to buy them time?”

Had the situations been different, Lemain might have tried to escape together as well.

But both Nelson and Lemain understood.

Even if they tried to flee using teleportation now, they would inevitably be caught due to Nelson’s powers…

That would render the monumental aura they expended on the teleportation spell a mere waste of energy.

For it to have an effect, Lemain had to stay and buy time.

And so… straightening her posture and looking at Nelson, Lemain softly responded.

“But will you really be okay? In your state, even buying time against me won’t be easy. Your aura is nearly depleted, and your injuries are severe. What will you do if it ends in utter failure?”

Nelson spoke with a mocking tone.

While it was true that Lemain was still there, she calculated that such a weakened opponent would be easily dealt with, allowing her to pursue the remaining foes.

Especially among the key officers, Nelson had determined that Franklin must be handled without fail.

“Don’t worry. A situation like utter failure won’t happen.”

“Oh? Sounds like you have some confidence? But will that truly prove effective?”

With a nonchalant and mocking tone, Nelson responded.

“Well?… You’ll know once you see for yourself.”

With those words, Lemain slowly…

Removed the silver cross she had always worn around her neck.

Without realizing what it meant, Nelson’s mind was drawn back to gathering magic in an effort to eliminate that girl before her.

However…

“…Huh?”

In the next instant…

Nelson let out a stunned voice at what began to appear before her eyes.

As she looked at Lemain, a chilling smile began to emerge across Lemain’s face.

“In a situation like this… wouldn’t it be more fitting to greet with an ‘It’s been a while’? Nelson.”

With that remark, Lemain pulled something from her long sleeves…

A scene emerged of two swords that would be forever unforgettable for Nelson.

Admiral Horai Nelson’s face turned to one of sheer horror.

“What… what is this… Y-You… how…?!”

“That’s not something you need to know…”

And then, with a voice entirely different from moments ago.

She declared.

“Let’s go.”