Chapter 66

Franklin continued battling Achroiel.

In the midst of it all, Franklin felt the weight of his own limitations.

The Achroiel in front of him was indeed a strong opponent.

As a Grade 10 Grand Warrior, she had surpassed the wall of Advanced Warriors.

There might only be a difference of a level… or rather, not even half a level, but the clear distinction was becoming apparent at that moment through Franklin and Achroiel’s fight.

Franklin was simply using perfectly refined condensing.

The magical power swirling around his Butchering Knife resembled a figure wielding a sword of light, yet it fundamentally lacked the potential to exceed the range of the knife he held.

In contrast, the condensing flowing from Achroiel’s sword wasn’t just a simple mass of light.

It flowed like a shimmering wind.

Each time she swept her sword, a sharp gust would leave massive gashes in the ground, resembling gigantic claw marks.

With every swing, it felt as if she were invoking Wind Attribute Magic… exceptionally powerful magic designed solely for destruction.

This was the decisive difference between a Grand Warrior and an Advanced Warrior.

It was about whether one could imbue their condensing with unique properties.

Although the sheer amount of physical and magical power didn’t vastly differ, it was precisely why Franklin could only focus solely on defense at that moment.

It was a mere step… or rather, not even half a step of difference, yet the significance of it was as profound as whether a bird remained trapped in its egg or broke free.

To cross that barrier, Franklin would need his own realization, but for now, he was merely grasping at straws, unable to truly visualize anything.

“But… I have to do it now…”

If things continued like this, he could delay for a bit, but originally her aim had been to escape quickly.

Stuck in this situation with Achroiel gripping his ankle made that impossible.

If Elkana and Magellan behind him were to achieve victory and join him, it might be different, but given their current overwhelming numbers, that didn’t seem likely.

In fact, thanks to gradually pushing the navy back, he had to be grateful that he didn’t need to worry too much about that side.

Ultimately, to overcome this situation…

He had no choice but to cross the wall himself.

That wall which had brought despair to him for years.

“What should I do?… How can I break this wall?”

While pondering, suddenly the man’s words came to mind.

The man who had become a beacon in her life, and had now become everything to her.

When she had asked him how an Advanced Warrior could… how to imbue properties into their condensing, he had smiled as always and replied.

– “You must realize what your unique essence is. If you can comprehend that and encapsulate it within your magical power, you can.” –

At first glance, it seemed simple, but at the same time, it wasn’t an easy task at all.

People have always searched for who they are, regardless of the era.

Proposals like the four humors theory in the past or humoral medicine were attempts in that regard, and even in modern times, people use blood types or MBTI to try and figure out who they are… what qualities they possess.

Yet, despite all that, perfect classifications do not exist, and the unique essence being referred to was not something that could be deduced through surveys…

Nor could anyone tell her.

Only she could realize it.

And the hint for that…

As the man told her right afterward, would lie within her life so far.

“Life… life is an egg… life is a potato… life is broccoli… no… that’s not it…”

Perhaps it was because she was a cook that such nonsensical thoughts popped into her head for a moment.

Thinking about it, as her egg supply was dwindling, she ought to go buy some soon… and at that moment…

“!”

– Bang!

In an instant, Achroiel pulled out a gun and aimed it directly at Franklin.

Not just a regular bullet, but an attack infused with condensing of swirling wind, and without thinking, Franklin quickly raised his Butchering Knife to block it.

At that moment.

– Whoosh!

“Yah!”

“I got you…”

Seizing that fleeting moment, Achroiel began to push inwardly.

Franklin frantically moved the Butchering Knife to block her, but…

– Bang!!!

“Ugh!”

Blood began to spurt from Franklin’s chest.

He had narrowly avoided a fatal wound, but the injury in that notably large area brought a heavy pain upon him for a moment.

‘If I think about my essence, I might end up getting hit first… What am I doing… why do I keep slipping into thoughts of cooking…’

Franklin frowned at the realization that her thoughts meant for enlightenment had ironically turned against her.

At that moment.

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, one thought began to blossom in her mind…

Although it was merely a fleeting thought, it began to illuminate something within Franklin like a flickering light in the abyss.

And…

‘…Could it be…’

A speculative thought quickly transformed into more than half a conviction.

Thinking back on it…

The answer had pretty much already been in front of her.

*

Achroiel succeeded in landing a strike, but she wasn’t feeling quite celebratory about it.

It had been too shallow.

It was only because of that excessively prominent chest that she managed to hit it; had she aimed for another part, she likely would have either dodged the attack or deflected it.

Although she was an Advanced Warrior, essentially, the only difference was the use of attributes.

Achroiel had no choice but to acknowledge that her opponent was strong in every other respect.

‘So this one’s a core member, huh? At this point, there’s no turning back… I wanted to preserve my strength for potential contingencies.’

At this pace, it felt like it could go on forever.

Moreover, time was certainly not on Achroiel’s side.

From the sea, the warships of Benessa attempted a surprise attack, but with the pirates already having some defenses set up, it hadn’t caused much damage.

Ultimately, now they were at a numerical disadvantage and starting to fall back gradually.

Due to the necessity of focusing on the battle, she couldn’t open the Circle of Magical Power, but it was likely that the Pirate King was on his way over by now, having sorted out his own situation.

‘There isn’t much time… Although my magical power is dwindling, I have to use that technique here…’

Concluding this, Achroiel began to gather her magic into the sword she held.

Focusing her maximum output in one area, while gripping the sword that swayed like the wind, Achroiel cast her cold gaze towards Franklin.

At that moment.

“…Huh?”

“…”

A scene suddenly became visible before her eyes.

Simultaneously, a look of confusion crossed Achroiel’s face for a fleeting moment.

As an Advanced Warrior, until now, Franklin had only been using simple condensing.

However, at that moment,

The power swirling around her Butchering Knife had a distinctly different feel.

The magical power glowing with a blue hue was flowing…

It resembled the shape of a blazing flame….

– “Kyaaaaa!!!”

“!!”

“Huh?”

At that moment, an unexpected scream pierced Achroiel’s ears.

The voice she had always kept in mind during the fight now drew both Achroiel’s and Franklin’s attention.

What they saw next was…

“Ugh… sister! Save me… Waaaah!!”

“Shut up!”

“Now, let’s set sail! We have to get out of here immediately!”

A girl being kidnapped somewhere along the line.

Ambasha.

Seeing her screaming on the deck of the light ship as she was forcibly dragged down, both Achroiel and Franklin’s expressions began to harden in shock.

“F-Frantz Navy? No… why are those guys taking Ambasha…?”

“? W-What does this mean? Weren’t they our allies?”

“Y-Yes, but… what the hell is going on…?”

An incomprehensible situation unfolded in an instant.

The first to regain composure and speak up was Auriel from Franklin’s side.

“Let’s go! We need to rescue Ambasha right now!”

“A-Yes! Everyone hurry towards the ship!”

At Franklin’s command, the stunned Benessa navy began to sprint towards the inner port, pushing past the pirates.

Feeling as if she had just snapped back to reality from a daze, Achroiel beginning to issue her own orders in haste.

“Ch-Chase them! For now, we need to follow those Frantz Kingdom bastards and find out what’s going on!”

“Understood, Admiral.”

At once, the pirates and the navy halted their fight and began to rush towards their respective mission.

However, compared to the other large ships, the lightweight and swift light ship had already started to slip out of the harbor faster than they had anticipated.

And then…

“What… what is that thing?”

“Could it be… have they lost their minds?”

As the Frantz light ship zoomed past in the midst of the bombardment between the pirates and Benessa navy, it seemed almost like an act of suicide to jump into the battlefield.

But the scene that followed shocked everyone in a different way.

“Huh? Huh?”

“No… how is that even possible?”

With a near-miraculous maneuver, the light ship skillfully dodged the bombardment and surged forward.

From the perspective of the two fleets engaged in battle, it was neither a primary target nor particularly significant because of its size and speed, but beyond that, the extraordinary skills of the individual piloting it were undeniable.

“Damn it, what are those bastards?”

“They were absolutely useless in the battle, and now they’re showing off like that?”

As the Frantz light ship smoothly slipped through the battlefield, Achroiel and the other pirates, including Franklin, momentarily found themselves at a loss for words.