novelraw Chapter 225: Come! They're All Coming!
Chapter 225: Come! They're All Coming!
Drip! Drip! Drip!
Chen Qi focused his attention, gazing toward the end of the corridor.
A figure emerged from the corridor's end, adjusting his round-framed glasses as he spoke in a gentle tone:
"Ah, we meet again. I am the Blood Mage. My name doesn't matter - there aren't many Blood Mages in the Witch Sea. In your lifetime, you'll probably only meet one like me."
It was the same Blood Mage from before... Chen Qi stretched his limbs and took a deep breath.
In terms of strength, this Blood Mage was certainly no weaker than Black Glove whom he'd encountered previously.
Yet Chen Qi felt no tension whatsoever.
If anything, he felt oddly relaxed.
After being brutalized by the Blade Witch so often, everything else seemed pleasant by comparison.
Though only second-tier now, if he fought with his life on the line, he could already take down a third-tier Blood Mage solo.Not to mention he had the Flower Witch Fen by his side, who'd just mastered new techniques.
But if this guy dares show himself before us, he must have some trump card...
Does he really? Chen Qi noticed a bead of sweat on the Blood Mage's forehead and raised a skeptical eyebrow.
The Blood Mage curled his lips and spoke first:
"Friends, it seems you've cleared the Trial Grounds too. What a coincidence - so have I. And I've even learned some new tricks."
"Oh, before I forget - I haven't collected my Trial Grounds reward yet. Would you mind stepping aside so I can claim it?"
As the Blood Mage slowly advanced, his eyes suddenly flashed with bestial crimson light.
"Black Hunter!"
The Blood Mage had been lying in wait here for quite some time.
As a self-aware pirate of some renown in the Blackfin Crew, his target wasn't the Flower Witch - it was Chen Qi!
In his imagination, he could easily capture Chen Qi, drag him out of the Trial Grounds, then present him to Big Mom upon returning to base.
This would earn him marriage to a wealthy merchant's daughter, catapult him to pirate stardom, and win Big Mom's ultimate rewards!
The Blood Mage lunged forward violently.
"Body Activation! Cell Boil!"
With a furious roar, the Blood Mage's arm turned crimson as blood solidified into material harder than steel, extending to form a demonic red claw.
Blood Art: Ghost Claw!
The wind-up's too obvious... Hound's Pace... Chen Qi bent slightly, his form flowing like water as he dodged the massive bloody arm, countering with a rising knee kick that launched the Blood Mage airborne.
Boom!
Chen Qi's right hand hooked the Blood Mage's head and slammed it against the nearby wall!
Second slam!
Eyes flashing scarlet, Chen Qi looked down at the Blood Mage in his grip:
"Hard head you've got there! Makes quite the sound!"
"You dare mock me?! When my blood arts washed over Ship Island, you weren't even—"
Boom!
Too much talk... Without hesitation, veins bulging on his arm, Chen Qi increased the force.
Third slam!
Pinned against the wall, the Blood Mage stared in disbelief - his ambush had been effortlessly countered by a mere second-tier transcendent!
Most crucially, the Black Hunter's speed surpassed his own!
Fourth slam!
Fifth slam!
On the fifth impact, the Blood Mage erupted with tremendous force, brute-forcing his way free.
Goblet-affinity people are ridiculously tough... Chen Qi assessed the Blood Mage's strength.
Third-tier Goblet Transcendents possessed extraordinary nutritional absorption abilities.
Moreover, Blood Mages naturally commanded blood manipulation spells - this one could even repair damage mid-beating!
Though lacking "materials" limited his offensive power, his tankiness was undeniable.
Chen Qi flexed his fingers:
"A rather excellent punching bag."
The Blood Mage touched his bleeding head and blinked:
"Goddammit! Black Hunter, what tier transcendent are you really?"
"Second-tier."
Chen Qi answered honestly.
You call this second-tier?! The Blood Mage's lips twitched.
Every Blackfin Crew officer was a prodigy who made their name young.
As a pirate aspiring to become an officer, he'd seen many strong fighters - but transcendent who could do this at second-tier numbered less than ten in the entire Blackfin Crew.
This man must be eliminated, or he'll become a calamity... The Blood Mage gritted his teeth.
But if we could control him for the Blackfin Crew, or make him my subordinate... what a prize that would be...
Alas! The Blood Mage rotated his neck and stretched:
"Alright, Lady Witch, Mister Hunter - killing me won't help. I'm here to save you."
Save us? A tiny frightened flower sprouted from Fen's head.
Chen Qi stroked his chin, mostly understanding now.
The Blood Mage continued:
"Let me be brief - when over half the Trial Grounds participants complete their trials, we must leave the dimensional rift."
"Outside awaits that legendary ancient monster, the Azure Beast. At our strength, escaping its claws is impossible."
Azure Beast... The Flower Witch clutched her head, massaging her temples.
Just finished one "enemy"! Now an even deadlier one appears!
The Blood Mage smiled, then stared intently at Chen Qi's Backpack Card:
"So my proposal is - if we offer the Azure Beast some treasures, we might not die immediately!"
"Like witch relics, and that Ember's Touch in your possession, Mister Black Hunter. I'm certain the Azure Beast would appreciate such gifts."
This bastard ambushes us, then tries to extort us for free... Chen Qi remained silent, quietly drawing the Black Blade.
The Blood Mage sweated:
"Big Mom's fleet will arrive before the Blood Blade Pirates!"
"If you join us with those items, Big Mom will make you officers. As officers, third-tier profession cards - even legendary fourth-tier ones - become attainable!"
Chen Qi advanced further.
Why does this Blood Mage suddenly seem so timid?
More sweat beaded on the Blood Mage's forehead:
"Could you two pretend I never ambushed you?"
"Can we start over? Like we just met?"
Chen Qi suddenly slashed at the Blood Mage's neck.
Damn it... The Blood Mage condensed crimson armor over his body, barely blocking the strike.
Gritting his teeth, he thought - because of that damned Black Lantern Dragon, his mighty fleet had been instantly annihilated!
To recoup his losses, he must capture the Black Hunter!
Now he couldn't even complete this simplest mission.
Worse - as the stronger fighter, he actually feared the Black Hunter!
The Blood Mage glared venomously:
"Damn you! Just wait till next time! I'll make you pay!"
Even as he threatened, his body retreated backward.
Then from behind him came a sudden wolf's howl!
Wolf Slash!
Mad Wolf Fenrir emerged from the shadows, gathering tremendous energy to strike the Blood Mage's back.
Following up, Fenrir smashed the flat of his greatsword against the Blood Mage's skull.
Thud! The Blood Mage crashed face-first to the ground!
Boom! Boom!
Fenrir drove an elbow down, pinning the Blood Mage violently.
The Blood Mage snarled up at Chen Qi:
"Lady Witch! Mister Black Hunter! Against the Blackfin Crew's tide, you have no choice!"
"Shut the hell up!"
Fenrir pressed the Blood Mage down, producing special spirit-energy shackles to bind him securely:
"My apologies for being late! I should've been protecting you two, yet you ended up protecting me instead."
The Blood Mage gnashed his teeth:
"Flower Witch Fen! Black Hunter! When you become Big Mom's playthings, you'll regret not coming quietly with me now!"
"I said shut up!"
Fenrir put his full weight into another elbow strike enhanced by transcendent martial arts, knocking the Blood Mage unconscious:
"Done! Mister Black Hunter, I'd like to interrogate this Blood Mage later - he must know intel we don't. Your thoughts?"
Seems I've become mission commander... Chen Qi considered briefly:
"No objections."
Suddenly Fenrir added:
"Oh, I scored 600 points on my 2,400th attempt! Not great. Chose the 'Bleeding Edge' modifier and rolled a 90, so I exited late."
Who asked? Chen Qi and Fen deadpanned internally.
Fenrir blinked at them.
No reaction? When he'd told his 300-point crewmate, the guy had been stunned!
Could these two have... S-rank evaluations?
"700."
"900."
Fenrir was floored.
The Black Hunter's score surpassed even the Flower Witch's!
Chen Qi changed topics:
"By the way, Fenrir, what reward did you come for?"
"We haven't seen the Blood Emperor that the Blood Lady mentioned."
The Flower Witch Fen also grew thoughtful.
Fenrir fell silent, glancing at his crew before producing a crimson greatsword:
"I came for a witch weapon. My apologies - this concerns the Blood Blade Pirates' lifeblood. Once aboard, I'll explain fully."
His expression turned grave - if this leaked, it could alter the Blood Blade Pirates' fate.
Fenrir clearly didn't want to discuss this here... Chen Qi shook his head and asked:
"Fenrir, besides you and your crew, how long until others finish their trials?"
Fenrir lowered his head:
"Unless they chose 500+ point challenges, it's just a matter of time."
"Fenrir, we need to leave these waters and regroup with the main force quickly."
Chen Qi took command.
Even if the Black Lantern Dragon had crushed the navy's derelict base fleet, they should still distance themselves from this place.
Fen agreed:
"Yes, we should hurry. I took witch relics..."
On the open sea, Witch Trial Grounds were exceptionally rare.
After waiting, a notification appeared:
[Trial complete. Final participant has cleared. Trial Grounds will reseal in one hour. Exit rift immediately.]
As candles throughout the treasure vault lit up, illuminating their path:
"Let's move."
"Aye, Captain!"
Chen Qi led them up narrow, gloomy stairs back to land - the abandoned island.
Night had fallen, stars twinkling under soft silver moonlight.
Emerging from the Blade Witch's Trial Grounds, Chen Qi's vision expanded to reveal vast terrain.
Feeling solid ground, he inhaled deeply - every cell seemed to rejoice.
The night carried a comfortable sea breeze—
Chen Qi looked up - the Blood Blade Pirates' Dagger remained anchored peacefully.
In the darkness, its lanterns shone warmly.
"All aboard!"
Fenrir called excitedly.
Wait—
Chen Qi suddenly realized something.
Where was the Black Lantern Dragon?
How much time had passed outside the rift?
Moreover, Chen Qi detected strong gunpowder scent.
The surrounding land showed fresh craters. In the distance, devastated Blackfin Crew ships were visible.
Apart from their Dagger, every vessel in sight had sustained massive damage.
The Dagger couldn't have defeated so many ships alone... Chen Qi's pulse quickened.
Since entering the Trial Grounds, he'd died repeatedly... and repeatedly...
Constant death had blurred his time perception.
He retrieved a mechanical watch from his Backpack Card.
A full day and half had passed since they'd entered the rift.
More than enough time for Blackfin Crew pirates to mount numerous assaults!
Yet the Dagger bore few scars.
Something's wrong... Chen Qi eyed the illuminated ship and hurried up the gangway.
Approaching the night watch helmsman, he demanded:
"What happened?"
The startled helmsman awoke:
"Captain... no, Black Hunter! You're back! If you hadn't returned, we'd have—"
He blinked fearfully at Chen Qi:
"Mister Hunter, we must depart immediately!!"
This guy's mentally compromised... likely psychic attack... Chen Qi forced a potion down his throat:
"Key points! What happened?"
The helmsman shook his head fearfully:
"After you left, this sea became a battlefield! That Black Lantern Dragon! The calamitous Black Lantern Dragon fought the Azure Beast!!!"
The Black Lantern Dragon battled the Azure Beast?! Everyone was stunned.
Such explosive events had occurred ashore? Pity I missed it, couldn't command the dragon... Chen Qi sweated:
"And then?"
The helmsman continued:
"Then the Blackfin Crew joined, but their ships were annihilated in the clash!"
"Dragonfire reduced the entire island to ruins! Everyone fled desperately. By the Black Lantern Dragon's mercy, our Dagger survived!"
Survival. Disaster. Black Lantern Dragon... Chen Qi rubbed his eyes, surveying the devastation.
In the distance near the lighthouse, a beam of light shot skyward—
Wait, that light is—
Chen Qi bit his lip.
Such vertical beams typically signaled important messages.
This light heralded ominous beginnings.
The helmsman swallowed hard:
"The battle ravaged the whole island! Finally, a Blackfin Crew squadron activated the signal tower to call for help!"
"..."
A distress signal... Chen Qi's mind raced.
If they'd used navy-built towers, half the Rift Sea's stations would detect it.
Trouble... Chen Qi shook his head:
"So Big Mom Carol's ships are coming? Do we have an escape route?"
Though this expedition proved fruitful, clean extraction seemed unlikely.
The helmsman met Chen Qi's gaze:
"Only half correct."
"Half?"
"Yes. Not just Carol's ships. Five hours ago, we intercepted reports - the Beiguo Meteorological Bureau, Navy Third Fleet, Ice Demon Pirates, Sea God Pirates, Bonfire Energy Company's A-rank Hunter team, and bounty hunter Gray Mouse's personal fleet are all converging here!"
"Witch Trial Grounds intel has spread across the entire Rift Sea!"
"???"
Chen Qi's eyebrows shot up.
What?
How many vessels approach this derelict naval base?
All these forces... target us?
Rubbing his temples, Chen Qi felt a headache coming.
The hotheaded Fenrir punched the helmsman and started the ship:
"Why the hell didn't you say sooner!!"
As distant steam engine roars became audible, the group turned seaward.