Pirate Kingship

Inside a chaotic small chapel.

Two Second Order Transcendents, covered in blood and looking miserable, watched the approaching figure with uncertainty and fear, "Who exactly are you? You actually killed Charlotte?!"

Byron had no interest in chatting with the dead. Once he killed these last two Second Order individuals, the Intelligence in their minds would be entirely his. The only response they received was a low shout, "Frost Winter is Coming!"

The Miracle longsword [White Frost] clanged as it was drawn from its sheath. Adopting the Roof-raising Style, with the longsword held high above his head, he launched a lightning-fast, ferocious slash at the [Famine Hunter] who was positioned further forward. And unlike before, this time the longsword didn't even need to truly touch him. The icy sword wind wrapped around the frost-white blade had already severed a messy lock of hair on his forehead before the blade itself could.

The Famine Hunter, clutching a long-handled sickle, turned pale and dared not block it head-on. He threw himself to the side while rapidly reciting his Miracle's severing inscription, "Autumn harvest is busy!"

The long-handled sickle flew from his hand as if grasped by an invisible specter, leaping up to block in front of him. Mimicking the actions of a farmer harvesting barley with no defense in mind, it fought attack with attack, sweeping towards Byron. Even if it meant taking a blow from the sword, he was determined to leave a gash on his opponent.

[Miracle: Automatic Reaper]: "A sickle that automatically harvests crops, useful for both farming and combat, undoubtedly a Divine Artifact in the eyes of every farmer."

Byron, of course, was not about to trade wound for wound with a mere sickle. In an instant, he seemed to break the physical rule that "inertia only relates to mass," moving from rapid motion to complete stillness without any delay. He not only stopped his half-executed Sword Move, but his entire body, along with his gear, fluttered up like a light piece of paper in the wind. He deftly dodged the horizontal slash of the sickle and, upon touching down, pointed his toe, became a blur, and delivered a lightning-fast Thrust.

Fast! So fast it was extreme!

A combo executed in the blink of an eye; the Miracle sickle could not alter its master's fate of downfall. The Famine Hunter's pale face reflected his impending, inevitable impalement by Byron's chilly strike.

At last, support from the elderly Priest arrived from behind. This [Sun Crown Priest] also demonstrated the dominant position of the Order of Sanctity within the entire Silver Law hierarchy. He held a Mithril Cross Holy Emblem and sang loudly, "Those who hate me shall be judged, but those who love me will be blessed by my Father!"

The Holy Emblem shone with a brilliance that quickly filled the entire small chapel. Then, over the heads of Byron and the Famine Hunter, it coalesced into two ghostly Crosses. Above the latter was a shimmering silver upright Cross, while above the former was a blood-stained, punishment-symbolizing inverted Cross! Byron was suppressed by the power of the inverted Cross, as if shackled at the hands and feet, and his swift speed plummeted sharply. The Famine Hunter, on the other hand, was bolstered by the upright Cross, with endless Power surging forth from within. He clumsily rolled away, narrowly escaping that ferocious Thrust.

This was indeed the core ability of a Second Order Cleric, [Holy Prayer]. Reciting passages from the Gospel of Creation conferred corresponding Holy Light blessings. The more devout the faith, the higher the grade of the Holy Emblem, the stronger the Power bestowed. Among the most representative core professions of the Order of Sanctity system—whether Glorious Sacrifices, Sun Crown Priests, or Twilight Deacons—the power at the Second Order was the same. Their focus merely differed on various chapters of scripture. They each symbolized the [Creator] in the Trinity, three distinct states.

"Go to hell! Spawn! Hunt Famine!" The Famine Hunter, having narrowly escaped death multiple times, was now furious with shame and anger. He pulled a handful of Seeds from the deerskin pouch at his waist and hurled them fiercely at Byron.

CRACKLING...

Seed shells burst one after another, and bizarrely Demonized Plants grew explosively fast as if detonating. This was the Fortress Sequence farmer's Second Order core ability [Hunt Famine]. In essence, it was the ability to rapidly grow various Seeds or seedlings. The handful he had scattered were all Demonized Plants born from the unique ecosystem of Banta'an: Toxic Thorn Castor, the Instant Death Tree, Iron Tribulus Herb, Hallucinogenic Mandrake... Some were poisonous, others hallucinogenic, and some could slow movement. This technique could annihilate not just a single person, but even an elite squad of Marines.

But, blinded by rage, he failed to realize this ability wasn't invulnerable. As those Seeds were still sprouting in mid-air, not yet hitting the ground, Byron, who had already anticipated his opponent's profession and prepared, beckoned with his hand. A whirlwind gathered in his palm, instantly forming into a Storm Battle Axe. Wielding it as a Demonized Weapon, he swung hard in front of him.

BOOM!

A fierce wind arose. Though not highly lethal, it blew all the mid-air Demonized Plants back onto the Famine Hunter himself. Even though he was lucky enough not to be hit by the most toxic Instant Death Tree, a mere bunch of Toxic Thorn Castor caused him to break out in blistering, fire-like welts all over his head and face, creating a horrifyingly lumpy sight.

"AARGH—!" Intense pain overwhelmed every nerve, enough to make a Second Order Transcendent kneel and howl in agony.

The next moment, a flying axe traced a circle in the air and shot forward, cleaving his head in two with the ease of slicing a watermelon. Byron could slightly control the trajectory of the Battle Axe within a fifty-meter range, achieving a hit with every throw. The weapon could be in a Demonized Weapon state, always retaining the shape of an axe head. It could also be in an explosion mode, with power comparable to a small hand grenade.

Of course, this ability is convenient, but it's not unlimited ammunition at will.

Byron caught the returning Storm Battle Axe and tossed it towards the long-handled sickle that was still autonomously reaping, relentlessly pursuing him, blasting it far away.

Unlike the three passive abilities at the First Rank, which consume very little energy and can be used continuously as long as I have stamina, the core ability of the Second Order consumes a large amount of my Spirituality when activated. Throwing one Storm Battle Axe at full strength costs me almost 1 point of Spirituality. To retain enough flexibility and maintain the effect of negating gravity, I can throw at most three flying axes a day.

When the familiar barking sound rose again, a shadow from the Corpse was automatically dragged into Byron's own shadow. A Second Order Undead Servant joined the Mad Hunt Legion, adding another layer of strength to him, almost offsetting the suppression of the inverted Cross. Byron didn't hesitate. He immediately swung the longsword in his hand, his body transforming into an afterimage. Using the Iron Gate Sword Style, dragging the sword inverted, he charged at the last Second Order old man. The next move in the sequence was the ferociously ruthless "Cartwheel Slash," capable of bisecting an unarmored enemy from groin to head with one stroke.

The Sun Crown Priest's mental fortitude was much stronger than that of the Famine Hunter. Even after witnessing his last companion's brutal death, he continued to cast spells calmly. Perhaps he was using his companion's life to buy time to chant the Holy Prayer, preparing to deliver a fatal blow to his formidable enemy. Retreating while raising the Mithril Cross Holy Emblem, with an immensely devout heart, he quickly chanted the last two lines:

"The Holy Father encourages us to preach the gospel of peace, to bear fruit in peace, to connect with each other in peace, to put an end to unjust wars!"

"I will make the Evil Beasts disappear from your land, and the Sword shall not pass through your land!"

He had been preparing this prayer from the moment the last one ended, narrowly completing it just as Byron charged. In an instant, Byron's heart was filled with boundless "pacifism," and he felt an immense aversion to the longsword in his hand. Even though he was just three steps away from reaching the old man and taking his head, he couldn't help but throw [White Frost] to the ground at the first opportunity. He had been forcibly indoctrinated by the Priest!

This chapter of The Book of Genesis teaches one to lay down their swords and seek peace, whether for enemies or oneself. Since it was not a compulsion from the Silver Law system's "Decree," Byron couldn't exempt himself. Besides, there was a hidden effect that most Transcendents outside the Order of Sanctity didn't know about—melee weapons like swords were unusable, but ranged weapons were permissible. With the opponent's heart filled with pacifism, they wouldn't think of changing to another weapon to attack in the short term. This gave the spellcaster an opportunity!

The prepared Sun Crown Priest, having finished the prayer, immediately took a Crossbow from the belt behind his waist—one that could easily pierce a Knight's Armor. Even in the age of prevalent Firearms, this remained a major weapon on the battlefield. Constructed from spring steel, the steel Crossbow completely eliminated the weaknesses of wood and animal sinew, which would cause such weapons to lose power significantly in the rain. It had become an all-weather portable weapon and was also one of the most favored ranged weapons among various magic-using Transcendents.

Particularly worth mentioning, two hundred years ago, it was precisely because the newly invented powerful Crossbows were introduced onto the battlefield between Hightins and the Irisflower Kingdom that the War escalated, resulting in exorbitant mercenary costs. Byron's ancestor eight generations prior, King John the Displaced, shifted the demands on the Nobility from military service to providing heavy taxes for the Kingdom. This change led the nobles to unite and force him to sign the Magna Carta, which primarily aimed to curtail the King's power to levy taxes. It can even be said that without the Crossbow, the current political landscape of Hightins wouldn't exist.

"By the grace of the Lord, I've won again!" Experience triumphs; at this moment, the old man's face already revealed a smile of Victory, his finger instantly applying force.

BANG!

However, the sound that rang out first was not the twang of a bowstring, but a gunshot. In the "Child of the Storm" state, Byron's legs, feet, torso, arms—his entire body's speed was enhanced. Naturally, this quick draw slash was as fast as lightning. It should be said that the best match for the "Child of the Storm" ability was not the Storm Sword Technique but rather the Gun Drawing Technique. The current mortal limit record holder for the Gun Drawing Technique was 0.0175 seconds, yet his current drawing speed was only half that!

One day, competing for the title of the world's fastest gunman...no, the fastest Swordsman, is not a dream.

Byron blew the smoke from his flintlock pistol, tucked it back at his waist, and shook his head, looking at the fallen Priest, "Naïve. Although apart from the Silver Cross swordsmanship, my knowledge of the Order of Sanctity is average, my ability to peek into Hidden matters and its range also improved synchronously after I was promoted to the Second Order. As long as it's a Low Sequence target within a six-meter distance, I can directly read their secrets without expending Spirituality. Not to mention abilities within the Sequence, I can clearly understand even Black Sorcery I've never seen before in the midst of battle. My only regret is that if Violet hadn't taken back the Miracle Shotgun: Ebony & Ivory she lent me, I could have finished you all with one scatter bomb blast as you entered the passage just now. Speaking of which, if I use the concept of the revolver and invite this Bayfolk Princess to develop it in the Tayman Archipelago, is it feasible?"