Pirate Kingship

The eucalyptus tree was split in two by a blade of wind, forcing a shadowy figure to leap out from behind it.

Light and shadow interwove around this figure, allowing them to blend almost perfectly with the surrounding environment, making them easily overlooked at a glance.

Upon closer inspection, however, one could make out what seemed to be a native youth, his skin deep brown, his head adorned with bird feathers.

At this moment, his eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the exquisite figure among the "Skin Wearers," his entire being seemingly radiating the flames of his anger.

His teeth couldn't help but grind subconsciously.

The murderous intent in his eyes was impossible to hide.

If someone had harbored animosity towards Byron himself, threatening revenge or even showering the skies with wanted posters proclaiming him the "Child of the Devil," he would have merely laughed it off. At most, he would have gleefully noted their name in his Sailing Logbook before... eventually exterminating their entire family. But if someone harbored ill intent towards Catherine and Bruh, the last of his kin, it was almost impossible to suppress the urge to kill them on the spot. This grudge was far greater than any designs on the Tayman Archipelago's territory! Byron, too, felt that such instinctual impulses were bad, leading him to inadvertently reveal his whereabouts. Yet he suspected he might never be able to regard with indifference those who could pose a threat to Catherine's safety. He would subconsciously extinguish any hint of such a threat at once!

"A native? Where did this native spring from?" one of the Skin Wearers exclaimed.

Byron's disguise was not double but triple-layered. The arrogant Skin Wearers had failed to realize that since they had just scouted Great Teyman, Great Teyman would naturally reciprocate. They merely thought they had bad luck, encountering one of the Native Extraordinaries from a nearby island.

Even though the formation of the Anti-Aztec Alliance by the various sovereign states and Castilia was common knowledge among the people of Upper Yucatan Island, they had not mentioned any core secrets in their recent conversation. Nonetheless, they did not hesitate to issue the order for his assassination.

"Kill him!" Princess Kyaatery commanded. A dozen of the Skin Wearers immediately pounced in unison, the giant frog's attack being the swiftest.

CROAK!

Its tongue shot out like a crossbow bolt, a blood-red streak in the air. The muscular and agile tongue held an Obsidian Dagger that sparkled with a Supernatural Aura—clearly a Miracle. The piercing shriek indicated that the strike was powerful enough to easily penetrate a wild bull.

WHOOSH...

Wind flowed around Byron. Under the blessing of the "Child of the Storm," he dodged the frog's tongue, which stirred the air, with the grace of a dry leaf.

If an enemy did not possess a Flow State like that of Blood-Red Whiskey—the ability to perfectly control their body and blade, seeking out weaknesses to sever steel—they would never be able to unravel his Second Order core ability.

The moment the tongue missed and retracted, Byron's hand flashed with a cold light. With a strike speed so terrifyingly fast it was almost impossible for the naked eye to follow, he severed half of the frog's tongue.

"AAARGH... CROAK! CROAK! CROAK..." the frog shrieked, clutching its bloodied mouth and croaking frantically.

Then, within a sacred white light, its severed tongue rapidly scabbed over and regenerated, restored to its original state in the blink of an eye.

Byron had seen this ability before. It was the Second Order core ability "Stimulating Vitality," belonging to the Raven Doctor from the Hospital Sequence. He wasn't surprised by this. Alfred had told him that most of those Skin Wearers from the Skinning Cult also possessed professions from the Ladder of Glory within the Hospital Sequence: Raven Doctor, Plague Beak, Pharmacist, Phlebotomist... Their professional creed, much longer than that of other professions, was known as the Hippocratic Oath:

"Wherever I go, to whomever I encounter, be they free or slave, man or woman, my sole purpose is to ensure their welfare. And I shall conduct myself honorably, refraining from all harmful and wrongful deeds, especially from acts of seduction. All that I see or hear, whether in my practice or not, that ought to be kept confidential, I will keep secret. Should I adhere to this oath, may the gods grant my life and art to be held in high esteem, and should I breach it..."

They used concise and refined vows to publicly announce the four core precepts a doctor must follow:

"Show gratitude to those who teach knowledge; seek the best interest of those served, doing what lies within one's power; never use professional convenience for indecent or even illegal actions; maintain strict confidentiality and respect patient privacy."

But for an ordinary person, it was exceedingly difficult to live by this oath for a lifetime. Especially since this group was covertly studying a field called Human Anatomy, aiming to establish a new profession of Surgeon. Many members were wanted across the Old Continent as "corpse thieves." This naturally turned them all into oathbreakers of the Hospital Sequence, severing their ties to the orthodox path of Transcendent glory. In the end, they had no choice but to resort to forbidden knowledge that had spread overseas. Yet they were gradually affected by "Beastliness," the side effect of Black Sorcery, which seemed to take them further and further from their noble intentions. There were countless members like Lady Beatrice who acted unscrupulously merely to collect a beautiful piece of human skin.

Today is not the right time, Byron thought, facing the siege of more than a dozen First Rank and Second Order Transcendents. He finally suppressed the surging killing intent once again. He realized that today wasn't about killing a Third Order Transcendent; if he wasn't careful, he'd be the one to fall here first. I'll come back to kill you later!

Byron's knightly path was always flexible. Without hesitation, he activated "Psychological Disguise," appearing as an Eagle to others.

The howling sea breeze swept over the island. With a single leap, he rose into the sky like a paper kite, flapping his arms and soaring into the distance.

"Don't run!"

Among the group of Skin Wearers, those who were Eagles and Horned Eagles with the ability to fly flapped their wings, preparing to chase.

BANG!

However, they were immediately hit in the face by a whirlwind of white powder, slamming them hard. They instantly reverted to human form, rolling on the ground with eyes burning like fire, howling in pain. Had it not been for a group of oathbroken doctors who came to their rescue, they might have been blinded for life.

Watching the swiftly retreating figure, Princess Kyaatery's expression turned somber. "So it's an [Eagle Spirit Warrior] who knows how to use lime powder? I just don't know which city-state he's from. But even a minor leak of information doesn't matter. This war involves the interests of all the Colonizers in the Bantaan Archipelago and the two Great Empire factions; even the Creator wouldn't be able to stop it."

However, she didn't know that Byron hadn't actually gone far. He landed back on the edge of the island, quickly took the place of a Castilian, and turned back towards the island.

In his mind, he had already downgraded the priority of all other matters. The Versatile Enchantress must die! And his revenge—no, his loyalty—would extend from dawn till dusk. In that regard, the Holy Relic: Golden Toilet he had just acquired seemed particularly fitting. "Since you're all going to follow the People of Castilia to Yucatan Island for a mission, then never come back. Compared to the [Blood Sacrifice Mystery of the Aztec Empire], I, like Wayne Dote, am equally eager to know how Castilia plans to conquer two Great Empires with populations in the hundreds of millions. But since I've discovered that the Skinning Cult is serving the People of Castilia, and it seems to be related to the Aztecs' unusual sacrifice to [The Skinning Lord], I have reason to suspect that the Skinning Cult must already have someone who has used their Black Sorcery to infiltrate the high ranks of the Aztecs. They must be plotting to destroy the two Great Empires in one fell swoop!"

In Aztec mythology, Xipe Totec, also known as [The Skinning Lord], was a god of Rebirth. He was also the god of agriculture, plants, Disease, spring, gold and silver craftsmanship, liberation, and the seasons, presiding over the East. The Aztecs would offer him human sacrifices and skinning sacrifices, and Priests would drape the flayed skins of the sacrificed upon themselves. According to mythology, Xipe Totec skinned himself to provide food for humanity, symbolizing the sacrifice of oneself to feed humankind.

Disease, sacrifice, devotion...

Recalling another piece of history, Byron began to form an uneasy suspicion. But he pressed these thoughts to the back of his mind, looking ahead to the camp of The Skinners' Church with a chilly smile.

Who says a Boss can only have one at a time? My reputation as a specialist in cultivating confidants isn't for nothing, you know? Moreover, I'm more impressive than some; I've infiltrated three organizations at once—no, now it's the fourth. Vincent, the York Family's former Royal Hound; Bill, one of the seven Pirate Generals under the Navy's command, also known as the Executioner; Byron Tudor, the Newman Family's Black Gloves. And now the Skinning Cult as well. In fact, I'm also very interested in the Bloodthirsty Cult, full of strange quirks, as depicted by Blood-Red Whiskey. Perhaps there are many in there who share my passions, making me seem not so odd after all?