Chapter 26: The Death of Paru and Akkin's Resolve

In the distance.

On the sea surface.

A whole row of pirate ships stood at the end of the line of sight; their ferocious cannon mouths bloomed with red lotuses, streaking across the sky like falling stars, plummeting into Raven Port...

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The bustling, lively port fell into unparalleled chaos in the blink of an eye; flames rose everywhere, wails pierced eardrums, and tore apart the world before the survivors' eyes.

"Pirates! The pirates are here!"

"Help!"

"The Navy, the Navy is in the port, we..."

A glimmer of hope rose in everyone's eyes, yet that glimmer vanished completely the instant they turned to look back at the port.

The two warships standing in the port were hit before they could even dodge the first volley of cannon fire; now they burned with Xiong Xiongdahuo.

The people on the warships were also constantly retreating into the port.

"Flee!"

From the moment the first cry of alarm sounded, the crowd in the port began to scatter in all directions or hide beneath cover.

The city walls, which had been so thick they seemed immovable in the past, appeared so insignificant before the torrent of steel surging from afar, unable to bring a shred of safety.

The ships remaining in the port had absolutely no space to hide; within just a few breaths, they caught fire.

In the port.

Flames roared; on countless ships, great fires rose up.

The high heat licked at Akkin's pale face; having just finished arranging things in the city, he had not even had time to launch his action when Creek's attack arrived early.

"My lord Akkin, Paru... Paru is still on the ship!"

A pirate opened his mouth, unable to believe what was happening before his eyes; he wanted to rush onto the ship to save people but was blocked by the great fire.

He could only listen to the agonized wails of those on the ship and do nothing.

"Who exactly did this?"

"The Navy? No, even the most corrupt, fallen marines would not do such a thing."

"That group of pirates who came to the port with us? But their ships were also attacked..."

The group of pirates, faces anxious, debated loudly, yet received no accurate answer.

Or rather.

It was that they all subconsciously ignored that single, only answer.

Akkin did not.

He reached out and tugged at his headscarf, his teeth clenched tight.

This time, Creek's actions were truly incomprehensible and unacceptable to him; this was absolutely wrong, for even pirates should cherish their comrades!

Yet at that moment, a tall figure, carrying two pirates, burst out of the cabin through the flames and leaped into the sea water...

Splash!

"It's Paru!"

"He's still alive!"

Everyone jumped into the water and worked together to rescue the completely exhausted Paru, yet all fell into silence.

Akkin pushed aside the crowd surrounding Paru, but the instant he saw Paru clearly, his pupils contracted sharply.

Paru had now changed appearance under the scorching of the great fire; the hair he had meticulously groomed in the past was now burned away, not a single strand remaining.

Not a single piece of intact skin could be found on his entire body; flesh and skin were turned inside out, emitting waves of nauseating burnt smell.

"Big brother Akkin, it hurts so much~"

A weak voice entered Akkin's ears; he raised his hand as if to comfort the comrade before him, as he had done before.

But there was no skin left on his body that could be touched.

"Hiss~"

Paru gasped for air; he could barely see anything. With his blurred vision looking around and finding nothing, he asked about the two people he had rescued.

"Are they... are they still alive?"

Akkin turned to look at the two corpses burned until flesh and blood were indistinguishable and said unwillingly:

"They have all lost consciousness, but... they are still alive."

"Is that so?"

A faint smile curved Paru's lips:

"It's a pity I can't see."

"Hey~ Big brother Akkin, leave this place, leave that man."

"I saw it clearly long ago; in his eyes there have never been comrades, only tools that can be discarded at any time. This time it was me; next time it might be you."

"..."

Akkin fell silent and lowered his head, yet he almost bit his teeth to pieces; Paru seemed to understand something and said with a faint smile:

"You are still so foolish; it is time to live for yourself once..."

His voice gradually grew fainter, and with a heart full of reluctance, he drew his last breath.

After a few seconds of silence.

Akkin slowly stood up, wiped his face with his hand, and his eyes became resolute:

"The captain made a mistake; we should correct him, not betray him. Now, begin the operation!"

"Yes!"

Everyone answered in unison.

Following A Jin's order, the pirates who had entered the port with him began to move swiftly, weaving through the cannon fire to eliminate the resistance in the city according to the locations they had scouted.

One ammunition depot after another exploded; as countless guards were just organizing rescue efforts, they were met with a direct assault from the pirates.

In just a few minutes.

A Jin had brought under control most of the ammunition depots and guards within the city, and he turned his gaze toward Xiang Keluo, who had hurriedly arrived.

The double crutches in his hand began to spin, gradually accelerating until they were no longer visible to the naked eye; under such immense power, even a body of steel would twist and deform if struck head-on.

"It's about time to start enjoying today's main course!"

"..."

Xiang Keluo glanced at A Jin, then turned his head to look at his own warship, which was now burning.

Fortunately, he had kept an extra eye out at the time and, unlike A Jin, had not suffered heavy losses, though several of his brothers were still trapped on the ship.

The wailing grew fainter and finally ceased; at this moment, the killing intent on Xiang Keluo's body condensed to its utmost extreme!

After more than a decade of warfare, when had He Ceng ever suffered such a heavy loss?

Moreover, those on the ship were the elite personally trained by Gao Wen, the new blood of the pirate crew, the absolute main force; every single one was extremely precious.

How could one not feel heartache over such a wasteful loss?

"I will flay you first, then go kill the Provincial Military Commander Keli Ke."

Xiang Keluo's voice was cold and sharp, as if stating a fact; accompanying his words, ten sharp claw knives slowly slid from their sheaths...

Clang!

And this time, no one would come to restrain Xiang Keluo from striking!

"Damn it!"

In the next instant.

Xiang Keluo's figure instantly vanished into the air, yet that killing intent, condensed to its utmost extreme, was everywhere!

Hiss!

Five claw marks, from bottom to top, nearly split A Jin open on the spot!

"So fast!"

Intense, excruciating pain sent A Jin's adrenaline soaring; in his vision, there was only a blurred figure, Xiang Keluo moving at high speed with no pattern, so fast that it almost completely surpassed his perception.

Hiss!

Hiss!

Hiss!

The sound of blades slicing, one after another, came from around A Jin; he watched as gruesome claw marks appeared in an instant on the ground, the walls, and even on human bodies.

The opponent before him was clearly the strongest he had faced since setting sail, indeed one could say there was no equal.

With such speed alone, an ordinary person would have no way to counter; A Jin could only swing the crutch in his hand even faster, using it like a shield to protect his sides.

Because this time, a single mistake would truly mean death!

(End of this chapter)