Chapter 788: Face

Waves of silver-white lightning shot forth from the obsidian trident, turning the captain's cabin into a hell of thunder.

Under such close-range detonation and such immense lightning impact, Jian Na, despite having "bribed" Hal Constantine to weaken his attack, dared not risk her "witch's" fragile body to see if she could withstand it.

She and Franca shattered piece by piece amid the writhing silver-white lightning, emitting blinding light.

Their bodies immediately materialized at the entrance of the captain's cabin.

Lightning still raged here.

Franca dared not pause; she seized Jian Na's arm and activated the last gem of the "Seven-Stone Bracelet" before the electric eels' paralysis intensified further.

"Flash!"

Both she and Jian Na vanished from the captain's cabin entrance, "flashing" to a wooden table in the room diagonally opposite.

During this process, Franca and Jian Na saw metal panels sliding open on the cabin ceiling, revealing one black hole after another.

Splash! Blue seawater poured in like waterfalls from those holes, and the cabin's metal door shut behind them.

When Franca and Jian Na reappeared, fine residual sparks still flickered over their skin, and they trembled uncontrollably.

Immediately after, the final gem of the "Seven-Stone Bracelet" shattered—the "flash" ability was fully expended, leaving only two diamonds representing "teleport."

Lumian and Anthony near the staircase at the corridor's end suffered little electrical damage.

This wasn't because the lightning storm inside the cabin hadn't spread along the metal floor and walls to them—it was because Lumian had taken the gray-white lightning-shaped brooch "Wrath of the Sea" from "The Traveler's Satchel" and tossed it to the side.

One of its negative effects was a high probability of attracting lightning strikes during rain.

This proved it had strong attraction to lightning!

As Lumian expected, the majority of the leaping, crawling electric serpents converged onto "Wrath of the Sea," making it glow like a blooming flower of silver-white light.

Thus, Lumian and Anthony received only minor residual shocks, their bodies slightly numb but still fully mobile.

Gazing at the sealed captain's cabin door, Lumian raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself:

"Hal Constantine was badly hurt in that attack and chose to seal the cabin first to recover?"

To Lumian, this wasn't a flawed response from the "Deep Sea General"—if it could be done, it was among the best options under the circumstances. After all, Hal Constantine had no idea how powerful Lumian, who merely smiled and watched without moving, truly was, nor whether Franca, Jian Na, Anthony, and others still had hidden abilities—if they'd encountered something like the "Siren" sequence's horrific scream, Hal Constantine, already weakened by the "Witch's" black flames, would almost certainly have died instantly.

Yet sealing the cabin and recovering first perfectly matched Lumian's group's expectations—they never intended to kill Hal Constantine before the fate exchange was complete. This quiet, non-combat scenario, waiting for time to pass, was exactly what they'd dreamed of.

"Watch for secret passages in the cabin—Hal Constantine might escape through them or just jump overboard," said Franca, having recovered.

She had extensive experience in assassination.

"I'm watching," Lumian replied tersely as he picked up "Wrath of the Sea."

He was monitoring the fate exchange and his own senses and spirituality.

If the "Deep Sea General" showed signs of fleeing, he would instantly detonate the cabin's metal door.

As long as he didn't directly attack Hal Constantine, the fate exchange wouldn't be interrupted!

Franca's hands still trembled; smoke curled from her scorched body as she sighed:

"Hal Constantine only suffered lightning impact and spiritual protection—yet he nearly ruined all our efforts. And this unique environment too."

"If we hadn't had so many miraculous items and such seamless coordination, we'd likely have been killed, forcing you to abandon your earlier plan and join the fight yourself."

"What's this called? It's 'one force breaks ten thousand methods'—no matter what supernatural ability you use, I answer with a lightning strike, and with this environment, turn it into a weakened storm of lightning."

Jian Na, trembling too and emitting faint scents of burning, nodded lightly in agreement.

As the one handling frontline combat, she understood this deeply.

…………

Outside the Carnival Bar, the pirates and impostors watched as the heavy wooden door suddenly swelled and shattered into pieces.

Boom!

The explosion followed, hurling the doorframe and broken planks in all directions.

The figures of Jörg the "Great Shark" and his men finally appeared before the onlookers.

Most bore light to severe injuries, their expressions grim, no longer bothering to disguise themselves as they sprinted toward the dock.

Seeing this, the pirates and impostors all shared the same thought:

"Lost?"

"Even all of the 'Deep Sea General's' top subordinates couldn't win?"

"Are they returning to beg the 'Deep Sea General' for help?"

"They ran like scared dogs…"

In a flash of thought, the onlookers turned their gaze back inside the Carnival Bar, seeing shattered tables and chairs, multiple barrels exploded, wine and smoke mingling in the air—but no trace of the unknown adventurer.

This left both real and fake pirates stunned and confused, unable to decipher what it meant.

…………

Gurgling, gurgling—the sealed captain's cabin, now filled with blue seawater, floated Hal Constantine, wrapped in his black cloak, bubbles rising continuously.

The "Deep Sea General," his face half-covered by a translucent octopus, lowered his gaze to the submerged metal floor, feeling his soul nourished, rapidly shedding its weakness.

After several dozen seconds, Hal Constantine slowly but firmly lifted his head, fixing his gaze on the sealed metal door.

Outside, Lumian turned to Franca:

"It's nearly complete. Go stand by the door, show your face—if Hal Constantine sees your true form as the 'Pleasure Witch' and feels ultimate pleasure, the digestion effect may be enhanced."

"That's so weird…" Franca muttered as she moved to the opposite side of the cabin, leaning against the metal wall.

She pulled down her hood, revealing a radiant, majestic face.

She'd wanted to strike a pose, but she simply couldn't bring herself to.

Under so many eyes!

Lumian estimated the progress, stepped to the cabin door, and pressed both hands against the metal.

Blazing white fire instantly coalesced, compressed layer upon layer, and poured into the metal door.

Boom!

The metal door first buckled violently inward, then shattered apart.

Splash! Blue seawater surged out, but was momentarily pushed back by the explosion's shockwave.

Hal Constantine's figure appeared before Lumian, Franca, and the others, a smile of anticipation on his lips.

During his recovery, he'd activated the "Neuins"' defense system—now, with the alchemical ship's aid, he would fight the four assassins.

In that state, even a demigod, he had confidence to hold his ground for a while!

That was precisely why he hadn't jumped out the window into the sea when the cabin door closed.

Suddenly, he saw an extraordinarily beautiful face and a figure whose beauty, even concealed by leather armor and cloak, was still unmistakable.

He was momentarily stunned.

At that instant, Hal Constantine's mind rang hollow, then went utterly blank.

That emptiness was instantly flooded, then exploded with ultimate pleasure, as if his soul itself shattered and scattered into the void.

He froze in place, his blood staining the blue seawater still trapped inside the cabin.

Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the seawater.

Tears of pain. Tears of bliss.

Soundlessly, the translucent octopus clinging to Hal Constantine's face detached, revealing his true face.

It was a face that could be called handsome, but with softer features and less defined contours.

Seeing this, Franca's heart suddenly pounded several times.

It resembled the man she'd met in the Trier catacombs—the one suspected to be Harrison from the Island of Resurrection.

Not in fine details, but in style.

It was an "Eastern-style" face, yet not as pure as Harrison's—it looked more like a mixed-race face!

As Franca stared in shock, she heard a phantom cracking sound and felt the "Pleasure" potion fully digested.

She saw a phantom starry sky, vast and glittering with countless stars.

Lumian was about to kill the severely wounded "Deep Sea General" Hal Constantine after his lust explosion, when suddenly he sensed the environment had become dangerously unstable—he heard the entire "Neuins" humming with mechanical activity.

It was like a killing machine awakening.

Lumian didn't hesitate—he instantly reached out, grabbing Franca and Jian Na by the shoulders, and dispelled the "Vial of Illusion."

Seeing this, Anthony quickly stepped sideways and grabbed Lumian's clothing.

The four figures vanished from the corridor outside the cabin.

They "teleported" back to the inn in Banamo Port.

Soon after, pirates near the dock noticed the "Neuins" retracted its masts and sails, sealed itself, and sank beneath the sea.

At this moment, Jörg the "Great Shark" and his men had not yet reached the dock!

"Fled?"

"Did the 'Deep Sea General' just flee?"

"He didn't even fight the adventurer—and he abandoned his first mate, second mate, and boatswain?"

"…."

Instantly, a flood of thoughts surged through the pirates near the dock.

(End of Chapter)