48 Acid Lemon Street, outside the Wind of Azure Inn.
Dressed in a thick jacket and pantaloons, Blazing Danitz returned by taking a detour. He clung to the corner of a wall, remaining motionless for a long time. He was hesitating on whether to take the opportunity to run away and not face the terrifying madman, Gehrman Sparrow, again.
Unlike the battle at Bansy Harbor, he was hiding on a rooftop far away this time. It allowed him to take in the entire battle zone. Therefore, while supporting Gehrman Sparrow and battling Blood Brambles Hendry, he finally saw the combat process of the crazy adventurer, finally grasping his Beyonder powers and traits.
Paper figurine substitutes, phasing out from flames, psychic blasts, a holy beam from the Sun domain, shooting out air bullets with his finger, the ability to disguise himself into another person, as well as a glove that changes its appearance several times and devoured Squall. His powers far exceed my imagination, and there are a few that can't be compatible with each other. This isn't something that can be explained simply with the addition of one or two miraculous items to a Sequence... Also, the sense of hunger that came from the depths of his soul explains something... That glove from the Vice Admiral Hurricane, Creeping Hunger! Captain had specifically reminded us that the glove can use the souls of many Beyonders for Grazing and thus use their powers... Danitz went through the thoughts he previously had and came to a final judgment.
Gehrman Sparrow is the current owner of Creeping Hunger!
He didn't feel any sense of belittlement simply because Gehrman had relied on a powerful mystical item to display such terrifying strength. Instead, he felt even more reverence for him.
The reason for this was just one; a large part of using a mystical item to its fullest had to do with one's abilities. Without sufficient strength and extraordinary combat experience, even with Creeping Hunger, Gehrman Sparrow wouldn't have been able to finish off Steel Maveti and Calm Squall within ten seconds.
Two, his Captain, Vice Admiral Edwina Edwards, learned from secret sources that Vice Admiral Hurricane didn't die at the hands of the Church of Storms, but instead, he was quickly killed by a particular powerhouse while fleeing.
Danitz had no lack of understanding regarding the power of Vice Admiral Hurricane, Qilangos, back when he was at his peak. He knew that the standing of a powerhouse which could easily finish him off was equal to that of the top pirate powers. Furthermore, it would be two of the most powerful and terrifying ones, the King of the Five Seas and Queen Mystic!
Although there's the factor of surprise, it would just lower the evaluation by a little. The person wouldn't be much weaker than the King of Immortality, and they'll be stronger than Admiral Hell and Admiral of Blood... Creeping Hunger now belongs to Gehrman Sparrow; this means that he's either the one who killed Qilangos, or there's a power figure at the level of the Four Kings backing him up. No matter which possibility it is, it's all the more terrifying than I had originally expected!
Danitz's body tensed up. He really didn't want to face the adventurer who had crazy blood flowing in him.
Phew... He heaved a sigh of relief. He felt that he had been hesitating here for too long and that he had to make a decision as soon as possible.
Gehrman Sparrow knows how to divine, and he's rather confident in his abilities in this domain. With my Shadow Cloak in his hands, escaping won't only fail, but it would also end up infuriating him... Shadow Cloak is a rare mystical item...Clenching his teeth, Danitz turned the corner and went through the door of the hotel, all the way to the luxurious suite.
After a few seconds of careful waiting and observation, Danitz took out his key and opened the door.
He saw that the room was dark, that the gas wall lights hadn't been lit, and that the not-very-bright light of the early morning was shining through the window and onto Gehrman Sparrow who was facing the door.
The adventurer had changed back into his usual tweed black overcoat with dark trousers. He held a half top hat in his hand, and his right foot was raised over his left thigh.
He leaned back a little, his face obscured since his back was to the window. Only his dark brown eyes, which were exceptionally clear, watched the door with indifference and calmness.
Danitz unconsciously lowered his head, laughed dryly, and said, "In accordance with your instructions, I circled to a few news agencies and wrote the information that Blazing had killed Steel Maveti, Blood Brambles Hendry, and Squall on pieces of paper and threw them in.
"Of course, I mentioned having a powerful helper in this piece of news. He's a mysterious, unknown, a top adventurer, and a veteran bounty hunter."
Klein nodded, revealing a polite smile.
"Very good."
With a sigh of relief, Danitz looked around and saw the peacock-blue carpet.
He was stunned for a few seconds before asking in puzzlement, "What about the heads of Steel and Hendry?"
Klein replied calmly, "Wasn't taken."
"You didn't take them?" Danitz exclaimed in astonishment. "Then what about our bounty?"
As long as they had the heads of Steel and Blood Brambles, he would be able to get the appropriate bounty through people with connections. Although this would cost them 15 to 30 percent of the money received, he couldn't claim the bounty himself as a pirate. This was the only way, as the military's and the Church's use of bounty rewards to encourage pirates to kill each other didn't mean that they would turn a blind eye to a gift that came walking through the door.
To Danitz's surprise, Gehrman Sparrow, whose eyes were crazed with the desire for money, had actually not taken the heads of Steel and Blood Brambles, which meant that he had automatically given up on the bounty.
Klein didn't answer him and pointed to the Flying Carpet on the ground.
"You had helped in this. You have two choices.
"One is 3,000 pounds in cash, and the other is this Flying Carpet.
"You have five seconds to consider. Exceeding that time will be considered as forfeiting."
3,000 pounds in cash or the Flying Carpet? This Flying Carpet seems to only have the ability of suspension and flight. Furthermore, its speed isn't too fast, and it's not too useful... No, at sea, to a Beyonder not from the Sailor pathway, such items are very precious. At the very least, there's no need to worry about the aftermath of a ship being sunk... Danitz was momentarily thrown into a dilemma.
Then he heard Gehrman Sparrow's voice counting.
"3, 2..."
Danitz's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said, "Flying Carpet!"
Klein nodded and said, "Okay."
With the knowledge that Gehrman had great credibility, Danitz finally relaxed before asking with a grumbling mumble, "Why didn't you count 5 and 4?"
Wasn't it supposed to be five seconds!?
Klein replied without changing his expression, "Counted inwardly."
Counted inwardly... Danitz took a deep breath and grimaced.
Klein slowly stood up, flicked his wrist, threw the hat from his hand, and left it hanging firmly on the rack before walking to his bedroom.
...
Cathedral of Waves.
Alger, who entered in the name of coming for morning prayers, met the diocese bishop, Chogo, and explained everything that had happened last night. The only thing that had been modified was that the Sanguine anesthesia gas had been turned into a Slumber Charm of the Church of Evernight.
Chogo nodded in approval.
"To be able to go deep into the enemy's lair and bear the risk of death for the sake of your faith, such an act is worthy of praise. You are a true storm attendant.
"Last night, we captured five Beyonders and killed two of them on the spot. As a result of this, Maveti, Hendry, and Squall have also died. The heads of these three pirates will no longer appear, or they will be in our hands, so the government's bounty will be ours.
"The total receivable reward will exceed more than 10,000 pounds in total, and you will receive the bulk of it, which is 6,000 pounds.
"Do not refuse. The Lord has told us that those who fight for their faith must not be reserved."
"Holy Lord of Storms!" An excited Alger pounded his left chest with his fist.
Although he and The World didn't agree on how to split the spoils of war, he believed that the two of them had come to a tacit understanding. For example, they were not to interfere with each other when hunting pirates. As the bounty needed to be laundered through the Church, the two of them would split it equally.
As for the bounty offered by countries and organizations such as Intis and Feysac, Alger didn't hold any expectations for them. This was because every time one exchanged for the bounty reward, one needed to hand over the corpse or head of the target. Therefore, only one entity could be chosen. Only those with a deep background and good relations with the various organizations and countries could receive all of them.
3,000 pounds will belong to The World... If I were to lose 3,000 pounds at once, it will raise suspicion. Yes, I'll have to find an opportunity to buy a mystical item. Such things are rare, so they're often overpriced, even more so when in times of great need. No one will doubt that I spent 5,000 pounds on a purchase that's worth 3,000 pounds... If I sell the items obtained from Old Quinn, the ones he had received, the accounts would be squared... Alger quickly came up with a follow-up solution.
...
Knowing that he had 3,000 pounds waiting for him, Klein sat happily in the high-back chair of The Fool and considered a serious question.
That is, after Grazing Steel Maveti, he had to release a soul from Creeping Hunger as he promised.
Their Beyonder powers are quite useful. It's quite a pity to release them before finding a replacement. Yes... Besides, I've already released that Faceless. There doesn't seem to be a need to do it this time... Feelings of hesitation and reluctance to part had stirred in Klein's heart as he was thrown into a dilemma. He was unable to make a decision.
After a long time, he leaned back and exhaled.
I can't deceive myself. He shook his head and laughed, turning relaxed from making up his mind.
He decided to keep his promise and release a soul.
The Faceless from before had been released early because he wanted to receive some corresponding information. It was already an equal exchange.
Which one should I release? Miss Justice bought the materials for a Psychiatrist potion and a mystical item worth 5,500. Even if she's rich, her financial situation should be tight, so it wouldn't be appropriate to sell the Psychiatrist characteristic at this time. Yes, she still owes my adorer 2,000 pounds and will repay the money in February or March... Klein rejected the idea and decided to release the Nightmare.
As a former Nighthawk, he always had an inclination and felt gratitude based on his impression and feelings towards Beyonders in this domain; therefore, it wasn't difficult to make a choice in these situations without having any other factors to consider.
Calming himself down, Klein picked up the human-skinned glove that he had previously brought above the gray fog. He closed his eyes and began to sense the distorted souls.
Without any hesitation, he released the Nightmare.
