Midnight Naval Battle (3)

"Oh-ho, they're fighting."

"Hah-hah! My blood's boiling!"

As we flew through the sky toward the pirates' island, the sounds of men's angry shouts and screams, along with something breaking, reached our ears. The ship appeared unharmed, but parts of the pier had apparently been set ablaze, making the island bright despite the late hour. As they watched the flames consuming the pirates, the two riding on Cal's back laughed excitedly, perhaps sensing that a battle was about to begin. Their direction differed from what I aimed for, but the two of them were steadily becoming villains in their own way.

However... They looked like they were having far too much fun, and I began to worry that they might get carried away and kill all the pirates. I doubted that would happen, but I couldn't let them ruin the operation, so I had to warn them just in case.

"Hey, brothers. Don't kill the pirates. We're going to make use of them later."

"I know, I know... Oh! Look at that huge guy! He's moving like a beast!"

"Indeed. He appears to be fighting on instinct, as though he was born for it. His reflexes are magnificent."

"Um... That big guy's probably a pirate, right?"

When Eiji timidly asked for confirmation, the other two were visibly disappointed. If he hadn't checked, would they have rushed in to attack before anyone else...? Give me a break, please. This operation involved not only us, but also our fellow conspirators Konrad and An. If we failed, we'd lose face in front of them!

From a distance, the pirates appeared to be at a slight disadvantage. While one gigantic pirate was holding his own against several assassins, the rest of the pirates were being thoroughly beaten. The pirates had the advantage in numbers, so their lines had not collapsed yet, but at this rate, it was only a matter of time before they were wiped out.

"Lord Izaam! I think that bearded pirate has a real nice touch! He looks exactly like the image of Edward Teach I saw when I was a student!"

"Um... Who?"

"Oh, my! You don't know Blackbeard Thatch, the hugely famous pirate whose likeness inspired a villain in that beloved national pirate anime!?"

Excitedly, Nenashi pointed a vine at a man who was shouting a battle cry while fighting one of the assassins to a standstill with two sabers. He wore a tricorn hat like the one An had worn and a dark brown coat, and his intimidating face was twisted with rage as he fought, his long black beard framing his chin. He looked incredibly imposing even from a distance. In short, he had the stereotypical appearance of a pirate who had rampaged across the Caribbean.

I wasn't as knowledgeable about pirates as Nenashi, so I couldn't say for certain. Of course, I knew of that beloved national pirate anime, and I had heard the nickname 'Blackbeard' because I had seen it on a toy where a figure popped out of a barrel. However, I knew absolutely nothing about the historical figure who had inspired it.

Leaving the lamenting Nenashi aside, the Blackbeard's equipment was clearly better than that of the other pirates, so he had to be the captain or someone of similar rank. There was also a handsome pirate who appeared to be a mage and had good equipment, so I assumed he was the vice-captain or something of the sort. He was directing the entire battle while casting magic.

Those were probably the only pirates worth taking note of. We absolutely had to save those three, while as for the rest... If around seventy percent of them survived, that would be more than good enough. As long as enough remained to operate the ship, that was all we needed.

"Let's confirm our objective one last time. We are to keep the strong pirates alive while killing every assassin. If the pirates attack you, ignore them, or fend them off casually if you can't do that."

"Sure."

"Indeed."

"Got it!"

"Understood!"

"Grrrroar!"

I couldn't help feeling a little uneasy that the two whose spirits had clearly sunk were the strongest combatants in our clan. Nevertheless, we dove sharply toward the battlefield. Time to knock the stuffing out of those assassins who seemed to think surprise attacks were their exclusive specialty!

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"Gnh... Damn it! Keep fighting, you bastards! We've got the numbers! Surround 'em and grind 'em to paste!"

James Austin, leader of the 'Austin Gang' and the man known as Blackbeard, shouted to rally his subordinates while crossing swords with one of the assassins. Even though he knew it was a lie, he had to encourage them if he wanted to keep morale from falling as their leader.

(These guys are as strong as soldiers! And they know how we fight!? So they're on our side of things, are they!? Damn it!)

James understood that the assassin he was fighting was not one of the leaders, yet even so, the man was a higher level than James himself, who was second only to his third son Edward in strength. Because of that, James also understood that they would all be wiped out if things continued like this.

The pirates were veterans themselves, so they knew ways to defeat enemies of a higher level. They could surround them with superior numbers, pretend to be dead, or feign surrender and stab them in the calf from behind. They were pirates, after all, and had no obligation to fight fair and square.

However, their opponents were not honorable warriors, either. The assassins were just as willing to use underhanded and despicable methods as the pirates were. In fact, they were better at such tactics because they had trained specifically for that kind of battle. There was no way the pirates could defeat assassins skilled with everything from poisoned daggers and throwing weapons to unarmed combat. James fought desperately, driven by his desire not to die.

(Richard's command is barely holding us together, but if Edward gets overwhelmed by numbers, we're finished! What do we do!?)

James's highest priority was his own life and the lives of his brothers. If necessary, he was prepared to abandon his pirate subordinates and flee, but even escaping was impossible in their current situation. He clung desperately to the assassin before him while thinking as hard as he could, yet he had already resigned himself to being cut down soon despite his futile resistance.

With death looming before him, James clenched his teeth and prayed to a goddess whose existence he had not even cared about for years. Please, save me. Any goddess would do; just save me from this absurd situation.

No goddess would heed the prayer of a faithless man who had lived by arbitrarily taking so much from others. One goddess might have found it amusing and whimsically granted him a chance, but she saw no need to do so and merely watched from the sidelines. However, a Demon King came, despite never hearing his prayer at all.

"Hup!"

"!"

"...Huh?"

What dropped down in front of James was a huge warrior with the head of a boar, clad in metal armor. The heavy warrior carrying a massive axe on his right shoulder and a rectangular tower shield in his left hand was Eiji, who had been carried by Cal and leaped from his hand as the first to charge in their surprise attack.

Eiji had originally intended to protect James with a shield bash driven by the momentum of his fall while taking out one of the assassins, but the assassin sensed the attack just before impact and dodged. Although he had missed the devastating blow that would have accompanied the surprise attack, Eiji did not care in the slightest. After all, among those who had stormed the island, only Izaam and Nenashi made frequent use of surprise attacks—Eiji least of all.

"Hahahaha! Hey, wanna play?"

"Try not to get carried away, Jigoro."

The two who most enjoyed fighting powerful opponents in earnest, Jigoro and Genjuro, did not even attempt a surprise attack. They openly descended onto the battlefield, then began walking forward at a leisurely pace. The nearest assassin saw their glaring openings, raised a dagger thickly coated with poison, and charged.

But as befitted the twin pillars of the 'Nightwalker,' Jigoro and Genjuro each lightly knocked the dagger aside with a horn before casually swinging a clawed hand and a greatsword. Jigoro's claws pierced the assassin's neck, while Genjuro's greatsword cleaved the assassin in two from the crown of his head to his crotch, killing him instantly.

The difference in ability between the two sides was already obvious. The pirates and assassins were stunned enough by the sudden arrival of monsters, but who could have expected individuals who excelled not only in physical ability but also in technique? The shock left both sides with their minds completely blank.

"Cal, run wild."

"GROOOOOOAR!"

Then, just as a quiet man's voice could be heard, a deep roar that shook the very depths of their stomachs swept in from the sea. When they turned around, there stood Izaam and Nenashi at the bow of the ship the assassins had arrived on, looking like humanoid creatures with batlike wings sprouting from their backs, along with the dragon Karnagtool, who had landed on the ground to protect them.

The assassins who were farther away from Jigoro and the others reflexively fired arrows at Izaam, but Cal's tail and the vines disguised as Nenashi's wings knocked them aside. Nenashi continued pretending that the vines were wings, but Karnagtool grew openly displeased when Izaam was targeted, his growl growing louder.

Izaam stroked his silver mask, then floated gently into the air and began casting a spell as magic circles spread around him. Everyone expected him to unleash a wide-area attack spell, but contrary to their expectations, he instead created a dome-shaped barrier called Sanctuary. They soon learned why he had layered it three times.

"Give me a little more fun, will you!?"

"I hope this gives me something to study for my techniques."

"Here I go! Bwoooooo!"

"GROAAAAAAAR!"

The battles fought by the other three and the dragon were extraordinarily fierce. Jigoro's fist smashed an assassin's head, dagger and all, Genjuro easily cut arrows out of the air with his sword, and Eiji fought while protecting the pirates with his tower shield. Though they were fighting in separate locations, their teamwork somehow functioned because each of them could predict the others' habits and actions.

Even more terrifying than the rest, however, was Karnagtool. He charged while letting the assassins' attacks bounce off his sturdy scales, then snatched one of them up and devoured him headfirst. The sight made the pirates, the assassins, and even Eiji tremble. They were being forced to confront the primal terror of being prey.

"Hey, Cal-boy! Eating stuff off the ground'll give you a stomachache!"

"They carry poison and all manner of things. Biting them is one matter, but you would do well not to eat them."

"Gwooh..."

Jigoro and Genjuro admonished Karnagtool from the perspective of guardians, almost like parents. Their persuasion seemed to work, and that was the only time he devoured someone alive. However, Karnagtool had weapons besides his fangs, including claws and a tail that rivaled masterwork blades, so the assassins had no reason to feel reassured.

The strength of the three fighters and the dragon was overwhelming, and they cut down the organization's assassins one after another. Only then did the others finally understand why Izaam had reinforced their defenses with Sanctuary. He had done so to ensure that not even by the slightest chance would the battle's aftermath damage the assassins' ship.

They must have concluded that, after seeing the battle between the pirates and the assassins, Izaam had decided there was no need for him to join in. Even though they knew they were facing opponents they could never defeat, the assassins continued fighting for the organization until the last one died.