Captain – Chapter 502 – Once More

The Golden-Eyed Devil versus the Night Curtain Captain—countless people in the islands had been anticipating this scene, but now, this battle that began with that youth’s defiance and ended on this burial island would ultimately be witnessed by only a few people.

Perhaps… only the two participants themselves.

There was no so-called chivalrous spirit, nor any complicated dueling etiquette. The moment Roy finished speaking, she moved with the wind flow, pouncing like a fierce beast.

The silver-white blade of her curved sword cut through the darkness, pointing directly at the uninvited guest standing at the end.

From the sharp sound and the gust of wind sweeping forward, one could tell that the captain’s strike had already exerted full force, without any restraint, slashing diagonally upward from the lower left, targeting the opponent’s still-unguarded right hand, or perhaps even…

His exposed throat.

This was not a competition or a test of courage, but a life-and-death struggle that set aside old feelings.

The position where Enzo had stood, though outside the captain’s strike range, was at most five steps away. At such a short distance, without prior preparation, even if the attacker were an ordinary person, it would be difficult to respond.

Not to mention that the one attacking now was Golden-Eyed Roy, always known as a “monster.”

Thus, the already brief reaction time, in the face of the girl’s extraordinary speed, seemed increasingly inadequate, as if in the blink of an eye, the blade had arrived.

It came right up close.

You could even feel that cold, metal-tinged airflow, like numerous daggers, slicing across your arm and even your cheek.

As if in the next moment, all that would remain would be the glint of blood.

This was the most common outcome for those who opposed the girl. Even a first-class fighter like One-eyed Captain Rex wouldn’t have the courage to stand just a few steps away from her with no defense.

Because that would mean death.

Unfortunately, these so-called safety rules when facing the captain were mere child’s play jokes to the lazily standing man.

Because he was Enzo the Night Curtain, different from all enemies the girl had faced before.

He was another monster, capable of resisting tremendous power.

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“Clang!”

With a crisp sound of unsheathing, an equally finely crafted Iskavian curved blade, similar to or rather exactly the same as Roy’s, abruptly blocked her blade’s path, like a ghost appearing silently.

And it wasn’t defending, but silently moving forward.

Until it heavily collided with the incoming blade, about two feet in front of him.

From an observer’s perspective, the slightly forward-leaning Night Curtain captain and the girl whose charge had been blocked now formed an image that looked exactly like a mirror image.

No one could see clearly when Enzo had drawn his blade, or by what terrifying speed he had effectively strangled the captain’s initiative in its cradle.

Even Roy, as the person involved, couldn’t capture that instant of shocking change.

It was just… too fast.

In less than a breath’s time, the girl only had time to silently marvel, with no chance to respond or change her move, because in the next moment, the frozen mirror image was broken, and brilliant sparks suddenly appeared.

The two curved blades touched and immediately separated.

Driven by that absolute suppressive force, as fierce as Roy’s advance had been, her retreat was equally swift. On the hard stone surface, she left a series of chaotic, staggered footsteps, sounding like drumbeats during a military retreat.

Breathing slightly heavily, looking at the man who was gradually settling down as if nothing had happened, the captain’s expression was unprecedentedly grave. Even the wave-like influx of imperial soldiers back then hadn’t brought her such great pressure.

Can’t win.

After that brief exchange, for the first time ever, this thought appeared in her heart, because even now, her hand holding the blade was still slightly trembling.

It simply wouldn’t stop.

That slightly numbing sensation, mixed with soreness, was something the girl had only truly felt when crossing blades with Vivian, but even then…

The feeling wasn’t as intense as it was now.

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What did this mean?

“Monster.”

Gritting her teeth and cursing softly, it took this long for Roy’s hand to finally recover. Looking at the man who was smirking with no sign of urgency, the gravity in her pupils gradually transformed into slight bewilderment and confusion.

She found it hard to understand how he could possess such tremendous strength.

It not only exceeded the realm of mortals but, when considering only physical prowess, even suppressed the devil’s descendant who was considered perfect in all aspects.

Even if she hadn’t been transformed into a woman by her ancestor, in terms of pure strength, Roy admitted she couldn’t match him—of course, this was under the premise of not counting the devil’s power.

Nevertheless, it was already astonishing enough.

“Would you like to try again?”

After delivering that one strike, Enzo hadn’t moved again, patiently waiting for the girl’s breath to steady, then asked with a half-smile, as if teasing a child.

“Why not?”

Hearing this, the girl’s gaze flickered slightly. Though at a disadvantage, her tone remained quite impolite.

Whether it was the night curtain that obscured the daylight or the man’s indescribable strength, as long as he showed no opening, they were almost unsolvable problems. Roy had never intended to figure out the principles behind them in this battle.

She was just following her keen intuition, knowing that the way to turn the situation in her favor now was to delay as much as possible—the longer, the better.

The longer she delayed, the more variables would emerge.

The pirates who were originally around, the Mermaid that might notice something unusual, the first mate who was already accustomed to strange sights—all of these could potentially be key to breaking the deadlock.

Even the darkness flowing from the black ring would have a moment of exhaustion.

None of these possibilities could be ruled out.

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As if guessing the girl’s thoughts, the man shook his head and reminded her: “The longer you drag this out, the greater the possibility of a turning point—that’s naturally true.”

“But little Roy, don’t forget that those changes might not all be advantageous to you. For instance, your warship, now approaching this lonely island, does have the ability to reverse the situation, but it… is also trapped in shallow waters.”

“What this means, you surely know.”

As Enzo’s casual words fell, the girl’s hand gripping the curved blade gradually tightened, and her dark golden pupils revealed some hidden worry. Only now did she realize that in judging the situation, she had forgotten the greatest threat.

That was the Ghost Scythe, with its unknown position.

Now that the Mermaid was trapped in the shallows, how could it escape the scythe coming from outside?

At this point, everything seemed to have slipped from her control.

“Originally, according to my thinking, even if I didn’t sink that ship, I would at least cripple it, to make you and your people surrender obediently. But considering your father’s kindness to me, I ultimately didn’t give the order.”

“For this, you should still thank me.”

Listening to Enzo’s gentle narration, the oppression and anxiety that had surrounded the captain’s heart since earlier finally diminished somewhat. After a moment of silence, she said softly:

“Thank you.”

These words were sincere.

Being close enough to that person, the girl could see more clearly what kind of indifference lay within this night curtain that shrouded the Western Seas. In terms of coldness, he far surpassed the late Black Emperor, not to mention her past self who liked to imitate him.

Or to put it another way, his gentle side seemed to be displayed more often only to her.

This was still thanks to that dead man’s influence.

But even so, in this matter, at most he would only care about her safety; as for her ship and crew, they were not within his consideration.

It was precisely for this reason that she thanked him sincerely.

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However…

Her eyes rolled slightly, and not long after expressing her thanks, the captain began to scheme again, feeling that the opponent’s attitude could also be well utilized.

Now it appeared that her side was at an absolute disadvantage, but let’s not forget that the purpose of the Mermaid’s journey was not just to explore this burial island, but more importantly, to meet with the Taranhof. That being the case…

That ally who could arrive at any time was a hidden trump card unknown to the opponent.

The Great Captain might already know about the little bastard’s resurrection and the existence of the Blood Craver and Water Ghosts, but the man before her might not.

“That’s a better attitude.”

Shrugging, Enzo sighed with some satisfaction, and then without asking or persuading further, simply walked toward the girl whose gaze was wandering, with a smile.

How could Roy’s little scheme escape his eyes?

Since she would not compromise no matter what, the battle naturally had to continue.

Only when either he or she fell would it end.

After silently contemplating for a while, recalling the man’s ghost-like drawing speed earlier, Roy abandoned the idea of turning to run, sighed lightly, and went to meet him.

Even though he exceeded her in both strength and speed, fleeing—no, strategic retreat—could buy quite a bit of time. But for some reason, facing this man who was once her idol and with whom she had a complex relationship, she didn’t want to show weakness.

Even without real odds of winning, she wanted to fight until the end, as a mark of respect for him.

Respect for her own admiration and aspiration all along the way.

“Once more!”

The girl’s light shout was fierce as a war cry.