Captain – Chapter 690 – So That’s How It Is

“Clang!”

Blades clashed, brilliant sparks flashing amid the snow curtain.

Accompanied by a series of light “crack” sounds, Roy stepped on the shallow ice layer that had gradually accumulated due to the intensifying snow, retreating several steps as her pale gold hair flew up.

But just as she managed to stop, the wind and snow reflected in the young woman’s eyes—half-hidden by her scattered hair—suddenly dispersed, revealing the cold gleam of a curved blade that was already close in an instant.

She could only parry again, retreat again.

Though the wind howled, snow crackled, and sharp metallic collision sounds rang out from time to time, these sounds still couldn’t drown out the captain’s increasingly rapid breathing.

That sound echoed in her ears, growing louder and louder.

Like a ship’s hull being shattered by cannonballs, or a death knell being struck again and again.

As it grew more intense, the young woman drew closer and closer to the word “defeat.”

Although upon arriving here, Roy had guessed many things and quickly decided to settle matters through combat, she still hadn’t anticipated that she would…

Still misjudge one thing—the most important thing.

That was how unimaginably strong her damned father’s combat ability truly was.

Even though this dark sea had stripped both of them of their authority and greatly suppressed the devil’s power within them, in terms of close combat alone, she was still no match for him.

She could even be said to be retreating step by step.

What made her even more irritated was that this situation wasn’t caused by differences in their physique or strength. In that regard, that person could be said to be far inferior to herself.

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After all, after breaking from her cocoon, her already near-perfect body had undergone another sublimation.

Though she still couldn’t compare to creatures like giant dragons that relied more on massive physical strength, compared to transcendent beings of similar size, calling it comprehensive suppression wouldn’t be excessive.

Her ability to force the Hydra into a desperate situation through agility and speed alone was clear proof.

Even with “prophetic eyes,” this was already terrifying enough.

But this physical capability that would make anyone proud was completely useless in this battle of wind and snow. The person before her gave her no opportunity for real confrontation at all, making each of her strikes feel like cutting cotton.

His movements weren’t faster than hers, but he seemed able to see through every one of her attacks.

Thus he still maintained the initiative step by step.

Compared to him, not only her own combat techniques or those of people like Richi, but even Night Curtain Enzo’s skills seemed somewhat immature here.

Roy even felt that kind of battle awareness had transcended the realm of the present world.

Not near-divine, but on par with those gods famous for warfare.

Truly worthy of being a legend of old.

So… should she say her defeat wasn’t unjust?

Although Roy’s thinking was suppressed, it was still astonishingly fast, able to fly through countless thoughts in an instant. But amid that storm-like curtain of snow-white blade light sweeping over her, she couldn’t think any deeper.

More troubling was that this narrow “space” was continuously being compressed.

Until finally, only emotions of unwillingness remained, with no mental energy to spare for anything else.

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Placing her blade’s side before her face, she barely managed to block the pursuing attack. The young woman’s face was also shallowly cut on the cheek as she drew back her blade, a drop of crimson blood trickling down.

Though it didn’t hurt, though that wound was erased by her healing ability in an instant.

The captain knew this was an extremely dangerous signal.

She had begun to get injured, which also indicated that her already strained defensive posture had developed flaws. What came next might not be as simple as a scratched face.

Against this kind of opponent, a moment’s distraction could lead to defeat.

Even death.

For some reason, from this moment on, the word “death” kept appearing in her mind, causing Roy’s gaze to flicker slightly, and her defense immediately became much more lacking.

She naturally knew the person before her wouldn’t kill her, but how much better could failure be?

“Focus.”

But just when the captain’s previously completely concentrated mind showed signs of the slightest lack of focus, a cold voice reached her ears from where the blade light came.

So the young woman’s eyes became calm and bright again. As if hearing a reminder, she actually caught that gleam of blade light and slashed upward at an extremely difficult angle.

This was her first decent counterattack since the battle began.

“Clang!”

The blades touched, briefly grinding against each other, producing brilliant sparks.

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And that figure that had been advancing forward without the slightest sign of decline finally paused.

His steps were temporarily blocked.

Even more strange was that at the moment she heard that reminder and found her first opportunity for direct confrontation, the scenery before the young woman’s eyes flickered slightly, actually revealing another scene.

At that time, the lightning at the horizon had just faded, leaving only remnant light. The countless scattered snowflakes had also turned into countless raindrops frozen in mid-air. But whether it was the angle of blade collision or the direction each spark scattered, everything was identical.

Like a reenactment of events that had happened in the past!

And this time, though the image still passed in an instant and the opponent before the rain remained difficult to discern, Roy saw more—real and familiar scenery.

She saw the patterns formed by streams of blazing lava flowing through drainage channels on marble-paved ground, saw the tall throne brilliant with gold inlay.

So she instantly understood—that was Devil’s Island.

Then the two people fighting…

Unfortunately, even though the answer was just one step away, there was no time for the young woman to reveal it now, because that person’s blade came again, with even more ferocious momentum than before.

But with the previous experience—no, it should be said to be memory and instinct from her very bloodline—the captain received them all one by one, not as miserable as at first.

And during this process, those images would leap out from time to time, becoming increasingly clear as time passed and the battle progressed. Even the slightly faded and tattered formal wear of that blade wielder was clearly presented before her eyes.

Until one most direct, frenzied collision, when the blades scraped against each other as they approached, Roy and that person’s faces rapidly drew close, just inches from touching…

She finally saw that face clearly.

Not the face that was cold in expression but soft in features, with love hidden deep in the eyes, but another completely different face illuminated by blazing electric light—though the corners of the lips bore a smile, only indifference existed between the brows and eyes… the face of a devil.

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It was their ancestor.

In the brief gap when the blades separated, Roy gazed at the fading afterimage in her eyes and finally knew that the opponent under the storm was Pirate King Edward.

And the one who dared to raise a blade against him, even threatening him several times…

Was naturally her father.

Only at this moment did the young woman understand that the damned father she had never understood and always resented was actually more remarkable than she had imagined, having walked to the very end.

Only one step away from ending that devil’s era.

But this one step was also like a vast chasm, severing all life, death, and family affection.

The offensive from beyond the wind and snow temporarily slowed. Though only for a moment, it gave the young woman enough time to understand all of this, then throw herself back into battle.

Throw herself into this combat that wasn’t a test, but more like instruction.

As if taking the first lesson, which was also the last lesson.

He seemed to have been stripped of emotion, leaving only obsession. He seemed to coldly want to drive her away, never to return. But when he knew her heart, he still chose this path.

Whether it was the devil or Roy herself, they had all vastly underestimated that thread of obsession.

It was weak, absurd, and unrealistic, but alone it was not laughable.

Because it belonged to a father.