Chapter 174 - 174: Fortune and Misfortune

"Excellent." A rare smile appeared on Senor's face. "Just follow them. As long as we don't lose track, everything will be fine." "Captain, are you certain that Gehrman is aboard that ship?" "Of course not." He stroked the thin moustache at the corner of his lips. "But that little brat's spirit told me that Gehrman and Edwina are rather close. As long as we capture Edwina, he'll walk right into our trap." BOOM! Suddenly, vivid crimson flames erupted from both flanking ships. These flames were vastly different from the ones they'd seen back at the docks—more intense, faster-spreading, and brimming with mystical power. Mystical abilities! "Ahhh!!—" Soon, some of the crew attempting to put out the fire were swallowed up by the flames, their screams echoing across the sea. Senor's eyes widened in shock. Right…When Gehrman Sparrow first appeared on the open seas, it was precisely this kind of unquenchable fire that allowed him to easily plunder five pirate ships. Such a crucial and lethal piece of information—how could he have overlooked it?! And yet, he'd given the order to relentlessly pursue the Golden Dream deep into the sea! It didn't take him long to realise the cause… That pendant. After bestowing a period of good luck upon its bearer, it always brought an equivalent dose of misfortune in return! Usually, after a battle, the misfortunes were trivial—stumbling while walking, choking on water, getting hit by falling objects. But this time…memory loss?! Still, it was far too late for regrets! Without hesitation, Senor transformed into a wraith and drifted toward the burning ships. Frosty mist radiated from his body, slowly engulfing the flames and extinguishing them bit by bit. But just as he managed to put out the fire on one ship, he looked around—the remaining seven pirate vessels were already fully ablaze! High in the air, concealed by an invisibility cloak and mounted on a flying broom, Edward swung his wand and repeatedly cast searing Fiendfyre. "So, you dared chase us onto the open sea, Senor? Serves you right—today is the day you die!" After bringing Tracy back to the Golden Dream, Edward was about to discuss how best to hunt down Senor when First Mate Orpheus had suddenly rushed over, announcing that Senor's flagship fleet had arrived. From his first voyage, Edward had been very clear on one thing: No matter what kind of ship or fleet it was—once it entered the open sea, it wouldn't survive his Fiendfyre. Wherever the Fiendfyre spread, even if they didn't burn to death, the ships would sink, and very few could swim back to shore alive. Senor quickly grasped the situation. He decisively abandoned the other six pirate ships, returned to the flagship, and put out the flames as fast as he could. Then he gave a sharp order: "Hard turn! Return to the port immediately!" Another pillar of Fiendfyre descended from the skies. Senor raised his hand and shot out a dozen icy arrows. They collided with the flames and exploded, erupting into a spray of freezing mist that halted the fire's advance. Then he opened his mouth and let out a shrill wail in Edward's direction. Edward instantly felt dizzy and disoriented. This Wraith Shriek targeted the spirit directly. Despite the layers of defensive abilities he'd stacked on himself, they were practically useless. First Mate Eld quickly launched a barrage of abilities—Bribery, Corrosion, Distortion—all aimed at weakening Edward further. At the same time, he roared, "Fire the cannons!" BOOM! BOOM!! BOOM!!! Cannons from the pirate fleet thundered, bombarding the sky around Edward. He immediately prepared to Apparate—but his body froze. In his pupils, he saw Senor's shadow looming. Possession! Again! "Unfettered! Possession is forbidden here!" Edward forcefully expelled Senor's spirit from his body, but the pirate wasn't fazed in the least. He now held a pendant strung with an ancient coin and opened his mouth once more— Another Wraith Shriek! This time, the impact on Edward was far more intense than ever before. That pendant—it was the Mystical item that granted good fortune! ——And now, a barrage of cannonballs was descending right on top of him! "Animagus!" In the blink of an eye, Edward's skin ripped open, and he transformed into a smoky, shadowy Obscurus, suspended in midair. His mind became a chaotic blur. Everything in front of him twisted into a haze, and from deep within him surged a violent desire: "I will destroy everything here!" BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The shells exploded in the sky—but they couldn't harm the transformed Edward. He surged forward like a black hurricane, sweeping straight toward Senor's flagship. Everything in his path was shattered and twisted by the terrifying magical force. A sharp shriek rang out again, piercing Edward's ears. His head buzzed violently, and his body stalled momentarily. Almost at the same time, a swarm of invisible spirit bodies had silently encircled Senor, then surged at Edward from all directions, carried by frigid, howling winds—from the skies, the sea, and all around. They howled and roared as they tore at the 'smoke' that composed the form of the Obscurus, devouring every wisp they ripped free. Two crimson glows flared within the Obscurus's form. A violent hurricane composed of magic and spirituality burst forth from around him, scattering the spirit bodies while shredding them into pieces. At last, Edward began to regain control over his mind. Suddenly, Senor felt that something was off. Until now, aside from First Mate, none of his other subordinates had come to his aid! These were all capable, battle-hardened veteran pirates. There was no way they would be wiped out so easily by a sudden ambush! "AHH!!" A miserable scream echoed from a half-sunken pirate ship nearby—one of the pirates had crushed his own throat and killed himself. A translucent figure emerged from the body—it was Edwina. She had mimicked Senor's Wraith Possession ability! Not far away, a bewitchingly beautiful woman—someone who would drive men mad with desire under normal circumstances—was walking calmly atop the sea. A faint mist surrounded her figure, and from her hands stretched out invisible, spider-like threads that quietly reaped the lives of pirates one by one. "Edwina…Tracy!" Fury surged in Senor's chest. He clenched the ancient coin pendant tightly, and his figure vanished—reappearing in the reflection of a pirate's eyes. He flashed several times in succession, all the while shooting ice arrows down at the sea. Each ice arrow rapidly froze into a palm-sized, mirror-smooth ice sheet—just reflective enough for him to use Mirror Blink again. He was actually using this method to achieve a kind of pseudo-infinite flash movement! Obscurus-form Edward dove toward him. He had yet to arrive, but the terrifying destructive force had already stirred massive tidal waves. "Distort!" "Magnify—Steal!" "Magnify—Teleportation is forbidden here!" A full combo of spells followed—but inexplicably, they all failed to land. It was as if they vanished into thin air, completely ineffective against Senor's flashing movements. Edward was stunned. What the hell is going on? Right—Senor had that luck-boosting mystical item! Damn it, how is luck this unreasonable?! Edwina's light blue eyes had now turned pitch black, and thick malevolent intent flowed slowly within them. She suddenly clenched her right hand toward the distant Senor. His flashing movement was finally disrupted, and his figure appeared midair, with black fluid trickling from the corners of his eyes and mouth. He let out a scream of agony. Apparate! The Obscurus-form Edward twisted violently and positioned himself right in front of Senor. His smoke-like body swelled like a gaping maw and lunged to devour him whole. At the same time, fierce Fiendfyre erupted, blanketing the surrounding sea and completely cutting off Senor's method of flashing by freezing ice into mirrors. "AAAHHHHH!!" Rampaging magic and spirituality tore through Senor's skin, invading his body and wreaking havoc from within. He tried to transform into a Wraith to evade the damage—but it had no effect. After all, the Obscurus was, in essence, also a type of spirit. He flung more ice arrows into the distance, but Edward, anticipating this, intercepted them with a sweeping blast of Fiendfyre. "Sectumsempra!" "Fiendfyre!" "Avada Kedavra!" "Confringo!" "Steal!" Edward chanted spell after spell while continuously attempting to steal Senor's Wraith Possession and Blink abilities—but under the influence of that damned "good luck" (or was it bad luck?), every attempt failed. Then, a glimmer reflected into Senor's eyes from the distant sea—the rolling waves had, for some reason, become mirror-smooth for an instant. Without hesitation, Senor seized the opportunity to Blink away. Midair, he twisted his body and released another Wraith Shriek while commanding several invisible spirits to once again pounce on Edward, who had just been stunned by the shriek. This damned luck! Edward wanted nothing more than to summon the folded paper crane on the spot and beg Will to give him some luck too! Just then, two of the spirit bodies flying toward Edward suddenly paused midair, as if confused. They glanced at Edward, then turned to look at Senor—and suddenly, immense resentment exploded from within them. They swiftly transformed from intangible spirits into black mist-shrouded Wraiths. Their forms were unmistakably that of a couple in their thirties. "It's you!!!" One of the Wraiths shrieked and dove straight back—rushing at Senor and crashing directly into his body. He was completely unprepared. His body went rigid as he was forced out of his Wraith state and plummeted straight toward the sea. The pendant he had tightly clutched in his hand finally slipped from his fingers and fell. "Accio Pendant!" Edward didn't hesitate. He summoned the overpowered pendant straight into his pouch, then dove after Senor, intending to deliver the final blow. But just then, his spirituality suddenly pulsed violently. Without a second thought, Edward gave up on attacking and Apparated away. At that very moment, a figure stepped out of the spirit world. It was an elderly man with brown-toned skin, deeply lined with wrinkles like dry riverbeds, and sparse white hair—Shanks, a high-ranking member of the Rose School of Thought and a Sequence 4 Demigod. ——— [Note]: Here's the Extra Chapter. Enjoy~ And as usual, no Extra Chapter tomorrow. But don't let that stop you from 'donating' Powerstones. It's for a noble cause. Totally. Yep. And if you are like me and want to read 40 Chapters in advance of the current story right now, you can support me on my Patreon. Thank me later~ Link - (P)atre(o)n.c(o)m/ Iseeblack [Remove the brackets]