Pirate Kingship.

Chapter 515: Death Gathering, No Escape

Two wind sounds were heard, and Catherine and the succubus Therese appeared beside them one after another. The unfolded "Border Maze Lock" also blocked the defeated wailing of "Devil in the Bottle".

The succubus obviously thought that his calling Byron "devil" was very appropriate and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

If Byron hadn't interfered, her fifth-level promotion ceremony might have been halfway successful in the Sun Empire.

Even if in the end all he gets is an empty shell of the Second Prince who was possessed by the previous king and eaten up.

God knows how, after turning enemies into friends, he was tricked by Byron into coming to a strange country thousands of miles away to continue working for him.

But after nodding his agreement, his expression immediately turned fierce and he stared at the neck of the "Devil in the Bottle" viciously.

Now, the target she has chosen to support in the next "palace coup" is Byron, and it is once again the critical moment for her to be promoted to the fifth-level pseudo-god.

However, he encountered a mastermind and competitor who wanted to steal his business from behind, so he naturally hated him to the core.

"Your Majesty, can I suck him dry? I think I can!"

As he spoke, he changed his expression very smoothly, turned his head and cast a wink at Byron, and said in a cat-like, slightly hoarse voice, bewitchingly:
“The blood of mythical creatures is richer in nutrients than that of ordinary human fourth-level heroes. If I suck it dry, I can immediately have another powerful fourth-level incarnation.

You can do whatever you want with this incarnation of mine for the first time.

In addition to casually practicing the "Fifty Knots That Sailors Must Know", I can also let your original body and avatar come together."

Therese's ladder to immortality is reproductive cells that can differentiate infinitely.

Including her secret spell [Mark of the Succubus] is also rooted in this, which can restore the body to its original state even if only a piece of flesh is left.

As long as it gets enough nutrients, it can naturally differentiate into different incarnations like Byron.

[Devil in the Bottle] At first, I thought Therese was also an object of Byron's enslavement. Before I could breathe a sigh of relief for having a new companion, I found out that this was a character who was even more cruel and brutal than Byron, and my attitude immediately softened.

Hastily hid behind him: "Don't eat me, I'm still useful!"

Before Byron could get Therese to leave, Catherine gave her a sidelong glance:
“Oh, you mean that not only will my Byron lose a fourth-level mythical creature servant, but he will also use himself to give you double the reward?
Let him do whatever he wants? I think it's more like you want to do whatever you want?

Although I don’t mind if Byron finds more lovers and has more children, but.”

After looking the voluptuous succubus Therese up and down, he made a very pertinent evaluation:

"You look like a bad woman who would run away with the baby, and then come back to fight for the family property with the child after giving birth.

Even if you search the entire material world for the best fertility physique, it is still not within the range of our family's choice."

Although Therese was stopped, her face was still full of greed when she looked at Byron. She licked her plump red lips with the tip of her tongue. She was charming and seductive enough without using the [Charm].

Although she was restricted by [Dominating Lower Servant], Byron, the [Night Demon Prince] was still her first target to conquer.

After usurping power, he wanted to give birth to many children developed from his own reproductive cells as a medium to supplement the ascension ceremony.

It also allows the succubus bloodline that originated from her to be passed down forever among the human race, serving as her eternal anchor.

Of course, the stronger the opposite-sex reproductive cells used to breed offspring, the better.

That's why I'm always thinking about how to tease Byron.

Unfortunately, Byron had never had any interest in women other than his two sisters, not to mention a bus with more than 999 hands, so he really didn't have the appetite to do so.

Simple cooperation is possible, but sacrificing one's own looks to bribe female subordinates is simply impossible.

[Devil in the Bottle] was frightened by this succubus who was also a member of the Old God's family. He finally resigned himself to his fate and accepted his new identity as a devil's slave.

No longer holding on to any hope that his identity would not be discovered by the other party, he said dejectedly:

“I’ll try to tell you what you want to know.

But let me make it clear in advance that even if you make a wish to me, I can't tell you all the information.

The various commandments, sorcery and forbidden knowledge in the Corridor of Truth are equally powerful. If I say something I shouldn’t, I will immediately turn into a devil bomb.”

Of course, Byron knew that conquering the "Devil in the Bottle" did not mean that the crisis in Hastings had been resolved.

The crisis does not come from the devil in the bottle itself, but from the Abaddon Cult behind him, the fifth-level devil lord, and even the entire Luoyan Era and the old gods who are gradually awakening.

Once it starts, it may never end, but will continue to escalate in waves. If you can withstand it, you will survive, and if you can't, you will die.

After a moment's hesitation, he asked the question that concerned him most:
"Then tell me about your Abaddon Cult's bridgehead colonization plan."

The Devil in the Bottle organized his words a bit, and then began to explain to them:
“The [Silver Law] currently looming over the Dragon King’s Court is indeed being weakened due to the division of the church and the tearing of people’s hearts, but it is still a long way from collapse.

The top occult leaders believe that it is closely connected to the state of the only God in the sky. As long as the Creator does not collapse, it will never collapse. It will only become weaker and weaker, rising and falling with the increasingly powerful source tide.

Unless someone can bridge the gap, or replace it with another set of laws with power comparable to that of the Creator, the Silver Law can be restored to its full glory."

Having said that, I took a special look at Byron, the legendary "Holy Spirit".

But no matter what, it is difficult to connect this guy who is more insidious and cunning than the devil with the savior Messiah.

Then he continued:
“The devils of our Abaddon cult possess a strength that is unmatched by other paths, that is, as long as they possess the body of a bloodline descendant, they can greatly reduce the suppression of the [Silver Law].

Let it mistakenly believe to a certain extent that we are indigenous people.

In addition, descendants of the Dragon Court like me are already connected to the collective subconscious of humans here, which is why we were able to come to the Dragon Court in advance to make arrangements.

On the other hand, most of the esoteric sects that rule the [Corridor of Truth] do not have such conditions and can only invade the Southern Continent first and then the New Continent.

Therefore, you don't have to worry too much about the East Continent colonists suddenly arriving without warning and spreading all over the Dragon King's Court.

However, the Kingdom of Hastings and Anchor Bay are located at the end of the 'Third Gyre' and are the first to be hit by the tide of the Luoyan Era.

If you refer to the Deep Dive Church and the Rift Monastery that you defeated personally at the trapdoor in the southern continent, you will know what kind of pressure these two countries will face."

When Byron heard this, he had no doubt that what the other party said would come true, and he felt very embarrassed:

“It’s really a changing world.

Just last year we acted as colonists, helping [Ocean Throne] win a colonial war in the southern continent and obtained the Rift Trench.

This year it will be my turn to be a native and be beaten by another wave of colonizers.

Isn’t there any good news?”

He turned his head and stared at the devil in the bottle with burning eyes.

The latter shrank his neck and said with a wry smile:

“Although the devil can fulfill other people’s wishes, the wish you made is too big and cannot be fulfilled.

I can only tell you part of the plan that I know of.

Since the demons are not a powerful race that is good at frontal combat, they have no way to forcibly control the battlefield ruled by two fifth-level [Kings].

Even if the Kingmaker and Edward IV were merely floor-level [royal titles] born from the division of the throne of Hastings, we can only adopt a roundabout strategy.

My plan from the beginning was to invest in every contender in this war for the throne from top to bottom.

[The Kingmaker] Warwick, [The Devil Duke] Richard, King Edward IV, George, Duke of Clarence, and even old Woodville who was being hunted down.

In this way, the balance can be cleverly maintained, allowing them to continue to lose blood in the chaos until they become lambs with no power to resist.

When subsequent demons and their followers sneak into this country, they will naturally occupy the positions vacated by the nobles, occupy the ruling class without any soldiers, and use the Abaddon cult to rule the ignorant lower-class humans.

It is said that the [Messenger of the Abyss, Great Red Dragon Abaddon] that we worship had the Channel Islands as its territory in the mythological era, and even the [King of Knights] in the mythological era had red dragon blood.

The high-ranking members of the secret cult told me that my Lord would be the first of the old gods to be reawakened, and in the future He would definitely descend upon the Dragon King’s Court and take back everything He had lost from the Creator.”

After Byron and his party digested his information, the devil in the bottle told them another piece of bad news:

“In addition, when I reported the results in the New Year, I reported Richard, the Devil Duke, who was born to be a devil, to Her Majesty Lorena.

They have established an immediate connection.

Her Majesty Lorena prefers conspiracy and betrayal, and intends to support the [Devil Duke] to ascend to the throne and gain greater benefits by the way.

You know, collective and individual interests are often inconsistent. For the sake of supreme royal power, the bottom line of the powerful is much lower than you can imagine.

Many interests that they would never sell out under normal circumstances would be sold out completely when they seize the royal power.

So, even if something unexpected happens to me, the plan will continue to be carried out.

Unless you can pacify the entire kingdom and eliminate all hostile forces in a short period of time."

At this time, Therese, who was also a member of the family, suddenly interrupted and said:
“I’ve heard that for creatures like demons, it’s common for them to defeat their superiors if they want to advance.

By absorbing the 'fifth element' from their own kind, they can digest it almost perfectly and use it as a resource for their own advancement.

[The Devil's Duke] Richard is most likely playing cozy with the Abaddon Cult, preparing to get the benefits first before doing anything else.

If he could ascend the throne of Hastings, he would absolutely not be willing to have a king above him, and the devil lord who has lived for who knows how long would definitely not be an easy person to deal with.

But until they break up, it’s a formidable combination that’s going to give anybody a headache.”

Byron listened to their stories silently and had a general idea in his mind.

"Our main enemies at the moment are King Edward IV and Warwick the Kingmaker, as well as the interest groups centered around them.

However, as time goes on, the main enemy will gradually become Richard, the "Devil Duke" who invites wolves into the house, and foreign colonists mainly from the Abaddon Cult.

Fortunately, they are not a monolithic group and there is a possibility of defeating them one by one.

Now that we have distinguished the main enemies from the secondary enemies, we must seize the opportunity to end the game and sweep these guys into the garbage dump of history at the lowest cost.

Byron was particularly interested in this old god who once ruled the Channel Islands.

According to legend, it is both a seven-headed, ten-horned dragon and a devil.

In the war of gods at Ragnarok, he wanted to devour the son of the woman clothed in the sun, that is, the Son of the Trinity, but was struck down to the ground in the battle.

Then he was captured by angels sent by the Creator, tied with huge chains, and thrown into the bottomless pit at the edge of the world, to be imprisoned for fifteen hundred years. Now it is 1473 and there are not many years left.

This old god controls powerful powers such as the "Land of Destruction", "Realm of the Dead", "Plague", etc. He is the [Messenger of the Abyss], the [Lord of the Abyss], and the [King of Harmful Grasshoppers].

Coincidentally, Byron himself holds the authority of the Underworld and the authority of the Father of Medicine, which overlaps perfectly with the authority held by this old god.

Even if he gave up the territory of Hastings and ran away, the other party would most likely not let him go.

"It's the aggregation effect at work again."

In the past, Byron only suspected that there seemed to be some mysterious aggregation effect between extraordinary things with similar routes.

But since we learned that the Creator is an existence that has almost achieved 100% of the state of "all things returning to one", we have confirmed that this aggregation effect is real.

As long as we are in the material world, humans, beasts, monsters, plants, minerals, etc. are all considered part of the Creator.

Even if there is a problem with the Creator itself and it is constantly breaking apart, the instinct to gather together is still there, it's just that the speed of breaking apart is greater than the speed of gathering together.

Mythical creatures, weird things, and strange things that follow similar routes often encounter nature unexpectedly and as a matter of course.

It is reasonable that Iron Anchor Bay, once ruled by the God of the Wild Hunt, and Hastings, once ruled by the Great Red Dragon Abaddon, would run into the followers of this old god head-on.

Byron did not ask the devil for more details about the [Corridor of Truth] in the Eastern Continent, just like he did not ask his mother and cousin for details. He planned to find out after he successfully advanced to the fifth level.

By that time, you should be qualified to explore the [Corridor of Truth] for the first time.

The reason is simple, if you mistakenly enter the rules and strange talks.

For mortals: "If you want to survive, please remember the following rules."

For a certain monkey: "Forward this rule to the work group, and add a note: It is recommended that relevant departments crack down severely." Without even waving the stick, the other party has been wiped out.

Then several people gathered together and began to formulate a battle plan for the war to steal the country.

After more than half an hour, I finally had a general idea.

Byron shook the bottle in his hand:

"Devil in a bottle, my nineteenth wish is."

[Devil in the Bottle] quickly begged for mercy:
"Hey, stop playing with me.

My dear master, I have realized my current position. I will never inform anyone of the secrets, nor will I betray you again.

You know, I only make a few hundred servings of the Fifth Element each year. It's not worth risking my life for the cult.

We guarantee to cooperate with you to complete the plan. "

Only then did Byron put away the ten-page indenture with satisfaction, which sealed all the loopholes.

In particular, an additional clause was added:
"I'm holding a bottle and calling you. If you don't answer, your spirit will be sucked into the bottle no matter how far away you are. After one hour and forty-five minutes, it will automatically disintegrate into a pool of 'Fifth Element'."

It is euphemistically called: Since it is the "Genius in the Bottle", how can it be possible without a matching bottle?
But the genie in the bottle apparently doesn't see the humor in it at all.

After Byron made his plan, he decided to finish the most important task of the day first.

"The last question for today is, why are you so confident that you can find him after Old Woodville opens the [Tears of Rupert]?"

After hearing this, [Devil in the Bottle] finally straightened his chest again and said confidently:
“Because I was the one who ambushed him and let him escape.

Master, please follow me, I know where he is."

In another direction through the continuous forests of the Gelt Highlands, it is very close to the Great Wall in the North.

A team of elite scouts belonging to the royal party was still searching slowly, step by step, with three leaders leading the team.

One of the young men holding a beech wood pipe was a third-rank [Sheriff] of the Inquisition.

The other one was a little younger than him, with a handsome face and a monocle on his left eye. He was a second-level [Crow Doctor] in the hospital sequence.

If Byron were here, he would recognize them at a glance. They were the "Crime Buster" Sherlock and his partner John Watson, with whom he had dealt before.

Especially the "Crime Buster" Sherlock, who left a very deep impression on him.

“Positive effect of the title: Justice has come! Every time you can arrive at the scene of the crime as soon as possible and obtain first-hand information.

Negative effect: Death is coming! In the eyes of others, murders will happen wherever you go. You are a veritable death god! "

The holder of this title can easily restrain sin, but is also more likely to be killed by sin.

As a series of coincidences in recent days have increased, the two of them have gradually become notorious in the justice system of Hastings.

There would be absolutely no ball, salon or officers' club that would actively invite them to attend, unless they thought their life was too long.

But what was extremely strange was that the scouts accompanying them were obviously more afraid of the other leader than they were of them.

They actually ignored the marching regulations and made a big circle, hiding behind Sherlock and Watson, as if they could fight poison with poison and let the [Evil Killer] take the lightning for them first.

[Doctor Crow] Watson was also a little scared, and subconsciously hid on the other side of Sherlock, glancing at his plain-looking but even somewhat honest companion from time to time, and sighed in his heart:
"We are so unlucky, how come we are assigned to the same mission with this legendary unlucky guy?
I don’t know if I can return alive after this mission.

May the Creator bless you!"

The leader next to him was a third-level [Adventurer] from the Wilderness Sequence, who was diligently driving a group of crows that served as animal companions to carefully search for the target.

He also knew that he had a bad reputation and had no complaints about his companions' performance.

In fact, from his title we can understand why a group of people behave like this: [Unlucky Guy] also called [Legendary Unlucky Species] Raymond.

The characteristic is: bad luck.

Byron’s previous bosses would only die if they were stabbed in the back by him, but this guy’s bosses didn’t need to be backstabbed at all, they would die inexplicably on their own.

Many times, not only the boss, but even his teammates died in batches and boatloads, and he was the only one who was unharmed.

"When I was a minor, I worked as a fishmonger. In order to curry favor with the fish tyrant who managed the fish market, I joined his gang and presented him with the spotted mullet I had worked so hard to catch.

Unexpectedly, that night the other party was choked to death by a spotted eel, which had delicious meat but many bones.

If he had run a little slower, he would have been hacked to death on the spot by the opponent's minions.

Then they were tricked into working as sailors on a merchant ship, a job not much better than slavery. Just as they set out to sea, they encountered brutal pirates. Because the captain ordered a rebellion, the other side raised a bloody flag and eventually all the people on the ship were slaughtered.

He was the only one who was rescued by the arriving naval patrol boat, and the navy, which had been short of manpower for years, naturally recruited him as a naval soldier.

During this period, there were many similar incidents, such as failing the lieutenant promotion examinations repeatedly, accidentally testing the examiner during the marksmanship test, causing food poisoning on the entire ship when he was catching seaweed for cooking, and so on.

At the end of last year, when his warship encountered the Kraken, he accidentally fell into the water, while the others and the ship were swallowed into his dream.

He was later rescued unharmed by a passing fishing boat."

The current record is: my own survival rate: 100%; the survival rate of my superiors and teammates: zero.

But after so many "adventures", Raymond did not die, and his career level increased rapidly. At a young age, he became a third-level [Adventurer].

There is already a consensus among the royal party’s army that the biggest source of danger when adventuring with this [Adventurer] is him!

In fact, at this time, [the legendary wronged species] Raymond himself was muttering in his heart:
"Why did His Excellency the Duke send us here?
Together with the [Crime Buster] next door, it feels like all of us are in danger."

The situation is now clear: Edward IV wants old Woodville to live, but the Kingmaker and the Devil Duke both want him dead.

The former was to cut off one of Edward IV's arms, and killing his father, killing his husband, and raping his wife was also a strong temptation for him, as well as an excellent seasoning for his taste after seizing the throne.

Although the current goal of [The Devil Duke] is the same as that of his brother Edward IV, he also hopes to become the only powerful official of the royal party to facilitate his attempt to seize the throne in the future.

Naturally, he disliked his competitor, old Woodville.

Moreover, as a devil, he had no unshakable faith in Orthodoxy, and like Byron, he did not want to see his own army being used as cannon fodder and fed into the meat grinder of the Holy Silver Empire.

The solution he thought of was also very simple.

He let old Woodville, who was sensitive about his identity, die at the hands of the Earl's party, and then he added fuel to the flames, making the hatred between the two parties irreconcilable.

After the killing spree, even if their respective lords exercised restraint, they could not control the generals under their command, and the war for the throne could not be ended just like that.

The purpose of bringing the "Legendary Rogue" and the "Evil Nemesis" together was to clear himself from the crime while killing old Woodville.

Afterwards, the worst that could happen is that I could blame it on negligence at work and kill them to put an end to it all.

Obviously, at this time, not only the [Authority of the Underworld] is gathering, but also a group of "human death gods" walking in the material world are gathering.

Coupled with Byron, the "disaster star" who brings turmoil wherever he goes, someone is destined to be doomed.

Sure enough, Sherlock, Raymond and his group were walking.

Suddenly, I heard a mournful cry of an old man before dying, which startled a group of birds and beasts and caused them to flee in all directions.

"You are. No--!"

Not only them, but all the two groups of people nearby who were looking for old Woodville hurriedly changed their search direction and rushed towards the Northern Wall.

(End of this chapter)