Pirate: It’s not a phantom beast, it’s a phantom god!

Chapter 317 Facing Death
Squeak~squeak~squeak~
It sounded like the air was being scorched, or like lightning particles rubbing and colliding with each other... Pale lightning gathered in the red dragon's upper mouth and splashed out through the gaps in its teeth.

This is a judgment thunder that is completely different from the previous [superconducting waves].

As a phantom god possessing the dual divine status of fertility and the god of the underworld, Osiris's strange two mouths are actually a symbol of his natural and judgmental power.

In contrast to the [Thunder Cannon], which evolved from the God of Abundance and symbolizes the power of nature, possessing destructive power akin to natural disasters, what is now brewing in the dragon's mouth is the manifestation of its power as a god of the underworld.

……

Due to the influence of his powers, Ossi is exceptionally sensitive to death itself and places extra importance on living life.

She dislikes and even detests taking other people's lives from the bottom of her heart, believing that every life should be cherished and that the only thing equal to life is life itself.

Therefore, even though he had become a famous pirate, and even though he was in the Beasts Pirates, a pirate crew known for its ferocity and brutality, Osei had only killed a handful of people, and each time he only did so when the other party had clearly shown their killing intent and had already made a move.

This behavior, which can almost be called 'weakness,' has been criticized by Kaido countless times, but Osei has always adhered to his own philosophy—that every life should be respected and treated with care.

It was under the influence of this philosophy that Ossi almost never deeply developed his powers as a god of the underworld, but merely used them as a tool to observe souls.

Yes, because she cherishes life, she resists power, but...

【Is it really? 】

[......]
[……certainly.]
[Ossie, do you remember that time when you kept asking me how to control your powers?]

[Sister La, I...]
But you stopped asking later, not because I gave you the answer, but because you had already realized what your power truly represented.

[......]
The power of harvest grants you the ability to control the seasons and celestial phenomena, bestowing upon you the might of nature. The power of the god of the underworld, on the other hand, grants you the ability to determine life and death, allowing you to judge souls.

Both of these are powers that belong to you, but you chose the former and ignored the latter...

That's because...
Because of your emotions.

You choose to follow your emotional side, thus deliberately avoiding the power related to death.

[No, that's not it. It's because I don't want to take someone's life so easily...]
I don't deny this; you, who understand the value of life better than anyone else, naturally value giving life extra importance... This is an undeniable fact.

[Yes, yes, that's right.]
So what lies beneath this premise?

[What? ]
What is the most fundamental reason driving all of this, the 'truth' hidden beneath the 'truth'?

There is no such thing as...
It's fear, the fear of death, isn't it?

No, that's not it!
Death is always accompanied by separation, pain, sorrow, and...the emptiness of being forgotten.

You are afraid of these things, and therefore you let your emotions control you to escape death and power.

[I, I didn't...]
You've transferred this fear and aversion to death to your attachment to life, using this to convince yourself and find a reason to escape.

[Stop talking...]
However, Ossi, you must understand that so-called power is never something you can choose. It is part of what constitutes our existence; you have no choice in the matter.

[Stop talking...]
[Constantly running away might work temporarily, but one day you will encounter a situation where you can no longer escape, such as—the death of someone important to you.]

[don't want! ]
Passive growth is always accompanied by loss, and I know this is cruel for you. But when that day truly comes, it may also be the opportunity for you to truly confront your inner fears.

[Confront...my fears.]
【right. 】

Confront death, confront death, and then... judge death.

[I...I can't do it.]
You can do it. This is the power you yourself sealed away.

[I can't do it!]
Now, break free of those shackles, and seize your authority.

[don't want! ]
Confront his death squarely; don't let his death be meaningless.

[No!]
Are you going to send him off like this on his final journey?

[......]
【…】

[I... I can't...]
【you can.】

After all, you are his pride.

[......]
[......]
[Um. ]
……

"Roar----!"

The wings that blotted out the sky suddenly spread open, and the crimson dragon of the sky let out a roar that froze souls.

For the first time, Ossi truly and fully utilized the portion of his power belonging to the god of the underworld, without any hindrance; everything proceeded smoothly and naturally.

An unfamiliar aura, completely different from usual, erupted from her body, and the Illusion God who controlled the Underworld descended in full form!
"Boom—!" Osi raised his head, and the energy that had been accumulating for a long time and compressed to the limit burst out of his mouth. The blue and white lightning breath directly pierced through the clouds and reached the heavens.

[Summon Lightning Bolt!]

The world was instantly illuminated by this pillar of light, and everyone present stared in disbelief at the scene... No one made a move, as if everyone and the surrounding space had been frozen in place.

puff~
A splash came from the water; it was Mien, who had just delivered the ultimate sword strike.

He was equally stunned by what he had just witnessed, completely forgetting that he was still in mid-air, and stopped his Moonwalk before falling into the sea.

"Guuuu~"

"Ah, we're saved?"

"What, what's going on?"

Why didn't that monster attack us?

"Why is He attacking the heavens? Is there an enemy there?"

Seeing that Osina's terrifying breath did not shoot directly at them, but instead flew straight up into the sky like an erupting volcano, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"The monster missed its target?"

"I understand now. He must know that I am a noble Celestial Dragon, so he dares not attack me!"

"Hahaha! As expected, a mere monster from the lower realm dares to think it can harm a noble of this world? It's utterly delusional!"

“Saint Nathania, let’s escape first… no, let’s get out of here first.”

"It would be bad if that monster suddenly went berserk."

The white-clad agent, still on edge, wasn't as optimistic as Nathania, who thought the other was scared or something. He just wanted to get Nathania away from that monster in the sky as quickly as possible!

"Walk?"

"Alright, my merman slaves are still the most important thing."

"But this monster dared to threaten me, I must bombard it with cannon fire before I leave!"

"..."

Upon hearing these words, the white-clad agent paused, then his eyes widened beneath the mask... For some reason, he suddenly felt a mix of wanting to cry and wanting to laugh.

But before he could compose himself and think of some words to coax this living ancestor away, he suddenly caught a glimpse of starlight out of the corner of his eye.

"Is this... a meteor shower?"

The agent in white looked up and saw countless blue and white light rains falling from the sky. Each one was the size of a person, trailing long flames, together creating a dreamlike and magnificent scene.

Everyone on the ship was captivated by this fantastical scene that seemed to come from another world, including Mien, who was soaking in the sea... It was so beautiful.

call out--

A 'meteor' fell and struck a naval soldier, splashing out fiery lightning.

Then... the soldier died without making a sound.

Trial execution!

This rain of light was never a beautiful sight to admire; the dazzling lightning, as spectacular as shooting stars, was a final judgment on the souls of everyone present.

……

Hey~
Thousands of miles away, the light of the millennium-old building blocks in her hand subsided and returned to her body.

A conversation that never existed, where time and space were out of sync, ended, and La opened her eyes again.

Beneath her sun-kissed golden eyeshadow, her crimson eyes gazed at the distant horizon, and the corners of her lips unconsciously curved into a slight smile.

This scene stunned Quinn, who was busy repairing the laboratory roof not far away. The toolbox in his arms slipped from his grasp and clattered to the ground.

……

Ignoring the sounds around her, she murmured softly in a gentle tone:
"This is what you wanted to see, isn't it...?"

Goodbye, Bourfat.

(End of this chapter)