Looking at Byron's still somewhat youthful face, the Navy Warrant Officer raised his boarding axe, a bloodthirsty sneer spreading across his lips.
"In your next life, don't be a pirate. Surrender yourself to the Lord!"
In this Supernatural World where cold weapons had never truly left the stage of history, warriors used a myriad of weapons and combat techniques. Most of these, however, stemmed from various rigorously tested forms of swordsmanship. No matter the ultimate choice of weapon, the first step was always to practice the sword. And all methods of attack, at their root, came in only three types: slashing, thrusting, and cutting.
Take this burly Warrant Officer, for instance. He began with one of the four basic stances, the Roof Guard, lifting his Battle Axe high above his head and swinging down at Byron with a powerful slash, clearly intent on a decisive blow.
But Byron had already read his history.
[Name: Ferguson Blaze, 21 years old, 204 centimeters tall, Navy Warrant Officer on the Stern Cruiser, Military Swordsmanship (Beginner).
The fine Chain Mail, a Blaze family heirloom, had accompanied his ancestors through the Crécy and Poitiers campaigns against the Irisflower Kingdom.
Later, as the family fortunes declined, the Chain Mail was left to gather dust.
Battle Axe: 162 centimeters long, weighs 2.6 kilograms.
Assessment: Once combat begins, he gets carried away, abandoning coordination with his teammates. He initiates with a "Slash," follows up with a "Thrust" to close distance, and then uses a "Cut." His three-move pattern is utterly rigid. His Military Swordsmanship is as if taught by a grammar teacher! Subpar!
Conclusion: A failure who couldn't pass the Order of Knights' selection trial and had to settle for joining the Marines instead.]
This Navy Warrant Officer wasn't a Transcendent; the Echoes of History saw through him completely.
WHOOSH—!
Byron chose not to block with his sword. He simply stepped back half a pace, easily dodging the slash that could have split a man in two. The wind brushed his hair, not harming a single strand. His control over distance was masterful.
The Warrant Officer's expression changed. Instinctively, he controlled the falling momentum of his axe, transitioning into the Fool's Guard, another of the four basic stances, as he shifted his attack. Twisting his body, he thrust fiercely at Byron!
Slashes and cuts might offer a chance of survival. However, a careless thrust, capable of causing piercing wounds, internal ruptures, and massive bleeding, was the deadliest of sword moves. Conversely, despite its killing power, such a pinpoint thrust was also the easiest to dodge.
Even more effortlessly than before, Byron sidestepped. Like the wind, he closed in beside his opponent.
Storm Sword Technique, Stabbing Step!
The entire exchange unfolded like a well-rehearsed drama, with the Warrant Officer perfectly cooperating, delivering his vital points right to Byron's sword.
It must be understood that swordsmanship philosophies in this world all adhered to four fundamental principles: judgment, distance, timing, and position. So-called swordsmanship involved combining the four basic stances—Roof Guard, Bull Guard, Plow Guard, and Fool's Guard—according to these principles, along with hundreds of derivative sword styles and Secret Arts. These ensured that a swordsman could launch the most direct and effective attack or defense in any situation, ultimately securing victory.
Among these, "judgment"—of the enemy's intelligence, tactics, and strategy—was paramount.
Thanks to Echoes of History, Byron had a decisive advantage in this regard, knowing his enemy's moves and attack range like the back of his hand. His awakened Spirituality allowed him to perfectly control his body, seizing every fleeting battlefield opportunity.
Only then did he finally, decisively, strike with his sword.
"Slash—!"
Grasping the hilt with one hand and the pommel with the other, he created a simple lever. Based on the Bull Guard, he advanced with a spinning slash, the gleaming sword light flashing violently. Of the hands, torso, feet, and footwork, the hands moved fastest, while footwork was slowest.
All stances and Sword Moves in the Storm Sword Technique aimed to shorten the "timing" aspect of the four principles. Its Secret Art was: Fast! Faster still!
Just like the First Mate, Bone Crusher Miles, earlier, the Warrant Officer didn't realize what had happened before the fight was over.
"Ugh..."
A thin red line appeared on his neck, then rapidly widened. Bright red blood spurted out like a fountain, driven by his powerful heart. Along with his blood, his strength and life gushed out. He tried to staunch the flow, to stop his life from ebbing away, but could only clutch his neck futilely as he collapsed.
This Navy Warrant Officer had betrayed the King and joined the York Party. His ambitions to revitalize his family came to an abrupt halt.
Taking a life with his own hands, Byron felt no discomfort. Instead, the Bayfolk blood within him boiled even more fiercely. It was as if he was born for the sea, born for the battlefield!
Without a second glance at the corpse on the ground, he immediately lunged towards the other Navy sailors attacking the pirate ship, unleashing a bloody storm.
With the help of Echoes of History, he deftly employed various sword techniques like Military Swordsmanship, Silver Cross Sword Technique, Fisher Swordsmanship, and Storm Sword Technique. He specifically targeted lone individuals—like the Navy Warrant Officer he had just faced—who were reckless and overeager for glory, ambushing them from the shadows.
Among these ordinary Navy men, few could withstand more than two or three of his strikes. This also earned him grateful gazes from the pirates he rescued, and his prestige on the ship soared.
Of course, Byron's goal wasn't to save these pirates. The Man-Eating Shark needed to hold out for another ten minutes to catch the approaching "east wind." If too few hands remained alive by then, they wouldn't be able to operate the sailboat with its hundreds of rigging lines to escape. They were all just tools.
However, if you walk a dark path long enough, you're bound to meet ghosts. Just as Byron stealthily dispatched his eighth victim...
HISS!
An bone-chilling coldness rose from his back, making the hairs on his body stand on end. Guided by the instinct of his Spirituality, his body subconsciously lunged forward.
The next moment, a circular silver shield, its edges glinting coldly, flew past the spot where he had just stood. It whizzed by with the high-pitched whine of a powerful crossbow bolt, slicing a pirate who couldn't dodge in time in half at the waist, his gory entrails spilling onto the deck.
"Ah, save me, save me..."
The bisected pirate, not dying immediately, writhed on the ground, screaming in agony.
The silver shield whistled back, landing in the hand of a middle-aged man in a field officer's uniform, who also carried a two-handed greatsword. It was Lieutenant Colonel Harold, the warship's only field officer—Fortress Guard Captain Harold.
Clearly, Byron's rampant killing had attracted the attention of this Transcendent, who had struck at him decisively. However, influenced by Byron's Talent, Cognitive Revision, Harold hadn't realized this young man was the high-priority target he was hunting!
Lieutenant Colonel Harold, having caught his shield, was about to strike again. But he found that Byron had already used the cover of the crowd to scurry away like a monkey to the side of another Transcendent aboard, Bloody Eye Salman.
Hmph! That Child of the Devil worth 5,000 pounds is hiding somewhere. But no matter. Once I've slaughtered all you foul-smelling pirates who are robbing our trade, I'll be sure to find him. Harold muttered to himself.
Strapping the shield to his back, he leveled the two-handed greatsword before him in the Bull Guard stance and charged towards Salman, the only opponent worthy of his attention. Any unlucky pirate who happened to block his path was casually cleaved in two by a diagonal slash.
Byron, having glimpsed a secret, didn't dare linger near his captain and quickly slipped away toward another part of the battle. In that fleeting glance, Echoes of History couldn't read the history of Lieutenant Colonel Harold, the Transcendent captain. He only saw: [Masterfully forged, blued steel two-handed greatsword. Total length: 153 cm. Blade length: 114 cm. Weight: 2.25 kg.]
But relying on his extraordinary erudition, Byron could tell from the man's attack style that this was a Fortress Guard of the Fortress Sequence.
Sequence Axiom: Every inch of ground must be contested!
Their formidable willpower and resistance, combined with integrated offensive and defensive capabilities, made this class like an uncrushable bronze pea—it couldn't be hammered flat or smashed—making them one of the most dreaded opponents for other classes.
Bloody Eye Salman, whom Byron had cleverly diverted Harold towards, could now only trust that his "Sailing" abilities would bring about a miracle. He chose to fight with all his might, a desperate last stand.
I can't bear to give up the subordinates I've painstakingly cultivated on this ship, and... the food reserves. If things become truly desperate, it won't be too late to escape using those Man-Eater Sharks I've been raising.
His right hand, already misshapen by Gout Stones and abnormally swollen, drew a massive sailor's cutlass nearly the size of the two-handed greatsword. With his left hand, he poured a bottle of Bacardi Rum into his mouth. The rum, boasting an alcohol concentration of 84.5°, appeared blood-red, as if something extra had been added to it.
BOOM—!
Searing waves of heat suddenly erupted from the stout man. He was 1.5 meters tall, weighed 150 kilograms, and was as round as a ball. No, the fat on his body was literally burning!
His feet firmly planted, he and Harold became two blurs in the eyes of the onlooking sailors, colliding with a deafening crash. The clash of sword against cutlass was deafening. It was Fortress Guard Harold who actually staggered back a step.
Watching the pirate captain opposite him gradually slimming down, Harold said gravely, "Are you... a Second Order Gourmet from the Gold Sequence?"
Byron, witnessing this scene from a distance, was surprised to find that the Decryption Rate for [Hidden: Captain Bloody Eye Salman's Unspeakable Secret] in his Sailing Logbook instantly jumped from 20% (when he had first learned of Salman's gout) to 40%.