The calm after Kuro's recruitment was instantly broken. Ellias Vane had barely registered the new sword style when the Limitless Sight mapped a cluster of uniformed figures rapidly approaching the beach.
"We have company, Mr. Kuro," Ellias announced, leaning gently on the Blackthorn cane. "They appear to be rather aggressive."
Kuro adjusted his glasses. "Marines. Ten men and a Lieutenant, likely sent to secure my ship. Their movements are clumsy, but their intentions are quite lethal."
As Kuro spoke, a sharp, mechanical chime rang in Ellias's mind.
[Ding!] System Mission Activated.
Mission: Clear the Immediate Threat.
Objective: Defeat all Marine personnel currently on the island.
Reward: Swordsmanship Template Upgrade (Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū advancement.)
Ellias suppressed a smile. "It seems we have a joint objective, Mr. Kuro. A test of our new alliance, perhaps."
Before Kuro could reply, ten blue-uniformed figures burst onto the sand, weapons drawn. Their leader, a broad Lieutenant, spotted them instantly.
"Captain Kuro, you are under arrest!" the Lieutenant bellowed, pointing his saber.
"And you, blind civilian! Stay clear of the pirate!"
Ellias sighed dramatically, holding a hand up slightly as if warding off a loud noise. "Must all encounters be so dreadfully loud? It quite dulls the moment," he commented to Kuro.
The Lieutenant bristled, his face reddening. What did that blind idiot just say? Dull the what? He felt insulted by the man's tone alone.
Kuro merely smirked. "I calculate swift elimination is the most efficient response. I will scatter and disarm the riff-raff. You will handle the Lieutenant and any remaining fools. Show me the quality of your vision, Captain Vane."
"A challenge I gladly accept." Ellias straightened, fixing his sightless gaze on the charging Lieutenant.
"My dear Lieutenant," Ellias called out, his voice sharp and clear. "This particular piece of land is currently reserved for the planning of a far more elegant voyage. Your intrusion is simply not permitted."
The Lieutenant stared, momentarily confused by the word 'infraction' and 'elegant voyage.' "What in the blazes are you talking about, fancy-pants? Get him!" he roared, charging forward with a powerful swing of his saber.
The Limitless Sight showed Ellias the attack in perfect detail. It was all so agonizingly slow.
Ellias moved. He sidestepped the saber's path, the movement fluid and minimal. The Blackthorn Cane Sword slid from its sheath with a single, quick sound. Ellias struck the flat of the Lieutenant's saber with perfect force, and the cheap steel snapped instantly. The Blackthorn was back in its cane form before the Lieutenant could react.
The Lieutenant stumbled past, staring in shock at the useless broken hilt in his hand.
The other Marines hesitated, glancing at each other. "He... he broke the boss's sword with his stick!" one of them whispered, completely bewildered by the speed and the lack of bloodshed.
That moment of shock was all Kuro needed.
With a sharp 'Shak!', Kuro used his Nukiashi (Silent Walk) and became a ghost among the ranks. His ten razor-sharp finger blades flashed, targeting wrists, shoulders, and knees. Five Marines immediately collapsed or dropped their weapons with cries of pain—Kuro had rendered them combat ineffective without a single death.
Two remaining Marines raised their rifles, aiming at Ellias. The Limitless Sight showed him the path of the bullets forming.
Ellias's hand blurred, and the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū flowed through him. The cane sword was a flash of silver, striking both rifle barrels simultaneously. The impact sent the weapons flying high into the air, the sheer speed disarming both men before their fingers left the triggers.
The Lieutenant, thoroughly defeated but furious, lunged at Ellias with his bare fists. Ellias met the man with the tip of his Blackthorn cane, striking a single, precise pressure point in the abdomen.
"Truly, sir, physical confrontation is often the least civilized form of discourse," Ellias commented as the Lieutenant gasped, his breath stolen, and crumpled to the sand, defeated.
Kuro stepped back into view. "A clean sweep, Captain Vane. Though I admit, that speed was rather... theatrical. Your dialogue is certainly wasted on these cretins."
"The appreciation of elegance, Mr. Kuro, is often only found in those who possess it," Ellias replied.
[System Mission Complete: Clear the Immediate Threat.]
Objective Achieved. Reward Processing...
Swordsmanship Template Advanced: Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū (Himura Kenshin) 10% -> 25%
Ability unlock: Enhanced speed and precision. You can now execute the foundational techniques: Ryūtsuisen (Dragon Hammer Flash) and Ryūshōsen (Dragon Flight Flash).
Ellias felt the new, complex techniques integrate into him. "It seems my fighting style has gained some necessary depth. Let us commandeer this rather noisy vessel, Mr. Kuro. Our journey to Syrup Village requires immediate departure."