Pirate Kingship

Just as Byron had the thought, storm clouds gathered and a torrential downpour began over the North Sea.

On the other side of the Strait of Dover, in a small fishing port, a fishing boat that had gone out to catch cod had just docked.

More than thirty fishermen on the boat threw out ropes, opened the hatches, and began to unload barrels, preparing to bring the hard-earned catch to the port.

However, a young man who did not seem to be a fisherman stood by himself under the mainmast, staring at the bustling little fishing port, his eyes filled with... hunger.

He subconsciously gulped down a mouthful of saliva:

"Thankfully, I have enough patience, having learned ’delayed gratification’ from the brains of those human clergy members consumed by the Mother Goddess.

If I had started eating on the boat, I could only have eaten a little over thirty. How could that compare to a small port town?

With so much nourishment to consume, I am sure I can grow into the strongest of the Kin under the Mother Goddess."

It was evident that this was one of the many "seeds" released along the East Coast of the continent after Noah’s Ark had devoured countless low, middle, and high Sequence transcendents.

Even though the Mother of Monsters Echidna was not as sharp-minded as she once was, she was once a top-tier Seventh Order True God, and even a small leftover measure was a big trouble that mortals could hardly resist.

Once countless Kin, the Trees of Life, have consumed more humans and grown up, it is entirely possible to bring out that unsinkable Ark once more.

As the captain, busy with work, saw the young man in a daze, he turned and shouted at him:

"James, what are you standing there for? We’ve reached port; hurry up and help out!"

The decently intelligent "seed" looked back at the captain.

A while ago, when he was drifting at sea like a coconut searching for a new home after falling into the water, he was coincidentally rescued by the captain and twisted the perceptions of the entire crew to believe he was the captain’s long-lost brother.

Upon hearing the shout, the "seed" gave him a sinister smile:

"Thank you for bringing me here. Now you’re no longer needed."

Crack!

A shell-cracking sound came from the back of his head, followed by dozens of pitch-black tendrils extending like tree branches, completely ripping apart the human shell.

Finally, a kin, a Tree of Life with a trunk resembling a stump, a body covered in large mouths, and sheep hooves growing underneath, was revealed!

"Ah—!"

The captain and crew members of the fishing boat briefly lost themselves, then awoke as if from a dream, uttering terrified screams.

But the confusion born from the "seed" had already transformed into Fear Spiritual Energy, immobilizing them as if their feet were nailed to the deck, even though they desperately wanted to flee.

Other people outside the fishing boat hadn’t even noticed anything unusual and were utterly unaware of the impending disaster about to strike this small fishing port, which had fewer than a handful of low Sequence Extraordinary beings.

The Tree of Life opened all its mouths, ready to feast.

Planning to eat the fishermen first, then go ashore for more indulgence, it suddenly, instinctively turned to look at another sailboat that had just docked.

The already haphazard mouth on its body twisted, clearly displeased:

"Is that the presence of other siblings?

The Mother Goddess strictly commanded us not to fight among ourselves and to quickly grow into the Forest of Life. But why can’t you... wait until I finish eating to come over?"

The "kin" on the opposite ship also noticed it; a young man dressed in a naval officer’s uniform, with a few tendrils waving behind his head, waved at it from a distance.

The shape of his mouth seemed to call out to it:

"Elder brother, please take care of me."

The Tree of Life felt slightly relieved, as this kin still understood human etiquette. There was no need to confront each other, and it wasn’t bad to gain additional assistance.

"Then I shall be generous and share a tenth of the rations with you."

As it made up its mind to accept him, not noticing when his "elder brother" had called out,

A bolt of lightning suddenly snaked through the clouds gathered by Byron, accompanied by a deafening thunder, striking down from the sky.

Coincidentally, it landed on the already rain-soaked mainmast beside the Tree of Life, instantly lighting up the entire fishing boat in a bright white.

Boom!

When the fishermen got up from the ground, they saw that the once-mighty and fierce Ancient God’s Chosen Race was now charred black, indeed resembling a burnt tree stump lying on the deck.

A pungent smell of scorched flesh permeated the air.

"Did it get struck dead by lightning?"

The captain bravely used a harpoon to poke at its body, finding it motionless, the eerie Fear Spiritual Energy gone, and couldn’t help but cheer:

"Praise the Wild Hunt King!"

The entire crew knelt on one knee, making the sign of the Triangular Holy Emblem on their chests as they silently prayed to the stormy thunderclouds in the sky.

His Majesty is the Incarnation of the Storm, the King of the Sky, long glorified by the Royal National Church; they remembered it vividly.

Lightning had killed the monster, indeed an intervention from His Majesty?

They were certainly not mistaken!

If this trend continues, Byron mastering divinities like [Sailing] and [Fishing Industry] as Persona God is only a matter of time.

However, the main force in defeating the kin this time was actually not Byron, as he also disregarded such a minor role.

The young officer on the opposite ship who first waved at the kin instructed his subordinates:

"Retrieve the corpse. I can sense a lot of ’seed’ presences along the coastline, and others continue to follow me to the next location."

This officer was not a stranger, indeed, he was Raymond, the [Legendary Victim], [Unlucky Ghost], who had once teamed up with Nemesis of Sin Sherlock while searching for Old Woodville at Hadrian’s Wall.