Pirate Kingship-Chapter 649 - 456: The Fifth Element, Striking the Weakness

"Captain, we must block this area! We can’t let them burst out!" Saranthe yelled. "The [Lost Ones] grow stronger with each killing, and the reverse pull on the various Undead at the Edge of the World also gets stronger. Once a Death Stranding incident spirals out of control in a major city, nobody can predict the severity of the damage unless we wait for the Source Tide to recede with the lunar cycle!"

He was the first to charge towards Sherlock and John Watson, who were too deep into the building to retreat in time. Amplifying his water manipulation ability with the [Triton of the Sea King], he whipped up a massive wave that swept both men out.

The next moment, the spot where the two had stood was completely submerged by a tide of crimson handprints. Then, a vast expanse of bloody handprints frantically surged towards the open doorway.

Byron’s eyes flashed; it was as if he was seeing his cousin anew. This man, who had barely escaped the Eastern Continent, clearly possessed a moral standard far above the average. Having experienced hardship himself, he still wished to help unrelated strangers.

Of course, Byron himself did not wish for this place to turn to ruins before they reclaimed Kingston. He decisively ordered, "Wings of Death, move out!"

"Aye, Captain."

A group of Pirate Guardsmen immediately bit into the [Azkek’s Cursed Coin] hanging around their necks, becoming "living dead" who hovered between life and death. Their skin was pale, their eyes ringed with black, and their bodies exuded a cold, deathly aura.

Yet, it was this special state that allowed them to see the true form of the [Lost Ones] on the other side. They maintained roughly human shapes, but their skin was dark and blue, and their bodies were shrouded in a boiling Blood Mist, making them look as if they had just climbed out of an Asphalt Pool.

"Fire!"

The [Wings of Death] collectively drew the revolvers from their belts and decisively pulled the triggers.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!...

Following the shooting method Byron had taught them—two shots to the torso and one to the head—in such engagements, once they opened fire, they had to empty their chambers within seconds.

The trickiest part about these [Lost Ones] was their constant invisibility. Only when they sprinted on all fours did they leave crimson handprints in the Material World, which would gradually fade after a few seconds. Without visual contact, proactive attacks were impossible. One could only wait passively for them to strike first to make contact.

This alone was enough to give even Mid-Sequences Transcendents a headache.

But as long as these [Lost Ones] could be seen, they weren’t much different from normal enemies; mundane bullets and blades could harm them.

At that moment, the [Wings of Death] emptied fifty revolvers in one go. The power of three hundred Whale Oil Bullets was clearly beyond comparison to ordinary Flintlock Guns. Crossfire erupted. The powerful Whale Oil Bullets, trailing streaks of blue flame, struck like heavy hammers wielded by hundreds of Berserkers, mercilessly beating the first wave of [Lost Ones] that pounced towards them to death in the rain. Not a single misfire occurred despite the weather.

From the bloody holes riddling the [Lost Ones]’ bodies, a silvery, mercury-like blood flowed out, making Byron, the Night Demon, involuntarily gulp. He instinctively craved it.

A [Bloodline River] beneath him, hovering between illusion and reality, extended out and collected all the bizarre, silvery blood.

A name then surfaced on the Sailing Logbook: "Fifth Element."

"Representing the fifth element in Alchemy beyond earth, wind, water, and fire—Spirit. Its effect on Spiritual Body-type beings is comparable to the Blood of Transformation." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Byron instantly understood. Aside from the "Blood of Transformation," the Deep Dive Church’s "Mermaid’s Tear" and the Worm of Greed’s "Philosopher’s Stone" were similar substances. They belonged to a certain form of "Transform," each with different focuses.

Killing the first batch of [Lost Ones] was just the beginning.

"AH—!" A short scream suddenly came from the back door of the building.

[Divine Sight]’s perspective rose, revealing that the City Guards responsible for this area had just arrived after the [Royal Iron Rule - Great Charter] automatically triggered an alert. While attempting to secure the scene, they were ambushed by another wave of [Lost Ones] and sustained heavy losses.

The manner of their deaths was particularly horrifying: once a [Lost One] grasped a limb, a blackish-red handprint would immediately appear. This handprint then rapidly spread over the victim’s body until it was completely covered. Wherever the handprints passed, muscles atrophied, blood dried up, hair withered, and teeth loosened. Within just a few breaths, victims turned into mummified corpses that looked decades older, much like Viscount Owen.

The newly born Dead Souls, after separating from their corpses due to the "Death Stranding," would linger in the Material World and become new [Lost Ones], joining in the frenzied attacks on other living beings.

It was practically a necromantic version of a biohazard outbreak!

Without waiting for Byron’s command, [Sword Saint] Herman and [Phantom Blade] Gus each took a skull coin and leaped into the air, crossing the rooftops to support the back door. Meanwhile, more [Lost Ones] poured out from the front door.

[Sea Magician] Saranthe, while waving his "Magic Wand," urgently reminded Byron, "Captain, Viscount Owen was most likely not the first victim. Before his death, the Death Stranding incident had already erupted. A large number of [Lost Ones] killed the Demon Monsters here and have been continuously pulling Dead Souls from the Edge of the World. We must clear out all the Undead in one go and destroy the Netherworld’s anchoring to end this Death Stranding. The longer this drags on, the more troublesome it will become."