Lord of Rot

He dug his fingers into his shoulder and pinched, pulling out an iron ball that had scorched the flesh.

His physical resilience was incredibly high. The bullets hadn’t penetrated his body. Despite taking several consecutive hits, he was only lightly injured.

One even hit his forehead but was stopped by his hard skull. Though he looked a gruesome sight with his face covered in blood, his life was not actually in danger.

’Are they from Monkey Island?’ Dreden wondered.

Footsteps echoed from the distance.

A group of people rushed in and immediately dropped to a crouch.

They leveled the black iron tubes in their hands at Dreden and his group.

The black-haired young man who walked in last was likely the group’s leader.

"Elite Soldiers!" Dreden was startled when he saw the fine lamellar armor on the Porcupine Soldiers.

’Where did such an elite unit come from?’

The black iron tubes in their hands must have been the strange weapons that had claimed the lives of his men.

Dreden took a step forward and said, "Yarrn. I am Dreden Bill of the Monkey Leader Bill family. I believe we can talk. There is pirate treasure here—it’s all yours. We are also quite willing to become your captives. Please, give us an opportunity to pay a ransom."

At the same time, Dreden shot a meaningful glance at the two Transcendents, hoping they would charge forward at the critical moment. If they could just capture the leader, they would be able to escape.

However, in the pitch-black darkness, his glances were likely lost on them.

’I don’t need the treasure. All I need is this crown!’

Besides, he believed they would certainly spare his life. That’s what nobles were for: ransom.

"All the treasure for me?" Leech chuckled. "First, hand over what you’re holding."

"Of course. This is yours as well." Dreden didn’t want to let go, but he had to gain their trust first.

He led his three companions toward Leech, stopping after a certain distance to place the crown on the ground.

"Very good." Leech nodded in satisfaction. "Welcome, gentlemen captives..."

SWISH! SWISH!

The two Transcendents moved at the same time. One charged toward Leech, while the other dropped to the ground, wrapping all four of his arms around his head.

The instant they moved, the Porcupine Soldiers opened fire.

Muzzle flashes flickered as a dense hail of bullets enveloped the four of them.

In that moment, Dreden Bill understood what his men had experienced. There wasn’t much pain; once the first projectile pierced his body, he felt nothing at all.

All that remained were countless regrets.

’La was born before me. On what grounds is *he* the heir?’

’I was just one step away. I should have been the one to wear the crown.’

’What in the world is this weapon?’

Darkness swallowed Dreden.

The bodies of Dreden and the woman beside him collapsed to the ground.

The figure who had charged, however, had somehow dodged most of the bullets, successfully closing the distance to the line of fire.

He knocked over two Porcupine Soldiers, but the others reacted instantly. Dropping their firearms, they tucked in their arms and slammed into him.

’A speed-type Transcendent.’ This was the first time Leech had seen a Transcendent this agile.

Although he was mentally prepared—knowing that the power of firearms would, at most, allow ordinary people to hold their ground on the battlefield rather than dominate it—he was still astonished to see someone weave and dodge through a storm of bullets.

One by one, the Porcupine Soldiers slammed into him, but the man nimbly flipped. He pressed a hand on one Soldier’s shoulder, using the leverage to spin several times in the air and rapidly adjust his posture at the apex of his jump.

His hands swept to his ankles, and he drew two jet-black blades.

’Poison!’

Leech took a step forward.

He cast his Magic: Stun!

The Transcendent, who was diving toward Leech from a difficult angle, suddenly went rigid in mid-air.

He lost his balance and plummeted to the ground.

Stun! Stun! Stun!

As Leech drew his sword and charged, he didn’t dare relax for a second, repeatedly casting Stun to keep the man completely locked down.

Then he ran his sword through the man’s heart.

"Whew."

’That’s much better.’

’Only the dead are truly safe.’

Stepping on the corpse, he pulled out his sword and looked at the four-armed Transcendent still crouched on the ground, head in his hands.

The man had taken his share of hits during the hail of bullets, but he had managed to endure them thanks to his powerful physique.

Two Corpse Ghosts walked silently in front of Leech.

Leech raised a hand, signaling them to cease fire. ’Against a Transcendent, you could shoot for a full minute and it might not be enough to kill them. Better to save the bullets.’

"Wait!"

Sensing Leech’s approach, the four-armed Mercenary on the ground hastily shouted, "Wait, my lord! I’m just a Mercenary! I’m willing to work for you! Don’t kill me!"

’He really hadn’t intended to fight me. When the speed-type Transcendent charged, this Mercenary had immediately dropped to the ground and covered his head.’

’But the word "Mercenary" also implied unreliability, betrayal, thievery, and opportunism. They had no bottom line.’

’In short, any number of despicable terms could be applied to a Mercenary.’

"What’s your name?" Leech asked.

"Trevor."

"Very good, Trevor. Your smart choice saved your life," Leech said. "You can stand up now."

"Yes, sir!"

Trevor obediently stood up. He was about the same height as Leech, but his muscles were far more developed.

One side of his body was covered in bullet holes, the iron balls lodged in his muscle.

"I hope you continue to be this clever." Leech had the two Corpse Ghosts guard the four-armed Trevor, then walked toward Dreden Bill.

The man had been riddled with so many holes he looked like a honeycomb. Brains and blood were splattered across the ground, making his original features unrecognizable.

Leech bent down and picked up the crown from the ground.

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