Chapter 13: Showdown
---D-Day+156, Khabien 31st, Saturday Morning---
---Jinshibo---
Smoke claws my lungs.
Fire licks my skin.
Blood slicks my shoes.
*crash*
Blue robes, torn and stained with blood. Dark lamellar, dented and missing some scales. Sanctity in my right hand. Tormentor the left. I kick open the green double doors in front of me. Exposing the mini-palace's long dining hall.
Instead of officers and guests? Corpses of servants and sailors litter the room. Instead of dishes and conversation? Blood, gore, and debris are the new decor.
That is not all there is here though.
“Roar!”
Pirates.
A looter, an orc, did not like being interrupted. Yelling a battlecry, the warcraft reject charges me. Raising a scimitar.
*skrak* *slich*
Slice with my right arm as I lunge forward to meet him. Slashing the blessed rapier, Sanctity, across his green throat as electricity arcs along its silver and blue blade. Dark green fluid squirts from opened veins. And the nearly severed head flops oddly as the dying raider smacks into the floor.
Naturally attracting the attention of his partners in crime.
*pfit* *pfit*
But I’m not alone either.
From the hallway behind me. Yanese disciple Xin's bow sends an arrow into a surprised dwarf's heart before he can lift his crossbow. A monkey looking beastkin past him collapses after tourinese princess Isa's arrow enters its brain through an eye.
Of course the girls are with me.
"[Reaping Torch]"
*foosh*
“Aiyee!”
Screams a demonkin as oppai dark-elf Frankie's chanted spell consumes it in green flames.
Running by me, twenty-two lamellar armored blue robed haremites wielding swords, spears and bows attack the marauders. Quickly slaughtering the dozen or so scallywags practicing their pillage and plunder skills.
*whoosh* *choch*
My left arm chops. Throwing the devil sword, Tormentor. And impaling a flighty bald tattooed pirate against the far wall. His clothes start smoking from the flames that dance along its black and red steel.
*swoosh* *catch*
A flex of mana through my left palm starts the infernal longsword shaking like a lightsaber on Hoth before it springs out of the cooking corpse. Flying back into my hand.
‘Such a badass move. Eat your heart out, beer belly Thor!’
[Super Senses] confirms the harem and I are the only ones left alive.
"[Northern Frost]"
My tourinese sorceress, Blue, uses [Ice Magic] to extinguish the fires. The wood on this ship may be fire resistant but it's certainly not fireproof.
A cold wind, smoke and daylight enters through a large hole in the port side wall. The smells of gunpowder, wood and sea from outside. Struggle with the nostalgic odor trifecta of blood, piss and shit inside.
Unable to resist, I walk over and lean down. Looking outside.
“Stop blowing holes in my ship!”
““Hahaha!””
Japanese dark-elf Hitomi and british lustonian Lizzy’s guffawing shows I didn't waste that pop culture reference.
Through the breach I see the mast top of a corsair that’s boarded us. And the chaos beyond it. Every yanese ship in sight has two or three pirate vessels lashed to its sides. Pitched battles and spreading fires. The surrounding waters fill with debris and bodies.
Mumble to myself, “We got zerged.”
Buccaneers had been harassing the fleet for weeks. Random attacks pretty much daily. Wearing down the crews. Interrupting birthday parties. Disturbing post orgy naps. And generally pissing me the fuck off.
According to Elder Baiyu. It's not unusual for pirates to attack a treasure fleet. But never this much. Never this many. Very weird behavior from the sea thieves.
Finally, this morning, dozens of ships charged in from every direction. The yanese put up a hell of a fight. But there were just too many. Soon breaking through and boarding us.
And even though the attacker's craft are smaller. They’re packed with nerdowells. Swamping the defenders. Turning every deck into a chaotic melee.
But everything isn’t going those assholes way.
Namely, the Beyulongong sect. The North Jade Dragon Palace.
Four elders, eight disciples, with dozens of trainees.
Core Elder Baiyu stays on the Jinshibo. While Elders Duan, Qinxin, and Xien fly from ship to ship. Turning the tide in Yangxu’s favor.
On this love boat, we’ve spent hours battling in the sterncastle. Killing hundreds of fantasy pirate looking bitches and bastards. Lastly, retaking the admiral’s pagoda on the poop deck.
‘Hehe… poop.’
Even with our xianxia-fu, the horde of vile venal villains could have overwhelmed us. Except the bad guys forgot one teensy-weensy, but ever so crucial, little tiny detail.
“[RISE]”
This ship? Has a necromancer.
After using [Super Senses] for months. It's so sensitive that even wives can't lie about who farted anymore. Can feel the faint mana ripple out from me and spread across the hall. Catch that slight whiff of death qi.
On each deceased, the mana lingers. Then suddenly spawns a neon purple magic circle under every carcass. Rings of arcane characters and mystical runes, that reek of wrongness, orbit as necromancy seeps into ruined flesh and broken bone.
Voiceless moans drift through the space as invisible mana stitches the cadavers back together. That same energy gathers and fuels the undead as they slowly stand. Temperature dropping even more as the chill of the grave weeps.
Unconsciously, my women crowd closer to me.
Dozens of zombies now face me. In life? They were individuals. Different races. Different classes. Different jobs. Male. Female. Young. Old.
In undeath they are one. The same. One purpose. One will. Mine.
The “sense of self” needed for higher level undead is lacking in these.
Pity.
I point at the hole in the wall and the pirate ship beyond it.
"Go."
My newest company of corpses charges the breach. Leaping out and throwing themselves over the railing. Crashing down onto the buccaneer's decks below. Their new state makes even Skyrim's fall damage survivable.
"Fly my pretties. Fly!" Queue maniacal laughter. “Muahaha-”
"Master, please stop that."
Twenty-two women stare at me.
…
“Oh, uh, yeah. Just, uh, had a moment there.” Be cool bruh, be cool. “Thanks Frankie. *ahem* Let's go.”
We march through the decorpsified room. The only remaining undead are the living shadows lurking in our, well, shadows.
The rest I've already sent out to fuck up the pirates attacking other ships. And raising more undead through my shadow oracles, Margo and Ferra.
Two dozen strong, we push open the damaged doors on the far side and walk down a short hallway. Everyone, alert for ambushes or more looters. Each door along it has already been torn down. The rooms beyond, ransacked.
‘These pirates work fast.’
Exiting the mini-palace reveals… a stalemate.
Standing on the portside of the “poop deck” on top of the sterncastle, we face the bow. Several stories below us is the wooden “main deck.” The middle of the ship, between the raised sterncastle and forecastle.
At the bottom of the staircases leading down are multiple rows of armed yanese sailors and soldiers. Wielding spears and swords to keep the corsairs at bay. Beyond them are hundreds of pirates taking cover behind a mish mash of shields, tables, and barricades.
Especially around the four massive masts forming a square jutting up through the impromptu battlefield.
Each obstruction is a pincushion of bolts and arrows. From archers on the stern decks above the main deck. The space between the pirates and crew, cluttered with the dead and dying.
Difficult seeing through the damaged ribbed sails to the far side of the main deck. Itself over half a football field long. So the harem and I start clomping down the four staircases in front of me.
While the main deck may be peaceful, at the moment, filled with the yelling of the brave and moaning of the injured. Ongoing fighting below and beyond still comes through clearly. The clash of metal on metal. The screams.
We nearly reach the yanese captain on the first stern deck when a lusty woman’s voice cuts through the noise.
“There you are!”
Startled, I face the enemy and spot something at the other end of the main deck.
‘Another succubus?’
This one has blue skin instead of red. But the horns, wings and tail look awfully familiar. Like a certain demon lady who “burned out” on D-Day.
Jin must recognize her because I hear the yanese daoist growl, “Zarixia.”
Little Li recognizes someone else, “Yazu?”
"Huh? The young master trope guy?"
Tearing my eyes from the very sexy succubus pirate queen, to the right of her is someone wearing tattered blue sect robes. Well, some thing.
Core Disciple Gan confirms my guess when, with disgust, she whispers, “Qi deviation.”
Standing next to cosplay queen is… the Hulk.
Well, the yanese version.
Young master trope is now totally swole. Beyond swole. Bloated even. Muscles on muscles. And a couple feet taller. While his face has elongated. Stretched. Mouth filled with fangs. With a long tongue hanging out like a pedo at a pokemon party.
Miss succubus is distractedly stroking his right arm. She may be thinking of another appendage. And using a mana enhanced voice to be clearly heard.
“When little Yazu told my spies there were two of the dirty dragon’s daughters here? How could I resist a visit to pay my… respects.” The stroking stops as her face turns angry and nails dig in. “Naughty boy forgot to tell me there was a corpse caller onboard though.”
As nails and now fingers dig deeper, Huang Yazu grimaces in pain and drops to his knees. His voice gravelly.
“Mi-mistress… Forgive m-me… Pl-please…”
Like it was never there, Zarixia’s expression becomes calm again. Even loving. “Of course I forgive my new toy.” She traces his chin with a finger. “This lady may even let you play with your princess.” Yazu’s mouth grows a disturbing grin. “After you clean up your mess.”
The demonized young master locks his eyes on me and his grin somehow gets even wider. Revealing even more fangs.
“Ye-yes… Mi-mistress…”
Xianxia Bane rises to his feet and begins stomping closer. The yanese sailors and soldiers look at each other like they are not sure about this. The guy is huge after all.
Yanese princess Li scoots closer and hides behind me.
“Xingan?”
Turn and give her lips a playful peck.
“No worries sweetie. Hubby will handle your stalker.”
*woosh* *crunch*
Leap from the stern deck’s railing and do a superhero landing in front of the yanese troops. Crushing a knee into the deck, cracking it.
‘Damn, that is so hard on the knees.’
Hop and limp a little as my isekai David faces off against wuxia Goliath. The pirates and sailors watching intently.
‘Should I Brad Pitt this?’
“St-strong now… Kill yo-you…”
I smirk, “No you won’t.”
*swish* *catch*
My superswords still drawn, throw Sanctity this time.
Showing impressive reflexes, trope guy catches the blade before it punctures his skull. Cutting open his hand something fierce but stopping it cold. His head tilts to the side so he can see me around his oversized paw and grins.
“I… Cau-caught it…”
Grin right back.
“Yes you did. Good boy.”
*SKRAHK*
“Aiyee!-gulk”
Lightning courses and arcs through his body. It locks up as every muscle clenches. Somehow still manages to scream. Until a burning Tormentor pierces deep into his throat.
*gahk* *gahk*
Huang Yazu’s eyes bulge as he struggles to breathe. Struggles to understand what's happened. Then his peepers messily pop and his smoking burning remains fall backward. Crashing against the deck.
The magic swords rip themselves free as he topples and soar back into my hands.
Everyone stares at me. In shock. Guess they expected some grand duel or something.
Yeah, could have done that. Might even have been fun. But these fuckers keep interrupting my harem time. So they all just gots to die.
“Kill.”
One word. One thought. Unleashes my pretties. The hundreds of undead I’ve gathered over the last few hours have finished purging the lower decks and five ships that lashed themselves to the Jinshibo.
They’ve climbed the forward hull of the Jinshibo and been waiting. Covering it like ants on a wasp. Now they launch themselves onto the main deck and fore deck. Running at and piling on every pirate. Clawing. Biting. Stabbing.
The panicked freebooters try to fight. Or to flee. Some even surrender. None of it matters. I want them dead. So they’re dead.
*BOOM*
A big pile of zombies blows apart as a winged demon launches upward. It's pirate queen and her cosplay outfit is going to need some repairs. She’s looking a little… upset.
“DAMN GRAVE FUCKER!!!” Put extra mana into that scream. “Burn, you abomination!”
A massive magic circle appears above the hovering succubus and the Jinshibo. Though the writing in its rings look more like chinese characters than elemental runes or script.
“[DIYU FEN-]”
[Dragon’s Spite]
*pfit* *kulch*
Through shadows I see the Core Elder finally release the bow string she’s had pulled back for a while now. Sending a solid metal arrow skyward to bury itself deep in Zarixia’s chest.
There was a ton of qi used in that technique.
My heightened senses see the demon lady’s astonished face. And the rampaging demonic qi as backlash from the interrupted high level incantation starts tearing her body apart.
“No-” *splush*
Is all she manages before the flying pirate queen explodes like a water balloon filled with sewage.
The huge magic rings fade as bits and pieces of succubus rain down on the ship.
‘Gonna need a bath after this.’
*catch*
Pump mana into my legs, powering a leap back up to the stern decks. Catching Jin before she finishes falling over.
“Hey, where do you think you're going?” Brush hair off her pale face. “Doesn’t the heroine need her reward?”
Core Elder Baiyu exhaustedly snickers as her sweaty fingers touch my cheek.
“Thank you, Jon. You gave me the opportunity to avenge the many sisters she’s ruined.”
*boruunn*
A distant horn grabs my attention. [Super Senses] shows the scum and villainy fleeing back to their vessels. And the still circling corsairs turning tail. Heading northward. Why they are fleeing is coming over the western horizon. A whole fleet of sleek looking white ships.
The newcomers are not keeless like the yanese junks. They have keels like the pirates but look much, well, cleaner. Smoother. The first word that comes to mind is actually-
“Elves!” Little Li’s shout interrupts my train of thought.
Eh?
Frankie comments, “Master, elvish craft are approaching.”
“The Elluine have long been allies against the demon clans.” Disciple Xin speaks.
I nod and pick Jin up in a princess carry.
“Good. Captain?” A yanese officer turns to me. “I’m going to wash and take a nap.” Tilt my head towards the undead. “They’ll help clean up. Then throw themselves overboard.”
Without waiting for an answer I head back upstairs to the mini-palace for a long soak. A maid running ahead of me to pass the word.
The Nascent Soul cultivator in my arms begins running her fingers over my armored chest. While giving me her best Bette Davis eyes.
I think she knows what she wants for her “reward.”
“Rub a dub dub.”
Huang, Yazu Tai (male, demon, yanese)
Zung, Zarixia (female, demon, mozu)