Bang!
The devastating strike tore straight through Bubuta's defense and landed squarely on his body. The skiff beneath him shattered instantly. The terrifying impact drove him deep beneath the sea, carving a long white trail through the water. Towering waves surged upward, overturning more than half of the Sea Hunters' boats behind him in a single sweep.
"Ahhh!"
"Help! Glub, glub!"
Several people instinctively cried out for help, but before they could finish, mouthfuls of briny seawater flooded in, choking off their voices. By this point, the battle was essentially over.
The fight between Zhangsen and Bubuta had been swift and straightforward. In the end, the deciding factor was simple: could Jangsen close the distance quickly?
If he could, the battle would end.
If he couldn't, the battle would still end.
When Bubuta eventually floated back up from the depths, Jangsen seized him and brought him aboard.
Mages could rapidly gather magic to shield their bodies, making them generally resilient. Though Jangsen's punch had been formidable, killing Bubuta outright was far from easy.
Without Bubuta's leadership, the remaining Sea Hunters quickly collapsed and were captured by the members of the Turtle King's Shield.
"Mr. Pasfield, all surviving members of Seaweed Blade are gathered here." At the top level of the ship's tower, the bearded Bich Fard cast a stunned glance at Jangsen before reporting to Pasfield.
"I see." Pasfield nodded.
"Oh, and Mr. Pasfield, aside from these Sea Hunters, we also found over a dozen Vichy tribesmen enslaved on their ship. How should we deal with them?"
"The Vichy Tribe?" Pasfield's eyes lit up.
According to the intelligence gathered earlier from members of those noble families, the Azure Water, which they had discovered, was located in a certain Vichy tribe's settlement. However, since the Vichy lived across various islands in the Northern Sea region, they hadn't been able to determine which tribe it was.
"Bring them here at once."
"Understood." Bich Fard responded and headed downstairs. He was curious why a handful of Vichy tribesmen would excite Pasfield so much, but he wasn't one to pry.
More importantly, he was afraid that if he asked too many questions, the white-bearded old man beside him might reward him with a punch.
Ur's gaze lingered on Jangsen. He wanted to ask about the power of martial arts used earlier, but it wasn't urgent.
Before long, Bich Fard returned, leading a group of men and women clad in thick furs. They were disheveled and wild-looking, like savages straight out of legend.
"Hm?" Ur's eyes shifted the moment he saw them.
How strange… why do these people possess such high magic reserves? He wondered.
From Ur's perception, even the weakest among them carried three to four times the magic power of a normal adult. The stronger ones had five or six times as much, comparable to a C-Class mage.
"Lugi!"
"!@~#@#%…"
Just as Ur was puzzling over their abnormal magic levels, the Vichy tribespeople suddenly spotted the unconscious Bubuta lying on the ground.
Their eyes instantly reddened. Shouting a stream of incomprehensible words, they charged at him in a frenzy. For a moment, even the members of Turtle King's Shield assigned to guard them failed to hold them back.
"What strength!"
Watching the Vichy tribesmen break free and begin pounding Bubuta with thunderous blows, Ur's eyes flashed with keen interest.
"Their bodies are stronger than those of ordinary low-tier mages. They're practically born warriors. I never expected such a race to exist in this world."
He wasn't the only one.
Everyone present sensed something unusual. While they couldn't perceive the Vichy tribe's internal magic as clearly as Ur could, anyone who saw a single punch cave in a mage's chest would be stunned.
Pasfield, however, paid no attention to that. What concerned him was something else entirely.
Under Pasfield's deliberate indulgence, the dozen Vichy tribespeople beat Bubuta for over ten minutes. Only when someone finally grew tired did he step in to "stop" them and attempt to inquire about the Azure Water.
Unfortunately, the conversation went roughly like this:
"Have you heard of the Azure Water?"
"Lugi?"
"Er… don't you speak the common tongue?"
"#@!￥#!"
Conversation over.
After this thoroughly "friendly" exchange, both sides realized they hadn't understood a single word from the other. Pasfield's face turned faintly green. He waved a hand and summoned Bich Fard.
"Do you speak the Vichy language?"
"No." Bich Fard answered with absolute certainty.
"…"
"Does anyone in your guild speak it?"
"I'm not sure. I can go ask?"
"As quickly as possible."
With that, the bearded Bich Fard hurried downstairs to search for a guild member proficient in the Vichy tongue.
Meanwhile, after resting briefly, the Vichy tribespeople resumed their assault on Bubuta. This time, they beat the heavily injured, unconscious man awake.
While he had felt little during his unconscious state, the moment Bubuta regained awareness, a wave of excruciating pain swept through his entire body. He let out an involuntary howl.
And then, the Vichy tribespeople grew even more excited. Their eyes gleamed, strength surging through them anew as they redoubled their efforts in tormenting Bubuta.
By now, countless bones in Bubuta's body were broken. His frame twisted unnaturally, blood soaking through his clothes. Yet, he refused to die. For the first time in his life, Bubuta resented his own tenacious vitality.
Because Pasfield hoped to obtain information about the Azure Water through these Vichy tribespeople, he deliberately tolerated their brutality. Compared to Azure Water, what was a mere Sea Hunter prisoner?
And so, time passed, measured in the relentless beating of Bubuta. Before long, Bich Fard returned, bringing someone with him.
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