His expression remained blank as he calmly watched the rapidly retreating Obscurus.
"This is…a mythological creature form? No, it seems more like a special transformation akin to a werewolf or a Wraith. But I've never heard of any pathway that has this kind of form…Hmm, worth studying."
At that moment, the old man stretched out his withered right hand and suddenly thrust it into his own left chest.
Almost simultaneously, Edward's vision went black. An intense wave of pain surged through him as his smoke-formed body convulsed violently, then quickly faded and dispersed, reverting back to his original human form.
This also meant he had lost his ability to fly—and plummeted downward.
Crack!
His figure twisted, and he reappeared on the only remaining intact ship. A searing pain flared from his left chest, and he hurriedly looked down—his entire chest was soaked in blood.
Had he not layered himself with Protego Maxima and Dawn Armour ahead of time, there would've been a gaping, fist-sized hole there by now!
"Run! It's a demigod from the Rose School of Thought!"
Edward truly hadn't expected that Senor had already called for reinforcements!
What the hell?!
Aren't you supposed to be a vicious pirate admiral, infamous for all kinds of evil?
Why the hell do you call your elders every time something goes wrong?!
What are you? Peng clan's third young master?!
Have you no shame?!
Without hesitation, he pulled out a portkey and was about to activate it, when his body suddenly froze in place—Wraith Possession!
Crack!
The stone crumbled into fragments.
Edward's eyes immediately reflected the wrinkled, sparse-haired old figure—one in each pupil! His mind turned icy cold. Though his thoughts weren't slow, he'd completely lost control of his body.
"Unfettered! Unfettered! Unfettered!"
His remaining sliver of rationality repeatedly ordered the use of Unfettered, but the gap between a Sequence 7 and a Sequence 4 was too great—it couldn't take effect in time.
If that guy succeeded in fully possessing him, it would be over!
"Get out here and help me, Ancestor!" Edward shouted inwardly.
The next second, his messenger bird flew out from the spirit world, trailing a faint trail of fire behind its tail. It let out a sharp screech as it dove toward Edward.
"Screee!—"
The aged figure reflected in Edward's pupils trembled and began to blur again—but unfortunately, it quickly stabilised and continued its possession attempt.
"Go find your headless friend! Now!"
Edward roared inwardly. The messenger bird immediately tore through the air and returned to the spirit world.
"Unfettered!"
Suddenly, Edward felt a jolt of release—it had finally taken effect!
"Magnify—Possession is Forbidden Here!"
Shanks's semi-transparent spirit form was forcibly expelled from Edward's body. His eyes flashed with mild surprise, and he opened his mouth—letting out a piercing shriek.
In just a moment, Edward's mind went blank. Blood gushed from his nose and ears—this Wraith Shriek was far more potent than Senor's!
Shanks reached out and grabbed Edward's arm. From his skeletal fingertips, a layer of icy frost rapidly spread across Edward's body.
"Protego Diabolica."
Black-blue Hellfire enveloped Edward, melting the frost and forcing Shanks to back away.
Crack!
Edward didn't hesitate to use Apparition, leaping to another sinking vessel. He had just pulled out another portkey stone when Shanks followed with his own Mirror Blink, gently waving his hand—and dozens of soul bodies surrounded Edward from all directions.
Then, Shanks reached into the spirit world and pulled out a damp, sticky, palm-sized humanoid doll.
In that instant, boundless malice spread across the sea.
Edward, who had been about to use Apparition again, suddenly halted. His wildly pulsing spirituality warned him—if you teleport now, you will face a terrifying crisis!
That doll…it was related to the Rose School of Thought's Abomination—Suah.
In the original works, it was through descending from the spirit world with such dolls that Suah had attacked Klein!
"Why hasn't Reinette arrived yet?"
Edward's face filled with anxiety as he kept blasting soul bodies away with Fiendfyre.
She wouldn't seriously cut ties with me just because she saw the Calamity on me…right?
Or maybe it had to do with the doll—if Suah could launch attacks through it from the spirit world, then someone like Reinette, also in the spirit world, might be in even greater danger!
No teleporting. No portkeys.
With less than a third of his spirituality left, it was practically impossible to escape from a demigod!
"Wait!"
He dug into his pouch and pulled out that pendant—the one that supposedly brought good fortune. His eyes immediately landed on the phrase carved in ancient Hermes:
"The more luck you have now, the more misfortune you'll suffer later."
But he had no time to worry about side effects.
"Fiendfyre! Fulmen Dingre!"
One after another, the two spells finally cleared out the overwhelming number of soul bodies.
Shanks, holding the doll, looked at Edward with a faint smile. Then his five fingers suddenly clenched tight.
"!!!"
A terrifying pressure surged from all directions, as if an invisible, formless hand were gripping Edward tightly, threatening to crush him in the next second.
This was the Source of Curses from a Sequence 4: Puppet.
"Ah!!"
He gave a low shout and cried out, "Magnify—Curses are forbidden here!"
The next instant, the pressure around him dissipated. Gritting his teeth, Edward fixed his gaze on the old man not far away. With his left hand tightly clutching the pendant, he stretched out his right hand, fingers splayed:
"Magnify—Steal! Steal! Steal! Steal!"
The first cast stole Shanks's current thought.
The second cast stole Shanks's Mirror Blink.
The third cast stole the little figurine in Shanks's hand.
The fourth cast once again stole Shanks's thought.
The moment the figurine landed in his palm, Edward felt a burning sensation in his hand—an invisible force seemed to try spreading into his body. But it soon faded—this was the corruptive power of Suah lingering on the figurine.
Crack!
A sound of shattering echoed.
"Magnify—Fiendfyre!"
A torrent of dark-blue flames engulfed the figurine. Its exterior instantly charred black, yet it wasn't destroyed.
"As expected…it wasn't going to be that easy."
Meanwhile, Shanks was momentarily stunned—after two consecutive mental blanks, the figurine in his hand had vanished, and his Mirror Blink was gone as well. Shock and fury surged in his eyes.
While stolen abilities would eventually return, the figurine, once gone, was lost forever!
He reflexively tried to possess Edward again—but then realised he no longer had Mirror Blink and couldn't enter through Edward's pupils. He roared in fury and transformed into a vengeful wraith, shrieking as he lunged at Edward.
"Catch!"
Edward suddenly swung his wand, hurling the still-burning figurine forward.
Shanks, halfway through his charge, hesitated briefly—then decisively abandoned Edward and turned to chase after the figurine.
Taking the opportunity, Edward pulled out his flying broom and shot off in the opposite direction at full speed. There was no way the figurine's influence could extend infinitely!
Once outside its range, he could immediately use Apparition and the Portkey to return to Backlund!
"Damn! I almost forgot the pendant's downside!"
Panicked, Edward shoved the pendant back into his pouch and pulled out the origami crane from Will—it was time to ask for help before his bad luck struck.
RIP!
The moment he took it out, the crane was shredded into pieces by the strong wind from his flight.
"…"
Edward froze for a second, then realised the bad luck had already arrived.
"What the hell—how come you're playing favourites?! That bastard Senor didn't get hit this fast!"
Just as he spoke, a fast-flying seabird suddenly appeared, slamming toward him.
Edward jerked his broom upwards, barely avoiding the collision. But before he could catch his breath, a sudden crosswind blew in.
His broom instantly lost control, plummeting with Edward toward the sea.
"Stop! Stop! I said STOP!"
His usually obedient flying broom now seemed hell-bent on killing him.
Protego Maxima! Dawn Armour!
Splash!
Just as his two layers of defence were cast, Edward plunged into the sea. The incoming saltwater rushed into his nose and throat, nearly choking him to death.
He quickly froze a large enough chunk of ice to support himself.
The next second, the space before him rippled—Shanks had returned from the Spirit World, holding the figurine. His expression was no longer calm, but filled with violence and a vicious glare.
"Oh no."
Shanks's figure abruptly transformed into a puppet—then morphed into Edward's likeness. Without hesitation, it clutched its own throat. The puppet-Edward coldly uttered a word:
"Die."
An overwhelming sense of dread struck Edward—but the threat didn't come from Shanks, it came from the sky!
"AHHHH!!"
Suddenly, Shanks let out a blood-curdling scream. His skin rapidly began to mutate. Right on the verge of losing control, he shoved the figurine into his mouth.
His body turned black, his skin wrinkled and oozed a wet sheen. His hair and eyebrows withered and shed. His limbs became long and thin.
In just a second, it seemed Shanks had been assimilated by the figurine—transformed into a large, black, grotesque infant. Its limbs were long and spindly, its bloated, shrivelled body slick with moisture, exuding an unspeakable aura of mystery and malice.
But he dared not hesitate—he immediately tore open space and dove into the Spirit World.
Yet his foot stumbled.
From the pores on his back, thick black ooze began seeping out, coalescing into a "black ribbon" that drifted to the side.
Only after the last drop of goo left his body did Shanks finally tumble headfirst into the Spirit World.
But Edward felt no relief at all.
Because the being that had forced Shanks into such a desperate escape…had gently descended.
A pair of indifferent, emotionless eyes calmly gazed at him.
Before him stood an angel, feathered wings layered and folded on its back. It wore a plain linen robe, its face was beautiful and soft-featured, with long silver hair flowing freely. In its hand was the very same figurine.
Though it was the first time Edward had seen the being, he immediately recognised who it was:
The Not Useless Serpent—"Tail-Devourer" Ouroboros.
Edward found himself flooded with complex emotions. He wasn't sure if this encounter was the result of the pendant's bad luck or the remains of Will's paper crane.
Man and angel stared at each other for over ten seconds. Then, lying on the ice, Edward raised one hand and waved, forcing out a smile.
"Hello there, Lord Ouroboros. To be honest…I'm actually a believer of the Lord."
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.