Only after he sensed the mana building up within Clara's petite body did he understand exactly how much he had underestimated this frail looking opponent.
By the time he came out of the shock and tried to stop that B rank mage, the damage had been done.
The mage who was trying to render his meritorious service to the crew thought that Clara would be an easy opponent due to her frail outlook and her short height. Unfortunately, the reality was the complete opposite.
As soon as he got within Clara's range, he found himself unable to move.
Blackbeard who was watching the mage from the corner of his eyes while trying to tie up his dangling arm with a cloth strip screamed at the top of his lungs to warn his crewmate.
Alas, his warning came a little too late.
Clara's frail hand that contained the power to crush mountains was completely wrapped around the throat of the dumbfounded mage as he struggled with his lower half to escape her clutches. Unfortunately for him, Clara's strength wasn't something he could defend against just because he wanted to.
Clara gave him a seductive but cold smile and slowly increased the strength in her grip. The mage felt as if his life force was being wrung out of him.
His throat caved in on itself and his spine cracked disabling his entire lower body. The mage, filled with terror, wanted to scream but to no avail. Due to the constriction of trachea, his breathing stopped and his shattered larynx could only allow him to produce a hoarse and raw gurgling sound that was only audible to Clara.
The mage died feeling excruciating pain that would have given him nightmares for the rest of his life even if he had survived.
The battle around Clara almost came to a halt as a result of her cruel and heartless demonstration.
A petite looking girl like her killing without batting an eye was bound to attract the attention of everyone around her. What these people didn't know was that Clara was never one to kill people so heartlessly. The things that happened to her family recently forced a change on her that even she had yet to realize.
Christina had never seen this version of her before even though it had been more than a month since she arrived at the Windsor family. Although she had already heard from Zach about how powerful Clara was, she had yet to witness it for herself. After all, only seeing is believing. Clara's short and petite stature could barely give anyone confidence about her strength.
The power she displayed caused even Christina to see her in a new light. Seeing her, Christina vowed never to judge her enemies based on their appearance in the future or she might end up with the same fate as the mage with the broken neck.
It wasn't that Christina was not capable of dealing as much damage as Clara. It was just that Christina preferred to be demurer about it. Moreover, she couldn't have done it so decisively like her. She might have hesitated a little bit before eventually killing the mage.
Christina would have killed the mage as well because he had come to the island with the intention to kill her husband. The only difference between her and Clara was ruthlessness. While Clara had become ruthless after suffering at the hands of Hunter family, Christina was still a businesswoman at heart. She had to prepare herself before doing something so extreme.
Clara's method on the other hand was pretty barbaric. It could even give goosebumps to a seasoned killer. But if Zach was there to witness it, he would have surely appreciated Clara for dispatching an opponent with such swiftness because he was in fact a staunch proponent of efficiency in battle. Anything that could end the battle earlier even by a single second was something he was willing to reward because
Blackbeard was now fully aware of the strength of the harmless looking girl. She had taken care of a B level mage with a single strike. He was awfully positive about the end that was waiting for him and his crew should he decide to continue with the job.
Moreover, the frail looking girl hadn't come alone.
She had brought along an equally horrific partner. Blackbeard was flabbergasted to see how the girl was practically dancing in the middle of the battlefield, a bloody dance that was reaping the lives of all those it encroached on.
Christina was bursting with anger at these pirates who dared to have designs against her husband. She kept wondering what would have happened if she weren't with him this time; or worse, if something happened to him in her absence.
Therefore, she didn't hold anything back and took care of all those she could in the shortest amount of time possible to relieve the stress on Zach's shoulders. She knew how he already bore the burden of carrying the Smith family all by his lonesome. And now he was being dragged down by the Windsor family as well.
Although she felt dissatisfied internally, she didn't reveal her feelings for fear that Zach might think less of her for being selfish. So, like a good little woman, she did what her husband asked her to do; just a little excessively. She was taking out her frustration and anger on all the enemies she came across and Blackbeard only witnessed the result that scared the shit out of him.
There was only one thought in his mind and it was that the two women were extremely terrifying and the mission reward was not at all worth fighting the two at the same time and risking more of the lives of his carefully selected crew and his own.
As such he looked towards the sky in helplessness but determination was evident from his unwavering gaze. "RETREAT…RETREAT…RETREAT TOWARDS THE SHIPS…" shouted Blackbeard to no one in particular. His voice echoed all over the island with the sound amplification application of mana. At the same time, he thanked the gods of the sea that the ships could support their rapid escape.
His surviving crewmates had a face full of smiles and happiness after listening to his words. It was as if they had received a lunch break in the middle of the most gruesome torture known to the mankind.
They ran with the wind behind their backs, eager to save their lives from the bloodthirsty sirens that were bound to become the graveyard of any pirate who came across them. They had fought many battles on the ocean but this was the first time they felt as if they were fighting ghosts. Ghosts who were not only invisible but also just as destructive as if they were jealous of the living.
Invisible enemies could break the spirit of any experienced warrior let alone pirates who could be mobilized with the smallest of benefits. They were marauders and ruffians who could do anything as long as their greed for wealth and power could be satisfied.
As such, the pirate code they followed and the honor of their captain was left behind in the dust when they ran with enough speed to outrun a ship sailing across the wide ocean.
Loyalty to Blackbeard was only on the surface even though they eagerly obeyed his every command, like obedient dogs at their master's heel.
Blackbeard didn't crave their loyalty either as long as they obeyed his orders like good little dogs craving his attention. After all, he thought of them as money bags too. He could discard any single one of them at any time provided that the benefit was more than enough.
Running with their backs to the land, they longed for the embrace of the sweet, sweet ocean. They ran to their mothers; the ships that not only fed them but also was the source of their power on the seas.
Some of them turned their heads back, fearing that the demonic women would be chasing after them to reap their souls. They were afraid that the two women would be looking for companions for the pirates they had sent to the underworld already so they wouldn't feel lonely on the road.
As Blackbeard reached the shore with his crew in tow, a sinister sneer crept across his weathered face.
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