While Blackbeard was trying to get used to his broken limb, he couldn't help but remember the subordinates he ended up losing in the battle against Zach and his forces. Amongst those forces were the healing mages who could have helped deal with the bone injury with ease. But now that all of the accomplished ones were already dead and ashes, Blackbeard had to make do with the less skilled ones.
Although his heart ached at the loss he had suffered, he was unable to empathize with his subordinates who had suddenly lost their lives without any reason or a good enough explanation. Some had died at the hands of the enemy forces while the rest had been sacrificed without their knowledge in order to save their captain's life.
While his men weren't exactly good people, Blackbeard wasn't a saint either. He was more worried about the loss of his property than the lives of his people. He treated all the pirates as his property and the death of one meant that there would be a significant impact on his overall profit. Therefore, he felt blue about his own decreased benefits and the lost value that the dead pirates could have brought him instead of the deaths of his subordinates who protected him even at the expense of their lives.
Suddenly gunshots rang out from all directions simultaneously.
Blackbeard, who had just had his injury treated, almost leaped out of his throne at the terrifyingly explosive sounds that followed one after the other.
At first, he was afraid that he was imagining things and such sounds couldn't be heard in this place. After all, this was his impenetrable hideout that had saved him even from government hideouts. How could such sounds be heard here? He wondered if he was suffering from delusions from the fear of the previous battle.
Alas, this was no delusion or a figment of his imagination. The sound of death he had barely managed to escape from in Greenland had come looking for him again due to his stupidity.
All of this might have come to an end if he hadn't taken Diana with him or if he had released her after securing his escape route. The whole situation could have taken a different turn and Zach might not have bothered to go after him in the first place as he was busy taking care of his people.
But Blackbeard had to touch Zach's reverse scale.
Zach was out for blood now. The soldiers didn't hold back considering the horrendous amount of bloodlust leaking from their leader. They kept raining death on the remaining pirates as one body after another was punctured into sieves by the heavy gunfire.
Blackbeard finally managed to break out of his stupor and tried to make sense of the situation. How could such sounds be heard on his pirate island? He couldn't believe that the dark mage had managed to chase him here so soon.
This island wasn't so easy to find unless there was someone on the inside helping him out. When he thought about it, there were others who knew of his secret as well.
In the past, no one would have dared to oust the news for fear of his retaliation but now this wasn't the case at all. His power had diminished, and he had already used his trump cards in the previous battle. In this injured state he was already no match for Zach who had come with his full strength and was not intending to stop anytime soon.
Blackbeard wondered if Hogan Hunter had come to an understanding with Zach after he left. He punched with his good arm and the table close to him shattered into a thousand bits.
"Who was it? Jus... WHO WAS IT?"
Although Hogan stood as the glaring prime suspect in the eyes of many, Blackbeard, that shrewd captain with an uncanny sense for people, harbored doubt about the leader of the illustrious Hunter family's involvement.
To him, it felt akin to suspecting a skilled swordsmith of taking up gardening as a hidden pastime. The notion was implausible, for Hogan had already compensated him handsomely, going beyond the agreed terms, leaving no logical motivation for him to ensnare Blackbeard within a web of treachery. It was as if a wealthy merchant, having secured a fleet of valuable cargoes, would risk it all on a venture that promised no tangible benefits, a notion as absurd as a ship's captain sailing into a tempest without a compass or charts.
Maybe Zach found one of the pirates on the island and tortured him for information regarding the island.
That seemed to be the most probably scenario and the one that Blackbeard was able to accept in his heart.
Still, that didn't solve the main issue at hand. This sound couldn't be replicated and was probably coming from those tubes wielded by the combatants of Zach's forces. As such, it could only mean that Zach had come for him.
His entire being, once a fortress of composure, now stood defenseless, besieged by a relentless onslaught of gunshots that echoed through the air like thunderous drums of impending doom.
With each successive report, the boundary between fear and courage blurred, and a primal instinct for self-preservation surged through him, urging him to find safety in the chaos. Yet, as the cacophony of gunfire grew closer, its malevolent symphony seemed to be woven into the very fabric of his thoughts, a haunting reminder that danger was inching ever nearer, its footsteps leaving an indelible trail of trepidation that coursed through his veins like a chilling river.
In the midst of this terrifying onslaught, Blackbeard's heart raced with a primal fear, a relentless drumbeat of panic that pushed him to sprint forward, casting aside the looming shadows of danger.
He understood the gravity of keeping his arm immobile, knowing that even the slightest jolt could unleash a torrent of searing pain. With each step, he held his arm as if cradling fragile treasure, his every movement calculated to minimize the risk of exacerbating his injury. Every stride was a delicate balance between speed and caution, a tightrope walk between escaping imminent danger and enduring the pain that lurked within him, ready to strike with the slightest provocation.
He dared not glance back, fearing that the source of those gunshots, that relentless threat, might be gaining on him with every passing moment.
Every stride he took was driven by an urgency to escape this ominous chase, each footfall a desperate bid to outrun the clutches of the unknown, as he raced through the dark and uncertain terrain, driven by the sheer force of his survival instinct and the chilling realization that his life hung in the balance.
Initially caught off-guard, the pirates were blissfully unaware of the impending assault, but as the gravity of the situation dawned upon them along with a familiar metal rain, a surge of fear took over them, but the fear didn't break their spirits. Instead, it transformed into a fierce determination; a fierce will to take down the invaders.
They swiftly rallied, retaliating with whatever makeshift weaponry they could lay their hands on. Unfortunately, they were unaware that their biggest backing, their pirate captain, had already made a run for his life after listening to the mere sound of guns and all their effort was going to be in vain.
Zach didn't show any mercy this time and used everything at his disposal and managed to secure a path for himself and his forces towards the center of the island despite the resistance offered by the pirates.
The pirates' resistance crumbled before Zach's relentless advance; a feeble defense that left him incredulous. What he had anticipated as a formidable opposition turned out to be a mere shadow of its supposed might. The barriers he had expected to face melted away, as if the fortress of the pirates he had envisioned was made of sand, dissolving at the first touch of his strategic prowess.
The ease with which his loyal forces pushed through the pirate lines was both a surprise and a testament to his leadership, but Zach knew that the tide of battle could shift swiftly. The absence of a significant challenge left him cautious, aware that a calm sea could quickly give rise to a tempest. This was something he had taught to Blackbeard when he came to Greenland to attack his family as well.
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