"I know you want those guys on that boat punished, but there's no need to rush. Lynn, stay by my side; your job is to protect me. I'll make sure everything goes smoothly, and the hostages are rescued."

"I won't let you down."
Lynn's malevolent aura had lessened somewhat, but it didn't seem to diminish much. I just prayed I wouldn't have to use any control over him when the demonic energy barrier broke.

Emotions are incredibly fragile. It's no surprise that as civilization advances, people create more defense mechanisms, more ways to protect their emotions. Always ensuring they are happy, calm, and peaceful... That's nothing short of a self-imposed curse. A nightmare that controls them, forcing them to suppress their sensitive, vulnerable emotions until they are exhausted.

I knew Lynn was furious upon hearing Jerald's tragic story, but to ensure the hostages' safety, we had to act cautiously.

The pirate ship, painted in a matte black, was deserted. Lynn and I descended to the lower deck. Our footsteps echoed, making the surrounding space even more gloomy and terrifying. It felt like we were walking into a deadly trap set by a ghostly ship. At the end of the corridor, a wounded young man sat leaning against the wall.

"His breathing is very weak," Lynn checked with his keen senses. "Ambush every corner. Everyone is capable of concealment."

Darkness surrounded us. Standing within that veil of darkness were dozens of men holding crossbows. Arrows were loaded and pointed at us, ready to be fired.

"I'm counting on you, Lynn."

With that, a flash of lightning appeared. It turned out someone had attacked me with incredible speed, but Lynn blocked the blow immediately. The two weapons clashed, sending sparks flying across my eyes.
Lynn calmly stood beside me, a scythe in his hand. This was the first time I'd seen him wield a weapon. A weapon summoned from the void, carrying the deadly power of death itself. The scythe was made of an extremely hard and heavy alloy, yet Lynn moved it as lightly as a feather, demonstrating his superior physical strength.
Attacks from all directions rained down, and Lynn was now dueling with the attacker, who was in a mid-level invisibility spell.

During the fight, several throwing darts were launched at the injured young man. Seeing them instantly, Lynn skillfully parried them with his scythe, as if he could see the opponent's movements, even though the attacker was invisible and his attacks were incredibly fast.

Seeing this, the attacker changed tactics.

While Lynn fought the invisible swordsman, I hurried towards the injured boy.

"You're Jerald's brother, aren't you?"

The boy was too weak to speak, only able to confirm with his weary eyes.

"It's alright, you are in a good hand." I applied a healing potion to his wounds.

Knowing he couldn't defeat Lynn, the attacker used hostages as leverage. This time, a terrifying bolt of lightning, similar to the one that struck my barrier earlier, flew straight towards the injured boy. Lynn used his entire body to block the magical attack.

The lightning burned his clothes and his flesh under, revealing his perfect physique. The burned skin on Lynn's body slowly healed, and in just a few seconds, his flawless, white skin was revealed under the flickering light.

"Do you think you can play the hero here?" Now that his invisibility was gone, he tried to concentrate his firepower on the other hostages—the three remaining members of the baron's family huddled inside the narrow iron bars of the cell.

How many days had the Renner family been imprisoned, starved, and possibly beaten? What had they endured this misfortune for?

The leader was now revealed; he had no way out. I knew what men like him would do when cornered.

"Shoot!" He shouted, ordering his men to fire arrows at the prisoners.

But nothing happened. Everything was eerily silent. The archers hidden in the shadows didn't move.

"I said shoot! Shoot the prisoners!" He yelled again.

Nothing happened.

"What kind of monster are you, how can you control so many of my subordinates...?"
"Who said it was magic? Perhaps you should reconsider how you treat your crew." I said, then used a light bubble spell to illuminate the entire ship's hold, dispelling the invisibility of over thirty of his subordinates, who were trembling and dropping their weapons.

I manipulated the existing cold air from the active blizzard spell, concentrating it at a single point on the locks of the iron cages holding the three weak and pathetic men. Lynn could simply crush the locks to pieces with her bare hands and open the cage doors.

The crew members still didn't dare stand up after their cruel captain was subdued by us.

"I need a representative to speak with me," I cheerfully suggested. "If possible, I would like to ask for everyone's opinion on how we should deal with your captain?"

"Please judge him according to the laws of your country, Grand Sorceress." A soft voice emanated from a corner I had overlooked.

Inside another iron cage, a woman with skin that was half human and half reptilian scales was bound hand and blindfolded with black cloth.

"I am the first mate of this ship."

"Weaklings, how dare you humiliate my power? Please reveal yourself and turn them to dust, Milord!" The fierce captain muttered, glaring at us.

From behind him, a hazy black shadow slowly emerged, revealing a creature like a genie but with a fierce, menacing appearance. Its upper body was incredibly strong and massive, while its lower body, instead of two limbs, was covered in a layer of magic that allowed it to float and move freely off the ground.

"As I sensed, demons are present on this ship," Lynn mused, but he forgot that the telepathic connection was still intact and I had read his thoughts.

"Oh, so you sensed danger from this ship earlier because you sniffed out a demon. But is this a genie? How strange."

"You could say so, a branch of the genie, Efreet. A malevolent, ferocious, and brutal entity of the Genie. A difficult thing to destroy in the Abyss."

"Is there any way to subdue him?"

"Efreet cannot be persuaded through diplomatic means. Efreet, like all other demons, is obsessed with power and solves everything through violence. If you figure out how to subdue him, this ship will be reduced to ashes."

"Let me help you. I'll ensure the safety of the hostages and crew."

"I'll do my best."

"Please, Miss Sorceress, remove my blindfold!" the first mate shouted.

Unexpectedly, the efreet threw a fireball straight at the first mate.

"You babbling serpent!" The arrogant efreet spoke up.

I quickly cast a spell to create an ice wall, rescuing her at the last minute. Mana cost 10%.

"No one will leave here alive." The efreet's voice boomed across the deck.
Lynn threw his scythe straight at the side of the ship, shattering the wooden wall and creating a large hole for everyone inside to escape. I created a safe ramp from steam and ice for them to get out safely. Mana cost 10%.

Lynn's scythe flew backward like a boomerang as he dodged Efreet's attack.

"Everyone, follow the opened escape route and get out of the ship immediately!" I shouted with all my might. This was probably the most physically demanding action I'd done so far.

"Clever, but where do you think you'll run to in the middle of the ocean? I am immortal and indestructible; do you think you can escape the eternal flames of hell?" Efreet's voice boomed, displaying his power. "You dare interfere with my destructive joy? You're quite bold."

Lynn charged forward again, but the ferocious genie's strength seemed a tough challenge for him. The two engaged in a fierce battle.

To conserve my magic power at its lowest level, I had to stop flying and move on foot. And that became embarrassing and inconvenient when I had to move around in my clogs on such a rough and dangerous terrain. So I decided to take them off, grabbed my skirt and ran quickly to the first mate to rescue her.

"No need to unlock the hatch, just pull back my blindfold," the first mate said.

Quickly, I reached out and touched her black blindfold, and from the darkness, I discovered countless tiny eyes wriggling around her head, staring at me. These bizarre eyes lurked in the shadows, and as my glowing mushroom spores shone upon them, the first mate's body was fully revealed. Pale pinkish-green, pale white, reptilian scales stretched down to her hair, revealing the long, slender bodies of nearly a dozen snakes huddled together behind her head. Now I understood why she was blindfolded.

She was a Medusa, or at least, a half-Medusa. A rare race living in the south-central continent.
Explosions erupted from all directions. The incredibly fierce battle had sent flames spreading throughout the ship.
My hand froze mid-air, unable to move, just inches from removing the first mate's blindfold. Could this person be any better than the current captain? Medusa was also a cunning and equally cruel species.

"Please believe me, Grand Sorceress, let me repay you for keeping my crew safe."

Finally, after a few seconds of hesitation, I believed the First Mate and removed her blindfold.

"Please leave the ship with the sailors and hostages, Grand Sorceress." The First Mate, not daring to open her eyes, spoke to me as if she were prepared to do something extremely risky.

"No, we'll do it together. I won't leave you behind." I broke open the cage door and helped her stand up.

She still hadn't opened her eyes.

The flames grew larger, sending black smoke billowing everywhere.

"In the name of Ignarius, obediently become fuel for the great Firelord's sacrifice." The efreet's voice grew louder as the flames spread.

"Please stand behind me," the First Mate said.

Finally, she opened her eyes, a blinding light emanating from them, amplified by a dozen smaller eyes that powerfully extended in a cone shape. Wherever the light went, the fire was extinguished. In just a moment, it illuminated the entire area around the ship. Those remaining on board who hadn't managed to escape quickly moved to safety as the fire was put out.

What a strange power... I had never known.

"Fire, my flames!!!" The efreet roared angrily, but his booming voice was gone as the fire on the ship vanished with a snap of his fingers (or rather, a glance).

"You wretched snake. You will pay..." He began chanting a spell, creating a fireball above his head. The fireball grew larger and larger.

Lynn tried his best to intervene, but the efreet had created a barrier too strong; Lynn couldn't break it.

"Dirvis, please get the first mate to safety. I think things are going to be tough." Lynn warned me.

I really wanted to create an ice barrier for Lynn using the magic of the blizzard spell, but my magic power is currently at rock bottom, only 10%. If I use it further until it's completely depleted to zero... I can't do anything but listen to Lynn and wish him good luck. Of course, he'll win.

"Oh, and one more thing, please release some of your energy for me," Lynn asked.

After a moment of consideration, I said,

"I believe Lynn can defeat him without needing any more demonic power."

Lynn smiled and nodded.

I carried the medusa First Mate away from the fierce battle between efreet and Lynn. She had fainted the moment she managed to extinguish the flames. Perhaps she had used up all her magic, an action I feared I would have to make in the immediate future.

From afar, the members of the Count's household, along with the crew outside the pirate ship, silently watched the terrifying battle between the two demons unfold.

The giant fireball didn't fly towards Lynn, but straight towards those below.

Lynn flew to intercept the fireball at the last moment, but his resistance wasn't enough to withstand a ball many times larger than his own body. The rest of the sphere split into numerous sparks of varying sizes, like fireworks, scattering towards the people below.

Remaining magic power: 10%.
Even though I knew my body was exhausted, any attempt to use magic would jeopardize my life.
Shouldn't I have released some of my energy for Lynn? No, that would make his journey to becoming human even more difficult. I've made my decision.
A rather large spark was flying towards the pirate ship's sailors.

No one else could deal with that enormous spark.

Only I could.

ONLY I.
Warning: Remaining magic power 10%, protective solution requires 15%. 

A voice somewhere in my head spoke again.

What warning? I don't care anymore. Everyone here deserves to live. Lynn and I came here to save them, didn't we? Even the crew of that pirate ship. Who are they? If they had a better life, would they choose to be pirates?

I have the ability to help them. Let's take a chance.

"Ice Wall." I cast the spell.

The magic power needed to cast the spell would drain away caster's life force in exchange. The transformation process began.

Everything around me turned pitch black.