Pirate: Crew of Desire and Bonds

When the dust and light settled, Julian was still standing.

He lowered his arms slowly.

His right sleeve was completely torn apart, revealing a long, shallow cut across his forearm.

Drip...

Drip...

Blood trickled down his skin, dripping onto the scorched ground.

It was only a small wound, far from fatal but the fact that Jake had managed to injure him at all with that strike left Julian visibly surprised.

He slowly looked up at Jake, who was now retreat a short distance away.

Grace stood next to him, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at his bloodied and battered body while he breathed heavily.

”...Are you really a Common Class?” Julian murmured softly, almost to himself.

He had ordered a thorough investigation into both Jake and Grace after his men found them at the Guild.

Every move they made, every contact, every rumor... all of it had been reported back to him.

That was why he was able to learn that Jake and Grace had taken on a quest to travel to another island, and how he was able to prepare a grand welcome on the road leading to the port...

He had planned to slowly toy with Grace’s hope, letting her think she could escape before crushing her completely.

That was why he had waited until today to strike.

But now...

The information had clearly stated that Jake was nothing more than a Common Class outsider with no special background or power.

And yet here he was... wielding Grace’s Light power and actually drawing blood from him, someone known as one of the most powerful in the new generation of nobles.

Julian knew perfectly well just how vast the difference was between Class holders once they reached Elite Class and higher.

The gap wasn’t something that could be easily bridged by mere willpower or cheap tricks.

Then, as if remembering something from the past, Julian’s expression gradually twisted at the memory...

_

_

_

Meanwhile...

”Jake! Are you okay?!”

Grace’s voice was filled with worry, her eyes brimming with unshed tears as she looked at his bloodied and battered body.

She quickly moved closer, one hand gently touching his uninjured arm while the other kept her gun raised toward Julian.

”You’re hurt so badly... we need to fall back or—”

”I’m fine,” Jake replied, his voice hoarse but steady.

His breathing was still ragged, but he gave her a small, reassuring grin despite the pain.

”I’m... still standing, aren’t I?”

The radiant sword of light in his hands flickered steadily, refusing to disappear.

Yet deep down, Jake knew the situation was extremely dire.

’That was the strongest attack I could muster right now... and it only managed to cut his sleeve and skin.’

The realization weighed heavily on him.

’If even my best move barely scratches him... we are really in deep trouble.’

He could feel his body screaming for rest, the burns and broken ribs making every breath painful.

But he couldn’t show weakness... not in front of Grace, and definitely not in front of this monster.

Just as his mind was racing on how to escape this situation, Julian’s expression suddenly twisted with raw anger.

”So what if you’re blessed?!” he shouted furiously, his voice booming across the battlefield.

Jake and Grace suddenly heard a shout and turned to look at Julian, whose usual aristocratic composure had completely shattered for some reason.

”What...?”

”I will prove that I am not inferior to any of them!!”

Then a terrifying surge of solar flames erupted violently from Julian’s body.

The temperature in the entire area skyrocketed as his aura exploded outward, far stronger and more unstable than before.

The ground beneath his feet cracked and melted from the sheer heat.

His crimson eyes burned with madness and jealousy.

”Whether it’s Light, some hidden blessing, or whatever cheat you have... I don’t care! I’ll crush it all with my own power! I’ll show the world that bloodline and blessings mean nothing compared to true superiority!”

Julian raised both hands, gathering a massive, swirling orb of concentrated solar flames above his head.

The orb grew rapidly, its intensity increasing until it turned blue.

Julian’s crimson eyes were filled with pure hatred and jealousy as he glared at Jake.

”I’ll burn you to ash!”

With a roar of rage, he hurled the gigantic blue solar flame orb straight toward Jake and Grace.

WHOOOSHH!

The attack moved with terrifying speed, leaving a trail of scorched air in its wake as it threatened to engulf both of them in a cataclysmic explosion.

The ground beneath the incoming orb melted into molten slag before it even made contact.

Seeing this, Grace’s face turned pale with horror.

”Jake—!!”

The situation had become critical in an instant.

Jake’s eyes widened.

He’s seriously trying to kill us both!

”Fuck!” Jake cursed under his breath, his voice raw with urgency.

He immediately grabbed Grace’s arm and pulled her behind him with all the strength he had left.

The radiant sword of light in his other hand flared brightly as he raised it in front of them, preparing to meet the incoming blue flame orb head-on.

”Stay behind me!” he shouted.

The massive blue solar flame orb hurtled toward them like a blazing meteor, its heat so intense it was already burning their skin from a distance.

There was no time to dodge properly... the attack was too fast and covered too much space!

Jake gritted his teeth, pouring every last bit of his remaining aura and light energy into the sword of light.

Come on... hold together!

”HAAAAAHH!!”

He swung the radiant blade with both hands in a desperate upward arc, meeting the incoming orb head-on.

Maybe it was because of the dire situation, but his [Instinct] and [Battle Adept] skills were operating at their maximum.

He instinctively knew exactly where to cut the weak point-

BOOOOOOOM!!!

The collision was devastating.

Blinding explosion of blue flames and golden-white light erupted in the middle of the area.

The shockwave blasted outward, cracking the ground and sending waves of scorching heat in every direction.

Jake’s body was thrown backward violently, skidding across the dirt as he tried to shield Grace with his own body.

”Guh!!”

Pain exploded through every nerve.

The sword of light flickered wildly in his grip, nearly disappearing from the strain.

Burns covered his arms and chest, and fresh blood flowed from reopened wounds.

Grace coughed violently from the smoke and heat, but she was mostly protected thanks to Jake taking the brunt of the blast.

”J-Jake!!”

Julian stood on the other side of the explosion, breathing heavily, his face still twisted in rage and jealousy as he slowly walked toward the pair who had once again miraculously blocked his attack.

”Y-You are the inferior!”

He began to mumble to himself, voice growing louder and more unhinged with every step.

”A worthless stray... a Common Class bug... how dare you... how dare you make me look like this?!”

Yet despite the situation heavily favoring him...

...a trace of fear flickered deep within his crimson eyes.