From sailboats to star destroyers (Source: Web)

Chapter 33 The End: A Funeral Song of Wind and Fire

The 'Spirit of Vengeance', formed from 66 cursed gold coins and the souls of crew members, was born.

Their attacks instantly became more ferocious and precise, and they even coordinated with each other in a simple way, as if they were fighting side by side on the deck when they were alive.

The pressure has increased dramatically!

Bartham's wind sword danced even faster, the wind blades resembling a dense fishing net.

But he also keenly sensed the source of this anomaly—the shadow behind the stone pillar.

He parried a powerful, heavy axe blow, his gaze flashing like lightning as he aimed at where Miao Meng was hiding.

With shock and a barely perceptible tremor, he asked, "Who? The thief who steals the memories of the dead? Wait, why... why do you have the aura of the 'Fortune' on you? It feels so... familiar?"

Miao Meng knew he couldn't hide it anymore, and there was no need to hide it any longer.

He calmly emerged from the shadows, the revolver in his hand shimmering with a magical glow, its muzzle steadily pointed at the Black Earl, who was entangled by the spirit of vengeance.

He then lightly tapped the wide-brimmed hat on his head, which had a distinctly pirate style, with the muzzle of his gun. A cold smile curved his lips, and his voice was clear yet carried a metallic quality:

"Me? Captain, it's so obvious, haven't you recognized me yet?" He tilted his head slightly, a flash of blue light in his eyes. "I'm the 'Fortune Hunter'!"

Basham's sword-wielding motion suddenly froze, and his pupils instantly contracted.

He stared intently at Miao Meng, whose thin frame and excessively young face seemed absurd in every way.

Just as he was about to burst out laughing, the air behind Miao Meng twisted violently.

hum~

A massive, clear phantom made of pure psionic energy unfolded instantly—a streamlined hull, towering three masts and sails, and a fluttering pirate flag adorned with a golden skull and crossed scimitars!

Every line of the ship's silhouette, every sail, even the familiar hole in the flag, perfectly overlapped with the 'lover' who was deep in his memory and accompanied him day and night.

The icy sea air, the smell of wood and asphalt, the fluttering sound of billowing sails—countless sensory memories instantly assaulted his senses.

"Ha~ Hahaha!" Basham's laughter went from shock to bitterness, and then to a complex emotion that was hard to describe.

"So that's how it is! Ship spirit, that's right... I'm the one who left you on that damned island."

He looked at Miao Meng's expressionless face, as if he saw evidence of his betrayal. "You're blaming me, aren't you?"

Miao Meng did not answer. He had already achieved his goal of shaking the other party's mind. Then, the muzzle flashed with a spark from the revolver in his hand.

At the same time, the ship's equipment mode was fully deployed, and the fourteen revolvers controlled by telekinesis floated up, firing a barrage of projectiles to suppress Bashamu's actions.

Fiery fire crystals, bone-chilling icebergs, and wind pressure projectiles that tore through the air... several types of magical projectiles poured towards Bashamuu without the need for reloading, like water being splashed.

The vengeful spirits seemed to receive a command, and their attacks became even more frenzied.

"Boom boom boom~ Clang clang clang!"

The roar of the magic cannon echoed in the front hall, mingling with the wind blades slashing from the wind sword, the sounds of weapons clashing, and bones shattering.

Firelight, ice shards, gales, and scattered fragments of the dead turned the entire space upside down.

Barsam roared, his wind sword dancing into a blue light screen, blocking and deflecting most of the attacks.

The terrifying curse spells—Mind Blast and Mass Stasis—were continuously fired at Miao Meng.

However, it was barely blocked by the ship girl form's high resistance to mind magic and the protective magic that Miao Meng had prepared in advance.

The shockwave from the explosion shattered the magnificent murals, tore the expensive carpets apart, and left cracks all over the stone pillars.

The battle entered its most brutal phase of attrition. Miao Meng's psionic energy points were being rapidly depleted and replenished, while the artillery fire continued unabated.

The Belka Magic Bullets, which had been stockpiled in advance, were being used up like water being released from a dam to make up for the lack of psionic points.

Barsam's physical strength and magic were rapidly depleted under the entanglement of the vengeful spirit and Miao Meng's relentless bombardment. His wounds continued to increase, and blood stained his tattered clothes.

The hesitation and complexity in his eyes were gradually replaced by a resolute acceptance of fate.

boom!

A fireball exploded at close range, sending Bashamu flying and crashing into a broken wall. The Wind Sword flew out of his hand and stuck in the floor a short distance away.

Miao Meng seized the opportunity, but instead of gripping the revolver, he held tightly the incomparably sharp and swift sword.

【Shining Charge】

With a flash of white light, the wind sword on the ground flew out and stuck straight into a pillar at the entrance of the hall.

Then the swift sword was swung like a viper spitting its tongue, stabbing, picking, slicing, and slicing!

Miao Meng maximized the mastery level of weapon proficiency inherent in the "Hamster Swift Sword," unleashing ruthless and precise attacks.

Although Bashamu was unarmed, he was still able to withstand Miao Meng's attacks by relying solely on his strong physique and fighting skills to dodge and block.

Miao Meng kept getting new wounds, but his "breathing and blood regeneration" skill stubbornly maintained his lifeline, allowing the wounds to heal slowly at a visible speed.

This is a fighting style that involves trading injury for injury and risking one's life for another.

"Pfft!"

Finally, despite his shoulder blade being nearly shattered by Bashamu's heavy punch, Miao Meng wielded his swift sword like a venomous dragon emerging from its lair, piercing Bashamu's heart with unstoppable momentum!

Basham's movements froze instantly. He looked down at the blade piercing his chest, then slowly looked up at Miao Meng, who was standing close by. His eyes were no longer filled with resentment, but with a deep weariness and relief.

He seemed to want to say something, his lips moved slightly, but in the end he only raised his hand with difficulty, as if trying to smooth his messy, blood-stained collar, the last stubbornness of this former fastidious pirate captain.

His hand, raised halfway, fell limply to the ground, and the light in his eyes went out completely.

[Ding! Target successfully killed: Black Earl Barthamur (Lv15 Dreadlord). Experience gained: 18,000]

At that moment, a faint yet incredibly solid ray of soul light was forcibly drawn out from Bashamu's corpse.

This beam of soul light did not dissipate; instead, it was strongly attracted by the "Hunter of Fortune" ship girl form on Miao Meng's body, like iron filings being attracted by a magnet, and instantly entered Miao Meng's body.

At the same time, as Bashamu's life came to an end, the Wind Sword stuck in the ground suddenly emitted a violent hum, and a blue light flickered like a heartbeat.

It did not, as Bartholomew had planned, travel across space to find the offspring he had secretly sent away.

The sword's surface shimmered with light, as if sensing something. Finally, it transformed into a soft, cyan stream of light and flew towards Miao Meng.

Miao Meng subconsciously reached out. The flowing light entered his hand and reformed into that light and agile wind sword.

The sword hilt was warm and smooth, as if it carried a heartbeat, creating a strange resonance with the aura of his ship girl form.

hum-

A much larger and purer power than when the Mind Cube was activated erupted within Miao Meng's body!

Especially in the ship girl form, the ship shadows behind her are clearer and more solid than ever before, as if they are about to step from illusion into reality.

The hull seemed to be undergoing an invisible forging process, emitting a deep metallic hum, the masts rose higher, and the magical patterns on the sails became even more intricate and mysterious.

On the ship's equipment panel, all attributes were flashing wildly, and skills and specializations were also spreading and recombining like ink.

[Ship Equipment Growth: Absorb the core soul (Captain Bashamu), obtain essential completion, and begin promotion!]

The front hall was deathly silent, with only the spirits of vengeance standing there blankly, the phosphorescent light in their eyes slowly dying out and turning into specks of light and dust, along with the 66 tarnished cursed coins, which dissipated into the air.

All that remained was Miao Meng, wielding the Sword of Wind and feeling the dramatic transformation of his ship equipment, and the devastated City Lord's Mansion.

The sea breeze, flowing through the never-closed gates, dispersed the smoke and blood, and brought with it the ceaseless roar of the distant waves.