The female captain of the Sakura had been saving this powerful skill to use against Chunyi.
The skill, Steel Shell, surpassed Chunyi's Power of Godspeed in both grade and ability. If they were to fight, Chunyi would have been helpless against her defense.
And someone who couldn't even break through her defense could hardly hope to win.
The two of them had never clashed head-on, simply because she was wary of Chunyi's connections. Only those who truly knew Chunyi understood how complex his network was. Now that Chunyi was dead, what did she have to fear?
"Kid."
The woman looked at Shi Ming. "You're an Awakened, too. Use everything you've got!"
She hefted the heavy long-saber, standing on the deck like a female Titan.
The Titan charged.
Armed with his Third-Level Cross Saber and a wealth of combat experience, Shi Ming was brimming with confidence. The woman in the hunting gear was just as self-assured, completely abandoning defense and single-mindedly trading blows with him.
CLANK!
Shi Ming found an opening and slashed his cross saber against the woman's bicep, sending a shower of metallic sparks into the air.
'Damn!'
'It really is that hard!'
'Let's see just how much I need to multiply my power to break through your defense!'
As they traded blows, the woman in hunting gear grew increasingly alarmed. She had thought that after activating her Awakening skill, she would only need to focus on her attacks. But under her opponent's increasingly ferocious assault, she found herself struggling to hold on.
'Where on Chunyi's ship did such a powerful person come from?!'
Her Awakening Power surged madly into the long-saber in her right arm. Abandoning all defense, she brought the massive blade down toward Shi Ming's body with overwhelming momentum.
Shi Ming fully activated his Arm of Power!
Ten times the power!
Ten times the power coursed through his cross saber, and Shi Ming's right hand was as steady as a mountain!
BOOM!
The woman in hunting gear felt as if she had struck an immovable object. A powerful, violent force traveled from her saber up into her right arm, bringing with it an excruciating pain, as if her bones were shattering from the inside.
CRACK—
The bones in her right hand, and all the way up her right arm, shattered from within!
With a pained shriek, the weapon fell from her hand. She could no longer hold it!
Her limp, drooping wrist was a clear sign: the arm was completely useless.
Her defense hadn't been breached, but the shockwave had shattered her bones to pieces!
"Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve?"
Shi Ming pointed his cross saber coldly at the female captain.
The female captain's heart trembled. For an instant, all she wanted to do was run.
But on this slow-moving drifter, where could she possibly run?
"If not, then you can go join Chunyi."
"Wait! I surrender!"
Gritting her teeth against the excruciating pain, she gave up on any other ideas. She raised her remaining left hand and, with a heavy sense of unwillingness, knelt on the deck.
At the same time, the shell-like armor on her body rapidly receded, and she returned to her normal appearance.
Shi Ming glanced at her, and his voice carried across the entire ship.
"Your captain has surrendered. Do you intend to continue this pointless resistance?"
"Drop your weapons, or die!"
This was to avoid unnecessary casualties among his own people. His crew members were needed to do their jobs.
The crew of the Sakura, who had been caught up in the sudden battle, were stunned to discover that the fight was already ending almost as soon as it had begun.
In just three minutes, their powerful captain had been utterly defeated!
She was even kneeling at the enemy's feet!
The other captain was an even more powerful Awakened!
Realizing this, weapons began to drop from their hands.
For ordinary people facing an Awakened, surrender was the only option.
...
"We won... just like that?" Shi Ming's own team members were completely dumbfounded.
They had been outnumbered and held out little hope for this fight. They never imagined it would be over so quickly!
Shi Ming's cross saber remained pointed at the woman in hunting gear.
"Raiders should be prepared for the consequences of failure, especially people like you," Shi Ming said, his voice devoid of emotion.
"The price of failure is death."
The female captain could feel the cold grip of death approaching.
She looked into Shi Ming's eyes and saw the cold, murderous calm that belonged only to a battle-hardened veteran.
The victor is king, the loser is the villain. The leader of the defeated faction must inevitably face death.
But she had to try one last time.
"Kill me, and the Black Society will never forgive you. Let me go, and you will gain a true ally."
"An ally?"
Shi Ming's blade pressed against the captain's throat.
"I don't need that kind of ally."
"I... I'm a woman..."
The eyes of the woman in hunting gear filled with humiliation. She was throwing her last die in a desperate bid to survive.
Shi Ming sized her up.
"I don't need a woman."
'Since when is gender a bargaining chip?'
"You..."
"You have three seconds."
"3."
"2."
'She's been sailing the seas for years, in charge of all the resources on a drifter. Who would believe she hasn't stumbled upon some major opportunities? If you don't squeeze her dry, you'll never see what she's truly worth.'
"Wait!" The woman in hunting gear finally broke. Her knees hit the deck, and she slumped powerlessly to the floor.
"I can tell you a secret! A secret that's absolutely worth your while!"
"Oh?" Shi Ming raised an eyebrow.
"You think one secret is enough to trade for your life?!"
"Just hear me out. If you don't think it's worth it, you can kill me anytime. Besides, I don't have any other bargaining chips you might be interested in..."
"Let's hear it."
The female captain glanced at the people standing around them.
"Take your prisoners and back away." After the captain of the Sakura—their only Awakened—had been captured, the rest of her crew gave up resisting and were now prisoners of Shi Ming's team.
Soon, there was no one else within ten meters of Shi Ming.
"Alright, speak."
"If this secret gets out and the Black Society finds out about it, my fate will be worse than death. I hope that after I tell you, you'll keep it confidential..."
"If I were you, I wouldn't be worrying about the long term," Shi Ming replied.
The woman in hunting gear sighed.
As if all her strength had drained away, she finally accepted her reality.
"Do you know why the Black Society, despite having a powerful general-class drifter, only ever patrols the waters near our former nation and never strays far from the sunken motherland?"
"Isn't that what you call 'loyalty'?"
"Loyalty? That's just a cover for outsiders. The real secret is—"
"Deep within the sunken Fujing Volcano, they discovered a super sea beast... one that surpasses S-class, the absolute highest tier..."
"Surpasses S-class? Such a sea beast exists?" Shi Ming's interest was piqued. "But you're just a low-level bronze-class captain. How would you know a secret like that?"