Several hundred ordinary civilians were crouched on the ground with their heads covered, trembling as dozens of pirates surrounded them. Not a single person dared to resist.
After confirming that the captives were behaving themselves, one of the pirate sub-leaders finally let out a breath of relief.
At the very least, the first step had succeeded.
If these people caused a commotion, things would become extremely troublesome.
Soon after, his gaze shifted toward the Crux flagship, the Alcor, cutting through the waves and approaching at full speed. His heart sank heavily.
Whether they could survive this ordeal would depend entirely on what happened next.
Already in a foul mood, his tone grew even harsher.
"Why haven't those brats come back yet?"
Noticing that the men sent to drag passengers out of the private cabins still hadn't returned, the sub-leader's irritation deepened.
"At a time like this, they still have the nerve to mess around with women."
In his mind, those men must have stumbled upon some "decent-looking" women inside and lost control of their desires. It wasn't the first—or second—time such things had happened.
Just as he was about to send someone to drag those idiots back—
"You two, go inside and take a look. Don't let those bastards screw around. This is serious business. I don't want them too weak to even hold a blade later."
Cursing under his breath, the sub-leader pointed out a few pirates and ordered them to head inside.
But the moment they reached the cabin entrance—
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, several figures were hurled back through the shattered wooden door, accompanied by shrill screams.
Their chests were caved in, blood foaming from their mouths. They inhaled more than they exhaled—clearly beyond saving.
The sudden turn of events stunned the pirates on deck. Even the civilians crouching on the ground couldn't help but look up in shock.
In the next instant, two young women appeared before everyone's eyes.
"Tch. A bunch of trash."
Dressed in a fitted gauze outfit, short pants, and high boots, Eula dragged her greatsword behind her, staring coldly at the enemy.
Beside her stood Noelle, who had removed her armor entirely and now wore a classic medieval maid outfit.
This was a journey, not a mission—neither of them had brought their usual Knight attire. And with the sudden emergency, there was no time to change.
Before the pirates could react, Eula moved first—aiming not at them, but at the terrified civilians.
"Seal!"
As she raised her hand, massive walls of ice surged upward, forming a fortress-like barrier that completely enclosed the civilians on the deck, protecting them utterly.
The abrupt change caused the pirate sub-leader's face to twist in fury and panic.
Without hostages, how were they supposed to negotiate with the Alcor?
A sense of impending doom surged through him as he barked out orders.
"Kill those two women! The rest of you, follow me and smash these damned ice walls! If we don't, we're all dead!"
The pirates reacted swiftly in the crisis.
While some charged at Eula and Noelle, the sub-leader himself raised his blade and hacked fiercely at the ice barrier.
The result left him stunned.
The ice, which should have been fragile, was unbelievably solid. Apart from a shallow scratch, it didn't budge at all.
"This is bad… those women—"
Realizing they had likely kicked an iron plate, he hurriedly looked back toward the cabin entrance.
His pupils shrank violently.
The elegant, ice-blue–haired girl wielded her greatsword like a butterfly dancing among flowers. Though she was clearly fighting, her movements were refined and noble—like attending a grand ballroom dance.
Only the petals drifting through the air were not flowers, but blood.
She could have slaughtered everyone using pure swordsmanship alone. Yet driven by curiosity, Eula chose to further test the power of the demon blood within her.
She leapt back several steps, excitement flickering in her eyes, and dropped to one knee, pressing her hand against the deck.
In an instant, thick layers of ice spread across the wooden planks. The pirates slipped and screamed as they fell.
Then—
Countless ice spikes formed midair and rained down like a storm.
Bodies collapsed in waves.
The pirates were horrified. This wasn't a fight—it was an execution.
Abandoning the sub-leader's orders entirely, some pirates leapt straight into the sea, hoping to escape by diving away.
Living on the ocean year-round, they were confident in their swimming skills. Perhaps they could still survive.
"Trying to run? Don't be ridiculous."
Eula sneered coldly.
She crushed a pirate's ribs beneath her high-heeled boot. The blood that burst forth froze instantly, never touching her body.
At the same time, the sea surrounding the ship suddenly froze solid.
For several kilometers in every direction, thick ice blanketed the ocean's surface.
The pirates who had jumped screamed in despair.
Falling from that height alone would have shattered bones—but that wasn't the worst part.
What truly broke them was the forest of razor-sharp ice spears erupting upward from the frozen sea, their tips gleaming with deadly cold.
Screams tore through the air.
They ended just as abruptly.
The ice spears pierced through flesh, turning bodies into mangled sieves, stained red.
The remaining pirates froze in place, terror exploding in their scalps as they instinctively stumbled backward.
Who would dare jump now?
Such a gruesome end stirred no pity in Eula's heart. Compared to the atrocities these people had committed in the past, this was mercy.
Meanwhile
Noelle's approach differed from Eula's brutality.
She was… comparatively gentle.
Before attacking, she even lifted her skirt slightly and offered a polite, composed bow.
"Please excuse me."
The moment her words ended, the quiet maid revealed her fangs.
The massive White Iron Greatsword roared through the air. Despite being on a ship's deck, her sweeping battle style left no room for restraint.
No—rather than saying she had room to swing, it was more accurate to say that Noelle forcibly destroyed everything in her way.
Her furious greatsword shattered weapons and sent pirates flying with sheer brute force.
Those struck suffered horrific injuries—internal organs displaced, massive internal bleeding, shattered bones—screams echoed endlessly.
Holding the greatsword in one hand, Noelle occasionally used her other to perform swift-draw techniques. Empowered by Divine Speed, the impact amplified the greatsword's already devastating force.
The pirates were utterly terrified.
Where had these monsters come from?
Any thought of capturing them vanished completely. Now they wished desperately for wings—anything to escape, as far away as possible.
"Y-You… don't come any closer!"
The pirates—supposedly the villains—crumbled and screamed in desperation.
Against such overwhelming power, there was no resistance. Even trained armies would collapse, let alone a mob that preyed only on the weak.
In less than ten minutes, the pirate forces were completely crushed.
When Eula finally stood before the sub-leader—who had collapsed to his knees without realizing it—the sudden disaster that had befallen the pirates came to a decisive end.