Crimson and Furs 2

Chapter Eleven: The Soulless Emperor

Mr. Stark stood on the deck of his ship, gazing into the horizon with the waves crashing about. Allen he could see around him was the sea and nothing else. The soft breeze whistled all over the ship, causing his brown hair to flutter in a rhythmic manner. His brown eyes were deep and calm as if he didn't care about anything in this world.

Some months ago Mr. Stark had left his family to begin another long adventure by the order of Angel Michael who was possessing him. Angel Michael had told him that they would be going to find the Gates of Hell in the real world.

Although he didn't know why the angel was so bent on finding the Gates of Hell, he still complied. After all, he owed this angel his life several times. Hence, he was willing to leave his lovely wife and only child, Daniel for this great adventure which might even take more than a year.

In regards to this he decided to buy a ship even though it cost him all the fortune he had amassed in a life time and hire several Cursed from the Adventurers Guild. They were all at least Path three Cursed so he didn't have to worry about anything. Last time the reason almost everyone on board had died was because of the corruption from the Abyssal Node on sea. The Abyssal Node was a crack in reality which connected the physical world with Abyss, allowing corruption to seep into physical world.

Now Mr. Stark knew where the Abyssal Nodes were located and how he could avoid them. Hence, he wasn't afraid that he would face the same danger he faced last time. His crew members this time were way more powerful than before. There was even a Path five Cursed on the ship answering to him.

"I still don't know why you want to find the Gates of Hell," Mr. Stark seemingly muttered to empty air. But in essence he was talking to Angel Michael.

"It's a personal matter," Michael's voice sounded within Mr. Stark's ears. "It might also benefit humanity."

"How so?" Mr. Stark asked.

"I'm looking for Lucifer Samael Morningstar," Michael responded.

"You mean, the Devil?" Mr. Stark widened his eyes in shock.

Many of the crew members turned to look at the captain who seemed to be talking to himself but ignored him afterwards. This was because they had seen the powerful existence who possessed him. This was one of the reasons they could faithfully follow him without nursing any thoughts of rebelling.

"The Devil?" Michael scoffed inwardly. "Is that what you learn from your ancient records? Samael is not yet the Devil."

"Huh?" Mr. Stark was confused. "What do you mean?"

"He's a Fallen Angel, the same path as I am," Michael said. "The Devil is the name of the Beyond Path of the Demon Cursed type. He still needs a ritual to advance to become a Deity."

"Oh, so that's it," Mr. Stark nodded in enlightenment. "What about you? What's the name of your Cursed type?"

"I will only tell you when you agree to become a Cursed," Michael replied.

"Not again," Mr. Stark instantly decided to give up on the discussion. This was because Michael had asked him several times to become a Cursed and the answer was always the same. Negative.

Although he admired people like Angel Michael for their insane power, he couldn't take the same route. This was because he knew the terrifying danger involved in the Cursed world.

Mr. Stark expected the Angel of War to say something else but he didn't. Instead there was a deep silence which made Mr. Stark almost suspect that Michael had secretly left his body.

"Your behaviour is unbefitting of an angel," Mr. Stark scoffed as he took a deep breathe.

Soon a young man walked towards him. His hair was black and his eyes blue, having a hint of mischief to them. He was a Path three, Stage Magician who went by the name Dantes.

"Captain, we spotted a pirate ship heading our way," Dantes said with a serious expression, making the mischief in his eyes to dim.

"A pirate ship..." Mr. Stark muttered, his eyes narrowing for some moments. As an adventurer, he knew all the pirate crews in the country. Most of them were ordinary while a very few were all Cursed. These pirate crews were ranked according to their prowess, the greatest pirate being Soulless Emperor. It was rumoured he was a Path five of the Horror Cursed type and possessed a powerful mystical ship called Apostate which could evoke desires of target, manipulate demonic fire, travel through realms, cause mutations and summon demons from the depths of Hell. Well, this was only limited to the rumours and it was unknown if these were all the abilities of the mystical ship.

The Soulless Emperor was said to be very cruel and would kill everyone on the ship he plundered, absorbing their souls. The members of his crew were also very terrifying. All of them were either Witches, Horrors or Demons and loved massacring passengers on other ships. Hence, the Soulless Emperor crew was tagged as the most dangerous in the sea.

"Prepare for battle," Mr. Stark said calmly. He wasn't afraid of the Soulless Emperor because he had Angel Michael with him. There was also the Path five Cursed monitoring the ship.

"Yes, Captain!" Dantes shouted as he ran to inform the other members of the crew.

Soon everyone saw a black ship approaching. It constantly emitted flames of green fire which dripped to the sea, emitting sizzling sounds. There were also different organic materials plastered across the hull of the ship. Several of them were organs belonging to humans, some were bloody vines which seemed to have a life of their own and some were crawling gigantic worms. These substances changed with time, mutating into something more terrifying than the former.

Standing at the deck of the ship was a middle aged man dressed in a black robe which seemed to have a life on its own, trying to move away from his body. The man's eyes were red and bloodshot, his expression extremely horrifying. He was none other than the number one pirate on the sea, the Soulless Emperor!

When Mr. Stark's crew members saw this, they broke into a cold sweat as they took up battle stances. Horrors were known for their terrifying auras which were capable of breaking the mental fortitude of other Cursed.

Boom!

The Soulless Emperor crew didn't give them any warning before a green ball of demonic fire was launched from their ship. It was as if they wanted to kill everyone on the opposite ship before they even got close to it!

The Cursed on Mr. Stark's ship didn't even need to be told what to do as they immediately went into action. The Stage Magicians immediately collectively created a very large portal which almost covered the ship, casting a large shadow on it.

When the ball of demonic fire got close to the gigantic portal, it didn't collide with it as expected. Instead it spread into countless flames of fire, going around the portal! This was the power of the Apostate, the ship of the Soulless Emperor!

Suddenly Mr. Stark's ship lit up, creating a radiance which swallowed the demonic flames of fire, leaving no trace! Mr. Stark's ship was also not ordinary as it had been augmented by Angel Michael! As a ship augmented by the Angel who possessed authority over light, it could purify demonic attacks!

Seeing this, the Soulless Emperor narrowed his eyes on the Apostate ship, This is troublesome...They even possess a ship corresponding to Path five of an unknown Cursed type...

But then, even with those thoughts the Soulless Emperor didn't feel afraid. This was because he felt he could easily deal with the other people despite the protection from their ship. This was because as a Path five, Wraith he possessed one hundred souls. These souls had different Cursed powers which were taken from the countless souls he had absorbed from various Cursed.

Nullifying!

The Soulless Emperor curled his lips into a wicked smile, using one of his numerous terrifying Cursed powers.

Instantly every Cursed that Mr. Stark had brought felt their Cursed powers being negated. Even the ship was affected, having its light powers forcibly removed!

Horrifying!

The Soulless Emperor used one of the abilities possessed by Wraiths. It allowed him to directly influence the minds of targets, causing them to lose their rationality and transform into undead creatures.

"Ah!"

"No!"

"Help!"

Every member on Mr. Stark's ship screamed as they held their heads and collapsed to the ground in terror. Even Mr. Stark was not spared as he shuddered uncontrollably, his teeth shattering in fear.

After having their Cursed powers removed, every Cursed on the ship could not resist the Horrifying ability possessed by the Soulless Emperor. Even though their powers were negated for only a short period of time, this still gave the Soulless Emperor a big chance to kill everyone and plunder the ship!

At that moment a middle aged man appeared beside Mr. Stark who had somehow recovered. He was the Path five Cursed which had been employed the protect the ship. He had been hidden the entire time, escaping the influence of the Soulless Emperor with a mystical item he was carrying.

"I, John, conquers Cursed powers!" the middle aged man yelled, clenching his fists.

Instantly the Nullifying and Horrifying abilities of the Soulless Emperor were weakened significantly, causing the other Cursed to slowly regain their rationality. Even though they were still terrified, they no longer transformed into undead creatures.

The ability John used was called Conquering, corresponding to the Path three, Conqueror of his Cursed type. It weakened the powers of other Cursed while allowing them grasp various loopholes and weaknesses. It could also weaken the effects of losing, encountering danger and so forth.

Seeing this, the Soulless Emperor narrowed his eyes. This was because in his entire life he had not seen any Cursed power like this! The only Cursed types he was familiar with were the Lycanthrope, Doppelganger, Crimsone, Wizard, Witch and Horror Cursed type! He also knew that there was a Demon Cursed type since his ship corresponded to the Path six, Apostate of Sin of the Demon Cursed type.

Lusting!

The Soulless Emperor didn't hesitate as he activated an ability of his ship, the Apostate. It corresponded to the Path two, Incubus of the Demon Cursed type and could stir up the sexual desires of targets. Since the ship already was a Path five relic, it could even affect the Path five powerhouse of dubious origins on the ship.

Astrology!

Suddenly John pressed his palms together, his eyes becoming extremely black. He immediately foresaw everyone onboard dying from the Wraith's attack in a minute.

He then yelled, "I foresee the survival of every person on this ship!"

Astrology was an ability which came from the Path four, Astrolabe of his Cursed type. It allowed one to see the destinies of others and change them for better or worse.

Again, the Soulless Emperor's attack with the help of the Apostate ship was forcibly rendered useless. It was as if there were several loopholes in whatever he tried to do.

This time John didn't wait for the Soulless Emperor to attack again as he bent his kneels, exerting strength into his muscles as he grabbed an iron bar close to him.

Exaggeration!

He threw the iron bar towards the pirate ship as he used another ability corresponding to the Path two, Combatant of his Cursed type. This ability allowed him to maximize his attacks, making them lethal!

There was a booming sound as the iron bar tore through the air towards the Apostate ship. But when it got close to the ship it disintegrated, mutating into pathogens.

John and the Soulless Emperor looked at each other and were about to continue their attacks when the sea around them churned, producing countless exaggerated ripples! Walls of gigantic waves surrounded them instantly, rising up into the sky!

"This..." John narrowed his eyes as he glared at the Soulless Emperor whose horrifying smile had frozen.

Mr. Stark wanted to order his crew members to use their powers to protect the ship when the environment darkened significantly. Even he couldn't help but feel afraid at this point of time despite being the vessel of Angel Michael.