Lord: Sequence Master

"More than a hundred people."

Rosen quietly counted the captured merchant sailors as they were forced into the realm, frowning at the scene. The whirlpool near him was just one of several entry points into the Realm of Forest of Death. There were likely many more, and if each one brought in a hundred sailors, the Black Shark Pirates had captured over a thousand people for this twisted ritual. By the end of the nine-day cycle, Rosen suspected that none of these captives would survive.

However, his calculation quickly shifted as the grim reality unfolded. These sailors wouldn't even make it through the hour. The pirates were forcing them into the dense forest, prodding them with scimitars. Anyone who refused to move was mercilessly cut down. Faced with death, the sailors ran into the jungle in terror, but with their hands bound, they were easy prey. Some huddled together in futile attempts to hide, trembling as they gazed into the foreboding darkness.

Those who were too slow felt the sting of a pirate's blade across their backs. The smell of blood quickly spread, attracting the forest's many extraordinary creatures. Within minutes, the entire group of sailors had been reduced to lifeless corpses.

Using his enhanced sense of smell, Rosen noticed that the blood pooling beneath the bodies was vanishing unnaturally quickly. He approached one of the bodies using Shadow Step and carefully lifted the leaves. Underneath, the forest's plant roots were wriggling, hungrily sucking up the blood. Rosen suddenly realized that the Death Forest wasn't just home to extraordinary creatures and Shadow Cats—the plants themselves thrived on human blood.

At that moment, one of the Black Shark captains, Monty, stepped into the jungle. Rosen recognized him immediately. Monty crushed a scroll, which enveloped him in a black aura, protecting him from the surrounding creatures. He then pulled out a crystal ball and infused it with his spiritual energy, causing a gray mist to rise from it. The mist extended across the forest floor, spreading toward the sailors' bodies.

As the mist covered the corpses, human-shaped phantoms began to rise from the remains, slowly being drawn into the crystal ball. Once all the souls were collected, the black aura protecting Monty shattered, but the gray mist continued to cloak him. The nearby creatures, which had been closing in on him, hesitated and turned away, returning to feast on the corpses.

Rosen couldn't fully decipher the crystal ball's purpose, but he understood its basic function. The sailors' blood had been absorbed by the forest plants, while their souls were trapped within the crystal. The mist that protected Monty also seemed to prevent the forest's creatures from attacking him.

The other pirates soon joined Monty, all moving deeper into the forest under the mist's protection.

Rosen followed them cautiously and soon found himself in unexplored parts of the  Forest of Death. He observed as the pirates continued their march, killing Shadow Cats along the way. Monty carried a cat-headed humanoid statue, which caused the Shadow Cats to charge at them in a frenzy. However, the cats would stop at the edge of the mist, too frightened to come any closer.

The pirates, taking advantage of the Shadow Cats' hesitation, used grenades to kill them easily. Despite the massacre, the Shadow Cats refused to flee. Monty was systematically collecting all the extraordinary essence left behind by the slain Shadow Cats, distributing other loot to his subordinates.

Rosen heightened his hearing, turning all his other senses into auditory input, and focused on the pirates' conversations. Soon, he learned they were searching for a special crystal plant that only grew where Shadow Cats lived. Monty warned his men that failure to find this plant would result in their deaths.

Guided by his newly enhanced senses, Rosen traced the Shadow Cats' movements and soon discovered their nest hidden in vine-covered tree hollows. He searched the hollows meticulously and eventually found a crystal-like vine about a foot long. The plant had no roots, and when Rosen tried to uproot it, it hardened into a stiff, stone-like structure. Satisfied with his find, Rosen stored the crystal vine in his Mysterious Study Room before continuing his surveillance of the pirates.

As he continued to track other pirate teams, Rosen spotted the Black Shark Captain himself leading one of the groups. He wisely avoided him, but not before noting that there were a total of fifteen pirate teams in the forest. Rosen intercepted three of them, successfully collecting three more crystal plants without being detected.

Over the next three days, the Black Shark Pirates hunted down almost all the Shadow Cats, sparing only the Sequence 7 Shadow Cat leader. On the fourth morning, the pirates gathered under the leadership of the Black Shark Captain, preparing for something significant.

Keeping a safe distance, Rosen observed their movements carefully. Although the Sequence 7 hunter of the pirates had yet to reveal himself, Rosen knew better than to underestimate their danger. If this hunter was hiding in the shadows, one wrong move could mean instant death for Rosen.

The Black Shark Captain led his crew to an ancient ruin deep within the forest. Upon seeing the ruins, the captain rushed ahead eagerly, preventing the other pirates from following as he explored the crumbling buildings. After some time, he emerged, holding a massive cat-headed humanoid statue—far larger than the one Monty had been using.

The captain ordered his men to clear the surrounding trees, allowing sunlight to fall directly on the statue. Under the sun's rays, the statue ignited in black ghostly flames.

With a dark grin, the Black Shark Captain began feeding the extraordinary essence from the Shadow Cats and hunters into the spectral fire. After violently piercing one of the crystal plants into his chest, he placed his hand on the burning statue, letting the flames envelop him entirely.

Rosen watched as the Black Shark Captain trembled in pain, his sweat pouring off him in waves. Soon, a shark-shaped essence emerged from the captain's forehead. It resembled his ship, the Black Shark, but was visibly damaged—almost split in two. This confirmed the rumors Rosen had heard about the captain's injury, which had severely weakened his abilities.

But as the ghostly fire consumed the essence, Rosen saw it slowly being mended. By the time the ritual ended, the essence had been fully restored, and the Black Shark Captain stepped away from the statue, clearly elated. Rosen now understood that the pirates' entire operation had been about repairing the captain's broken essence.

Just as the captain left, a hidden hunter emerged near the statue, repeating the same process. Instead of using the Sequence 8 and 9 Shadow Cat essence, this hunter used Sequence 7 essence, confirming that the Shadow Cat leader had been slain. Though this hunter's essence appeared intact, it was unclear what benefit he had gained from the ritual.

Rosen stayed hidden, thoughtfully watching the cat-headed statue burn with black flames.

(End of Chapter)