In just over ten seconds.
The wind speed increased sharply, the gale like a roaring beast sweeping across the sea with astonishing force, whipping up layer after layer of massive waves that crashed against the ship's hull one after another, producing an ear-splitting sound.
Lightning also flashed frequently within the dark clouds, each flash illuminating this stretch of ocean ruled by wind and rain, followed by thunderous roars that echoed across the entire sea.
In such conditions, even if Blackbeard were piloting his Noble Phantasm ship, he would have to furl the sails to prevent being swamped by the waves and sent to the depths.
But Drake did the opposite.
"Men! Secure the sails, we're making a run for it!"
Amidst the lightning, thunder, and torrential rain, Drake shouted to her crew with a wide grin, completely ignoring the rainwater streaming into her mouth.
"Oh—!" ×N
A group of pirates laughed heartily, just like Drake, as if mocking the mighty power of nature.
"What a bunch of lunatics…"
Mary muttered under her breath, then decisively leaped from the Golden Hind, landing on Blackbeard's ship.
This was already the second time.
In a storm like this, instead of furling the sails, they were spreading them wide. But Mary still couldn't wrap her head around how these people's minds worked.
Wouldn't this really capsize the ship?
It wasn't impossible for the entire ship to break apart.
Under the assault of the gale and giant waves, the Golden Hind slid and leaped across the sea surface, like a rollercoaster from hell on the highest difficulty setting. The ordinary pirates on board could only cling desperately to anything that offered stability to avoid being thrown overboard.
The entire ship continuously emitted agonized groans of strain, especially the sail, which caught the fierce wind, and the mast securing it, which creaked and groaned. One was billowed out like a "balloon," the other bent in the direction of the wind, as if it would snap at any moment.
In this environment, the cumbersome Berserker, Eric, who hadn't grasped the situation, was the first to lose his footing.
With a look of sheer panic in his eyes, he toppled into the water.
Seeing his own side had already retreated, Hector no longer had the heart to continue fighting.
"Will you go down yourself, or shall I see you off?"
Lin Qi struggled to maintain his balance, glaring coldly at Hector.
"Ahaha, no need to trouble yourself, I'll be on my way."
Hector, who wasn't faring much better standing at the ship's railing, forced an awkward laugh.
Even for him, it was hard to say he could maintain combat effectiveness in such conditions. Rather than prolonging the struggle, it was better to quit while he was ahead.
And besides…
This ship really looked like it was about to take off, didn't it? It absolutely did!!
Not wanting to experience "flying" in this manner, Hector didn't hesitate. Pushing off with his feet, he leaped from the ship.
Seeing all the enemies had left, Drake also breathed a sigh of relief.
She had been genuinely worried someone would continue to fight recklessly.
But once relaxed, the anger from being suppressed for so long surged forth.
"Hey~! You damned beardy, just you wait! Next time we meet, I'll definitely wrench your head off and hang it from the bow of the Golden Hind!!"
Drake cupped her left hand like a megaphone and shouted down towards Blackbeard below.
Although it was unclear if he could hear her over the storm, the task of delivering threats was well and truly accomplished.
"B-Boss! Our ship's about to fly again!!"
A pirate, feeling the weightlessness, panicked and shouted.
"Stop yelling! It's not like our ship has never flown before!"
Drake continued to grin wildly with excitement.
"That's not it, Boss! If this goes on, our ship might break apart mid-air!"
Another pirate watched the creaking, groaning ship with trepidation, trembling.
"Ah? But even if you say that, I don't have control over this storm anymore!"
Drake's expression froze.
She had just wanted a storm that would let them escape quickly, and preferably let them fly one more time. Who knew the Grail could summon a storm of this magnitude?
Actually, it wasn't just the storm now; it was the result of multiple factors.
First, the reinforcement from Runes had a time limit. Especially since Lin Qi activated group buffs via Runes spread across the ship, which shortened their duration even further.
So now, the Golden Hind probably only had the faint reinforcement from the Holy Grail left.
Second, the battle just now had taken place on the Golden Hind. A bunch of Servants fighting on board—the fact that the ship wasn't directly smashed to pieces was already a testament to its good quality.
Under the influence of multiple debuffs, the current Golden Hind was probably not much stronger than a normal ship of its size.
Watching as the Golden Hind slowly lifted off the sea surface in the gale, teetering perilously as it soared skyward.
Looking like this, if they didn't do something, it would likely break apart in a matter of tens of seconds, or even just over ten.
Right at that moment.
A faint golden light suddenly enveloped the entire ship, silencing the creaking vessel.
Seeing this familiar light, the pirates all turned to look in Lin Qi's direction.
He had planted his flag into the deck, one hand gripping the flagstaff, the other clinging tightly to the mast.
The holy standard in his hand emitted a golden light, flying freely like swimming fish amidst the raging storm, shining brilliantly.
Having just disengaged from his fight with Hector, Lin Qi, after only catching his breath for a moment, ignored the exhaustion in his body and mind and activated his Noble Phantasm once again, enveloping the entire ship within its protection.
"Little Lin…"
The pirates looked at Lin Qi, who was still carrying them, with tears in their eyes.
'Even if you look at me like that, maintaining this defense isn't easy for me either...'
Lin Qi felt the drain on his magical energy and kept a straight face.
Although he had a skill that could restore magical energy at any time, the amount restored compared to the amount consumed was a mere drop in the bucket.
Moreover, he had already fought Hector for so long, so his remaining magical energy wasn't high to begin with.
On top of that, using a Noble Phantasm didn't just consume magical energy; it also consumed mental strength. Having used [Dodge] and his Noble Phantasm who knows how many times in a single battle, Lin Qi was practically pushing himself to the limit once again.
"That damned old hag actually used this method to escape again... It's just too unfair!!"
Watching the warship flying up into the sky, Blackbeard gnawed on his handkerchief, his face full of jealousy.
If he wanted his own ship to fly, it wasn't certain it could. The ship's strength was probably sufficient, but his ship was much larger than Drake's, wasn't it?
If he were to hoist the sails, not only would it be harder to get airborne, but the force on the mast would increase exponentially.
It might not break apart in mid-air, but whether the mast could hold was another question.
Suddenly, Blackbeard had a brainstorm.
"Teacher! Our teacher! Speaking of which, your Noble Phantasm should be able to shoot their ship down, right?"
Blackbeard looked at Hector with shining eyes.
Hector, who had just managed to swim back and was wringing the water out of his clothes, paused.
He then clutched his spear tightly and couldn't help but retort:
"Captain, are you in your right mind?"
"My Noble Phantasm can indeed hit them, but it's a throwing-type Noble Phantasm! Are you sure I'd be able to retrieve it after I throw it?"
As he spoke, Hector pointed outside at the waves, which occasionally surged several meters high.
"Ahaha, just kidding, just kidding…"
Under Hector's gaze that looked at him as if he were an idiot, Blackbeard realized how stupid his idea was.
But then again!
"—Teacher, are you really sure you won't reconsider?"
Blackbeard rubbed his hands together, looking at Hector expectantly.
"No can do~, even if you use honorifics~."
Hector recalled his Noble Phantasm and replied with a smirk, mimicking Blackbeard's speech pattern.
It seemed this great hero of Troy also had a knack for sarcasm.
...
"W-we're fl—ying higher and high—er—!"
With the gale forcing its way into their mouths, the pirates' speech was fragmented.
"And—this time it's mu—ch higher than la—st time!"
The wind howled in their ears; only pirates standing close to each other could barely make out what was said.
But in this situation, hardly anyone was talking. Everyone clung desperately to anything they could hold onto, terrified of being thrown overboard.
Because of the strong wind and the extreme height, most people had closed their eyes, silently praying in their hearts.
Their hearts pounded wildly, and the feeling of weightlessness gnawed at them.
With their eyes shut in fear, combined with the stormy environment, the sense of time seemed to stretch.
Almost no one knew how much time had passed.
Finally.
Just as the pirates' consciousness was beginning to blur, the Golden Hind broke through the storm zone and returned to the sunlight.
Everyone could open their eyes.
Like a rollercoaster reaching the peak of its track, having lost the thrust of the storm, the Golden Hind traced a far from graceful arc through the air before plummeting straight down.
"Waaaaah, we're going to crash—!"
The pirates looked down and immediately began screaming.
As luck would have it, there was an island right at the Golden Hind's landing point.
If the Golden Hind crashed down like this, it would probably end up like a certain "helicopter," "destroyed on impact."
It would be hard to say if they could even find the "wreckage" afterward!
Lin Qi, who felt like he was about to die from exhaustion, looked at the rapidly approaching island with dead eyes.
'Still adding to the difficulty for me...'
No choice. Had to use this—
"Command Spells!"
With a thought, the Command Spells divided into two parts. One part reinforced his Noble Phantasm, boosting its power.
The other part added a reserve to Lin Qi's nearly depleted magical energy.
And then…
[Thus Is My Heart]!
The holy standard suddenly blazed with light, the Noble Phantasm unfolding at full power. The radiance it emitted was far more substantial than before.
And this time, it not only enveloped the entire Golden Hind but also wrapped everyone on board within it.
A few seconds later.
"BOOM—!!"
Amidst a shower of golden light, the Golden Hind made a "safe landing."
…