It could not be called an animal; it was closer to a monster. Upon closer inspection, it was a grotesque creature that seemed to have strayed from the very definition of life.
[Soar, my great golden wings—Lypita Caeneus!!!]
The first to respond was Caenis, who had been guarding Medea's side.
Transforming into the shape of a bird with golden wings, she charged straight at the giant frog, sending its massive frame flying into the distance with a colossal explosion.
However, once she returned to her original form, she was far from satisfied; instead, she cried out in alarm.
"Damn it, those things are true monsters! I hit it with everything I had, intending to crush it, but it's still standing!"
"…We'll be surrounded if we stay. Medea! Forget the magecraft and prepare for immediate departure! Summon the winds and raise the anchor!"
The Servants began to move in perfect order under Jason's commands.
Stepping onto the deck, Medea knelt and stabbed her own hand with a dagger, beginning to deploy various thaumaturgical circles. Meanwhile, Atalante, Caenis, and Hector unleashed attacks at the frogs approaching the ship to delay their advance.
"Captain! If we keep this up, the frogs will latch onto the ship. We have to set sail now!"
"I know that… Medea! How much longer for the wind!"
"Easier said than done! Manipulating the weather is no ordinary magecraft!"
"I'll handle the initial launch into the sea. Take the helm, Jason!"
Acceleration is force.
Utilizing the repulsive force of the Deva Path, I forcibly pushed the ship, which was stuck in the sandbank, toward the water…
"Shinra Tensei!!!"
A powerful repulsive wave struck the ship, pushing it out. In that moment, a spear tied to a long rope flew toward me.
The mighty spear, possessing the legend of being unbreakable, grazed past me and embedded itself in the sand as if telling me to grab on.
"Master! Grab it, quickly! Those monsters are coming!"
"…Alright, pull me in straight!"
Kicking off the ground with a focused burst of Shinra Tensei at my feet, I leapt upward, and Hector pulled the rope in sync with my movement. Grabbing the spear tightly, I felt a sudden yank below my navel and was sent flying onto the deck.
"Oh, you have better reflexes than I thought."
"…I'm a Magus who travels through Singularities; it's only natural… By the way, is this ship safe?"
As I asked, Medea, who was applying healing magecraft to her palm, replied sharply.
"Excuse me, but you don't think I'm some novice Magus, do you?"
"Ah."
"While dispelling this curse itself might be impossible, modifying a ship summoned as a Noble Phantasm is child's play… Naturally, I've already handled everything."
"That's a relief, then… The problem is those frogs."
Romani was also fighting hard in his own way.
Scanning the entire sea stained with the crimson curse, Romani checked every sporadic change in magical energy and provided briefings to Jason.
[Abrupt magical energy flux detected at 3 o'clock! Magic reactions detected at 12 o'clock and approximately 12 degrees off from there, Captain!]
"Got it!"
As Jason jerked the helm to the left, Caenis, who was steadying herself by fixing her spear shaft into the deck, stumbled slightly.
Drake, after firing her pistols several times at the frogs swimming toward us from afar, clicked her tongue and shoved her guns back into her pockets.
"Not working?"
"Their durability is no joke. They're more than just the monstrous fish that were down there before the sea turned red."
"That stands to reason. My Noble Phantasm is categorized as 'Anti-Army,' and even those who took a direct hit were unfazed…"
"It was the same for my Noble Phantasm. I tried to pierce their skulls with concentrated fire, but piercing their eyes was the best I could manage."
"They're annoyingly strong…"
"Frogs ahead! Turn the helm right, Jason!"
When Drake, who was standing watch atop the mast, shouted her warning, Jason whipped the helm around as if trying to break it. Medea sighed and prepared to plunge the dagger into the back of her hand once more.
…!!!!!!!!!
"Damn it, what now…!"
"My ears are going to bleed, blast it all!!!"
Noise.
Literal, astronomical levels of noise swept over the entire ship.
Sound is a wave, and I knew that resonant frequencies existed, but a colossal sound that felt like it would shatter the ship to pieces struck us.
"The protective magecraft is failing… If we take hits like that in succession, even the Argo won't last long!"
"…Damn it, abandoning the ship here is a death sentence. If we go into that sea, we're truly finished!"
"Chaldea's Master, can you summon anything resembling a ship?"
"It's impossible… I have a one- or two-person rubber boat, but I can't fit everyone here on it."
"Can't your summons do something?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Captain Drake. Those frogs would just scream and shoot us down by force."
A moment of absolute peril.
The Argo was not equipped with an independent artillery system, and there was a limit to fending off the frogs with the others' Noble Phantasms.
I transformed my body through the Asura Path and poured out ammunition without hesitation, but the frogs were undeterred. With loud, echoing croaks, they charged ruthlessly toward our ship.
It was at that moment that 'it' revealed itself.
—BOOM!!!
"What is that?"
[Weak magical energy reaction ahead! Confirming via scan… it's a pirate ship! A pirate from the Caribbean… the flag belongs to Edward Teach! It's Blackbeard Edward Teach's pirate ship!]
"Blackbeard… not bad!"
Though he was something of an enemy position in the Third Singularity and a Servant of the Evil alignment, in the current situation, he was a more than welcome addition.
If the Argo possessed no inherent means of attack while being able to call upon Heroic Spirits, then Edward Teach's Queen Anne's Revenge possessed its own defense systems and crew… More importantly, that ship possessed a special ability.
"We have to board that ship!"
"Ridiculous! Are you saying we should abandon the Argo!"
"This ship is your Noble Phantasm, Jason! You can summon it back whenever you want, but the chance to board that ship only comes now! That ship is reinforced according to the 'Status' of the Heroic Spirits on board!"
"!!!"
In that moment, the somewhat frivolous yet coarse voice of Edward Teach rang out.
[Duhu-hu-hu~ Well, if it isn't the Captain-lad of the Argonauts and the Old Hag (BABA)~? To think we'd meet again like this after you cruelly abandoned this humble one!]
"…You guys used Teach as bait?"
"Tch, we had no choice! The whole sea turned into a curse, and weird tentacles started chasing us!"
"Damn it, Romani! Scan Teach's ship! I need to know how many Heroic Spirits are on board!"
Romani sent back a confirmation and, after a moment, shouted through the Chaldea comms.
[I've confirmed three people including Teach, but only two Saint Graphs are being observed.]
"It must be Anne Bonny and Mary Read… In that case, the Queen Anne's Revenge must be considerably weakened."
"So two Heroic Spirits make it inferior to our Argo?"
"Yes. But if all the Heroic Spirits on the Argo transfer over at once… we might be able to use the special ability of the Queen Anne's Revenge."
"…You're sure about this? That special ability will definitely be able to outrun those damn frogs, right?!"
"…Yes, as the Master of Chaldea, I guarantee it. We must board… no, we must seize that ship!"
At that, the Servants gathered there all burst into laughter.
"Puhaha! I like the sound of that! Fine, since we're Greek pillagers anyway, it's time to fulfill our duties as pirates!!!"
[Oho?! Are you targeting this humble one right now?!]
"Yes, exactly, you damn creepy otaku Blackbeard!"
As Jason unfurled the sails and began racing toward the Queen Anne's Revenge, Blackbeard sensed the intent and quickly changed course to swerve and flee.
"Captain! Can we catch up to that thing?"
"Damn it, we're faster, but it's impossible because of the frogs! If that guy focuses solely on running away… the chances are fifty-fifty!"
…Alright, so that's how it is.
"Hey, Captain Drake. Come here… I need to provoke that guy so he can't run away."
"Now that's a great idea."
Steeling her breath, she shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Hey, you piece of trash beard over there! Don't you dare move! I'm going to take my blunderbuss and blow your head right off!"
When Drake shouted, a man appeared at the stern of the Queen Anne's Revenge, which had been fleeing with its tail tucked.
Teach, who initially wore a grim, menacing expression that looked ready to spit curses, suddenly shifted to a ridiculous look and began to mock her in a childish tone.
"What was that? I can't hear you over the sounds of a big-chested hag!"
"Damn it, that guy!!!"
"Big sis… please put away those breasts filled with the fat of aging… it's a hen-house (Dak-jang) in there…!"
"Kh—!"
[W-What is with that Servant! He's like a creepy otaku boy who spent a whole year only on online communities until the slang and habits became his way of life!]
As Romani's analysis suggested, that creepy otaku Blackbeard seemed to know exactly how to attack Drake's psyche.
"Geez, auntie! I'd rather you go for a DONG-TAN 'Missy-look,' otherwise that revealing outfit just makes your age show even more!"
"…"
"So please, kindly step aside? And Atalante-tan! Bring out our KA-WA-II Atalante-tan! Our cutie-pie, the greatest furry-type bishoujo! I want to lick her, hug her, and pull her tail slightly to make her go 'Kyat!' Atalante-tan! Bare feet… wait, if there are cat paw pads left, that's a plus! The Atalante-tan I want to be stepped on and despised by… Uhyooooooooooo!!!"
At Teach's maniacal outburst, all the Servants on the deck turned their eyes to me simultaneously.
The look in their eyes asked, very sincerely… do we really have to board that pervert's ship?
"…Romani."
[Yeah? Wait a second! His voice is causing mental pollution… I have to send the staff out of the room first!]
"No, there's no need for that."
[...?]
To deal with a pervert like that, a sadistic bishoujo is the perfect counter.
Ah, a handsome, successful male character would also work perfectly.
"Call Manaka Sajyou, Fujimaru Shirou, and Shiki Tohno immediately."
"Hmm? Could the person over there be the Master of that hag-auntie!"
"What nonsense are you spouting? Francis Drake is a living human, you creepy otaku."
"But… being with that hen-house… it wouldn't make sense unless you were in 'that kind of relationship,' wouldn't it?"
"Not everyone is a virgin-fetishist, lolicon, flat-chest-con, and surprisingly wealthy furry lover like you! Come back to reality already!"
"Guwaaaaack! Seeing as you're spouting such nauseating words, you must be a Heroic Spirit of the future, or perhaps a Guardian come to dispose of this messed-up Human Order! I'd appreciate it if you stepped aside! I can't see Atalante-tan, the only cute girl worth salvaging in this Singularity!"
Just then, Romani gave me a small okay sign.
It meant the three I mentioned had all arrived…
Raising a hand in advance to signal an apology to the Servants on the ship, I began to unleash my tongue in earnest.
"Hey, honestly, realistically, do you think she'd have any interest in a creepy, pathetic, socially failed hikikomori pirate like you?"
"Urgh, h-how can you say such cruel things! This body is Edward Teach, Blackbeard! I never let a target treasure escape!"
"Hmm? I can't hear you over the sound of your pathetic loser energy?! And to begin with, Miss Atalante here is a married woman!"
"Whaaaat! You're saying she's not a maiden!!!"
Aha, so you are…
"You, you were a virginity-fetishist…! The kind who froths at the mouth and has a seizure the moment an author mentions an ex-partner on the internet!"
"N-No! This humble one can accept anyone as long as they fit my taste…"
"Huh? Did you just say you could accept anyone!"
"That's not what I…"
"Oh, so that's the true taste of the Caribbean devil, 'Edward Teach'!"
"I have no idea what you are blathering about?!"
Whew…
"Hey, Edward Teach."
"What is it! If you're trying to buy time…"
"Furry, loli, all those terrible tastes of yours… I've finally realized your true preference!"
"...?"
"That ugly nature of desiring married women! That nature of mocking older women while being unable to let go of your obsession with them! And even that personality that looks like it's targeting children, yet never actually lays a hand on them!"
[Could it be…]
Tuning into Romani's interjection, I pointed a finger like Phoenix Wright from Ace Attorney and shouted.
"That's right, your true fetish is NTR!!!"
"!!!!"
As Teach froze at my words, a refined and gentle male voice began to echo through the Chaldea comms in perfect timing.
It was the sharp, handsome character with the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception and the lover of the Moon Princess, Shiki Tohno.
[N…TR? That stood for Netorare, right? A taste for stealing other people's women… how revolting.]
[Shiki…]
[Hush, Arcueid. You shouldn't look at things like that. It would soil your beautiful eyes.]
"G-Guwaaaaack! This verbal abuse, this tragic revilement!! This damn glasses-guy's abuse is shattering my glass-like heart!!!"
Once the two had promptly departed, the next to appear was a young man with an aggressive impression and spiky hair swept upward.
[…That kind of guy is truly the devil of the Caribbean? He doesn't look like a villain of that caliber at all…]
"Is the one who spouts such things without even showing his face not the more shameful human!"
[Hmm, surprising. To think such a low-life criminal dares to babble a judgment of a good citizen like myself…]
"You're calling yourself a good citizen?!"
[Of course. At the very least, I am not a lolicon like you.]
Gah!
Edward Teach has collapsed!
[Dear me… the fact that a guy like you is alive is surely dangerous for my younger sister as well. Master of Chaldea, I hope you execute that man promptly.]
"By what method?"
[…It's difficult. Burning him would be an insult to the atmosphere, and burying him alive would require an apology to the earth.]
"Throwing him into the sea would suffice. It's already cursed anyway."
"…Heh, heh-heh…"
Right then, Edward Teach clutched his head and let out a thin laugh.
"To—To think you could corner me this far… you were truly formidable. However, the games end here! This Edward Teach will now flee with all his might, so prepare to be like dogs chasing a chicken!"
[Oh my…]
And at that moment, with a small gasp, 'she' revealed herself.
The girl who was an omnipotent being, she who had now even realized the emptiness of love…
[So that man is Blackbeard…?]
But for now, an omnipotent being who had become an otaku alongside a certain hobby-mate… Yet, a 'bishoujo' who harbored the malice of Potonia Theron at her core.
"Th-That voice…. Sluuuuurp!!! Surely, she is undoubtedly the bishoujo of my dreams! A thin platinum blonde bob cut, a beautiful frilled dress!!! And an ultra-top-tier KA-WA-II bishoujo-tan who never grows old!!!"
At Blackbeard's shout, the 'bishoujo' responded briefly.
[…Filthy.]
After that, as for what happened next or what reaction Edward Teach showed… for the sake of poor Blackbeard's honor, I shall refrain from details…