As Azrael's words hung in the air, Kaneki surged forward with renewed ferocity.
His dual kagune, Kamishiro Rize's razor-sharp appendages and the massive centipede kagune, lashed out at Mogi in a coordinated assault. The pirate captain deflected each strike with his massive mace; the impact sent shockwaves through the air.
Mogi's face twisted with rage at what he perceived as mere annoyance. "Don't get cocky, you little brat!"
His roar shook the ground as a spectral mace materialized beside him, towering and menacing. With both hands gripping his weapon, Mogi brought it crashing down. The phantom mace moved in perfect synchronization, doubling the devastating force.
Kaneki pulled his kagune together to form a defensive barrier, but the strike's overwhelming power was too much.
BOOM!
The earth-shattering impact created a massive crater that swallowed Kaneki in a cloud of dust and debris.
Azrael's summoned shrimp soldier seized the moment, grabbing the spear that Mogi had discarded earlier, and charged with desperate determination. However, Mogi backhanded the creature with casual contempt, sending it flying like a discarded toy before it dissolved into nothingness.
Carl's face drained of color. "This is really bad," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Azrael stood his ground, his muscles tensed for what seemed like a hopeless final stand. But something felt different. His connection to Kaneki remained strong; the ghoul hadn't been dismissed back to his mind.
A particular trait of Kaneki's flashed through Azrael's memory, and his eyes widened in realization. He grabbed Carl and Marvin, pulling them back urgently.
Mogi stalked forward with predatory satisfaction. "Where do you think you're going, little mice?"
Both Carl and Marvin looked at Azrael with confusion. In their minds, running was pointless; Mogi would catch them either way. It was better to face death fighting.
Carl's voice cracked with emotion. "Marvin, you and I will buy you time. Just run; don't look back."
Marvin nodded grimly, accepting his fate.
Azrael opened his mouth to explain, but was cut off by maniacal laughter echoing from within the settling dust cloud.
Through the haze, a contorted figure emerged, bent in ways that defied human anatomy.
Carl and Marvin's pupils contracted to pinpoints. "What, what is that?"
It was Kaneki, but he was transformed beyond recognition. His half-kakuja state had fully manifested, stripping away his sanity and replacing it with pure, primal hunger.
As the card holder, Azrael felt no fear; he was immune to Kaneki's rampage. The others weren't so fortunate, which was exactly why he'd pulled them to safety.
Behind the transformed ghoul, four massive centipede kagune writhed through the air, double the previous number, each one as thick as a tree trunk. Kamishiro Rize's kagune had evolved into eight spider-like claws, each blade gleaming with deadly intent.
Mogi's confident advance faltered as he turned to face this new threat. "Why won't you just stay down, you persistent little—"
His words were cut short as the massive centipede kagune struck like lightning, carving deep gouges in the ground as they raced toward him.
"Pathetic," Mogi sneered, raising his mace to repeat his previous success.
But when his weapon met the kagune, his expression shifted to shock. The force of this attack was incomparable to anything he had experienced before, a raw power that made his previous victory seem like a fluke.
The tremendous impact traveled up through his weapon, and Mogi's eyes widened in alarm. Under the relentless pressure, his grip failed.
The mace flew from his hands, spinning through the air before embedding itself in a distant stone.
Mogi's face darkened. Without his weapon, he was at a severe disadvantage. However, Kaneki's insane laughter filled the air as he closed the distance with terrifying speed.
The spider-like kagune caught the sunlight as they swept toward their target, each one seeking flesh. The centipede appendages created a storm of attacks, keeping Mogi off balance and creating openings for killing strikes.
The gap between them vanished in seconds. Mogi seemed to struggle against the centipede Kagune's assault. When Kaneki came within arm's reach, however, the pirate captain's lips curved into a vicious grin.
"Too eager for your own death, boy!"
His massive fist shot forward like a cannonball, aimed directly at Kaneki's heart with enough force to shatter bone.
But the blow never landed.
The Three Jewels had quickly reformed the protective charm around Kaneki. All three gems remained intact from their earlier battles, providing complete protection against bronze-level attacks.
Mogi stared in disbelief at his ineffective punch. Before he could understand what was happening, Kamishiro Rize's kagune found its mark.
SLASH!
The razor-sharp appendages carved through Mogi's body with surgical precision, splitting him cleanly in half. Blood painted the air in crimson arcs as the pirate captain's remains collapsed.
Marvin and Carl stood frozen, their minds struggling to process what they had witnessed.
"We actually won," Marvin breathed.
They had been prepared to sacrifice themselves to buy Azrael a few seconds of escape time. Instead, they witnessed a complete reversal of fortune.
Azrael jogged back to rejoin the others, his hands condensing Bronze-level [Elite Pirate] (Purple) materials.
"Azrael, we need to—" Carl began urgently.
Grey appeared beside them, his face grim. "Move fast. Galehart can't hold out much longer."
For the first time since the battle began, Azrael took note of Galehart's condition. The older man's confrontation with Moore had left him covered in deep wounds, with blood soaking through his clothes.
Lewis stumbled over to them, his face as pale as parchment. "I've used the last of my mental strength to control those two," he gasped, gesturing toward the Rose and Night Owl representatives, who stood motionless like broken dolls. "We have to go now, or it'll be too late."
The group sprinted toward the coastline, hope driving their exhausted bodies forward. But when they reached the dock, their hearts sank.
The pier stretched empty into the water, with no ship in sight.
"How is this possible?" Carl's voice cracked with disbelief.
Grey's expression grew grim, and a bitter smile played at his lips. "They knew we were here from the moment we set foot on this island."
He turned to Azrael, his eyes filled with quiet resolve. "Azrael, you have to go. Don't worry about the rest of us."
"But I—" Azrael started to protest.
Grey shoved him aside just as a blade of pure white energy sliced through the space where Azrael had been standing.
An arm spun through the air, blood trailing behind it—Grey's arm.
"Go!" Grey roared through gritted teeth.
Multiple black, iron-level cards materialized around him, forming a defensive barrier.
Azrael's throat tightened, but he knew that hesitation would mean death for everyone. He summoned Kaneki and Tsugukoku Yoriichi to guard the dock, then called forth Pidgeot. The massive bird's wings spread wide as Azrael leaped onto its back.
Another white blade whistled through the air, but Grey's cards intercepted it, creating a shower of sparks.
"Marvin, take Lewis!" Grey commanded without looking back.
Marvin summoned his own flying mount in silence and hauled the weakened Lewis onto its back before taking to the sky.
As Azrael, Marvin, and Lewis became distant specks on the horizon, Grey glanced at Carl beside him.
"Xiao Yan," he said quietly. "Do you hate me for this?"
Carl touched the scar running down her face; her smile was surprisingly peaceful. "You saved my life once, Captain. I've been living on borrowed time ever since. That's more than enough."
Grey's laugh was hollow and sad. "I never did get to avenge my parents. But maybe, just maybe, I'll see them again sooner than expected."
"How tedious." The voice was cold and emotionless.
The white blade of light swept across their position in a final arc.
High above, on Pidgeot's back, Azrael stared down at the materials in his trembling hands:
Black Iron-level [Rookie Pirate] (Green): 11; Bronze-level [Elite Pirate] (Purple): 1.
Under normal circumstances, such a haul would have thrilled him. The resources represented significant power growth and valuable opportunities for advancement.
However, as he felt Kaneki and Yoriichi enter their cooldown state and disappear back into his deck, Azrael's expression grew hollow.
The victory felt like ashes in his mouth.
"Brother Zhou," he whispered to the wind.