Martial Online.

Chapter 312 Mars Vs. Black Heart

A year ago.

A black-sailed ship crashed through tall waves, moving further into the impenetrable fog that stretched across the sea like a blanket.

Inside the ship, gathered in the dining hall, several young men played cards while laughing out loud.

"Boom!" Damian laughed and slammed his cards on the table.

"You're so lucky, man!" Loki groaned loudly and put down his cards.

"Damian has that vampire luck." Henri shrugged his shoulders and lazily stretched his limbs. "No one can defeat him in the game of cards."

"Tch." Loki clicked his tongue.

In the corner of the hall, Apollo strummed the strings of his guitar, playing a calming melody that seemed to match the mood of the room.

Jake sat near a window, gazing out towards the starry sky with an absent-looking expression.

His eyes seemed to be lost in thought, as if he were contemplating something deep and meaningful.

"Cursed!" Ors then accidentally stabbed his finger with a needle while he was trying to knit a new doll to use for his rituals.

"Shit..." He let out a frustrated sigh and looked at the doll with a cold yet mixed expression.

On the other hand, he wanted to rip the doll in half and destroy it, but his hands then moved and he continued to use the needle to stitch it together.

Creak—the door then opened, and Leon walked in with his hands slipped inside his pockets.

"The storm is over?" Apollo stopped playing the guitar and looked towards Leon.

"Yes." Leon grabbed something to eat and walked over to Apollo. "We should be arriving at the next destination soon."

"You think Mars found another poor fellow to join this wretched crew?" Henri asked curiously.

"Most likely." Apollo nodded. "It has barely been a few months since Ors joined us, and we are already getting another one."

"I wonder who it could be." Damian asked thoughtfully and then glanced at Ors with a scoff. "I hope it's someone less vile than this bastard."

"Hmph, whenever you speak, vampire, I feel like puking." Ors stuffed the doll into his pocket and stood up in an attempt to leave the dining room, as he wasn't that close to others and would rather be alone.

"You two, keep it nice." Apollo put the guitar down on the ground. "We are in the same boat, so let's try to get along even if we don't agree with our pasts."

Ors and Damian simultaneously clicked their tongues.

Damian returned to his game of cards while Ors left the dining hall.

After arriving at his cabin, Ors took out the doll from his pocket and looked at its black eyes made of glass.

He subconsciously squeezed the doll so hard that its stitches began to tear, and soon after, it tore into pieces.

"Ah..." Ors dropped the destroyed doll to the ground and kneeled in front of a small altar.

"Please, Anti-Christ Deiderich..." Ors interlocked his fingers and prayed towards the altar. "Why am I still stuck here? You said you would be with us, wherever we are, and yet you have left me here. Why?

"I already gave you the sacrifice; why have you abandoned me?"

At that moment, dark thoughts swept across his mind and muffled those questions.

"Ah, right..." Ors smiled with tears running down his face. "This is my test. I'll succeed and won't disappoint you. One day, I walk in the hallways of heaven, feasting with gods and goddesses."

...

In the present day.

As Mars threw powerful jabs, the air exploded and the ground shook, sending the members of Black Heart Pirates flying away.

"Argh!" Ors crashed into the ground, his other hand clutching a polearm while his other hand was holding a red bible that looked like it belonged to Satan.

As the back of his head crashed into a small rock, he received a quick flash of memory that he had long forgotten.

The memory showed a certain scene that happened on the same day when Ors murdered his family.

He met a strange man when he was walking back from the school. He was dressed in a holy outfit and had a kind smile on his face.

However, his hair was very dark, his skin pale as if he were suffering from a disease, and his eyes were bloodshot.

He told him about the Anti-Christ and about the salvation that awaited those who believed in him and wanted to travel with him to the great beyond that was past the Dark Continent.

However, to join him, every member had to make their own sacrifices to show their worth and loyalty.

Ors was mesmerized by everything he heard, and strange thoughts surfaced in his mind like a tidal wave.

That very night, he picked up a knife and killed his parents and siblings; then, as if the holy man was waiting for that, he arrived there and saw Ors standing in the middle of his dead family.

The holy man took Ors with him, and the rest was history.

He joined other kids who had also killed their families, influenced their minds with Anti-Christ philosophy, and became fervent believers.

'The promise never came...' Ors thought while looking at the dark sky with blood running down his face. 'They told us that the Anti-Christ would take us to the promised land, but it never happened.

'At first, they said in a few years, then it stretched to a decade, and then two decades...'

Ors' eyes shook, tears appearing in the corner of his eyes.

'They taught me the Anti-Magic, and one of the spells was mind control. It can't control a person per se, but it can influence their thoughts...

'T-there is no way that happened to me, right?'

However, Ors already knew the truth, and he couldn't help but shed tears.

'I don't want to believe that they are gone for nothing!' Ors screamed in frustration. "Mom, dad, sister, and brother!"

"What are you crying about, Ors?" Mars stomped over to him and grabbed him by the throat. "Your wailing is annoying me. Ors, I know you weren't part of the group of thieves.

"I doubt they would trust you. Hell, even I wouldn't trust you, even if it cost my life!

"So, mind telling me if they are hiding anything else from me?"

"W-what... do you think about the Anti-Christ?" Ors asked through a pained grunt.

"Hah." Mars laughed mockingly. "It is a philosophy for fools."

"Deiderich the Revered, as he is called, is nothing but the biggest con-man in the world. He has fooled many people with his false promises and lies.

"I don't have any pity for fools like you who got tricked. You all are the cancer of the world, and I'll erase you all from the face of the planet.

"Because this is my justice.

"The Necessary Justice."

"I see..." Ors closed his eyes. "I am a fool."

"Hmph." Mars reeled in his arm, aiming his fist towards Ors' face. "I only need you to be barely alive. Try to survive this.

"Mars Right!"

As his fist stormed down like a mighty hammer, Ors waited for everything to turn dark, quiet, and cold.

However, at that moment, a crimson light engulfed him and carried him to safety.

After the crimson light disappeared, Ors opened his eyes and sat up, a stunned expression on his face.

Damian, Leon, Apollo, Henri, Loki, Jake, and Zero stood beside him, their weapons unleashed and pointed at Mars.

"You..." Ors looked at Damian with a shocked expression. "Why?"

Damian opened his hands, and the black nails grew longer until they resembled sharp razors.

"I still think you are a pain in the ass." Damian said and offered his hand to Ors. "However, you are strong, and we need you to kill Mars."

Ors looked at the hand silently before he gritted his teeth, grabbed the hand, and stood up with the help of Damian.

"Very well..." Ors rubbed the back of his neck. "Let's kill him then."

"..." Mars looked at them silently before forming a cold smile. "This is how you are planning to play? I am really poor at keeping my strength in check. I might kill one of you accidentally."