Chapter 118

A scarlet light flashed, and the Dark Church believers involuntarily dropped their guns, which landed at Abel's feet.

At that moment, Kaecilius charged forward, wielding a long sword made of fire in one hand and holding up a circular magic shield in the other. With a physique honed like that of an unstoppable warrior, he darted through the Dark Church members, slicing and cutting them down with brutal efficiency. Within moments, he had eliminated several of them.

Abel, with a swift wave of his wand, unlocked the cabin door, which had been bolted from the inside. He stepped into the empty captain's room and, after another wave of his wand, revealed a hidden entrance leading to a secret room.

Without hesitation, Abel blasted the entrance open and advanced with Kaecilius. Inside, several high-ranking members of the Dark Church waited.

"Kill them!" one of the leaders commanded.

Four Dark Church members, who had been granted powers by the Dark Dimension, emerged, forming spears of crystal-like darkness as they charged at Abel and Kaecilius. These four were just as powerful as the Dark Church followers Abel had previously faced in Latveria. Back then, Abel had needed some effort to defeat them, but now, their strength was no match for him.

With a flick of his wrist, Abel's wand emitted four red beams of light, each striking one of the Dark Church members. A massive explosion followed, hurling them back, and in the next instant, their heads were severed by another spell, leaving them dead on the ground.

Abel turned his attention to the secret room and, with another wave of his wand, sent the three remaining senior leaders of the Dark Church flying backward, pinning them helplessly against the wall.

He stepped into the room and regarded the trembling, pale leaders with a mocking expression. "I thought the leaders of the Dark Church would be powerful figures, even if not sorcerers. But it seems you're just ordinary trash."

One of the leaders stammered, "We—we're wealthy! We can give you money, or you could join us. Become a follower of the great Dormammu, and we can share the power of the Dark Church with you!"

Abel's expression darkened. "How disappointing."

Before they could plead further, Abel swished his wand, and their heads twisted violently, spinning before they collapsed, dead in terror and disbelief.

Kaecilius watched in silence. He knew these were only some of the Dark Church's leaders, and not all of them would be this weak. Still, he couldn't help but feel relieved. Had Abel not found him earlier, he might have joined these pathetic figures, chasing a false dream. How lucky he was!

"Thank goodness Abel found me," Kaecilius thought.

Meanwhile, Abel crouched down to examine the contents of several boxes in the secret room. Inside, there were priceless paintings, rare works of art, and bizarre items—some that appeared to be specimens of extinct creatures. One particular object caught Abel's attention: a skull floating in a biological tank. The skull looked human, but its features were subtly different.

Abel, being familiar with human anatomy, quickly recognized the discrepancies. It was an unidentified humanoid creature, reminiscent of the Atlantean wizard's phalanx he had acquired from a gypsy in New Mexico a year ago.

Just as Abel was about to take the skull from the tank for further study, a trident suddenly flew in from outside, narrowly missing Abel and Kaecilius, and embedding itself in the wall.

At that moment, a man clad in a black, fish-scale vest and dark pants, with white wings on his ankles, tore the doorway wide open, allowing his tall figure to enter without hindrance. His eyes immediately locked onto the skull Abel had been examining, and he lunged at Abel.

Kaecilius quickly stepped in, conjuring a magical shield to block the attacker. But the shield, though formidable, was effortlessly torn apart, and Kaecilius was thrown across the room, crashing into the wall and losing consciousness.

Abel's eyes narrowed as his wand began to glow. A burst of blue energy blasted the intruder, hurling him out of the secret room and into the outer wall of the ship.

Abel stepped out, facing the man who had risen from the blow. "Who are you? Are you also a believer of the Dark Church?"

The man ignored Abel's question, roaring as he leaped into the air, charging straight for him.

This opponent was strong, fast, and highly resistant to magic—the explosion spell Abel had used had barely scratched him. Realizing that raw power wouldn't work, Abel swiftly changed tactics. He waved his wand again, casting *Sectumsempra*. Invisible, razor-sharp blades slashed toward the intruder.

Sensing the danger, the man dodged in midair, skillfully avoiding the deadly magic. With a wave of his hand, the trident embedded in the wall flew back to him. He gripped it tightly and brought it down in a powerful strike aimed at Abel.

But Abel was ready. With his right hand, he activated the energy ring on his finger. A tremendous shockwave erupted from his fist, sending the intruder flying out of the captain's room and smashing through the ship's wall, plummeting into the sea.