There was no time to waste. With the Pirate King cornered and pinned down, it was likely their best chance. Their only chance. They needed to end the fight or else the Pirate King would recover, and they'd lose the advantage.
Silas dashed forward with his spear readied for another strike. His soldiers all raised their guns and began firing madly at the staggering pirate. Shots careened past and through him as the Pirate King struggled to avoid the wall of attacks. Lunging forward, Silas brought his spear out towards the Pirate King's chest.
To his dismay, even with everything working against the Pirate King, he still managed to get his sword up in time to push away the spear strike. However, that moment of time was just enough for a shot to catch the pirate in the chest.
He grunted and staggered back slightly, only momentarily affected by the shot. Silas lashed out and managed to drive his foot into the man's abdomen, sending him backward. The Pirate King shook his head as if trying to clear a fog. He took another step back, avoiding another one of Silas's strikes.
That step landed him right in front of Silas's golem.
A fist should have collided with the side of the Pirate King's head. Instead, the man ducked the strike. That was a good sign because it meant he was no longer expending a huge supply of mist on his teleporting abilities. The pirate caught the massive stony arm in one hand and drove his blade upwards, shearing the arm clean off.
Silas rushed forward, but in the short moment it took him to cross the few steps, the Pirate King had finished his work. A slash had eliminated the golem's leg, and a moment later, the Pirate King drove his blade clean through the stony mass. The golem cracked and crumbled to pieces.
With a roar of rage, Silas vaulted forward using every ounce of skill he had remaining. The pain that his summon experienced coursed through him, stoking the flame of hatred within him. He wanted to end the Pirate King. The man deserved nothing less. He wanted to skewer the man to pieces for what he had done to Zara and all the rest of his men.
Pure rage didn't help him fight because it clouded his judgment. Instead, he used it as a funnel, forcing his body to move beyond what he was normally capable of. Using a combination of both rage and skill pushed the Pirate King back further. His spear lashed out again and again.
The shots from his soldiers ceased as Silas entangled himself with the Pirate King. They moved too fast for any shots to hit without risking Silas as well. For the moment, Silas was content with that. He managed to land a few more shallow cuts on the Pirate King and only received one for his trouble.
The man was fumbling, fading behind the flurry of blows, attacks, and the device in his shoulder. Even with every advantage in their favor, Silas still felt the Pirate King slowly regaining his footing. He had been caught off guard for a time, but the man would have never reached his power level without learning to adapt quickly.
Eventually, that moment came. Silas lashed out a hair too far, allowing the pirate to retaliate. The blow hit him hard enough to send him flying to the floor. His chest groaned from the sudden force, and he struggled to catch his breath.
The Pirate King didn't push the assault and instead raised his blade to defend against any shots from the soldiers. He reached around and yanked on the metal device entangled in his shoulder. With a crunch, it tumbled to the ground, and it felt like the breaking of the spell. Silas pushed himself upwards, staring daggers at their enemy.
"I must say, it has been a while since I have been pushed that far. That device… the kid made that, didn't he? Where is he, Silas? Him and the swordsman? You may have had me had you all been here," The Pirate King wiped a streak of blood off his cheek.
"We have heard enough of your boasting, traitor. To make matters worse, you are also a lying coward. Had we all been here, you would have fled like a coward," Silas growled.
The Pirate King frowned. "What are those two up to, I wonder? Perhaps I should return to investigate my camp… hmm, well, no matter. By the time I'm done cleaning up this mess, there will be nothing those two can even do. And might I ask, where have you hidden the civilians? I'm sure you didn't just leave them here."
"So many questions, and you're going to be stuck not learning the answers to any of them," Silas retorted.
"Very well, then how about I offer a deal?"
"You seem to be quite the fan of those."
"We all have our faults," the man shrugged. "So I'll be upfront. Anyone who is willing to answer one of those two questions truthfully will get to live."
Silas tensed, but he knew none of his men would break. They had been trained for just these sorts of situations. They were hardened and had all gone through the same things he had. If they were going to break, they would have never agreed to this plan in the first place.
Still, for a tense moment, Silas worried that someone would crack. In the end, no one did. They all remained silent, waiting for the Pirate King to make his move. The man sighed and shook his head.
"No one can say that I didn't give you options. I have been more than generous. I have…"
"Shut the hell up already," One of Silas's men called out. "We heard you the first ten times."
The Pirate King's nostrils flared as he stared at the man. His gaze glanced between them before landing back on Silas. This was the sort of man who loved the dramatic. If he wasn't allowed to be so, he got annoyed. That annoyance could be their chance to take him out if it boiled over into anger.
"Why don't you get on with it then?" Silas called.
"You've done a bloody bad job of winning this fight so far," a different soldier called.
The Pirate King took a deep breath. "It's time for you all to die."
Then, he exploded forward like a hurricane.