Then, The Guide appeared before Liam, asking for some of his time. However, Liam refused, as he was facing a major issue he wanted to resolve. The Guide admitted that he was the one who brought the pirates to the area and asked whether the city of Bifield was burdened with debt. Liam confirmed that the debt was holding him back from achieving his goals, which disappointed him.
To help, The Guide summoned pirates carrying a great treasure and proposed that if Liam defeated them, everything would be his. Liam had already taken some pirate treasure, but it was only a small portion. If he could defeat their leader, Guaz, he’d gain a far greater reward and honor. The Guide had arranged it all, not appearing as a noble because starting from the bottom and rising through the ranks would bring Liam more glory. Liam was thrilled by the opportunity and thanked The Guide, who told him this was just the beginning before vanishing.
Afterward, Brian continued speaking, and Liam suspected he was mocking him. But Brian clarified he was referring to the new destroyer weapon. Liam asked him not to repeat the name so often, as it was confusing. Then, Liam declared his intent to destroy Guaz’s pirates. Although the chief official objected—citing their lack of knights and the presence of enemy mercenaries—Liam insisted, angrily asserting that this was final. He ordered preparations for battle.
Meanwhile, The Guide was at a restaurant gathering negative emotions. A popular baked goods exhibit was causing quite a stir. A girl, eagerly waiting her turn, was crushed when her favorite item sold out. This gave The Guide joy—until more batches arrived, delighting the girl and disappointing him. Still, he comforted himself, saying the real “main dish” was yet to come.
Back with Liam, Brian lamented that they were now forced to fight pirates after all their progress. But Amagi reassured him—they hadn’t lost yet, and Liam’s judgment wasn’t wrong. Their chances of success were 3.8%, while surrender guaranteed defeat. Betting on 3.8% was better than 0%. Brian thought that had Liam been born a century earlier, he could have wiped the pirates out entirely.
Liam’s fleet advanced toward the pirates. Guaz, commanding a much larger force, mocked Liam and ordered his men to capture him alive, promising doubled rewards. He smashed a goblet and vowed to teach Liam what real war looked like.
Back with Liam, soldiers admired his composure and leadership. He promised them this was just another step toward glory. But the waiting bored him until battle began. The soldiers explained that large-scale space battles weren’t chaotic brawls—they were tactical. The enemy’s numbers were vast, and many were former knights turned mercenaries. Soon, the enemy fleet divided, with 50 ships charging from above. This was a distraction tactic, sending expendable units first.
Liam learned these weren’t pirates but soldiers forced to join them to survive. Amagi warned against trusting traitors. Liam realized they were being used as disposable pawns.
Then the real fleets clashed.
Guaz learned that his forward units had been wiped out. He acknowledged Liam was more capable than expected and ordered a counterattack to crush the enemy. However, Liam had laid space mines among the pirate fleet. As they pushed forward, they took heavy damage.
Back on Liam’s ship, his forces reported the pirates were sacrificing their own to clear a path. A knight suggested using defensive ships to shield Liam’s vessel. But Liam became furious—he wouldn’t allow his people to be sacrificed like pawns. He declared everything—land, ships, soldiers, even their blood—belonged to him, and no one had permission to die without his say. They would win without waiting for reinforcements.
He ordered Afrid to prepare for launch and appointed Amagi to command the fleet. Though some objected to an AI leading, Amagi reminded them her loyalty to Liam was unmatched. She took control and launched the offensive.
Meanwhile, Liam and Afrid launched from their ship. Amagi had released Afrid, vowing to make the pirates regret crossing Liam. Upon arriving near the enemy fleet via a spatial jump, Liam evaded their attacks and began destroying enemy ships with support from his fleet. He charged forward with mobile knights, cutting down enemies one by one.
When a pirate knight challenged him, Liam used the Flash Style and defeated him. Though mocked by others, Liam continued to unleash his technique, destroying more knights and ships. Eventually, his mech’s arm was damaged. A large group of knights attacked again. Amagi reported their odds of victory had dropped to 1.2%.
Despite being struck and losing his sword, Liam killed his attacker and vowed he didn’t need anyone more evil than himself. When he was surrounded again, they were mysteriously destroyed—and Tia arrived to help. Her guards joined the fray, and she began annihilating Guaz’s forces to repay Liam for his past kindness.
Tia eventually destroyed Guaz’s ship, but Liam wasn’t happy being overshadowed. He responded by unveiling a rocket punch combined with his power, then revealed a new sword and reactivated the Flash Style. Tia was impressed.
With Guaz’s fleet in ruins, the tide turned. Their victory chances jumped to 83%. Amagi ordered her soldiers to isolate enemies and finish off the pirates. Liam swapped the rocket punch for his sword and prepared to press the attack.
