A Powerful Martial Artist Reincarnates as a Nun Knight

Upon spotting the unmistakable Joli Rouge pirate flag colors, the St. Maria’s crew and passengers erupted into murmurs of consternation and unease.
At a glance, the approaching vessels numbered at least three – outnumbering any potential resistance the passenger galleon could muster.

Compounding matters, fleeing seemed equally unfeasible. As a passenger and cargo transport by nature, the St. Maria lacked the speed to outrun purpose-built pirate crafts designed for swift strikes before vanishing like phantoms.

As this grim assessment sank in, the ship’s captain – Benjamin Diego de Paula y Domenech – noticed something peculiar amid the anxious commotion gradually entering his periphery.
Two distinctly foreign figures forging through the milling crowds triggered his recollection that Church affiliates had embarked among the passengers.

“Could it be…?”

Conflicting twinges of hopeful expectation and apprehension began swirling within the captain’s chest.

+++++

“How troublesome.”

Perceiving the report of pirate activity rapidly permeating the deck with unsettling restlessness, Sophia sighed exasperatedly.
She had anticipated this nautical journey allowing a relatively relaxed travel period. Yet this untimely pirate encounter prompted suspicions she had been born under some particularly inauspicious star.

“Problematic timing too, with me unable to disengage while supervising Conra’s spiritual integration.”

Coincidentally, Sophia found herself confined overseeing Conra’s intense meditation – the youth having recently contracted not only a Sovereign Spirit but a Porting Spirit, burdening his spiritual capacities with considerable strain.

While Conra’s innate talents fortunately enabled him to manage that load for now, prolonging such an unbalanced state risked precipitating adverse consequences Sophia had previously witnessed firsthand.

Among the most analogous cases from her previous life involved the so-called ‘shaman sickness’ or ‘spirit sickness’ afflictions.
Binding oneself through contractual agreements to spiritual presences exceeding one’s own capabilities, without appropriate supplementation, inevitably wrought detrimental impacts – not only upon the physical and psychic self, but rippling outward across all associated causal circumstances comprising one’s bodily, mental and societal existence.

A terrifying malady Sophia refused to allow Conra to succumb to, under any circumstances. His current meditations aimed at preventing precisely that outcome – the repeated process of introspective self-examination and postulating answers to life’s myriad questions allowing one’s spirit to steadily mature and strengthen.

While representing the most orthodox and fundamental spiritual practice employed by Buddhist ascetics and Western scholastic philosophers alike, it also proved undeniably effective and stable in its reliable results.

Hence, those handling mystical arcana or religious doctrine universally required cultivating a philosophical persona – akin to athletes first developing their physiques before refining technique specializations. Nurturing the soul’s foundation preceded exploring deeper esoterica.

Thus, supervising Conra’s uninterrupted meditation to prevent any disruptive lapses precluded Sophia from immediately intervening herself, much to her current vexation.

Perceiving Sophia’s dilemma, Hildegard and Ezio exchanged knowing glances:

‘Might this represent an opportune chance for us to take action?’
‘Indeed, we have lacked such opportunities of late. Hmm.’

Silently reaching an accord, they addressed Sophia after briefly conferring:

“Remain and continue your vigil, Sophia. We shall handle this matter.”
“My muscles have grown restless anyway. A bit of exertion seems warranted.”
“For Father Emmanuele’s muscles to become restless…”

Regarding Ezio with an indescribable expression, Sophia ultimately acquiesced with a nod.

“Very well, I entrust this to you both then. My thanks, Hilda.”
“Leave it to us. We’ll swiftly subdue those scoundrels and return promptly.”
“Lady Volfschtein, exercising undue haste often backfires…”
“Aah, how masculine! Enough prattling – simply follow my lead, Father.”

The two subsequently forged through the milling crew and passengers toward the stern deck overlooking the pirate ships.

“There they are.”

Squinting at the rapidly closing vessels now within half a league’s distance, Hildegard muttered under her breath.

“Well then Father, may I have your assistance?”
“Of course.”

Ezio affirmed Hildegard’s request by thumping his pectorals.
He then assumed a lowered stance at the stern’s forwardmost point – squatting with his palms joined together facing upward.

The instant Hildegard braced one foot within Ezio’s cupped hands after accelerating into a running start, he released a grunting kiai while straightening his legs to hurl her skyward with every ounce of strength!

Propelled by Ezio’s tremendous might augmenting her leap, Hildegard’s airborne trajectory soared like a fired cannonball towards the pirate ships.

After briefly observing her arcing path, Ezio retreated before bursting forward in a sprinting dash to launch himself from the St. Maria’s stern quarterdeck – yet his unassisted jump fell somewhat short of reaching the pirate vessels, resulting in an oceanic descent midway.

However, this muscle-bound friar displayed no consternation whatsoever at plummeting into the sea. Shaving his crown while plaiting his sideburns and beard into three braids each, this unconventional appearance personified avant-garde irreverence as he simply stilled his breathing before rebounding by ‘stepping’ upon the water’s surface for another leap.

“Huh!”

Accompanying Ezio’s launch came a resounding splash dispersing a radial spray. Yet his trajectory pierced that watery veil far swifter, rocketing toward the pirate ships.

Meanwhile, one pirate aboard the Valatier – among the three vessels comprising the hunting flotilla pursuing the St. Maria – had noticed something peculiar arcing across in a ballistic trajectory from their intended prey.

Initially dismissing it as some atmospheric distortion through sheer innate human curiosity, the pirate’s mouth gradually fell agape as that distant ‘speck’ rapidly expanded into an unmistakable human form hurtling directly toward them.

“A person is flying over?”

Involuntarily blurting that incredulous remark, he immediately alerted the quartermaster beside him – still disbelieving the surreal sight before his eyes:

“Sir, a person is flying this way!”
“What? You drunken fool, what nonsense are you spouting now?!”

The only response came from a resounding crack across the back of his skull, the stinging impact leaving him indignantly breathless. Yet any outraged protests died in his throat the next instant as that very same soaring figure – a halberd-wielding imperial nun-knight – manifested overhead before descending in a precise three-point landing that shattered the deck planking beneath her.

Kwaaang! Accompanied by that thunderous impact, Hildegard had touched down only to instantly lunge forward, seizing the quartermaster by his collar as she bellowed:

“Orra-aaahh! Time to lay the defiant mongrels low!”

With a feral roar virtually indistinguishable from a bestial cry, Hildegard whirled the hapless quartermaster clutched in her left hand like a flail while her right swept the deck with her halberd – wreaking unrestrained havoc across the Valatier’s upper deck.
The pirate initially reporting her aerial approach promptly suffered a boot to the face from the human bludgeon Hildegard wielded, smashing his skull against the mast before crumpling unconscious.

What began as fantasies of bountiful plunder aboard this pirate vessel had devolved into outright bedlam within moments – a flock of sheep fleeing a ravenous lioness.
And the chaos only intensified from there.

In Hildegard’s wake, a bare-crowned, plaited muscular giant came rocketing from the ocean’s surface to board yet another pirate ship, his bizarre poses heralding further pandemonium.

“Uwaaah, a deviant muscle monster! Everyone flee!”

The unnatural, exaggerated stances struck by this braided behemoth upon landing effortlessly stripped the pirates of all composure – not that they retained any capacity for rational thought while he simultaneously assailed them with wrestling moves like the Dzhok Blok, Clothesline, Lariats and Space Rolling Elbows.

“He’s alone! Do not falter – attack and slay him!”

Attempting to rally their subordinates, the pirate captains urged coordinated retaliation to subdue these two interlopers through sheer numerical advantage. Unfortunately, their efforts ultimately failed – the frenzied panic Hildegard and Ezio had inflicted rendered the pirates completely unresponsive to their commanders’ orders.

Instead, by revealing their authority so brazenly, those captains merely prioritized themselves as prime targets for the duo’s focused onslaught – swiftly bludgeoned into captivity as hostages.

With two of the three pirate ships swiftly neutralized, the remaining outlier – realizing the unfolding situation’s inexplicable devolution – promptly cut its losses and fled hastily.

“Hey, hey! Where do you curs think you’re slinking off to? Get back here!”

Having virtually finished subduing her assigned vessel while preparing to engage that final target, Hildegard shook her fist frustratedly skyward – yet the fleeing pirates refused to even glance back, vanishing with increasing haste.

Left with no recourse except abandoning that retreating ship, Hildegard and Ezio ultimately rejoined the St. Maria’s crew and passengers to assist with securing the aftermath.

“Truly, the Church’s champions live up to their legendary reputations!”

The impressively mustachioed Captain Benjamin Diego de Paula y Domenech could only gape in awestruck disbelief while grinning ear-to-ear.
Having anticipated a dire crisis, instead receiving an unexpected boon of capturing two pirate vessels represented an unfathomable blessing deserving euphoric gratitude. Of course, while Hildegard and Ezio held primary claim, processing the seized ships would ultimately fall under his nautical jurisdiction – representing no insignificant prospects for personal gain from any disposition proceeds or ransom payments.

While the elated captain fantasized about potential windfall profits, Hildegard, Ezio, the recently meditation-emerged Conra and Sophia discussed an entirely different – potentially disruptive – proposal likely to provoke conniptions, had he overheard:

[……!]
“So you propose we now divert our course to directly assault the pirates’ Menorcan island stronghold?”

Sophia incredulously addressed her divine spirit Jibril, clearly flabbergasted by the suggestion.