diff --git a/Source/engine.cpp b/Source/engine.cpp
index e2550c75e..91aa49cf3 100644
--- a/Source/engine.cpp
+++ b/Source/engine.cpp
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@
  */
 
 #include <array>
+#include <cassert>
+#include <cstdint>
 
 #include "engine/render/common_impl.h"
 #include "lighting.h"
@@ -21,17 +23,69 @@
 namespace devilution {
 namespace {
 
-void DrawHalfTransparentBlendedRectTo(const Surface &out, int sx, int sy, int width, int height)
+// Expects everything to be 4-byte aligned.
+void DrawHalfTransparentAligned32BlendedRectTo(const Surface &out, unsigned sx, unsigned sy, unsigned width, unsigned height)
 {
-	BYTE *pix = out.at(sx, sy);
+	assert(out.pitch() % 4 == 0);
 
-	for (int row = 0; row < height; row++) {
-		for (int col = 0; col < width; col++) {
-			*pix = paletteTransparencyLookup[0][*pix];
-			pix++;
+	auto *pix = reinterpret_cast<uint32_t *>(out.at(static_cast<int>(sx), static_cast<int>(sy)));
+	assert(reinterpret_cast<intptr_t>(pix) % 4 == 0);
+
+	const uint16_t *lookupTable = paletteTransparencyLookupBlack16;
+
+	const unsigned skipX = (out.pitch() - width) / 4;
+	width /= 4;
+	while (height-- > 0) {
+		for (unsigned i = 0; i < width; ++i, ++pix) {
+			const uint32_t v = *pix;
+#if SDL_BYTEORDER == SDL_LIL_ENDIAN
+			*pix = lookupTable[v & 0xFFFF] | (lookupTable[(v >> 16) & 0xFFFF] << 16);
+#else
+			*pix = lookupTable[(v >> 16) & 0xFFFF] | (lookupTable[v & 0xFFFF] << 16);
+#endif
 		}
-		pix += out.pitch() - width;
+		pix += skipX;
+	}
+}
+
+void DrawHalfTransparentUnalignedBlendedRectTo(const Surface &out, unsigned sx, unsigned sy, unsigned width, unsigned height)
+{
+	uint8_t *pix = out.at(static_cast<int>(sx), static_cast<int>(sy));
+	const uint8_t *lookupTable = paletteTransparencyLookup[0];
+	const unsigned skipX = out.pitch() - width;
+	for (unsigned y = 0; y < height; ++y) {
+		for (unsigned x = 0; x < width; ++x, ++pix) {
+			*pix = lookupTable[*pix];
+		}
+		pix += skipX;
+	}
+}
+
+void DrawHalfTransparentBlendedRectTo(const Surface &out, unsigned sx, unsigned sy, unsigned width, unsigned height)
+{
+	// All SDL surfaces are 4-byte aligned and divisible by 4.
+	// However, our coordinates and widths may not be.
+
+	// First, draw the leading unaligned part.
+	if (sx % 4 != 0) {
+		const unsigned w = 4 - sx % 4;
+		DrawHalfTransparentUnalignedBlendedRectTo(out, sx, sy, w, height);
+		sx += w;
+		width -= w;
 	}
+
+	if (static_cast<int>(sx + width) == out.w()) {
+		// The pitch is 4-byte aligned, so we can simply extend the width to the pitch.
+		width = out.pitch() - sx;
+	} else if (width % 4 != 0) {
+		// Draw the trailing unaligned part.
+		const unsigned w = width % 4;
+		DrawHalfTransparentUnalignedBlendedRectTo(out, sx + (width / 4) * 4, sy, w, height);
+		width -= w;
+	}
+
+	// Now everything is divisible by 4. Draw the aligned part.
+	DrawHalfTransparentAligned32BlendedRectTo(out, sx, sy, width, height);
 }
 
 void DrawHalfTransparentStippledRectTo(const Surface &out, int sx, int sy, int width, int height)
diff --git a/Source/palette.cpp b/Source/palette.cpp
index 6926979ff..99fdb4d85 100644
--- a/Source/palette.cpp
+++ b/Source/palette.cpp
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ SDL_Color system_palette[256];
 SDL_Color orig_palette[256];
 Uint8 paletteTransparencyLookup[256][256];
 
+uint16_t paletteTransparencyLookupBlack16[65536];
+
 namespace {
 
 /** Specifies whether the palette has max brightness. */
@@ -88,6 +90,17 @@ void GenerateBlendedLookupTable(SDL_Color *palette, int skipFrom, int skipTo, in
 			paletteTransparencyLookup[i][j] = best;
 		}
 	}
+
+	for (unsigned i = 0; i < 256; ++i) {
+		for (unsigned j = 0; j < 256; ++j) {
+#if SDL_BYTEORDER == SDL_LIL_ENDIAN
+			const std::uint16_t index = i | (j << 8);
+#else
+			const std::uint16_t index = j | (i << 8);
+#endif
+			paletteTransparencyLookupBlack16[index] = paletteTransparencyLookup[0][i] | (paletteTransparencyLookup[0][j] << 8);
+		}
+	}
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/Source/palette.h b/Source/palette.h
index 716806b2c..804d425f9 100644
--- a/Source/palette.h
+++ b/Source/palette.h
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
  */
 #pragma once
 
+#include <cstdint>
+
 #include "gendung.h"
 
 namespace devilution {
@@ -35,6 +37,17 @@ extern SDL_Color orig_palette[256];
 /** Lookup table for transparency */
 extern Uint8 paletteTransparencyLookup[256][256];
 
+/**
+ * A lookup table from black for a pair of colors.
+ *
+ * For a pair of colors i and j, the index `i | (j << 8)` contains
+ * `paletteTransparencyLookup[0][i] | (paletteTransparencyLookup[0][j] << 8)`.
+ *
+ * On big-endian platforms, the indices are encoded as `j | (i << 8)`, while the
+ * value order remains the same.
+ */
+extern uint16_t paletteTransparencyLookupBlack16[65536];
+
 void palette_update(int first = 0, int ncolor = 256);
 void palette_init();
 void LoadPalette(const char *pszFileName, bool blend = true);