Chapter 287

“Advance!”

Tarti shouted at the top of her lungs.

Whoosh!

Her ship, adorned with a red flag, led the charge, flanked by about ten escort vessels, with other admirals and captains’ ships merging behind to form a wedge formation.

‘I wasn’t supposed to reveal this technique here. It was a magic tool of the family’s vision. But this is an opportunity. Just forcing Cariosa to retreat will earn me tremendous fame. If I build my influence like this, I might be able to restore my homeland one day.’

‘I must not let my guard down. What they are using now is a formation based on Haki-Jin. Cariosa’s fleet is sailing far away, slowly surrounding us. They are probably on the lookout for a main force or a diversion. And the moment they realize there isn’t any, they will come rushing in to wipe us out.’

“Let’s finish this before then.”

‘So please, run away. White Shark of the Empire. Please escape and give me the fame of having forced you to retreat!’

Tarti thought of countless things but acted as if she was only filled with thoughts of fighting and killing.

“Let’s go! It’s shark hunting time!”

‘It’s a relief if we aren’t the ones being hunted.’

She drew her sword and aimed it forward.

“Everyone, lower the small boats! We need to push them into the waterways.”

‘It’s really damn big. It’ll sink even with a brush. Keeping distance is life.’

She strongly encouraged the other pirate captains.

“Don’t be afraid of the Eastern Knights splitting the sea! My warriors can ride the waves!”

‘Please, let no one get hurt. You are the only ones I can trust among these pirates.’

She raised morale by showing a sight never before seen.

And like all pirates, the pirate captains were thrilled by this spectacle.

“We’re going too!”

“Drop the assault boats from a distance of 500m! Maintain a safe distance from the spells and charge!”

“That battleship is ours!”

“Set the sails! We’re going to ram it!”

“Pirates never forget a grudge. This time Asenorta will die in the sea too!”

Unexpected waves roared in the night sea, and hundreds of assault boats were launched.

They were small boats that could carry about a dozen people, but they were swift enough to attach themselves beneath the enemy ships in an instant and begin climbing.

“Get ready with the grappling hooks! That’s a moving castle!”

“A battleship that doesn’t sink isn’t invulnerable to our attacks!”

“Go, wreck it!”

From one pirate ship, about six assault boats were launched.

With a total of around 150 remaining pirate ships, over 700 assault boats split the water.

Pirates with grappling hooks waved their arms ferociously in the air, spewing abusive insults.

“I’ll make you walk on wooden planks!”

“Let’s turn them into fish bait!”

From a ship marked with a red flag, Eastern warriors jumped into the water and raced alongside the assault boats.

Swish, swish!

“Let’s go!”

“For Tarti-nim!”

Hundreds of assault boats charged toward the flagship Tempesta.

Swish! Swish!

They resembled a swarm of white sharks pouncing on an injured white shark.

“Let’s show them what we’ve got!”

Asenorta’s enormous flagship stood like a rocky island, but the pirates’ morale surged like waves, racing towards the rock to cover it.

Tarti watched the scene gravely as she brought her pirate ship within 300m of the Tempesta.

‘It’s really big.’

There was an imposing grandeur to the flagship of the great family that had ruled the eastern sea for centuries.

“But not today!”

Clang, clang!

He drew his long and short twin swords and prepared to jump into the water.

However, where he landed was not the soft water’s surface, but the hard wooden deck.

Crash!

“Ah!”

“No!”

Just before taking the final step, Sayah Yan grabbed his waist with all her might.

Thud, thud!

Tarti tumbled across the deck.

“Yan! What are you doing—!”

He shouted in anger, got up, and Sayah Yan, shaking her hands inappropriately, pointed to the water.

“Um?”

Tarti thought he was seeing things.

“What kind of nonsense—!”

Flames ignited on the water.

Flicker!!

Sizzle—!

Steam rose all around, a bright red blaze flicking its tongue, as the cruel pirates screamed.

“Turn the ship around!”

“Aaaah!”

“It’s hot!”

* * *

Flames soared in a 500m radius around the flagship Tempesta of the storm fleet.

Flames over a meter high stretched upward, boiling the seawater.

The sea, dyed crimson with flames, appeared menacing.

Tarti clutched the railings of the deck, staring at the sea and the Tempesta.

His tough face contorted in horror.

‘What is this?’

It was an impossible situation.

‘We’re in the middle of the ocean.’

It shouldn’t be happening.

‘What kind of fire…?’

The world is beautiful when it retains its original form.

The sky is blue, the night is dark, and the water puts out the fire; when the world follows this rule, it is beautiful and peaceful.

The twisted appearance of a world where the rules were broken was horrifically bizarre.

Flames licked the water’s surface.

Suddenly, a small assault boat was engulfed in fire.

“Gaaah!”

“Put out the fire!”

“Get water!”

“You fool! There’s water all around us! Do you think this is a fire that can be put out with water?”

Sizzle!

The rising steam amplified the terror, making it difficult to breathe and obscuring vision.

Two assault boats advancing at high speed collided.

Crash!

The ships struck at an angle, shaking violently but not breaking, sending the pirates aboard tumbling into the burning sea.

“Gaaah!”

“Gurgle!”

“Help me!”

The cries of the suffocating and the burning overlapped.

The vicious momentum that had been like a tide receded like an ebbing tide.

Dozens, hundreds, thousands of hands surged above the surface, struggling before slowly submerging.

Tarti looked at his warriors and vassals with a distraught expression.

“Lord!”

“Ugh!”

“Please save me!”

They rushed toward Tarti’s ship, the closest one.

“Save me!”

“Please, please!”

“Me too! Take me with you!”

Other pirates tried to grab their legs, but the Eastern warriors wielded their swords and severed those hands.

“I will cut you!”

“Get out of the way!”

“You bastards!”

Vicious!

They charged the fastest, arriving beneath the Tempesta the quickest, thus staying in the flames the longest.

Their armor had some fire resistance, but in seething water, surviving without being reduced to ashes was a miracle.

“Quickly, lower the ladder! Throw us a rope!”

Tarti regained his composure with superhuman judgment and issued commands.

The lower-ranked warriors and crew members who had been staring blankly at the Tempesta jumped into action.

“Yes! My lord!”

“Lower the rope ladder!”

“Rescue the warriors!”

At that moment, someone moved at the bow of the Tempesta.

Though it was a distance away, Tarti could see the figure vividly.

“…Solletarass.”

He swept his white hair off his forehead, revealing his yellow eyes as he casually observed the hell he had created.

His tailored white uniform with golden embellishments contrasted starkly with the rough sea, yet he had the impression of someone who wore what he wanted wherever he went.

One hand was gloved in black, while the other was bare, with an orange glow pulsing like a heartbeat emanating from it.

“…Bloodline Royal.”

Whoooom!

The mana in the atmosphere swirled ominously, and Tarti’s instincts screamed of danger.

“Tarti!”

“I know!”

Sayah Yan shouted as well, and Tarti screamed for them to retreat.

“Abandon the ship!”

Crash-!

Flames soared three times higher in the next moment.

“My lord!”

A warrior who had almost dashed out of the flames was blasted away like an explosion, quickly turning black and sinking.

Sizzle—!

White steam shot up like a wall and settled in one wave.

Around the Tempesta, where hundreds of assault boats and thousands of pirates had gathered, a 500m void appeared.

Swoosh—.

The sea oscillated as if it had never boiled, not a single piece of an assault boat in sight.

Tarti gazed at Solletarass, his expression one of despair beneath the iron mask.

“Is he really that strong?”

Though Cariosa could summon storms, the instances where she actually created storms or whirlpools in naval battles were few and far between.

She wanted to seize the ships held by the pirates and regain her subjects and treasures.

Even though she led powerful battle mages, she rarely unleashed Fire Spears or Power Spears, preferring landing operations despite commanding seven fleets.

Tarti, too, had lived as a pirate and witnessed many deaths.

However, he had never seen a situation where thousands died without being able to unsheathe a single sword.

Sayah Yan bit her lip.

All of her anger and overwhelm reflected in her androgynous voice.

“Valenciaunos.”

“Valenciaunos?”

“The twin brother of the Holy Emperor.”

Tarti gritted his teeth and clenched his eyes shut before opening them.

‘The horizon is clear.’

Cariosa’s encirclement was not yet complete.

‘Still, there are more surviving assault boats than burned ones. They will quickly regain their senses and return to their ships.’

The remaining forces of the pirates were considerable as well.

‘Our warriors survived mostly.’

The damage was manageable.

‘Let’s retreat for now. If we think of having shaken off our competitors—.’

At that moment, one assault boat descended from the Tempesta.

On it was the Bloodline Royal clad in white.

Tarti couldn’t help but exhale as he stared at him.

The royal was unmistakably smiling.

* * *

“I owe you one. Valenciaunos.”

Cariosa spoke in a serious tone.

It seemed her loss of the trainees had wounded her pride significantly.

“Bring the holy water!”

“Start with Tuo! He drank too much seawater.”

From the rear, injured knights and surviving trainees were being dragged up, and the battlefield priest scuttled back and forth.

I felt a slight dizziness and headache as I replied.

“An obligation? We’re on the same ship.”

“You were supposed to ride me like a blade ornament. Besides, now that you’ve entered the battle, I can’t even imagine how much my emperor will bill me.”

I helped her use the correct expression.

“Not only is he my emperor, but he’s also your emperor. Duke.”

Cariosa chuckled and nodded.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Noble.”

I observed the knights receiving treatment and casually said.

“It seems the bodies of the trainees have been sunk as well. Can you convey my apologies to the survivors and knights?”

She shook her head lightly.

“Our family and vassals always make it their duty. The sea is our homeland. Our enemies will suffer eternal drowning, and the trainees will receive the rewards they have served for their time in the deep-sea palace. No apologies are needed.”

I nodded, trying to forget the scene I had just witnessed.

“Ha.”

Killing pirates might be commendable even to the most stringent priests or judges, but I was someone who had butchered what might have been innocent people in the slums.

The cries for help sounded no different from anyone else’s.

They overlapped.

They echoed in my ears.

This was an unnecessary empathy, and it was a problem.

Jeilliris had warned me to be cautious.

Those who deserved to die were different from those who had to be killed.

They were all scoundrels deserving of death.

They had to be scoundrels deserving of death.

They were all scoundrels deserving of death.

A throb!

My head felt like it might explode.

“Damn it.”

I breathed in and exhaled, cursing quietly before finally gritting my teeth.

Tears welled in my eyes.

“Valenciaunos?”

Cariosa looked at me with an expression of confusion, and I forced a smile as I raised my head.

She made a momentary fascinated expression, then reached out and wiped my eyes, bringing her fingers to her lips.

Madness.

I tried to maintain as calm an expression as possible.

Since I couldn’t bear lies due to my nature, I had to keep to the extent of not speaking all the truths.

“That magic tool from earlier. The shoes that let you walk on the water. I’ve been wanting them.”

It wouldn’t be bad to kill and take them, but perhaps it would be even better to draw those who possessed them under my, no, the Imperial family’s command.

“I feel the same. I was considering dropping an assault boat for it.”

“I want to keep what’s mine, can you send it over?”

She glanced around.

The assault boats that had gathered were scattering in all directions, fleeing towards their main vessels, and the Tempesta’s battle mages imbued their mobile medium-sized ballistae with destruction magic and fired.

With ‘mark’ spells and ‘tracking’ spells chasing the assault boats, they imbued thick ballista bolts with ‘shockwave’ spells and pulled the triggers.

Click, click, click, whoosh!

Purple arrow bolts cut through the night sea, and one assault boat dutifully sank.

Crash!

The moment the arrow struck the hull, a violet wave spread, and wooden shards and pirate meat fragments flew up, falling back into the sea with a thud.

If something recognizable fell to the surrounding assault boats, the pirates screamed.

Hearing those screams, Cariosa appeared to be receiving some sweet hymn, smiling as she spoke.

“If something happens, I’ll come right away to save you. You can swim, right? Go and kill them all.”

Hearing her cheerful voice, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

Unlike my expectations, I wasn’t going to kill them.