Chapter 240 Naval Warfare

Naval warfare is best executed with cannons.

Especially when there’s a disparity in equipment between the two sides. The superior force can use cannons to defeat the enemy from a distance, minimizing their own losses.

Coincidentally, cannon operation is a compulsory subject for students at the Royal Lu Ying War College.

The professional soldiers Barrett brought from the Tribunal were all Royal Academy students, and nearly all of them were certified “Advanced Gunners” or “Expert Gunners.”

Consequently, when the Dawnbreaker Fleet's three warships fired their hundred cannons simultaneously, the cannonballs flew with what seemed like precision guidance, covering the five pirate ships, including the White-Haired Vulture, several nautical miles away with minimal deviation.

Such firepower would sink the enemy in a few volleys.

There wouldn't even be a need for boarding actions.

Furthermore, Suren suspected there were experts on the enemy ship, given the intelligence that the White-Haired Vulture was transporting valuable cargo.

Therefore, cannons were the most suitable means of probing.

If it could be resolved with cannon fire, all the better.

Before the battle, Suren had considered various possibilities.

He thought the enemy would likely choose to flee. After all, they had been pursued for days, and the pirate ships must have some special acceleration devices.

But, to his surprise, the moment the cannons fired, a scene unfolded that shocked everyone in the Dawnbreaker Fleet.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"..."

The roar of the cannons was deafening.

Suren stood on the deck, squinting as he watched the cannonballs hurtle towards the enemy ships.

Some landed in the sea, creating splashes dozens of meters high. Others struck the enemy pirate ships, causing cracks in the sails, masts, and wooden hulls...

The enemy's five ships were densely packed together, making them ideal targets.

But an inexplicable phenomenon occurred.

The cannonballs behaved normally on three of the ships, penetrating and exploding as expected.

However, when they struck the other two ships, the cannonballs were stopped by an invisible barrier, exploding in mid-air and creating visible ripples of air blasts!

The Dawnbreaker Fleet was shocked by this sight.

Barrett seemed to recognize something and immediately warned, "Not good! There might be a Seventh-Order professional on board!"

Suren's expression changed upon hearing this.

When he had been looking at those Agapannon Temple priestesses, he'd vaguely sensed that something was off.

He had assumed that a Sixth-Order professional would be the highest level of escort on this transport team.

But to withstand the attack of a hundred cannons meant that this was something only a Seventh-Order professional could achieve!

Suren immediately realized that there was likely a VIP of sensitive status on the enemy ship!

A thought flashed through his mind, and he instantly guessed, "Could it be Mafa's Frost Moon Princess, or a major figure from the temple?"

If it were a great pirate from the North Sea Fleet, they wouldn't be hiding.

It was more likely to be someone from the temple...

But now, in the entire North Sea, the most likely person who needed to conceal their whereabouts and had top-tier experts accompanying them was Princess Stika!

As soon as this thought arose, Suren understood something and thought, "What clever tactics… intentionally leaking information about the White-Haired Vulture's cargo, making people think it's a diversion. In the end, the person is actually hidden within the escort fleet!"

Princess Stika's move was likely to evade Van Gogh and the others from the Hand of God.

The experts trying to assassinate her were being drawn to the Royal Mechanical Guard Legion, allowing her to leave Moros City-State unnoticed.

But why was she here?

Suren vaguely sensed that the problem seemed significant.

He had thought it was a simple interception, but unexpectedly, he had caught a "big fish."

However, the reason didn't matter. He immediately ordered, "Continue firing! Everyone prepare for battle!"

Now that they had encountered each other, neither side would show any mercy, regardless of the enemy's situation.

"Yes! Reload!"

"..."

Following Suren's orders, the second round of ammunition was quickly loaded, and the cannons were soon spewing flames again.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"..."

The cannon fire continued relentlessly.

Although Suren couldn't see what the "priests" were doing, the fact that they were willing to endure the cannon fire instead of fleeing indicated that the ritual was extremely important and couldn't be interrupted.

What the enemy was doing was what the Dawnbreaker Fleet needed to disrupt!

Moreover, even a Seventh-Order professional couldn't withstand the continuous barrage of cannons for long.

...

Clearly, the enemy wouldn't allow the Dawnbreaker Fleet to continue the bombardment.

Just then, the black crows in the sky cawed.

Suren realized that danger was approaching, his eyes scanning the surface of the sea like lightning.

Almost simultaneously, Thani reported urgently through the communicator, "Captain, a huge sea monster is attacking us from the sea! It seems to be the legendary North Sea Kraken!"

"A sea monster?"

Suren had, of course, heard of the legends of the "North Sea Kraken" that had been circulating in the North Sea for ages.

It was said that there was a giant tentacled monster in the deep sea, with a body as large as an island, capable of easily dragging a large warship into the depths.

Suren's expression turned grim, and he shouted, "I'll handle the sea monster! Captain Barrett, Qian Tiao, and Dr. Banks, be wary of the enemy's Seventh-Order attempting a decapitation strike."

Qian Tiao and the others responded, "Okay!"

The fleet had contingency plans for encountering top-tier professionals.

As he spoke, Suren leaped onto the ship's railing and looked out at the sea.

He could already vaguely see a dark, enormous shadow rapidly approaching their warship, and the waves on the sea's surface were churning.

With no time to spare, Suren formed a warlock seal with both hands and lightly exclaimed, "Mech-Suit, Release!"

The Eight-Armed Spider Spears unfurled behind him, and with another change of the warlock seal, dozens of glass jars appeared out of thin air.

As the mouths of the glass jars opened, mechanical octopuses splashed into the water.

Suren didn't dare to be careless in this battle. Originally, he hadn't thought he would need so many mechanical octopuses, but now he deployed them all into the sea.

The tentacles of the mechanical octopuses extended for over ten or twenty meters, but they were still dwarfed by the behemoth in the sea.

Fortunately, there were enough of them.

As soon as the fifty mechanical octopuses entered the water, they swarmed towards the target.

By this time, as the deep-sea monster approached the surface, Suren could see its true appearance.

It truly was a super-sized octopus.

[North Sea Kraken]

Details: A Sixth-Order overlord-level deep-sea monster; Ancient mythical bloodline, giant Titan sea beast; Length of one hundred and eighty meters, weight over three hundred and seventy tons; It possesses powerful tentacles and suckers, controls the power of water elements, and has the ability to shoot water blades from a distance; The mucus is highly corrosive; The skin is flexible and has a force attenuation domain layer, allowing it to resist most conventional physical attacks;

Suren's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the information he identified.

He had always wanted to find the giant octopus that had been passed down through generations of Roman fishermen, but he hadn't expected to encounter it here.

This giant sea monster was practically invincible in the sea, and this single monster could easily sink the Dawnbreaker Fleet's three warships.

Its massive body made it impossible to even strike with the Black Scythe.

Without countermeasures, the Dawnbreaker Fleet would really be at a great disadvantage.

Luckily, Suren had his mechanical octopus army.

...

Before the North Sea Kraken could approach the three warships on the surface, the mechanical octopus army quickly swam over.

Even though Suren reacted so quickly, a thirty-meter-long tentacle covered in terrifying suckers still thrashed out of the sea. It struck the surface of the water, and the resulting wave nearly capsized one of the warships.

Using the Spider Spears to firmly anchor himself to the deck, he quickly controlled the mechanical octopuses to swarm the beast.

To better control the mechanical octopus army, Suren had recently studied the octopus's physiological structure and was very familiar with its method of exerting force. They were the same species and all excelled at strangulation. Seven or eight mechanical octopuses wrapped around a single tentacle, and in an instant, the giant octopus was tightly entangled.

Although the North Sea Kraken's mucus was highly corrosive, the runes and coating layers that Suren had hand-painted on the mechanical octopuses came in handy. In the short term, the mechanical octopuses' enchanted coating was not easily corroded.

He wasn't hoping to kill this behemoth, but at least he could restrain it.

And so, before the giant sea monster could emerge from the sea, it was suppressed and tormented by dozens of mechanical octopuses, unable to cause any further damage.

A fierce battle raged beneath the surface of the sea, and monstrous waves crashed on the surface.

The Dawnbreaker Fleet's three warships swayed erratically in the waves, but fortunately, the deputy commanders in the gunnery held had sufficient naval combat experience, and the cannons never stopped firing.

Although the hit rate was slightly lower, a hundred cannons firing in a volley were bound to hit something.

The high-precision characteristics of the Mafa military cannons were fully utilized in this battle.

At this distance, the enemy couldn't mount any effective counterattacks.

After just a few volleys, three of the enemy's five pirate ships, excluding the two with barrier protection, had their hulls breached by the cannons and were slowly sinking in flames.

The sea was filled with pirates who had fallen into the water, their cries and screams drowned out by the waves.

...

It wasn't just Suren and his fleet who were caught off guard by stumbling upon a "big fish."

On the other side, Princess Frostmoon Skadi and her retinue aboard the White-Haired Vulture were also bewildered.

Three ships had inexplicably arrived, and they had opened fire without hesitation. Now, even the North Sea Kraken hadn't sunk them?

The sound of cannonballs whizzing through the air and explosions filled their ears.

Princess Stika's expression turned grave as she questioned, "What's going on? Why didn't the Kraken sink their ships!"

She knew the strength of the deep-sea monster very well. Such creatures were nearly invincible in the sea, and no wooden ships could withstand them.

But now, it wasn't working?

A subordinate reported, "Your Highness, those guys have a special method of controlling the sea monster. It looks like some kind of mechanical octopus."

"People from Duke Raphael?!"

Stika Princess's face was full of gravity.

Her first reaction was assassin.

The enemy had prepared "targeted" means, they must have detailed intelligence.

Stika then realized that the danger of the prophecy was referring to now.

Just then, the Thief Emperor Muldys, who was also pale, opened his mouth and said: "Your Highness, we have no advantage in cannon battles, and if we continue like this, it will definitely not work. I will find a way to kill them, otherwise, our situation will be very bad."

The energy barrier blocking the cannonballs was released by him, without him, these two ships would have sunk long ago.

As soon as these words came out, a female priest of the Agapannon Temple was shocked, ignoring the etiquette, she quickly interjected: "But the ritual is not completed yet, once the Sea King is angry, we...we will lose everything! And if the sea sacrifice is interrupted halfway, it will bring unpredictable...terrible consequences!"

"Humph!"

Hearing this, Muldys snorted coldly: "I am employed by the Mafa Emperor, not you Romans. What does your sacrifice have to do with me?"

With this saying, the domineering power of the Seventh-Order powerhouse made people unable to breathe.

Hearing these words, the female priest looked anxious, but she didn't dare to speak again.

She could only turn her head to look at Princess Stika.

Unfortunately, Princess Stika had a gloomy face, but she didn't speak.

Because she knew very well in her heart that even a Seventh-Order professional like him would never be able to withstand the attack of the cannon for a long time.

To protect two ships, not to mention the consumption of spiritual power is very fast. If a lot of spiritual power is consumed in this kind of thing, then, her situation will be very dangerous with it.

Although Stika also knew that the consequences of interrupting the sacrifice would be very bad, she guessed that this was a "assassination" against her.

Compared with life and death, which is more important, a sacrifice that has little to do with her can be decided immediately.

Thinking of this, Stika said: "Mr. Muldys, be careful."

Muldys understood immediately, "Okay!"

Another meaning of this is that, if things can't be done, protect me first.

With that said, this "Ten Legendary Bounty Hunters" put away the domain barrier, stepped on the sea, and jumped onto the sea.

The female priest next to him saw this, and her face instantly lost its color: It's over.

...

The masters of the Dawnbreaker were all on the deck, paying close attention to the situation of the enemy warships in the distance.

At this moment, everyone watched the energy shield on those three ships suddenly disappear, and a figure jumped on the sea and was rapidly attacking them.

The observer on the mast immediately shouted: "The enemy is here! Be careful, everyone."

Suren gave an order: "Continue firing and sink those two ships!"

At the same time, Barrett, Qian Tiao, and Dr. Banks jumped into the sea and rushed towards that figure.

The professional on the opposite side was covered in a black cloak. Although his face could not be seen, a phantom of a monster with three heads of a sheep, a snake, and a lion rose behind him after he started.

"The second solution to the mythic species talent 【A-044-Chimera】!"

Looking at the vision, Suren immediately recognized this talent, and even guessed the identity of the person.

This kind of talent is already rare, the second solution, or the seventh order, that can only be one person.

That is the Thief Emperor Carlo Muldys, one of the Ten Legendary Bounty Hunters!

Suren felt bad in his heart, and immediately sent a warning to everyone through the communicator: "Be careful, that is the Thief Emperor Muldys!"

He really didn't expect that an ordinary robbery would encounter such a famous top powerhouse.

Now the strength of the Dawnbreaker is not weak, but the high-end combat power is still a bit lacking.

Although there is a battle, if hard, it will inevitably suffer heavy losses.

But this legendary bounty hunter appeared here, and Suren was 100% sure that the Frost Moon Princess of Mafa was on the opposite ship!

"No, the other party probably hasn't figured out what happened now. If it is that princess, she will definitely think it is an assassination..."

Suddenly, Suren thought of something in his heart, and a plan flashed through his mind.

If that's the case, maybe you don't have to hit it hard!

At this time, Suren held the Black Scythe in his left hand and took out 【Cronus' Curse of Time Bow】 in his right hand.

He is very self-aware, he can't get involved in this level of battle at all, only these two forbidden objects can bring a certain threat to the enemy.

...

The battle is about to break out.

Thief Emperor Muldys looked at the three people who got off the ship on the opposite side, and smiled contemptuously: "Even the realm is not condensed, it is not strong."

The unrealized field also means that the highest level is only the sixth order.

Such an enemy, three or five, are not threatening.

But the next second, when he looked at the Asura Golden Body rising behind Qian Tiao, he was stunned. He was like seeing a ghost, and blurted out: "Three solutions to 【Asura Girl】, this...how is this possible! There are actually people in this world who have comprehended the Three Solutions talent?"

Looking at the thunderclouds gathering in the sky in the "Thunder Hell" and the towering sword energy, Muldys frowned. He found that he actually felt danger from a professional who was a big step behind him?

At the same time, he turned his eyes to look at the person who transformed into a giant ape, and recognized it: "The Beast Barrett, how could this guy be here?"

At first glance, it seems that the case was solved immediately.

On the ship in the distance, Princess Stika also recognized Barrett, and immediately understood that these people were the "mysterious forces" that caused a stir in Moros City-State that night.

Dr. Banks' methods were even more bizarre. As soon as he jumped into the sea, the vast sea seemed to be poisoned, turning pitch black. Above the large black water, seabirds fell one after another, and even mosquitoes and insects died.

In just a blink of an eye, several people collided together.

Even if one fights three, Muldys is half dominating.

With his "Void Domain" open, whether it is sword energy, toxins, or power hammer strikes, the damage to him is very limited.

Compared to the three people in front of him, he was more afraid of the guy with the bow and arrow and the scythe on the ship in the distance.

At this moment, Suren was standing at the bow of the ship, already pulling open the Time Bow, with a solemn expression.

However, he did not aim at Thief Emperor Muldys, but aimed his bow at the cloaked man in the crowd on the White-Haired Vulture in the distance.

He knew very well that Barrett and the three of them could hold on for a while, but there was absolutely no chance of winning.

If it drags on, the situation in the Dawnbreaker will only get worse and worse.

Now the only advantage of the Dawnbreaker is that the other party does not know their real situation.

"Continue to bombard! Sink them as soon as possible!"

"Yes!"

There is also good news, the members of the Dawnbreaker are very powerful, the cannons on the three warships have not stopped, and they directly sank the last two warships of the enemy.

...

Suren didn't hesitate, after drawing the bow, he shot an arrow directly.

The Arrow of Time can ignore most defenses and hit the human body.

A guard stood in front of Princess Stika and was instantly sucked out of his life by the light arrow, turning into a mummy.

Looking at the corpse next to her, Stika was frightened. How could she not recognize this famous forbidden bow from the Lu Ying Military Intelligence Department——Cronus' Bow of the Curse of Time?

Moreover, what is even more frightening is that as soon as this arrow came, the second arrow followed!

A banned object could not make Stika so alarmed.

But watching another one of her subordinates die, the unknown in her heart turned into fear in an instant: "How is it possible, how could that guy not be cursed?!"

And she looked far away, the guy on the opposite deck, has been expressionless pull open the longbow, ready to launch the third arrow.

...

To avoid the eyes of the Lu Ying intelligence personnel, Stika Princess can't bring masters of Mafa around.

It's not easy to invite a "legendary hunter". The remaining four-tier guards can't give her any sense of security at the moment.

Banned objects without cursed backlash are so unreasonable.

Suren also has 【Master Arrow Expertise】.

Even if the guards around Princess Stika tried their best to avoid it, they could not avoid it.

Although Suren felt bad about consuming the Time Sand to kill two lackeys, he also fired two arrows in a row.

It was this unhesitating momentum that frightened the people of Mafa and made the Thief Emperor Muldys fearful.

This legendary bounty hunter did not know that if he continued to entangle with Barrett and the three of them, the Stika Princess he was protecting would die on the spot.

This guy is also a fierce batch, even if Barrett and the three of them forcibly dragged him not to let him approach the sea ship, but after he blocked the combined attack of the three, the Warlock seal condensed, and a star array suddenly lit up under his feet: "The Flame Mystery · Holy Light Sword!"

He suddenly condensed a long sword emitting hot white light in his hand and pointed it at Suren.

Suren looked at the light sword pointing at him, and his scalp tingled immediately.

The killing intent of the Seventh-Order professional can be clearly perceived even across several nautical miles.

At the same time, he also understood that this guy was willing to accept Mafa's employment, and it was likely that he was going for the space relics.

The 【A-044-Chimera】 talent has a super high affinity for the three elements of flame, space, and darkness.

That guy probably needs space materials too.

...

Suren will almost die if he resists the seventh-order spell.

But his expression did not flinch at all, very similar to the "dead man" of Lu Ying Military Intelligence Department. The longbow was pulled full in his hand, and he shot another arrow.

The light arrow once again took the life of a guard beside Princess Stika.

Beside her, there are only two "shields" left.

Almost at the same time that Suren shot the arrow, another seventh-order spell, Shadow Magic Arrow, killed him.

In the state where the gargoyle is not restored, the defensive power will be greatly reduced.

This time, it may not be able to block it.

At this critical moment, a beautiful figure flashed out and stood in front of Suren.

She had no intention of avoiding the dark arrow, and punched it away.

Suren looked at and breathed a sigh of relief: "Phew...she finally made a move."

Looking again, the person who made the move was naturally Pandora with her face covered.

Her alchemy body is immune to all laws at a certain level of law, and the seventh-order professional can't hurt her body. At least this kind of remote spell is still a section away.

...

Seeing the mysterious powerhouse with strange means appear again.

That Mafa Princess finally changed her face.

Where did she not understand, this must be to "assassinate" her.

Several people dragged Muldys, and the bow master who took 【Cronus' Bow of Time Curse】 started killing people.

Now there is another person who can take the seventh-order spell hard, and the safety of the archer is also guaranteed. Princess Stika felt that her situation had reached a critical moment of life and death.

At the same time, Suren's fifth arrow has been pulled open, and is aiming again.

She was so frightened that she lost her color, and without regard for anything else, she quickly said through the communicator: "Mr. Muldys, never mind those assassins, take me away quickly! There is something wrong with the sacrifice, the Sea Void may appear at any time!"

It's not worth it to compete with a bunch of assassins.

Even if they can all be killed, it is not worth her to risk this golden body.

In the distance, Muldys frowned when he heard the order.

He was very suspicious that this mysterious woman who could take his attack was not strong, but her body was strange.

Perhaps... try again, and you will know the result.

But the fact is that the situation does not allow him to delay any longer.

If he is not sure that he can kill the bow-drawing man in a short time, Stika Princess will be in danger.

What's more, the "Sea Ruins" can't be underestimated.

Muldys' eyes flashed with unwillingness, but he also decisively left the battlefield, turned his head and ran towards the sinking ship.

Then, in the shocked eyes of the Dawnbreaker, he took the Princess Stika and tore a special scroll, and the figure disappeared into the sea in a few flashes.

Suren was not surprised to see this.

He took a long breath and muttered to himself: "Finally gone."

If they really wanted to win, the Dawnbreaker should have concentrated all their strength to kill the Thief Emperor Muldys.

The probability of both sides suffering is very high.

But Suren didn't want to see that ending.

So he has always been very determined to kill the Frost Moon Princess, just to bet on this situation.

That princess cherishes her life more.

Will inevitably shrink back first.

...

Pandora is willing to help, Suren actually had a great chance to kill the Frost Moon Princess at the last moment.

But he didn't do that.

Can't kill either.

Because Suren knew very well that they couldn't deal with the Thief Emperor Muldys for the time being.

Even if they can, the Dawnbreaker will suffer heavy losses.

Instead, keeping this princess can make that guy afraid.

Just like now.

An arduous battle suddenly ended, and the people of the Dawnbreaker seemed to not understand what happened.

Watching the enemy really disappear on the sea, Qian Tiao returned to the ship and wondered, "Why did that guy run away?"

Suren sighed slightly and said, "That Princess Stika should think that we are here to assassinate her. I am not sure if we have any follow-up, so I don't dare to bet on my life, so I ran away."

Qian Tiao was very surprised, "Princess Stika is on that ship?"

"Yes."

With that said, Suren's expression was also very complicated.

I really didn't expect that there would be so many coincidences, encountering a cunning Mafa princess, encountering a legendary hunter.

Luck seems to be not very good ...

However, things have come to this point, there is nothing to say.

Suren looked at the bottom of the sea, the mechanical octopus was still fighting with the North Sea Kraken. The combat power of this big guy is really fierce, and several mechanical octopuses have been lost.

He said: "Doctor, help me anesthetize the big guy in the water."

Dr. Banks said: "Okay!"

The other members of the Dawnbreaker also began to clean up the battlefield.

People ran away, but those precious sacrifices and the treasures on the White-Haired Vulture did not run away.