299. An Irresistible Force.
"Aaaagh!"
"Surrender! We will surrender!"
"Enough! Please, enough!!"
Having moved beyond the stages of recognition and understanding, the pirate king hopefuls who had at last reached the stage of submission expressed their intention to surrender as swiftly as they had swung their swords—bending their knees, waist, and neck.
Of course, true to the nature of pirates who lacked a clear organization, those in the rear of the fleet that was being literally, hideously crushed fled like mad without looking back, but pursuing them and capturing every last one would mean taking my attention away from the fierce battle unfolding on the left right now.
Lucky bastards. If another chance comes, let us trade sword strokes next time!
Regrettable, but right now was the time to help my allies and lead this massive sea battle to victory. I sent six ships to the Dragon Palace— no, this was the Mediterranean, so there could be no such thing. I dispatched them to rest alongside the wreckage of ancient Greek, Roman, and Persian ships buried beneath the waves, and only when I reached the seventh galley did I halt my rampage, climb up a tall mast, and gaze out at the sea on the left.
[Fwoosh—! Fwoosh! Yaaa—! Christos—! Al—lah—!]
The Mediterranean sea blazed fervently, and the setting sun slowly draped itself over it. Was this not a scene that might have graced a line of the Odyssey?
The first thought that came to mind was such a sentimental phrase, like something out of an Instagram post from a moody café, but I soon identified the arsonist setting the entire sea ablaze and confirmed that the Eastern Roman navy was on the verge of being surrounded.
"Keep pressing them like this! Capture the ships that surrender, and sink every last one of those who do not! Victory is ours!"
"The Fylkir has spoken! Those who surrender shall live! Those who resist shall die!"
"Push forward!"
"Aaaaooooh!"
[Boom! Boom-boom! Aaaagh—! Yaaaa—!]
Leaving behind the battlefield that a single charge had settled, I launched myself toward the even hotter sea.
[Bang—! Fwoooosh—!]
I swung both arms as if parting the water to either side, and kicked both legs powerfully as if gathering the water in one place.
The various particles drifting in the seawater instantly drew back, and the noise of the battlefield grew closer, as if pulled by the vacuum created.
The flames shot by the Romans could be seen blazing even under the sea, adding more mystery to a space filled entirely with blue and red, but regrettably, I had no leisure to appreciate the beauty wrought by man and nature together.
'Hup!'
[Bang—!]
Fighting while bearing the weight of the sea was certainly far more difficult and exhausting than fighting on land where I could ride a horse or plant my feet on solid ground. But if I stopped now because it was hard, in that very moment my warriors and the allied soldiers would lose their lives.
[Fwoooosh—!]
Using the brightly blazing flames on the left as illumination, I shot vertically upward and made another dramatic entrance.
[Crunch! Crack!]
First, I punched a hole in the ship with my fist.
"Aaaagh!"
"Aaaagh!"
[Swoosh— Shk!]
I leaped up onto the deck where screaming was erupting everywhere, and landed lightly—
"Uh- uh-"
"Sha, Shaytan!"
"A demon! A devil of the sea!"
Thus I saw Muslim friends staring at me with stunned faces, as if they had been taught that same line in advance.
There were those who, in their confusion, hurled themselves straight into the sea; those who dropped spear and sword and prostrated themselves flat; and even one who, out of his mind, charged at me with a bizarre shriek.
"This isn't real!! Allahu Akbar! Allah! Allah! Kyaaaaaah!"
What is this? Let me show you reality.
[Thwack!]
"Ack!"
[Thud!]
I neutralized him with a light left jab, and as I looked at the line of pirate ships stretching far into the distance, I dashed forward.
"Hup! Hup! Hup!"
[Boom! Swoooosh— Boom! Swoooosh—]
Like a long jumper preparing for a final leap, I bounded from side to side, clearing one ship with each stride.
[Boom! Boom! Boom!]
[Splash! Slosh! Slosh! Swooosh—]
"Aaaaah!"
"O Allah!"
"Hold on tight!"
"Abandon ship!"
"Surrender! We will surrender! Please—"
[Boom!]
"Aaaahhh—"
[Splash!]
Embarrassing as it was, my weight probably easily exceeded 100kg, and adding the weight of armor made entirely of iron, the speed at which I dashed, the force with which I jumped, and the force of leaping into the air and landing again— all together, it seemed to be a force that our fragile (?) pirate friends' ships could not withstand.
The ships splintered and buckled everywhere, extinguishing the souls of the pirates standing upon them, and although I only stepped on their vessels as stepping stones to pass by, every pirate near that path lost the will to fight and either hastily fled or immediately prostrated themselves in surrender.
"If you want to live—!"
[Swoooosh— Crash! Crunch!]
"Surrenderrrr—!"
[Boom! Crack! Crunch!]
After leaping over ten ships, the fierce battlefield finally came into sight before my eyes.
Without hesitation, I assumed a full squat position, concentrated the sensation in my toes and the power in my lower body to the fullest, and immediately shot up into the sky like a spring.
"Aaaaah—!"
"Aaaaagh—!"
Against the backdrop of the pirates' screams and the death throes of their ships coming from behind, I walked for a moment in a realm slightly lower than the seagulls, and in an instant, the gaze of everyone on the battlefield fell upon me.
"...?"
"What is that?"
"Allah! Allah! Al—lah?"
"For Christos! Chri- st-?"
Although I was human and could not fly like a bird, and could only stay in the sky for a short time, it seemed that was enough time for the mortals below.
Enough time for them to cease their fierce fighting and to understand what exactly they were seeing, what exactly was happening.
"A person flew through the sky?"
[Whoooosh— Boom---!]
"Aagh!"
[Splash! Splash!]
Hey, you bastards, get off the ship.
The pirates demonstrated a fervent spirit of hospitality by leaping into the sea themselves. The hard wood crackled radially from the shockwave of my landing, splintering piece by piece, and the eyes of the heavily armed Islamic warriors, who had barely survived on the violently rocking ship, shook uncontrollably.
Like men struck speechless, like men who had faced the hero's entrance that every man dreams of at least once— in the most unwanted way.
The enemies, having lost the will to fight, trembled beneath their solid armor like seaweed swaying, and for soldiers whose morale had sunk this low, only rout and surrender remained.
"If you wish to live, I shall let you live! If you wish to die, I shall grant you death! Warriors of Ali! Choose-!"
I roared toward the sea, where silence had hung for a moment.
[Tat-tat-tat!]
I bounded forward with all my might.
"Uraaap!"
[Bwooong— Pung! Kwajik!]
I kicked out with a back kick at the mast standing before my eyes.
[Fwoooosh—]
The long mast, floating into the empty air as if by a lie, flew onward and collided with some unfortunate ship in its path.
"Uh-uaaah—"
"Uaah? Uaah—"
[Fwooo— — Kwaaaang—!!]
"Aaaagh!"
"Aaaaaagh!"
The ship crushed beneath the heavy mast naturally spewed forth every kind of scream, and with that as the starting point, the time that had briefly stopped began to flow again, stirring up a tremendous chaos.
"U-uaaaaaa! Flee! Get as far from this Shaitan as you can!"
"Let us fight! Ali protects us!"
"You sluggish grubs! Grab the oars right now if you want to live!"
"O Ali..."
Those who had already wagered too much and lost their senses wished to keep fighting, and before the unreal sight of a man and a mast flying through the sky—flash!—those who came to their senses turned their ships at once to quit the battlefield.
Shipboard rebellions broke out to stab the captains who had given impossible orders, and the ships that had already entered close combat with the Roman forces could not retreat, so instead they struggled onward like madmen, trying to push through the Romans.
The Roman army, reacting to the enemy that suddenly writhed to life, blazed up fiercely in turn.
"Fylkir Helgi! Helgi of the North Sea!"
"Helgi Heracles! The living demigod!"
"For Rome! To battle! To victory!"
"Kill every last one of the enemy!"
The bullying of those wicked Muslim pirates—who all chose to abandon me alone on a sinking ship and fling themselves into the seawater—was a slight I could bear and endure.
Though my heart might be a little wounded, the soldiers of the alliance were drawing near to me.
I briefly looked toward the largest ship of the Muslim pirates, fleeing far in the distance.
A man in splendid armor who stared fixedly in my direction with eyes riven wide open. That must be their captain. In my heart I wanted to dive into the sea right that moment, but too many enemy ships lay between us to give chase.
My limbs were beginning to tingle and ache, and I did not know what other tricks the cornered pirates might try, so I resolved to let them go this time.
Regrettable, but let you and I trade blows another time.
[Bwoooooong—!]
[Pa-aaam— Pa-aaaam—!]
The warriors of the North Sea joining from afar, and the Eastern Roman soldiers hurrying to approach. The Muslim pirates fleeing with wildfire momentum, as if making a charge themselves.
"We've won—! We've won!"
"Helgi Heracles! Fylkir Helgi Ragnarsson!"
"Sound the horns! Proclaim the victory!"
Amid the immense cheering that rang out in every direction, I leaned against the edge of the half-sunken ship and laughed.
That's enough, come pick me up, I'm exhausted.
[Eeyaaaaaah—!]
*****
Syracuse, a city famed since ancient times, lay on the southeastern side of the Eastern Roman-held island of Sicily.
To this city, where an atmosphere as bleak as the end of the world had lingered after the miraculous reconquest of Crete, another unbelievable piece of glad tidings had arrived a few days earlier.
"What!? We won again!?"
"O Christ, we thank you! You have protected us!"
"Roma Invicta! Long live Emperor Mikhaíl!"
It was news that the notorious Emir of Candax and the remnants of his pirates had been soundly defeated. The commander of the Emperor's own troops, Nikephoros, who had regained his vigor at this report, eagerly moved his cavalry and boldly struck into the area near Balharm—Palermo—to provoke the Muslims, but he was soon pushed back by the Muslim riders who surged out and had to return at once to Syracuse.
Yet, the victory won this time at Crete was so enormous that such a minor defeat was scarcely worth caring about, and the island of Sicily, which had briefly lapsed into a lull, began to heat up once more.
"What did you say? The Heracles of the North Sea personally smashed the heathen ships with his fists?"
"He raced across the heathen ships and sank them? And now they call him Helgi Heracles?"
"My friend, have you perhaps taken leave of your senses? How on earth do you see people? My good man, do not be angry and listen—at this moment, you seem utterly mad to me."
The messengers who had run in bearing the news with joyful hearts all seemed to have lost their minds somewhere along the way, but the people of Syracuse laughed it off indulgently, for the battle had been so immense and the victory they bore was so great.
Of course, the men of the North Sea—including Jarl Oleg—seemed to take the matter with utmost seriousness. However, the Romans of Syracuse had no wish to provoke these fearsome Northmen, so they merely nodded along.
"So the Fylkir of the North Sea is magnificent indeed. How grand must the display of his majesty have been for the couriers to have lost their senses...!"
"And so, when will the Fylkir be coming here together with Admiral Niketas?"
Astonishingly, the threats to the east of both Crete and Syracuse had been extinguished in a single fight, and so the people slowly began to harbor hope. Because this city that had seemed on the verge of annihilation continued to hold its ground against those mighty heathens in an equal fight, thanks to the appearance of the fine general Edmund and the Emperor's unexpected reinforcements—the Northman mercenaries and even the Emperor's own elite cavalry.
If they could advance just one more step from here, might they at last shatter Balharm and safeguard the island of Sicily in its entirety? Might they fight no longer upon their own land, but upon their own sea, and even upon the enemy's land?
A beautiful hope, as pleasant as a dream.
Ordinarily, such hopes would have ended in bitter smiles, but this time was different.
[Bwoooooong—!]
From far across the eastern sea, the familiar sound of horns blared out thunderously.
☆☆☆☆☆Reference Material☆☆☆☆☆
Cattette, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Spring of 867. This is the island of Sicily...!
The small and adorable star on the east side is the movement route of the Helgi + Niketas combined fleet...!
The orange circle is Balharm-Palermo, the purple circle is Syracuse...!