66. Pirates (3)
66. Pirates (3)
The pirate assigned to the magic cannon waited for the one carrying the magic shells to finish loading.
Cheol─keok
A magic shell, reaching up to a grown man's waist, was mounted into the mechanism connected to the magic cannon's main body.
Geugeugeung...
The magic shell, drawn through the mana engine, was loaded into the enormous magic cannon itself.
"All batteries, fire!"
The pirates manning the magic cannons simultaneously yanked the iron firing lanyards attached to the ends of the gun carriages.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!!
Along with a purple circular shockwave, the magic cannons on the central deck spewed fire.
Thick plumes of mana flame.
Three shells from the pirate ship farthest away, 800 meters to the east.
And one shell each from the two ships to the north.
Five magic shells scattered purple mana trajectories through the air as they hurtled toward the Amon family's sailing ship.
A deep shadow fell over the horizon.
Yuma had walked out onto the forward deck of the ship.
A single round shell, clearly aimed at him, was flying in just above the sailing ship.
-As I mentioned, I will deploy the 6th-circle defensive spell, the Adamantine Ark, to the front and sides.
Yuma nodded slowly.
The mana that resided independently within the ego sword, Balmung.
The most outstanding spell it could unfold with that mana was the Adamantine Ark.
When he asked if it could use offensive magic too, it replied that the only spells built into it were defensive.
Just moments before, Yuma had asked if he could swing it around and cast spells himself, and a very swift answer came back.
It could do such a thing, which is why it was a great holy sword.
When he asked why, as a holy sword, it had ended up toying in the hands of an Evil God, the answer that came back was very simple.
-An Evil God does not necessarily use demonic energy. Had it been the hand of a Demon God, I could have shaken it off. Master.
There might be nothing wrong with that statement, but.
It unavoidably sounded like a very flimsy excuse.
Yuma watched the rushing magic shells and adjusted his grip on Balmung.
***
─Port deck.
Cloné stood before the railing on the left deck.
Cloné recalled what Yuma had said.
'He said he would unfold a protective spell with the ego sword's ability.'
-So, if it gets hard, you can rest.
That was why Cloné asked.
If he wanted to block them, could she be the one to block them instead.
And Yuma had accepted that reckless desire of hers.
-If you can do it, it's worth a try. Even if you miss one or two, just think of it as a solid rearguard holding the line.
Yuma, as always, spoke gently.
And Cloné did not want to betray that trust.
Kwaggwagwagwagwagwa!!
Three magic shells in total rushed toward the port side of the sailing ship.
The dark-colored staff in Cloné's hand moved rapidly.
Seuseuseuk─
In an instant, the spell formula was completed.
Cloné's black hair fluttered in the coastal wind.
A 5th-circle defensive spell, <Iron Wall Fortress>, was deployed.
Chwareureureureuk──
A transparent iron wall, thickly layered.
The right hand gripping the staff trembled finely.
A golden gleam of mana flickered from the staff.
The golden mana flowed out continuously, like a heat haze.
It was an action to maintain the Iron Wall Fortress in its optimal state.
Kwaggwagwagwagwagwagwagwang!!!
The three magic shells on the port side failed to reach Balmung's Adamantine Ark at the rear.
Because they could not overcome the Iron Wall Fortress Cloné had unfolded.
The remnants of the magic shells scattered thickly before the Iron Wall Fortress.
"Hoo... ah."
Teolsseok-
Cloné let out a sigh of relief and slumped to the floor. The remaining mana in her mana heart was barely a speck.
The bow of the Amon family ship.
Yuma faced two magic shells fired with overwhelming force.
Their momentum took the shape of a colossal black hole, as if it had just chewed up a small planet.
Two spheres of black holes.
Yuma was certain that Balmung's <Adamantine Ark> would block the lower-trajectory magic shell aimed at destroying the ship.
It had prattled a lot of nonsense, but it had never spoken without grounds.
<Hyper Concentration>
Kugugugugugugugu!!
Right before his eyes.
Yuma identified the front face of the magic shell where the mana concentrated forward as the parry point.
He swung Balmung at it. Angled the blade.
Cheucheucheucheu──!!
The magic shell scraped against the blade of Balmung.
Kkaaaaaaaang!!!
The shell soon erupted with a golden circular impact wave signifying a successful 'Parrying' and shot upward.
Yuma could now clearly picture the one move that could simultaneously destroy the three pirate ships upon the sea.
<Absolute Counter - Disaster Split>
A skill that allows using <Absolute Counter> with identical attack power on up to three enemies, including the original target of 'Absolute Counter'.
He had to designate the other two pirate ships, excluding the northern right ship from which the <Absolute Counter> fixed target magic shell had been fired.
He designated the figure standing in the middle of the deck on the northern left pirate ship.
Yuma had no difficulty designating his targets, as the targeting required a living entity. Even for the pirate ship far off to the east, the barrel of the magic cannon was clearly visible.
He was able to designate the person standing next to the magic cannon.
With the three target points set,
<Absolute Counter - Disaster Split> was cast.
The magic shell that had shot upward emitted a violet light. A sun.
Uuuuuuung───!!!
It swelled to a size reminiscent of the sun.
Ten times the magic shell.
The magic shell had been reborn through the effect of <Absolute Counter>.
Kwadeudeuk!!! Jjeojeojeok!!
The black sun, flashing violet rays a dozen times with the force to warp space itself, toppled downward and branched out into three streams.
Three violet pillars racing above the horizon.
Chwaaaaaaaaaaaak───!!!
As if a crater forming on land were occurring on the water's surface, the water surged up violently in two forked waves, centered on the pillars of flying magic shells.
Kwaggwagwagwagwagwagwa!!!
Those forked waves became colossal tsunamis that split violently to either side. A terrifying shockwave.
Like a single living black dragon, the two towering pillars swallowed the two pirate ships to the north.
Kwaaaaaaaaaang!!
The violet mana pillars utterly detonated all the magic shells that had been their original forms.
Kwaang─! Kwaaaaang──!
Wood splinters from the pirate ships flew in all directions along with flames.
The aim had been at a single person, but the result was practically an annihilation.
"Keuaaaak!"
"Save meee!"
Smoke of death spread thickly.
Screams echoed from the pirate ship whose hull had literally been split in half. A vortex of current. The steep water vortex created by the mana shell pillars mercilessly sank the two pirate ships.
Kwaaaaaang!!!
The violet magic shell hurtling toward the pirate ship 800 meters to the east also smashed through the waves and reached the ship.
And it literally swallowed its target.
Kwaggwagwagwagwagwagwang─!
With a chain reaction of mana explosions, the pirate ship was crushed flat.
The ship's debris and the bodies of the pirates were thickly scattered onto the seabed.
There was so much burning wreckage that it was visible even from this great distance.
The Dusk Pirates.
Annihilated.
[Lv.135] Hectos
The only being still standing firmly on two feet was the captain, Hectos.
Amidst the ringing in his ears, Hectos swung his sword.
The battle with the wench before him had just begun.
Yet every single moment their swords clashed, a ship exploded one after another.
Literally exploded.
He was dumbfounded. Because his pirate crew had been annihilated out of nowhere.
It felt like being struck by a meteor falling from the sky while walking down the street.
The emotion Hectos felt right now was absurdity.
"What the hell are you bastards, wench."
And he himself was not in a sound state, either.
The wench with blue hair and pink eyes before him.
She kept growing during the fight.
When their swords first met, the density of her aura was clearly far lower than his Sword Aura.
Yet once she was pushed back hard, she reinforced it mid-battle.
Insane talent.
There was no other way to explain it.
"Your subordinates are pretty much all dead."
Bell spoke quietly.
"You'll be dead soon too. A man about to die has far too many questions."
The black curly-haired captain, Hectos, raised the corner of his mouth.
"So young, and yet you've got cold-bloodedness down pat."
Hectos drew up a golden Aura Blade onto his sword.
Bell's pale blue sword light shone.
'A single sword.'
Hectos's first strike was certainly stronger than her.
But after exchanging only a few moves, she realized it was all-power, all the way.
And so she could break it.
'Because Yuma taught me.'
How to break a sword that relied only on strength.
Sword techniques far greater than the one that pirate captain was using now.
Right now, this moment, was the moment of proof.
The moment to prove that choosing her had not been a mistake.
'I'll finish it now.'
Because she had landed a fatal sword wound on Hectos's right knee.
Hectos gritted his teeth and threw his body forward.
A golden aura current rippled over his sword.
'Become my companion on the road to hell, you arrogant brat.'
Hectos put all his strength into his sword.
'I haven't shown a slashing attack of this range yet.'
Something never shown becomes a weapon in itself.
Because one expects something familiar to come.
A golden Sword Aura reminiscent of a full moon was drawn heavily over the Resen Kingdom's sailing ship.
For a split second, Hectos saw it. Bell's neck being sliced by the golden slash.
However, it did not take long for him to realize that was an illusion caused by perspective.
Pu─uk
Bell's sword pierced Hectos's heart.
The technique that had utterly crushed the golden slash and driven the sword into Hectos's heart was the Cherten Style, Lightning Flash.
It was the ultimate thrust she had endlessly trained ever since inheriting it from Yuma.
"Keu... heok!"
Murky blood gushed from Hectos's mouth.
Without a change in expression, Bell pulled out her sword.
Hectos's breath was cut off instantly.
The body of the giant man collapsed onto the deck.
Chwaaak-
She shook the blood off onto the floor.
And then, over beyond, she stared at Yuma, who was looking at her from the Amon family's sailing ship.
'She exceeded her limits and produced results.'
Bell's level was still 128.
Killing a Level 135 Sword Master with overwhelming skill and technique was quite encouraging.
Yuma, still gripping Balmung, opened his mouth quietly.
"Among the port-side magic shells, did your Adamantine Ark block any?"
Balmung's voice echoed in Yuma's mind.
-None. All three shells were blocked by Lady Cloné's 5th-circle defensive spell, Iron Wall Fortress, which was deployed in front of my Adamantine Ark. Blocking three magic shells of this power at the 5th circle is nearly impossible; truly remarkable. Just as you said, Yuma-nim, she can indeed be called a genius.
Yuma nodded slowly.
Both Bell and Cloné had transcended their own limits on this battlefield.
'Grow up strong and steady.'
Wouldn't that make things more comfortable for me?
Thinking that, Yuma patted the shoulder of Cloné, who had approached his side.
"You blocked them very well. Cloné."
Despite her exhaustion, Cloné felt good and smiled bashfully.
"Yes, Yuma-nim."
'I received praise from Yuma-nim.'
Cloné fell into the illusion that her fatigue was instantly lightened by Yuma's touch.
"We offer our greetings to the Gods of War!"
"We offer our greetings to the Gods of War!"
Yuma frowned slightly and turned his head toward the source of the shouts.
Bell scratched her head as she looked at the members of the Resen Kingdom prostrated flat before her.
And half of them were prostrating flat toward Yuma.
Half awe.
Half terror.
Countless emotions enveloped the members of Resen.
If they hadn't declared themselves a sailing ship of the allied Astes Empire when they first appeared, those people would have been trembling in their boots long ago.