Chapter 256
Chapter 256
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 257
Chapter Title: Shifting Formations
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At Grace's command, the galleons of the Iron Maiden Pirate Fleet, tasked with leading the vanguard, began shifting their formation, spreading widely to both flanks.
This naturally encroached on the positions where the left and right wings, following close behind, were supposed to deploy.
"W-What the hell? Those crazy bastards dare to!"
Nolland, vice-captain of the Buccaneer Pirate Fleet commanding the right wing, glared furiously at the Iron Maiden Pirate Fleet slyly extending into their territory.
He had felt that immense aura bursting from the center earlier.
So he could guess their intentions without even thinking. With most of the enemy forces seemingly concentrated in the center, they planned to snag easy merits by picking off the weak seals lurking in ambush around the edges.
Intellectually, he understood. If the Buccaneers had been vanguard and confirmed the enemy strength, he would've made the same call.
But that didn't make the Iron Maidens' decision forgivable now.
"Grace, you thieving cat!"
Nolland ground his teeth. His gaze naturally shifted to the Olivia Navy's left front line.
"At a moment like this, where the hell is that idiot captain?!"
Their captain had charged ahead alone before the Chae Pirate Fleet's ships could even close in. Recalling the captain, Nolland barked orders irritably.
"What are you all doing? Pick up the pace! Advance! You wanna stand around like morons and let those thieving cats steal all the glory?"
It wasn't just about merits—their current position was a problem too.
With North Leader Pardal diving solo into the enemy lines.
The Iron Maidens couldn't possibly know that.
Which meant their formation shift had naturally split the North Leader and the Buccaneers apart.
"The captain won't get taken down that easily, but..."
Even as a pirate fleet captain, they couldn't just leave him hanging forever. Nolland kept urging his crew onward. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Captain Drake. The little miss is splitting her fleet in two."
Avery, vice-captain of the Gadric Pirate Fleet, remarked as he watched the vanguard split before the midguard.
"Hm. Must be because of that aura from earlier."
The force that had shredded O'Malley's aura was like a rampaging beast.
Even Drake, who felt a chill down his spine from it, was certain.
Whoever it was, there was someone out there viewing the world through a king's eyes.
"Her instincts for battle are impeccable, at least. That's a profoundly wise choice."
Only O'Malley, bearing the admiral title, could veer to the flank without hesitation.
That's why their king had placed her at the vanguard.
If it were a force she could crush, Dello wouldn't be there.
And if she swung wide, it meant the enemy there was beyond her capacity.
"Hm. You okay with this, Captain? We'll have to plug right into that vanguard gap as is."
Avery furrowed his brow. Though the Gadric Pirate Fleet was the strongest among the admirals, they couldn't take on a force including a throne-sitter without losses.
It might even cost them enough to shake up the admiral rankings.
But considering the captain's pride, he couldn't say it outright—he phrased it indirectly.
Pfft!
Drake saw right through Avery's intentions.
"Monsters fight monsters. We clean up the small fry around the flagship."
Youth was a wonderful thing. It granted the courage to charge enemies fearlessly, all for the sake of hollow glory like merits.
"Ease off speed, swing to port, and clear a path for the king in the rear. And from what I see..."
Drake's eyes gleamed as he looked left.
"Something tells me we'll have some action on the left battlefield." ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "The Iron Maiden Pirate Fleet has split their fleet in half, Captain."
The sight of West Leader's galleons encroaching on the left and right wing paths, expanding their range, was clear as day to the Mermaid Pirate Fleet.
Tetsai's eyes lit up as he watched.
"......"
"This is the perfect moment to strike their rear, with their line spread thin across our path, Captain. It's time to decide."
"......"
Martel sat silently, eyes closed like a statue.
"Captain!"
Tetsai couldn't hide his frustration at her stubbornness.
As he moved to press again, a thick hand landed on his shoulder, holding him back.
"Boni..."
"Enough, Tetsai. The decision is the captain's alone."
"Dithering like this gets us nowhere! Whether we smash the greedy pig's rear or the green baron's—pick one!"
Unlike the Buccaneer Pirate Fleet, which had accelerated with the Iron Maidens' shift, their speed remained sluggish.
No, it felt even slower than at the start.
Already, sharp-eyed pirates were shooting suspicious glances their way at this bizarre pace.
"Soon East Leader's Gadric Pirate Fleet—that old codger—will overtake us! Then we're done for!"
Even dim-witted pirates would notice something off if their maneuvering got this weird.
Both pirates and Olivia Navy alike. They'd face suspicion from both sides—a nightmare scenario. Game over.
Win or lose, Mermaid Pirate Fleet would earn distrust from everyone.
"You felt that aura earlier—Boni and Captain did too! There's a real shot at victory, I swear! Fine, if you think the pig will win, just speed up now, please!"
"......"
Boni had no retort to Tetsai. He'd felt that force blocking O'Malley's strike too—a truly electrifying power.
So he quietly hoped for the captain's choice as well.
But he shook his head at Tetsai's pleas in the end.
All fleet decisions were the captain's call.
"...Damn it all!"
"...Tetsai, Boni."
Martel, who had been listening to her vice-captains, finally opened her eyes.
"Just two questions. First: Do you really think this is the best option?"
"Better than a hundred times over what you were leaning toward, Captain."
"...Not sure. But like that fool says, it seems worth trying over your original plan."
"...So that's how my choice looked."
Just a know-it-all after all.
Krak!
Martel, who wielded a rapier unbefitting a pirate, gripped her hilt tightly.
"Second question. Think carefully... No matter the outcome, can you swear no regrets? We all die, or... the future me might change."
At Martel's question, Tetsai and Boni's lips curled up in unison.
"Real sea dogs don't whine and regret their own choices!"
Tetsai nodded readily.
"Hmm, a changed captain... Hard to picture, but if so."
Boni pondered briefly, then bared his gold tooth in a grin at Martel.
"I'll smack some sense into you, Captain. Like when you were a kid."
The two unshakable men. And the crew's eyes brimming with trust, having heard it all.
In that gaze, Martel finally reached her decision.
Ching!
"...All ships, full speed ahead. Target: Iron Maiden Pirate Fleet."
Martel drew her rapier and slowly lowered it forward.
"Aid Olivia. Strike O'Malley." ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ At first, ignoring the wyvern's instincts and just trying to smash the ramparts had gotten my limbs shredded.
But bit by bit.
In the process of deploying aura and Pankration to deflect, redirect, and counter the wyvern's assaults.
The damage it inflicted on me dwindled steadily.
One leg, one arm.
And when I boarded an Olivia Navy galleon, I finally emerged with just a minor scrape, gazing beyond the wall.
Then, in the world of heart-images, right before the war began—what I thought was the last time.
Kwaaaaang!
Finally, the wall blocking me crumbled.
-...Hmph. Human, took you long enough.
"Yeah. No extra hassle this time?"
Since leaving me with just that scrape in the last heart-image world, the wyvern's instincts had merely watched from atop the ramparts as I broke the wall.
-Who do you take me for, fool? You think I'd help you hone your skills against me?
"For someone saying that, you sure pestered me nonstop till now."
-Kyaaaak!
The instincts roared in irritation before turning away, displeased.
-...Whatever. Pointless to block you further anyway.
The instincts were eerily calm, a far cry from their initial ferocity.
"You've mellowed out a lot."
-Resisting one who's already scaled the wall is meaningless.
Who'd believe this was the same wyvern that clashed to the death with Hatan?
-...Let me be clear: I'm just an existence in your heart-images. Got nothing to do with my original body's owner.
The instincts turned away, refusing to be lumped with monsters.
-Go on, human.
"Sure. It was fun while it lasted."
-Spare me the insincere crap.
The wyvern's instincts chuckled faintly and closed its eyes.
With no hostility left, I stepped beyond the wall that had barred me.
And the moment my foot touched the other side of that 'wall'.
Whirrrrr!
From crown to toe, a sensation of mana flooding my body welled up. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Enemy ships are reinforcing firepower on both our flanks!"
"We're holding as best we can under the admiral's command, but if this drags on, the wings will collapse first!"
"Staff officer! Your orders!"
Crunch!
Dwayne ground his teeth as reports poured in from all sides.
The vaunted Olivia Navy, elite force that had captured Archipelago pirates, held no battlefield advantages anywhere.
'Damn it. These pirate scum are filthy strong.'
The Archipelago pirates weren’t dubbed a continental scourge for nothing.
Dwayne had expected the super-elite admirals, pride and reputation on the line, to push the center.
But they mocked his prediction, methodically splitting forces to hit the flanks.
"So you won't go down easy, huh?"
In the distance, Navy galleons sank into view.
Among them: fresh recruits just out of foreign-aided training, veterans forged in Olivia's brutal fights.
Different training lengths, but one thing in common.
They were shedding blood for Olivia now.
Out of sight didn't make their lives scatter like petals.
'It's my fault.'
My hasty judgment was snuffing their lives pointlessly.
Drip drip!
Clenched too hard? A cracked tooth bled, trickling down Dwayne's chin.
"Stay calm, staff officer."
Dello's steady voice came as he wielded his baton.
"No war, no great victory, comes without allied sacrifices. That's kid's fairy tale stuff."
Flutter!
At his command, the crumbling front line retreated, second-wave ambush galleons emerging to the line.
"But command decisions dictate the scale of those sacrifices. Your job isn't blame—it's the next move."
At that quiet yet stern rebuke, Dwayne punched his own cheek.
'Right. Get it together.'
They'd planned for this contingency.
My task now: ensure their sacrifices weren't in vain.
'If Lampang were free, we could fluidly reinforce. But not now.'
Harsh truth: In Dwayne's heart, Dello's life outweighed the entire Navy's.
Dwayne's closed eyes slowly opened.
"Pull back the second-wave units on both flanks slowly. Keep the real ambush hidden... slowly."
A judgment accepting some losses. But no choice.
The true ambush started now. They'd factored in the damage from the plan's outset.
But.
But.
Dwayne's hands gripped the rail, trembling ceaselessly—unlike his resolute voice.
As if echoing the Navy still fighting this very moment, without end.