Chapter 262: Section 50: Long-range Engagements
“Fire, fire, everyone fire!” Silver Hook shouted furiously.
After withstanding a round of artillery fire from the Justice Pirate Group, the Gold and Silver brothers and their crew quickly counterattacked.
Sixteen pirate ships slightly turned their helms to align their broadsides with the Justice Pirate Group, while the bow cannons continuously rotated their positions.
Bang bang bang…
A series of white smoke rose, and hundreds of bombs flew into the air one after another.
The bombs pierced the air, whistling together like a torrential downpour toward the Justice Pirate Group.
...
“Dodge the gunfire!”
The pirates of the Justice Pirate Group quickly sought cover, doing their best to dodge.
Boom, boom, boom.
Most of the bombs exploded in the water, causing towering pillars of water.
A few bombs hit the hull. Some created holes in the ship’s sides, others landed on the deck and exploded with a loud noise, sending shards flying everywhere. Some even exploded in mid-air, turning into a lethal rain, corroding the sails as they fell.
The unfortunate pirates were either blown into pieces on the spot, screamed in agony from the acid rain, or fell into the sea with slim chances of survival.
On the Little Bird.
Bai Ya’s ears buzzed. He shook his head vigorously, finally managing to stand up from a pile of wooden debris at his cannon station.
Looking closely, Bai Ya saw that the cannon he operated had been deformed by a solid bomb and could no longer be used. Of the few pirates he worked with, only one survived.
Blood and flesh scattered everywhere, the pungent smell of gunpowder, and a faint pain on his cheek.
Bai Ya steadied his staggered form, trying to touch his own cheek with his hand.
“Hisss!”
He gasped as the pain suddenly intensified.
He cautiously felt with his hand and finally, in agony, pulled out a piece of wood slightly smaller than his pinky from just below his cheekbone.
After removing the splinter, Bai Ya quickly pulled out some wound medicine from his chest.
With trembling hands, he held a small amount of the medicine powder and then applied it to the wound on his cheek.
Though ordinary, the Empire’s wound medicine was very effective—Bai Ya’s cheek stopped bleeding at once.
After some time, Bai Ya’s hearing gradually returned. The buzzing sound subsided, and he heard the surrounding screams and pirates shouting, “Get up, stand up, load the bombs, retaliate! Retaliate!”
Bai Ya gritted his teeth and quickly dragged his body to the nearest cannon station.
This station had lost its pirate operators; the others were urgently loading bombs. Bai Ya immediately filled in the gap.
A similar scene was happening continuously on all three ships of the Justice Pirate Group.
The Gold and Silver Brothers’ fleet, larger and with far more cannons, put the Justice Pirate Group in a severe disadvantage just after one round of exchange.
However, the Gold and Silver Pirate Group was even more anxious.
The three ships of the Justice Pirate Group still maintained their speed, and the wind direction was favorable for the Dragon-man youth and his team. If this continued, the two sides would drift apart, and the Gold and Silver Pirate Group could only watch helplessly as the Justice Pirate Group escaped.
At the critical moment, the only Silver Mage of the Gold and Silver Pirate Group took action.
Wind Magic—Gale!
After accumulating energy for a moment, the Silver Mage successfully cast the spell.
The favorable wind of the Justice Pirate Group suddenly reversed, and the speeds of their three ships plummeted to the bottom.
In contrast, half of the Gold and Silver Pirate Fleet caught the tailwind and their speed surged.
“Well done!” Silver Hook rejoiced.
The Silver Mage smirked, fully focused on maintaining the gale as his mana quickly depleted.
“We must eliminate the enemy Mage!” Zong Ge said with a grave face.
In warfare, it was common knowledge to prioritize removing the opposing Transcendent Magic System.
The Mage had far more tactics than a fighter, and what was more terrifying was that the opposing Mage had achieved a Silver Level, posing a significantly high threat to the Justice Pirate Group.
However!
Golden Hook showed no signs of making a move.
He simply stayed aboard the Silver Hook, guarding the Silver Mage, adopting a stance of waiting for the enemy to fall into the trap.
If he had led the charge, the Dragon-man youth and his crew might have had an opportunity, but now, with this defensive posture, the Justice Pirate Group saw no chance at all!
Another round of cannon fire ensued.
Although the cannons of the Justice Pirate Group were sharp, with an average higher Level than those of the Gold and Silver Pirate Group, the latter had many ordinary cannons and some outdated firing mechanisms.
But the sheer number of cannons in the Gold and Silver Pirate Group was overwhelming.
The quantity had caused a qualitative change.
The Justice Pirate Group was gradually getting overwhelmed.
The Justice, a Black Iron Level magic vessel, had solid defense and was still in a good state.
But both the Rapids and the Little Bird were in dire situations, especially the Little Bird, which was only a normal ship. Its surface was riddled with holes, and it was leaking inside.
The Dragon-man youth urgently ordered a change in formation, positioning the Justice at the forefront while the Rapids and the Little Bird moved sideways.
Consequently, the Justice faced increasing pressure. As the distance between the two sides closed, more bombs landed on the deck. The Dragon-man youth and One in Grey defended with all their might, but more and more bombs slipped through.
Cannons boomed on the deck of the Little Bird as she fiercely pulled the rope, launching a cannonball.
The cannonball whistled through the air and struck the enemy ship’s mast, breaking it instantly and causing chaos among the enemy.
“Well done, girl!” shouted Little Bird excitedly as she slapped the cannon’s backside.
The Dragon-man youth had previously replenished the supplies, acquiring four Silver Level cannons from the Empire, all operated by Little Bird.
Her artillery skills were the highest within the Justice Pirate Group, and since the battle began, Little Bird’s achievements had been remarkable.
“Captain, we’re all set here!” cried the pirates.
Their gazes at Little Bird were filled with increasing admiration.
During the onslaught of the enemy’s cannon fire, Little Bird had become the pillar of morale for the pirates. Every cannonball she fired inflicted significant damage on the enemy, greatly stabilizing the spirits of her crew.
Little Bird hurried over.
“This feels amazing!”
She was visibly thrilled, thoroughly enjoying the pirates’ admiring looks.
“The only pity is that I can only operate two cannons. If I could keep firing all four Silver Cannons continuously, that would feel incredible!”
The four Silver Cannons were positioned along both sides of the ship. Since only one side faced the enemy, the cannons on the other side remained idle.
With excitement, Little Bird moved to another cannon station.
He caressed the cannon’s breech lovingly and adjusted the direction of the cannon’s muzzle.
He only had a Black Iron Level Cultivation, while the cannons he operated were of the Silver Level, but it didn’t matter; there was no need for Little Bird to channel his Fighting Energy. The mana reserves in the ‘Justice’ Mana Pool were high, and once Little Bird finished the adjustments, the mana was immediately transferred to the cannons.
However, just as Little Bird was about to fire, his heart suddenly clenched, a violent throb altering his expression.
“Take cover!” Little Bird, with his extensive combat experience, immediately recognized this palpitation and, with a roll, dove behind the pillars between the cannons.
The next second, an ordinary-looking cold arrow mixed with a rain of cannonballs shot into his position.
Boom!
The arrow exploded, releasing a burst of silver Fighting Energy, killing all the pirates at that cannon station.
The Silver Level cannon there was destroyed on the spot.
Little Bird narrowly escaped death, and after the fear came anger.
“Damn it, someone’s targeting me!” he roared, standing up abruptly, chest puffed out.
But as he reached the heavily damaged cannon station, he immediately dropped to the ground, sneakily peeking out with a sly look.
The enemy ship was teeming with figures, making it impossible for Little Bird to spot the archer.
“No matter, it must have been a Silver Fighter who did this! I’ll be waiting for you.”
He knelt on the ground, concealing his body, and then pulled out a Luck Holy Rune to start praying.
On the ocean, the distance between the Justice Pirate Group and the Gold and Silver Brothers was rapidly closing.
The former was veering northwest, while the latter approached from the northeast.
The Silver Mage continued to maintain the Gale, guarded closely by the Gold and Silver Brothers themselves.
Magic Scroll—Windless Domain!
Inside the Captain’s cabin of the ‘Justice’, Cang Xu, having prepared for a long time, finally managed to cast this Wind Magic.
He was an Undead Mage, and acting alone, his Undead Magic could cause morale to plummet among friends and foes alike, revealing his identity. But using the Magic Scroll, he could cast spells across different magic systems.
Unlike the Wind Element Silver Mage on the opposing side, using the Magic Scroll cost Cang Xu more Mana, took longer, and had a weaker effect.
After all, Cang Xu’s Mana was not of the Wind Attribute.
The Windless Domain enveloped a large area, covering the three ships of the Justice Pirate Group.
This spell had once been used by the Sea Snake Lady against the Dragon-man youth and his allies, but now it was helping them.
The gale swept in, and upon entering the Windless Domain, its force significantly diminished.
The three ships of the Justice Pirate Group felt as if they had shed a great burden and their speed improved considerably.
Cang Xu was panting heavily.
This was a Silver Level Magic Scroll, and the demand for Mana was heavy for someone of the Black Iron Level.
The scroll in Cang Xu’s hands gradually turned to ash as he took every second to recuperate.
He pulled out a Magic Potion, downing the pale blue liquid in one gulp.
As the potion took effect, the Mana within his body began to rapidly replenish.
The emergence of the Windless Domain astonished the Gold and Silver Brothers.
“They have a Mage too!”
“Don’t worry, he’s just Black Iron Level.”
“Even though he used a Silver Level scroll, he’s still no match for us.”
The Mage among the members of the Gold and Silver Pirate Group was a Wind Element Silver Mage, using his strongest Wind Magic, which was very powerful. Just using a Silver Scroll by Black Iron Level Cang Xu was not enough to counter it.
But the members of the Gold and Silver Pirate Group didn’t revel in their advantage for long, as the next moment, the bow of the ‘Justice’ lit up with a faint glow.
The bow figure was an Angel, his expression solemn, fists clenched at his chest, head bowed in prayer. His wide wings nearly enveloped his whole body, conveying a strong sense of security.
It was indeed the Dragon-man youth who had taken Lan Zao’s advice and, during their recent respite, purchased the Peace Angel figurehead from the Empire!
The function of this figurehead was to quell storms and bring serenity.
It, too, was a Silver Level Magic Tool!