Chapter 370: Section 157: The Legend is Coming
The Fishman youth charged through the battle, effortlessly dodging the Glory Light Charges.
The three Captains couldn’t help feeling a chill of terror.
The fighting talent displayed by the Fishman youth was unbelievable to them, as in such a short time, he had visibly improved. The Glory Light Charges that had previously threatened his life were now being ignored.
Just as they had moved the ships to avoid the Python Flow Bombs, the Glory Light Charges were powerful indeed but ultimately futile if they failed to hit the target!
The three Captains began to discuss in their minds.
“Could we really lose this battle?”
“The warships on the surface are about to fall!”
With three Black Iron Level warships already sunk, the morale of the Navy was significantly shaken. Anyone could see that, with four Silver Level fighters clashing in the sea, the enemy managed to calmly sink warships, which naturally indicated that the three Captains were at a disadvantage.
“Let’s retreat first! This Fishman Divine Son’s combat ability underwater is far superior to his on deck. We are no match for him, and even the Glory Light Charges can’t do anything to him.”
All three had the intention to retreat.
Before the battle had begun, they had anticipated many scenarios and prepared a variety of retreat strategies.
The sailing speed of the Navy warships generally exceeded that of the Justice Pirate Group, giving them the initiative. They could engage or retreat at will.
Of course, the Deep Sea Monster Fish’s speed surpassed those of the warships.
But for this Golden Level demon energy ship, the three Captains also had a plan: if the Deep Sea Monster Fish mobilised, they would strike the Alchemy Ship from both sides.
For now, the Python Flow Bombs and Vortex Bombs posed little threat to the three Captains, who had mastered the combat skill Glory Light Charge.
In fact, there were too many important things on the Deep Sea Monster Fish, and to prevent the presence of a Golden Level power on the Navy ships, shortly after the Fishman youth deployed the Deep Sea Monster Fish, he ordered it to sink deeper and continually change positions, firing periodically, to assist the pirate ships on the surface.
After a quick exchange in their minds, the three Captains decided to retreat.
They gave the order first, then all three together entangled with the Fishman youth.
“You’re thinking of retreating?” pondered the Fishman youth.
He continued to charge at the warships.
The decision was reluctant yet wise.
As long as they were not lacking in Fighting energy, it was very difficult for the Fishman youth to pose a threat to the three Captains who had mastered the Glory Light Charge.
But the warships were a different matter.
At most, these warships were of Black Iron Level, and the Fishman youth’s power could rival the Gold, meaning theoretically even Golden Level warships would be vulnerable to his ability to exploit weaknesses.
“You still want to strike at our warships?!” The three Captains were both shocked and furious.
They, of course, could also target the pirate ships like the Fishman youth did.
But that wouldn’t be very smart.
Firstly, there were Silver Level fighters stationed on the pirate ships. Secondly, even if all the pirate ships on the surface were sunk, the Justice Pirate Group still had one Deep Sea Monster Fish.
And dealing directly with the Deep Sea Monster Fish would be even more difficult.
The deeper they went to the seafloor, the higher the water pressure the three Captains would face, the speed of the Glory Light Charges would drastically drop, and their Fighting energy would be consumed more rapidly.
The Fishman Divine Son was exceptionally powerful in water, holding a tremendous home-field advantage.
If the three Captains couldn’t defeat the Golden Level demon energy ship after a prolonged battle, and their Fighting energy was nearly depleted, they’d be easy prey for the enemy.
Since the decision to retreat was made, the three Captains did not hesitate and firmly carried out the plan.
Derived Combat Skill—Flying Flowing Blade!
The Fishman youth frequently threw, launching his Flowing Blades through the water.
Almost at the same time, new blades were forming in his hands.
Battling in the water, he never lacked for the currents; as long as his Fighting energy was sufficient, and his Spirit up to par, he had an endless Flowing Blade arsenal.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The Flying Blades were thrown, not in a straight line but in eerie curving trajectories through the water.
Facing a dozen Flying Blades, the three Captains were momentarily thrown into disarray.
“I’ve figured it out, these Flowing Blades travel with the underwater currents. In air, they can only fly straight, but in the water, their flight paths become unpredictable!” Yao Gui, while fending off the strikes and boomeranging of the Flying Blades, used telepathy to warn his companions.
But the next moment, his two companions were already shouting, “Careful!!”
Derived Combat Skill—Instant Flow Blade!
In the next moment, the Fishman youth vanished from his original position and reappeared at Yao Gui’s former spot.
This was the same combat skill that had claimed the life of Kan Qiao, but this time, it was not successful.
Yao Gui had already retreated fifty steps away, staring intently at the Fishman youth with residual terror on his face.
In the critical moment, alerted by his comrade, he hurriedly used his Alchemy Items` belt launcher to eject himself out of the way.
“Indeed, much of my intelligence was leaked in the battle with Kan Qiao. These three have been on guard against my Instant Flow Blade technique all along.”
The Fishman youth’s strike did not hit, but he was not at all discouraged.
Because he knew he had already gained the upper hand.
After a deadlock, the situation had gradually changed.
The Fishman youth practiced the Light and Thin Fate Fighting Energy, moving through water imposed more pressure than air, thinning his scales faster, but also replenishing his fighting energy more quickly.
The captains’ fighting energy was already halved, even with their constant use of potions during the battle.
Yet, the Fishman youth’s fighting energy had not decreased but increased, maintaining at 80%.
Additionally, his speed had increased significantly, now three times faster than at the beginning of the battle!
Though still not as fast as Glory Light Charge, he had already gained enough speed to take the initiative on the battlefield.
Yao Ming, Yao Gui, and Yao Wan had to be cautious with their fighting energy consumption, as Glory Light Charge was very draining, and they had to stop quickly after using it.
The doubled speed increase of the Fishman youth allowed him to engage the three men more frequently, forcing them to counter with the Glory Light Charge combat skill.
This exacerbated their fighting energy consumption.
“Damn! His speed is still increasing.”
“What a monster.”
“We can’t keep this up; we are likely to lose our lives if we drag this out! Implement that plan, order all warships to scatter and flee!”
The captains communicated via telepathy, making a decision that pained them deeply.
Thus, the naval forces who had been pressing the Justice Pirate Group were ordered to scatter and escape.
“We were about to win!”
“What’s happening? Not only are we ordered to retreat but to scatter and flee?”
“If we do this, we’ll suffer heavy losses, attacked furiously by pirate ships, unable to rely on our numerical advantage to hold our position!”
Receiving this order, the naval forces found it preposterous. Some even suspected it was a false command.
But the discipline instilled by their training and loyalty to the Empire made them comply after hesitating for a moment!
The warships began to quickly disperse and flee.
“This is bad!” The Fishman youth’s heart sank—it was the very outcome he least wanted to see.
If it weren’t for the scattered retreat, he might have had a chance to annihilate all the warships. But scattered, he could only choose to target some of them. After all, he was just one person.
And with the three captains’ interference, the Fishman youth didn’t expect much in terms of results.
Even if only one warship escaped the battlefield, the three captains could easily retreat using Glory Light Charge, regroup on a warship, and escape unscathed.
“The Imperial Navy is truly elite!” The Fishman youth could only lament in his heart for a moment. Whether it was the leaders’ joint attack, tactical choices, or the army’s discipline, all were commendable.
The Fishman youth possessed Golden Level battle power but was held back by three Silver Fighters.
“After all, I am not yet a true Golden Fighter. The combat skills I possess are not well-rounded!”
Advancing in life level wasn’t achieved overnight.
The Fishman youth was young and had acquired the Fishman Divine Bloodline too recently to have advanced to Golden Level. The selection and mastery of combat skills demanded much time and effort.
He had no choice but to attack with all his might against the determined retreat of the Navy, aiming to maximize the damage inflicted.
Even in the end, he risked moving the Deep Sea Monster Fish into shallower waters and fired the Golden Cannon at the warships.
The Navy suffered heavy losses but still managed to escape with three warships.
The three captains shook off the Fishman youth using Glory Light Charge and regrouped on a warship.
“We’ve lost too much this time!”
“If we had known they were going to be this tough, we should have waited for reinforcements.”
“This might even bring us before a military court; we will be questioned, especially regarding the order to retreat.”
Their expressions were as dark as water; reaching this point was something none of them had wanted to see.
However, at that moment, an order from Navy Headquarters came through directly.
Order: Yao Gui, Yao Wan, and Yao Ming’s combined fleet must engage the Justice Pirate Group at all costs! Hold for ten minutes; the Bi Tong fleet will arrive at the battlefield!
“What? Admiral Bi Tong himself is coming?”
“An insignificant pirate group, with the strongest of them only having Golden Battle Power, warrants the personal attention of an admiral?”
“This… haven’t we analyzed this before? It’s likely that this pirate group has seized some incredible treasure to spur Navy Headquarters into such mobilization!”
The captains were deeply moved, their eyes glinting with sharp light.
They were worried about the inquiry from a military court after such a defeat. But now, an opportunity for redemption was before them.
Although they wouldn’t get the credit for single-handedly defeating the Justice Pirate Group, they could still tag along behind Admiral Bi Tong. They indeed lacked the ability to take down the pirate group alone.
Avoiding interrogation and gaining some achievements in battle were already significant positives for the captains.
“Counterattack!”
“Full-scale counterattack!!”
“With strong Navy reinforcements, if we hold this pirate group, we can secure the final victory!!”
Under the command of the three captains, the scattered warships regrouped and charged at the Justice Pirate Group once more.