Episode 233
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sudden barrage of magical cannon fire from the pirates caught Morgan completely off guard.
“What the hell? Have those pirate scoundrels lost their minds?”
With Captain Hook dead, there was no logical reason for the pirates to suddenly attack the Imperial fleet from behind, leaving Morgan baffled by their actions.
He quickly issued an order to his lieutenant.
“Capture those fools and find out what in the world is going on!”
The lieutenant saluted and dashed off. Morgan then approached the Second Prince.
“Prince Leo, please leave the task of dealing with these pirate rabble to us. You should rest. The mermen will soon discover the ruins, and your leadership will be crucial then.”
Morgan was trying his best to placate Leo with kind words.
But Leo wasn’t listening to Morgan at all.
“Why are the pirates acting like this all of a sudden?”
Morgan swallowed his rising irritation at Leo’s question.
‘How should I know why they’re doing this?’
Pirates were inherently unpredictable, capable of backstabbing without warning. Explaining their erratic behavior was a challenge.
As Morgan hesitated, Leo turned away.
“I’ll go ask the pirates myself. We need to understand the reason behind this to prevent it from happening again.”
Leo had been sheltered in the palace under Julius’s protection, receiving a top-tier education. He had a relentless curiosity and a need to understand everything, never letting things slide.
While his diligence was a rare virtue for a royal, it was a headache for Morgan, the field commander.
‘Damn it! Why can’t he just stay quietly in his cabin!’
Unaware of Morgan’s inner turmoil, Leo was already heading towards the deck, where the flying beasts were being prepared for launch.
He climbed onto one of the beasts and commanded the mage.
“Take me to the flagship of the pirate fleet.”
The mage looked at Morgan in alarm. Morgan, with a resigned sigh, nodded reluctantly.
Soon, the flying beasts soared into the sky.
Caw! Caw!
The beasts flew towards the pirate ships, which were still firing their magical cannons.
The pirates’ cannons weren’t precise enough to hit the airborne beasts.
Failing to land a hit, the pirates switched to crossbows, aiming at the flying beasts.
Caw!
The soldiers riding the beasts hurled magical projectiles at the pirate ships.
Boom!
The projectiles exploded on the sails and decks of the pirate ships.
However, the blasts weren’t powerful enough to sink the ships.
Leo, riding one of the beasts, asked the pilot.
“Which one is the flagship?”
The pilot scanned the ships and pointed to the largest one.
“That one, Your Highness!”
It was the ship once captained by Hook.
Leo nodded and leaped off the beast.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As he fell, his Hershion activated, suspending him in mid-air.
He adjusted his trajectory and charged directly at the flagship.
As he descended rapidly, he collided with the mast.
Crash!
The massive mast collapsed with a thunderous noise, drawing the pirates towards the wreckage.
It was then.
Boom! Boom! Boom—
Amidst the fallen mast, a massive aura blade shimmered, slicing through the approaching pirates.
Thud!
Leo emerged from the wreckage, sword in hand.
With his golden hair and blue eyes, Leo looked like a lion.
Despite his fierce appearance, the pirates charged at him with swords drawn.
As his Hershion activated, a helmet covered Leo’s face completely.
Clang!
The pirates’ swords couldn’t even scratch Leo’s Hershion.
After allowing the pirates’ swords to strike him once, Leo swung his sword.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Like a storm, Leo’s sword swept through the surrounding pirates.
The pirates were shredded to pieces, unable to even scream.
The remaining pirates hesitated, intimidated by Leo’s presence.
Leo raised his sword and spoke.
“Bring me your captain. Spare your lives, and I’ll let you live.”
He scanned the area and locked eyes with a large man at the back of the pirates.
The man was covered in tattoos from head to toe.
It was Zeke, who had subdued the captain’s spirit.
Leo addressed him.
“Why did you attack us?”
The subdued pirate said nothing.
He simply shouted to the other pirates.
“Kill him!”
Though they feared the formidable knight, the pirates also feared their ruthless captain, so they charged at Leo.
“Die!”
As a dozen pirates rushed at him, Leo activated the magic engraved on his Hershion.
Crackle!
White lightning crackled from the Hershion.
The lightning surged into his sword.
Leo swung the lightning-charged sword at the oncoming pirates.
Crackle!
The lightning arced in all directions, engulfing the pirates and even the captain watching from behind.
“Argh!”
The powerful lightning incinerated the pirates completely.
The captain, whose spirit had been subdued, met the same fate.
He took one last look at Leo’s face, now unmasked, before he died.
“Hmm?”
Zeke flinched and opened his eyes.
Felix, beside him, asked.
“What’s wrong, my lord?”
“The Imperial forces have wiped out the pirates.”
At this, Clone, standing behind, tapped his shoulder with a mace and said.
“Of course. No matter how wild those pirate scum get, they can’t stand up to the Empire. Those guys are tough as nails.”
Zeke stroked his chin, recalling the face of the knight who had decimated the pirates.
The captain’s vision had been too blurry to make out the face clearly, but the knight seemed exceptionally skilled.
‘He was wearing the Empire’s Hershion. A Hershion that generates white lightning… It didn’t seem like one of the Thirteen Constellations’ Hershions, yet it was that powerful. Whoever he is, he must be of high status.’
If it were a wartime situation, capturing him might have been worth considering, but that wasn’t feasible now.
The priority was to escape with Kali as quickly as possible.
Zeke was moving the ship into the hidden Sea God’s Tomb and heading towards the camp where his comrades were.
He planned to find his comrades and leave the area, avoiding the Imperial forces.
At that moment, Zeke sensed something.
‘Is there a battle going on?’
Zeke gestured to Felix and Clone to lower their voices.
The three of them approached the camp cautiously, minimizing their presence.
In front of the camp, they saw the Imperial hunting dogs.
Growl!
The hunting dogs, black mages, and Imperial soldiers were gathered near the cave where the camp was located.
Zeke observed that the bone wall Richmond had erected was serving as a barrier, holding them back.
Behind it, Gurav and the shark dragons were standing firm, preventing the enemy from advancing.
Zeke gritted his teeth at the sight of the relentless Imperial forces.
‘Persistent bastards. Have they pushed this far to capture Sister Kali?’
Zeke tried to communicate with Richmond, who had been unresponsive.
Finally, Richmond replied.
‘Master!’
Zeke immediately asked Richmond.
‘Richmond, what’s the situation?’
‘Master! It’s chaos here. Monsters keep coming, and strange knights are entering the cave from the back! I’m secretly holding them off, but I can’t keep this up for long!’
As a black mage, Richmond’s identity was known to only a few in Zeke’s camp.
With Kali and the Silver Knights in the camp, he was likely hiding and summoning undead to fend off the enemies.
Zeke quickly summoned Kaiman, the dragon warriors, and the ghost soldiers.
Swoosh—
He sent the ghost soldiers to the back of the cave where Richmond was.
After confirming the ghost soldiers had vanished, Zeke spoke to Kaiman.
“Kaiman, lead the dragon warriors and attack those bastards to distract them.”
Kaiman bowed and replied.
“I will follow your command, my lord.”
Kaiman extended his hand, summoning an Eastern Empire-style sword and a round shield.
He led the dragon warriors down the slope as Zeke had instructed.
Watching this, Clone and Felix asked Zeke.
“My lord, what on earth is that?”
“Is it magic? Can you use magic too, chief?”
Zeke nodded vaguely at their curious gazes.
“Yes, it’s magic. They’re summons I obtained from an ancient artifact.”
Clone and Felix, true knights with no knowledge of magic, nodded in awe.
‘They actually believe that. Even for knights, that’s a bit much.’
Given all the extraordinary things Zeke had shown them, his subordinates had reached a point where they simply accepted whatever he said.
Still, concerned about their ignorance, Zeke decided to conduct basic magic defense training for the knights.
At that moment, Kaiman and the dragon warriors attacked the Imperial forces from behind.
Boom!
Kaiman charged at the imperial soldiers with his sword, exuding an aura of sheer power. His massive frame barreled through them, scattering the hunting dogs like leaves in a storm. The dragon warriors following him displayed combat skills far superior to when they were mere dragon soldiers.
After their initial assault, Kaiman’s unit retreated into the forest. A sharp whistle pierced the air as the imperial soldiers pursued them into the woods. Meanwhile, Zeke, accompanied by Clone and Felix, stealthily approached a nearby cave.
Zeke silently dispatched the guard dog at the cave entrance with a swift dagger strike. The trio cautiously entered the cave, where walls made of bones loomed ominously. As Zeke advanced, skeletons rose from the ground, but recognizing him, they did not attack.
Inside the protective barrier, Zeke found Gurav and several shark dragons. Upon closer inspection, he saw the dragons were injured and on the brink of death.
‘They must have been wounded defending against intruders.’
Gurav nuzzled against Zeke, and in that moment, Zeke understood his plea.
“You want me to turn the shark dragons into summoned creatures?”
Gurav growled softly, having grown attached to the dragons in their short time together. Realizing they would die otherwise, Zeke decided to grant Gurav’s request. Using his power to control dragonkind, he transformed the injured shark dragons into his summons.
A shadow rose at Zeke’s command, enveloping the dragons. Moments later, they stood revitalized as Zeke’s summoned creatures.
Zeke surveyed the newly acquired shark dragon summons, pondering, ‘What should I name them?’
Deciding to leave the naming for later, he issued orders to Gurav and the dragons.
“Gurav, go and wreak havoc on the imperial forces with Kaiman’s unit.”
With a triumphant roar, Gurav and the shark dragons charged out of the cave. The sudden appearance of the dragon horde sent the hunting dogs into a frenzy.
Zeke led Felix and Clone deeper into the cave, where they encountered knights clad in the imperial Hershion armor.
‘If they attack the camp, Sister Kali will be in danger.’
Zeke quickly led Felix and Clone further inside.
“Damn it! Don’t let them through!”
Peter Pan unleashed a torrent of water to hold back the advancing demons. The young mermen behind him jabbed at the demons with spears, but the creatures, impervious to pain, continued their relentless push.
Farrell, Aster, and Diego, alongside the Silver Knights, fought to repel the insect-like monsters summoned by a dark sorcerer.
Farrell swung his sword, shouting, “This is endless! We need to take out the sorcerer in the back!”
The sorcerer, a warlock of the Abyss, was no ordinary dark mage. He brandished his staff, taunting them.
“Fools. If you had only handed over Kali Draker, you could have died a painless death. Instead, you choose a path of suffering!”
His eyes glowed red, and the monsters he summoned grew even stronger.
The exhausted knights despaired as the creatures pressed harder. But then, a heavy thudding sound echoed from another direction.
‘Could it be the lord?’
Farrell turned, hope lighting his face, only for it to drain away as he saw imperial knights in Hershion armor emerging behind the Abyss sorcerer.
The sorcerer sneered, “There’s no escape for you! Embrace your end!”
Dark energy surged from the sorcerer’s body, and the knights in Hershion armor advanced toward him. But one knight suddenly drew a mace from behind.
Crack!
The mace, crackling with intense light, smashed into the sorcerer’s head.