Chapter 89 - 84: Gulard Warship, Iron-faced Warlock (2)
Crafty Frog shrugged. "Who has nothing better to do than just throw Treasure Chests around for other people to open?"
"But this is a game!" Li Miao said, throwing his hands up.
"Oh, right..." Crafty Frog paused for a moment, then laughed and scratched the back of his head. He’d been in this game for so long that he was starting to lose track of what was real and what was fantasy.
However, as the group was happily discussing their exploration, a horn blast sounded, and a ship began to approach them.
Everyone’s attention was drawn to it.
"The Pillaging Ship?" Li Miao asked, giving it a surprised glance.
"No, that’s not it. This ship is clearly a size larger, and it’s moving pretty fast..."
"I think this is... that Gulard’s Large Sailing Ship the storyteller mentioned. Or maybe it’s a warship!"
Crafty Frog squinted, getting a clearer look at the vessel.
Unlike the dilapidated state of the Pillaging Ship, this Gulard Warship was much more intact and a size larger.
’Huh? Why did it suddenly turn?’
While everyone was wondering, they noticed the Gulard Warship was gradually changing course, turning its broadside toward them.
"Not good. Let’s go, now," Faraway warned, his brow furrowed.
At that moment, dark cannon ports began to appear along the Gulard Warship’s side, aiming directly at them.
The Gulard Warship was about to open fire on them!
Startled, the group quickly maneuvered the Spirit Fire Raft to flee.
Brother Yu packed up his fishing rod, cursed, and started to run.
Crafty Frog and Venerable Lique, the two Frogman Candle Spirits, dove under the Spirit Fire Raft and started pushing to make it go faster.
But they were still too slow.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Smoke billowed from the cannon muzzles as cannonball after cannonball shot toward their position.
Li Miao instinctively looked up. A dark cannonball rapidly grew larger in his vision, heading straight for him.
He reflexively raised the Law Knight’s Shield in front of himself.
BOOM—
A massive explosion erupted. With a "Fuck!", Li Miao was sent flying backward.
He flew nearly ten meters before landing in the sea with a SPLASH.
The Spirit Fire Raft shattered into pieces, and the Rootless Fire was instantly extinguished.
’We’re screwed!’
Crafty Frog knew this was bad. Human Candle Spirits dissolved easily in water. If Li Miao fell in like that, they wouldn’t have time to save him. He would definitely turn into Wax Ash.
But Faraway remained calm. He leaped forward, instantly transforming into the Flower of Drowning. Using the Skill Desperate Struggle, he extended an arm and plucked Li Miao out of the water.
’That works too?’
Crafty Frog and Venerable Lique stared, dumbfounded.
Li Miao had thought he was a goner, but he never expected Faraway’s clutch play to pull him back from the brink. "Faraway, you’re a fucking legend!" he exclaimed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Gulard Warship’s bombardment continued. Faraway extended a hand holding the Drowned Hand Bones and unleashed a Blood Stone Burst, shattering an incoming cannonball.
"Get on the raft, transform into Knights, and block the front. I’ll push you forward," Faraway said calmly.
"Got it!"
Without another word, Li Miao tossed a Recovery Wax Block into his mouth, leaped onto the Spirit Fire Raft, and his body began to grow.
Brother Yu did the same.
However, as their bodies enlarged, so did their weight, and the Spirit Fire Raft began to sink.
But Faraway and the two Frogman Candle Spirits didn’t stay idle; they immediately lifted it up.
The two towering Law Knights almost completely shielded Faraway, holding their Large Shields to form a perfect front line.
BANG!
He blocked another cannonball, but this time, Li Miao only took half a step back.
"Keep moving forward like this. To the warship," Faraway said.
The others naturally had no objections.
And so, the Flower of Drowning pushed two shield-bearing Law Knights from behind, with two Frogman Candle Spirits providing thrust from below. They had formed a strange "warship" of their own, advancing steadily.
The cannonballs they encountered along the way were either deflected or blocked, unable to cause any effective damage.
Before long, the three of them reached the edge of the Gulard Warship.
"So you thought you’d use cannons on us, huh?"
Li Miao had nearly turned into Wax Ash and was already holding in a bellyful of rage. While approaching, all he could do was passively take hits.
So, upon reaching the Gulard Warship, his anger meter now maxed out, he bent his knees with the help of the others, gathered his strength, and leaped!
BANG!
Li Miao flew through the air, roaring as he plunged his Greatsword into the ship’s hull. Then, he threw a punch wreathed in Warfire that smashed clean through the hull, and he scrambled inside through the hole.
Brother Yu followed right behind him, instantly creating a second hole in the Gulard Warship.
The cannons on the outside of the warship went silent. Muffled thuds and the sound of the hull being destroyed echoed from within.
With another CRASH, the hull burst open, and a Gulard Soldier was thrown out. It landed in the sea with a SPLASH and turned to ashes, leaving behind a few drops of Wax Oil.
"Well now, thank you for this generous gift."
Crafty Frog and Venerable Lique happily began to collect the loot.
The two of them weren’t strong enough to be of much use up there.
Faraway had now returned to his human form. He tossed a Recovery Wax Block into his mouth and left them with a parting sentence.
"I’m leaving the Spirit Fire Raft to you."
With that, he also boarded the warship.
"Looks like we’re only good for watching the raft, ribbit," Venerable Lique said, acting goofy.
Crafty Frog was speechless. "Idiot."
...
SWOOSH!
Li Miao swung his sword horizontally. A white wave of Sword Qi shot out, instantly mowing down several Gulard Soldiers like a scythe through chives.
Then he roared, held his shield in front, tucked his sword under his right arm, and used Knight Charge. He crashed into the most crowded areas like a bowling ball.
The attacks from some of the Gulard Soldiers were like flea bites to him; he couldn’t even be bothered to dodge. Only the Defender Captains could cause him any trouble.
As for Brother Yu, who was behind him, he was more pragmatic. He coordinated his greatsword and shield, taking out enemies one by one. When he encountered axe-wielding soldiers, he would instinctively dodge or roll away.
He was so used to rolling around all the time that he found it a bit difficult to adapt to the straightforward, charging fighting style of the enlarged Law Knight.
However, Brother Yu’s cautious and vigilant habits soon saved his life.
WHOOSH!
A faint sound of something cutting through the air came from behind. Brother Yu’s sharp senses picked it up, and he instinctively sidestepped.
An ethereal Little Sword grazed past his face, leaving a deep gash on his helmet.
This made Brother Yu frown. He turned to look at the source of the attack and was startled.
A slender, upright humanoid monster stood there, staring at him coldly. It was dressed in a classic black and gold formal suit, wore a terrifying iron mask, and held its left hand behind its back.
Its gloved hand was held in a loose fist. Warfire burned in its palm, and an ethereal Little Sword floated above it.
[Iron-faced Warlock]
[Tier: Embers]
[Level: 17]
[Warfire: Iron-faced Warlock]
[Talent: Law’s Blessing (Pledged to the law, they receive its blessing. Loyal and impartial, they take slightly reduced physical damage.)]
[Skills: Guard Law Sword, Execution Step, Executioner’s Hand Blade, Law Protection]
[Explanation: Iron-faced Warlocks come from all over Gulard. After swearing an oath to the law, they undergo rigorous selection and training to become impartial Warlocks, faithfully defending the Gulard Empire.]
"Miaozi! Watch out for this guy!"
Brother Yu shouted immediately.
Li Miao whipped around and noticed the Iron-faced Warlock.
’Hm?’
Just then, Faraway, who had just come aboard, also saw the Iron-faced Warlock and couldn’t help but frown slightly.
SWOOSH!
Right before their eyes, the Iron-faced Warlock suddenly moved. Its posture was perfectly straight, and the distance of each step seemed to be precisely calculated, with almost no variation.
More importantly, it was incredibly fast. Its body left behind an afterimage, and in barely half a breath, it appeared right in front of Li Miao!