Chapter 74: Long-Distance Reinforcements
Kevin let out a sigh. "Alright. Things are simpler from here."
With that, he reached his right hand out toward Lilith.
Lilith frowned. "What are you doing?"
Kevin said matter-of-factly, "The Eldritch Artifact for controlling the egg shells, of course. How else am I supposed to catch them?"
Lilith instantly bristled. "Kevin, I already gave you one Eldritch Artifact in advance!"
Kevin scratched his head and grinned. "Yeah, you did. And I used it to control Eliana. You can’t expect me to go after the other two Wasp Queen egg shells empty-handed, can you?"
Lilith took a deep breath and said coldly, "You’re such a liar. I knew it. Humans are nothing but cunning animals."
She then took out two magic scrolls. "Kevin, consider this me owing you a favor."
"If you can capture the other two Wasp Queen egg shells, I promise I’ll fight for you once when you need it."
Kevin nodded. "Deal."
Kevin took the two scrolls and was immediately stunned by the description.
[Magic Scroll · Enchanting Gaze: S-Tier Skill Scroll, single-use item. Tearing the scroll releases the "Enchanting Gaze" skill, granting 100% control over Eldritch Entities below the Lord rank.]
Kevin looked up at Lilith. "You had such a useful Eldritch Artifact all along and never told me."
For Kevin right now, these two scrolls were about the most valuable luxury items he could ask for.
Because at this point, even the Wasp Queen’s main body — that giant fleshy mass — was only at the Commander rank.
Lilith shot Kevin a glare and punched him in the shoulder. "These two scrolls are my personal stash. And the skills on them were imprinted by me personally. Any target controlled by this skill will only obey my commands."
Kevin cursed Lilith under his breath for being so crafty.
He tucked the two scrolls into his coat, raised his wrist to check his watch — it was just before midnight.
"Eliana. Take me to your sisters. Now."
With that, Kevin dispelled the "Deepsea Mist" that had been wrapped around the Two-Masted Sloop.
Eliana’s eyes glowed with golden light as she quickly sensed the presence of her kin nearby.
"Over there." Eliana lifted her hand and pointed into the distance.
Just at that moment, Celula came rushing over on her Wheels of Flame & Wind, frantic. "Bad news! Something’s happened to Raphael and the others! A massive swarm of human-faced wasps attacked them! Should we go help? They’re about fifteen nautical miles south!"
Kevin followed the direction Celula was pointing in — and it happened to be exactly the same direction Eliana had pointed.
Kevin frowned. "Can’t be that much of a coincidence, can it?"
Fifteen nautical miles out at sea.
Eighteen ships had clustered together, struggling to hold off the swarm of human-faced wasps in the sky.
Toti hoisted an RPG launcher over his shoulder, sending rocket after rocket into the air like they cost nothing.
Behind him, his crew members were all armed with Glock 19 pistols, bullets flying nonstop toward the sky.
From time to time, a few human-faced wasps would take a hit and fall into the sea — but new ones quickly filled the gap.
"Goddammit! This Eldritch Entity attack is way over the top today! There must be over a thousand human-faced wasps up there!" Toti roared as he fell back step by step, steadily retreating toward the others.
Inside the helm, Raphael stood at the window, staring up at the two human-faced wasp Empress egg shells hovering in the sky.
Each of them was holding two Survivors in their arms.
Those Survivors’ faces were flushed red, wearing expressions of pure ecstasy.
Even though they were being held in midair by Eldritch Entities on the brink of death, they were still madly clinging to the two Empress egg shells, like dogs in heat.
Behind them, another seven or eight Survivors had their limbs pinned by human-faced wasps, suspended in the air like trophies on display for everyone to see.
"Everyone, be careful! Don’t let their scales touch you! They have a strong aphrodisiac and hallucinogenic effect!" Raphael put down the radio and silently closed his eyes.
Soon, a gust of wind rose over the sea.
The scales the swarm had deliberately shaken off were swept up by the wind and scattered rapidly in all directions.
Just then, Richard — clad in a full suit of rock armor — punched a human-faced wasp into a pulp and bellowed, "If we keep this up, we’re all finished! Raphael, call for backup! Now!"
Beside him, Valentina was swinging her curved blade, just beheading a human-faced wasp, when a flake of scale dust landed on her arm.
Her face instantly flushed red — but moments later, the scale dust was absorbed into her body, as if it had no effect at all.
She glanced at Richard with a look of contempt. "You were all scheming against him just this morning. And now you suddenly remember to ask him for help?"
With a loud bang, a streak of blinding golden light shot across the sky.
Derek was gripping his twin pistols, every bullet that left his barrels transforming into a beam of laser light, packing devastating power.
As human-faced wasp after human-faced wasp dropped into the sea, Derek blew the smoke from his muzzles and turned to Valentina with a smirk. "This is the real face of the world. Cooperation on the surface, competition behind the scenes."
On another ship nearby.
The elderly Oliver leaned on his cane, his sharp eyes scanning the human-faced wasps circling around them.
Whenever a human-faced wasp locked onto him, he would gently tap his walking stick.
A piercing sonic wave would ripple outward from the cane. Any human-faced wasp that collided with the wave would stagger like a drunken man, losing all sense of direction — some even tumbling into the sea.
Oliver gently stroked his cane and sighed. "At this rate, the weapons and ammunition we traded from Lady Nova are going to run out. Captain Raphael, how much longer until reinforcements arrive?"
Raphael shook her head silently. "We need to hold on for at least another half hour."
With that, she picked up another megaphone and shouted toward the Spectral Corsair Vessel in the distance. "Captain Keston, even at a time like this, you still refuse to act with us?"
Keston was lying back inside the Spectral Corsair Vessel, showing no intention of joining the defense.
The Spectral Corsair Vessel itself was under Keston’s complete control.
Any human-faced wasp that came near the ship would instantly be drained into a zombie by the vessel, turned into raw material for repairing the hull and deck.
After a few rounds of harassment, the wasps in the sky had started consciously avoiding the Spectral Corsair Vessel.
So Keston was in no hurry. "Captain Raphael, I’m sorry. With this many human-faced wasps, I can barely protect myself. I really don’t have the ability to help. Also — you’re too beautiful. Best if you talk to me as little as possible from now on."
Click. The line went dead.
Raphael couldn’t believe it. Keston had completely brushed her off.
This development left Raphael doubting her own appearance for the first time.
With no other choice, Raphael once again raised her radio. "Captains, if any of you still have aces up your sleeves or have been hiding your true strength, now is the time to reveal it. Otherwise, none of us are getting out of here alive."
With that, Raphael’s eyes began to glow with a deep, ethereal blue light.
On the surface of the sea, a tornado slowly began to take shape. Massive amounts of seawater were pulled into the sky, forming a small but powerful water vortex.
The vortex swayed left and right, continuously sweeping into the surrounding swarms of human-faced wasps.
Any human-faced wasp that got caught in the water column was instantly dragged into the swirling center, disappearing without a trace — not even a single scrap left behind.
The Survivors nearby stared in shock.
"Holy shit! Is that Captain Raphael’s ability? Her Talent is insane!"
"What was that just now? A tornado? There’s actually a Survivor who can control a tornado?"
"Long live Captain Raphael! No wonder she’s our leader!"
Not far away, Robin and Tom exchanged glances, admiration in their eyes. "I knew it. There’s a reason Raphael can command so many Survivors. She’s got real power."
Tom nodded. "Since it’s come down to life or death, we shouldn’t hold back anymore either."
Robin’s expression turned serious as he looked back at Tom. "Together."
With that, the two clasped hands — and in an instant, they merged into a single, entirely new human being.
The fused being radiated a powerful, violent, and chaotic aura.
But across the entire sea, not a single human or human-faced wasp dared to ignore this combined form they had become.
The human-faced wasps that had been menacingly circling them froze in place for a moment the moment they saw the fusion.
A perfect opening!
The fused body let out a thunderous roar and launched itself into the air with explosive speed.
Here’s the English translation, written in a natural, simple Western style:
Steam was pouring off his body. An intense heat formed a thin layer around his skin.
The scale dust from the human-faced wasps that had been floating in the air instantly burned up and turned into nothing the moment it touched that layer.
As for the human-faced wasps that tried to get close, they were either smashed apart with bare hands or torn into pieces on the spot.
In that moment, every Captain pulled out their best tricks.
Some had incredibly strong Talent abilities. Some carried hidden Eldritch Artifacts. Others simply showed off their superhuman power.
But none of them could keep it up for long.
In less than ten minutes, every Captain — including Raphael — couldn’t keep using their Talents anymore.
The two human-faced wasp Empress egg shells in the sky noticed this. They grinned widely.
"Time to stop playing with them," said Labis. Her hair was made of snakes. She turned her head and stared at the wheelhouse of the deep-sea fishing boat.
Raphael was still controlling her water tornado. But then, a huge force slammed into her out of nowhere. She was sent flying. The water tornado she had summoned crashed back into the sea.
On the other side, Hillary — whose hair was made of centipedes — bared her fangs. "Prey, the game is over!"
Right after that, the Survivors who had been fighting back on the deck suddenly felt something grab their feet. One by one, they fell to the ground.
Labis and Hillary looked at each other. They could both see the greed in the other’s eyes.
But just as they were about to move again, a dark shadow suddenly covered them.
The two human-faced wasp Empress egg shells looked up. There, high in the sky, was Kevin. He was standing on the back of a Mist Phantom in Dragon Form, holding two scrolls in his hands.