Chapter 776 - 763: Portrait
The sounds of cannon fire, battle cries, swords clashing, and people falling into the water... the deck has descended into chaos.
Through the large hole blasted by cannon fire, Lin Jun could observe the scene outside.
Sailors and guards fought bloodily, killing the water ghosts that climbed onto the deck one by one.
These monsters weren’t particularly strong, but they came in endless waves; even a slight lapse could result in being dragged into the sea.
The sailors and guards reacted as if they were real, each fighting for their own lives, as if they were still alive.
The fat merchant was no exception.
Feeling the sharp blade pressed against his neck, the fat merchant trembled and kept talking.
His speech was so rapid that even Saphirea’s translation couldn’t keep up, but ultimately, it was pleas and negotiations, hoping Puki would let him go and help resist the water ghosts together.
It made sense, if they weren’t within the mist.
Slash—
The merchant clutched his neck in disbelief, kneeling to the ground as blood gushed uncontrollably through his fingers.
His other hand still reached for his waist, where there was a potion that could save his life.
However, Lin Jun hesitated not at all, delivering a final blow that ended the merchant’s life.
The slaughter on the deck continued, and the ghost ship’s bombardment did not cease.
It seemed the merchant was indeed not the core of this mist.
Two guards roared as they charged at Puki for killing their employer, but were knocked down by two water snakes that emerged from behind the water tank.
Before they could rise, Puki’s tentacles pierced their hearts.
No panel, no soul—in Lin Jun’s view, these guys were no different from the water ghosts outside.
Speaking of water ghosts, the deck had changed completely at this point.
The guards and sailors were defeated by the seemingly endless water ghosts, and the survivors abandoned the deck, retreating to the lower levels to continue their resistance.
Finally, some monsters noticed the mermaids.
Four water ghosts snuck into the room through the breach; Lin Jun was about to deal with them when a solid cannonball roared straight towards them.
Puki’s tentacle blade sliced through the air, cleaving the solid projectile in two; the remnants crashed into the wooden panels behind, sending splinters flying.
However, the water ghosts seized this opportunity and lunged at the water tank.
The two young mermaids opened their mouths, their [charming voices] spreading, but it had no effect; the water ghosts didn’t even stop, their gray-white claws already clutching the tank’s edge.
Saphirea stretched her hand from behind them, frost pouring from her palm, instantly freezing all four water ghosts; even Puki Fish, distanced, got its tail partially frozen.
Saphirea exclaimed, "I’m sorry! I didn’t expect the power to be so..."
Lin Jun naturally knew why; the magic power concentration within the mist was about to explode—in casting here, the power was at least a level stronger.
Puki Fish sliced off the frozen part, the mycelium squirming until it quickly recovered as before.
The high concentration of magic power also increased Puki’s self-healing speed.
"What now?" Saphirea asked.
Another cannonball smashed in, luckily not harming anyone.
"Into the water!"
Though the water had water ghosts, at least it wasn’t bombarded, and the three mermaids and Puki Fish were adept at underwater activities—a far better option than staying on a ship destined to sink.
The water from the tank swept the three mermaids out of the riddle-pocked ship, while Puki Fish grasped and moved with multiple tentacles.
By this time, the hull had started to keel over and sink, the sounds of battle from below the deck had almost faded.
Before jumping ship, an image with an intricate frame, half stained with blood, caught Lin Jun’s attention.
Lin Jun was about to hook it over when the picture fell completely into the void below the deck under the cannon fire, leaving Puki no choice but to turn and chase after the mermaids.
Underwater, countless pairs of pale eyes bobbed in the darkness, far more than expected.
"Freeze the surroundings!" Lin Jun commanded.
"But if the ice breaks, we won’t have anywhere to run!"
"Follow my orders." Lin Jun said with some displeasure.
After all, the mermaids were newly joined—if it were Fungus Castle’s core members, they would execute the command immediately.
Saphirea bit her lip, tightly hugging the two young mermaids to her side, frenetically channeling magic power to both palms.
Frost surged from her palms, rapidly spreading in the seawater, forcefully creating an ice wall like a small mountain beside the sinking ship.
Numerous water ghosts were frozen in the ice, maintaining their lunging posture.
However, there were still many not frozen.
The remaining water ghosts, having slaughtered the last batch of living beings on the ship, promptly swam over, claws clawing on the ice surface, their nails cutting the ice wall with a sharp screech.
Worse, the ghost ship slowly turned its cannons, the gun doors on the ship’s sides opened one by one.
Cannon fire blasted into the ice wall, ice shards exploded, and the entire ice mountain trembled. Saphirea gritted her teeth to maintain it, constantly mobilizing surrounding magic power to fill the cracks formed from the explosions.
But the ice continued to be shaved off, growing thinner and thinner.
As time passed, they could even vaguely see the gray-white faces of water ghosts outside through the semi-transparent ice wall.
The two young mermaids clung together, tears mixing with seawater, crying and apologizing to Saphirea incessantly.
Saphirea’s face was pale, marked with magic erosion due to excessive magic use.
She lowered her head to look at the young mermaids tightly beside her, then raised her head to gaze at the ice wall about to be breached, the light in her eyes dimming bit by bit.
Death approached, Saphirea sighed helplessly, "Boss... please don’t forget to pass on those words to him..."
"Why don’t you tell him yourself?"
"But I’m about to..."
Before Saphirea could finish, the remaining small iceberg suddenly shook.
It wasn’t someone moving the iceberg—it was the ocean rising!
Around the iceberg, waterspouts shot skyward, water ghosts howled as they were swept up, thrown straight into the clouds.
Even the arrogant ghost ship fractured under the onslaught of successive waves; though it would soon illogically regenerate, the next moment, another wave struck.
In the massive waves, it no longer had the capability to attack Saphirea and the others.
In the ocean, a figure wielding the [Ocean Staff] swam towards Saphirea, the despair in the Mermaid Empress’s eyes turning to starlight.
"El..."
"Cough, cough, boss, finally got here," Elder Fishman Gugu Lu held the divine artifact in one hand, clutching his lower back with the other as he swam closer.
Saphirea swallowed her remaining words, her eyes looking sideways.
Too bad they didn’t bring a Memory Crystal.
"Gugu Lu, break open this mist!"
"Sure!"
The ocean rose, violently crashing all around, sailor corpses, water ghosts, ship fragments—everything was violently destroyed!
As the [Ocean Staff] exerted its power, the surrounding scenery blurred once more.
Before the scene reverted to mist status, Lin Jun found the image she had glimpsed briefly earlier in the sea.
After some turmoil, the image now only half remained, but the seawater had washed away the blood, revealing the face on it clearly.
It was a handsome young man with a gem-studded crown, gazing forward, his face full of confidence and passion.
But what truly captured Lin Jun’s attention was that face.
Although slightly different, no matter how she looked, it resembled... Vera?
Boom—
The image, along with everything around, dissolved into mist, quickly fading away.
Before long, everyone had returned to the original sea area, the mist edge retreating to the visual horizon yet not disappearing, still restless.