Starting as the Baron of the Lonely Island

A vast fleet of dozens of warships lay anchored on the sea, about twenty to thirty miles from the Crown of Tides.

In accordance with Duane’s orders, they would spend the night here and launch their attack at first light tomorrow morning.

Before nightfall, Baron Uriel and the two Knights under his command began moving the ships equipped with Siege Crossbows to the vanguard, preparing for the morning’s assault.

Duane stood at the top of the mast, looking down at the warships’ formation.

They were not far from the Starfall Islands. Though it was windy, the breeze wasn’t strong, so there should be little risk during the night.

And when the battle began tomorrow, the superior range of the Siege Crossbows would allow them to attack the enemy from a completely safe distance.

However, he couldn’t afford to be careless.

So, he assigned Calum and the other Level 5-6 Mages in his force to the warships in the front line. If the enemy’s ranged weapons had sufficient reach, the mages could use Defense Magic to offer some protection.

"My Lord, dinner is ready. Please, go and eat." Kaelon leaped up and stood on the other side of the mast. "I’ll take the watch."

Duane nodded. He was about to go down but stopped and made a point to add, "You were one of the first to follow me, and you are currently Black Forest Island’s strongest Warrior. Make sure you perform well in tomorrow’s landing."

Kaelon promised, "Thank you for your encouragement, my Lord. I will absolutely not betray your trust!"

"Stay safe, too." With that, Duane leaped down from the mast.

’After this war, the matter of conferring rewards will inevitably arise. Looking at all my followers, Kaelon is clearly first in line.’

However, Duane was still hesitant about how to reward him.

As a Lord, he certainly didn’t want a future where the various Nobility in his Territory fought amongst themselves as they did in the Pruck Kingdom, weakening the Lord’s authority and rule.

’Thus, I lean more towards granting a Feudal Manor rather than a Fief, but a pure Feudal Manor feels like it’s lacking something.’

’After all, this is a Mid-to-High Magic World with Extraordinary Abilities.’

As someone who wanted to change some of the established systems, Duane felt he needed to give this matter more serious thought.

At dawn the next morning, the rising sun pierced through the thin sea mist on the horizon, awakening the world.

The night had been very peaceful. The Crown of Tides showed no signs of attacking; it seemed they were prepared to defend to the death.

"My Lord, everyone has eaten and is awaiting your orders!" Kaelon said in a deep voice.

Duane waved his hand. "Go to your warship. Get ready!"

"Yes, my Lord!"

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Kaelon responded, leaping dozens of meters to a neighboring ship, then with a few more jumps, landed on his own vessel.

"John, raise the yellow flag! Sound the horns!"

"Yes, sir!"

As the yellow flag flew high, the deep sound of horns echoed across the sea, reaching the ears of every Warrior.

Baron Uriel’s Spirit surged. He glanced at the yellow flag, his expression thrilled. ’The battle is finally starting.’

"All hands, weigh anchor, raise the sails!"

At his command, the sailors responded swiftly, and the warship started moving in moments.

Baron Uriel was not only a Lord but also a Level 6 Grand Mage. He summoned a strong gust of wind that billowed the sails, causing the ship’s speed to increase sharply.

At the same time, on a ship to the side, Calum, who was also a Level 6 Grand Mage, cast the Gale Technique to increase his ship’s speed as well.

Soon, the front-line warships broke from the formation and sailed toward the Crown of Tides.

On the central command ship, Duane estimated the distance. "Raise the red flag! The landing ships will now depart!"

The yellow flag controlled the actions of the first wave of attack ships, while the red flag controlled the second wave of landing ships led by Kaelon, Marles, and others.

As the red flag flew high, the Nobility and Knights on the flanks cheered excitedly. They were rubbing their hands in anticipation, loudly proclaiming the order to set sail.

They had been sailing for over a month. The war was finally about to begin.

Meanwhile, atop the city walls of the Crown of Tides, Duke Eldrin and his followers noticed this scene through a Far-sighted Crystal.

"They’re here!"

Eldrin’s expression was grim. Just as he had guessed, the enemy was making their move at dawn.

"Duane may be strong, but they’ve been at sea for a long time. If they try a hasty landing, many of their soldiers won’t be acclimated. If we go all out to intercept them, we still have a chance of winning."

He looked to the Count at his side. "Manuel, pass down the order! All troops, prepare for battle! The moment they’re in range, attack immediately!"

"As you wish, Your Grace!" Count Manuel strode away, his heavy Armor making each step resound.

’The future of the Star Sea Clan depends on this battle.’

Though he was unwilling to admit it, the outcome of this battle would be enough to decide victory or defeat.

He didn’t even need to win; just holding the enemy off would be a victory in itself.

However, reality was far crueler.

Duane stood on the mast, assessing the distance between the first echelon of warships and the coast. When they were about three thousand meters away, he ordered John to lower the yellow flag.

Baron Uriel caught the signal immediately. "All ships, halt your advance!"

As the Warriors beside him waved flags to signal the order to halt, the ships of the first echelon slowed and gradually came to a stop.

"Load the projectiles! Mount the Fel Energy Bombs! Prepare to fire!"

The attack horn sounded, and the soldiers on the bow bustled with activity. A team of five or six men operated each Siege Crossbow, loading a Wind-Held Crossbow for a parabolic shot. They secured a Fel Energy Bomb to it and then removed the safety pin.

"Fire!"

Baron Uriel gave the command, his voice booming with excitement like a gale sweeping across the sea. The Advanced Warriors lit up the runes on the Wind-Held Crossbows.

What followed was the THUNDERCLAP of Crossbow Strings. One after another, the Crossbow Arrows launched high into the air, carrying the Fel Energy Bombs with them.

Sometime earlier, Natalia had conducted experiments with Duane. A Wind-Held Crossbow, launched from a Siege Crossbow in a parabolic arc, had a range of up to 3,000 meters!

Duane had ordered the ships to stop at the three-thousand-meter mark. Although the ships drifted forward a few hundred meters before coming to a complete halt, they were still well outside the range of the enemy’s Siege Crossbows (if they even had any).

Duke Eldrin, seeing this, was confused. A mocking smile even touched his lips.

"The commander must be Duane. As expected, he’s still too young!"

He said with a laugh, "Even if the Kennedy Clan’s Magic Weapons can shoot this far, how much damage can they possibly do? Heh, my fortifications have been specially reinforced with the Hardening Technique, and the Shields in key locations are forged from Meteorite Iron."

The smile on Eldrin’s face grew wider. "Using Crossbow Arrows for the first wave from this far away is a purely useless gesture. Oh, wait..."

He added sarcastically, "At least he’s delivering us a good number of Crossbow Arrows."

At once, several of his subordinates in the command room couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Some even began mocking Duane for having muscle but no brains.

WHOOSH!

The Wind-Held Crossbow shot down from high above. Its incredible speed made the air shriek as it fell, and it landed on the steps of the harbor.

"Haha, they missed!" someone laughed.

But just then, the bomb attached to the Wind-Held Crossbow slammed onto the ground. Inside, the supports for the Magic Crystal Stone broke through the thin wall of the fixed compartment, allowing the stone to touch the Secret Silver Magic Energy Conductor. Like lighting a fuse, this instantly activated the Extraction Spell.

Immediately after, a twisted mass of inky black energy exploded like a wild beast, and a shockwave carrying iron shrapnel spread wildly in all directions!

"BOOM!!!"

The stone steps at the center of the explosion were instantly turned to dust. The nearby fortifications, despite being reinforced with the Hardening Technique, were torn apart as if they were made of paper!

The soldiers hiding behind cover were thrown by the shockwave before they could even react. Their Armor was struck and pierced by shrapnel. They lost consciousness before they could even register what had happened.

And just then...

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

One after another, the Wind-Held Crossbows fell all over the harbor, and one after another, the Fel Energy Bombs erupted with a deafening roar, engulfing every corner.

"What the hell is that thing?!"

The smile on Duke Eldrin’s face froze.

He rushed to the window and looked down at the harbor below. It was pockmarked with craters and in complete shambles.

Inky black Fel Energy shrouded the ground like smoke, resembling a war-torn battlefield.

"Your Grace!"

Manuel came running up the stairs in a panic. When he left, his Armor had been pristine; now, it was dented and he looked utterly wretched.

If he hadn’t activated his Fighting Qi for defense in time, he likely would have been injured.

"One volley! Thirty percent of the fortifications are destroyed, and there are at least several hundred casualties among the Warriors!"

Manuel’s voice was chilling. "Your Grace, I urge you to retreat!"