Chapter 419, Acting Is Such a Hassle
In less than half a minute, a medium-sized fast ship vanished completely.
Only fragments floated on the water, alongside bloodied limbs being devoured by fish.
The pirates, who had been laughing wildly, fell silent in an instant.
They stared in horror at the debris-strewn sea.
A wave of uncontrollable fear surged within their hearts.
"Att-attack, kill him now, he's using some artifact…."
Da-da-da~!
Before they could react, the skeletons lining the edge of the cargo ship pulled their triggers.
Bullets rained down on the pirates aboard nearby ships, piercing through bodies, leaving piles of the fallen.
The skeletons operating the cannons also began firing.
Cannonballs shattered ship hulls, obliterating both vessels and men.
In a matter of moments,
The gunfire ceased, and the advancing pirates were completely annihilated.
The decks of the few remaining ships were littered with corpses, blood streaming down the sides into the sea.
Wu Heng scanned the scene from his ship, then drew his Spine Staff and activated [Battlefield of the Dead].
A pale gray aura rippled out, enveloping the surrounding ships.
The dead pirates' bodies shed their flesh, leaving skeletons that slowly stood up and picked up the weapons scattered around them.
"Forward!" Wu Heng ordered again.
Sharktooth piloted the ship forward, flanked by the newly created pirate skeletons steering medium-sized ships on either side.
...…
The deafening gunfire and sinking ships drew the attention of the main pirate fleet behind them.
Various beasts tamed by rangers circled above, observing the situation.
No one had expected the seemingly suicidal cargo ship to wipe out all dispatched pirates in the blink of an eye.
This scene undoubtedly put pressure on the pirate main forces.
Pirates who had been attacking the cargo ship began withdrawing in numbers, returning to their ships.
They started adjusting the direction of their vessels.
Forming formations, they moved to confront the advancing cargo ship.
...…
Creak, creak!
Ballistae adjusted their aim, loading bolts as thick as an arm etched with explosive runes.
Philipa stood on the deck, observing the distance through her beast's vision.
Even though it wasn't her first time witnessing it,
The weapon's capability to obliterate ships in an instant still left her shaken.
It was terrifying.
Thankfully, they were on the same side.
"Captain, the Flame Pirates are signaling us to move to the left flank formation to engage the approaching ship," a sailor on the lookout shouted.
Philipa glanced into the distance again and said, "Signal back, say there's a slight problem with our ship, but we'll follow shortly."
"Understood!" The sailor responded, signaling back. He added, "They're urging us to hurry."
"Got it. Move our position further back and notify the sub-ship to monitor the flagship's actions," Philipa instructed.
"Aye, Captain!" The sailor replied and hurried below.
The pirate ship moved slowly into the left flank formation, settling near the rear.
They continued advancing.
Philipa glanced toward the approaching ship again and then up at her pirate flag.
Even the Devil's Hand, allied with other major pirate factions, had fallen to that Deputy Steward of hers.
Not to mention her current pirate groups.
She could only hope the other side's attack wouldn't spill over to her area.
Pretending to engage the battle was still necessary.
To avoid suspicion later.
Acting was such a hassle.
Philipa stepped onto the deck, took a deep breath, and shouted loudly as she walked, "Load the best bolts! Shoot fiercely! Avenge our fallen comrades and show them who rules the seas!"
"Aye, Captain!"
The pirates rushed to their positions, readying for battle.
...…
The pirate fleet formed two formations.
One on the left, the other on the right, advancing toward the cargo ship.
Their goal was to ensure the side-mounted weapons would strike the target as soon as they were within range.
They had the advantage in numbers.
Even if there were some losses, they believed the ultimate defeat would be their opponent's.
"Prepare for battle!" The pirate captain shouted.
Flags signaled the message to the other ships.
Just as all pirates braced themselves, waiting to enter firing range,
The opposing ship launched an attack first.
Bang, bang, bang~!
A series of dense, muffled explosions rang out.
Countless bullets and shells simultaneously bombarded two flanking pirate ships.
Ammunition rained down on the decks like a storm.
In the next instant, the railings and decks of the ships erupted in explosions, sending pirates and their weapons flying in all directions.
Boom~!
A rocket with a fiery tail streaked in.
The control room exploded instantly, flames shooting into the sky.
The once-bustling deck was now deserted, save for the billowing smoke and blood trickling down the ship.
The pirates on the trailing ships stared in terror at the scene before them.
Two entire decks of pirates wiped out in an instant?
Yet, the fleet continued moving forward in formation.
The second wave of ships entered the firing range.
Bang, bang, bang~!
Dense bullets, like a massive net, rained down on the decks.
All pirates fell to the ground instantly, their bodies riddled with holes, leaving the decks empty.
The rear pirates began panicking.
They hastily fired ballista bolts, but the distance was too great; the bolts splashed into the sea halfway.
Realizing the disparity in weaponry,
The pirate fleet began to turn around.
Their formation quickly descended into chaos.
Meanwhile, Wu Heng's ship accelerated again.
It weaved through the pirate fleet.
Skeletons on both sides continued firing down relentlessly.
Pirates fell in waves, as though it were a massacre.
...…
"Uncle, hurry! Those pirate ships are fleeing," Xiaoxiao flew down from the sky, pointing ahead.
Several pirate ships were turning around.
The furthest was Philipa's Iron Barrel Pirate Group.
"That's our own ship. What about the other pirate leaders?" Wu Heng asked.
"Oh, one's hiding over there, another one's over that way," Xiaoxiao pointed in three directions.
With her new ability to detect levels,
High-level professionals stood out like marked targets among the crowd.
Even in dense groups, Xiaoxiao's perspective easily pinpointed high-level targets.
Of course, there were limitations.
Targets inside buildings couldn't be seen.
Vision sharing wasn't necessary.
Following Xiaoxiao's directions, Wu Heng spotted the captains.
Ignoring the retreating "Flying Fish Pirate Group," he aimed his sniper rifle at the remaining two pirate captains.
Bang~!
A gunshot rang out.
A pirate captain's leg was struck, and he fell from his cover.
Bang~!
The second shot hit his forehead mid-fall.
His head snapped back as he collapsed.
Wu Heng adjusted his aim again.
...…
The other pirate captain ran quickly,
Sliding into cover behind a cabin wall.
Confirming that no part of his body was exposed, he scanned his surroundings.
Seeing the Iron Barrel and Flying Fish Pirate Groups had fled far, he ground his teeth audibly. "Cowards, weaklings, garbage!"
He glanced at the deck littered with corpses and debris.
Shouting loudly, "Turn around! Let's get out of here and settle accounts with those two later."
But his voice was drowned by the relentless gunfire.
The other pirates, busy fleeing for their lives, had no time to listen.
Whoosh~!
Suddenly, the sound of something cutting through the air reached him.
A rocket exploded beside him.
Boom~!
The violent explosion sent the pirate captain's body flying.
He rolled several times before coming to a halt.
Coughing blood, he desperately tried to drink a potion.
Bang~!
Another gunshot rang out.
The bullet shattered the potion bottle, passing through his mouth.
His body slowly collapsed.
Two captains down.
The pirates descended into greater chaos, scattering and fleeing, some even jumping into the sea to escape the bullets.
The skeletons began firing into the water.
At the same time, the blood attracted sea beasts, which started attacking the pirates in the water.