Blow Them Away

The steel warships, adorned in purple battle armor, cleaved through the waves, roaring forward.

The piercing air raid sirens wailed incessantly.

"Unknown warship detected!"

I've already seen it!

Niola Antoniers, embroiled in a fierce and desperate battle, was stared in disbelief at the steel warship cruising on the sea. It was not an armored ship with its hull covered in iron armor, but a warship entirely cast in steel! The amount of steel required for this alone was an astronomical figure that would astound even great powers, not to mention that it had no sails!

The towering sphere and mast-like spire atop the bridge clearly had a purpose he was unaware of. This steel warship, which must have been extremely heavy, was cutting through the blue waves at a terrifying speed surpassing that of a light sailboat, roaring forward like Swordfish. This meant that the propulsion system employed by the other side had matured to an almost frightening degree, far exceeding the magical tachometer that the Arcane Council invested huge sums of money and manpower in developing.

Even with the auxiliary power of sails, the Antoniers with a displacement of two thousand tons, could only reach a top speed of fourteen knots, which was the most advanced magical armored ship in the world!

And that ship... had at least twenty-nine knots!

What this means is something the wise monk hardly needs to ponder.

The Council's heavily invested magical armored ship, which it believed would usher in a new era for the navy, was nothing more than a small boat compared to this incredibly fast, steel-cast warship.

The ship's silvery-white hull, its unique design with simple lines and strange shape, the many unknown structures whose purpose is unclear but must have some function, and the attack devices that constantly emerge from the eerie light all indicate the identity of the ship's owner.

This style of alchemical design is unique on the continent.

He sighed almost in despair.

"... Kang De."

Kang De!

The source of this event—an event that could shake the political landscape of the continent—is the dragon descendants of Cathay, the master of Forbidden Spell, the great alchemist, the master of space, and the reason Goth the Azure Fleet has besieged Goethe.

Just as a corrupted and degenerate dragon descended from the sky, threatening the Invincible Fleet of the world's three great powers with near-instantaneous destruction, this unprecedented warship leaped out from the Phase Gate.

Now, we only have one problem left.

Is it a bad result, or an even worse result?

In other words... were these distorted dragons the work of Kang De?

"We've... we've discovered something!"

The officer's voice carried a hint of timidity.

It's a kind of dedication that means "choosing to do one's duty even if it means being retaliated against by one's boss."

Niola's eyes widened.

He vowed that as soon as the harbinger bird uttered the words "The unknown warship is suspected of joining forces with the Aberrant Dragon in the air and sea and advancing towards our territory," he would immediately grab the birdman and throw him onto the Hidden Friar, letting him be devoured by the corrosive elements. If the guy became a puppet and continued to leverage his advantages, he might be able to turn the tide in this worse situation.

This time, however, the enemy shouted, "Unknown weapon systems of an unknown fleet have been detected engaging in air defense! Air units in this area have been detected launching a dive attack!"

Niola strode to the phased crystal ball. Although Eagle Eye was convenient, large-scale magical instruments were still needed for macroscopic observation of the battlefield. From the sphere, he saw the strange dragons in the sky roar, flapping their corrupting wings, swooping down from all directions, spraying venom and piercing with flying blades, like a raptor attacking.

Although naval warfare tactics have been constantly evolving, there have been early tactics where air mages and even air knights would take off from their own ships and launch close-to-medium range attacks on enemy ships.

However, it is usually only used to bully small targets with weak magic and air defense capabilities.

After all, large warships are equipped with a large number of ballistae, battle mages, magical devices, and well-trained sailors. Against such massive sea fortresses, the firepower and endurance of a few mages are clearly insufficient... not to mention the limited number of air knights.

Therefore, even with air defense projects, they are limited to dealing with large-scale spell attacks beyond visual range and harassment from a small number of elite mages. Even with the recent significant increase in dragon mercenaries, the navies of various countries have not taken this matter to heart, since the multiple defense systems of large warships are enough to deter any dragon.

But this time, the navies of all three countries suffered heavy losses.

The Aberrant Dragon spread its shields and plummeted from the sky in a surprise attack. Without dodging, avoiding, or even slowing down, it directly rammed into and corroded the ship's hull. This lightning-fast high-speed penetration easily tore apart the air defense networks that the fleets of various countries were so proud of. Before this, naval warfare was an elegant and patient exchange of blows between two giants.

Therefore, the Azure Fleet was first dismantled by the enemy inside the fleet, who destroyed the Hidden Friar and created chaos within the fleet. Then, a high-speed air attack came from the outside. In a short period of time, four ships were captured and eroded. The rest of the fleet was too busy to defend itself and could not organize a counterattack. They could only rely on the powerful firepower of the Antoniers to barely protect themselves, even with the flagship intact and the command chain stable.

The Empire Fleet in the distance was on the verge of collapse.

Even among the elves whose fighting strength was well preserved, one of their ships had already been lost.

Niola knew in her heart that Magic Power would eventually run out, mages would eventually tire, magical devices would overload, and the enemy would grow stronger and stronger; defeat was only a matter of time.

The Empire Fleet will be the first to be completely annihilated. The Aberrant Dragon that have corrupted the Empire Fleet will then seek their next target. The snowballing pressure will gradually destroy the Azure Fleet and the Elf Fleet, and then converge into a terrifying torrent that will engulf the poor Distant Harbor and slaughter the city.

He had already foreseen the outcome; he was merely struggling desperately.

But deep down, they might hope for a miracle to happen.

He just won't admit it.

Because now our only hope... is a little awkward.

The Council too far away to intervene, the dragons were all wiped out, the elves were too busy to help themselves, Goth was essentially useless, and now the only hope for survival was... the long-absent Kang De.

Then, the steel warships leaped out, cutting through the blue waves and shaking the four seas.

"... captain?"

The officer's voice was timid.

Master Niola glanced at him. "Hmm?"

Without realizing it, his attitude had become much more amiable.

The young crew member whispered, "Is this ship... a friendly force?"

The master glared and said, "That's Kang De's ship! Of course not!"

"But he's now... fighting our enemy," Officer Hawkeye asked. "Can he win?"

The captain gave him an annoyed look. "You built a 150-meter-long, several-thousand-ton-displacement all-steel warship and gave it a speed of over 29 knots. Are you planning to use it as a yacht?"

His eyes were filled with sighs and bitterness.

For a moment, he was unsure whether he truly wanted Kang De to win.

But the brilliance danced wildly, the light flowing like a shuttle, already streaking towards the horizon.

"Ah... this..."

The Phase Gate opened from the Distant Harbor and the near sea. All the Goth People who witnessed the direction of the coast saw the unprecedented steel warship leap out. The long, wailing air raid sirens swept across the entire city. All the riots and panic were stunned by this unforgettable scene. They saw the waves rolling and roaring, and the spray rising into the air.

Stella instinctively covered her mouth, and before her vision was blurred by tears, she didn't realize that the tears were welling up and falling. The high-ranking officials of the Azure Waves Province gasped in surprise, followed by cheers.

They eventually witnessed firsthand the profound impact this Cathayan had on Goth.

I had heard that the Star of the Firmament fell from the sky of Valentan, and that the Steel Wings ruled the skies of Danfeng Lucerne, but those were just legends, without any real feeling. Until now, destruction was imminent, fear grew infinitely, and then the Phase Door opened, and the divine ships descended from the sky.

They then realized that what he had said was true.

More monsters roared and fell from the sky.

Amidst the rousing roar, people saw the howling warships charging forward relentlessly. Countless streaks of purple and gold light shot into the sky amidst the dispersing smoke, like the longsword of the sun god slicing through the heavens. The constantly spinning magical artifacts spewed deadly lightning, and torrents of metal chased after the dragons that circled and swooped down in the sky. Monsters roared, and blood splattered across the sky. Like a storm of purple lightning, a long river of death wove together a net of annihilation!

"An unknown warship has advanced toward the Empire Fleet!"

At the bridge of the Twilight Moon Fleet's flagship, the elven commander had already handed over battlefield command to his deputy. At this moment, even the attacks from the Aberrant Dragon were insignificant, because the warships that Kang De had dispatched were beyond their comprehension and even had the potential to shake Twilight Moon's naval dominance!

He must search for and observe all possible intelligence!

The commander watched as the high-speed dive attack that had caused his fleet so much trouble was intercepted by the terrifying interweaving of electric rays. The Aberrant Dragon's shield only held for a moment before it was driven straight in, as easily as piercing through a tile.

Then its massive body convulsed and trembled, before turning into tiny pieces of flesh and blood that scattered and fell to the ground. In an instant, it was reduced to dust and easily destroyed before it could even get close... It posed absolutely no threat!

His heart sank, and unease and even panic appeared on his confident and arrogant face.

"The development of weapons and tactics is always targeted. Sharper arrows are used to penetrate stronger armor, and stronger armor is used to defend against sharper arrows. There are enclosed magical devices that can rotate 360 degrees, and torrents of metal with extremely high firing rates... One of the purposes of this ship's weapon system is to intercept ultra-high-speed aerial targets!"

"Kang De... why did he build this ship? What was he trying to protect against?"

He murmured, "Moreover, the fact that such a weapon system was developed specifically means that he is no stranger to high-speed penetration tactics! Ah! The hypersonic aircraft that appeared in the Battle of Danfeng Lucerne!"

The elven commander cried out in disbelief, recalling the battle report from the Battle of Danfeng Lucerne. The hypersonic aircraft, far exceeding the speed of the Dragon Knight, unleashed devastating alchemical bombs, killing the Dragon Knight and inflicting heavy casualties on the expeditionary force... The same tactics could be used in naval warfare...

--And he even developed countermeasures?

For the first time, the arrogant commander felt fear.

After easily crushing the Aberrant Dragon's offensive, the steel warships roared incessantly, charging towards the nearest Empire Fleet with overwhelming momentum.

"It's here!"

At this moment, the Imperial Fourth Subfleet was in ruins. The Black Pine Forest had become a parasitic and corrosive entity of the Aberrant Dragon. Its ram swept across the ship, and its cannons roared. Almost all of the crew members had been corrupted, and several surrounding warships had also been infected. The remaining ships fled like stray dogs. The Aberrant Dragon, parasitizing the ships that had fallen from the sky, launched an infectious pursuit. And now, they had a new target.

Abandoning the pursuit and crushing of small and medium-sized ships, Luzi, occupying the stern of the Black Pine Forest, flapped his wings, the gale spurred him, and propelled the warship to turn. The other parasitic warships followed suit, their sails billowing, and charged headlong towards the Knight Astolfo, the dragon's venomous curses echoing endlessly!

"How dare those spineless dogs bark and howl in front of me!"

Bow, sides, stern, deck, bridge... everywhere that wasn't in the way, Kang De deployed war platforms of all sizes. Horus, alchemical golems, and Grewind Swarm took over fire control. The helicopter landing pad at the stern was even fitted with twin, heavily modified 105mm smoothbore turrets. The Horizon class frigate, with its firepower fully upgraded, cruised the Azure Sea, turrets of all sizes laid flat!

Approaching from afar were six wooden-hulled sailing ships.

Horus had already told Kang De about the recent events.

What else is there to say?

"I'll teach these idiots a lesson today!"

Horus personally took over the fire control, and the twin 105mm howitzer turrets whirred and turned.

To increase lethality tenfold, there are only two options: either increase firepower a hundredfold, or increase accuracy... by a factor of one!

The mechanical lifeform's soul, the Paradox Element's enhancement and correction—in an instant, air humidity, gravity, the ship's buoyancy... a vast amount of data was calculated. At this moment, the enemy warship was close by, the Aberrant Dragon, driven by its chaotic mind, knew no evasion, and the hit rate could be guaranteed!

Firing pin bombardment!

All those watching the battle saw were flames spewing from the stern turrets of the warships, and barely perceptible black shadows streaking across the sky, leaving a trail of illusory shadows. The next moment, a mutated warship disintegrated with a deafening roar. Bursting waves of fire erupted from the ship's interior, section by section, from bow to stern. The invisible shockwaves hurled large amounts of flesh, wood chips, and fragments into the air, amidst a dazzling display of flames!

Without pausing for a moment, the Knight Astolfo continued to cut through the waves. The twin turrets turned slightly, the muzzles were raised, and in an instant, a second roar erupted, followed by a burst of fireworks and thick smoke!

The second mutated warship exploded on the spot!

Luzi's roar echoed across the sea, and the Corruption Fleet immediately changed tactics. The living Valencia-class warships turned their massive bodies, and the sailors controlled by the corruption manipulated the ship's attack weapons. The ship's magical devices were also corrupted by the Paradox Element, and a salvo was launched in response. The dense elemental projections formed a thick cloud of smoke, covering the Astolfo!

Kang De on the bridge gave a cold smile.

"While long-range, high-precision strikes are the key to victory, if our opponent is a sailing warship, then we should adapt to local customs and try out their romantic tactics!"

A massive, eerie glow spread out horizontally from the sea surface, and the silver-white steel warship disappeared into the waters.

The next moment, the Phase Gate unfolded brilliantly, and the warship leaped out from behind the Aberration Fleet, its propellers spinning in the air until it entered the water. The powerful propulsion system propelled the Knight Afu forward with a roar, charging into the formation of the Aberration Fleet, and the purple protective shield instantly opened!

The waves surged, the silver sword cleaved through the waves, and less than twenty meters apart, the Knight Astolfo and the Black Pine Forest intersected, their hulls parallel.

From bow to stern, 30mm Vulcan cannons, quadruple anti-aircraft guns, twin grenade launchers, 76mm Oto Melara automatic cannons, 40mm infantry fighting vehicle guns, 107mm rocket launchers, RPG swarms, and even 105mm smoothbore cannons—all the turrets were turned and laid flat, aimed at the nearby Black Pine Forest!

"Here you go! Grandpa! Yang!"

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PS1: Update... Damn it, I wanted to see some naval battle footage, so I watched for hours...