"The water at the Docks is shallow; that sea monster might not be able to get here," the black-robed bodyguard suggested. "If it does dare to come, I and the dragon-hunting team will handle it."
The captains' delay infuriated VanCleef, who was about to issue a more stern order when the man in black's words calmed him slightly. He asked, "Are you going to make a move?"
The black-robed spellcaster was trusted enough to serve as the leader of the Defias as his top bodyguard, and VanCleef did not regard him merely as a guard.
"The reason sea monsters are so terrifying is that they can hide underwater, moving in and out with ease. The seawater is their natural barrier and weapon, making them a hundred times more agile than warships. However, the water depth at the Docks is insufficient to accommodate their massive bodies, so a portion of them will inevitably surface, making them the perfect target. Now, let the fleet conserve ammunition and attack it with the most intense artillery fire later. The dragon-hunting team has extensive experience dealing with giant monsters and can keep them occupied from the sidelines. Now is the time to use them, while I will look for the opportunity to deliver the fatal blow."
VanCleef had always recognized the black-robed man's spellcasting abilities and wisdom, and he also served as the leader's advisor; his suggestion sounded quite feasible at this moment.
"Do as you say." VanCleef, having calmed down, nodded and immediately gave the order to stop shooting at his own men.
The dragon-hunting team was quickly brought up; they had been idly hanging around Defias's group, waiting for the target dragon to appear.
"Mr. Nesingwary, as you can see, this sea monster is your target."
"Could this be the Black Dragon that the leader mentioned?" The leader of the dragon hunting team was a strong Dwarf, carrying a giant hunting rifle on his back. The thick barrel could be described as a shoulder-mounted cannon.
"No, but its fighting power in the water is no different from that of a dragon. Don't worry, you won't be shortchanged."
Nesingwary frowned in displeasure, but considering the money and the other party's status, he didn't dare to refuse—he wouldn't easily agree to let an ordinary employer change their target.
Behemoth drew closer to the Docks, just as the man in black had said, the seawater could no longer conceal its form, and the monster's horns and barbs on its back were forced to the surface.
The dragon-hunting team had already set up two dragon-slaying crossbows on the shore, and the fleet had also moved slightly out of the narrow Docks, lined up in a row, and met the enemy with the densest artillery formation.
The black-robed spellcaster closed his eyes, concentrating his strongest mental focus, preparing for a fatal blow.
Even the battle-hardened VanCleef couldn't help but sweat slightly. The perfect moment to strike was about to arrive; whether or not he could defeat the sea monster depended on this one move.
Finally, Behemoth's hideous triangular head had to emerge from the water, now less than a hundred meters from the Docks.
VanCleef raised his right hand, staring intently at the sea monster, about to shout the order to fire, when a burst of intense light suddenly appeared behind him. He whirled around and saw three dark blue portals suddenly appear out of thin air, suspended half a meter above the ground, about fifty paces away.
Agile figures darted out of the portal one after another. VanCleef was familiar with these enemies clad in black, tight-fitting leather armor—the assassins from SI:7.
Caught off guard, the guards drew their weapons without waiting for their leader's orders, and began firing crossbows and muskets.
The black-robed spellcaster suddenly opened his eyes, forced to abandon his prepared spell and release three beams of dispelling light at top speed, striking the three Portals.
But it was too late. In the short time lost due to the change of hand gestures and incantations, at least three assassins and a human mage in blue robes emerged from each Portal. The assassins formed a triangle to protect the magic gate, while the mage's magical shield blocked the black-robed figures' dispel.
The assassins skillfully dodged most of the arrows and bullets, and only two of them sustained minor injuries. Both were highly skilled agents who had been through countless life-or-death situations, so these minor injuries were nothing to them.
"Kill!" VanCleef drew his twin blades. He no longer cared about the sea monster; the booming cannon fire was ringing in his ears. The captains weren't idiots. Although they hadn't received the leader's immediate orders, they knew the situation was urgent. Many warships opened fire on their own, and the remaining shells were hurled at the sea monster, which had only half its head showing, creating a formidable display of power.
Amidst the monster's roar, VanCleef personally led his men toward the Portal. He had left fewer than a hundred guards and bodyguards at the port; he couldn't allow any more enemies to be teleported in.
"Swoosh!" Countless drops of blood flew through the air, VanCleef's arms spread out like a roc, and a corpse fell behind him.
The twin blades in his hands had not tasted blood for a long time. The King of Thieves' eyes flashed with a Bloodlust light. He moved later but arrived first, overtaking all his subordinates at an extremely fast speed. Almost instantly, he rushed to the magic door on the left, killing an agent who dared to confront him head-on along the way.
The pair of blades, imbued with multiple magical effects, were completely impervious to any magical shield. The blue-robed mage guarding the door was thrown into a panic—his magical shield was shattered like a bubble, and apart from casting an Ice Block to seal himself in a large block of ice for self-protection, he had no way to stop the enemy.
Van Cleef wielded his double blades across the ice, leaving a deep cross-shaped gash, but without harming the mage inside. Without pausing, VanCleef gracefully leaped over the ice like a dancer, charging towards another black-clad agent beside him.
But a scream made him slow down. He glanced back and saw that the black-robed bodyguard who had stayed behind was being attacked by an assassin, while two of his personal guards who had stayed behind to protect him were lying on the ground. The scream had come from one of them.
VanCleef immediately recognized the attacker in black as his old adversary— Shaw, the head of SI:7.
This formidable enemy had silently infiltrated their rear and attacked Defias's most important spellcaster. VanCleef was instantly enraged and, with a quick turn of his toes, charged back at full speed.
Even when the dagger of SI:7's top agent was less than half a step away, the black-robed bodyguard remained calm. He uttered a spell, and with a flash of green light, he disappeared from his spot, instantly appearing in front of a warehouse a hundred meters away.
Having failed in his assassination attempt, Shaw had no time to give chase and could only turn around at lightning speed, for the enraged King of Thieves was already upon him!
VanCleef arrived with astonishing speed, his twin blades transforming into countless silver threads, relentlessly attacking every corner of the enemy's body without leaving any blind spots.
The two had clashed in secret several times, but each time it was just a fleeting glance, a brief encounter, and they were never face-to-face in a duel like this before.
In his haste, Shaw could only dodge the attack, his dagger flashing in front of him like a dense, impenetrable blade. He retreated repeatedly, but his leather armor on his upper arm and thigh was still cut in several places, and blood seeped out.
VanCleef pressed his advantage relentlessly, sparing no effort as his storm-like offensive continued unabated. He had only one thought in mind: to suppress his opponent and create an opportunity for the black-robed bodyguard to cast spells.
But what he didn't expect was that the bodyguard in the black robe would also run into trouble at this time.
Having narrowly escaped the assassination attempt, the black-robed bodyguard had no time to congratulate himself on his foresight in setting up the Magic Circle in front of the warehouse; he immediately began casting a spell to attack Shaw.
"Russell Blood Oath, your opponent is me!"
A chilling voice suddenly came from the sky, followed by a black and green curse spell.
The black-robed bodyguard, Russell Blood Oath, had to change the direction of his spellcasting and return a curse.
Two spells with similar properties collided in mid-air and silently canceled each other out.
"Vandrin Bloodsoul, so it's you. I didn't believe it when I heard you were working under a human Countess," Russell continued casting a second spell without stopping, "But now it seems to be true. The Countess doesn't seem to be an ordinary human. Could it really be a Black Dragon, as the rumors say?"
The master's identity was a secret, and Van der Linn dared not answer rashly. He retorted sarcastically, "I never expected that the esteemed Blood Oath would become a lackey of bandits. I am truly disappointed!"
Both were High Elves and Warlocks. They had known each other since their youth, with Russell Blood Oath being more senior and having even guided Van der Linde in his cultivation. However, after so long, they had become enemies with irreconcilable differences.
"VanCleef is an idealist who saved my life, and it's an honor to serve him," Russell said calmly. "But Black Dragons are universally acknowledged as depraved creatures, and it pains me to see you reduced to this state."
The two argued verbally but also fought fiercely, tentatively using low-level spells. After two rounds of attacks, they were almost evenly matched.
"Soliciting Black Dragon's offer has indeed been immensely beneficial to you; otherwise, with your talent, you couldn't have grown to where you are today."
Russell's words touched a nerve with Van der Linde. It was precisely because his magical power had stagnated that he sought refuge with the Black Dragon Princess, using the Dragonflight's resources and magic to temporarily advance his cultivation.
"My magical power has surpassed yours, Lord Russell. Today, let me guide you!"
The menacing threat did not faze Russell. He calmly replied, "You're right, but unfortunately, I don't have time to play with you!"
This sudden attack disrupted Russell's advice to VanCleef. The situation did not allow him to get bogged down in a prolonged battle—the fleet and shore batteries unleashed a fierce and intense final barrage, leaving Behemoth's half-surfaced body riddled with wounds. But this did not deter its appetite; it was now very close to the Docks, and a single attack could destroy a ship.
VanCleef was tightly entangled with Shaw. The two were incredibly fast, their blurry figures hidden in a blur of swords and shadows. Until a winner was decided, it was difficult for outsiders to intervene in their duel.
Meanwhile, VanCleef's personal guards and bodyguards relentlessly attacked the Portals. One Portal was destroyed, but the assassins and mages who had teleported in were enough to defend the remaining two portals. As the number of enemies increased, they would only become more and more powerless.
The dragon-hunting team was also harassed by several SI:7 assassins, and the hunters had no time to operate the two dragon-breaking crossbows.
The situation had reached its most critical moment. Without hesitation, Russell released all his energy. A surge of Fel rose from his body, and in the black and green light, he instantly transformed into a purplish-black, two-winged humanoid demon.
"Metamorphosis" is one of the Warlock's ultimate skills, which can greatly enhance all of the target's attributes. After Russell was transformed, his defense, attack, and casting speed all increased exponentially. He immediately launched an offensive, unleashing Silence Curse, Corruption, and Shadowflame like a machine gun.
Having lost the initiative, Van der Linde knew he couldn't match his opponent at this moment, so he quickly erected three layers of magical shields and teleported backward—as long as he could survive the enemy's demonic transformation, victory would still be his.
Russell, however, did not engage him. He swiftly flapped his purple demon wings, crossing the Docks and fleet from the air, and arrived directly above the sea monster's head.
The two support spells, "Curse of the Elements" (reduces the target's Spell Resistance) and "Amplify Pain" (increases the damage the target takes), hit Behemoth in succession. The sea monster, which was dismantling ships and swallowing people, let out a painful howl, raised its head and stared at the Warlock had damaged it, and spewed out a thick jet of water.
Russell nimbly dodged, lingering in the air for only a few seconds before unleashing another ultimate spell from the Warlock — Chaos Bolt.
This was a pure destructive spell, capable of causing massive damage instantly. A thick green beam of light, like a long snake, shot out from Russell's hand and accurately struck the sea monster's forehead.
Behemoth couldn't even groan; large plumes of foul-smelling blood gushed from his pupils, mouth, and nose.
"Rain of Flames!"
Russell seemed tireless, unleashing a wide-ranging Rain of Fire spell that instantly enveloped the sea monster's entire body.
Countless scorching flames slammed into Behemoth's numerous wounds. The Curse of the Elements and the Amplify Pain amplified the spell's power, as sea monsters are inherently most afraid of fire.
Behemoth writhed and cried out in the water, but the water at the Docks was too shallow, and no matter how low it crouched, most of its upper body remained above water.
Unable to withstand the relentless Rain of Fire, it turned and fled towards the harbor.
Russell breathed a sigh of relief in mid-air and landed diagonally on the deck of a warship. His demonic state quickly faded, and he returned to human form. He almost collapsed to the ground. Having released five or six powerful spells in such a short time, he was nearly exhausted and had very little fighting power left.
But his actions were undoubtedly the right choice. After defeating the sea monster, he had no more worries and ordered the fleet to quickly dock. The sailors went Docks to support the attacked leader and his men.
During this time, all fifty-plus members of the SI:7 Assassin Corps were teleported to the scene, nine mid-to-high-level combat mages from the Mage Academy arrived, and more than two hundred mercenaries and elite City Guards continued to pour out of the Portal.
Within minutes, VanCleef's SS suffered more than a third of its casualties and was on the verge of collapse, but the first wave of landing sailors arrived just in time to stop the rout.
Shaw and VanCleef moved swiftly, scaling walls and rooftops, their battlefield shifting to the distant Warehouse District. They engaged in a mobile fight in the gaps between several warehouses, with Vandrin Bloodsoul lurking like a ghost at their side. The two duelists moved with incredible speed, Elf Warlock, fearing accidental injury, could only restrain them from the sidelines, waiting for an opportunity.
The scales of victory were tipping in Defias's favor. With the exception of logistics personnel and wounded personnel who remained on board, almost every sailor in the fleet took up arms and went ashore. The fourteen warships together carried more than two thousand men.
Although they had just gone through a life-or-death battle with the sea monster and most of them were exhausted, they had an overwhelming numerical advantage. As they gradually landed and joined the battle, the situation on the Docks was immediately reversed.
The two Portals were completely surrounded. The nine mages switched from offense to defense and worked together to maintain a sturdy defensive barrier, barely managing to withstand Defias's onslaught.
However, after shrinking their formation, there was no extra space next to the Portal, and more reinforcements could not squeeze in. If this continued, they would have no choice but to retreat into the Portal if they did not want to be surrounded and annihilated, and the assassination operation would be declared a failure.
Black Dragon Princess could not tolerate this consequence. She had painstakingly rallied forces from all sides, mobilized troops, and orchestrated this decapitation operation.
It was anticipated that with VanCleef dead, and no other bandit leader capable of commanding respect, Defias would naturally crumble.
Unexpectedly, we are now facing one setback after another. The only option now is to act quickly and decisively.