Hold On

At that moment.

"Boom! Boom-boom-boom!"

A dense barrage of cannon fire suddenly erupted from the flank! The Sea Lion and Sturdy Shield, two large warships whose equipment was in no way inferior to the Northern Wind, along with several agile medium-sized warships, had seized the opportunity to cut in and take up advantageous firing positions. They mercilessly unleashed their broadside cannons at the Sauron Flagship, which had been trying to pursue the Northern Wind!

Cannonballs rained down like hail on the already battered hull of the Sauron Flagship! Splinters flew, flames flashed, and the deck, which had only just begun to recover, plunged into chaos once more.

A lucky chain shot wrapped around the Sauron Flagship's remaining mizzenmast. Although it failed to snap it completely, it severely damaged the rigging, making it even harder for the ship to turn.

Faced with the fierce crossfire from the flank, the Sauron Flagship instantly found itself in the perilous position of being attacked from three sides! If it insisted on pursuing the Northern Wind, its broadside would be completely exposed to the cannons of the other two large warships. The consequences would be unthinkable!

"Damn it! Turn! Turn! Avoid the cannon fire! Regroup with the main force!" The captain of the Sauron Flagship was livid with rage. Though utterly unwilling, he had no choice but to accept reality and bellow the order to retreat.

The massive hull struggled to twist amid the cannon fire, trailing billowing smoke and carrying a shipful of dead and wounded as it staggered toward the approaching main force of the Sauron Fleet behind it.

The first round of contact ended swiftly after a brief but fierce exchange of fire.

The smoke had yet to clear from the sea, leaving behind floating planks, torn canvas, and corpses that surfaced