Kite Tactics

Milta and Wawa pulled the ropes simultaneously, the cannon's firing mechanism triggered rapidly, and the Alchemy Gunpowder was ignited almost instantly.

"Boom--"

The sounds of the three cannons merged into one, and the projectiles, imbued with strong kinetic energy, swiftly skimmed across the 1500 meters of sea. Two shots hit different parts of the Swordfish on the east side.

A 24-pound cannon struck the Swordfish's foremast and then exited through the hull on the other side.

An 18-pound cannon penetrated the Swordfish's hull at the waterline near the stern, wreaking havoc in the cabins.

The Swordfish's captain was beside himself with panic, shouting orders to change course and flee.

He wasn't scared by three cannonballs, but by cannons that could accurately hit a target across nearly a nautical mile. In an era where everyone "fought" at distances of two hundred to five hundred meters, hitting a target from a thousand meters was beyond the norm. And judging by the projectile size, a 24-pounder – could a small sailboat withstand that recoil?!

He noticed that after firing a round, the strange sailboat suddenly kicked up a powerful wake at its stern, accompanied by a large amount of white spray and bubbles. The sailboat visibly accelerated, speeding forward.

A chill ran down his spine. "This is a trap!"

He cursed the Swordfish's captain's greed and stupidity, but unfortunately, he had to obey. "It's the Golden Sail you should be targeting, why aren't you hitting them..."

Ian paid no mind to the opponent's thoughts. The east side was near the main shipping lane. His objective was to attack and intercept the ships on the east first, forcing them all towards the west.

Ian was very satisfied with this round of bombardment. A sailboat that had lost its foremast would have greatly reduced power and stability, and it wouldn't be able to escape.

While listening to Lia report the results, Ian's hands didn't stop, cleaning the cannon barrels with Milta and reloading the projectiles.

The target remained the same: it was better to cripple one than to injure ten. They would disable one first, then concentrate their strength on taking down the other.

"Boom--"

"One hit, striking the ship's quarterdeck...", Lia's voice was crisp and clear.

This round's results were not ideal. 1500 meters was indeed within the Alchemy Cannon's optimal range, but due to the choppy waves and the opponent making a sharp turn, a low hit rate was normal. The first round was mostly luck.

"Continue closing to 1000 meters." Ian ignored the ship fleeing to the west.

At this moment, all three ships were sailing against the wind. Merchant ships relying solely on sail power could not exceed 6 knots, and sailing against the wind meant sailing in a zigzag pattern. The Leviathan, with its sails lowered, could reach 11 knots and, unaffected by the wind direction, sailed in almost a straight line.

"Boom boom boom--"

As Ian closed in, the Swordfish, perhaps to show it wasn't to be trifled with, completed a round of bombardment first. Unfortunately, the distance was too great; the closest projectile was still hundreds of meters away from the Leviathan.

Ian scoffed, "Fire--"

"Boom--"

"Two hits, one striking the hull at the waterline near the bow, and one hitting the main deck's gun carriage and winch," Lia's voice was high-pitched and excited.

Milta even let out a few strange, excited howls. This was his first time "playing" with this, and he was having the time of his life.

The Swordfish, now taking on water in multiple places, slowed down further. However, sinking it was still a long way off. Without explosive rounds, dealing with wooden sailboats was troublesome.

"Continue..."

With its extreme speed and maneuverability, the Leviathan circled outside the Swordfish's thousand-meter range. Several more rounds of bombardment followed. As the distance closed, a small portion of the cannons hit their mark, though where they hit was uncertain.

The Swordfish suffered heavy damage to its hull and personnel and soon hoisted a white flag.

"Don't stop, keep firing!" Ian's cold voice cut through. The Swordfish had hoisted a white flag but hadn't lowered its sails, still clinging to a sliver of hope.

Each of the two armed merchant ships had nearly a hundred crew members. The Leviathan only had three people; boarding to seize spoils was too risky.

"Boom--"

"Hit the mainmast--", Lia said excitedly.

"It can't run anymore. Turn around and chase the other one." Less than half an hour had passed. A naval battle had started hastily and ended quickly, a rarity in the age of sail.

Even sailing with its stern facing the wind, the Golden Sail was now only seven or eight nautical miles away from the Leviathan.

Perhaps it was bad luck, but the sea breeze gradually weakened. The Golden Sail's captain looked at the Leviathan chasing them in a straight line from their rear, his face filled with despair.

The two ships chased each other, one in front and one behind, sailing northwest. In less than an hour, the Golden Sail entered the Leviathan's optimal firing range.

"Boom--"

Splintered wood from the Golden Sail flew like shrapnel, injuring many sailors. Blood even made the deck "muddy."

Playing pirate wasn't new for the Golden Sail; it always stirred up fanatical emotions among the crew.

After all, according to their agreement, they would receive substantial shares of the spoils, far exceeding their meager wages.

Having tasted success a few times, they weren't afraid of naval battles. But a battle where they could only be passively bombarded and couldn't hit back was truly demoralizing.

They couldn't escape, and they couldn't hit back. The Leviathan was like a kite, constantly "tugging" at the Golden Sail.

The Golden Sail attempted to close in for boarding several times, but each attempt was a futile wish.

The cannonballs were like deadly musical notes. The hoisted white flag couldn't make the active "notes" pause even for a moment.

The Golden Sail was severely damaged, its speed reduced to about two or three knots, but it still didn't sink.

Ian simply slowed down the pace, acting as support while Wawa, Milta, and Lia took turns commanding the cannons.

The firing frequency of the Leviathan wasn't as optimistic as Ian had estimated. The recoil of the 18-pound and 24-pound Alchemy Cannons was still too great. Although the unique cushioning structure and the strong hull allowed the Leviathan to barely withstand it, the violent shaking made continuous firing impossible.

It didn't have much of an impact, though. This was a good opportunity to let them practice.

What Ian didn't expect was that Lia would be the most accurate shot. But Milta wasn't weak either. As they practiced, he got better and better, starting to find his own rhythm.

Wawa's firing relied on precise understanding and control of the hull, and its hit rate was also good.

Milta relied on the [Precision Intuition] granted by his extraordinary class and his astonishing familiarity with firearms. He lacked experience but had high potential.

Lia relied on experience. The cannons she fired before were all Matchlock Cannon. This was her first time handling a flintlock cannon with such a small delay, yet she managed a fairly high hit rate based on her experience.

"Boom—"

"Hit the Powder Magazine!"

From a thousand meters away, Ian and the others clearly saw the [Golden Sail] suddenly erupt in towering flames, its hull breaking in two at the middle.

Milta, who had commanded this shot, jumped up in excitement.

Ian quietly watched the broken, burning [Golden Sail] without a word. The sea was littered with wreckage, debris, and sailors struggling in despair. This was all a scene he had created!

Ian had always thought of himself as decisive, someone who wouldn't hesitate even a bit when dealing with enemies.

"There are innocent people on board, aren't there?" Ian was a little unsure.

Ian thought of his family again. Weren't they innocent?! The word "innocent" shouldn't exist in the Sea of Miracles! There was no right or wrong here, only sides.

"You stand on the opposite side of me, making you enemies. You will profit from this, and you will bear the consequences. After all, choices are gambles. If you lose, you must accept it!"

Ian turned his head, meeting Lia's somewhat worried gaze.

Ian gave her a reassuring look. His eyes sharpened again. This was just the beginning!

"Turn the ship. There's still one more ship waiting for us to deal with."