Rendezvous

Accelerate the Abyssal Hunter.

The black hull resembled an enraged steel behemoth, charging straight toward the blockade line.

Alice stood on the deck and gave the order in a deep voice:

"Activate hull Protective Barrier, power consumption to maximum!"

Upon hearing this, the Born pushed the control lever in front of them.

The next moment, layers of runes began to light up on the hull of the Abyssal Hunter.

A pale golden light enveloped the entire ship, forming a faint, almost imperceptible barrier.

Alice's desired effect was simple: the warship's multiple layers of Protective Barrier were insufficient against the creatures deep beneath the Deep Sea.

But what about dealing with the somewhat dilapidated boats and small sea creatures in front of us?

More than enough.

The people on the enemy ship had clearly spotted them.

As the Horn sounded, the Deep Blue ships began to change course and flank the Abyssal Hunter.

The Mutation sea monsters beneath the surface also began to stir, their enormous forms moving rapidly underwater, creating ripples.

"Fire!"

Boom!

The remaining cannons of the Abyssal Hunter simultaneously spewed Flame, and orange-red shells whistled out.

The first enemy ship was hit directly, and a huge hole was instantly blasted in its hull. Flame poured out of the gap, seawater began to flood in, and the entire ship began to list.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

More artillery fire poured down, the gun barrels firing in turn, sparks rising and falling on the sea.

The enemy also began to fight back.

Cannonballs flew in from all directions, but most of those pitifully small cannonballs were blocked by the runic barriers on the ship's hull, only stirring up golden ripples before falling silent.

"Boom!"

Finally, a cannonball struck the ship's side, but the impact of the explosion was absorbed by the runes, leaving only a shallow scorch mark.

"Keep going!" Alice roared.

Seeing that the cannonballs were ineffective, the Deep Sea Church began to command sea monsters to attack.

The first Mutation sea monster leaped out of the water.

It is enormous, with a strange, deep black body covered in scales and fleshy tentacles, and its mouth is full of jagged, sharp teeth.

It opened its huge mouth and pounced on the people on the deck.

"Whoosh--"

A glass bottle flew out from the gun emplacement and hit the sea monster squarely on the head.

The bottle shattered, and the silvery-white liquid splashed all over its face.

The next moment, silvery-white Flame suddenly blazed up, and all the Spirituality in the sea beast's body was ignited at that moment.

"Hiss! Aaaaaah--!"

The Mutation sea beast let out a shrill scream that sounded like a human's. The flesh on its head was burned away by Mithril, billowing white smoke. Its entire body tumbled in the air and crashed heavily back into the sea.

More sea creatures began to leap from the water.

But the Abyssal Hunter's firepower was already at maximum.

Shells, Mithril, and Molotov Cocktail rained down like raindrops.

The Molotov Cocktail hit the sea, and orange-red Flame spread instantly.

The special formula for marine use makes the Flame impervious to seawater; instead, the splashing oil causes the flames to burn even more fiercely, turning the surrounding sea into a sea of fire.

The Mutation sea monsters struggled and roared in the flames; some were burned alive, while others fled in panic.

The silvery-white light of Mithril intertwined with the orange-red Flame of the Molotov Cocktail, illuminating the gray sea surface as if it were daytime.

The runic barrier blocked most of the attack; the ship swayed slightly under the impact, but never slowed down.

Alice rushed to the ship's side, her warhammer crackling with lightning as she smashed a sea monster that had climbed aboard into pieces.

Black blood splattered all over her.

Ed and Leonard, working together with the Born on the cannon level, relentlessly fired their cannons, sinking enemy ships one after another.

The Abyssal Hunter cuts through the waves amidst a hail of gunfire and flames.

Inside the cabin, Lu Yuan looked out the porthole at the scenery outside.

The firelight illuminated the entire sea surface, turning it crimson.

Burning enemy ships drifted on the sea, billowing thick smoke.

The Mutation sea monster's corpse was charred and sank in the Flame.

He knew he couldn't be of much help going up there now; the most important thing was to recover as quickly as possible.

The gray and white text serves as a constant reminder:

[Environmental Perception: High Contamination levels in the marine area; numerous Mutated Creature signals detected]

The battle lasted for about fifteen minutes.

The Abyssal Hunter rammed through the last enemy ship blocking its path, sending wood chips and debris flying everywhere.

Behind me was the burning sea.

A bloody path torn open by artillery fire and flames.

The Deep Sea Church's blockade was violently breached.

"Charge!" Alice roared.

The Abyssal Hunter sped forward and burst through the opening.

The enemy ships behind them tried to give chase, but were pinned down by the continuous artillery fire and unable to raise their heads.

Until the runes on the hull began to dim—the core was completely overloaded.

Alice stood on the deck, panting, looking at the enemy ship that had been left far behind.

"The Ascension Society's warships..."

She wiped the blood from her face, a slight smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"That's really impressive."

The Abyssal Hunter had some difficulty dealing with those creatures in the Deep Sea.

How to deal with these small and medium-sized ships individually?

Even with its firepower reduced by half, it was still an overwhelming victory.

The dock is getting closer.

Lu Yuan saw the devastation at Grim Port through the porthole.

The dock area has already fallen to the enemy.

Everywhere there were burning buildings, collapsed shelves, and scattered corpses.

Some of the corpses had begun to Mutation, writhing on the ground and making nauseating noises.

The Abyssal Hunter crashed into the dock, the violent tremors causing the ship to groan in pain.

"Assemble! Disembark!"

Alice was the first to leap off the deck, raising her warhammer:

"Charge back to base!"

The crowd followed closely behind.

The Born, along with Ed and Leonard, spearheaded the attack, clearing the way with firepower.

Two Deacon and Philip carried the unconscious Marcus, along with the nearly destroyed Judge.

Gray helped Lu Yuan.

The march was arduous.

With the wounded and the Judge, they couldn't move very fast, while the Mutated Creature around them were gathering in ever-increasing numbers.

"There's a huge group ahead!" Ed roared.

At the end of the street, a dozen Mutated Creature were surging towards them, among them were several followers of the Deep Sea Church.

Alice was about to rush forward.

Sudden.

"Roar--!"

A dark figure burst out from the side alley and crashed directly into the group of Mutated Creature.

It was a Human Form monster covered in black keratin, a full size larger than a normal person. Its sharp claws left afterimages, and wherever it passed, Mutated Creature were torn to shreds as if they were made of paper.

"Valentin!" Alice's eyes lit up.

The "monster" turned around, revealing a ferocious face, but its emerald green eyes held a hint of mockery.

"Captain Alice, you guys are so slow."

Valentin's voice was hoarse and deep, with a wild, animalistic quality.

Behind him were several Night Watcher, who were clearing out the remaining Mutated Creature.

"Old Morgan sent me to meet you." Valentin licked the black blood from the corner of his mouth. "The road from the dock to the base isn't safe. With all this baggage, you probably won't make it."

His gaze swept over the unconscious Marcus and the crippled Judge, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes.

"So even the Ascension Society has met its match."

"Enough with the nonsense," Alice said impatiently, "Make way!"