Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact
"Ha, Hill's response is quite clever!" Beianqi sneered.
The MK71 heavy naval gun had already demonstrated its superior performance compared to otherworldly cannons in previous battles against pirates. The Temple of Light had clearly done its homework for this decisive battle, conducting extensive analysis and targeted preparations.
Beianqi pressed her hands firmly on the control panel, her mind racing. Even after crossing a distance of nearly twenty kilometers, the projectile's terminal velocity should still be over 400 meters per second. To intercept such a high-speed target, it was clear that the mages would need to coordinate their spells to cover a sufficiently large area of airspace.
This interception method naturally consumes a significant amount of resources. At the current firing angle, the MK71's actual firing interval is approximately 6 seconds—a frequency that has not yet exceeded their maximum tolerance.
At the same time, Su Ming reached the same conclusion, "Let the attack intensity exceed their interception capacity limit in a short period of time!"
"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Beianqi's eyes sharpened. "I'll show you the results of my hard work!"
She grabbed the walkie-talkie, "Bridge, forward 3 (full speed at sea), heading 94!"
"Control station received. Proceed to forward 3, heading 94!"
The roar from the Pansy's engine room intensified, and the stern propeller revved up. The spray behind them grew larger, and the ship's speed increased rapidly.
The 10,000-ton behemoth quickly accelerated to 32 knots (approximately 59 km/h), and the entire hull vibrated slightly with the powerful force of the engine.
The waves ahead were mercilessly sliced apart by the steel bow of the ship, leaving a straight and spectacular huge white V-shaped wake on the sea surface.
****
Beianqi stared intently at the radar screen: 16 kilometers... 14 kilometers...
13 kilometers!
The MK71's robust gun barrel rose high with a roar, and the first shell whistled out of the barrel! Immediately afterwards, the heavy gun, driven by the hydraulic system, quickly pressed down to complete the loading, and then fired continuously at an extremely fast pace!
Bang! Bang! Three shots in quick succession!
These three shells were not only fired at increasingly lower angles, but the propellant in the chambers was also adjusted, with each shell carrying a larger amount of propellant than the last!
This results in their initial flight velocity increasing, and the ballistic curves they trace in the air are also completely different!
About 20 seconds after the last shell left the muzzle, three shells of different speeds and altitudes, as if precisely guided by invisible threads, flew to their target at the same time, arriving above the Dawn Pioneer Class cruiser!
Combining the precise calculations of a modern fire control computer with "variable propellant" technology, the MK71, under the control of Beianqi, completed a tactical firing: simultaneous firing of multiple rounds!
On the Dawn Pioneer Class warship, the mage squad, who were on high alert, only had time to chant incantations and barely managed to deflect the trajectory of one of the cannonballs. However, they had no time to pay attention to the other two cannonballs.
The anti-magic runes on the tips of the two shells activated before impact, piercing through the warship's magical shields and slamming into the bridge command tower and foredeck!
Boom! Boom!
The deafening explosion ripped through the air! The sturdy bridge structure was instantly torn apart, and debris, along with thick smoke and flames, scattered in all directions!
"So beautiful!" Beianqi had already raised her binoculars, and the target ship finally came into clear view. She couldn't help but murmur to herself, "This is... the beauty of elegant technology!"
Then came another three-round burst! On the chaotic deck, the enemy mages were powerless to organize a coordinated interception, and all three shells hit their targets!
The violent explosion completely engulfed the target warship's aft deck and midsection, sending flames soaring into the sky and billowing thick smoke. The cruiser was utterly rendered combat ineffective, floating on the sea like a dead fish.
Beianqi wiped the thin layer of sweat from her forehead, turned to Su Ming, and said in a light tone, "The tooth was pulled! Threatened elimination!"
"Well done!"
Su Ming extended his palm, and the crisp sound of their high-fives echoed across the bridge!
****
The Pansy continued at full speed, and when it was only three kilometers away from the enemy ship, Bowers received Su Ming's order to attack.
"Boarding team, all forces attack!" Bowers waved his hand, his voice icy. He took to the air first, followed closely by a hundred necromancers who were waiting in formation. Like carrion vultures leaving their nests, they pounced on the target warship with a chilling aura!
With virtually no effective resistance, the remaining crew members on the opposing warship quickly chose to surrender—including a large number of terrified spellcasters.
On this vast ocean, even though they possessed the ability to fly, given the harsh weather and the impossibly long distance, it was impossible for them to fly back to land. To resist would be tantamount to suicide.
Without a second thought, the Pansy passed the incapacitated warship and continued its journey, heading straight for its key objective—the magical warship "Thorns of Atonement."
"The ' Thorns of Atonement '... can we try to capture it?" Zijin walked into the command center, her eyes gleaming with a fierce desire for magical materials and artifacts. "The magic arrays and rare materials on that ship are definitely worth more than all the other ordinary ships combined!"
Beianqi frowned in thought, her tone cautious, "Magic warships are extremely troublesome; we must forcefully board them to suppress them. But these ships are often riddled with magical traps. Even more problematic is that the Temple of Light has also installed a self-destruct core on them. The enemy might detonate it, taking us all with them!"
Su Ming recalled the information he had on the enemy's command structure.
"Captain Ma Moreno of the Thorns of Atonement ' is a seasoned old fogey," Su Ming sighed, a hint of regret in his voice. "He'll take the ship to its doom, he won't let us capture it. Let's just use cannon fire to sink that ship completely!"
"No need!" Zijin said, a confident smile playing on her lips. "I have a way to stop its explosion!"
****
When the Pansy passed by the already crippled Scourge of Absolution, Su Ming dispatched fifty necromancers to board the ship and take over.
The magical warship was not completely sunk—during Zijin's earlier "Heavenly Judgment" attack, she deliberately controlled the scope of the destruction, directing most of the devastating energy onto the ship's upper and middle superstructures, avoiding the deadly waterline area.
Therefore, despite the severe damage to the superstructure and the resulting mess, the ship itself stubbornly remained afloat on the sea.
There was no sign of any living person on board, but the lower deck was still damaged, and seawater was seeping in through the holes. The necromancers who boarded the ship immediately began to work, using spells and makeshift materials to urgently plug the breaches and save this expensive magical warship.
The Pansy, however, did not stop for a moment. Its engines continued to roar fervently as it pursued the remaining magical warship, the "Thorns of Atonement," with all its might. It was fleeing madly between the waves and snowflakes at its maximum speed.
On the vast ocean, the distance traveled between ships is usually measured in days or even nights. However, the Pansy, with its powerful technological propulsion, gained a precipitous lead in speed.
Even so, the distance between the two was once measured in tens of kilometers. Given the speed of a sea vessel, even with all-out pursuit, an hour-long delay was still unavoidable.
An hour later, the Pansy successfully caught up with the Thorns of Atonement and, using the same tactic, once again "cleaned" the enemy's deck with concentrated gunfire, dismantling its surface resistance.
As numerous exposed magic array nodes were destroyed by the artillery fire, the magical defensive shield enveloping the "Thorns of Atonement" finally flickered a few times, emitting a mournful shriek of dissipating energy, before collapsing completely. The shattered points of light, like fireflies, vanished into the sea breeze and the remaining snow.
Taking advantage of the oppressive pressure of the Pansy's relentless approach, hordes of necromancers, like black locusts, took flight from the Pansy's deck and pounced on the "Thorns of Atonement," which was now like lambs to the slaughter.
****
Across from him, Captain Ma Moreno's face was ashen; he knew there was no escape today. Forcing himself to remain calm, he ordered the first mate to organize a token defense. He then turned and trudged heavily into the depths of the cabin.
Soon, he arrived at the deepest part of the magic warship, the control area of the core magic array. The magic array slowly rotated on the ground, emitting a ghostly blue and dangerous light.
Ma Moreno's face was covered in fine beads of sweat, and his breathing was rapid, like a broken bellows. Trembling, he pulled a silver-white jade tablet carved with thorn patterns from his pocket—a symbol of the captain's authority. As Magic Power was poured into it, the surface of the jade tablet shone with a dazzling light.
This would be the last time he exercised the captain's authority granted by the Temple of Light, and the last time this magical warship would be under his control. Ma Moreno watched as the magic circle began to glow in response, and closed his eyes in despair.
Today's battle has been a complete defeat, but the responsibility should not fall on him, the captain.
However, the "Thorns of Atonement," as the Temple of Light's trump card warship, which they had painstakingly built, absolutely, absolutely could not fall into enemy hands!
Becoming the captain of this most powerful magical warship is an unparalleled honor, but it also carries a heavy responsibility. When the worst-case scenario becomes unavoidable, Ma Moreno must activate the pre-set destruction array to sink the ship.
In this situation, even if he manages to escape the blast radius after activating the magic array, those enemies, enraged by their heavy losses, will never let him go!
Ma Moreno never imagined that the mighty Light Fleet would suffer such a crushing defeat, nor did he ever imagine that he would end his life in this way.
But... his parents, wife, and children are all in the Radiant Holy City, tightly controlled by the temple. If he dares to betray them and let the warship fall into enemy hands... the price awaiting his family will be—
Two streams of murky tears silently slid down Ma Moreno's cheeks.