Black Sail
Chapter 336: CCCXXXVI. On the Brink

Chapter 336: CCCXXXVI. On the Brink

The Sea God halted at Anchor Bay, a few miles away from the dock, with pirate escort ships around to prevent Doringger from landing.

Still, another line of defense had to be added.

The Ox had arranged for the Twelfth Team because the Merfolk were more adept at water combat, positioning them at the very rear as insurance; even if their lines were breached, they could block any reckless thing approaching from the sea.

The outer city, like something out of a post-apocalyptic punk wasteland, had already become a Ghost City.

The hellish meat grinder was about to arrive.

Fen’s Spiritual Body received the instructions, relaying them back to the original entity.

On the Sea God.

"Adjust and open fire,"

Fen issued the command.

As the circular pedestal of the Magic Ship Cannon required a complicated calibration process and intricate operating commands, necessitating long-term training, several people had to coordinate to operate a single cannon.

All the technicians capable of operating the Magic Ship Cannons had been held hostage by pirates.

Even so, they were still weak in the knees, completely unable to turn the cannon towards Doringger’s castle, these cowards having already begun to sob and choke back tears.

The mere name "Doringger" seemed to hold some invisible magic power; even given the chance to kill and utterly destroy it, these long-oppressed slaves, due to some non-existent, intangible pressure, were too frightened to steady their trembling hands.

The fear of the East Sea Sovereign had been seared into their souls.

Doringger was cunning at heart.

The Sea God’s secrecy was due to the simultaneous enslavement of these people while making them watch and snitch on each other; anyone caught escaping or harboring rebellious thoughts was thrown into the boiler room, a sacrifice to the Sea God.

Under such oppressive conditions, these people were nothing more than beasts driven by the instinct to labor.

Seeing that the cannons were not yet calibrated.

Fen was furious. The decisive battle in the East Sea was a matter of life or death, the fate of existence—was this any time for child’s play?

Click!

With a slash of Wind Blade, Fen cut off a man’s ear alive, blood spurting instantly.

"Die now or obey orders, it’s an easy choice,"

He removed his monocle and pocketed it, his gaze icy cold.

With Fen’s signal, a group of pirates pressed the tips of their blades against the backs or necks of these men, drawing blood.

The twelve Magic Ship Cannons, with their mechanical noises, all turned towards the castle.

Silver-white light gathered at the center of each cannon muzzle, the terrifying energy fluctuations causing the surrounding space to turn slightly misty before erupting forth.

Twelve silver-white beams spanning thousands of meters surged forth like a torrent from the heavens, shaking the sea into a giant arc-shaped depression and raising huge waves that spread to both sides.

Like a rainbow sweeping across the sky, they bombarded the castle relentlessly.

But then, an unexpected change occurred.

Bright red prismatic magic energy shields precisely detected these fluctuations; one after another, honeycomb-structured shields of pure arcane energy resisted the assault of the twelve beams.

The air itself seemed to roll with heat, the castle’s outer light twisted to extremes, the cannon beams branding the shields even redder.

The deafening collision was fiercer than thunder, causing the land of the outer city to shudder imperceptibly.

On the border between the Inner and Outer City.

The Twelfth Legion was shocked by the monstrous destructive power, but after all, the castle was built by the Emperor, fortified with grand formations.

Seeing that the castle hadn’t been destroyed.

Fen had already made an estimate.

What a terrifying rate of consumption—just using a quarter of the power, such a barrage would require twenty Golden Dragons; for twelve cannons, that would be two hundred and forty Golden Dragons.

To fire at full strength, one volley would cost nearly a thousand Golden Dragons.

Fortunately, Doringger had generously stocked the Sea God with Purple Crystals.

Fen had no choice but to increase the intensity—this was not the time to fret over money. If Doringger didn’t die, he couldn’t make a comeback, and these past six years would have been nothing but wasted time. He could not allow this to happen.

"Adjust to maximum power! Fire!"

Fen’s eyes were filled with utter ruthlessness.

The twelve Magic Ship Cannons were adjusted to their maximum limit, and the diesel punk heavy mechanical cannon barrels, during the concentrate phase, glowed red-hot like branding irons. The temperature on the deck rose considerably, and one could feel that the boilers inside the devices had entered an overload state.

Bang! Bang!

With an earth-shattering force, the arched waves created on the sea’s surface were nearly ten meters high, threatening to overturn the nearby large escort ships.

The Sea God, given its size, remained immovably unshaken.

Over at the Twelfth Legion.

"What the hell is that?"

This time, Ban of the Seventh Amendment truly felt the ground beneath him shake; he staggered before steadying himself. These sea-dwellers were playing even harder than those on land? He knew that tower ship was fierce, but he didn’t know it was this fierce.

A monster of his own creation was now being used against Doringger himself.

This time, when the silvery-white beam was shot out, the fortress’s protective array could barely withstand it any longer. The shockwave’s aftermath actually bent and snapped the trees around the fortress walls, and the soil was sheared away, leaving a layer of the earth’s surface carved out amidst a cloud of dust and flying debris.

And Doringger had already made his preparations.

Personnel from the second frontline had already reached the Inner City.

Doringger’s castle was enormous, capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people, not to mention Horace, the Captain of the Dead Lord, numerous Peak Competition Captains, their backbones, and their elite troops.

These personnel were divided into the main force and two flanks, forming three large groups.

All classic tactics, with a main force breakthrough and flanks creating a pincher formation, surrounding and killing the enemy in the encirclement.

Within Heaven Port, the distinction between the Outer City and the Inner City was clear. Doringger had indeed invested in infrastructure in the Inner City, equiped with thoroughfares and street lights.

Horace in Heavy Armor, the Captain of the Dead Lord, as the main force, had not only many backbones under his command but also over a thousand well-equipped infantrymen, all clad in iron armor, and even... cavalry.

The Inner City was filled with towering buildings, with the wind sweeping up the dust, and the sound of horse hooves... whistling.

Horace himself rode a horse, with five hundred Heavy Cavalry behind him. The castle area had not only a forge but also pastures. So having cavalry was not strange at all.

The former General Beima, this was a regular army within the regular forces, his troops led by him, including five hundred Heavy Cavalry mixed with Magic Energy Material in their helmets—all in black, with armored horses, an imposing and invincible presence!

The two flanks were led by the other Peak Competition Captains and their backbones, with pirate elites flanking on the side.

On the edge of the Outer and Inner Cities, the main avenues entering the Inner City were seamlessly paved with brick and stone, allowing carriages to travel smoothly.

The Outer City was an apocalyptic wasteland, while the Inner City boasted the Ye Zi brothels, gambling houses, and Brother Dao’s entertainment complexes all in one.

Horace’s main force encountered the Black Sail Frontline’s leading legion. Claude’s First Group of five hundred, Taylor’s Third Group of over a thousand, Plank’s Fourth Group of over a thousand—the distance between the two sides was already close.

Claude looked at the formation in front of him as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat. He had thought this would be a massacre, but the enemy not only refused to surrender but also dared to counterattack. The castle had not yet been blown open by the Sea God; there was never a thought of shrinking back and not coming out to face the enemy head-on.

Both sides, separated by just a mile, simultaneously paused.

Claude was waiting for the castle to be breached, and Horace was waiting for Mo’er’s secret weapon.

And Horace’s presence was formidable, his voice even louder.

"I once campaigned with Philip V, resisting Aran for more than half a year, only because the country’s strength was failing, not due to a fault of war. Surrender... or die!"

Horace’s expression was hidden inside his helmet, but his intimidating presence was powerful.

Even some of his infantry blew horns to boost their morale. When Horace was with Beima, the Beima Duchy was still a kingdom. The sound of the ancient and profound war horn spread far and wide, its military presence not to be violated.

The Captain of the Dead Lord, as the most powerful sovereign in the East Sea Peak Competition, had to admit that state institutions were more reliable.

Glancing over, he saw that Taylor and Plank, being high-ranking individuals, would not personally go to battle. The leaders were their confidants, along with many top fighters under their command.

"Taylor and Plank, I’d consider you old friends of mine. Your bosses have been scheming with outsiders, which is dishonorable. Surrender now, and for the sake of our years of acquaintances, I will allow you to escape the East Sea."

The Captain of the Dead Lord himself was around 1.9 meters tall, a brutal-looking face. He was the most terrifying pirate under Doringger’s rule after the chaos in the East Sea, retaining the highest bounty from the Cross Alliance.

Wolman from the Second Group also arrived at the forefront.

Having realized that Doringger dared to fight, and after Fen’s Spiritual Body assessed the overall situation, to protect the main rear and face the encirclement, they had no choice but to divide and conquer.

The Ox Twelve Team was holding the rear.

The forces of the Great Wetland Park, the Seventh Amendment, Cangshan Tobacco Company, and others came to back up Liszt, including the Eighth Group from Tai Sheng Bank, which, in reality, charged high-interest loans, a multi-national chain of Underground Banks. The Ninth Group, Yunheng Mining Company, was in reality the Triad Gang, and those who understood knew what mining sand and stones meant. The Tenth Group was naturally also the Triad Gang but involved in various businesses; with a name as straightforward as the Cyrus Brother Association, borrowing the aura of the Overlord, ready to execute death within three days. The Eleventh Group had a significant reputation, being a certain secret society; these days Liszt only heard that their boss had been released by himself to come over and help reinforce.

These seven groups were divided into flanks to prevent Doringger’s troops from encircling.

"Uncle me, I hate those who pretend to be tough the most. Still so stubborn when death is at the doorstep."

Wolman didn’t give a damn about the Captain of the Dead Lord, directly ordering the Sub-dragon people Firearms Team to line up and fire at once.

Bullet firing was incessant, and the smoke of gunpowder pervaded.

The tension was ready to explode.