We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 147 [Black Swan] VS [Blood Duke]!
sunset.

As the setting sun gradually sank, the sea surface was gradually stained, taking on a pale, blood-red hue.

Duke Nova stood on the platform of the upper cabin. Over three meters tall, obese and bloated, she resembled a mountain of fat.

However, not a single crew member dared to cast a strange glance at her because of her unusual appearance.

The sailors around them saw only awe, and... a deep-seated fear.

Gazing at the Black Swan in the distance, Duke Nova's fleshy face revealed a sinister smile.

"Little one, I've been waiting for you!"

In recent days, the Blood Duke and its fleet have been patrolling outside the Misty Sea.

Like a seasoned hunter patiently waiting for its prey to appear.

With so many ships and their crews, even if they do nothing, the cost of living alone would be a considerable expense.

This also shows Duke Nova's determination to completely destroy the Black Swan.

Just as the Black Swan reached the edge of the Misty Sea, she sensed the restlessness of the Forbidden Ship Carving and immediately ordered the fleet to converge in that direction.

That's how they were able to pinpoint the location of the Black Swan so quickly.

But at this moment.

Bruno, the butler standing nearby, looked at the Black Swan on the sea through binoculars and spoke up in surprise.

"Your Grace, something seems amiss! The Black Swan..."

"Ok?"

Duke Nova frowned and also picked up his binoculars to look.

In the field of vision, the Black Swan, which was dilapidated and almost destroyed by artillery fire just a few days ago, has been completely renewed!
A larger hull, taller masts and funnels.

The deck and outer hull became dark, solid, and clean, with a metallic sheen.

Tiny silver lines are engraved on it, giving it a mysterious quality while adding a unique aesthetic appeal.

Moreover, just looking at the hull of the ship makes one instinctively feel somewhat uncomfortable.

It was as if, while gazing at the hull, the hull was also gazing at itself.

The thick, dark ram protruding from the bow also exudes considerable intimidation.

"Damn it! How did he manage to repair the ship in that godforsaken place like the Misty Seas?"

The first mate of the Blood Duke stared in astonishment, "They actually modified the entire hull?"

Normally, it would take several shipwrights more than ten days to repair a ship from a "battle-damaged" state.

Now, the Black Swan has not only fully recovered, but it also seems to have undergone a complete upgrade and renovation.

Considering the unique environment of the Misty Sea, it is undoubtedly even more unbelievable.

"Heh, it's most likely the effect of some special ancient artifact."

Duke Nova's gaze was cold and deep, yet his tone still carried a strong sense of confidence.

"But even with the enhancements, it would never be a match for the Blood Duke."

"Today is destined to be the day these little mice die!"

Hearing this, Bruno's ominous premonition grew even stronger.

During the last encirclement and suppression, it was his insistence that made Duke Nova set aside his contempt and pursue the Black Swan with all his might.

Even so, the Black Swan seemed to be blessed by the gods, escaping death because of the ghost ship.

Now, seeing the completely renovated Black Swan seems to confirm Bruno's concerns.

It's back!

And it's become even stronger!

Just then, a sailor cried out in alarm.

"Look! That ship is coming!"

Duke Nova and the others looked out at the sea and showed some surprise.

Because, as the sailor said.

The brand-new, larger, and more powerful Black Swan did not choose to flee. Instead, it accelerated under the blood-red sunset, charging towards the Blood Duke's fleet.

Judging from this picture alone, it looks like a sweet and plump sheep launching a reckless charge against a pack of wolves!
"The courage is commendable, but it only accelerates the process of self-destruction."

Duke Nova sneered, “Send someone to cast a curse with the forbidden ship sculpture, and at the same time get the priests to take action.”

"All escort ships, listen to my command and surround the Black Swan from all sides."

"Today, we must capture everyone on that ship!"

Despite his confidence, this duke was not a reckless fool.

The Black Swan's previous success in sinking several ships also left a deep impression on her.

Therefore, upon seeing that the other side was advancing instead of retreating, Duke Nova made the most correct choice immediately.

With her command given, the sinister and bizarre sacrificial ritual was once again carried out deep within the ship's hold.

The priests of the Deep Sea Church began to bless the Blood Duke.

Just quickly.

The first mate, who was in charge of the sacrificial ceremony, returned to the deck and reported back in astonishment and confusion.

"Your Grace, the forbidden ship sculpture... is shattered!"

"what?"

Duke Nova's eyelids twitched as he made out the contents of the box in the first mate's hand.

The ship sculpture that had previously exuded a terrifying and eerie aura has now been reduced to numerous fragments.

Although they were still wriggling, they looked like living flesh and blood.

However, it cannot achieve the same effect as before.

Duke Nova frowned and asked, "What exactly happened?"

The first mate quickly explained, "I don't know either."

"I had just begun the sacrifice when I saw the ship sculpture begin to tremble violently. The moment the blood flowed into its body, it began to fall apart and ended up like this."

Duke Nova's expression shifted between light and dark.

Like the Crimson Emblem, this forbidden ship sculpture was a gift from the Crimson Lord and a relic of a powerful vampire, making it exceptionally valuable.

Over the years, she has used the forbidden ship sculpture to defeat her enemies on several occasions.

But how could it suddenly shatter today?
Although somewhat reluctant to believe it, Duke Nova immediately connected the cursed object of the ship sculpture to the Black Swan!
"Could it be that the ship obtained some kind of artifact in the Misty Sea that could counteract the curse?"

While she was thinking.

The priest on the ship also hurried over, his face full of panic.

"Captain, we can no longer hear the teachings of the Storm Goddess."

Duke Nova's brow furrowed even deeper.

She turned to look at the priests on the deck and saw that these followers of the Storm Goddess were looking anxiously at the life-sized statue of the goddess in the center.

The statue of the Storm Goddess remained as serene and solemn as ever, yet she did not respond to the worshippers' calls.

The drooping eyelids beneath the veil seemed to be saying—

Did the goddess look away?

Or rather, this time, the Storm Goddess is not on their side?
"What on earth is this..."

"Damn it, why did so many things have to go wrong today?"

"I have a bad feeling..."

Seven or eight out of ten sailors who make a living on the high seas are followers of the Storm Goddess.

The sailors didn't seem to notice the earlier ship carvings breaking, but the Storm Goddess's reaction now sent a faint sense of panic through the ship.

Just then, a hoarse, solemn voice suddenly rang out.

"Everyone, return to your positions."

"So what if we don't have the goddess's blessing? We can still crush that little boat!"

"Now, open fire and engage the enemy! Kill them all!"

Duke Nova surveyed the crew around him with the sharp and majestic gaze of a fierce lioness.

Her rise to power as the governor of Duke Island wasn't solely due to her hobby of cultivating male concubines.

Rather...

Even though Duke Nova was so cruel, lecherous, and had many flaws, the fact that she could still firmly hold the position of consul was enough to demonstrate her strength and prestige.

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

In an instant, the sailors rallied their spirits, shouted in unison, and stared fiercely at the Black Swan on the sea.

……

……

Because the two ships are moving in opposite directions.

Therefore, the distance between the Black Swan and Blood Duke fleets is decreasing at an extremely rapid pace.

On the deck, Xia En stared at the escort ships that were closing in from all directions, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

He turned around and gave orders to the crew.

"Fia, go to the turbine room and keep an eye on Little Steam. Today... let it have a good feast!"

"An, Xiange, you two stay on the deck and deal with any enemies that may board."

Finally, Shane looked at Joey and said seriously, "Joey, this time your mission is the most difficult... Prepare to summon the storm!"

Joey hesitated and said, "I can't fully control the power of the storm yet, and it might affect the Black Swan itself."

"fine."

Xia En said, "What I want is to create chaos in this sea area, the more chaotic the better!"

In a situation where one is outnumbered, this is undoubtedly the simplest and most direct way to avoid being surrounded and attacked.

Feeling the captain's trust, Joey nodded emphatically and said, "I will do my best!"

As the crew members went to their posts and performed their duties, Shane heard a sharp whistling sound coming from high above.

He looked up and saw several shells, carrying a powerful momentum, hurtling towards the location of the Black Swan.

The Blood Duke and its escort ships opened fire!

The cannons on that ship were of quite good quality, with a relatively long range, and their accuracy and power were far superior to those of ordinary pirate ships.

—During the last battle, the Black Swan had already experienced this firsthand.

But this time, the situation is different.

Without the 10-point speed reduction from the Blood Sacrifice Curse, plus the growth of the Gluttonous Monarch during this period...

The speed of the Black Swan is almost twice that of the last time we fought!
Xia En walked to the helm, grasped the sturdy wheel, and thought to himself.

"Little Black, let's go!"

【Ohhhhhhhh!!!】

Accompanied by a high-pitched whistle like the cry of a swan, and propelled by the surging power of its steam core, the Black Swan accelerated once more, charging headlong into the rain of shells falling from the sky.

It's hard to imagine that a ship could be described as "agile".

But at this moment, the silhouette of the Black Swan truly resembled that of a nimble cheetah.

They moved nimbly and gracefully through the hail of bullets.

It's as if it violates basic physical laws.

After the ship's spirit level was upgraded to LV4, the compatibility between Shane and Xiao Hei increased again, and their control over the entire ship also reached a new level.

Right now, the Black Swan has almost become an extension of Shane's body, and it is easy to control without any sluggishness or slowness.

slam-la-

Huge columns of water rose one after another from the sea.

Each shell fired with tremendous force, causing the Black Swan to sway slightly.

However, not a single shell landed on the Black Swan.

The Blood Duke's fleet's first round of fire all missed.

At this moment, Shane took out a mist core formed from condensed mist from the Ring of Apocalypse and activated it with secret power.

【The Mist of the Underworld!】

Since we've said we want to make this sea area as chaotic as possible, we should use every means at our disposal.

This fog has unique properties; it won't be dispersed by storms and can even exist in seawater, so there's no need to worry about it clashing with the storms summoned by Joey.

Of course, Xia En didn't forget to have Xuan Ge cast a purification spell on the crew members to prevent them from being accidentally injured.

Gradually.

A dark red, ominous fog began to spread outwards from the Black Swan into the surrounding sea.

The fog obstructed the vision of the gunners on the Blood Duke and its escort ships, causing their firing accuracy to drop once again.

at the same time.

Many sailors also noticed...

got windy!
The sea breeze roared across the deck, the thin clouds, tinged with the blood-red hue of the setting sun, gathered together, and the waves on the sea began to stir restlessly.

It was as if an invisible hand was stirring up the celestial phenomena of this sea area.

"Storm? This is the power of the Storm Goddess."

Duke Nova looked up at the churning clouds and a sudden realization dawned on him.

"It seems that there is a storm priest of a high rank on his ship, which is why the priest on my ship cannot invoke the blessing of the storm."

This situation is actually not uncommon in naval warfare.

After all, most ships are equipped with storm priests, and both sides pray to the goddess, so the storm goddess can't possibly respond to both at the same time.

However, generally speaking, the Storm Goddess will choose not to favor any side and treat her followers equally.

The current situation can only mean that...

The storm priest on the Black Swan is far more skilled than my own priest!
"But so what?"

Duke Nova smiled and said, "It's just a little trick after all. In the face of absolute power, it can only be crushed and swept away."

At this time, in addition to the Blood Duke, there were a total of five escort ships!

With six against one, the advantage is in my hands!
Not to mention, there's also her, a third-tier Mystic, in charge.

In fact, Duke Nova was already prepared. As soon as the Black Swan approached the Blood Duke, she would lead her men to board the ship and end the battle!

Boom!
Suddenly, a low, muffled sound came from the dark red mist.

Immediately, a captain's exclamation rang out from the communication device in front of Duke Nova.

"Fang has been hit! Fang has been hit!"

Immediately afterwards, a series of muffled thuds rang out.

The escort ship, already engulfed in the fog, was thrown into chaos.

"Cough cough... This fog is poisonous! Quickly cover your mouth and nose with a damp cloth!"

"We can't pinpoint the enemy's location! That ship's firing is almost silent!"

"Why do I feel like its firepower is getting stronger and stronger?"

Amidst the chaotic communications, a captain suddenly burst into a loud shout.

"This is Captain Coby of the Fang. I see it! It's right here with me!"

Duke Nova decisively ordered, "I'll bring the ship close immediately. Coby, by any means necessary, stop it for one minute!"

"Stop the Black Swan...me?"

On the deck of the Fang, Coby was stunned.

In just a few short minutes, his ship's deck was riddled with craters, wooden blocks were shattered, many sailors died directly from the bombardment, and even the sides of the ship were covered with numerous fine cracks.

Their situation was quite miserable.

The Black Swan's firepower was exceptionally fierce, firing silently like an assassin lurking in the fog.

Moreover, it's unclear whether it's just Koby's imagination.

He even felt that the shells weren't meant to damage ships, but rather to kill people!
Otherwise, how could they have hit the sailors on deck so accurately with every single one of them?

The destruction of the previous four escort ships also made Koby extremely wary of the Black Swan.

The Duke's reward is good, but you have to be alive to receive it!

Just as Koby was filled with fear and trepidation, he suddenly heard a clear whistle and turned his head in the direction from which the sound came.

The next moment, his pupils suddenly contracted.

On the sea, where the wind and waves were rising, shrouded in a thick, dark red fog...

The Black Swan, like a black phantom, swept across the water, its majestic bow cutting through the waves ahead, creating a series of white bubbles and ripples on both sides of the hull.

The thick ram was slightly raised, and the dark, deep hull of the ship wriggled and shifted.

In an instant, it seemed to transform into a swollen and deformed lump of flesh, into a lifeless and eerie mud, or into a giant deep-sea beast covered in tentacles!

Regardless of the type of being, it instilled in Koby an unprecedented fear, gradually pushing his mind to the brink of collapse.

"monster!"

"That ship itself... was a monster!"

Koby roared desperately, trying to vent the information he had seen and the fear in his heart.

"It's crashing! It's crashing—"

boom! ! !
With a loud crash, the voice on the communication device abruptly stopped.

Not to mention the other captains of the escort ships who were listening in, even Duke Nova was secretly alarmed by the fear in Koby's tone.

What kind of terrifying situation could have made a seasoned warrior so afraid?

It took less than a minute.

The Blood Duke arrived at the location where the Fang had just been.

Here, they saw only two broken pieces of shipwrecked remains, sinking steadily into the sea.

It can be seen that the Fang suffered an extremely violent impact, breaking off in half and causing seawater to flood into the cabin, leading to its sinking.

This single impact completely destroyed it.

"This……"

Bruno looked somewhat dazed.

He had never seen such a barbaric and brutal method of naval warfare.

Normally, shouldn't the order be to fire long-range artillery first, and then board the ship for boarding action?

How could a captain use his ship as a weapon and ram other ships to destroy them?
Logically, when two ships collide, the attacking ship should also suffer damage from the recoil.

Boom!Boom!
Before Bruno could figure this out, the sound of cannonballs hitting the ship rang out again.

"The Fire Lion is under artillery fire! Requesting backup!"

Duke Nova's face was ashen.

She guessed the purpose of the Black Swan.

The enemy intended to use this special fog to destroy the escort ships one by one and eliminate her henchmen.

The speed of the Blood Duke cannot keep up with that of the Black Swan, so it will be kited around and thus be constantly on the run.

Since actively pursuing it is ineffective, we might as well use the most basic method: waiting patiently for it to come to us.

With this in mind, Duke Nova ordered, "All escort ships, assemble around the [Blood Duke]!"

"The duration of this fog is certainly limited."

"When the fog dissipates, it will be time for our counterattack!"

It must be said that the Duke of Nova had extensive experience in naval warfare and quickly adjusted the distribution structure of his fleet.

As soon as one ship is attacked, the Blood Duke in the center can react immediately.

However, what Duke Nova was unaware of was...

At this very moment, a shadowy figure had already submerged beneath the surface of the sea...

(End of this chapter)