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

Chapter 180 Old friends meet
Speaking of what Loren has experienced over the past three months, it can only be described as a series of bitter tears.

Having offended the vampires of Silvermoon Island, Loren had already planned to flee at sea for some time.

But he didn't expect that this escape would last for three whole months!
The first month was the most dangerous.

Not only the Federation's "hunting ships," but also some old enemies and pirate ships looking to take advantage of his misfortune all flocked to him, wanting to exchange his head for the bounty.

As a result, Loren was in danger several times and almost died in the encirclement.

Fortunately, he persevered and even managed to break through to the third rank along the way!

After that, the number of ships chasing him decreased significantly.

After all, Loren's strength has increased, but the bounty has remained the same.

With so little money, why risk your life?
In this situation, only one ship is still relentlessly pursuing the Thunder, and that is the Heron, driven by the Storm.

Loren had thought that their experience in the promotion ceremony had forged a small bond between them.

Wouldn't it be a win-win situation if they just let themselves go as a gesture?
Who would have thought that, having just left the mysterious [Secret Sea] space, the [Heron] would come charging in with overwhelming force.

Lan not only killed many pirates on the ship, but also fought a fierce battle with Loren, resulting in both of them being seriously injured.

For the next two months, the Heron relentlessly pursued the Thunder like a hungry wolf, launching surprise attacks from time to time.

This resulted in the pirates on the Thundership suffering heavy losses and becoming exhausted, leaving them no time for a proper resupply.

However, the Heron was not having an easy time either.

Such an intense pursuit is a huge burden for both the captain and the crew.

Even today, both sides are simply relying on willpower to persevere.

For Loren and Lan, escaping from each other's grasp and capturing each other had become their respective obsessions, and they were determined to settle the score.

From a certain perspective, it has a bit of a love-hate relationship feel to it.

At this moment.

The bow of the Heron.

Captain Lan, with two huge swords hanging at his waist, was pale and his aura was obviously weak.

Even so, she forced herself to stay alert, staring sharply at the Thundership ahead, while asking the first mate beside her a question.

How much ammunition do we have left?

The first mate had very dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating that he hadn't had a proper rest in a long time, but he still answered immediately.

"There's less than one box left."

"What about food and water?"

"It can only last for three more days at most."

"call……"

Hearing this, Lan let out a long sigh: "It seems that the [Thunder] is more resilient than I thought."

The first mate hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Captain Lan, we have now entered the [Magnetic Thunder Sea]. This is probably intentional on the part of 'Thunder Fang' Loren!"

"In this sea area, the [Thunder]'s abilities will be greatly enhanced, while we will be restricted by the lightning."

"Moreover, recently, due to the leak of news about the [Novice Treasure], the number of pirate ships on the [Magnetic Thunder Sea] is constantly increasing."

"'Thunder Fang' Loren probably wanted to take advantage of this to fish in troubled waters and escape."

Lan Ru's face, etched with the marks of a knife and axe, showed little surprise at these words; instead, a smile appeared on her face.

"This precisely proves... that the Thunderclap is also running out of fuel!"

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have thought of using this method to escape."

"and……"

Lan paused, then sighed.

"He has the [Magnetic Thunder Sea] as an advantage, don't we have any reinforcements?"

Her tone was tinged with resentment and helplessness.

According to Lan's original intention, she wanted to rely on her own strength to arrest [Thunder] in a fair and square manner.

However, as the captain of the Federation ship, her actions over such a long period of time yielded no results, which naturally aroused dissatisfaction from her superiors.

Therefore, the Federation dispatched another patrol ship to take action against the Thunder in the Magnetic Thunder Sea.

Judging by the time it took for the message to arrive, the [hunting ship] should be arriving soon.

The first mate, who was standing nearby, quickly understood the meaning behind those words and couldn't help but show a happy expression.

The three-month manhunt has been anything but pleasant for these crew members.

Seeing his expression, Lan sighed inwardly again.

Even the first mate was like this, let alone the other crew members.

Perhaps ending this hunt as soon as possible is the best option.

The first mate asked cautiously, "Which [hunting ship] came to provide support this time?"

Lan said calmly, "【White Dove】!"

"hiss……"

The first mate's expression changed slightly: "It was actually Lord Julian who came in person!"

It's no wonder he was somewhat panicked; in the Federation Navy, the [White Dove] was far more famous than the [Heron].

Despite its name being a white dove symbolizing peace, its captain, "Bloody Hand" Julian, is an absolute killer!
Julian's most famous quote is—

"Kill all the enemies, and peace will come!"

When fighting pirates, Julian almost never showed mercy and never took prisoners.

The name "Bloody Hands" comes from this.

Moreover, although Julian, like Lan and Loren, is a third-tier Mystic.

However, there are also differences between the three tiers.

Lan and Loren had only broken through to the third rank in two months, while Julian had remained at the third rank for a full five years. The difference in the strength and control of their secret power was like heaven and earth!

If they were to face Julian, they would probably be defeated in less than three moves.

There are even rumors that Julian is about to enter the advancement ritual and attempt to become a fourth-tier Mystic!
Realizing that such a powerful figure was about to arrive, the first mate first breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at the Thunder in front of him with pity.

But then, at that moment...

The first mate noticed that another three-masted sailing ship had quietly appeared on the sea not far away.

"Hmm? The Siren?"

Lan raised an eyebrow, a knowing look on her face: "Loren, is this the help you found? It's really not up to par."

At this moment, appearing next to the Thunder is the Siren, which carries many mixed-blood sirens.

Because it was also on the wanted poster, Lan Yisan recognized it at a glance.

The first mate frowned slightly: "I heard that its captain, 'Night Princess' Elisa, disappeared for a while, and now it seems that she has also broken through to the third tier."

"Captain Lan, should we take cover for now?"

"unnecessary."

Lan shook her head firmly, then looked in a direction behind her with a complicated expression.

"Because our reinforcements have arrived!"

Behind the Heron, a dark red mechanical ship cut through the pale purple waves and roared forward.

……

……

The bow of the Thunder.

Loren also saw the steamship that looked as if it were stained with blood, and his expression changed, and he cursed aloud.

"Damn it! It's the [White Dove]!"

Without hesitation, he immediately relayed the message to the nearby Siren.

The message was incredibly simple, consisting of just one word—

escape!
Immediately, Loren activated his [Thunder Protection] ability, channeling his secret power into the [Thunderclap]. This caused the ship's surface to crackle with lightning, propelling it at astonishing speed as it ventured deeper into the [Magnetic Thunder Sea].

Not far away, on the [Siren], Elisa's expression also changed drastically, and she used her abilities to quickly escape.

No pirate wanted to fall into the hands of the White Dove!

Moreover, both of them knew that with the speed of the White Dove, it was only a matter of time before they were caught up.

The only chance of survival lies in the storm in the [Magnetic Thunder Sea]!

Only when the storm rages will the Thunder and the Siren have a chance to escape.

Perhaps they were just lucky.

Not long after they entered the [Magnetic Thunder Sea], the wind began to pick up at sea.

Wave after wave of huge waves began to stir.

The clouds hung down darkly, the sea was as black as a mirror, and every now and then a thick bolt of lightning struck the sea.

Gradually, raindrops began to fall from the sky.

It must be said that in this sea area where the mysterious power of lightning is abundant...

Loren and his Thunder were indeed in their element, maintaining an astonishing speed, darting across the undulating sea like a bolt of lightning.

But when he turned around and looked behind him, his mood gradually sank to the bottom.

The speed of the White Dove was actually faster than his!

Moreover, the White Dove seems to have temporarily spared the Siren and is now targeting the Thunder.

The distance between them is decreasing at an extremely rapid pace!

However, the worst part is...

Loren turned around and scanned the crew on the deck.

At this moment, only about a dozen pirates remained on the huge pirate ship, and almost all of them were injured and exhausted.

Anyone who has been hunted for three months would be in this state.

Although their eyes are bright and they have been tempered by blood and fire, given time, they will surely become excellent warriors.

But at least for now, these people are almost powerless to fight, and even operating the cables and cannons is quite difficult for them.

On the other hand, the crew of the "White Dove" were all well-rested and in top condition.

Especially the captain at the bow, whose sharp, wolf-like gaze seemed to fall upon Loren across the wind, waves, and thunder.

"It seems that this time, I'm really going to die here."

Loren sighed, preparing to gather his strength for a final struggle.

That's always been his character; he never gives up until the very last moment!
As he accumulated his secret power, numerous figures flashed through Loren's mind.

There are parents, friends, the "Night Princess" Elisa, the steam priestess Fia, and Captain Lan of the [Heron]...

But in the end, for some reason, Loren suddenly remembered the "Shadowless" he had seen in the "Blood Moon Realm".

Oh no, it's not just the [Blood Moon Secret Realm], there's also the third-tier advancement ritual.

Even though they never exchanged a single word, the image of the Faceless Shadow in battle was deeply etched into Loren's mind.

In fact, this "Raytooth" Loren is a rather proud person.

This can also be seen from some of his previous arrogant actions.

Whether in the Blood Moon Secret Realm or the Ascension Ritual, the Faceless Shadow was like an unstoppable chariot, crushing his pride.

At the same time, Loren also felt a strange longing.

"I wish I could become like that..."

"If he were here, what would he do?"

"No, I am not the [Shadowless], I am myself!"

Thinking of this, Loren felt a unique sense of pride.

He suddenly opened his eyes, purple lightning crackling around his body, his aura rising steadily, and shouted loudly to the [White Dove] behind him.

"Bloody Hand Julian, if you want to kill me, then come on!"

Rumble!
Just then, dark clouds swirled in the sky, and electric snakes spread out from numerous small areas, accompanied by deafening roars, as countless purple-blue lightning bolts struck the sea.

The pitch-black sea was briefly as bright as day.

This strange phenomenon, however, only added to Loren's imposing presence.

Soon, something happened that left all the crew members of the Thunderclap in disbelief.

The White Dove, which had been chasing them, gradually slowed down, then turned around and sped off in the opposite direction as if fleeing.

Seeing this, not only the other crew members, but even Loren himself was stunned.

He was just saying that to jokingly boost his courage, so how did the "White Dove" actually get scared away by him?
Loren was puzzled, but couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Haha, did you see that?"

"That's the sheer domineering aura of your captain!"

"One sentence and I scared Julian away! That's me for sure..."

"Ship, Captain!"

A pirate's trembling cry interrupted Loren's laughter: "Quick...quick, look behind you!"

"what?"

Loren turned his head and stood there stunned.

He saw a ship.

Amidst the shimmering light of lightning and surrounded by waves tens of meters high, a massive, jet-black ship sailed out from the depths of the [Magnetic Thunder Sea].

Its entire body was covered in blue-purple lightning, and the flickering magic patterns seemed to be breathing. The sails billowed like a curtain that blotted out the sky, and the whistle of the ship echoed throughout the sea.

At its prow, a black swan statue is poised to take flight!

"...It's the Black Swan!!!"

At this point, even the most obtuse crew member would understand—

What forced the White Dove to retreat without a fight was this very ship that bravely sailed forward through the storm!
Loren opened his mouth wide and remained speechless for a long time.

Not only the crew of the Thunder, but also Elisa on the Siren was stunned.

Although the ship's figurehead is so prominent and eye-catching, it is vastly different from the Black Swan that Elisa remembers.

……

……

On board the White Dove.

Julian at the bow stood motionless, like a statue.

Despite having a cruel nickname like "Bloody Hands," he was actually quite handsome, and only when he smiled did he give off an eerie and menacing aura.

At this moment, a sailor couldn't help but ask, "Captain Julian, are we just going to let this go?"

"It's just one more Black Swan ship, why retreat?"

On the ship, there were quite a few people who shared the same doubts.

The Black Swan did indeed make quite a name for itself on the Seven Seas some time ago.

But its captain was only a third-tier Mystic.

With Julian's strength approaching the fourth rank, shouldn't dealing with him be a piece of cake?
Upon hearing this, Julian simply continued to stare at the ship in the storm, and only spoke after a long while.

"intuition."

"My intuition tells me that unless I advance to the fourth rank, I can't possibly be his match."

As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked.

On the White Dove, no one doubted the captain's judgment.

But that captain named Xia En only recently broke through to the third rank, didn't he?
Can two months compare to Julian's five years of accumulation?
This talent is a bit too terrifying.

(End of this chapter)