Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 133. Sottom

The Levitation Fiends raised the stone pillars in their hands, wanting to strike the amphibious exploration vessel. However, Charles clearly wouldn't let them act as they wished. He flapped his bat wings and surged forward.

An ear-piercing screech tore through the air, and the Levitation Fiends hastily retreated.

Within the fuel factory, a pirate stood defiantly on the shoulder of a Levitation Fiend. With a Mirrorbox in his hands, he looked ready to provide reinforcement. Unfortunately for him, Charles was no longer alone this time.

A series of gunshots rang out, and bullets pierced through the pirate's mortal frame. With blood spewing from his mouth, he collapsed to the ground.

Following right behind the amphibious ship, several hundred sailors surged forward as they brandished various weaponry. At the forefront of the group was an enlarged James. His towering figure was dressed in full armor, and he even had an ominous black cannon barrel resting on his shoulder.

Brown mice scurried up and down his gigantic frame, and the next moment, the fuse on the cannon was ignited. With a deafening boom, a watchtower within the distant fuel factory crumbled.

Under the furious roars and howls of the sailors, the colossal steel ship rammed into the building complex. Crew members poured out of the ship as their battle cries filled the air.

"No cannon fire!! It might ignite the fuel!!" Charles warned as he swooped down from the air.

Under the group's meticulously planned assault, the pirates were quickly overwhelmed. Corpses of their comrades were left behind as they fled with their tails between their legs.

The black Levitation Fiends were desperately trying to flee from Charles' relentless pursuit. Their air sacs might be resilient against physical damage, but they were clearly vulnerable to sonar attacks.

Not long after, the crew had infiltrated the fuel factory and seized complete control of the place.

Instructions had been conveyed earlier aboard the ship. According to the plan, the stronger crew members were to stand guard while the weaker ones would start transporting the fuel onto the ship.

Before they attacked the island, the galley and crew's resting quarters of the amphibious ship had been cleared out and filled with all kinds of wooden barrels. The containers had dual purposes: to act as siege weapons and transport containers.

The wooden barrels were quickly loaded, and the squishy black balls were rapidly transferred to the ship. Everything was operating flawlessly like clockwork.

Once the amphibious ship was fully loaded, it made its way to the coastline at full speed. Those who remained behind had another task to fulfill. With the leftover empty barrels, they rushed to the nearby waterfall.

They worked together to lower the one-meter-high barrels under the cascading waterfall. They then collectively heaved the barrels up and hurriedly sealed them.

At the side, Kord shouted out words of encouragement, "Faster! Move like you're pounding them pussies! After completing this mission! You'll get everything you desire!! I swear in the name of our Lord!!"

Above them, Charles hovered in the air in his bat form. He was on constant watch over any unexpected threats that might emerge.

Just then, a dark silhouette swiftly approached them. Charles remained motionless as he recognized the form to be his vampiric sailor.

"Captain! Those Divine Light Order disciples actually managed to hold the warships back at the docks! Sweet Mother of vampires, you wouldn't believe it! Their bodies mutated into some kind of monster that not even cannon fire could blast through them!"

"Continue to keep an eye on the docks. Report immediately if you spot any anomalies."

"Aye, Captain!" The smaller-sized bat then quickly fluttered off toward the distant mountain range.

Charles was slightly reassured after hearing his sailor's report. Kord hadn't been lying this time. His men had managed to hold those pirates back.

When the amphibious ship returned after offloading the fuel, the crew members quickly transported the barrels filled with freshwater onto the vessel. The ship, with all personnel aboard, soon retreated toward the coastline.

Everything proceeded so smoothly; such situations were so rare for Charles.

The moment the amphibious ship with the filled water barrels entered the sea, the other thirteen ships turned around and started their course toward the Land of Light.

Boom!

A sudden deafening explosion rang out, and the Narwhale jerked violently due to the tremors.

Ignoring the ship's violent swaying, Charles stood up on the deck and scanned his surroundings. The ship that had been just beside him was obliterated into a blasted wreck. Emitting plumes of black smoke, the remnants of the vessel sank into the ocean's depths.

Charles mechanically turned his head toward the left. In the dark abyss, several massive shadows punctuated with an intermittent glow edged closer with an oppressive aura.

A blinding array of lights suddenly illuminated their vision, and an island made of scrap ships appeared before them.

A massive cannon, measuring seventeen to eighteen meters long, with a two-meter caliber, extended from the island's belly. A ghostly, blue smoke slowly ascended from the cannon's barrel.

Charles' eyes turned bloodshot. He grabbed Kord by the collar and glared at the latter with a menacing glint. "You said that the Sottom pirates had gone to raid the refugees of Shadow Island!! Tell me, what are those things there!!"

Kord flung Charles' hand away and shouted, "Quit yapping and leave now! If it catches us, none of us can escape!"

Charles dealt a brutal knee thrust into Kord's stomach before he made a mad sprint toward the bridge. He wrenched the steering wheel from Dipp's grasp and spun it frantically.

Standing off against the massive cannon, all mystical relics or arcane sorcery paled in significance, and only the range of its cannonballs mattered.

Never had Charles felt so insignificant, but he had no intention of giving up. He bellowed orders into the turbine chambers to overload the turbines.

While Sottom's cannon had an impressive range, its fire rate was slightly lacking. After another three more ships succumbed to the artillery's damage, Charles' fleet finally got out from the range of that lethal cannon.

However, 134 and “King” were not going to let them get away so easily. Dozens of pirate ships detached themselves from the main island, Sottom, and embarked on a relentless pursuit.

The distance between the Narwhale and Skywater Island was steadily increasing. However, the aggressive pirates refused to give up as they doggedly pursued from behind.

Sottom trailed closely behind the dozens of pirate ships. If the Narwhale were to be momentarily held back, that devastating artillery would rain down upon them.

Leading the armada of pirate ships was a wooden ship. It appeared aged and rotting, and its hull was infested with moss and mold. Surprisingly, a decrepit ship like this skimmed the water's surface at an unbelievable speed and charged at them.

As the wooden ship closed the distance, Charles took out his telescope to scrutinize the vessel. The girl, 134, was perched at the prow. She was staring in their direction with a glacial glare. Her sharp and jagged teeth gleamed menacingly in the dark.

However, it wasn't 134's presence that rattled Charles. Rather, it was the ship's figurehead.

Typically, ship figureheads were ornate carvings or depictions of deities that graced the prows of ships. Steamships seldom boast such embellishments, yet the wooden ship 134 was an exception.

Not only was there a figurehead, but it also bore a haunting resemblance that Charles found unsettlingly familiar.

“King” of Sottom was grotesquely affixed to the prow. Its mouth opened wide to bare its dark, sharp fangs and continuously emitted furious growls.

When Charles closely examined the point of connection between “King” and the hull, a chilling sensation rippled through him. “King” wasn't merely affixed to the prow. “King” had seamlessly melded into the vessel to become one with the ship.