Ch. 391: Chapter 391-400
Chapter 391 Running Out Of Options [Part 1]
Millie and Lux soared in the sky, with one slime perched on the Half-Elf's head, and another on his right shoulder.
Fei Fei was Cai's Beast Companion, and shared a strong connection with the Boar.
This was the excuse that Lux had given Millie to give the green-haired Dwarf some hope that they would be able to pinpoint the Princess whereabouts using Fei Fei as a detector.
However, for the time being, he asked Millie to take him to the Port City of Watford, which was also the main city of the Earldom of Draycott.
This city didn't have any teleportation gates, but it was a hub of activity because many merchant ships frequented this port in order to sell, trade, and buy some products that they would sell in other places.
The journey took nearly five hours. When Lux and Millie arrived, it was around two in the afternoon.
During their trip, Lux was keeping in close contact with Commander Thoram and Guildmaster Keelan, so he knew about the progress being made on their side.
Keelan, and the reinforcements that he had called for, had already arrived in the adjacent territory of the Earldom of Draycott. All they needed to do was travel towards the sea-port town and meet up with Lux, which would take a minimum of two more hours.
The other thing that concerned the Half-Elf was the Order of the Griffon. He had no way of contacting them, so he didn't know whether they were already on their way, or were still waiting for each other before they headed to the meeting area.
Millie had an artifact that allowed her to talk with her Master. However, due to its limited range, he couldn't determine if the Rankers that would serve as their backup would be enough to deal with the Rankers of Twilight Rain.
'I hope that they're already on their way,' Lux thought. 'Right now, the kidnappers aren't moving, and Cai and Keane assured me that the Princess is safe, but, that can change at any given time. There is also the issue with the Monster of Ruin… I simply don't have much time left before the mission ends."
—------
Mission Time: 15: 48: 36
—-------
Lux sighed internally. If he had one more day, he wouldn't feel this anxious.
Since they were fighting with Rankers, he had no choice but to wait for their side's Rankers to arrive.
'According to Scarlet, the force that Twilight Rain dispatched in this mission was made up of Six Rankers and 10 Initiates, including her,' Lux mused. 'Unless we are able to have the same number of Rankers and Initiates on our side, we didn't stand a chance in rescuing her. Good thing, Scarlet is there to give me some inside information. If she hadn't given me a heads up, we might have been taken completely by surprise.'
Since she was a Slayer Candidate, the Guildmaster of Twilight Rain thought that it was a good idea to let her join this important mission, so that she could gain some experience.
Scarlet was an Assassin, and didn't have much experience in moving as part of a group.
Because of this, the Guildmaster decided to let her be part of an Elite Unit, so she would develop some sense of teamwork with her other guild members, when carrying out important missions for the Dark Guild.
Each member of the Royal Family carried an artifact that would inform the King that they were in danger. Only the members of the Royal Family knew of this, and even Nevreal, who had faithfully served the kingdom, had no idea that such artifacts existed.
This was why, before Nevreal had received the news from Lux that the Princess had been kidnapped, the King had already informed the members of the Order of the Griffon to mobilize.
Unfortunately, Twilight Rain expected the Princess to be carrying some sort of tracking artifact on their person.
One of the Rankers that was brought on this operation had a special appraisal ability that allowed him to detect the use of such items. Because of this, the pendant that hung on Princess Anastasia's neck had been taken by them, and tied on the talon of a random bird in the forest.
The members of Twilight Rain believed that this would send their pursuers on a wild goose chase, allowing them to escape to the Port City of Watford and take the boat that their Organization had prepared beforehand.
"What's taking them so long?" Millie muttered as she paced back and forth inside the Guildmaster's Office in the Adventurer's Guild. "Aren't they here yet?"
Lux could only smile wryly because Millie had asked this question ten times already. He understood that she wanted to rescue Princess Anastasia right away. But, the two of them were not strong enough to save anyone without help.
"Calm down, the reinforcements from the Adventurer's Guild are already on the way," Lux replied. "Also, Fei Fei is able to detect when Cai is near. Since she is not reacting, it means that the members of Twilight Rain have not yet arrived here in the city."
In truth, Lux had seen that the members of Twilight Rain had started to move on his map. However, it would still take them two to three hours at most to arrive at their location, while traveling on mounts.
Keelan had managed to get in touch with two Rankers, as well as twenty Initiates during the five hours that Lux, and Millie were flying in the sky.
Sadly, the other Rankers that had a connection with the Adventurer's Guild were all out on missions, so Keelan wasn't able to call them back.
'We're still four Rankers short,' Lux glanced at the green-haired Dwarf who was pacing back and forth inside the room.
Millie had already activated her artifact, so the moment her Master came within range, she would be able to talk to her right away. Seeing that the artifact wasn't making any sound, it only meant that one of the members of Rankers of the Order of the Griffon was still not within their range.
Suddenly, the movement of Cai's, and Keane's markers on the map increased their speed, catching the Half-Elf by surprise.
'What happened, Cai?' Lux asked the Boar through their Guild Chat. 'Your traveling speed is faster than it was a minute ago.'
It didn't take long before Cai replied to Lux, and its reply made the Half-Elf's face turn grim.
'My Daddy, it's crazy!' the Boar almost shouted its reply. 'This guy came and he is riding on this big colorful bird that can carry a lot of people. We are currently riding on its back, and it flies pretty fast!'
Lux almost cursed internally because he could see on the map that it would now take the members of Twilight Rain less than half an hour to arrive in the Port City of Watford.
Their reinforcements from the Adventurer's Guild were still an hour away from their location, and the Half-Elf estimated that by the time they got here, the Princess, and his friends, might be loaded on a ship, and taken to a place they wouldn't be able to reach in a short period of time.
Chapter 392 Running Out Of Options [Part 2]
'What do I do?' Lux thought as he paced back and forth inside the room. 'This is no good. I am out of options.'
Earlier, it was Millie that was pacing anxiously, but now, it was him.
The green-haired Dwarf even felt more anxious because Lux was the one she was counting on to find the Princess. Seeing how pale his face was, she could tell that something was terribly wrong, and it made her feel her stomach churn in anxiety.
"Did something happen?" Millie asked in a worried tone. "You don't look good."
Lux sighed before he sat on one of the chairs and rubbed his face with both hands.
"The members of Twilight Rain will be arriving in this place soon," Lux answered. "They have Six Rankers, and Ten Initiates. Their plan is to get on a boat, and take the Princess somewhere far away, to avoid the detection of those who are attempting to rescue her."
Millie gasped in shock after hearing the bad news. She didn't even bother to ask Lux how he knew about these things, and just believed him unconditionally.
"... what are we going to do now?" Millie asked helplessly.
She was willing to lay down her life to save the Princess, but the way things were, she would just die a dog's death if she attempted to rescue her alone.
Millie didn't even consider Lux accompanying her to save the Princess because, in her eyes, the Human was just a Grade A Apostle.
In the eyes of Rankers, Grade A Apostles were not a threat, so it wouldn't be a big deal even if there were hundreds of them. Knowing what the Dark Guild was planning to do, the green-haired Dwarf suddenly had an idea that would be frowned upon by anyone who heard it.
"They will travel by boat, right?" Millie asked. "What if we destroy all the boats in the Port? If we do that, they will need to think about other options, right?"
The Half-Elf shuddered because he could tell that the green-haired Dwarf was dead serious.
There were dozens of boats that were currently docked at the port, and if she were to destroy them all, it would be similar to poking a hornet's nest.
They would undoubtedly become the Public Enemy of all the Merchants within the city, as well as the Earl who ruled the Earldom of Draycott.
Lux was desperate, but he wasn't that desperate!
"Calm down, Millie," Lux said as he pressed his hands on the Dwarf's shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. "I know that the Princess is important to you. My friends are important to me as well, but involving the innocent is not good. We don't know what the consequences of destroying the ships in the Port would be. If we are going to destroy a ship, it would be Twilight Rain's ship and no one else's!"
Millie recovered a bit of her composure after hearing Lux's reply.
"So, we can still destroy their ship, right?" Millie asked.
Lux nodded. "Yes. You can destroy it as much as you like."
Even Lux felt that this was the only option available to them, so that they could delay Twilight Rain's plan to take the Princess far from their reach.
Fortunately, Scarlet had now become Princess Anastasia's bodyguard This gave Lux a sliver of hope that an opportunity would present itself to him, while he waited for his allies to arrive.
"Let's go to the Port," Lux proposed. "Perhaps we can identify what ship they will be using. We can destroy it subtly, while they are still not here."
Millie agreed to this plan, so the two left the Guildmaster's Office and headed to the Port in order to check all the ships one by one.
Lux currently looked like a chubby human teenager, which caught the attention of several Dwarves along the way. The Kingdom of Gweliven was very strict in keeping the other races away from their borders, so seeing Lux appear in front of them was like seeing a rare animal in the zoo for the first time.
The Half-Elf ignored these stares as he used his Soul Book to appraise every ship that was docked in the port.
He didn't know if he could use his appraisal ability in this manner, but he still decided to try since he was out of options.
—-----
< Black Pearl >
Captain's Name: Jack Spawow
– This is the day you will always remember as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Spawow!
—-----
< Flying Dutchman >
Captain's Name: Hendrick Van Der Decken
– The Dutchman sails as the captain commands!
—-----
< The Dying Gull >
Captain's Name: Josh Amie Gibbs
– Dead Gulls tell no tales.
—-----
Lux went past several ships and appraised them one by one. Some of them had been sailing for many years, while others were newly built. Right now, he was desperate to look for any clue that would help them delay the members of Twilight Rain from leaving the Port before their reinforcements arrived
—-----
< Twilight >
Captain's Name: Brytman
– No. I am not Batman. This isn't Twilight Rain's ship. We are not members of a Dark Guild. We just happen to know some of their members. We're not suspicious people.
—-----
Lux almost slipped while walking on the dock as he walked past the ship named Twilight. This was the ship that was at the very end of the port and, from all looks and angles, it looked like a decent merchant ship that was just here to trade some goods.
Suddenly, an ingenious idea popped up inside his head. It was a very risky idea, but if it worked, he would be able to save the Princess, his friends, and even get Clyde off the ship under the Ranker's noses.
But, the Half-Elf was very conflicted about doing it. This plan involved Eiko going inside the ship, which would put her at great risk.
She had already died once, and the red-headed teenager wasn't too keen on having the baby Slime die a second time.
As if sensing his thoughts, Eiko crawled down from Lux's head and sat on his shoulder. She then poked Lux's cheek, making him turn to look at her.
"Pa!"
The baby Slime looked at Lux with a smile because she and him shared a strong connection, allowing her to vaguely understand what he was feeling and thinking.
Of course, Lux and Iris had made sure that both of them had a piece of Eiko's body with them as insurance if ever they needed to revive her again. Even so, they didn't want her to do dangerous missions just because they had the ability to revive her.
"Pa!"
Seeing that Lux wasn't answering her, Eiko pouted and gave her Papa a face filled with injustice.
In the end, the Half-Elf sighed and told the baby slime what she needed to do.
Eiko nodded her head in understanding and gave Lux a very reassuring smile.
"If something bad happens, abandon the mission and teleport to me immediately, do you understand?" Lux said as he held the baby Slime on the palm of his hands.
"Pa!" Eiko nodded before jumping off Lux's hands and sneakily entering the Merchant Ship, which they believed to be the ship that Twilight Rain was going to use to escape their pursuers.
'Be safe, Eiko,' Lux said to the baby slime via telepathy before leaving the dock with Millie, who didn't know what the baby Slime and the Half-Elf discussed before parting ways.
Even so, she understood that Lux wasn't doing things at random, and decided to just keep quiet for the time being.
Ten minutes later, the members of Twilight Rain entered the Port City of Watford, and just like Lux had expected, they headed straight to the Merchant Ship, where Eiko was currently hiding.
Chapter 393 Battle At The Port City [Part 1]
"As long as you follow the plan, we have a chance to save them," Lux said with a serious expression on his face. "However, this also means that the risk that you are going to take is the highest between the two of us. It is highly possible that you will be facing off against six Rankers on your own. But, remember, your role is not to fight them. You just need to make them take notice of you then run away."
Millie nodded her head. "Even if I have to risk my life, I will do my duty without fail. Just promise me that you will save the Princess no matter what."
"... Hello? Your mission is just to show yourself, hurl some Wind Blades at the ship from a distance, and fly away," Lux stated. "I didn't tell you to fight them. Your role is to harass them, and force them to shift their attention to you, while Eiko is carrying out her mission inside the ship.
"Depending on how the situation turns out, you will still need to assist in the rescue operation, so don't talk about this dying nonsense. I need you alive just in case things turn south."
The Half-Elf and the green-haired Dwarf were currently in a warehouse overlooking the port. They were paying close attention to the ship where the Princess Anastasia, Cai, Keane, and Clyde were taken.
Eiko was currently hiding at the Hold of the ship, where the majority of their supplies were being kept. She was just waiting for Lux to give the signal to start the operation before she made her move.
Compared to Millie, the baby Slime was playing a more dangerous role. Just thinking of the danger that Eiko would be facing was enough to make the Half-Elf's stomach churn. But, since she had given Lux the "please believe in me, Pa!" gaze, the red-headed teenager decided to believe in her as she tried her best to save her friends.
"They are almost finished loading their shipment into their ship," Millie commented. "Should we start the operation now?"
Lux nodded. "We need to strike now before they even leave the port. Even if parts of the port are destroyed, it's fine. Those can be rebuilt, but try not to hit the other ships. This will prevent unnecessary trouble in the future. Be sure to wait for my signal before you start harassing them."
Millie gave Lux a brief nod before putting on a hooded black robe to hide her identity.
Cai, and Keane had stopped giving him messages in the guild chat, but Lux wasn't too worried.
According to Scarlet, they had just been put to sleep by a powerful sleeping spell, and loaded inside wooden containers that were then carried onto the ship. This was done to prevent the hostages from making any noise, while entering the port city of Watford.
'Are you ready on your side?' Lux asked.
'Yes, Master,' Asmodeus replied. "We are ready to start anytime.'
'Wait until Millie has caught the attention of the enemy Rankers,' Lux ordered. 'Be sure not to hit the area where Cai and the others are currently held.'
'Understood,' Asmodeus replied. 'Please be careful as well, Master.'
'Okay. Go all out, Asmodeus.'
'As you wish, Master.'
Lux put on a black robe also, similar to what Millie had donned earlier and activated his Doppelganger skill. He then left the warehouse in haste and positioned himself in the most ideal place to take a better view of the soon-to-be-battlefield.
"Diablo, Pazuzu, to my side," Lux said as he summoned his Named Creatures to help him with the operation that he was about to do. After seeing his two trusted companions, the Half-Elf communicated with his Nightstalker, whom he had entrusted with a different kind of mission.
'Ishtar, are you in position?' Lux asked.
'Yes, Master,' Ishtar replied as she took a Siege Stance, summoning a two-meter long crossbow at the seabed, directly under the Twilight Ship.
Lux felt relieved because it seemed that the members of Twilight Rain didn't detect Ishtar's presence since she was an Undead.
As a Nightstalker, she gained the ability to become more stealthy in her actions, preventing others from noticing her, unless she made a sudden move.
—----
Inside the Twilight Ship…
"Man, this box sure is heavy," one of the sailors that was carrying Cai's box complained. "Just what did they load into this thing?"
"Stop complaining!" the Quartermaster shouted. "Just do what you are supposed to do and carry that thing under the deck!"
The sailor grumbled, but still did his work properly. The people that had come onto their ship were scary folks. According to their Captain, they were the high-ranking officers of their Guild and should be treated as VIP guests.
All the crew members on the Twilight Ship were of course members of Twilight Rain. They were the undercover agents that used the cover of merchants to deliver the Dark Guild's supplies to the various places of the archipelago, located in the Northwestern Regions of the Kingdom of Gweliven.
After loading the three boxes into the ship's main holding compartment, the Sailors finally left, and returned to the deck to oversee the preparatory work before they departed from the port.
The cabin fell into a stilled silence for a few minutes, before a slight movement happened at the corner of the holding compartment.
Eiko, who was communicating with Lux through the connection they shared, poked her head up from a sack of beans and glanced at her surroundings. Seeing that the coast was clear, the baby Slime jumped off the sack and crawled towards the three wooden crates where Cai, Keane, and Clyde were being held.
The baby Slime then pressed its body against the crate and listened for any signs of sounds and movements. A few seconds later, it climbed up the crate, and was about to make a hole in it when a presence suddenly appeared behind her.
"Well, well, well… what do we have here?" The Dwarf with reddish-brown hair, who had also tried to roast Cai a few hours ago, picked up the baby Slime, who immediately struggled from his grasp.
Chapter 394 Battle At The Port City [Part 2]
"A Slime?" the Dwarf gazed at the slime on his hand with great interest. Although the compartment area was rather dark, he didn't have any problem seeing because, thanks to his ability, the compartment looked as bright as it would have in daylight. "Just where did those fools pick up this thing?"
Slimes were common monsters and could be found almost anywhere. There had been more than one occasion when Slimes ended up inside a cargo ship, especially water Slimes, since they could swim in the water.
"Well, I wonder what I should do with you?" the Dwarf asked in a teasing tone as he held the Slime firmly in his grip, preventing it from escaping his grasp. He had coated his hand with an aura that prevented the Slime from slipping out of his hand, despite how much it struggled.
While the Dwarf was deep in thought, a sudden explosion was heard on the deck of the ship, which made his eyes widen in shock.
"How?" the Dwarf muttered as more explosions sounded around the ship. "We should have been safely out to sea before they found out about our whereabouts."
The Dwarf with the reddish-brown hair was the leader of the Elite Group that had been assigned to kidnap Princess Anastasia, while she was in the Wolfpine Barony. The spy that they had carefully planted within the Princess' entourage two years ago had tipped them off that the Princess was going to the Wolfpine Barony to look into why the drought was still persisting.
Because of this, the Guild Leader of Twilight Rain didn't miss this chance and ordered the Dwarf, who went by the name, Harrus, to oversee the operation.
Harrus couldn't believe that his carefully thought out plan would be discovered so easily.
'Does the Princess have other things in her possession that would allow others to find her location?' Harrus frowned. However, he shook his head and immediately dismissed the idea. He had the ability to immediately detect, and appraise, if someone had any magical artifacts in their possession.
Aside from the Princess' necklace that he had away with a bird, she didn't have any other tools that could help their pursuers to track their location. Just to be safe, he even took off her earrings, rings, storage ring, storage bags, and any other items that were on her person.
He even asked Scarlet to strip her of her clothes, and help the Princess put on a new set of clothes, which had an enchantment that prevented her presence from being detected by special artifacts that used blood to track anyone with that bloodline.
They had prepared thoroughly to ensure that everything would go smoothly, so he didn't believe that the King of Edelweiss had discovered their location so easily.
'Could it be the boar and those two boys I picked up on a whim?' Harrus thought. Once again, he denied this idea.
Just like the Princess, he had already confiscated everything they had, including their clothes. The two boys were currently wearing robes that slaves wore as they lay in the wooden crates fast asleep.
As for the Boar, it was an animal so it didn't have any artifacts or storage devices in its possession.
But, this was far from the truth. Cai had a minor ability when it came to manipulating space, so it could store anything, and pull it out of thin air whenever it needed something.
Originally, Lux, and Keane thought that Cai had some sort of storage ring, but after paying close attention to how it took stuff out of the blue, they noticed that the Boar had the ability to manipulate space, which made them look at her in a new light.
More explosions sounded on the deck of the ship, which made Harrus click his tongue in irritation.
He then squashed the Slime in his hands, killing it instantly before going up to the deck to see what the hell was going on.
A few minutes later, more movement was heard in one of the corners of the storage compartment. A little Slime poked its head from a sack of corn and glanced in the direction where Harrus had left.
After dying once, Eiko had become more cautious, especially when Lux wasn't with her. She had summoned her two Doppelgangers and hid them within the ship, using them as scouts to check if the coast was clear.
Seeing that the coast was clear, the Doppelganger jumped off of the sack, and hurriedly crawled towards the wooden crates where the others were sleeping.
Then it did something unexpected. It opened its mouth, and sucked up all three crates, including the people inside them.
Eiko had gained this ability long ago, but it was strengthened to the next level after her revival. She was able to store living things inside their body, as long as they didn't resist her.
Since the three were asleep, the Doppelganger had no problem taking them inside its body before passing them to the real Eiko, who was hiding in yet another sack inside the storage compartment.
'Pa!' Eiko immediately informed the Half-Elf that she had retrieved Cai, Keane, and Clyde.
'Good job, Eiko!' Lux praised the baby Slime for a job well done. 'Now we only need to find the princess.'
The baby Slime nodded in understanding, so she immediately summoned her personal Slime army to help her look for the princess' whereabouts, alongside her remaining Doppelganger.
Blackie (Devil Slime), Whitey (Angel Slime), Rocky (Earth Slime), Maya (Water Slime), Saber (Saber Slime), and Cloud (Aero Slime).
They were Eiko's personal Slime regiment that served as her personal bodyguards. She tasked some of them to head straight to the location of the Princess, while the two slimes, Rocky and Saber, were tasked to remain in the Hold Compartment, and start creating places of weakness in the hull that would allow the water to enter the ship when it started to sail.
They didn't want to sink the ship right away, but only made preparations to make it happen.
Lux's plan was to let the ship wander out into the water first, before water started flowing inside it, slowing its progress, until its interior was finally flooded.
The Half-Elf knew where the Princess was, but to get there was not an easy task. They would have to pass through the security that was protecting her, which consisted of Scarlet, and two more Rankers that were in the same room with her.
She was their VIP guest, so Rankers were always assigned to keep watch over her, just in case something unexpected happened.
The Slimes under Eiko's command weren't ordered to engage the Rankers. Their goal was to hide near the room where the Princess was staying and wait for an opportunity to rescue her.
—----------
On the deck of the Ship….
"What are you doing?!" Harrus asked his comrade as soon as he arrived on the deck of the ship. "Shoot that bastard down, Garnus!"
"Shut it!" the Dwarf named Garnus snapped back at Harrus as he hurled several Fireballs towards the Wind Blades that were flying in their direction.
He had already tried to shoot down the black-robed Ranker in the distance, but the latter was moving too quickly, making it very hard for his fire-based attacks to hit.
Also, their opponent was a Wind Elementalist, making it very easy to evade Garnus' attacks, while counter attacking with a Wind Blade.
Suddenly, one of the other Rankers that belonged to Twilight Rain roared and materialized a boulder in thin air, before throwing it at the projectile that was headed towards the right side of their ship.
The boulder and the Bone Cannonball collided, creating a loud explosion that spread across the entire port.
Originally, when Millie had started to rain down Wind Blades at the Twilight Ship, the people at the port didn't notice it right away. However, when Garnus, the Fire Mage Ranker that belonged to Twilight Rain, blocked her attacks, the explosion that followed had alarmed the people of the battle that was happening within the city's Port.
"As expected of a Ranker," Asmodeus said before raising his hand. "Prepare to fire!"
Three bone cannons aimed their muzzles at the distant Merchant ship and waited for Asmodeus' orders to fire.
Just like Lux, Asmodeus had summoned its own Doppelgangers, allowing them to command three Grand Cannons made from the Skeleton Make Skill.
"Load the special ammunition!" Several Skeleton Gang Bangers entered the cannon and positioned themselves snugly inside it.
"Open Fire!" Asmodeus ordered, and as soon as he gave the signal, three Skeleton Gang Bangers shot towards the flying ship like Cannon Balls.
After the first round was fired, another followed
The Skeleton Cannons fired non-stop as the Skeleton Gang Bangers entered them one by one, allowing them to be shot like projectiles towards the Merchant Ship.
Their purpose was not to destroy the ship because they knew that it wouldn't do anything to the Rankers, who were leagues above their current rank. Their purpose was to only cause a distraction, making the Rankers think that they were dealing with many enemies at once.
Lux, who deemed that the time was right, immediately ordered his two Doppelgangers to join the fray, raising the chaos to the next level.
Harrus and the three Rankers who were on top of the deck, who were becoming annoyed by the sudden attacks that were being hurled in their direction, sensed a concentration of magical power in the distance, making them shift their attention to the roofs of two houses in the distance.
Lux's Doppelgangers unleashed their attacks at the same time, aimed at the hull of the Merchant Ship, in an attempt to destroy it.
""Dragon's Breath!""
A few seconds later, a loud explosion ensued, destroying parts of the city's port, and sending the onlookers who were near the ship scrambling away in fear for their lives.
Chapter 395 I Hate Dealing With These Abyss Touched Bastards!
"What?! There's a battle taking place at the Port?!" the Earl of Draycott gasped in shock. "Where are the Guards? Why aren't they interfering?!"
"My Lord, the members of the Adventurer's Guild talked to the Guard Captain to ask for permission for him and his men to encircle the perimeter of the Port, but they were told not to interfere."
The Earl of Draycott slammed his fist on the table before shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Why are they listening to the Adventurer's Guild?!" the Earl roared in anger. "This is my Domain, and I order the Guards to arrest those who dared to disrupt the peace of my city!"
The aide of the Earl had a conflicted look on his face before stating why the Adventurer's Guild had intervened.
"The Adventurer's Guild has been commissioned by the King to assist in the rescue of Princess Anastasia, who is currently being held by Rankers of a terrorist organization," the aide replied. "The Rankers of the Kingdom are also headed to your Earldom, My Lord, and they have been given explicit orders to take full command of the situation.
"According to the Guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild, all the cost for the repair of the Port will be shouldered by his Majesty. So, in order to protect the citizens of the city, the Guard Captain was ordered to evacuate everyone near the Port, so that there wouldn't be additional casualties from the clash between the Rankers of both sides."
The Earl almost slipped off his chair after hearing that Rankers were involved in the battle. The strongest fighters in his Domain were Initiates, and they were in no position to fight against those that had stepped among the powerhouses of the realm.
But, that was not the biggest issue of all.
"Princess Anastasia is kidnapped?" the Earl asked. "Are you sure that it is Princess Anastasia that is kidnapped?"
"Yes, My Lord," the Aide replied. "It is indeed the Princess."
The Earl slowly sat down on his chair after realization had hit him. He was one of Princess Anastasia's supporters, and for him, the Princess' safety was very important.
"Understood," The Earl replied. "Call the leader of my Elite Guards. I will ask them to coordinate with the Adventurer's Guild, as well as the envoys from the Royal Palace."
"Yes, My Lord."
—---------
""Dragon's Breath!""
Two Dragon Breaths headed towards the hull of the ship in an attempt to destroy it.
However, before they could even arrive at their intended target, a Dwarf with reddish-brown hair jumped off the ship and blocked them both with his bare fists.
The Dragon Breaths that looked so powerful in the distance were dispelled easily, as if it was just a low-level spell that didn't have much destructive power.
However, after the Ranker had stopped the attack, he felt a pin-pricking pain that seemed to puncture his soul, which made him arch an eyebrow.
"Abyss Touch," Harrus muttered. "It seems that someone is asking for an early death."
The Ranker stomped his foot on the ground, and instantly hurled himself towards one of the houses where the black-robed figures were.
He had a sneer on his face because he found it quite laughable that a mere Grade A Apostle had dared to attack a boat where several Rankers were stationed.
Seeing that the Ranker was approaching, one of Lux's Doppelgangers immediately jumped off the house, down where a Rock Golem was waiting to catch him.
A moment later, the Doppelganger was thrown away by the Rock Golem to a safe location, just before its entire body was smashed to pieces by the Ranker.
"Petty tricks," Harrus sneered as he once again stomped his foot to lunge at the black-robed attacker.
Due to his speed, he managed to close the gap in mere seconds and unleashed his fist to smash the black-robed individual without holding back.
But just before the moment of impact, corpses of several horned rabbits and other low-leveled monsters were released from the Doppelganger's storage ring, hovering around the Doppelganger, as well as the Ranker that was about to smash his body into meat paste.
The other Doppelganger, who was standing on one of the houses near the Port, pointed his finger at the corpses in the distance and detonated them.
"Corpse Explosion!"
Just like a lit matchstick that was thrown into a box of fireworks, several explosions filled the sky, creating a dust cloud that blocked everyone's view.
"Well played. That felt quite a bit ticklish."
The smoke parted and Harrus appeared with minor blood stains on his clothes. The corpse explosion had detonated the corpses that Lux had prepared beforehand in an attempt to hurt their opponent, but he hadn't been able to gather a lot of dead monsters because they were in a hurry.
Because of this, the full power of the Chain Explosion wasn't realized. But, that was enough. It allowed the Half-Elf to gauge the effect of his attacks against a Ranker without holding back.
'As expected, Rankers are tough nuts to crack,' Lux thought as he watched the battle from a distance. 'Still, I doubt that you got out of that unscathed.'
A sneer appeared on Lux's face as he looked at the seemingly unaffected Ranker, who had dispersed the smoke that blocked his view.
Abyss Touch was an attack that directly targeted the soul. No matter how tough your defenses were, it was something that couldn't be brushed off so easily.
This was what made Abyssal Monsters very difficult to kill. Only those that could resist their soul-based attacks would be able to endure their relentless assault, just like the Dragon Race and other Mythical Races that had a high resistance against the attacks from the Abyss.
Just as Lux had assumed, Harrus did indeed suffer a bit due to the Corpse Explosion. Although he said that it was ticklish, in truth, he wasn't as composed deep inside.
'I hate dealing with these Abyss Touched bastards!' Harrus cursed internally.
It was not only Lux and Nero that had gained the power of the Abyss by absorbing the Beast Cores of Abyssal Monsters. There were many of them, and they were the bane of Rankers who specialized in defenses.
Harrus was an offensive fighter and preferred to destroy Abyss Touched opponents before they could hurt him. But, right now, he was feeling a little annoyed because the one that he was facing wasn't even a Ranker, but a mere Apostle, whose attacks were now getting on his nerves.
"Is that all you've got?" Harrus asked as he looked at the robed-figure who was still standing on the roof.
The moment he had disposed of one of the two Doppelgangers, he realized that his opponent was just using clones against him, ticking him off even further.
Hearing no answer from the Apostle, Harrus clicked his tongue and took a fighting pose. A moment later, he unleashed a single punch.
The punch didn't look like much and even looked as if someone was casually just throwing a punch just for the sake of it.
However, what happened next made Lux realize that he wasn't just fighting a Ranker, but a High-Ranker.
The house, as well as every other structure that was dozens of meters around it were instantly decimated as if they had been hit by a giant cannonball.
Naturally, Lux's clone was destroyed before it could even use one of the tricks that he had prepared beforehand.
Seeing that his two Doppelgangers had been destroyed, Lux sneakily made his escape in order to not catch the Ranker's attention.
'Asmodeus, Plan B,' Lux said as he made his getaway.
'Understood, Master,' Asmodeus replied.
The Archlich raised his hand, and the attacks of the cannons stopped firing.
Asmodeus' Doppelgangers stood behind the original one, and the three of them raised their hands at the same time.
"Skeleton Make…"
—-------
Inside the Twilight Ship….
"SkeletoMake…" Eiko said softly. "Bone Bomb!"
A moment later, a round Bone ball appeared in front of Eiko, and the latter rolled it on the hull compartment of the ship, in a place where it couldn't be seen right away.
"Skeleton Make… Bone Bomb!"
"Skeleton Make… Bone Bomb!"
"Skeleton Make… Bone Bomb!"
"Skeleton Make… Bone Bomb!"
The baby Slime, as well as her two helpers, Rocky (Earth Slime) and Saber (Saber Slime), all rolled the Bone Bombs into the key locations within the ship.
Eiko could detonate these balls anytime as long as she was within a two-mile radius of the ship, flooding its Hold Compartment within seconds.
Lux and Millie were attacking the ship relentlessly to cause a diversion, allowing Eiko and her Slimes to carry out their missions.
Now that the First Phase of the plan had been carried out, which was to secure Cai, Keane, and Clyde, the Second Phase of the Plan was about to start.
After planting as many Skeleton Bombs as possible, Eiko double checked her work for the last time before using her teleportation skill to instantly teleport to Lux's location, marking the success of her mission to rescue her friends, as well as the Baron's Second Son.
"Good job, Eiko," Lux praised the baby Slime who had appeared beside him. "Let's go to a safe place first before you unload them, okay?"
"Pa!" The baby Slime nodded in understanding.
As the Half-Elf and the baby Slime made their way to the center of the city, where it was safe, Asmodeus had given Millie the signal that the First Phase of their operation was a success.
Although she was reluctant to leave because the Princess was still not saved, the green-haired Dwarf retreated because Lux had promised her that he would do everything in his power to help rescue Princess Anastasia, once their reinforcements had finally arrived.
Chapter 396 We’re Moving As Planned Master
"Ugh! My head hurts!" Cai shook its head in an attempt to shake off the sleeping spell that was cast over it.
Keane, on the other hand, calmly put on the set of robes that Lux had provided him.
"I'm sorry about your sword," Lux said to the skinny swordsman. "I left it in Wolfpine Barony to have it repaired."
Keane nodded and said his thanks to Lux. During their battle against the members of Twilight Rain, his sword broke when he clashed against Harrus.
The Half-Elf couldn't believe that his friend would have the guts to point his sword at a Ranker, but knowing that Keane was not the type to turn a blind eye to those who were suffering made the red-headed teenager have a better opinion of him.
"That sword is just a cheap sword that my Master randomly picked up in a junk shop," Keane stated. "I was also planning to get a new one, but my funds kept on decreasing because a certain chatty boar made me pay for the food bill in all the places we visited."
Cai, who heard Keane's explanation which sounded more like a complaint, sneakily walked away, causing the Half-Elf to look at it in disdain.
"Don't worry, I'll get you a better sword in the future," Lux said before taking out the sword he had used when he had started his journey in Elysium. "Use this for now."
Lux handed the blade, Oathbreaker, to Keane, and the latter's eyes softened after unsheathing the sword in his hand.
It was just slightly shorter than his original sword, and the blade was a little thicker, but after he swung it around a few times, he found that it was much more convenient to use than his previous sword.
—----
< Oathbreaker, Dark Blade of Eternity >
Rarity: Unique
(One Handed Sword)
Requirement: 100 Combined Stats
– Attack: 100-145 Dark Damage
– Physical skills deal 20% more damage.
– Has a 10% chance to trigger double damage with each attack. This ability works with skills as well.
—----
Although it was only a Unique Weapon, and not a Mythical one, it was still a good weapon, and the 10% chance to trigger double damage was a welcome addition to Keane's deadly one-hit strikes.
"Thank you, I'll put it to good use," Keane said.
"You're welcome," Lux replied.
Millie, who was standing not far from the two of them, had her arms crossed over her chest. It had only been half an hour since their attack on the Twilight Ship ended, but the members of Twilight Rain had already decided to set sail before any more problems arose.
"Can we really rescue the Princess this way?" Millie asked anxiously as she stared at Lux who looked quite calm after saving his friends.
The Half-Elf nodded. "Now that the other hostages are gone, they will only have the Princess with them. That will make them feel anxious and increase her security to make sure that no one will be able to save her."
Millie who heard Lux's reply suddenly wanted to slap the Half-Elf silly.
Instead of raising their chances of rescuing the princess, their rescue operation only made things a lot harder. If they discovered that the other hostages were gone, it would be highly probable that more Rankers would guard the Princess to keep an eye on her.
"Isn't this counterproductive?" Millie asked. "With more security guarding Her Highness, it would be nearly impossible to get her off of the ship!"
Lux smiled because he could understand what the green-haired Dwarf was thinking. However, having more guards guarding the Princess meant less people paying attention to what was happening outside and inside the ship.
If Lux had his way, he hoped that at least three to four Rankers stood guard with Princess Anastasia. Two rankers were easier to deal with than four, and it also allowed plenty of opportunities for his own undercover agent, Scarlet, to do things without raising any suspicions.
The Dwarf Assassin's loyalty belonged to him. After being reborn as a Cambion, Scarlet knew that as long as Lux willed it, she would obey him without fail.
This was her fate after her defeat, and because of that, she decided to use anything to her advantage to become stronger, including using the Dark Guild she was part of to become a Ranker.
Of course, the red-headed teenager wouldn't disclose his mole inside Twilight Rain to anyone. With such a capable Assassin under his command, he could easily create opportunities for the Princess to be saved, as long as the right conditions were met.
Five minutes later, the sound of a large group of mounted people finally arrived in the Port City to take command of the situation.
Keelan was among them, and the first person he looked for was not the Earl of Draycott, but the Half-Elf, who was waiting for his arrival.
"What's the situation?" Keelan asked. "Have they left the Port?"
Lux nodded. "Around half an hour ago. They are headed North West. I'm not familiar with the islands in that direction, but I assume that they are headed to one of their strongholds."
Keelan frowned because this was definitely bad news. Right now, he only had two Rankers and twenty Initiates. If Millie were to join their ranks, that would only add one more Ranker to the group, and it was still three less than the Rankers of Twilight Rain.
"We can't let them reach their stronghold," Keelan stated. "Who knows how many Rankers they have stationed there?"
Lux agreed. However, he wasn't too worried about the Twilight Ship getting far out to sea. They had departed the Port only half an hour ago, which meant that they hadn't gone far.
As long as they moved now, they would be able to catch up to them after Eiko detonated the Bone Bombs that had been planted inside the ship.
"What about the reinforcements from the Royal Family?" Keelan asked. "Even if we manage to intercept them, they still outnumber us."
Lux glanced in Millie's direction, and the latter just shook her head. There was still no reply from the artifact that allowed her to contact her Master, which proved that the latter was not within the artifact's range.
Keelan sighed after seeing Millie's reaction. Their Grand Guildmaster who was stationed in the Capital City of the Kingdom of Gweliven agreed to his proposal to mobilize all available manpower in order to save the Princess.
This would make the Royal Family owe the Adventurer's Guild for mobilizing their own troops in order to save the Princess from her kidnappers.
Lux understood that this was also a political move, but he didn't concern himself with such things. Right now, he was pressed on time, so he asked Keelan to order his men to board the Earl's personal battleship, which would be used to pursue the members of Twilight Rain.
—-----
Mission Time: 13: 56: 22
—-----
Lux sighed internally after seeing his precious time tick by.
It would take him five hours to return to Wolfpine Barony in order to complete his mission. If possible, he would like the battle to end sooner, but since they were fighting against Rankers, they needed to plan things out properly.
'I only have one chance to save her,' Lux mused as he thought of Eiko's Doppelganger, as well as the other Slimes that were still inside the enemy's ship. 'Asmodeus, how are the things on your side?'
'We're moving as planned, Master,' Asmodeus replied. 'It seems that they can't detect us from this distance.'
Lux felt relieved after knowing that his Undead Army was moving according to schedule. With them hounding the ship from behind, the members of Twilight Rain wouldn't know what hit them until it was too late.
Chapter 397 Not Following The Script
Keelan, Millie, and the rest of the members that were tasked to rescue the Princess, boarded the Battleship of the Earldom of Draycott which was named Starlight.
According to the Captain, the Earl made the decision of making his own Battleship in order to protect his territory from Pirates while looking at a star-studded sky. Because of this, he had given the ship the name Starlight, so that even on the darkest nights, the stars would guide the battleship back home.
Lux, on the other hand, didn't board the battleship. Instead, he rented another ship docked at the Port to act as his own transport during the battle that would be waged on the high seas.
Since Keelan was in charge of the operation, it would limit Lux's own actions when it came to ordering his Undead Army, so he decided to ride a separate ship, which would let them use a pincer attack against their target out in the open sea.
"Captain Spawow, I heard you are one of the most dishonest Dwarfs to have sailed the Seven Seas," Lux said as he shook hands with the Captain of the Ship that he had rented to help him save Princess Anastasia.
"I'm dishonest, and a dishonest Dwarf you can always trust to be dishonest," Jack Spawow replied. "Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly… stupid."
Lux smirked because the more he looked at the Dwarf, the more he liked his personality.
"Unfurl the sails," Jack Spawow commanded. "Raise the anchor, and hoist the Colours!"
(A/N: Bloody Hell, before any of you complain, Colours is intentionally written in this way, Mate.)
The crew of the blackship began to move, as the Black Pearl prepared to sail to pursue the Twilight Ship.
A flag which bore a skull with two swords crossed underneath it was soon flying in the breeze.
"Um, are you sure we are on the right ship?" Cai asked as it looked at the flag. "Isn't this a pirate ship?"
Lux grinned before turning his head to look at the Captain who was standing behind the steering wheel of the ship.
"Captain, Cai said that this is a pirate ship," Lux shouted. "What do you have to say to that?"
The crew, who was busy finishing the preparations for departure, paused for a few seconds before roaring in laughter. The Captain also laughed alongside his crew before looking at Cai who was wondering why everyone around her suddenly started laughing.
"I'll leave the answer to your imagination, My Dear Friend." Jack Spawow winked before steering the ship toward the sea where a new adventure awaited them.
—--
An hour later…
"Eiko, stir it like you mean it, Sweetheart," Jack Spawow said as he looked at the baby Slime who was having fun jumping all over the steering wheel, making it spin.
"Aye!" Eiko replied as she jumped over the steering wheel to make the ship turn Westwards.
The ship was quite a bit faster than Lux expected.
It was like the ship was gliding across the waters as it enjoyed the steering of the baby Slime who was giggling non-stop after she found herself a new "toy" to play with.
Behind them, Starlight lagged behind, which made its Captain, and the sailors of the battleship, feel a bit embarrassed—they thought that their ship was the fastest ship within the Kingdom of Gweliven.
Suddenly, a green-haired Dwarf descended from the cabin, which made the pirate–err sailors—draw their swords and point their flintlocks in her direction.
"Calm down everyone. The lass is on our side," Captain Jack Spawow said. "Aren't you, Darling?"
"I'm not your darling," Millie replied before walking towards Lux, making the sailors erupt in cheers because their Captain got ignored by the green-haired Dwarf, who was more fiery than some of the women they met at sea.
"How far are they?" Millie asked.
"Not far," Lux answered with a smile. "You can even see them now if you look properly."
The Half-Elf pointed towards the horizon, making Millie squint her eyes. A moment later, she found a small black speck in the distance, which made her heart skip a beat.
Millie clenched her fist in both excitement and anxiety.
She was happy that they were finally closing the gap between them and the kidnappers, but also anxious because she didn't know if she would be able to save the Princess once they started their naval battle.
"Tell Keelan to prepare for battle," Lux stated. "We will be engaging them soon enough."
"What's the plan?" Millie asked, making the Half-Elf smile.
There was another reason why Lux decided to take a separate ship instead of joining the battleship.
"The plan is to defend your ship with all of your might," Lux replied. "Soon, they will be coming after you guys, so you better do your best to hold out until the Princess is rescued."
Millie didn't understand what Lux was hinting at, but she still decided to do what he said.
The green-haired Dwarf left the ship and flew towards Starlight and passed the Captain and Keelan the exact words that Lux had told her.
Cai had once told him that one of the Rankers had a giant bird that they could ride in order to get to the Earldom of Draycott faster.
In truth, the flying mount was the greatest threat in this rescue operation, but Lux had already prepared a plan to counter it.
As long as they were able to bring it down, the Rankers wouldn't have any other choice but to try to capture one of their two ships once Eiko had detonated the Bone Bombs that would sink the ship, making the members of Twilight Rain desperate.
Lux had seen firsthand how the Ranker made his strongest attacks look like child's play. Because of this, he knew that the only way to beat them was by using the element of surprise, allowing him to rescue Princess Anastasia while everyone was fighting over the ownership of the battleship, Starlight.
However, before they could even start their plan, a giant bird appeared over the horizon and flew in their direction.
Soon, giant fireballs descended upon the Black Pearl, which made the Half-Elf curse internally because the members of Twilight Rain weren't following the script that he had elaborately prepared for them.
Chapter 398 Twilight Rain’s Mistake [Part 1]
"All hands, prepare to battle!" Captain Jack Spawow shouted as he took over the steering wheel from Eiko and held it steadily.
The ship was too slow to evade the fireballs, but the Pirate Captain had an amused expression on his face as he gave the blazing balls of fire, that were about to descend on his ship, a side-long glance before shifting his gaze back to the ship they were chasing beyond the horizon.
The crew wasn't as composed as their Captain, but they still began loading their cannons, which were on the deck, and prepared for battle.
Lux had already summoned his two Doppelgangers and was about to launch three Dragon Breaths in an attempt to repel the fireballs, but before he could do that, several Wind Blades collided with them, making them explode mid-air.
Millie had flown from the other ship and began to engage the enemy in an Aerial Battle.
As a Ranker who wielded the Wind Element, she was very capable of fighting on all kinds of battlefields.
The Half-Elf breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that the green-haired Dwarf had come to their rescue. Now that their backup had arrived, the opportunity to eliminate their greatest threat had become a reality.
'I was planning to deal with that flying mount later, but since it is already here it's about time to get it out of the picture,' Lux thought. 'Asmodeus, prepare for Operation Dead Bird!'
'Understood, Master,' Asmodeus replied.
—----
Under the Sea, a ship made up of skeletons was wading under the waters.
Asmodeus stood at the steering wheel and looked up above him where bright flashes of light could be seen. Slowly, but surely, the Skeleton Ship rose up from the deep waters.
The Archlich had no intention of taking the Skeleton Ship up to the surface, because that was not part of their plan. He only wanted to get within range, so that they could target the flying mount from under the sea, rendering it immobile.
"Are you ready, Orion?" Asmodeus asked the Jade Golem who was standing in the center of the Skeleton Ship.
"Yes," Orion replied. "We're still out of range, so we need to get a little higher."
Asmodeus nodded as he controlled the Flying Ship to rise a little higher from the depths until Orion gave him the signal that they were now within range.
A chuckle escaped the Archlich's lips as he summoned the Skeleton Gangbangers, whose hollow eyes burned brightly, even under the waters.
'Master, we are in position,' Asmodeus reported. 'We can begin the operation anytime.'
—-----
After hearing Asmodeus' report, Lux narrowed his eyes to look at the battle that was happening in the sky.
There were two Rankers who were riding on the flying bird in the sky, which, in his opinion, was perfect for their operation.
One of the Rankers that was on the Battleship was a Ranker that specialized in Water Magic, who had jumped off the ship and joined the battle, while riding on a Water Dragon.
Right now, he had the geographical advantage, manipulating the surrounding waters around him into an infinite supply of water spears that shot towards the Flying Mount from below, while Millie rained down Wind Blades from above.
The two Rankers from Twilight Rain were hard pressed to resist this combination attack and were forced to be on the defensive.
Malkhalm, the Ranker from Twilight Rain who specialized in Fire Magic cursed as he launched fire balls, and fire spears to repel the Wind Blades, while his companion, Khezmod, who used Earth Magic, summoned a Dome of Rock, that acted as a barrier to shield themselves from the Wind Blades that managed to break through their defensive barrage.
The Flying Mount, on the other hand, fired crystal shards to deflect the water balls, and water spears being fired at it from the sea, while evading those that it couldn't block completely.
They could have resisted the combined attacks of Millie and the Water Mage well, but there was one more problem that they didn't expect to face.
A Third Ranker, who was part of the Adventurer's Group, was a Sniper who specialized in long distance combat.
Even from the deck of the Battleship, his arrows flew straight and true, hitting the flying Mount repeatedly, making the latter cry out in pain.
If not for the fact that the Flying Mount's was a Deimos-Ranked Monster, it would have already been shot dead by the Ranker whose deadly attacks were always aimed at its eyes, heart, and neck.
"No good, we won't hold out long," Khazmod stated. "Let's go back to the ship. I thought they only had one Ranker with them. It seems that they managed to recruit another one on short notice."
"Dammit!" Malkhalm cursed but he understood that they had underestimated their opponents.
He was the one that proposed that they should eliminate their pursuers and sink their ships, so that they would not follow them to their secret Stronghold, while they were massing their pirate fleet, in order to attack the merchant fleet from the Kingdom of Gweliven.
Another reason why he proposed to launch a preemptive strike at their pursuers was because he thought that they only had a Wind Mage by their side.
Now that two additional rankers had joined the battle, they were clearly at a major disadvantage.
"Return to the ship, Hermeas!" Khazmod ordered.
The Giant Bird screeched as it acknowledged its Master's order. It shot the Sniper in the distance with a hateful glare before turning around to return to their ship.
However, just before it could fly away, its body stiffened for a brief second before it took a nosedive towards the sea, which made Khazmod and Malkhalm eyes widen in shock.
"Dumb bird! Go back to the ship!" Maklhalm screamed. "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Hermeas! Go up!" Khazmod ordered. "Go up I say!"
Hermes gave a helpless screech because it couldn't control its body. It was about to return to the ship when it found itself being pulled towards the sea, unable to stir itself to fly back up.
"Millie and Sir Ranker! Attack them now!" Lux shouted. "I will take care of the Giant Bird, you deal with the two Rankers!"
Millie and the Water Mage, who went by the name Favian, were surprised at the sudden turn of events, but after hearing Lux's shout, both of them charged at the falling bird, and launched a deadly barrage of Wind Blades and Water Spears without mercy.
Malkhalm's and Khazmod's faces became pale because they didn't know what kind of sorcery the Half-Elf had used to make their flying mount descend towards the sea head-first.
If their Flying Mount was gone, they would be hard pressed to escape the pursuit of the two Rankers, and their chances of getting back to their ship were zero.
For a brief moment, time seemed to have come to a standstill as the Two Rankers from Twilight Rain looked in the direction of the Black Pearl.
There, they saw a red-headed teenager looking at them with a sneer, which made their blood turn cold.
That was the last thing they saw before a loud splash of water erupted in every direction, as the Giant Bird, Hermes, dove into the sea, in pursuit of the opponent that had forced it to duel them under the waters.
Chapter 399 Twilight Rain’s Mistake [Part 2]
Five minutes before the Giant Bird crashed into the sea…
'Master, we are in position,' Asmodeus reported. 'We can begin the operation anytime.'
'Good,' Lux replied. 'Orion, wait for my signal.'
'Yes, Master.'
The Jade Golem positioned itself on the side of the Skeleton Ship, preparing to jump off as soon as Lux gave it the signal.
From the start, the Half-Elf was worried that the members of Twilight Rain would use their flying mount to escape their pursuit if their ship was destroyed during the naval warfare.
This was why he still hadn't given Eiko the order to detonate the Bone Bombs that she had left on the Twilight Ship because they could still escape if they wanted to.
Now that the greatest threat had come willingly to him, the Half-Elf would be a fool to let this opportunity escape his grasp.
Seeing that the time was right, Lux gave the order to start the Operation Dead Bird, which would eliminate the Flying Mount once and for all.
"Duel [EX]!" Orion roared as he targeted the Giant Bird that was flying above the waters. After making sure that his skill had taken effect, the Jade Golem jumped off the Skeleton Ship and descended towards the sea floor.
The Skeleton Ship, on the other hand, immediately backed away, as soon as Orion had jumped off because they didn't want to be in the immediate area when the underwater battle began.
Over a hundred Skeleton Gangbangers stood at the deck of the ship, waiting to attack the prey that would soon serve itself on a silver platter.
Less than a minute later, a giant bird broke through the water's surface, and dove towards the bottom of the sea, following the Jade Golem whose role was to keep it under water and drown it.
Several wind blades pierced through the water in pursuit of the giant bird, hitting it from behind.
The Water Mage had also dove underwater and was having the time of his life as he sent countless water spears at his helpless targets, who were still sinking towards the bottom of the sea.
Above the waters, Lux had summoned Pazuzu and Diablo to his side.
"Go down and ensure that none of them escape alive!" Lux ordered.
The two acknowledged their Master's order and immediately jumped off the Pirate Ship to join their comrades, who were about to initiate the underwater battle against the two Rankers, as well as their Flying Mount, which was currently holding its breath for as long as it could.
Millie didn't hesitate to dive down into the sea as well, encapsulating herself in a bubble of air, allowing her to breathe underwater.
"Looks like our opponents made a grave mistake." Captain Spawow chuckled. "Boys, make sure to get those cannons at the ready. I like to hit people when they're down."
""Aye captain!""
The crew of the Black Pearl were all excited to join the fight. As Pirates they liked to be on the winning side, and judging at the current circumstances, they are indeed on the winning side.
Lux shared his connection with Asmodeus, as well as Orion, to pinpoint the exact location of their enemies.
"Captain, can you move the boat closer to that location?" Lux asked as he pointed in the distance.
Jack Spawow nodded and did as the Half-Elf requested. He didn't need to ask why the red-headed teenager wanted to move the ship closer since he believed that the boy had a plan.
Deep inside, he was also looking forward to what the Half-Elf was planning to do.
When they neared the location, Lux, and his two clones summoned a Rock Golem each, and ordered them to jump into the water.
They summoned five more each, making eighteen Rock Golems in total, that had descended into the sea.
Eiko had also done the same and summoned six Rock Golems to join in the fun. She didn't know what her Papa was thinking, but she decided to do it as well because her Papa knew best!
As the Twenty Four Rock Golems descended into the sea the first thing they saw was the backside of the Giant Bird, which had now almost reached the sea floor, where the Jade Golem, Orion, was waiting for it with its strongest attack.
Asmodeus, who was navigating the Skeleton Ship, deemed that it was now safe for them to approach their target, and summoned Rock Golems of his own.
"Go!" Asmodeus ordered. "Drown that bird!"
Asmodeus clones had also summoned their Rock Golems, totaling eighteen, that had all jumped off the Skeleton Ship as well.
Millie and the Water Mage, Favian, who saw these Rock Golems didn't understand what they were planning to do. However, they finally understood their purpose the moment a strong surge of water erupted at the bottom of the sea.
Orion and the Giant Bird had finally clashed, and the Jade Golem made sure to punch the Bird's Beak with his Gaia Smash, making it cry out in pain, which allowed seawater to enter its throat.
Khezmod slammed his fists together, creating several Earth Spikes to pierce the Jade Golem's body.
However, since Orion had the Guts ability, it didn't die right away, allowing it to summon his own Earth Spike which pierced through one of the Giant Bird's eyes before an angered Khezmod smashed him to pieces.
Blood started to spread into the sea as the bird struggled to go back up to the surface.
Unfortunately, at this moment, several Rock Golems crashed on its body from above, and clung to it, preventing it from moving upwards.
To make matters worse, hundreds of Skeleton Gang Bangers also arrived at the scene, and started hacking at the Giant Bird with their bony swords.
Malkhalm and Khezmod didn't remain idle and started blasting the Rock Golems, and the Skeleton Gang Bangers, off their Flying Mount's body.
However, Millie and Favian had also arrived at the scene, and attacked the two Rankers, forcing them to defend themselves.
The two Rankers from Twilight Rain knew that they had no chance of winning the Underwater Battle, so they immediately took two crystals from their storage rings and activated them.
A moment later, two flashes of light erupted on the seafloor.
The two Rankers had used their Teleportation Crystals that would send them to the Stronghold where they planned to take Princess Anastasia.
Everyone that was involved in the mission had been given one as a life saving item, in case they were overpowered by their enemies. These crystals were specially made to only activate if it was used by a member of Twilight Rain, to prevent outsiders from teleporting to their main headquarters, and attack them from within.
Truth be told, none of them expected that they would be using these crystals because their plan was perfect. They had predicted that it would take the Royal Family at least a day or two to discover that the Princess was gone before they tasked people to find her.
By then, they would have already arrived safely in their Stronghold, allowing their Master to negotiate with the King of Gweliven for his daughter's release.
The only mistake they made was to bring Cai and Keane with them. Since they were part of Lux's Guild, he was able to find their location on the map, using his Elysium Compendium.
This also allowed the Half-Elf to rally some people in the quickest time possible to help with the rescue operation.
After the two Rankers were done, the Giant Bird was as good as dead after its body was pinned to the sea floor by the golems, despite its struggling.
Pazuzu and Diablo had also arrived at the scene and didn't hesitate to start hacking at the Giant Bird's head, while the Rock Golems held it down to drown it.
Soon, the Giant Bird gave its last unwilling screech as it tried to draw in its last breath.
It was at this moment when several giant creatures, who had sensed the blood spilling out of the Giant Bird's body, arrived at the scene.
Diablo no longer tarried and used the Enchanted Beast Ring to store the Flying Mount's body before the other Sea Monsters took a bite out of it.
Millie and Favian hurriedly went up to the surface because there were several Sea Monsters whose Rank was at the peak of the Deimos Rank, making them as strong as E-Rankers.
They still needed to rescue the Princess, and the last thing they wanted was to entangle themselves with such beasts.
Seeing that their prey had disappeared, the Sea Monsters lost interest and swam away. They had no appetite for skeletons, much less Rock Golems. Although they could attack the two ships above them, they refrained from doing so because they sensed that three Rankers were guarding them.
Since that was the case, they would just find weaker prey elsewhere, and no longer trouble themselves with something that might endanger their lives.
'Master, the mission was a complete success,' Asmodeus reported.
'Good job, everyone,' Lux said to all of his subordinates who were still under the water. 'But, our true mission is still not done. We will resume the rescue operation, so make sure to position yourselves accordingly.'
"""Yes, Master!"""
Now that two of the enemy Rankers were gone, and their Flying Mount was out of the picture, Lux and his allies felt emboldened by their victory, and pursued the Twilight Ship in the distance with renewed vigor.
Millie, who was skeptical about their chances of winning, glanced at the red-headed teenager who was on the deck of the pirate ship, and finally understood why the King had deemed him worthy to be part of his Elite Unit, whose qualifications she still failed to reach.
Chapter 400 I Don’t Have Any Interest In The Opinions Of Weaklings
Harrus, who was standing on the deck, narrowed his eyes as he looked at the battle using a telescope.
The moment he saw that Khezmod's flying mount suddenly took a nosedive towards the sea, he felt that something was wrong.
He waited for a minute, two minutes, and then three. However, no matter how long he waited, the Flying Mount never resurfaced.
Harrus could see the bubbles that were rising up to the surface, but that was all that he saw. Several minutes later, he saw two beams of light shoot up towards the sky and fly North West.
It was at that moment when he realized what had happened.
"Those two useless fools!" Harrus' grip suddenly tightened, destroying the telescope in his hands. "Useless!"
The Dwarf roared as he threw the broken telescope to the sea. He no longer needed it because he knew that their pursuers were hot on their tail, and it was only a matter of time before they were overtaken.
"How can this happen?!" Harrus muttered. Even now, he still didn't understand how the Kingdom was able to mobilize a rescue team on such short notice, even being able to chase them to the Port of Draycott, where they planned to take a Merchant Ship to reach their stronghold in the scattered islands that were outside the control of the Kingdom of Gweliven.
The Dwarf with reddish-brown hair could understand if they were able to mobilize a sizable force in order to pursue them. What he couldn't understand was how their opponent knew where they were going.
The artifact that had a tracking spell that the Princess owned was tied to a random bird they found in the forest, which they had sent flying in the opposite direction, so it was impossible for anyone to find out where they were headed.
But still, they were found. This made Harrus, who was the leader of the kidnapping operation, seethe in anger.
'It no longer matters,' Harrus thought. 'Since it has already come to this, a fight is inevitable. We will just use the hostages as a last resort if we are outmatched.'
Now that two of the Rankers on their side were gone, only four remained.
Harrus didn't know how many Rankers were on the two ships that were following them, but according to his estimate, three Rankers were needed in order to defeat his comrades, who had been forced to use their teleportation crystals to escape.
"Floyd, Eric, come!" Harrus shouted. "We got company!"
Three Rankers guarded the room that Princess Anastasia was in, in order to prevent her from escaping. However, two of them were called to the deck in order to prepare for a naval battle.
The last remaining Ranker, who was a woman, frowned, but didn't say anything because it was Harrus who led their group in this operation.
Her name was Carol, and her specialty was Dark Magic.
She was supposed to be the leader of this operation, but their Guild Master suddenly added Harrus to the team, making him the temporary leader of their group.
Carol had concerns about making Harrus their leader because she believed that the Brawler was all brawn and no brains. Still, to her surprise, the Brawler had made very logical decisions for the entirety of their mission.
The only mistake he had made was to agree to Malkahm's proposal to destroy their pursuers and burn the two ships in the sea.
Truth be told, if she were in Harrus' position, she would have also agreed to their proposal, so she couldn't find fault with it. The only problem now was that they would have no choice but to fight with their pursuers, who were closing the gap with each passing minute.
While Carol was deep in thought, Scarlet suddenly stood up and headed towards the door of the cabin.
"Where are you going?" Carol asked.
"Toilet," Scarlet replied. "I've been holding it since an hour ago. Now that there is an imminent battle approaching, I thought that now is the best time to do it, while I still have the chance."
Carol wrinkled her nose, but she still nodded her head.
"Go, but be quick about it," Carol ordered.
Scarlet nodded and left the cabin, where Carol, and five other Initiates, stayed to guard the Princess.
The moment the Slayer Candidate left the room, one of the Initiates snorted.
"So much for a Slayer Candidate," a lady Dwarf said. "She can't even hold it in during a mission, and she's supposed to be a top-class assassin? Isn't that funny?"
"You say that now, but you lost to her during the mock battle three days ago," a Dwarf who was in his early twenties commented. "If you're that brave, why don't you complain when she is around, and not when she's not?"
"Shut up!" the lady Dwarf glared at the Dwarf that chastised her. "What's this? Don't tell me you have a crush on her? Hah~ you just want to score some brownie points."
"It is you who should shut up. Just looking at you makes me puke."
"Oh? Then how about we have a mock battle when we return? I'm going to wipe the floor with your face!"
Carol didn't do anything and allowed the Initiates to quarrel among themselves. Rivalry was encouraged within the Dark Guild because it compelled their members to strive harder in order to surpass their rivals.
Also, just watching over the Princess was getting boring, so listening to the banter between the two Dwarfs served as her entertainment.
Princess Anastasia, on the other hand, sat on top of the bed.
Her hands, and feet were shackled with steel chains that prevented her from using any kind of magic. They had already researched the Princess' ability and found out that she had an aptitude for Life Magic and Wood Magic, allowing her to heal others, as well as manipulate the power trees and plants to do her bidding.
Despite her young age, she was already a Grade B Apostle, but compared to her guards, who were Initiates and Rankers, her rank was of no use.
In the end, she decided to remain silent and wait for her rescuers to arrive.
'Millie must have come with reinforcements,' Princess Anastasia thought. 'Judging by how the enemy has divided their forces, they must have lost two of their Rankers in battle. This is good news.'
She did her best to prevent a smile from appearing on her face because she knew that it would only agitate her captors. For the time being, she decided to just observe the people around her and try to understand their characteristics.
Although the chance was small, it might allow her to use it to her advantage in order to escape.
—---
Scarlet entered the washroom and locked the door, she then looked up at the ceiling and saw a blue slime at the corner of the cramped room.
'The slime is indeed here,' Scarlet reported to Lux. 'Now what?'
'Can you bring the Princess to the washroom?' Lux replied. 'That way, we can drag her away without too much effort.'
'Impossible. Even if she begged, Carol would not allow her to leave the room. Also, bringing the slime to the cabin will arouse suspicion, so I can't take it with me.'
'True. very well, we will be arriving soon and once that happens, there will be explosions inside your ship. I'm sure that the Ranker will keep a closer eye on the Princess when that happens, but if an opportunity arises, make sure to take her with you.'
'Understood,' Scarlet gave the blue slime one last glance before leaving the washroom. 'I will keep in touch.'
'Okay.'
Lux's voice faded from her head, making the Slayer Candidate sigh internally. She knew that the moment the fighting started, it would be next to impossible for her to get the Princess away from Carol.
However, many things could happen when the fighting began, so she was already thinking of ways, and excuses that she could use the moment the Princess suddenly disappeared from the Merchant Ship.
When Scarlet returned to the cabin, one of the lady Dwarfs glared in her direction which made her arc an eyebrow. She remembered shoving her face into the floor because she kept on saying that she just got lucky because the target she assassinated was a weakling.
Naturally, Scarlet couldn't say that the "weakling" that the Initiate spoke off was the same person that killed her and Sid, who were the two highest ranked Assassins among the Initiates that were part of the Assassination Squad called the Reapers, which were considered to be the group of Assassin Candidates that were trained to join the Slayers, which were Twilight Rain's main Assassination group that specialized in killing high profile targets.
All of the members of the Slayers were Rankers, so the moment Scarlet became a Ranker, she would immediately be added to this group, which all of the members of Reapers aspired to become.
"Did something happen?" Scarlet asked the boy, whom she knew had a crush on her. She didn't mind being adored by others. In fact, she would find it incomprehensible if she was not admired by her peers.
She had beauty, strength, and connections.
One could say that she had everything from birth, so it was very easy for her to stand above others. Even so, everyone understood that her becoming a Slayer Candidate was due to the fact that she had been tasked to assassinate a Half-Elf, who had somehow appeared in their Kingdom.
"She was saying things behind your back," the Dwarf replied. "As for what she was saying while you were gone, you can ask her yourself."
"Oh?" Scarlet gave the lady dwarf a side-long glance before yawning. "Sorry. I don't have any interest in the opinions of weaklings."
Scarlet then sat beside Princess Anastasia and leaned on its headboard. Right now, she wasn't thinking about the Initiate who was glaring daggers at the guy that tattled on her.
She only managed to make the situation more volatile, allowing her to think of ways she could make the princess meet Eiko's clone, who was currently crawling somewhere in the Merchant Ship, waiting for the opportunity that Lux and Scarlet would prepare for it.