Extraordinary Voyage

Due to the small delay caused by handling Lemon's matters, by the time Aiven and his group arrived at the port, all the Academy cadets had already assembled and were lined up on the docks.

Even their nominal commander, Paul, was already one step ahead, standing at the forefront of the line, gazing at the distant sea. Today marked the collective operation for all the Navy Academy's short-term cadet trainees, and as the commander, he naturally had to be present at the front lines.

"Didn't hide this time, daring to show itself openly. Is it that strange-looking ship that gave it confidence?"

Through a monocular, Paul contemplated as he observed the large black ship drifting silently on the distant sea.

Tattered sails, charred hull, visible large holes on the side, eerie shapes glimpsed through the portholes, casting a blood-red moonlight, enveloped it in a thin red mist, resembling the legendary "Ghost Ship."

The cadets behind him naturally also saw the ship.

"Is this our target for today?!"

Krell slightly widened his mouth. It was his first time seeing a "Ghost Ship," and he couldn't help but feel a bit scared of things like ghosts. "Ye Gong's Love of Dragons" might describe someone like Krell...

Aiven was equally surprised, not only by the fearsome appearance of the black ship but also by the fact that his sea birds dared not approach the "Ghost Ship" for reconnaissance. Once they got close, they would frantically transmit thoughts of fear, failing to capture any valuable information.

So Aiven simply directed them to stay away, withdrawing from the battlefield alongside Owl Bass to avoid pointless losses.

Behind them, Anthony and Delis also carried solemn expressions.

Logically, although they were active officers, their distinctive identities meant they were not part of the Navy Academy's short-term training class. They didn't need to follow orders for port reinforcement like Aiven and Krell.

However, at this moment, both decisively stayed.

Part of the same team, having hunted several "Killing Ghosts," now at the time for a hard battle, there was no reason to flee.

Moreover, knowing more secrets than others, they had greater confidence in the city's defense forces, especially faith in Principal Princeton, who was also responsible for the Violet Eye branch!

Soon, the Iron Wall Knight Order, equipped like human tanks, and the Crowman Team, wearing bird-beak masks and black leather outfits resembling large crows, all assembled.

Several warships from the First Fleet were also in place.

Before boarding the ship, Paul, whose role had quietly become deputy commander, encouraged the participating cadets and officers:

"Brave Kingdom Navy!

Today, the only thing you need to do is attack! Attack! And attack again!

Marshal Princeton and the Crown Prince are right behind us watching; even if it's a ghost ship, what of it? Real ghosts will turn to ash under the Kingdom Navy's cannon fire! Long live the Kingdom! Long live Her Majesty the Queen!"

Formerly the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Principal Princeton, having retired for only a few years, still wielded terrifying influence in the Navy. Countless recruits grew up listening to his legendary stories.

With the thought of both him and the Crown Prince watching from behind, the terror concerning the "Ghost Ship" diminished significantly for the officers and soldiers.

"For Her Majesty the Queen!"

"Long live the Kingdom! Long live Her Majesty the Queen!"

For a moment, the momentum was grand and the morale was high!

"Board the ships!"

As the regular defense force of the port, three Level 4 Battleships, two Level 3 Battleships, and one Level 2 Battleship were docked early at the pier.

It's not that the First Fleet's base at "New Inn Port" has just these few warships stationed, but rather that ships below Level 4 needed to strictly adhere to the Extraordinary isolation system to control the further spread of Super-tier secrets.

Indeed, the short-term training officers, Crowman Team, and Iron Wall Knight Order that joined this mission are all forces that frequently deal with the Mysterious Side, even hidden units, while other forces were directly excluded from involvement.

Furthermore, in the foreseeable battle, battleships below the level would have no qualification to participate!

The Level 6 Battleship system established by the Overlord Hilus Kingdom among Sea Power Countries is commonly used throughout the human civilized world.

Level 4 Battleships stretching 45 meters in length, with 350 personnel, featuring 50 to 56 shipborne artillery across two gun decks, significantly larger in size and firepower than the Level 6 Battleship and Level 5 Battleship Aiven had once boarded, belonging to the lowest tier in the battleship series.

Level 3 Battleships stretch 50 meters long, ranging from two gun-deck 64-gun artillery ships to three gun-deck 80-gun artillery ships, manned by between 490 to 720 crew.

The Level 2 Battleship, 59 meters long, is the giant second only to Level 1 Battleship, boasting 90 to 98 artillery across three gun decks, truly a mobile fortress at sea. With the absence of the Level 1 Battleships, it holds absolute dominance over the ocean!

As elite personnel who achieved great feats, Aiven and his group were arranged to board the only Level 2 Battleship, "Frost White Sword!"

Aboard were also Paul, both a school instructor and officer of the First Fleet, along with Aiven's acquaintances, Ambrose of the Iron Wall Knight Order, and his squad.

Honestly, Aiven, having enlisted for quite some time, was participating for the first time in such a large-scale group sea battle, feeling slightly excited despite his extensive combat experience.

"Frost White Sword," being a Level 2 Battleship, naturally became the flagship of this temporary fleet, with the captain automatically acting as the fleet command, and Paul, with a background in the Navy who fully participated in the "Killing Ghost" incident, acting as deputy commander.

Flashing signal lamps emitted the sailing signal, and the entire fleet raised anchors and set sail, heading towards the unmoving "Ghost Ship" in the distance.

With long-term cooperation, the fleet gradually formed a "V" shape centered around the Level 2 Battleship during their advance, facing the "Ghost Ship" with the open end.

Side-mounted cannon ports were opened, readying to prevent the "Ghost Ship" from escaping while fully utilizing the shipborne artillery's firepower.

Clang... Clang... Clang...

"Gunpowder Chief! Load the cannon!"

"Yes, sir!"

Despite the design and inherent limitations of the sailing battleship, which dictated that it could only utilize half its firepower at any one time, all six battleships now aimed their full two hundred cannons at the "Ghost Ship".

The captains of each battleship were extremely confident. They believed that with their current firepower, not only could they easily handle the "Ghost Ship", which wasn't even classified as a battleship, but even a giant sea monster colliding with them would be mercilessly blown to pieces!

Waves crashing——

The distance between the two sides gradually closed, soon entering the effective range of the shipborne artillery.

Accuracy did not need to be considered at this distance; it was one kilometer!

The "Ghost Ship" continued to float silently on the water, neither advancing nor retreating, as if completely oblivious to the overwhelming fleet approaching like dark clouds descending upon a city.

The fleet commander, however, cared not for what the enemy thought. Signal lights flashed several times on the flagship, and the captains of the six battleships simultaneously took out their pocket watches to start the countdown.

"Eight, seven... two, one, fire!!!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!...

Two hundred cannons roared in unison, smoke forming dense clouds, the air exploding and tearing apart, as if the entire sea trembled in fear and awe of humanity's wisdom which had created such power akin to a natural disaster!

...

Facing the solid cannonballs whistling like locusts, a "person" standing on the forecastle and a box seemed to pay no mind at all.

"Ha, ignorant humans!

You always measure the boundless might of the divine with your ant-like narrow vision, even daring to dream of matching the divine. Is it that the lessons learned, the pain experienced, are still far from enough?!"

The eerie voice intoned thus.

"All who ignore me, suppress me, persecute me shall personally feel the pain I once endured!"

The low male voice resonated like an echo.

In front of them, the wooden ship's figurehead composed of three twisted human heads intertwined with spines suddenly glowed a bright green!

Rumble... rumble... rumble... rumble...

The concentrated barrage of cannonballs formed a real "barrage" surrounding the "Ghost Ship", crashing down with a roar, the sea shattered at this moment, raising a massive mist in the vision of the Navy.

"Well, did it get done?"

"How could anyone survive such an attack? Not even the 'Ghost Ship' could."

"I say we really made a mountain out of a molehill, all those cannonballs are just wasted money!"

Before the mist had dissipated, many sailors not on combat duty aboard the battleships had already started discussing the results, all overwhelmingly optimistic. Anyone who had personally experienced the impact of "all cannons firing together" would no doubt feel the same.

Hoo——

Soon, the night sea breeze blew the smoke and mist away completely!

"What?!"

"Impossible!"

"You're kidding, right?"

The unscathed "Ghost Ship" reappeared before them, as if the attack just now had only hit a phantom, leaving the Navy officers and soldiers shocked at the stark contrast.

However, at this moment, no one noticed that on the bizarre and terrifying ship's figurehead of the "Ghost Ship", one human head's eyes had quietly closed.

The figurehead was sculpted into three male faces intertwined, each with a pair of glowing green eyes, yet each sporting a different expression: one sad, one pained, one resentful.

The one with eyes closed now was the head representing sadness.

Evidently, the "void" that had just dodged the cannonballs was one of the abilities of the "ship's figurehead", with two other abilities yet to be revealed, which were also what the "Host" Wack Wells and the "Box of Dead Souls" relied upon!

The focused attack by the fleet failed, and the counterattack came swiftly.

"Ignorant ants daring to hinder the return of the True God, you shall perish under divine might! Thus, divine punishment descends!"

[Military Witchcraft: Drowning Spring!]

The second human head representing "pain" suddenly opened its glowing green eyes wide!