novelraw Chapter 406: The Dangerous Little Black-Haired One
Chapter 406: The Dangerous Little Black-Haired One
Chapter 406: The Dangerous Little Black-Haired OneIn that instant, everyone's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the tall, slender figure on the Great Shark Battleship.
The semi-transparent figure gradually solidified into a physical form.
Hayer wore a monocle, had neatly combed golden hair, and was dressed in an ornate merchant's robe. The robe was adorned with numerous bottles containing green liquid, and inside these bottles were various transparent, twisted, shrieking monsters.
His face appeared quite young, roughly twenty years old, but his melancholic eyes and heavy eye bags gave him an extremely aged feeling.
Yet, without a doubt, he stood as one of the pinnacles of this sea, a powerhouse capable of dominating this tidal surge!
The navy personnel on the Great Shark Battleship cheered with joy, shouting loudly:
"Lord Hayer!"
"The Invisible Hand will crush you all!"
"Lord Hayer has arrived! Invisible forces manipulate everything!"
"Pay back your debts! You scum!!"Debts? Blood Lion sat at the ship's bow, crossed his legs, exhaled a puff of blood mist, and said with a laugh:
"I'll pay it back, I'll pay it back, Hayer! Aren't I working hard right now to earn money to repay you?"
"Just hand over the A-rank dimensional rifts in this sea to us! I'll repay you with double interest!"
Blood Lion's eyes widened furiously, and he thrust his hand forward violently.
"Rise! My brave warriors!"
Instantly, the blood vessel weapons on the twenty charging Black Blood heavy infantrymen emitted a crimson glow, forcibly repairing their shattered bodies!
Blood Vessel Weapon. Reforge!
Blood vessel weapons originated from the Goblet affinity A-rank dimensional rift 'Blood Vessel Research Institute' in the Black Blood Empire's territory. They could provide Transcendents with speed, strength, and health points.
Their power was comparable to a forbidden weapon, and most importantly, unlike other rare forbidden weapons, these weapons could be mass-produced using devices from A-rank dimensional rift categories!
It was precisely the A-rank dimensional rift 'Blood Vessel Research Institute,' combined with Blood Lion's Saint-level strength, that formed Blood Lion's massive army.
"Fight!"
"Battle! Battle!"
Amidst the overwhelming cheers, the twenty Black Blood heavy armor soldiers burst with red spiritual energy across their bodies, once again forming an offensive formation upon the sea.
Like a chess master high above, Blood Lion's thick right hand struck down fiercely:
"Blood Forging Formation. Great Serpent Spear!!!"
The Black Blood heavy armor soldiers aimed their axes at Hayer. Their spiritual energy fields erupted once more, forming a giant red serpent that charged toward Hayer again. ŘΑΝọ₿Е𝙨
"Blood Lion, one day, you will understand that all blessings come with a price..."
Hayer raised his hand and flicked it sharply.
Instantly, two semi-transparent giant hands appeared beneath his robe, pressing down on the incoming Great Serpent Spear formation!
Hayer's eyes were utterly cold.
In his view, the Black Blood soldiers before him were essentially false fourth-tier fighters, constructed solely by relying on blood vessel weapons and Blood Lion's power.
These twenty so-called legends might be able to bully a Pirate General...
However, compared to true power, they were insignificant! Hayer waved his hand grandly.
Suddenly, Blood Lion laughed heartily:
"Unfortunately, this isn't your bank;
it's my battlefield!"
Abruptly, on the Black Prison giant ship, eighty similarly dressed Black Blood heavy armor soldiers appeared once again.
However, they no longer carried axes but instead heavy steam-powered blood-colored firearms.
"Blood Gun Formation. Annihilation Volley!!!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless bullets traversed the sea like a dense crimson downpour, crashing violently onto the Invisible Hand Hayer.
Simultaneously, the twenty Black Blood soldiers within the Great Serpent Spear accelerated suddenly, their movements like lightning, gripping giant axes as they slashed across Hayer's body!
Twenty crimson lightning bolts roared past!
Drip!
Everyone widened their eyes, filled with disbelief.
On Hayer's neck, a drop of blood trickled down and fell onto the deck.
Hayer tilted his head. It had been a full ten years since he last bled.
He had been injured!
Moreover, he was injured by these 'third-tier soldiers' before him.
Yisha also stared wide-eyed. She never imagined that those weak third-tier soldiers could actually injure the Invisible Hand Hayer!
As expected, Blood Lion holds the upper hand... Chen Qi stroked his chin, analyzing the current battle situation.
The Invisible Hand's profession was the fifth-tier Goblet-Phantom affinity Soul Merchant.
He possessed a core skill, Soul Separation, allowing his soul to leave his body for detection and combat. Unless one had extremely high spiritual vision, it was nearly impossible to detect.
However, his strength was relatively weak, only at the fourth-tier level, unable to unleash his true combat power.
To utilize his full power, he needed to fight with his main body. He could command souls he had purchased, manipulate invisible illusory hands, and his Release could directly attack the opponent's soul with invisible hands...
As a fifth-tier fighter at his peak, his strength far surpassed that of Blood Hunter.
Yet, when facing Blood Lion, his power was still far from sufficient.
Hayer could be injured not because of the soldiers' strength, but as a manifestation of the Saint's power.
Blood Lion's Blade affinity profession was War Beast, a profession born for warfare.
As long as Transcendents met certain traits, his Saint-level power could 'militarize' soldiers, turning them into his chess pieces!
Once they became pieces, their power could instantly rise from third-tier to fourth-tier, achieving a qualitative leap!
The twenty Black Blood heavy armor soldiers charging at the Invisible Hand were temporary legends born from the combination of blood vessel weapons and Blood Lion's power.
It was important to know that even with Saint-level power, facing an endless stream of legendary soldiers would still be exhausting.
Chen Qi looked around.
Thick blood winds blew constantly, faintly forming a bloody chessboard.
The strength of the War Beast lay in creating powerful soldiers. Though Blood Lion appeared bold and rough, like a Berserker, his essence was that of a chess master high above.
This was also the main difference between the two. Blood Lion was a Saint born for war. Although his main body was weaker, as long as he could gather enough troops, he could exert power surpassing ordinary Saints.
Whereas the Invisible Hand Hayer was a Saint who fought alone.
His strength could hardly assist the naval alliance. In fact, to avoid being defeated by Blood Lion, he needed the naval alliance's support.
Chen Qi couldn't help but sigh.
This was his first time witnessing combat at this level personally.
This kind of war was far more dangerous than any he had experienced before.
Compared to past sea battles that relied on legends, true formal warfare also heavily depended on soldiers.
If, before a fifth-tier Saint, third-tier and below soldiers were merely ants that could be crushed at any time...
Then whether it was the Black Blood Empire's army or other nations' regular forces, they all possessed methods to utilize the power of 'ordinary soldiers,' transforming them from common insects into toxic swarms.
Once this power gathered, it became immense.
Beyond high-tier powerhouses, the ability to turn insects into toxic swarms represented the greatest gap between various nations' regular forces and ordinary factions!
'Ordinary pirates and soldiers' were an indispensable part of warfare. If overlooked, even a Saint could be devoured by these venomous ant swarms!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Without any pause, on the Black Prison giant ship, the Black Blood heavy armor soldiers under Blood Lion's command continued firing at Hayer relentlessly.
After being hit, Hayer's soul flickered intermittently within his body.
Blood Lion laughed heartily:
"Hayer, these are soul bullets capable of injuring the soul. Ironically, I bought them from you on loan, hahahaha!!"
This intense barrage directly struck Hayer's soul, even making it difficult for him to move.
Madame Oli immediately commanded:
"Everyone! Open fire, intercept their shots, cover Hayer!"
"For the Sea Goddess! For glory!!!"
"Goddess and Witch protect us! We shall be victorious!!!"
With a cannon roar, the battle officially commenced. The navy's artillery fired first, shells cutting through the sky with sharp whistles before crashing into the Black Prison giant ship, stirring massive water columns and flames!
"Brothers! For treasure and beautiful women! Charge! Charge! Charge!"
"Kill all those scum!!!"
"Black Blood boils eternally! For the Emperor!!!!"
The pirates and Black Blood soldiers were not to be outdone, maneuvering agile ships to close in rapidly, attempting to use their close-combat advantage to attack the naval alliance!
Transcendents harboring different ambitions surged forward simultaneously.
In an instant, arrows and bullets interwove in the air. The sea surface erupted with flames, thick smoke spread, and the sea and sky were utterly ignited.
As boarding actions commenced, the sounds of clashing swords, roaring cannons, soldiers' shouts, and pirates' maniacal laughter mingled together.
The forces of both sides, centered around Hayer and Blood Lion, formed an extremely chaotic war tableau.
Yisha from the Canary merchant ship could hardly suppress her battle desire, preparing to summon the Canary and Golden Flower Fox to join this melee!
It was important to know that the mad nation of the Black Blood Empire was a neighbor to the Goldenfinch Kingdom and had repeatedly launched attacks against them, attempting to seize the A-rank dimensional rifts at their border!
The Black Blood Empire and Goldenfinch Kingdom were hostile relations!
"It's our turn to join, Black Hunter!!"
Aside from the two core figures Hayer and Blood Lion, they, the fourth-tier fighters, were the sharpest blades on the battlefield!
However, contrary to Yisha's expectations, Chen Qi's eyes held none of a hunter's madness, only a calm as still as water.
Wait... Chen Qi looked at this chaotic battle and reached out to stop Yisha:
"Don't rush, Yisha."
Something's wrong, something's wrong... Chen Qi felt a vague sense of foreboding.
First, the Pirate Generals mentioned in the intelligence, the high-ranking members of the Sea God Pirates, were all missing.
It was crucial to remember that, according to the intelligence Palu relayed, Blood Hunter's primary target was the 'Invisible Hand'!
If Blood Hunter and Blood Lion appeared simultaneously, they could force out Hayer's trump cards in an instant.
Yet, the major commanders of the Sea God Pirates and Blackfin Crew had suddenly vanished.
Could they have other objectives?
Objectives more important than capturing the A-rank dimensional rift Gemstone Kingdom!
Ambushing Moonstone City, or other targets... Chen Qi pondered.
Wait!
It couldn't be! Chen Qi's pupils contracted, his entire body turning cold as he vaguely thought of a possibility.
Chen Qi looked around.
Besides the unknown whereabouts of the Pirate Generals and Sea God Pirates, on the distant sea surface, the Tentacle Merchant who escaped from the Great Sea Coffin seemed to have been drawn by the sea's bloodshed...
A massive free-for-all... Chen Qi hurriedly gripped the long sword at his waist.
Boom!
In the distance, a tremendous explosion caught Chen Qi's attention.
He saw a massive lion phantom materialize behind Blood Lion.
Like a lion emperor, he raised his arms and roared:
"Blade Release. Blood Lion Boils! My warriors, let them witness true power!"
Blade Release!!
The roaring sound pierced through the hearts of everyone on the battlefield.
Blood Lion was the first to activate Blade Release!
A Blade Release from a Saint!!
Instantly, behind the hundred Black Blood heavy armor soldiers under his command, red lion phantoms also appeared!
Their bodies swelled dramatically, their metal armor cracking audibly!
Everyone gasped in shock. In that moment, all hundred Black Blood soldiers possessed fourth-tier spiritual energy fields.
A hundred fourth-tier spiritual energy fields! The Witch Sea alliance forces stared in utter disbelief.
They never imagined that in their lifetimes, they would witness such a spectacle!
This was an army led by a Saint!
"Blood Forging Formation. Hundred Lions' Rend!"
Blood Lion roared like a lion while commanding the Black Blood heavy armor soldiers to attack.
Instantly, these hundred Black Blood soldiers, like incarnations of calamity, transformed into a hundred crimson lions, tearing through the entire battlefield.
Explosions continued unabated. If no one stopped them, the naval alliance would suffer fifty percent casualties within three minutes.
At that moment, Hayer looked at Blood Lion and finally ceased holding back.
He said softly:
"Steam Hand Workshop, no need to hold back. Activate."
Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, from beneath the Great Shark Battleship's deck, one steel-cast giant hand after another emerged from the shattered planks—
Everyone turned to look, their eyes widening in astonishment.
On the Great Shark Battleship, a giant figure forged from steel stood up.
And on their steel-cast bodies, the Steam Hand Workshop emblem was uniformly engraved!
Everyone stared wide-eyed, momentarily unable to describe their shock.
If the Black Blood Empire utilized Saint-level techniques like War Beast to transform ordinary soldiers into frenzied toxic ant swarms, forming an unstoppable army...
Then Beiguo enabled ants to pilot iron shells far surpassing their frail bodies:
War mechas created by the empire's strongest Workshop, combining thousands of companies, five A-rank dimensional rifts, and materials from hundreds of B-rank dimensional rifts!
Upon the turbulent sea, ten war mechas, newly forged by the Steam Hand Workshop specifically for maritime combat, stood like ten giants overlooking the sea.
They stood a full thirty meters tall. Each mecha was powered by special gems from the Gemstone Kingdom, one Steam Hand Workshop engine, and the spiritual energy of at least ten third-tier Transcendents as energy supply!
Whoosh—
Under everyone's incredulous gazes, these ten massive steel giants stood upon the sea.
In that instant, a trace of seriousness finally appeared in Blood Lion's eyes. He couldn't help but raise his head and roar:
"Hayer! Now this is exciting! Domineering! This is what I want, what I wish to challenge!"
Hammers and Shells were Beiguo's true weapons. The unstoppable steam fortresses, steel giants standing upon the land, mechanical walls stretching ten thousand meters—these were Beiguo's true power on this land, the very force that had consistently blocked the Black Blood Empire's conquest!
Blood Lion's bones crackled throughout his body as he commanded like a lion:
"Alright! It's your turn to appear, Blood Hunter, Pirate Generals, and the Sea God Pirates' sea monsters!!!"
However, contrary to Blood Lion's expectations.
His command received no response—
"Huh?"
Blood Lion turned around, astonished to find that none of the Pirate Generals and Sea God Pirates high command who should have been fighting alongside them were present.
Even Blood Hunter had completely vanished.
This was a precious opportunity to crush the Moonstone City navy.
Where had they gone? Could there be resources on this sea more valuable than the A-rank dimensional rift Gemstone Kingdom?
This was a precious A-rank rift.
Blood Lion fell silent momentarily.
Amid the chaos, Chen Qi and Yisha simultaneously looked toward the distant horizon.
So they've come after all... Chen Qi adjusted his Breathing Technique.
They saw surging hordes of frenzied sea beasts, a pair of blood-tinged doll eyes in the mist, and continuously writhing massive tentacles—
All were coming for him.
...
Upon the sea, the Nether Sea Ghost Ship sailed at full speed.
The Ice Witch closed her eyes and performed another fate divination.
Thump, thump, thump—
Fen clutched the flesh over her chest.
Her heart had been pounding rapidly since earlier.
She recalled the events from the fate projections. A possibility they had long feared was emerging once more.
The pirate alliance's true objective might not be the Gemstone Kingdom, but merely a grand diversion. Their ultimate goal was solely the Ice Witch's life...
And Qi!
Fen turned her head and asked worriedly:
"Teacher, what are the divination results?"
The Ice Witch opened her azure eyes and used spiritual energy to accelerate the Nether Sea Ghost Ship's speed further:
"Little Black Hair is in danger..."
"He has been simultaneously targeted by two fifth-tier monsters."
Two fifth-tiers!
"Qi..."
Fen clutched the flesh over her chest tightly, feeling as if she could hardly breathe.