The seawater being poured by [Stormy Sea] is infinite.

That's inevitable, considering it's a special technique that connects a point somewhere in the southern sea to the sky above us with a magic gate.

The seawater will continue to be drawn until the sea itself runs dry.

Likewise, the amount of water our drainage facilities can handle is theoretically infinite.

One of our drainage facilities is also a teleport gate, directly discharging the collected water into the Black Lake.

Despite this, water that the drainage facilities couldn't process began to accumulate on the ground.

The reason is simple - the difference in the size of the gates.

The gate of [Stormy Sea] is larger than the teleport gate of our drainage facilities. In other words, there is a difference in the size of the 'faucets'.

It means that the amount of water they pour out in the same amount of time is more than what we can drain.

"The drainage facilities are reaching their limit!"

"The water is rising on the ground!"

As I heard these damp reports in succession, I moistened my parched lips with my tongue.

Damn it. It's faster than I thought.

'Water is rising on the ground, and before their ships can move again... we have to destroy more of them!'

The cannons on the walls of Crossroad, ceaselessly firing, and the airship Geronimo conducting guerrilla warfare outside.

And the still-intact ghost ships.

'Seven more to go!'

Struggling to find a weakness in the stubbornly enduring enemy ships, I ground my teeth.

'Hang in there, guys!'

***

Boom-boom-boom!

The small team of heroes aboard the airship Geronimo destroyed another ship.

This time it was ship number 11. Positioned between the already annihilated ships number 10 and 12, it couldn’t receive any support from other ghost pirates.

"That's the sixth one...!"

"We've taken down half of them!"

Lucas and Evangeline exchanged words while looking down at the ghost ship engulfed in flames.

"Ugh..."

Kuilan, sitting at the edge of the hatch, retched. Alarmed, Verdandi rushed to his side.

"Are you okay, Kuilan? Do you have an injury or something...?"

"No, it's just... I get seasick. After boarding and disembarking from the ghost ships repeatedly, I feel queasy..."

Seasickness on top of acrophobia...

Everyone sweated as they looked at this beast tribe warrior, uncomfortable in both the sky and sea. Kuilan murmured with a pale face.

"Land... Land is good. Safe and comfortable ground..."

As this was happening, the airship Geronimo ascended rapidly, ready to start its next hunt.

That's when Damien, loading magic bullets into his magic rifle, widened his eyes in surprise.

"Huh? The ships are starting to move!"

"What?!"

Everyone was startled and looked down towards the ghost ships.

"Has the water already filled up? Are they heading for the walls?!"

"No, it's not that..."

Damien, sweating, pointed to one of the ships.

"They're going backward?"

"...?"

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed true.

Two of the twitching ships slowly reversed and then sharply turned, starting to rush not towards Crossroad's walls, but in the opposite direction.

As everyone watched this inexplicable scene in a daze, Dusk Bringar cautiously offered her opinion.

"...Aren't they running away?"

Confused, Damien opened his mouth slightly.

"Eh? But fleeing the battlefield? No monster has ever..."

"Well, they are pirates. At least the pirates I've dealt with always ran away when the battle turned against them."

The other heroes were just as bewildered.

All the monsters we've faced so far clung to their lives until the very end, obsessively trying to kill humans.

While they might veer off course, none had ever run away.

But these ones were fleeing.

Two of the pirate ships turned around and bolted without looking back.

This was possible because the southern path, lacking drainage facilities, had gathered quite a bit of seawater.

"Those damn traitors! If you get caught, you'll all be executed!"

"Ha-ha! What's the worst they can do, behead us twice? Farewell, Captain! We're off to find other prey!"

The pirates shouted amongst themselves.In this absurd situation, the other heroes were momentarily stunned, unsure how to react, but not Lucas.

"..."

Lucas had already received a heads-up from Ash.

- The ghost pirates are known to flee when the battle turns against them.

Ash had anticipated the possibility of fleeing enemies from the start.

- For now, it might seem okay to let them flee the frontline, but these monsters will raid nearby towns and cities, and in the worst-case scenario, they could wreak havoc in the sea.

It might seem right to let them escape in the context of defending Crossroad, but...

Once a monster leaves the frontline, it's much harder to track down and annihilate.

The ghost pirates will abandon their ships when they reach water and hide around the world, causing damage. They must be stopped before that happens.

- So, Lucas. If any of the ghost ships attempt to flee... you must take responsibility and eliminate them. I trust you.

"Turn the airship around!"

Lucas shouted towards the cockpit of the airship.

"We're going to pursue those two ghost ships for a counterattack."

The other startled heroes looked at Lucas. Evangeline objected.

"But, if we leave the battlefield, the main defense line at Crossroad could be endangered!"

"That side will be handled by our Lord. The Lord ordered us to prioritize preventing monsters from leaving this area."

Tut-tut-tut-tut-tut-!

The airship, with a heavy mechanical sound, began chasing the ghost ships. Lucas nodded.

"Let's quickly take them down before they get too far and return!"

Lucas was Ash's right hand and had been in command of the frontline as a deputy commander for the past six months.

Everyone stopped objecting to his command and started preparing for the next battle, though they couldn't help feeling uneasy.

'Even if we take down the two fleeing ships, four ghost ships remain at the walls.'

Verdandi looked back through the open hatch.

From the sky, Crossroad looked like a lonely fortress standing alone, with eerie ghost ships still positioned in front of it.

'If the water rises and those four ghost ships begin their charge...'

Between her fluttering green hair in the strong wind, Verdandi's eyes narrowed.

'Will Crossroad really be okay?'

***

"Ships number 4 and 9 declared rebellion and left the battlefield! They've really taken off, Captain!"

"Doing well, doing very well. Truly worthy of my elite fleet."

Bernardt Poker, dumbfounded, let out a hollow laugh, forgetting even to drink his liquor.

Since the battle began, of the 12 ships, six had rebelled.

Two were sunk by coordinated fire after exposing their sides to return fire.

Two abandoned ship and ran towards the shore for a ground assault, only to be annihilated. And now two more were fleeing without looking back...

And with two more destroyed by the humans' airship attack.

A total of 8 ghost ships had vanished from the battlefield, leaving only 4 in the fray.

They were the flagship, number 7, and the escort ships, numbers 5, 6, and 8.

The atmosphere among the escort ships was already tense.

Other pirates on the escort ships were whispering among themselves, casting wary glances in our direction.magic

The pirates surrounding Poker gulped nervously.

"Captain, at this rate..."

"I know. The guys on the escort ships are also sizing up a rebellion, aren’t they?"

Poker smirked, not surprised by the turn of events.

That's how pirates are.

There's no loyalty or discipline. They are just a group of thieves banded together to fill their own bellies.

They wouldn’t hesitate to rebel or turn against their own for even a slightly larger share of the loot.

Bernardt Poker himself had risen to his position this way.

And now it was the same - half of his fleet was already burning or destroyed.

The raid was a failure, so the desire to flee and seek another opportunity was naturally bubbling up.

And there were certainly those among them who wanted to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become the new captain.

But,

"Even if it seems like everything's lost, as long as there's a penny left to gamble..."

Poker remained calm.

"As long as there's strength left to swing a sword in one last raid!"

Pop!

He uncorked a new bottle of liquor, poured it into a glass he'd taken out from somewhere, and raised it to the sky, laughing.

"Because you can always turn your life around, no matter how much you've lost."

Whoosh!

Seawater was still cascading from the sky like a waterfall.And then,

Creak, creak...

All the pirates felt it simultaneously.

Water was rushing beneath the ships.

After downing the liquor in his glass in one gulp, Poker smirked.

"No matter how much you lose, you can always win it back, right, you bastards?"

Vrooom!

The rejuvenated ghost ship emitted a long, eerie sound, almost like the cry of a whale. The pirates all cheered in unison.

"The water has risen on the ground!"

"The humans’ drainage facilities have reached their limits!"

"We can move, Captain!"

"Can move? Then what are you waiting for?"

Poker stood up, laughing ominously.

"It's time to make them pay for tying us down and beating us."

Shaa!

Stretching out his hand, Poker commanded.

"Fleet, full-speed ahead!"

The pirates, who until moments ago were rebelling and ready to kill each other, now worked together to move the ship, as if nothing had happened.

"Let's return the anguish they've given us!"

And Bernardt Poker, who until recently was lying on the ground like a drunken fool, now stood up, emanating a terrifying aura, and bellowed loudly, fitting of a Nightmare Legion commander.

"Ram them with full force into their walls!"

Whoosh!

The seawater, having surpassed the capacity of the drainage facilities, finally surged and flooded the ground.

And that was enough. The four ghost ships immediately began their advance.

Through the storm, the four ghost ships cut through the ground and charged towards the fortress walls.

"..."

A moment of silence swept over the walls.

Even the experienced soldiers who had repelled countless monsters were momentarily stunned by this bizarre sight.

Turning the land into sea, the giant ships wrapped in specters and flying the Ghost Ship surged forward.

"Fire! Stop them!"

Boom! Boom! Boom-boom!

The cannons on the walls fired in unison.

Not just the cannons, but also ballistae, automatic defense turrets, and various artifacts were mobilized to unleash all their firepower on the ghost ships.

Bang! Crack! Crunch!

The ghost ships were shattered.

Having been bombarded in place for a long while, the ships' durability had long reached its limit.

Under the rain of cannonballs and a barrage of magic, the ships’ masts broke, outer walls flew off, decks collapsed, and the forecastles burned fiercely.

Yet, they did not stop.

On the torn ships, the pirates sang as they pressed forward.

They were above the sea,

With prey right before their eyes to plunder!

Bang! Crack...!

Boom!

Escort ship number 5 couldn’t withstand the onslaught and was the first to sink.

Creak-creak-

Boom!

Ships number 6 and 8, leading the way, got caught in the long chain traps set in front of the Crossroad fortress. Their bottoms were torn open, and they were engulfed in fierce flames, slowly coming to a halt.

But ship number 7.

The flagship, under Poker's direct control at the helm, withstood the fortress's concentrated fire. It endured everything thrown at it.

"The name of my ship is the ‘Flying Dutchman’."

Poker, with a deep, resounding voice as if coming from hell, laughed heartily.

"Let me show you why it's called ‘Flying’!"

Whoosh!

And then, the ship flew.

The sail, adorned with a black, burning skull, emitted an ominous light and then released an immense magical force, defying gravity for a moment.

Ship number 7, the Flying Dutchman, momentarily hovered in the air, effortlessly avoiding the chain traps, and then.

Boom!

Its massive and sturdy bow crashed directly into the walls of the fortress.

The walls of the fortress crumbled like clay.

Finally, the monstrous legion reached the human walls.

--TL Notes--

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