Pirate Kingship.

Chapter 658 Unrestricted Wolf Pack: The Destroying Fleet VS the Invincible Fleet
The time is slightly advanced.

The first circulation belt connecting the Old World, the Bantaan Islands, and the Southern Continent.

There were schools of fish swimming in the sky, and huge coral clouds that reflected the deep sea scene obscured the already dim starry sky, as if the whole world was sinking into the sea.

As the material world entered the intertidal zone, coral clouds appeared more and more frequently, and they were almost becoming a supernatural phenomenon that sailors were accustomed to.

At this time, something appeared on the sea surface that was even more bizarre than the coral clouds of unknown origin.

Ring ring ring.
The clear sound of horse bells came from afar.

Between the misty waves, two carriages with orange lanterns appeared, traveling on the waves from south to north.

Each large and luxurious carriage was pulled by six tall horses. There were a total of 72 carriages with hundreds of horses, all of which looked exactly the same.

They raised their feet and landed on the ground at the same time, their movements were in unison, as if they were sharing the same brain.

The tide of source material rolled in, and under the magical power of the quasi-zero-level holy relic [Key of Omniscience], it was transformed into a solid force field ladder and an endless supply of powerful power.

The carriage was loaded with food and whale oil, far more than what an ordinary cargo ship could hold, yet it was traveling faster than a normal carriage traveling at full speed on land.

Although there is not much defensive force, with only less than a hundred drivers guarding dozens of carriages, this super mobility alone is the strongest defense.

Those other armed merchant ships and pirate ships, which only travel at a speed of a few knots, wanted to catch up with them and steal their goods, but they would not even be able to catch a bit of their tail dust.

This fleet from the Key of Omniscience, just like the clippers that the North Sea Empire is building specifically for the "Triangle Trade", can change the shipping history of the material world with its speed alone.

Without any weapons or extraordinary abilities, they can easily speed up to 14 knots, 26 kilometers per hour, and no pirate ship can catch up with them.

Therefore, there was only one heavily armed cruiser, the Pearl Bay, equipped with a figurehead of a rare artifact, following behind the team to provide support.

During the last battle to defend the North Sea, the North Sea Empire harvested a large number of sea monster corpses.

The spiritually rich bones of sea monsters are the best materials for making rare objects.

The figureheads mass-produced by the craftsmen all have the basic ability of [Water Jet], which can maximize the use of ocean currents to increase speed.

The combination of the two is foolproof.

However, there is one exception.

That is when the planned route is detected in advance and someone lies in wait and ambush.

For example, now, about one nautical mile ahead of the convoy, there is a thick layer of fog.

If you penetrate the barrier of fog, you will see a dark fleet of sailing ships inside the fog. They use the foremast and mainmast sails to offset the wind force. It is unknown how long they have been waiting here.

On the mainmast of each warship was hung a naval flag that once belonged to the Kingdom of Castile and now belonged to the Pyrenean Empire - the Blood Cross of Burgundy.

At the same time, they were also flying the legion flag of the Invincible Armada, indicating that they were a squadron from the Invincible Armada of the Pyrenean Empire.

In the captain's room of the Twelve Apostles, a level 4 nominal battleship that served as the flagship of the ocean-going fleet, the officers in charge of this mission gathered around the desk.

"Report to the commander, the target is one nautical mile away from us and is about to enter the encirclement."

"Report, the scout's Seagull Messenger reported that the North Sea Empire has no other escort force except for a heavily armed cruiser.

This was the same configuration as the two previous ocean voyages, and there were no unexpected incidents.”

"Commander, my Weather Scepter can last for three hours at a time, which is enough to meet combat needs."

On the table in front of a group of imperial officers was an old nautical chart that looked obviously faded and at least several decades old.

But ordinary paper nautical charts are far from comparable to it.

In addition to the simple lines that allow people to barely see that it is the first circulation belt, a three-dimensional image of the entire sea area is projected in real time.

You can zoom in and out, and even a seagull flying across the sky can be seen clearly.

Moreover, the names, titles, corps, and camps of both the enemy and our side are thoughtfully marked on the route, which is comparable to a comprehensive combat information sending and receiving platform.

This is a nautical chart drawn by Castilian adventurers after they first set foot on the First Gyre after the Age of Discovery began. It is also a strategic-level first-level relic [Henry's Nautical Chart].

The Kingdom of Castile has been the world's leading maritime power for hundreds of years, and its foundation is simply too strong.

If Prince Henry, who opened the Age of Exploration, had Byron's current rank, the demigod promotion ceremony [World Change] could also be easily completed with the opening of the Age of Exploration.

The influence is self-evident.

The fleet commander on the ship, fourth-rank heroic artillery expert [Humanoid Turret] Franco Balmond put down the brass telescope in his hand and smiled coldly out the window:
“Ever since the Free Masons of the Kingdom of the Netherlands shared the information, our intelligence system has noticed the North Sea Empire’s grain transport team.

After two rounds of investigation, we have made foolproof preparations.

These Taiwanese have been pirates for so long, do they really think that they are the only ones in this world who can rob others, and others dare not rob them?
Our treasure fleet was completely destroyed at the hands of the pirate emperor. This time we will collect some interest in advance.

Let this pirate nation have a taste of the power of our Pyrenean Empire's Invincible Fleet!

My deputy commander, General Antonio, immediately activate the [Weather Scepter] to change the wind direction. Even a lion hunting a hare must use all its strength. "

"As you command, Your Excellency the Commander."

Deputy Commander Brigadier General Antonio saluted and accepted the order. An illusory blue scepter appeared in his palm and he lightly tapped the nautical chart.

The core professional ability of the fourth-tier heroic [Navigator] is the [Weather Scepter], which can manipulate ocean currents and is even powerful enough to change the weather conditions on the battlefield in a short period of time.

And with the help of [Henry's Nautical Chart], the navigator's ability is greatly enhanced.

Through this nautical chart, one can manipulate the external celestial phenomena with the least spiritual energy consumption. Whatever is on the nautical chart will become the real world.

Based on this, he dared to make the bold statement that he could hold on for three hours without any problem.

Rumble.
There was a sudden burst of thunder in the coral clouds above this sea area, and the sea breeze was immediately twisted into a northeast wind. The fog that originally shrouded the fleet also dissipated in an instant.

"Open the gun ports and load the searing shells.

Target: The escort warships of the North Sea Empire, all fleets, concentrate fire, fire!"

[Human Turret] Franco Balmond's orders resounded throughout the sea area.

When the North Sea Empire's ocean-going convoy and the heavily armed cruiser responsible for maintaining security discovered the enemy's ambush, it was too late to react.

Just as the alarm bell was sounded, twenty warships were seen in a pocket formation ahead, with their broadside guns flickering in the night.

boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
Hundreds of red fire lines streaked across the night sky, most of which missed the target due to the instantaneous high-maneuver forward thrust provided by the Pearl Bay's bow-like water jet.

But this was a concentrated fire from the fleet, and even if only a small number of scorching bombs fell on the ship, it caused huge casualties.

The oak hull was easily pierced, and the red-hot shells bounced rapidly on the lower gun deck, blasting all the soldiers who were divided into three teams taking turns to rest here at night into a terrible burnt and bloody mist.

It then shot out from the other side of the ship, leaving a large charred hole in the hull and igniting a large area of ​​flammable material along the way.

"Ahhhhh."

The shrill screams filled the entire warship in an instant.

The war came quite unexpectedly.

In the past, when two countries did not directly declare war, even if they wanted to plunder each other's merchant ships, they would do so as privateers or pirates.

There is no pirate ship on the sea that can match the heavy-armored cruiser of the third-level battleship, so there is nothing wrong with this escort configuration.

It’s bad the first time!
This was the first time that the Pyrenees Empire sent out two fourth-tier heroes and a first-tier holy relic as a regular navy, just to ambush the North Sea Empire's overseas supply lines in an attempt to starve them to death.

Of course, the Pyrenean Empire did not feel that its actions violated international norms and chivalry.

Because the Pope had already drawn the camps in the religious wars, Queen Isabella I had just signed the Trade Preference Act.

Once they have accomplished this task with the cover of the first-level holy relic, the Pyrenees Empire will naturally declare war on the North Sea Empire tomorrow.

At that time, they might not even know that their transport fleet was gone.

"Unlock the Legion Title Ability: Undefeated Banner!

All fleets are free to fire, look for opportunities to board, destroy the enemy ships, capture the heavily armed cruiser and all the sea carriages. "

[Humanoid Turret] As soon as Franco Balmond finished speaking, an illusory military flag rose above the head of the squadron of the Invincible Fleet, and a blood-red ripple suddenly spread out.

Both the driver of the carriage and the severely injured soldiers of the Pearl Bay immediately realized the true identity of the attacker the moment they came into contact with the ripples.

Panic spread rapidly.

"Invincible Fleet?!"

“We can’t win.”

"Help."

The artillerymen who had pushed aside the bodies of their companions and were about to fire back felt their bodies trembling uncontrollably after screaming, as if they were not facing humans, but standing in front of an invincible dragon.

This is the special effect of the title "Invincible Fleet" - the invincible flag.

Effect: "If the strength of the two sides is very different, as long as they see the flag of the Invincible Fleet, their morale will quickly collapse and they will flee without fighting.

Even if the strength is equal, there will be a negative effect of discouragement, and the combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced.

The soldiers in the fleet will receive extra morale boost during battle, and their combat effectiveness will be greatly enhanced.

This effect doesn't seem extraordinary, but it makes the Castilian Marines invincible when they are in a favorable situation. "Legend has it that when the Invincible Armada assembled with the legendary battleship [Holy Trinity] as its flagship, it formed the largest and most powerful fleet of sailing warships in the world.

It can also activate the more powerful extraordinary form of [Invincible Banner].

However, since the beginning of the Age of Discovery, no country has ever deserved such treatment.

Therefore, the true form of the "Invincible Fleet" is only a legend, and no one has ever seen it with their own eyes.

Until now, the Invincible Fleet has always been invincible.

Unless this fleet suffers a total defeat, the title of "invincible" will always belong to the Castilians and the Pyrenean Empire.

In this raid, the title of the Invincible Fleet was still well-deserved. By outnumbering the enemy, they not only instantly broke down the defense, but also the morale of the Taiwanese soldiers.

He easily disarmed the maritime convoy without sustaining any harm himself.

The two cruisers rushed towards the Pearl Bay, which was already riddled with holes and filled with a burnt smell, from the left and right.

Before the operation, [sailboat collector] Morton Gray specifically instructed the fleet commander to bring back a heavy-duty cruiser for him to study.

“I want to study every inch of the heavy cruiser carefully from the inside out, and understand the secrets of its brilliant performance during the Battle of the North Sea.

The beauty who was just born into this world is going to belong to me, it's so wonderful, ahahahaha."

[Human-Shaped Turret] Franco Balmond felt uncomfortable when he recalled the voice and expression of the legendary craftsman, and felt that this sailboat pervert was even crazier than before.

"Get ready to cast the hook and come on board."

The Invincible Armada usually used conventional boarding tactics, ramming enemy ships, engaging in hand-to-hand combat after forcibly boarding the ships, and then capturing enemy ships.

Essentially, it is the best marine corps in the world today.

Although the shipbuilding industry is mediocre, the number and quality of Extraordinary Ships are the best in the world, and they are invincible in both naval and land battles.

When it came to the boarding battle, no one thought that there would be any accidents in this easy and enjoyable looting operation.

But on one of the cruisers that was about to board, a first lieutenant officer with an ordinary face had a slight frown on his face. He tried to suppress the anger in his eyes and prayed in his heart:

"Your Majesty Saint Byron, the historical corrector who stirs the time, the origin of all changes, the ultimate unity of all things.

Your loyal follower [Shapeshifter] Raymond reports to you."

This man, who appears to be the first mate of the Pyrenees, is actually none other than the legendary unfortunate creature Raymond.

Title ability: "It will bring bad luck to the direct superiors and related organizations of the same race. The stronger the commonality, the stronger the lethality. The higher the rank, the smaller the impact."

He followed the advice of Alfred of Blood Red Whiskey and presented the two famous dishes, "Pearls Boiled in Clear Water" and "Red Prawns Stewed on Golden Plate", to the two queens before Byron set out for the Corridor of Truth.

Therefore, under the magical power of pillow talk, Byron did not follow the original plan to bring this "disaster star" to the East Continent and throw it to a difficult Old God Church.

Instead, he was assigned to the Imperial Intelligence Department, in charge of the East Coast region.

Raymond has the ability to perfectly transform into a shapeshifter of another race as long as he gets a drop of blood from that race, so he can go and harm others as he pleases.

This time, his identity is the first mate of the cruiser [Squid] in the Invincible Fleet.

Unfortunately, before this operation, no one knew the specific combat objectives except the fleet commander and his core staff.

Even most of the warships and sailors were drawn from independent squadrons.

By the time the unlucky guy Raymond reacted, it was too late.

The Pearl Bay was destroyed in a blink of an eye, and the few survivors on the ship suffered mental breakdown due to the huge gap in strength.

After the battlefield was blocked by Henry's Nautical Chart, they couldn't even send out a distress signal.

Raymond did not dare to expose himself, and could not communicate through the legal network. He could only rely on the powerful faith network from higher-level beings to worship God!

You know, even demigods can only respond to prayers within a continent, but Byron can respond to prayers throughout the world through the Trinity of the Holy Spirit.

Every believer who has received his response is extremely convinced that this is the proof of the one and only God, the Creator!

"understood."

Hearing the calm response from his master and Lord God, Raymond suddenly felt relieved and looked at his "colleagues" with a dark look in his eyes:
“Under the leadership of Your Majesty, the ethnic group of Taiwan has come infinitely close to the highest level on earth.

They dared to declare war on us without declaring war, and even killed so many of us.

If I let you guys run to a ship this time, I won’t deserve to be called [Unlucky Guy] Raymond. This time I will step on your corpses and be promoted to a fourth-level adventurer. "

He didn't have to wait too long.

An invisible raven flew from the edge of the world, flapped its wings and landed on the half-broken mainmast of the Pearl Bay.

His eyes looked coldly at this small invincible fleet.

“I didn’t interact much with Saint Isabella before, but we got along fairly well, and we were still partners when we defeated Puppet King Louis.

Her Majesty is really not polite at all when she gets angry.

The dreadnought fleet hasn't been formed yet, and I don't want humanity's power to have too much internal friction, but I let you mistakenly think that I only know how to do business?
Now is the time for you to realize who is the real master of this ocean.

Since you want to fight, I will accompany you to the end."

Before the two cruisers reached the Pearl Bay, a green light suddenly flashed on the sea, and another heavily armed cruiser flying the flag of the North Sea Empire appeared.

Apparently, the Invincible Armada wasn't the only one with the title of Legion.

The North Sea Empire's "commerce-breaking fleet" was composed entirely of heavy cruisers. On the day the first batch of five heavy cruisers were launched, it had already obtained the special effect of the legion's title: [Unrestricted Wolf Pack].

"The basic attribute of a heavy cruiser is: invincible in single combat.

Those who can beat it cannot outrun it, those who can outrun it cannot beat it, and most of the time it is impossible to neither beat it nor outrun it.

It can cooperate with the "ship maneuver tactics" to break the enemy into small pieces and pull them to the battlefield where you are best at.

It can also rely on its full heavy artillery configuration to act as a battleship and go head-on with any country's fleet.

The special effect [Unlimited Wolf Pack] can build an exclusive wolf pack network in the entire commerce-breaking fleet. In addition to communication, it can also summon companions to provide fire support from a distance within a certain range.

Using itself as a positioning device, it can teleport other friendly ships within a radius of 500 kilometers to its side, forming a well-organized bloodthirsty wolf pack.

This is called stirring up a wolf's den. Beat one and two came. Beat two and four came.
If a country discovers a heavy cruiser on its sea routes, it means that countless heavy cruisers may appear at any time and crawl all over its home.

If the heavy cruisers are less than 100, they are invincible if they are more than 100!"

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!
It seemed like a pack of wolves were summoned by the howling of the leader wolf.

With the already damaged Pearl Bay as the center, one after another murderous heavily armed cruisers descended on the sea.

When they saw the first heavily-armored cruiser appear, although they were surprised at the North Sea Empire's reaction speed and its means of long-range projection support, they still did not take it seriously.

I think this should be just an isolated case. Given their military strength configuration, it is not a problem for them to only slightly damage two or three heavy cruisers.

But when the second ship appeared, their attitude became much more cautious.

By the time the third, fourth, and thirty-first ship appeared, a chill had rushed from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.

hiss--

Steam battleships were similar to the original sailing battleships. Their self-sustaining capabilities were too weak. Before a maritime Great Wall consisting of supply points was built, they were not suitable for fighting too far away from the homeland.

If the navy wants to patrol the sea for a long time and cut off the enemy's ocean supply lines, heavy cruisers are still the best choice.

So even though they had already started building the Dreadnought-class steam battleships, the heavy cruiser shipbuilding plan never stopped.

When the war to steal the country was fought, there were already 52 ships.

Up to now, most of the original treasure fleet has been transformed into heavy cruisers by cutting down the decks.

Including the newly built warships, the total number of warships in the "Confederation Interdiction Fleet" has exceeded eighty!
Appearing here are all the heavy cruisers within a radius of 500 kilometers, the main force of which comes from the naval base of Black Sail Port in the pirate city.

It can only be said that the ambush location chosen by the Invincible Fleet was not very good. Launching an attack within the coverage area of ​​the "Unrestricted Wolf Pack" was not much different from directly attacking a military port.

Byron saw everything through the eyes of the raven.

"As long as I use the Unlimited Wolf Pack to spread my anti-traffic fleet across the First Circulation Belt, the Sapphire Sea, and the Celestial Circulation Belt, I can firmly control the traffic bottleneck between the Silver Continent and the colonies.

Even if the Pope artificially drew a "Papal Meridian" and let the Pyrenees Empire divide the Eastern and Western Hemispheres equally with me, what's the point?

If I control the Great Wall on the sea on the main shipping routes, I can prevent all merchant ships of the Orthodox Alliance from returning.

They can then manipulate the international market, influence the political tendencies of various factions and interest groups in various countries, and dominate the rise and fall of one or more countries in the form of "non-violent revolution."

Controlling the sea routes is equivalent to controlling world trade!
Controlling world trade is equivalent to gaining world hegemony!
Gaining world hegemony is equivalent to being crowned the overlord of sea power!
Use the same method to control the second and third circulation belts.

At that time, I was the uncrowned king of the entire [Echidna Triangle], the only supreme being in the Dragon King's Court, the Beast Paradise, and the Corridor of Truth!
Now I have a legitimate reason to be a teacher.”

On the opposite flagship, [Humanoid Turret] Franco Balmond looked at the reverse encirclement in front of him and couldn't help but shudder.

"What's going on? Why didn't the intelligence mention that a heavy-armored cruiser would have this kind of assembly capability?"

None of the officers around him could answer his question.

最终回应他的是三十一艘重装巡航舰，双层火炮甲板：30门32磅加农炮、26门42磅卡隆炮，共计1736门重炮的愤怒咆哮！
(End of this chapter)