Who taught him to restore the country like this

Chapter 236 Ron: Human...Mermaid Heart!
The sky was covered with dark clouds.

Electricity snaked through the clouds, thunder roared, torrential rain poured down, and visibility plummeted.

The roar of the crashing waves could not drown out the cries of agony all around. As the wrecked warship sank to the bottom of the sea, it was as if the end of the world had arrived, filling people with despair.

That legendary mage shattered the fortified fleets of the two major mercenary groups with a single strike.

The main reason was that most of the eighth-tier experts from the Star Empire and the two major mercenary groups stationed on Tianhai North Island escorted the two princes away ahead of schedule.

Although Ron guaranteed that the merfolk would not attack the fleet when the tide came in, the two princes were not like these mercenaries who lived by risking their lives and were not afraid of danger.

They are of noble status, and they will not easily take any risks that they can avoid.

They left before the tide came in.

The departure of the two princes took most of the eighth-level experts with them, leaving only one or two behind.

The remaining eighth-tier powerhouses gathered on the flagships of the two mercenary groups.

This resulted in the other auxiliary ships having significantly weaker defensive capabilities, making them unable to withstand attacks of the eighth tier.

In particular, they also have to deal with the surging tides.

Even the flagships of the two major mercenary groups experienced violent fluctuations and flickering under the intense barrage of water spears.

Philian's displayed abilities were entirely befitting of her status.

On this vast ocean, they are even more powerful, gaining a significant home advantage.

"Silver Blade Mercenary Group fleet, retreat!"

"All Rose Mercenary Group fleets, retreat!"

The voices of the two mercenary leaders drowned out the thunder and the waves, reaching the ears of everyone on the surviving ships.

"All combatants of level seven and above, follow me and attack to hold her back, buying time for the fleet to retreat!"

Before he finished speaking, Bragi had already soared into the sky from the Silverblade flagship, unleashing a powerful sword aura with his greatsword, slashing towards Philian in the air.

At the same time, Zelo, the leader of the Rose Mercenary Group, rushed out, his red armor flashing like a shooting star in the rain, wielding a long spear and thrusting it at his target.

"Hero, please stay on the ship and evacuate with the fleet!"

Shalom, whose injuries had not yet fully healed, left a message for Ron as he walked out of the cabin, and then leaped off the deck to join the battle.

On other ships, more or less, figures took to the air and launched attacks against the legendary great mage.

They were all seasoned veterans. Under normal circumstances, as long as someone could restrain Philian and prevent him from creating distance and unleashing magic without restraint, they could defeat him.

Even if they can't defeat them, they can hold them off for a long time.

However, the current situation is abnormal.

Philian's water magic is already powerful, and with the blessing of the tides, its strength is even greater.

Faced with the siege of dozens of powerful members from two major mercenary groups, she didn't even consider moving.

With just a wave of his hands, he manipulated the seawater to form waves tens of meters high, easily blocking all attacks.

The martial artist, whose body was suspended in mid-air, was slammed into the sea.

Then, the seawater began to swirl rapidly, forming a giant waterspout that tore apart the warriors caught in it.

The battle was a complete one-sided rout.

The strong members of the two mercenary groups are mostly martial artists. On the turbulent sea, they have little foothold and cannot fully exert their strength.

Not to mention their usual seamless teamwork.

Without a warrior to close in and restrain Philian, the magic of the two mercenary groups was unlikely to inflict effective attacks.

……

On board the ship.

Ron watched as Philian gradually broke through the encirclement and chased after him, then glanced at the fleet's slow retreat.

They realized that things couldn't continue like this.

Most of the ship's high-level combatants had gone out to fight, greatly reducing its defensive capabilities. If it were caught up, the ship would surely be destroyed and everyone on board would perish.

The two major mercenary groups are out of the question. If all the warriors were replaced with mages, they might be able to put up a fight in this environment.

But reality doesn't offer so many "what ifs".

Ron turned and went into the cabin.

Gangji, who had been staying by his side as his bodyguard, followed him into the cabin.

Gratoni stood motionless, gazing at the figure in the distance.

Should we not fight?

Inside the cabin, Gangji followed behind Ron and asked.

"That was your master's former teammate, can you beat him?"

Ron kept walking.

“You can’t win.”

Gangji shook his head, then asked, "So, are we going to run away now?"

"Where can we escape to on this vast ocean without a ship?"

Ron countered.

"So what do we need to do now? We can't just wait to die."

Gangji said with a frown.

"Go borrow something."

Ron replied.

"what?"

"Something that can give you the strength to rival Philian."

"There's such a thing? Where is it?"

Gangji asked in surprise.

"it's here."

Ron stopped and turned to face a door.

Gangji turned his head to look.

"This is Keltia's room, you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ron pushed open the door and went in, going straight to the bedside, lifting the blankets from Kertia's body, and groping him.

This woman must have made some wish upon the Mermaid's Heart, because she has been unconscious for several days and has not yet woken up.

He had originally hoped that this woman could save the day.

After all, she possessed the sacred relic she had retrieved from the Sanctuary.

It was a pocket watch from who-knows-how-many years ago, which once sealed away a guy known as the Eternal Demon King.

Its origins are unknown, but Ron is very clear about its effects.

This item can steal one's future power in a short period of time.

Previously, during her battle with Gratoni, Kertia used this pocket watch to steal the power of her future.

By adjusting the scale of the pocket watch, one can freely set which time period's power to steal.

It is a very practical tool for ambushes.

However, such theft naturally comes at a price.

Stealing power will diminish one's growth potential, and during the period in the future when the power is stolen, one will lose all power.

Ron didn't value talent for growth; all he needed was territory.

Losing all his power in the future is something Ron cannot accept.

After all, his future is full of unknowns, and losing his power could very well mean death.

Therefore, he does not intend to use this relic himself.

Both Karina and Gangji, with their bright futures, are excellent candidates.

"Lady Beretta, what are you... looking for?"

When Karina, who was in charge of taking care of Kertia, saw Ron come in and start touching Kertia's body, she looked puzzled.

If they hadn't spent so much time together and she hadn't known that the hero wasn't a lecher, she would have simply used magic to blast him away.

Ron did not answer Karina's question.

Then the relic must be on Kertia.

He groped his way down from Kertia's chest, and when he reached her waist, his expression lit up with delight.

"found it!"

Keltia was wearing the nun's habit of the Radiant Church, with a white shirt underneath.

There seemed to be a pocket inside her shirt containing a round, hard object.

Although the pocket watch had lost its sacred aura due to the erosion of time, Ron was quite certain that it was the holy relic.

Just as he reached his hand under Kertia's calf to retrieve the pocket watch, he suddenly felt a sharp, piercing light.

Ron paused, then slowly turned his head to look.

At the head of the bed, a white-haired girl with delicate features, resting on a clean white pillow, opened her eyes at some point.

At that moment, those bright golden eyes were staring at him.

"..."

Snapped!
……

"I understand the situation."

After listening to Karina's account in front of the cabin, Kertia gained a general understanding of the current situation.

She watched the figure getting closer and closer to the fleet, her expression solemn.

"Bereta said you possess something within you that can make me stronger, is that true?"

Gangji asked.

Upon hearing this, Kertia turned to look at Ron, who was standing three meters away.

How did you know I had that thing on me?

she asked.

She had never mentioned that thing to anyone else.

“Now is not the time to discuss this kind of thing. Those people will soon be unable to hold on.” Ron looked at the distant battle with a solemn expression.

The leaders of the two major mercenary groups were barely able to protect themselves, while the rest were all more or less at their limit.

Once all these people have fallen, even if they can steal the power of the future, it will be difficult for them to defeat Philian one-on-one.

If you're going to make a move, you have to do it as soon as possible.

While the two mercenary groups still have the strength to fight, they should join forces to eliminate this powerful enemy.

"I do have that kind of thing on me."

Keltia used magic to retrieve the pocket watch from her nun's habit.

"It allows me to steal the power of the future."

As she spoke, Kertia stepped forward.

"Senior Kertia, let me do it."

Karina stepped forward and said.

"You're not good at fighting."

Kertia shook her head.

"let me."

Gangji stepped forward.

"Only a magician can cope with this kind of environment."

Kertia did not stop walking.

She walked to the stern of the boat, her body slowly floating up, and the next second, her aura rose steadily.

The pseudo-level identified by Ron has reached level 89!
This is probably the limit of power she has stolen.

"Holy Light Judgment!"

A huge sphere of light condensed in Keltia's hand, and then silently exploded.

A dazzling white light instantly filled the eyes of everyone on the sea.

Wait for the light to dissipate.

The seemingly invincible Philian was impaled by six spears of light, which bound his movements.

"drink!"

The two mercenary leaders simultaneously unleashed their ultimate moves.

The astonishing power unleashed by each sword strike and spear thrust created a vacuum zone more than twenty meters deep in the seawater below.

boom!
Amidst the destructive shockwave, Philian's figure gradually twisted and deformed, eventually disappearing into the devastated area.

As the turbulent, murderous seawater gradually calmed down, the mercenaries on the retreating fleet, whose eyes had been filled with despair, suddenly lit up with bright light and cheered.

Ron glanced at Gratoni beside him, noticing his sharp eyes, as if he were about to rush out to avenge his beloved.

It's just a corpse, it can't be that serious.

"finished……"

Karina breathed a long sigh of relief.

Ron's eyelids twitched upon hearing this.

Don't utter such a death flag!
At this point, the retreating fleet stopped.

Some of those who participated in the battle are returning to their warships, while others are searching the sea.

The formidable enemy they estimated would require the arrival of the Holy Maiden of Radiance to defeat appears to have truly been killed.

"Hero, didn't you say that defeating that dark elf would give you the Mermaid's Heart?"

At this moment, Salom returned to the ship and asked Ron.

They have now defeated Philian, but they have not seen the Mermaid Heart.

Ron did not respond.

First of all, he never said that defeating Philian would immediately grant him the Mermaid Heart.

He said that to find the Mermaid's Heart, one must first defeat Philian.

Secondly, perhaps it was a man's intuition; he felt the danger hadn't passed.

"Senior Kertia."

"Kertia, well done!"

Karina and Gangji walked to the side of the ship to greet Kertia, who looked exhausted as she slowly flew back from the sky.

Ron stared at Kertia, and suddenly his pupils contracted.

"careful!"

Almost the instant he opened his mouth, a jet of water pierced through Kertia's chest.

Everyone was stunned. Keltia's body fell from the sky, revealing the figure behind her who was surrounded by blue and black light.

It was Philian!

She was indeed still alive.

Ron immediately used the Hero's Sword to draw upon the power of Karina and the others, then flashed forward to catch Keltia.

bang bang-

Several jets of water struck the Hero's Sword, shielding Keltia from a fatal blow.

The massive impact slammed the two men onto the deck.

"how come……"

On the warship, when they saw Philian's figure reappear in the air, despair appeared in the eyes of the mercenaries.

Not far away in the sky, that nightmarish figure seemed to have grown tired of the entanglement.

She clasped her hands together, her body radiating black energy. The vortex below suddenly expanded, and a massive waterspout with a diameter of over a hundred meters slowly took shape, carrying an aura of annihilation as it hurtled toward the area where the fleet was most concentrated.

Wherever the waterspout passed, the seawater was sucked out, and ships were easily torn apart and swept into the air.

The desperate cries were drowned out by the roar of the storm.

"It's over..."

Salom stared at the unstoppable waterspout, his face deathly pale, and he took a helpless step back.

In the distance, Bragi and Zelo tried to stop them, but it was too late.

“Is that the end…?”

Ron's consciousness was locked onto the Town Portal Scroll.

"You saved me again..."

The silver-haired girl in his arms made a faint sound.

She still believed that the boy in front of her was the one who had bullied her more than once before.

Ron remained calm and offered no explanation.

After all, he's the only one who can get out of here alive today.

bang——

The waterspout had reached the stern of the ship, and the ship's defensive barrier couldn't withstand it for more than two seconds before being shattered by the immense destructive force.

Goodbye, my teammates.

Ron closed his eyes just as he was about to use the Town Portal Scroll.

Suddenly, the space became quiet.

The noise of the waterspout vanished abruptly in an instant.

Ok?
Ron opened his eyes in confusion.

The giant waterspout then disappeared.

At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on one place.

What happened in the time it takes to close your eyes?
Ron followed the astonished gazes of the others and looked towards the position above the fleet, directly opposite the trajectory of the waterspout.

A golden beam of light pierced through the dark clouds and shone down.

Within that pillar of light, a figure emanated a sacred aura, as if a god had descended to earth.

It was this figure who shielded them from the deadly waterspout.

who is it?

Is she the Holy Maiden of Radiance?

As the golden light slowly faded, the curiosity in everyone's hearts was answered.

He was a man dressed in a simple white robe. He had a head of brilliant short golden hair, a handsome and resolute face, and his crimson eyes radiated boundless heroism, as if they contained the sea and the stars.

She is not the Holy Maiden of Radiance.

They weren't even from the three major papal courts.

Many of the people present had never seen this before.

But everyone present recognized this person.

"That...that's..."

Karina covered her mouth, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Gangji looked at the figure, then turned to look at Ron beside him, his expression suggesting he was making a decision.

"Things are getting interesting."

Gratoni, who was angry just a second ago, smiled the next second.

Shalom blinked blankly.

The other mercenaries stared wide-eyed, as if they had seen a ghost.

"A human...a mermaid's heart!"

A voice, tinged with shock and a hint of annoyance, broke the silence.

It was Ron.

He pointed at the figure in the air and shouted with absolute certainty.

(End of this chapter)