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Chapter 269 Ghost Ship

"Clang!" A huge iron chain shot out from the side of the ship, wrapped around the waist of the sailor who had fallen into the sea, and then the chain suddenly taut, and the sailor was dragged from the sea to the deck by a tremendous force.

"Bang!!"

The sailor was thrown heavily onto the deck, seawater and bubbles still bubbling from his mouth.

But at least his life was saved.

Beside him stood a massive body over four meters tall, and the iron chain that saved him came from an arm the size of a normal person on his back.

The enormous creature on the deck is Richard's summoned creature—the vengeful spirit, Abomination.

However, a vengeful spirit with only three chains cannot save all those who fall into the water.

At this time, people kept falling into the water!

Captain Barrolick kept arranging for the still conscious crew members to bind and restrain all those who were controlled by the song.

While most people on the "Princess" where Richard was located were busy with the siren's song,

The ghost ship, also shrouded in thick fog, presented a scene of tranquility.

Hundreds of fierce-looking pirates, armed with various scimitars, swords, harpoons, and crossbows, stood poised on the deck, ready to strike.

But what's most frightening is that something's off about these pirates!

They all exhibited some degree of physical abnormalities.

Some people have barnacles growing on their foreheads, some have seaweed growing on their scalps instead of hair, and some have even more exaggerated mutations, with shark-like fins growing on their backs.

Their appearances were chilling!

These are the prices that must be paid to control the ghost ship. While gaining powerful abilities such as underwater breathing and rapid healing, the body is gradually assimilated by the ghost ship's eerie power.

Of course, the one who has been most distorted is the captain of the ghost ship HMS Westminster—Assakim.

If you look closely at the gaps in his black robe as he walks, you'll find that the sharp hook embedded in his broken right elbow is actually the part that most resembles a pirate.

The body inside the black robe was nothing but a skeleton; its skin, muscles, and internal organs had all disappeared, replaced by a bunch of thumb-sized gray hagfish tangled together.

These hagfish are constantly wriggling; if someone with trypophobia saw them, they would probably faint from fright!

"Lord Saridin, all battle preparations are complete!" Asakim reported to Saridin, who was gazing into the mist, as he approached the bow of the ship.

Standing at the bow of the ship, Saridin's eyes seemed to pierce through the mist, clearly seeing Richard's "Princess" aboard.

Saridin nodded and said, "Excellent! In about ten minutes, we'll be able to engage them in boarding action, rendering their carefully prepared warships useless!"

"Lord Saridin, your wisdom is unparalleled!" Asakim flattered him opportunely. "Then, leave that necromancer to me. Perfect, I'm also considered undead, hehe!"

"Alright! But Asakim, you still need to be careful. The opponent must be quite strong to have been able to take down Okot Norris. I'll cover for you!" Saridin said slowly.

"Of course! I'll be careful!"

-

Aboard the Princess.

The deck was in complete chaos, with many sailors and combat personnel running around in a panic.

These were the ones with relatively strong resistance. Those who were weaker in resisting the siren's song had already been tied up like dumplings and thrown onto the deck for guard.

Meanwhile, the warning signs in Richard's mind were becoming increasingly clear.

This indicates that the enemy is rapidly approaching.

Richard's face was serious, and several enemies flashed through his mind.

"Are the incoming enemies sirens?"

"Or are you referring to the Cult of Poseidon?"

"Or perhaps some kind of strange sea monster?"

Seeing Richard's furrowed brows, Stephania couldn't help but ask, "Master, is the enemy very powerful?"

Richard shook his head slightly and said, "That's not it. The problem now is that the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. We can't determine who the enemy is, let alone their exact location. This makes it impossible for us to fully utilize the capabilities of our warship."

Stephania suddenly realized that her master was troubled by this matter. She smiled slightly and said, "Master, perhaps I can solve this problem."

"You? How do you plan to solve this?" Richard looked at Stephena with a puzzled expression.

How can Stephanie solve a problem that even she herself can't handle?

"Master, have you forgotten my innate sorcery—Shadow Spider?"

"Of course I haven't forgotten that. You mean you want these little guys to scout out enemies nearby? But this is at sea, not on land. If a wave comes in, the little spiders might be swallowed up." Richard asked, still puzzled.

"Master, didn't you know that my Shadow Spider can walk on water?" Stephania chuckled and explained.

"What?!" Richard stared at Stephena in disbelief.

Spider-Man in the movies has this ability? To be honest, Richard had never paid attention to it before.

"Really?" Richard confirmed.

"Of course it's true. If you don't believe me, I can summon it for you right now," Stephania said confidently.

"Great, Stephania, summon Spider-Man from the Shadow Realm immediately! Perhaps you can save many people on this ship this time," Richard said with delight.

Stephena was momentarily confused, but immediately followed Richard's instructions and summoned hundreds of Shadow Spiders.

Suddenly, countless tiny spiders, each the size of a fist, appeared on the deck.

"Stephena, have all the Spiderlings head this way!" Richard pointed in a direction.

Although he couldn't pinpoint the exact source of the danger, he had a general idea of ​​its direction.

"Yes, Master!"

With a wave of her fair hand, Stephania summoned hundreds upon hundreds of Shadow Spiders, which leaped off the deck and charged menacingly in that direction.

Sure enough, Richard could see from the ship's side that the little spider had jumped off the deck and, relying on its hairs and extremely light weight, easily floated on the water's surface, moving as if on flat ground, and rushed rapidly toward the source of danger.

Although the sea is vast and boundless, once the direction is determined, these hundreds of small spiders can carefully explore a considerable distance.

Richard was almost certain that these little Spider-Men in the film world would definitely make a profit! News should be coming soon!

really!

Less than five minutes later, Stephania said with a serious expression, "Master, Spider-Man from the Shadow Realm has spotted a giant ship, no smaller than us, speeding toward us."

Richard's eyes narrowed, and he thought to himself, "Just as I thought!"

Captain Barolorick, standing nearby, paled and asked, "Miss Stephania, can you calculate how far away they are?"

From this direction, the ramming point is directly aimed at the waist of the Princess. If it is hit head-on, there is a high probability that the Princess will be destroyed and the crew will die!

"Yes! About another nautical mile!" Stephania did a quick mental calculation and then gave a number.

"Excellent!! No matter who they are, they are definitely enemies, not friends. Lord Richard, they are about to enter the range of our cannons. I suggest we fire as soon as they enter the range!" Captain Barrolick looked at Richard and asked for instructions with a burning gaze.

"Of course, Captain Barrolick, please go ahead!" Richard readily agreed.

After receiving Richard's approval, Captain Barrolick immediately issued a series of orders!

"Turn left!"

"All artillery on the right flank, prepare!"

"Maximum elevation angle!"

"emission!!"

Immediately, all thirty-six cannons on one side of the Queen, just like the rocket launchers Richard had seen in his previous life, fired shells one after another.

Captain Barrolick had just gathered all the gunners with the strong will to resist the siren's song to the starboard side, finally getting all the cannons on one side under control and unleashing their maximum firepower.

at this time.

On the ghost ship HMS Westminster.

Saridin was the first to notice something was wrong.

He vaguely heard a whistling sound coming from the mist. At first, he wondered what the sound was, but the next second, he realized that it was a cannonball!

But it was too late!

One after another, solid iron balls, glowing red-hot, came hurtling towards him. Dozens of iron balls were reflected in his constricted pupils as they bombarded him relentlessly.

He was completely baffled!

How did the enemy discover them?

How could the enemy possibly have discovered them?

And how could he control the distance so precisely that he hit himself?

Sariddin shouted, "Everyone be careful!!"

Before the words had even finished!

The sound of the iron ball hitting the deck with a "thud, thud, thud!" rang out.

Some of the iron balls smashed through the rotting deck, while others bounced up and injured several people.

"ah!!"

"My hand!!" a pirate cried out in anguish, clutching his missing right hand.

"Ah!! My leg, my leg is gone!" another pirate cried out, clutching his missing left leg.

"."

"Damn it!!!" roared Captain Asakim of the ghost ship, "Accelerate!!"

The ghost ship had no cannons, only large crossbows, but they were no longer very effective due to years of seawater immersion. Therefore, the ghost ship relied entirely on boarding maneuvers for its attacks.

In fact, what ghost ships fear most is encountering this situation.

They were still far from the enemy, but the enemy's artillery had already locked onto and attacked their position.

Now, we either retreat or charge through the enemy's heavy artillery fire and engage in boarding action.

Obviously, rushing in would result in significant losses, but not rushing in would also result in significant losses.

Asakim had just thought the situation was settled, except that the mysterious necromancer might be a bit troublesome and would require some effort, while the other ordinary sailors or gunners would soon be torn to pieces by his fierce pirates.

But the reality check came so quickly!!

Now he wants to fight, but he can't hit the other side; he wants to retreat, but Lord Saridin certainly won't agree.

Therefore, Assakim had no choice but to give the order to accelerate forward, even under heavy enemy fire!

Watching his old subordinates with broken arms and legs, some even with their spines broken by shells, clutching their intestines and writhing in agony, the scene on the deck was so gruesome it was almost unsettling!

Even seasoned pirates, seasoned with blood and gore, accustomed to life and death, and incredibly fierce, couldn't help but tremble with fear at the sight!

Even more terrifying was that, despite the dense fog obscuring any trace of the enemy, enemy artillery shells continued to rain down from the sky!

This means that they are now live targets for the enemy!

Unexpectedly, the fog intended to cover their attack has now become an obstacle for them.

With each step the ghost ship Westminster took closer to the enemy, it suffered heavy casualties, and its hull was riddled with holes!

"Almost there! Almost there!"

Assakim suppressed his anger, waiting for the moment of boarding!

Aboard the Princess.

"Master, the cannons have a high hit rate. I heard screams from the enemy ship through the Shadow Spider. It seems they have suffered considerable casualties," Stephania said with delight.

"However, the other side is very fierce and is currently accelerating towards us. The other side's hull is riddled with holes, but it can still sail normally. Something's strange!" Stephania added.

"Regardless of whether the enemy is acting strangely, continue the artillery barrage. As long as the artillery is powerful enough, the enemy will inevitably be unable to withstand it!" Richard said quickly.

At this moment, Richard felt extremely fortunate that he had chosen to sail on a warship. If he were currently on a merchant ship, there would be no way out but to wait for the enemy to come and attack.

Unlike now, he can take the initiative.

"Lord Richard is right!"

"Outombo! Pass the word: prepare for boarding action!"

After the tall orc Otombo responded in a deep voice, he picked up his giant axe and began to gather his melee team.

Although the number of melee fighters on the Princess was only a little over twenty, each of them was exceptionally skilled and had strong combat capabilities.

"Artillerymen, keep firing!!"

Richard thought for a moment, and to be on the safe side, he also summoned the Bloodbone Golem to work with the Wraith Abomination and the melee team to deal with the boarding action that might occur next.

One minute later.

A gray shadow, roughly the size of the Princess, burst forth from the mist. Although its metal ram was rusty, if it were to strike the side of the Princess, it would surely cause severe damage.

If you're unlucky, you might even get snapped in half by the impact, because the other ship is traveling at a very high speed!

"Turn to starboard!" Captain Barrolick shouted!

At this moment, the crew realized that the enemy ship was very strange. Its hull was dilapidated and covered with kelp, seaweed, barnacles and other marine life, making it look as if it had just been pulled from the seabed.

"This...this is the flag of the Kingdom of Akara! This shape...this is the Westminster, which sank in a naval battle more than a hundred years ago!!" Captain Barrorick exclaimed.

Captain Barrolick was very familiar with the famous warships of naval powers; he could basically identify their type just by looking at their outlines.

"This is a ghost ship!!" Even the usually composed Captain Barolorick turned pale at this moment.

If Captain Barrolick knew the other ship was a ghost ship, he would never allow it to get close. Instead, he would deliberately keep his distance and force it back with cannon fire.

There's a saying at sea: never try to board a ghost ship!

Almost no ship has ever been able to defeat a ghost ship in a boarding action!

This seems to be an ironclad rule!

(End of this chapter)