CHAPTER 68: CHAPTER 68: SNIPING!

Aiven broadly agreed with the captain of the Sawfish.

Although an Extraordinary Knight’s constitution isn’t completely immune to blades and bullets, their reactions and agility far exceed those of ordinary people, allowing them to dodge at the moment a gunman pivots their firearm.

If the two are within ten meters, they can even strike down the firearmsman before he pulls the trigger. In fact, agile specialists like Aiven could achieve this at the peak of Apprentice.

Thus, the higher the tier of Extraordinary beings, the less effective firearms become, unless a large array of musketeers is formed to suppress them.

Even the Alchemy Firearms, despite their convenience and power, cannot escape this rule, thus relying even more on a Sniper Musketeer’s talent, or rather, their innate Spiritual Sense, intuition!

This unique gift is the key to breaking the norm.

Just as the captain of the Sawfish paused, motionless, Aiven knelt down, raised his gun, and decisively fired in his astonished gaze!

Bam—

The orange-red gunfire flickered briefly, and the piercing wail of the Alchemy Firearm echoed in the enclosed cabin as a gaping hole erased half of the Sawfish captain’s left chest before Aiven.

"Uh... How could..."

Aiven’s gaze pierced through the hole, revealing a broken gap on the slanted upward planks behind, with the outside’s faint sunlight streaming into the lower deck. Clearly, the bullet had pierced through the body and had continued through the ship’s structure, flying off to somewhere unknown.

Thud—

The Sawfish captain fell to the ground as if his bones had been removed, his resilient life force keeping him from dying instantly. His mouth moved, throat producing bizarre guttural sounds, as he couldn’t believe he was killed by a firearm.

"Why? I clearly dodged it!"

"Rest in peace! I made you stop not to scare you, and kneeling wasn’t to beg but to adjust the trajectory to avoid piercing the ship’s bottom!"

The lowest cabin was already underwater; breaking the hull would cause leaks thanks to the Sawfish captain’s cooperation. This shot perfectly avoided the hull, piercing upward only through the lower deck.

However, this was Aiven’s first time using the Alchemy Firearm, and he wasn’t quite familiar with the Thorned Gold Rose’s performance. Despite the target’s evasion causing bullet deviation, the sheer power created a fatal hole.

This shot was indeed somewhat lucky, and the Sawfish captain died unwillingly.

Because... Aiven cheated!

On the sea, encountering a musket musketeer with sniper talent is rarer than meeting a Tier 3 Great Knight. Does Aiven have such an extraordinary sniper talent?

The answer is naturally... no.

Although lacking talent, he possessed the precise parameters provided by "Data Visualization" for action prediction. The ship’s rhythmic oscillations with waves, distance, wind direction, wind speed, and even potential evasion directions were all revealed before Aiven’s eyes.

Just short of marking a clear trajectory for Aiven, whether he had Spiritual Sense or not was no longer important. Even outside, no seasoned sniper firearmsman would doubt Aiven was one of them.

After completing the double kill, Aiven, without resting, rushed to the deck carrying the Thorned Gold Rose. Having consecutively killed both the old pirate and Sawfish captain, the opponent’s Extraordinary numbers were now less than theirs.

Yet, White Shark Skuk was the key; as long as he remained, eliminating all pirates would be futile.

Step... step... step...

Though Aiven was heavily injured, his agility far surpassed ordinary individuals. He staggered a few times, quickly regaining himself on the deck.

In just a few strides, he ascended to the vantage point of the stern tower, swiftly dispatching the pirates therein with a few punches and kicks. Against such small fry, Aiven wouldn’t waste a single bullet.

Just after ascending the stern tower, Aiven realized that the pirate ship Sawfish, initially maneuvering to flank Silver Wings, had already closed in from a side.

Their distance was around one hundred meters (from here on converted directly to meters).

Even though the Extraordinary ones had gathered on Shark Tooth, the remaining ordinary pirates, with their sheer numbers, could easily swamp Silver Wings, and the precariously balanced situation would instantly collapse.

"Can’t let it come any closer!!!"

Aiven’s might was temporarily nullified; his only reliance now was the Thorned Gold Rose in his hand!

"Cough!"

Spitting a blood-tinged sputum, Aiven stood firmly on the stern tower with his gun.

Wave height 1.3 meters

Wind speed 7.8 meters per second

Wind direction northeast

...

In his first long-range sniper shot, his Master-level archery aided him greatly, his breathing calming, arms motionless, achieving harmony with the ship’s rhythm, the soft sea breeze resonated with him.

Gradually, the front sight of the gun overlapped with the Sawfish’s helm, and a trajectory existing only in Aiven’s consciousness slowly emerged.

Bang—bang—

Two consecutive shots shattered the helm of the Sawfish, alongside the wheelman trying to adjust direction, who was blasted away by splintered wood.

The once aggressive Sawfish instantly stalled, lowering sails and anchoring, not daring to move.

"Sawfish exits the battlefield!"

Lightly blowing the gun’s non-existent smoke, Aiven finally relaxed slightly and took time to gaze over the chaotic Silver Wings.

This time, the Shark Tooth Pirate Gang was well-prepared, deploying most of their reserves, not only Extraordinary numbers exceeding Silver Wings but also ample Tier 1 apprentices.

Earlier, Aiven and the official knights were locked in fierce combat, and the Apprentice Knights led by Milan, Gary, and Chris were similarly beleaguered.

Though they barely avoided fatalities, all of them were wounded without exception.

Especially Gary and Chris, skilled in Phaletis Saber Technique, which was renowned for its strength, direct sword paths emphasizing grandeur.

Gary, fighting the fiercest, was gravely wounded, with one arm hanging listlessly, yet still fighting furiously without retreat, his injuries of unknown severity.

Yet, the direst predicament wasn’t theirs. In the mere few minutes Aiven was aboard, Lieutenant Colonel Laxini had reached his limit, severely injured earlier by White Shark’s frontal assault.

The common sailors had formed a circle around the two Extraordinary fighters at the bow. Lieutenant Colonel Laxini was struggling under the saber of a lanky middle-aged pirate with deep brown skin, body marked with cuts and bruises, clearly at his limit.

"Huff—huff—!"

The Lieutenant Colonel panted heavily; the longsword in his hand felt heavier than a mountain, mechanically rising to parry with only residual strength.

Even to outsiders, this Navy Lieutenant Colonel’s doom was deemed a matter of time.

At this moment, Lieutenant Colonel Laxini’s thoughts were muddled, his severe wounds left him no energy to consider anything else; hence he didn’t see Aiven’s divine prowess eradicating the Sawfish’s crisis with just two shots.

All that occupied his mind now was one belief: "Hold on! Hold on!"