CHAPTER 624: DRACAEL

Agreements

Dracael Brownscale tapped her clawed fingertips against the metal armrest of her chair. She sat within her heart, her awakened ship, and looked at the screens in front of her projecting a feed. A massive city loomed in the distance, filled with skyscrapers and floating ziggurats. Flying vessels buzzed around as if it were a hive, so many that it looked like they were just flying around chaotically with no aim in mind.

Her ship was underwater, in its submarine mode, all stealth systems active, along with her First Mate’s perks reinforcing them. She rarely used this capability, so few knew about it even existing. The more people knew, the more they would prepare, and that was half the battle lost.

That being said, the Exalted Empire prepared for everything anyway. They had extensive sensor networks everywhere. Their technology was powerful, precise, but it had a weakness. Sometimes, a perk could completely circumvent their capabilities. Their technology was as powerful as the resources used to create it, but a perk could be reinforced by willpower, along with a dozen other perks.

It was how she had managed to get this close. She was sitting in the center of the Bay of Raylight, in the heart of the Exalted Empire, all the way to the east beyond even the frontier.

The city she was observing wasn’t their capital. That was further north, and while she could hit it even from here, that place wasn’t a good target. This city, though, was more of a military target, it was where they researched and built their warmachines. A massive yard was sprawled across the coast and the mountain near it, berth laid down in ways that were familiar to her. The process of building a sailing ship wasn’t that much different than building one that could fly. At least not the way the Cthul did it. She wasn’t talking about the strange way some of the sects built their flying vessels. Who grew their ship from a sapling? Or built it like a house with bricks?

“Is everything ready,” Dracael asked her First Mate, Umon.

“It is.”

She tilted her head, thinking. This place was heavily defended; she knew there were risks. Her fleet wasn’t here; she left it parked just off the coast of the Island of Dungeons, to the south. The fleet wouldn’t have been able to approach unseen the way just one ship could. They were alone here. The moment she committed, all the empire’s forces nearby would come after her. The water would provide some cover, only some of the cthul vessels were capable of submerging, and she was confident in being better, but…

She still had time to turn away. Zacharia’s request was not something she would’ve usually entertained. She didn’t involve herself in stupid wars, not since all of her friends died trying to prevent them. But he had promised her a reward that tempted her too much.

Her advancement had always been focused on her connection to her awakened ship and their bond. All of her focuses served to support that bond. Her crew, her fleet, they were all an extension of herself. That made her strong, even though she wasn’t equal to other High Rankers on an individual level.

Advice and truths about advancement were worth more to her than any treasure. She was aware that she had stalled, and knew that there was more she could be.

With one last glance at their target, she blew out a long breath, then glanced at Umon.

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“Take us to the surface, target the yards. ”

Without waiting to see him start giving out orders to the crew, she focused on her ship and their bond. Her awakened ship wasn’t the most talkative one, their bond was deeper.

True Link—Sailing Ship

She felt the thrum of their connection as her intent and thoughts flowed over it. She expanded her will and Qi out.

Embrace of the Sea

{Redirect Current}

To help raise her ship faster.

[Inspire: Power of the Seas]

To boost her crew.

True Link— Double Size

True Link—Fortify

As soon as they breached the surface, she used Sailing Form, her bond shifted transforming from a submarine to its usual dreadnought shape.

Then, War Mode, and weapons flowed out of its sleek metal surface.

The empire forces had just started to notice them, but there wasn’t enough time for them to react. All of this was taking place within a second.

True Link—Water Cannons

With targets already set, she focused, [Command: Water Artillery Barrage], and Unleash Arsenal.

The midday sun above them was obscured, casting a shadow over the city and the military bases and yards outside of it. The amount of missiles fired by her ship was enough to cover it completely as they launched directly upward then their paths curved in an arc as they flew toward their targets.

The surface of the water rippled as other weapons fired in a more direct line. Compressed streams of water cut across the distance, reaching the coast and their targets first. They cut through the unfinished ships in the berths; they cut through walls and buildings.

The enemy reacted. Some fire flew in their direction but Dracael waved a hand used Rising Wave, swallowing the fire from the turrets on the coast, then dousing the military base with a wave that submerged it whole.

The missiles landed, and a blinding flash of light erupted a moment before the blast and mushroom clouds started rising. She had done some damage to the city itself, but that was unavoidable, collateral damage.

Flying ships headed their way, firing while she protected her ship with [Command: Shield of the Sea].

They moved over the bay, over the water, and Dracael focused.

Hand of the Seas

A giant arm made out of water rose and caught one of the ships, then pulled it down and crashed it against the seabed. The explosion sent out a geyser of water, but most of it was absorbed by it.

A mountain cracked, its foundation cut through by a stream of compressed water, while a missile and an explosion hit a bunker on its side. It crumbled and started falling, sliding and breaking apart, its mass crashing onto the flooded military base below.

In seconds, her ship had unleashed a barrage that had leveled everything on the coast, that had destroyed a manufacturing center that had existed for hundreds of years, that had expanded to fill nearly the entire territory. Now, all that was left were craters that were being filled with water to make newly formed lakes.

The fleet that had been parked above the city in the distance burned towards her, and Dracael knew it was time to go. There would be more coming.

[Command: Rapid Turn]

[Command: Forward Burst]

Armor of the Mists

They surged over the water, heading out of the bay. Dracael focused and used her perk.

Maelstrom

The water of the bay surged behind them, circling and creating a massive whirlpool.

Summon Storm

Then she used her most powerful perk.

Rising Water Hurricane

The bay behind her bulged, then broke into a waterfall falling upward; it spun and caught the enemy fleet, tossing them as if the ships were toys. A storm joined, pulled from nearby, and crashed against the hurricane. Water and wind and pressure fell onto the coast, and destroyed everything in its way.

Dracael pulled herself out of her connection with her ship and sighed. The reward better be worth it; she had just declared war on an empire. And no matter how powerful she was, she couldn’t fight an endless wave.

They set course south, back to their fleet. Her part of all of this was done.