CHAPTER 495: CHAPTER 379: THE END OF THE NIGHTMARE: THE LANCASTER FAMILY ANNIHILATION TRAGEDY

The other adventure ships in the vicinity, already entangled in battle with sea creatures, suffered heavy losses without any warning.

Before anyone could curse, screams also erupted from the Barbary Pirates’ ships:

"Why is the ship moving on its own?"

"It wasn’t our gunners who did it."

"Damn it, the ship’s alive! Watch out for the ropes!"

The whole ship beneath their feet seemed to come to life, and everything on it began to attack its own crew.

Especially the myriad ropes tied to the masts and spars, which writhed, twisted, and rapidly coiled around the Barbary Pirates and yanked them high into the air.

By the time they were hanging midair, each of them had already gone silent, becoming tragic corpses with broken necks, suspended from masts—a horrifying sight swaying in the wind.

The more these "killer pirate ships" killed, the stronger they became. In an instant, even the Low Sequence Transcendents on board began to face grave danger.

Legendary Ability One of the [Bayfolk Dragonhead Ship · Hall of Valor]: Dominate Pirate Ships!

"Every pirate ship has its own ’Pirate’s Ten Commandments’ derived from the ’Pirate Code.’ The Dragonhead Ship, however, was born before the ’Pirate Code,’ making it the pioneer and witness of the world’s pirate enterprises. Ordinary pirate ships confronting it are like personal terminals to a root server, or Old God’s Kin to the Old God itself. Upon encountering this ancestor of all pirate ships, they immediately lose control to it."

The Goddess had once warned Byron, "You’d better not get involved with the forces of that Pirate King, the Ocean Throne. Our ancestors stole the world’s first pirate ship, the [Legendary Warship · Bayfolk Dragonhead Ship], from Iron Anchor Bay. Theoretically, not a single ship below Legendary Grade in this world can rival it. This time, no matter how many people the Pirate King brings, they are undoubtedly destined to die!"

Since the main force of this colonization war is made up of Pirate Groups, the number of ships, no matter how vast, is meaningless before this warship.

No matter how many pirate ships come, if they dare to venture within a kilometer, it’s as if they’ve bathed themselves clean and offered themselves up willingly—a total giveaway. And what’s more, it’s as if they know they just have to bend over and take it.

"Hahaha! Unless the profession of piracy disappears, the Bayfolk Dragonhead Ship will forever be the king among pirates! All pirates who dare to challenge its authority will be cast into the dust."

The Abyssal Horror Dagon stood laughing heartily at the ship’s bow, surrounded by a hazy halo of light, with only a dragon head vaguely visible within it.

Without a doubt, this was the Ship Spirit of the [Dragonhead Ship · Hall of Valor]!

Under the control of this Ship Spirit, the oars on both sides rowed swiftly as the dragonhead warship charged forward, its "domination domain" active.

Any pirate ship within its one-kilometer radius would instantly lose control.

One could easily imagine that once it successfully broke into the center of the fleet, the entire Barbary Pirate Group would erupt into chaos, and Barbarossa’s hard-earned riches would all be lost.

Of course, the Pirate King could not just sit by and watch.

"Seeking death! Sea King’s Breath, Mad God’s Descent!"

With a roar, streaks of blue light emanated from his mouth and nose. A halo burst open above his head as he, brandishing a Fischer Slash Sword, shot into the sky like a cannonball.

Enveloped in a tumultuous current, he raced across the sea surface, his sword’s tip grazing the waves and plowing a deep furrow through the water.

Seeing the waters that struggled to close, Byron, who was of the same realm, immediately realized that this Pirate King had also comprehended Divine Sight.

Perhaps his absolute power was not on par with those of the Fifth Order Pseudo-Gods, but he could certainly create a local advantage through skill, enough to confront them head-on.

He instinctively shrank his neck, no longer boasting that he would dare to fight the Pirate King even in a Dead Magic Environment.

The Ocean Throne sped along, strands of mist gathering behind him and gradually forming a pair of wings resembling fish fins. This process layered the ocean’s power onto him.

Upon reaching the Fifth-order Legend on the Ladder of Glory, one awakens their own Strange Arts. The Ocean Throne had awakened the power of "Covenant Sea King":

"The Heart of the Beast King at the Fourth Order can unite the strength of a Sea Monster Legion under its command, while the Covenant Sea King can mobilize the power of an entire sea region by its own Authority. As long as one’s body and Spirituality could withstand it, they could cause mountains to shake and seas to roar with a mere gesture. Even if one dared only borrow one percent, or even one-thousandth of that power, it was still terrifying."

Legendary Warships possessed strategic-level capabilities. Dagon dared not let a Pirate King—whose great power came from the collective yet centered on himself—get the drop on him.

Donning the Deity Mask of "Sea God·Njord," he also let out a thunderous yell:

"Deity Mask, Celestial Descent!"

Engulfing the skies with the tide and wielding a war axe, he slashed another waterline through the sea, colliding head-on with the Pirate King.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Sparks flew and thunder roared as the waves they shattered turned into a large fog that grew ever thicker.

The absolute "mechanical rationality" of Celestial Descent versus the absolute "wild instinct" of Mad God’s Descent left those of lower realms entirely unable to intervene.

Meanwhile, the Legendary Warship continued to advance, seemingly unstoppable.

More and more pirate ships began to mutiny and kill their crews.

But at that moment, a sleazy, lascivious voice reached everyone’s ears:

"Hehe, the Bayfolk Dragonhead Ship, the Hall of Valor? Ah, look at your long, slender oars, your billowing sails that catch the sea wind, your sleek lines... So beautiful, utterly beautiful! I’d call you the number one beauty after the ’Holy Trinity.’ The mere mention of your name makes me uncontrollably think of the Valkyries. I bet your Ship Spirit is also a voluptuous beauty, as healthy and full as a Valkyrie! My darling, my dear heart, I can hardly wait to merge with you right now, to become inseparable! Just the thought of it makes me so excited I’m trembling all over!"

The Phantom Bottle, which had previously shrunk to the size of a bottle, suddenly reverted to its original size, firmly positioning itself before the Dragonhead Ship.

As for whether the Sailboat Collector was trembling, others couldn’t see. However, it was clear that the Ship Spirit, crowned with a dragon head on the Legendary Warship, shuddered violently.

Ship Spirits are not human and don’t possess gender or appearance in the conventional sense. They can manifest in various forms according to their owner’s preferences.

Given that this ship’s true name was the "Hall of Valor," it had indeed once served the Harold royal family of Iron Anchor Bay in the guise of a Valkyrie.

But if this current fellow were to be its master?

HISS! The mere thought made its entire being feel as if it were crawling with cockroaches.

"ROAR—! Summon the Heroic Spirit Fleet!"

Faced with this unwelcome visitor, its disgust instantly turned into rage, and it opened its mouth to let out an angry roar.

WOOOOOO...

Immediately, a chilling wind arose at sea, and shadows grew indistinct behind the Dragonhead Ship.

Then, one by one, hundreds of black-sailed pirate ships from various eras began to surface on the vast ocean.

Bayfolk Dragonhead Ship (galleass), schooners, Fluyts, Carrack Ships, Galleons... everything that had ever existed in history was there.

This was its second Legendary Ability, "Heroic Spirit Fleet":

"It can summon the Heroic Spirits resting in Valhalla of Heroes and the pirate ships that sank with them in battle to aid in combat."

Under the command of the Ship Spirit, the Heroic Spirit Fleet collectively maneuvered to gain the upper hand and opened fire on the Phantom Bottle.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The eerie green cannon fire looked exceptionally dangerous.

The Sailboat Collector, Mordent Gray, controlled his Quasi-Legendary Warship to shrink again, easily dodging the somewhat inaccurate cannon shots.

At the same time, glass bottles leaped out from the ship’s hold.

The moment they touched the seawater, the bottles shattered, and the collectible warships within rapidly grew, expanding in the wind.

A fleet of over a hundred advanced Navy warships from various countries swiftly formed behind it.

Since pirates had zero research and development capabilities, they usually used whatever they found adrift at sea. Ninety percent of these were converted from ordinary merchant ships.

The most typical example was the Man-Eating Shark that Byron had once seized from Bloody Eye Salman.

When these pirate ships encountered warships, they mostly had no option but to flee. Escaping was considered a blessing from the Creator, let alone resisting.

The Sailboat Collector, who aimed for the strongest "hull," naturally had no interest in pirate ships. His fleet was composed entirely of quintessential warships.

Without the Pirate’s Ten Commandments, the Legendary Warship’s ability to control pirate ships naturally had no effect on them.

Moreover, before the helm of each warship, an additional, somewhat ethereal figure of the Sailboat Collector appeared.

This was Mordent Gray’s exclusive Strange Art: "Virtual Ship Spirit."

He could split his Spirituality into hundreds of parts, like a Starlight Body traveling, each capable of infusing a soul into mortal warships.

This went even beyond Byron’s "Grand Ship Saint," achieving the ultimate state of "Man as Ship, Ship as Man, Man-Ship Union."

"Fire! GAGAGAGA..."

The cannons blazed, momentarily illuminating the stormy seas beneath the overcast sky.

On one side were the undying Heroic Spirits; on the other, a handful of the most advanced Navy vessels on the ocean. Finally, a worthy match for each other.

Amidst the howling gunfire, the Phantom Bottle, as the flagship and vanguard, dashed ahead of the rest.

The Sailboat Fanatic, draped in sails and wearing a glass dome on his head, climbed atop the forecastle. Squinting through his monocular at the Dragonhead Ship, drool even escaped from the corner of his mouth:

"GAGAGAGA... My beauty, you have such a fiery spirit! I’m growing fonder of you by the moment. Come into my embrace! Only I, the Sailboat Collector, can truly appreciate your beauty. I will cherish you dearly. If you marry me, even if you resist and trample me fiercely with your boots, whip and lash me, I definitely won’t frown!"

Elsewhere, as an all-out war erupted into a complete mess, the group of Fourth Order Mythical Creatures aboard the Dragonhead Warship also sprang into action.

Under the lead of Yemengade, they held the "Spellbook: Luandun City Primer" and jointly activated the Old God’s abode behind them, Luanyun City.

"In the name of the Luanyun Abyss and its dwellers, praise the Slumbering God. In the name of the ’Mark of Kish’ and all who bow to it, to the Gate of the Deep Sea and all who use it..."

The final and mightiest nightmare, blessed by the Old Gods, struck once more.

At last, the long-gathering storm overhead erupted in a torrential downpour.

DOOT DOOT DOOT...

Simultaneously, a maddening, nauseating flute sound suddenly pierced the rain from the depths of the storm, reaching everyone’s ears.

The waters where the Colonial Fleet resided were also rapidly tainted black by some unknown entity.

It seemed a colossal being was lurking in the deep sea, emitting a sticky, deep roar and exuding a horrific stench that seemed to penetrate to the very bone!

This is...

Byron, aboard the Golden Deer, which had been deliberately kept at the rear of the fleet to prevent the sailboat adventurer from escaping, felt his body shake violently.

No one knew better than he what this round of nightmares signified.

That was... the night of the Lancaster family’s annihilation!

But through the seawater beneath his feet, he also saw an all-too-familiar colossal ship within the Shipwreck Graveyard.

The source of the final nightmare was obvious.

And this meant that the fishing opportunity he had been eagerly awaiting had finally arrived!