CHAPTER 501: CHAPTER 383: THE BAYFOLK QUEEN, SEEING DAYLIGHT AGAIN

Byron had already swiftly turned the ship’s bow and aimed the side cannons of the Golden Deer at the Dragon Head warship the instant he locked onto the enemy’s position.

Just as the Twins of Light and Darkness surfaced, a round of incredibly accurate cannon fire almost rolled over their faces.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!...

Activating the Knight’s specialty "Riding," he adjusted his breathing in the manner prescribed by the Secret Art "Breathing Method: Storm King’s Seal," and instantly resonated with the Golden Deer, which he had designed himself.

The "Grand Ship Saint" was back online; the cannons on the Golden Deer were his sidearms, and the projectiles with their guidance systems and Stormforged Weapon enchantments were his razor-sharp sword light.

Under the miraculous state of "Divine Sight," which grasped the Breath of All Things and could see through the "death lines" by the frequency of objects, the Water Elementalization effects of the Twins of Light and Darkness were greatly diminished. If they really took two hits from Byron directly, they would turn into a pool of dead water on the spot.

They had no choice but to activate "Celestial Descent" at the same time, dodging the cannonballs desperately with absolute mechanical mentality and inching closer through the gaps.

Unfortunately, the bigger the storm and waves, the stronger Byron became!

Without the need for the gun crews to move, the "Elemental Hand of Wind" automatically reloaded the ammunition for him, achieving an astonishing firing rate of six shots per minute, comparable to that of a musket, when operating the cannons.

The torrents of rain and cannon fire were dense, causing the two great distress.

Beside them, Violet and Wayne Dote, two sharpshooters wielding Sacred Relics firearms, provided support, making every step they took exceedingly difficult.

At this time, the waters near the Golden Deer were the central battlefield of "Divine Struggle," and the Twins of Light and Darkness, who should have been more at home in the marine environment, dared not dive in.

Helpless, they raised their War Axes, and a huge surge rose out of nowhere, exploding into countless high-speed water jets against the wave crests, piercing through the storm and leaving large blank holes in the sky.

From a distance, they lunged toward the Golden Deer.

"SKREEE—!"

The nautilus immediately charged forward, activating a Rapid Water Ring that enveloped the Golden Deer tightly.

Even if the water jets of the Twins of Light and Darkness penetrated the barrier, by the time they landed on the Golden Deer, they would no longer be effective.

What’s more, the effect of Ability Two: Ever-Renewing, was automatically triggered.

The ability stems from the excellent material of the entire teak structure... Even if it eventually sinks due to catastrophic damage, as long as over a third of the hull remains intact, it can slowly recover and resurface sooner or later.

In this era, still dominated by smoothbore guns, it was an almost impossible task for ship cannons to sink it, let alone mere human effort. Not to mention such a mild water gun attack; even if they managed to dismantle two-thirds of it, it still wouldn’t sink.

Witnessing this scene, the Twins of Light and Darkness exchanged a glance and, without hesitation, brought forth their trump card, one hidden up their sleeves.

They retreated with a flash until they were beyond cannon range.

Each lifted a dazzlingly golden "Deity Mask" over their head.

Like other Deity Masks, these were made from some animal’s skull. However, these two were obviously exuding a lustrous quality like white jade, shimmering with gold, and were exquisitely beautiful.

One was inscribed with: "Authority, Prophecy, Mad Hunt, Woden," while the other bore "Heavenly Queen, Frigg."

They symbolized the Bayfolk’s Mad Hunt Deity and Goddess Queen respectively.

The descendants of the Bayfolk Priests knew that although these two masks were of the highest Rank and most powerful, if their affinity was lacking, whoever wore them would surely die.

Only the lineage of the Blue Dragon King Reinhardt and their descendants were the bloodline inheritors of the Mad Hunt Deity and the Heavenly Queen from the Mythological Era, possessing the basic qualifications to wear the masks.

But without the Rank of a King or Queen, a painful price would still be exacted.

"Since wearing them is fatal for everyone, their lethal effects are our strongest weapon, under which all Bayfolk will submit... in the form of Dead Spirits!"

The two sneered, and a sharp line of water instantly sliced their wrists, allowing Priestly blood to fall onto the two masks.

Through the most primitive Blood Sacrifice method, they summoned the basic ability of the pair of masks.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Two streaks of golden-red light burst through the air, automatically locking onto their targets, homing in directly on Byron and Violet, who were the main forces in the long-range combat.

Even after disguising themselves, they still retained their distinctive azure blue eyes, which had long betrayed their identity as Bayfolk Descendants.

With such a targeted effect, who else would they use it to kill, if not them?

Violet realized something was coming and activated the built-in effect of the "Serpentine Matchlock," trying to control the bullets to attack the two masks repeatedly.

But it was to no avail. Even a temporary deviation would see the masks auto-correct their trajectory and continue their relentless pursuit. Like avenging spirits with no escape, the two masks, now streaks of light, reached them in but a breath’s time and clamped firmly onto Byron’s and Violet’s faces.

Instantly, a golden Divine Light burst forth, pouring into their bodies, and behind each of them materialized an imposing, ethereal deity.

One was majestic and stout as if the high heavens, the other gentle and beautiful like drifting clouds.

They were none other than the mythical gods: Woden, "the God of Authority, Prophecy, and the Mad Hunt," and Frigg, the "Heavenly Queen"!

Seeing them afflicted, Yemengade immediately stretched his neck, muttering,

"There’s a first and second time, but not a third and fourth. This time they must be dead... right?"

Clearly, the successive failures had shaken his confidence in this ultimate attack, and he chose not to jinx himself by speaking too definitively.

And as it turned out, his concerns were valid.

Byron indeed felt a bit of pressure from the "Deity Mask," but that was all.

The only direct descendants of the Blue Dragon King Reinhardt in bloodline and Mysticism were the royal families of Hightins, Iron Anchor Bay, and the Karma Union of Bay People’s Kingdoms.

At present, there were only Byron, Violet, the Evernight Queen Margaret I, and her grandson—merely four people in total.

As for the matter of Rank.

The reason the "Last of the Lancasters" was eternally hunted by the York Family, to the death and beyond, was because as long as Byron, the Last of the Lancasters, lived, he would always be the legitimate heir to the Hightins’ throne.

In the Royal Iron Law, the "Magna Carta," his rights were preserved.

If Byron only had the identity of a mere Hightins heir and not that of a King, perhaps he wouldn’t have been worthy of the "Deity Mask" of the Mad Hunt Deity.

But who could deny that he was the "Prince of Night Demons," that he possessed a Crown from the Native Empire, the Divinity of the Divine King, the Heavenly God Itzamna, and even the title of "Mad Hunt"?

All these layered buffs combined were enough to instantly max out the synergy between them.

The phantom image of the "Mad Hunt Deity" merged into Byron’s body in a flash, gilding his entire being with a golden hue.

Dazzling Divine Light shrouded him, increasingly resembling a descent of the Holy Spirit.

The Deity Mask not only did him no harm but also significantly boosted his Spirituality and seemingly empowered him with the authority to determine the life and death of the Bayfolk.

However, Byron himself hadn’t noticed that the Divine Light in his right eye, where he hid the "Sailing Logbook," was a few shades brighter than in his left.

At the same time, he grasped Violet’s small hand beside him.

He felt her body trembling slightly. In her panic, she attempted to remove the mask, which seemed to have grown on her face.

"Byron, I... feel unwell."

Although she was the most legitimate Bay Citizen Princess, she was still only a Princess. Her bloodline might be compatible, but her Rank felt somewhat insufficient, as she did not possess the esteemed position of Heavenly Queen acknowledged by a Divine King. She wouldn’t die right away, but given time, it was bound to cause problems.

Looking at the girl whose eyes and hair had turned to gold, Byron immediately made a decision he had been hesitating over for too long.

He whispered to her,

"Miss, may I ask you to change your position?"

"What?"

Violet, feeling like she was slowly being crushed by a mountain and her consciousness blurring, paused at his words.

The Rank that had belonged to the "Prime Minister" vanished in an instant, leaving an inexplicable emptiness in her heart.

Meanwhile, Byron’s radiant Spirituality had already actively connected with hers.

It allowed her to feel his intentions in the most straightforward manner.

Perhaps he had not yet shaken off his "tentacle fetish," but now, with "Divine Sight" symbolizing a free spirit, his pursuit of a partner focused more on spiritual connection rather than merely Lust. Now, he could respectably say: "I am face-blind. I honestly can’t tell if you are beautiful or not, but we got together not for your looks, but for what’s inside!"

Additionally, Prince Sorrenberg’s idea wasn’t wrong. Normally, among the sixteen The King’s Right Hand positions associated with each Kingly Title, there’s only one Queen. But when Byron first chose the "Three Musketeers" effect, his hand slipped accidentally, turning it into One King Two... cough, One King Two Queens. Anyway, why waste what’s available?

Byron tapped Violet’s forehead with his fingertip, and one of the two vacant "Queen" Ranks filled the space left by "Prime Minister."

With the pressure lifted, the girl instantly regained clarity, and the Heavenly Queen Frigg likewise merged into her body.

A hint of surprise flashed through her pale golden eyes, which were soon brimming with a smile, her brows and eyes curling like crescent moons.

She turned back, gripping Byron’s larger hand more tightly with her own small hand.

As for the other "Queen" Rank, she had already guessed its destination. Yet, not only did she harbor no jealousy, but she also sighed with deep relief.

The minuscule guilt in her heart also dissipated instantly.

"My Best Friend’s Younger Brother," "My Sister’s Best Friend"...avi, pressure existed even for her, the Pirate Princess.

On the other side, the Twins of Light and Darkness, astonished that their targets hadn’t perished, lunged over in a frenzied attempt to land a finishing blow, roaring,

"This is impossible! You must be pretending! You must be close to being crushed, right?"

Byron ignored them. He glanced at the fishing progress, which was coming to an end, and quietly initiated the third covenant between gods and men.

The covenant parties: Byron and the "Slumbering God Kraken."

The terms were largely the same as the contract he had made with the "Mother of Creation, Lilith":

"As long as Byron still possesses a free soul, the ’Slumbering God Kraken’ shall not actively harm him and the Lancasters’ safety. Should he ever lose control, the Kraken shall have the right to harvest his soul and body."

With this, he had succeeded in trading his soul with three entities, creating the most stable triangular structure.

The three Old Gods pulled on each other, and the pressure the Kraken exerted on Byron became negligible.

And in a moment, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, the myriad "fishing friends" raised their rods in unison.

BOOM—!

The next moment, led by the "Blue Dragon King," an entire Phantom Fleet surged forth, breaching the surface and seeing daylight once more!

The Twins of Light and Darkness also plunged... right onto the deck of the Blue Dragon King.