Chapter 133. Sottom
The Levitation Fiends raised the stone pillars in their hands, wanting to strike the amphibious exploration vessel. However, Charles clearly wouldn't let them act as they wished. He flapped his bat wings and surged forward.
An ear-piercing screech tore through the air, and the Levitation Fiends hastily retreated.
Within the fuel factory, a pirate stood defiantly on the shoulder of a Levitation Fiend. With a Mirrorbox in his hands, he looked ready to provide reinforcement. Unfortunately for him, Charles was no longer alone this time.
A series of gunshots rang out, and bullets pierced through the pirate's mortal frame. With blood spewing from his mouth, he collapsed to the ground.
Following right behind the amphibious ship, several hundred sailors surged forward as they brandished various weaponry. At the forefront of the group was an enlarged James. His towering figure was dressed in full armor, and he even had an ominous black cannon barrel resting on his shoulder.
Brown mice scurried up and down his gigantic frame, and the next moment, the fuse on the cannon was ignited. With a deafening boom, a watchtower within the distant fuel factory crumbled.
Under the furious roars and howls of the sailors, the colossal steel ship rammed into the building complex. Crew members poured out of the ship as their battle cries filled the air.
"No cannon fire!! It might ignite the fuel!!" Charles warned as he swooped down from the air.
Under the group's meticulously planned assault, the pirates were quickly overwhelmed. Corpses of their comrades were left behind as they fled with their tails between their legs.
The black Levitation Fiends were desperately trying to flee from Charles' relentless pursuit. Their air sacs might be resilient against physical damage, but they were clearly vulnerable to sonar attacks.
Not long after, the crew had infiltrated the fuel factory and seized complete control of the place.
Instructions had been conveyed earlier aboard the ship. According to the plan, the stronger crew members were to stand guard while the weaker ones would start transporting the fuel onto the ship.
Before they attacked the island, the galley and crew's resting quarters of the amphibious ship had been cleared out and filled with all kinds of wooden barrels. The containers had dual purposes: to act as siege weapons and transport containers. Emerging from n0v@lbin☆, this material harbors clandestine details.
The wooden barrels were quickly loaded, and the squishy black balls were rapidly transferred to the ship. Everything was operating flawlessly like clockwork.
A massive cannon, measuring seventeen to eighteen meters long, with a two-meter caliber, extended from the island's belly. A ghostly, blue smoke slowly ascended from the cannon's barrel.
Charles' eyes turned bloodshot. He grabbed Kord by the collar and glared at the latter with a menacing glint. "You said that the Sottom pirates had gone to raid the refugees of Shadow Island!! Tell me, what are those things there!!"
Kord flung Charles' hand away and shouted, "Quit yapping and leave now! If it catches us, none of us can escape!"
Charles dealt a brutal knee thrust into Kord's stomach before he made a mad sprint toward the bridge. He wrenched the steering wheel from Dipp's grasp and spun it frantically.
Standing off against the massive cannon, all mystical relics or arcane sorcery paled in significance, and only the range of its cannonballs mattered.
Never had Charles felt so insignificant, but he had no intention of giving up. He bellowed orders into the turbine chambers to overload the turbines.
While Sottom's cannon had an impressive range, its fire rate was slightly lacking. After another three more ships succumbed to the artillery's damage, Charles' fleet finally got out from the range of that lethal cannon.
However, 134 and “King” were not going to let them get away so easily. Dozens of pirate ships detached themselves from the main island, Sottom, and embarked on a relentless pursuit.
The distance between the Narwhale and Skywater Island was steadily increasing. However, the aggressive pirates refused to give up as they doggedly pursued from behind.
Sottom trailed closely behind the dozens of pirate ships. If the Narwhale were to be momentarily held back, that devastating artillery would rain down upon them.
Leading the armada of pirate ships was a wooden ship. It appeared aged and rotting, and its hull was infested with moss and mold. Surprisingly, a decrepit ship like this skimmed the water's surface at an unbelievable speed and charged at them.
As the wooden ship closed the distance, Charles took out his telescope to scrutinize the vessel. The girl, 134, was perched at the prow. She was staring in their direction with a glacial glare. Her sharp and jagged teeth gleamed menacingly in the dark.
However, it wasn't 134's presence that rattled Charles. Rather, it was the ship's figurehead.
Typically, ship figureheads were ornate carvings or depictions of deities that graced the prows of ships. Steamships seldom boast such embellishments, yet the wooden ship 134 was an exception.
Not only was there a figurehead, but it also bore a haunting resemblance that Charles found unsettlingly familiar.
“King” of Sottom was grotesquely affixed to the prow. Its mouth opened wide to bare its dark, sharp fangs and continuously emitted furious growls.
When Charles closely examined the point of connection between “King” and the hull, a chilling sensation rippled through him. “King” wasn't merely affixed to the prow. “King” had seamlessly melded into the vessel to become one with the ship.