Chapter 574.5: If They Can Come, So Can We
Ka! Ka! Ka!
The ship's walls, struck hard, began to crack open one by one.
Even the magical warships with regenerative capabilities finally couldn't withstand the relentless barrage and cracked open a large hole.
A half-giant wielding a heavy hammer roared and crashed into the breach.
A whole plank shattered, revealing Bay Territory soldiers standing ready behind it.
A hail of crossbow bolts flew toward the half-giant.
Thick muscle armor could block blades, but not armor-piercing bolts.
Before he could show his might, he was quivering and turned into a pincushion.
Wokou pirates hiding in the crevices of the cabin charged out, eyes red and howling.
These fearless Wokou pirates began to go berserk.
The shooting squad initially held the line.
But the increasing number of incoming pirates heightened the pressure.
The pirates launched desperate suicidal attacks, finally causing casualties among Yudala's combat squad.
Neither side considered retreat, intent only on annihilating the enemy.
Yudala pulled the trigger tensely, not even checking her aim before reloading again.
The sudden scream of a comrade snapped Yudala back to awareness.
She reached out and dragged the fallen wounded teammate to the rear.
She swiftly inspected his wounds and fed him a bottle of [Vitality Potion].
But the delay allowed two more Wokou pirates to slip through the breach.
These lunatics swung their long blades wildly, striking sparks off the shields of defending soldiers.
Violent surging battle aura pierced the shields with waves of force.
As four shield-bearers struggled to hold the gap, Yudala grabbed her round shield and charged forward with Rika.
Ka-cha!
Clatter!
A shower of wood chips landed behind the pirates.
Before they could react, a burly figure crackling with lightning blocked the next wave of Wokou pirates.
Blocked was the wrong word—he had charged into them!
In the cramped cabin, the nimble pirates were like turtles in a jar.
Struck by jumping lightning and smashed by a swinging warhammer, their heads exploded.
The unstoppable Thunder Warrior was cloaked in flashing lightning.
Ordinary Wokou pirates had no way to deal with him.
If they attacked, they were shocked, paralyzed, and skull-crushed.
If they didn't attack, they were shocked from behind, paralyzed, and skull-crushed.
In less than thirty seconds—
Over ten Wokou pirates had become headless corpses.
Morale soaring, the squad quickly eliminated the remaining desperate attackers.
Before they could thank the Thunder Warrior, he had already leapt away, storming deeper into the ship.
Yudala, seizing the chance to rest, quickly took out spare wood and patched the massive breach.
Other soldiers quickly treated their wounds.
As they prepared to assist other squads, they noticed the other areas had quieted down too.
Rika exhaled deeply and, under Yudala's expectant gaze, ran to the deck—only to witness a sight she would never forget.
Endless thunderbolts rained down continuously.
The lightning-clad figures charged directly toward the clustered pirate ships.
Entire groups of pirates were chased down by just one or two Thunder Warriors.
Any pirate who dared to stop and resist was quickly electrocuted and reduced to a charred corpse.
Rika was dazed—these invincible Thunder Warriors truly looked unstoppable.
As yet another wave of pirate attacks was crushed—
Seeing nearly every pirate ship damaged, and only three magical warships still firing, Echan looked away from the Thunder Warriors.
Even with just a glance, their terrifying lethality had left a deep impression on Echan.
Powerful defense, unexpected speed, thunder-wielding armor—easily crushed high-tier pirates.
Echan clearly sensed that most Thunder Warriors hadn't reached the Extraordinary level.
Their battle aura and techniques were still very basic.
Yet these high-tier peak soldiers were showing destruction only Extraordinary warriors should manage!
Echan instinctively compared his elite elf units to these few but fearsome Thunder Warriors.
The result was unsatisfactory to him!
Feeling the growing threat, Echan frowned slightly and said to Beijin and Tian Wen:
"Let's go. Reinforcements have arrived."
The two flinched, looked at the battlefield strewn with wreckage, and decisively abandoned the remaining one-third survivors, sailing away in their two seven-mast ships.
Just as they left—
A bright white light appeared on the distant sea.
Zooming in, three fast white magical warships tore through the waves.
They headed straight for the beach, but stopped around 1,000 meters away, turning sideways to reveal their dark, menacing cannon muzzles!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Two rows of cannons fired simultaneously.
The flying shells landed precisely among the pirate ships.
Boom!
Shockwaves and explosions erupted into the sky.
The hit ships disintegrated instantly.
Admittedly, they were already badly damaged.
Still, the overwhelming firepower struck fear into every Wokou pirate.
Among the 30+ ships crowded at the shore, 7 were instantly torn apart.
Pirates aboard were reduced to scattered remains.
One strike!
Total wipeout!
Even Matthew raised his eyebrows in surprise and murmured:
"Already made the magic-energy cannons? Looks like they were prepared."
Players knew the Silverleaf Family because their top-tier magical fleet had survived the Cole Elf Kingdom's pursuit.
The future infamous "Sea Monster Slayer" magic-energy cannon was the main weapon of Silverleaf's warships.
Incredibly destructive—just a few shots could sink a five-mast ship or kill a high-tier sea monster.
Even against Extraordinary-grade giant sea beasts, these cannons were deadly.
However, they had a fatal flaw—
Each shot consumed rare metals like mithril, magic iron, and adamantine.
One shell cost over 30,000 gold coins!
That last salvo cost 1.8 million gold!
Only out of respect for Bay Territory and Matthew did the Silverleaf Family bring such a weapon.
Matthew had paid a "friendship fee" of 2 million gold for it.
Wasteful or not, the effect was tremendous.
The pirates were demoralized and forced to accept defeat.
Many Wokou pirates finally came to their senses.
They tried to flee in pirate ships from the horrific battlefield.
But Annie, now certain reinforcements had arrived, finally activated her reserve artillery squad aboard the Big Fish.
"Load chain shot—aim for the masts!"
"Fire!"
The long-awaiting, long-suppressed artillery crew lit the cannons without hesitation.
A cloud of gray-white smoke rose.
The powerful blast sent the linked twin cannonballs spinning toward fleeing pirate ships.
Connected by chains, the twin cannonballs tore through sails.
With a 2–3 meter wide strike zone, they easily ripped massive holes and smashed into masts.
The once-sturdy mast splintered from the cannonball's force.
Still bearing the sail's tension, the mast creaked under the pressure.
The wood fibers at the breach began to split apart.
One pull, the whole thing followed.
The broken mast dragged the entire ship to a halt.
Terrified Wokou pirates shrieked and scrambled.
Annie excitedly rubbed her fingers and shouted toward the charging Big Fish:
"Advance—crush them!"
The colossal Big Fish began to move.
Two wrecked pirate ships blocking its way were instantly shredded by its steel hull and dragged into the sea.
Pirate ships behind had to face the charging Big Fish!
One intact ship met the Big Fish's bow with its side.
The solid hull split instantly—wood fragments exploded.
The crushed ship broke in two with a loud crash.
Creak!
Ka! Ka! Ka!
The grinding of wooden debris against steel made everyone's scalp tingle and goosebumps pop.
The unstoppable Big Fish crushed four pirate ships and wrecks along its way.
Displaying its overbearing might to the fullest.
Only now did the hopeless pirates realize—the seemingly harmless Big Fish was Bay Territory's most destructive warship.
It crushed all resistance simply by charging forward.
Even the three elf magical warships anchored nearby felt an odd reverence for its steel form.
Annie, high-spirited, looked over the chaotic battlefield, saw the magical ships resuming fire, and gave the order without hesitation:
"Clean up the battlefield—clear out the trash!"
The rested Thunder Warriors had recharged their armor.
Crackling with electricity, they leapt toward the remaining pirate ships.
Other navy troops organized by unit began clearing and occupying the Wokou pirate vessels.
By this point—
The defeated pirates still shouted bravely about dying with their enemies and refusing to surrender.
Bay Territory's soldiers obliged, clearing all remaining pirates.
Cleanup had begun here—
And the situation at Fishing Island was also becoming clear.
Not a single Bay Territory stronghold surrounded by pirates had been lost.
With minor casualties, they had slain countless enemies.
Especially the 100,000 pirates attacking Sea City—almost all were wiped out.
They filled the beach with corpses, even clogging the moat.
Then tried to use scavenged siege weapons to capture a 15-meter-tall fortress city.
Ask for a hammer, get a hammer!
Bay Territory's 1st Army, Catachan Special Forces, Dragoon Golem Unit No. 1, and Modao Battalion taught the pirates a vivid lesson.
Never dream of taking Bay Territory's cities or fortresses with conventional assaults.
However many come, that many shall die!
Several newly developed weapons were used in this brutal siege.
They gathered tons of data—and harvested many pirate lives.
Councilor Kaledor watched as fewer than 20,000 pirates continued battering Sea City's walls without success.
Over 200 warships had either sunk or drifted in pieces.
Only 30 to 40 ships remained, barely surviving under Bay Territory's artillery fire.
Bitterness filled his heart—he had to admit this offensive had failed.
In this single battle—
Over 100,000 elite Wokou pirates perished, and the fleet suffered massive losses.
The former was replaceable.
The pirates occupied hundreds of islands and numbered in the tens of millions.
Kaledor could summon more pirates for the next war at any time.
But rebuilding hundreds of pirate ships in the resource-scarce Eastern Islands—
Would take at least two years, and unimaginable labor and resources.
In two years—
Bay Territory would be firmly rooted at sea, with stronger armies and navies.
Then, most Eastern Islands under pirate control would face Bay Territory's threat.
Suppressing his urge to lash out, Kaledor felt a lurking sense of danger.
It was as if the moment he acted, hidden enemies would strike fatally.
The pirates could die—it was his own life that mattered.
Kaledor made a very clear decision.
He chose to slip away silently, abandoning the pirates fighting at his command.
But on his way out, Kaledor suddenly remembered something critical:
Where was Bay Territory's powerful magical fleet?
From the start, the battle hadn't been in his hands!
Was Bay Territory truly this terrifying now?
With a chill down his spine, Kaledor received Echan's "observation report."
Despite his growing unease, he agreed with Echan's intel and sent his own report as well.
Lost? So what?
It wasn't our command—what's there to lose?
As Kaledor praised Echan's flexibility, the very Bay Territory fleet he feared had already arrived!
Before the largest and most important pirate-held island on the eastern coast—[Beast Island]!
Bay Territory had never liked passive defense—given a chance, they always struck first!
If invaders could come, so could we!