Chapter 164

The darkness enveloped the surroundings, and the full moon hung in the center of the sky.

Typically, the waters off Gibraltar were relatively quiet at this hour.

The currents had weakened, and the winds weren’t particularly strong.

On a normal night, many would be sound asleep amidst the tranquility, but…

In this moment,

Silence and calm did not exist here.

“Advance!”

“To the front, entire army!”

Ships moved forward under the commands of their captains.

Over a hundred warships advanced, brightly lit and marching towards the visible enemies before them.

The warships moved straight towards each other as they faced off,

And the first change appeared from the Brittania Empire side as their fleets drew closer together.

“All units, prepare to fire!”

Rodney’s amplified voice, enhanced through magic.

Under her command as the front-line commander, the Brittania Empire’s warships began to shift direction, forming a firing line.

Leaving the port behind, around forty warships spread out in a formation resembling a heron’s spread wings.

They aimed their cannons at the pirates swiftly approaching from this direction.

Although the enemies hadn’t yet entered firing range, generals of the Empire Army, including Nelson, were well aware.

After all, it was the pirates who were desperate, not themselves.

With no time to spare, they had no choice but to charge headlong into their own lines, risking damage.

And as they predicted, the pirates were rapidly approaching their firing formation.

Like shoving a hand into the open mouth of a roaring lion.

Then, at that moment, when the enemies entered firing range—

“Open fire…”

—KABOOM!!!

“!!”

“What… what’s happening?”

An explosion began suddenly just as the order to bombard was issued.

Rodney’s face was seized by confusion at the flames suddenly erupting from various parts of the lined-up warships.

“What on earth… what is going on? Where is the attack coming from?”

“I… I don’t know either. There was no sign of an enemy attack at all…”

The enemies were still approaching from the front, showing no sign of retreat.

No signs of bombardment were visible, nor was it within the range of magic usage.

Despite that, fires erupted throughout the allied ranks.

Feeling a deep confusion about the unknown cause of the current situation, Rodney hastily issued orders.

“First, put out the fires! Do not let the damage spread any further!”

If the gunpowder stored on the ships caught fire, it would lead to a disastrous situation.

In the worst case, a warship carrying a hundred cannons could be split in half in an instant.

As she gave her urgent command, Rodney began to think in earnest about how to uncover the cause behind it.

But…

“Enemy spy? No… No matter how I think about it, that can’t be right. There was no oversight in confirming the crew. A spy couldn’t penetrate our ironclad defenses and get aboard. If they were using this level of magic, there should have been some flow of magical power, but there wasn’t… So, what the hell…?”

No matter how much she thought, she couldn’t find an answer.

At that moment…

“Rodney.”

“!”

A voice reached her ears amidst the chaos.

Turning her head, Rodney saw the figure of…

Nelson, wearing a cold expression.

“Uh… sister?”

“Up there. Right there.”

Nelson pointed towards somewhere in the sky with her finger.

For the first few seconds, Rodney couldn’t understand what that meant.

However, as she concentrated, something gradually began to come into view.

It was…

Dozens of black figures flying through the darkness…

“! T-Those… could they be… Sirens?”

“The Pirate King… I never expected that even the Demon Races of the Dark Sea would be summoned…”

The beings that had the form of winged women.

They hid their bodies in the darkness and clouds, throwing something at the Brittania Empire’s warships.

Small objects reminiscent of black jars.

Though hard to see in the nighttime, the moment they fell onto the Brittania Empire ships, they created massive explosions.

“Damn it! Those filthy bastards…”

“Calm down. I will handle them.”

“! Y-You’re going to handle it personally? But that’s…”

“After all, in this darkness, firearms and magic are useless. I have no choice but to take action.”

“Ugh…”

Nelson needed to conserve her strength for the battle against the Pirate King.

However… to prevent any further damage, they had to deal with those foes as quickly as possible.

And in a situation where firing was difficult, there was no option but Nelson.

“Understood. Then please be careful.”

“You also need to resolve the situation here quickly; the enemies are closing in. We can’t afford to waste any more time.”

“Yes!”

With that decision made, golden lightning began to emanate from Nelson’s entire body.

Her form shot rapidly upward into the sky.

*

Flames erupted everywhere.

Watching the great warships engulfed in fire, Kangut the Siren felt intense joy.

“Remarkable… This is truly the best show!”

She was part of the world’s strongest navy known as the Brittania Empire,

And among the humans below, there were several who were even stronger than themselves.

However, they were currently at the mercy of Kangut and her subordinates’ attacks.

“Ha ha ha! Look at those pathetic humans! Uwah ha ha ha ha!!”

Some perished engulfed in explosions,

Others, failing to extinguish fires, jumped hastily into the sea, their bodies ablaze.

It felt like watching ants helplessly getting devoured by birds,

As Kangut reveled in the superiority of the Siren race, her glee bubbled over.

At that moment…

“Hmm?”

—CRACKLE!!!

In the next instant, a bolt of golden lightning shot toward them.

Seeing the tremendous power contained within it, Kangut’s smile vanished.

“Ugh!”

Kangut quickly twisted her body to barely evade it.

However, the next scene left her expression frozen in place.

“Could it be… you came out this quickly?”

“Ho ho… So you know who I am? Good, that saves me the trouble of explaining before I kill you.”

A chilling smile emerged from the human woman.

Nelson.

Surrounded by terrifying lightning, she pointed her finger directly at Kangut and the Sirens around her.

“Damn it, everyone retreat! I will handle this!”

Under Kangut’s orders, the retreating Sirens flapped their wings hastily.

Then, clutching the spear in her hand, Kangut began to gather magical power throughout her body.

She was well aware that the figure before her was a Grade 12 monster.

As a Grade 10, she knew it was impossible to win against such a strong opponent.

All she could do now was to buy some time, but she believed that would be enough for now.

“After all, having come this far, I should have adequately fulfilled the Pirate King’s orders. If I spar with her just enough before returning to the ship…”

Just as Kangut contemplated a light skirmish before retreating,

At that moment…

—ZAP… ZAP… ZAP….

A magic circle formed at the tip of Nelson’s finger.

Simultaneously, golden lightning began to gather upon it.

Suddenly sensing a chilling sensation, Kangut’s expression hardened.

“Each target confirmed… Evading pathways predicted…”

Nelson’s voice quietly echoed.

And then…

“Calculations complete.”

“!”

As soon as those words ended, a jolt of electric shock burst forth from Nelson’s hand.

“Eh?”

However, it was not targeting just Kangut standing before her.

—CRACKLE!!!

“AAAAAAAH!!!!”

“UFFFFF!!!”

Like branches spreading, the golden lightning bolts shot out instantaneously.

They struck not only Kangut but all the retreating Sirens behind her with deadly accuracy.

“T-This is… What the… ACK…!”

Screaming as they attempted to flee, the Sirens fell one after another.

Caught in deep horror and rage at seeing her kind being swept away in an instant, Kangut found herself powerless to do anything in response.

The lightning surrounding Nelson’s body.

The magical barrier was instantly pierced by that power, incinerating Kangut’s entire being.

Ultimately, she began to fall unconscious, plummeting into the sea.

Thus, the Sirens, who had briefly thrown the Brittania Empire Army into chaos, were swiftly eradicated by Nelson’s hand.

However…

“…Tch.”

Although she had dealt with the attackers from the sky, Nelson’s expression remained grim.

The situation unfolding beneath her feet.

The openings created by the Sirens were proving far more challenging than Nelson had anticipated.