Chapter 558: Act 306 – The Wrathful Tide II
A massive army of thousands moved silently through the rain, perfectly synchronized, with no hint of noise. As far as the eye could see, everything was in shades of gray and white—armor, plumes, and cloaks gleaming together.
“Who are they?” The old soldiers on the castle ramparts gazed down in awe at the fortress below, exchanging glances. Such an army clearly indicated a formidable force, the toughest opponents on the battlefield. But how could Erluin possess such a strong army? Were they from Kurko Fortress? Or from the icy battlefields of the Northern Plateau?
Until a banner pierced the darkness—a white lion emblem that cut through centuries, carrying the glory of this ancient kingdom, shining brilliantly.
“I’m afraid they are quite significant,” the captain beside him muttered to himself as he turned around, “It’s the White Lion army! The White Lion army has arrived, open the gates!”
“Open the gates!”
“Open the gates!”
The sentry’s commands transmitted atop the towering walls, slicing through the rain, as the massive wooden doors slowly creaked open amid the groaning of the winch.
The advancing troops halted.
Owen lifted his gaze, watching the gray stone walls of this ancient harbor fortress through the howling winds and rain; this was the center of the kingdom they had long guarded—the city established by the former ruler Eke, “Its glory inscribed upon its walls, from here, Erluin would no longer be under the dominion of the Crusian.” This wall had withstood the ravages of time and the trials of war, never once falling to the enemy.
And this time, it would cleanse itself.
“White Lion army, enter the city!”
…
Before dawn, Madley dragged the newcomer to the docks. Outside the port was a pitch-black scene, but colossal waves were crashing, as if the sea would upend; storms swept across the open sea—beyond a chain of rocks, the water surged like it was boiling, and under the lighthouse at Cape Seafog, a streak of white foam was clearly visible. In ten years, he had never witnessed such a violent weather.
“By the gods, what huge waves,” Madley remarked against the wind and rain. He had spent twelve years as a port guard, quite experienced and knowledgeable, yet he had never seen such a spectacular scene.
“I’ve never seen a storm like this since I was a child. That old witch at Cape Seafog said the Dark Dragon has resurrected; these are all ominous signs…” The new recruit paled as he watched a small sailboat being dragged into the open sea, disappearing in an instant into the monstrous whirlpool, shivering as he spoke.
“Quit babbling; it won’t drown you!” Madley kicked at him. “Get to work, stop dawdling.” He looked up and couldn’t help but shake his head. “But this year’s indeed unusual…”
“Ah!”
“What now?”
“Captain, there seems to be something in the sea!”
“Are you seeing things? Probably just a drowning sailor; may Martha bless them to fend for themselves,” Madley shook his head. At this time of year, surviving a fall into the water was a miracle—not to mention knowing whose unfortunate soul it might be—perhaps from that ship before.
“No, no! It’s sharks! There are tons of sharks in the sea!” The recruit screamed as if he had seen a ghost.
“Sharks?” Madley froze, unable to resist looking back. He saw white waves propping up, the raised fins resembling a flag. Then came the second, third, and dozens of waves charging through the monstrous surf, forming a massive assault arrow aimed directly at the docks—
Immediately, more arrows appeared in succession; in the blink of an eye, all areas of Ampere Seale port faced an incoming tide. Hundreds, thousands of waves surged, resembling a colossal pack of wolves rushing forth.
Madley’s face instantly changed.
“Those aren’t sharks!”
“It’s an enemy attack—!”
He felt his legs soften, staggering as he turned to rush toward the alarm bell on the dock, but just as he turned, he collided ‘thud’ against a solid wall. The veteran dock worker was enveloped in darkness, trembling as he raised his head…
He saw a monster with a human body and a serpent’s form, and a cold, angular face resembling that of a lizard.
Naga!?
Madley’s eyes widened in disbelief as he slowly slumped down.
Saneer withdrew its hand, coldly observing the two guards lying unconscious on the ground—such human weakness it had seen before. Yet even this feeble race had its remarkable strength—turning back, by the shore stood a scene grand amidst the raging storm, below which countless nagas were landing…
In an instant, the dock and pier surrendered…
All seven docks of Ampere Seale, one backup dock, and two military docks, were under simultaneous attack. The port guards had no strength to resist, collapsing in an instant…
“Dock three has fallen.”
“Dock four has fallen…”
“My lord, they’re setting fire to the ships!”
“How is that possible!?” Junoan shouted hoarsely at his subordinates. He was already aware of the port’s dire situation even without reports, as a tempest raged outside, but flames leaped high above the docks. “Are you all useless? Come on, tell me, who is attacking us!”
“My lord, it’s nagas! The Grayfin nagas!”
“Nagas?” The deputy port director nearly grabbed the ink bottle from his desk to throw it: “You can’t even handle a bunch of robbers?”
“No, my lord! But there are too many of them!” The officer hurriedly explained.
“Too many? A hundred? A thousand?” Junoan fumed. Though Grayfin nagas frequently attacked merchant ships on trade routes, they had almost never attacked ports—the first thought was that his subordinates were shirking their responsibilities.
This was also something they regularly did.
“No, my lord! Thousands! Tens of thousands!” The deputy couldn’t believe it himself but forced out the answer. This time, however, Junoan did not explode in anger, for everyone heard a sudden outcry.
“My god—!”
Everyone turned. Among the stormy waves, suddenly a huge shadow emerged, a monster so colossal it appeared as if a floating mountain had materialized in front of them all.
The sea… the Leviathan!
Junoan collapsed back into his seat, his mind swirling chaotically, yet he held one thought: that damn port director wouldn’t be able to keep his job! Nor did he want it anymore!
What on earth was happening?
…
“The port is under attack; requesting support?” Sir Jinuopa from the patrol cavalry regiment received the order, eyeing the messenger doubtfully. He hesitated a moment before looking up; half the sky above the port area was already red, and even a fool would know that something was wrong.
“Commander?”
He shook his head, his gaze turning deep as if his thoughts could pierce through the heavy rain; the surrounding cavalry turned back, waiting for their commander’s orders.
“We have more important tasks,” the knight replied.
“But what about the port?”
“Let Junoan handle it himself! Do the people of Ampere Seale maintain them just to feed a bunch of useless fools? If they can’t hold on, let him go plead his case to the council!” Jinuopa scoffed, and added coldly, “The Grayfin nagas will pay for this later—”
But before he finished, another messenger stumbled into view. He hadn’t arrived yet; his voice preceded him: “My lord, it’s bad! The nagas have begun attacking into the city…”
“What?!” Jinuopa’s face turned pale: “That’s impossible! Have those robbers gone mad? This isn’t just plundering, for Martha’s sake! They’re declaring war!”
The Grayfin nagas were declaring war; they were now participating in this civil conflict—
“Forward, onward, the storm shields the children of the Sky Serpent, Malnus, making them fearless!”
At the first military dock of Ampere Seale, Saneer coldly watched everything unfold. It raised a blue trident high towards the front, behind it thunder and lightning, before it a surging torrent:
“By the Queen’s decree, the Grayfin naga royal guard will attack the inner city of Ampere Seale! Let us unite with our allies on land, may the sacred pact remain unbroken, today we fight side by side once more!”
“Attack!”
The emblem of the Sky Serpent Malnus was clear atop the trident—had Brendel been here at that moment, he would have recognized it as the treasure of the Grayfin clan, the staff of the Sea God.
Sir Jinuopa’s face was like iron as he turned back, raising his saber.
“Patrol cavalry, listen up! Today’s enemy is everyone who conspires to divide the kingdom. Back with me! Target the Grayfin clan!!”
“Erluin!”
“Long live!”
“Long live!”
Amidst the howling wind and rain, with a slash of his saber, commands were given. In the storm’s cacophony, horses whinnied, and on the square, large groups of cavalry swiftly turned around, one after another, in the blink of an eye, the patrol cavalry split into multiple paths.
“The patrol cavalry has moved; he indeed has plans,” Earl Ouding set down his brass telescope. He stood with a stranger wearing a rain cloak, the plump nobleman had been trailing behind him. Each had gone through the trials of the wolf calamity in the Black Forest, and their bonds now surpassed previous interests in alliance.
Behind them were hundreds of silent noble soldiers, standing solemnly in the pouring rain.
The earl turned back. “Master Rudeau.”
The mysterious figure in the rain cloak nodded. “I have received news from the Loop of Trade Winds. I don’t know what transpired at the Loop, but I hope their actions are justified.”
“Justified or not, it must be tested first,” Ouding’s eyes pierced through the rain curtain, from sea to sky, silver rain streaks directly linked to the city, “Moreover, I have faith in that person.”
“It is not about faith; for me, it is an order.” The cloaked man shook his head.
He raised his hand.
On his hand, a ring sparkling like a dream, the green gemstone had magically formed a tree shape.
With a light sound, everyone couldn’t help but turn back; just a few miles beyond Ampere Seale lay the Vlada Forest, whose treetops stretched for miles. They saw black raptors suddenly taking to the skies, in moments, they blotted out the sun.
Instantly, it descended like a black cloud above Ampere Seale port.
The guards at the southern gate of Ampere Seale felt that this moment marked the end of the world. All of them turned pale, eyes wide in disbelief, staring at the sight. Countless, uncountable birds were diving towards the city—Martha above, what in the world was happening?!
From above, the ancient port appeared to be engulfed in a terrifying flood.
The flood surged violently.
Above the clouds, a giant shadow fleetingly passed, a pair of golden eyes blinking in admiration.
“Interesting indeed, little one.”
…
(PS: Come on, let’s burn until we turn to ashes.) (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com); your support is my greatest motivation.)
