Chapter 11: Combat Test! (6,000-word chapter)
2015-01-18
Author: Floating Tower
In the evening.
Soren left the inn holding the little Vivian. After his display of strength last time, the group of Amazon women had gained a lot of respect for him. They also reined in their excessive curiosity, never asking from start to finish why Vivian was in a deep slumber. Assassins are people full of secrets; one shouldn’t know too many secrets, as the more one knows, the easier it becomes to be silenced. Just like the Naga Priestess, who had likely known for a long time that Soren was traveling with a sleeping little girl, yet never brought it up.
Secrets may not necessarily bring benefits, but they can easily attract danger.
Especially the secrets of an assassin!
Since he had decided to go to sea, Soren naturally couldn’t leave Vivian in the inn. He didn’t trust that group of Amazon women. Therefore, he planned to transfer Vivian to the Ocean Temple, which controlled over half of the temple district—finding a place to accommodate Vivian would be very easy. The little girl didn’t know how long she would sleep; Soren felt that Vivian’s awakening was directly related to his merging with the Demon Son of Fear, and the last time she awakened was around the time he completed his divinity devouring.
An old house outside the Ocean Temple.
Soren gently placed Vivian on the bed and then reached out to hold her small hand, speaking in a low voice, “Try to control your divine power as much as possible, and don’t expose the identity of the Demon Son of Fear.”
“I’ll be back soon; you won’t have to wait long to wake up.”
“I promise!”
Although Vivian showed no signs of waking up, Soren could sense that she still retained some awareness of the outside world, meaning she could hear his words. Otherwise, he couldn’t explain why she automatically opened her protective aura as soon as he left and quickly retracted it after he returned. Her power was still within her body, but her consciousness seemed to have entered a deep sleep for some reason, with no signs of waking at all.
Soren picked up a soft plush blanket and laid it over Vivian. Then he lay down beside her.
He needed to rest well for the sea voyage tomorrow.
The Ocean Temple.
The Naga Priestess stood before the azure sea, where the Ocean Temple connected to the underground waters, allowing direct access to the ocean. The water in front of her rippled slightly. Then, a long, slender creature resembling a giant sea serpent appeared, slowly swimming up to the Naga Priestess, and then gracefully stood up on the elevated platform beneath the Ocean Temple. At that moment, its form became clear: it was a strong and menacing male Naga Guard.
Its tail was gripped by shorter, thicker arms of the Naga Priestess who held a trident. Its face bore little resemblance to a humanoid, lacking the feminine contours possessed by female nagas. The Naga Guard was about six or seven meters long. When standing upright, it reached nearly two meters and forty centimeters tall, with muscles that radiated a sense of oppression. It slightly bowed and said, “Your Excellency, Priestess.”
“I have summoned the nearby Naga tribes, and they will soon send warriors to respond.”
The Naga Priestess nodded slightly, her face revealing a hint of a satisfied smile, as she said gravely, “Very good, Didanas. You will command the summoned warriors. We must seize those treasures this time. It seems the Lord of Storms is also making moves; these riches must not fall into their hands, as that would only strengthen our enemies.”
“The Lord of Storms has always coveted the great Ocean Goddess, attempting to encroach upon her domain.”
The male naga nodded and said gravely, “Your Excellency, Priestess. I do not understand why you would entrust the Requiem to that human to command. Although he is a formidable individual, he is just one person. Moreover, his origins are unclear, and we cannot fully trust him.”
The Naga Priestess frowned and glanced at him, her expression turning somewhat enigmatic, seemingly tinged with cruel amusement. In a cold voice, she replied, “Are you questioning my decision, Didanas? Do not use your foolish head to guess my decisions. That human is an assassin nearing the Legendary Domain. Such a person in battle is hardly weaker than a Legendary Professionist; he has value that we can exploit. Furthermore, after interacting with his energy absorption magic, I sensed the aura of the Legendary Domain from him.”
“He must have mastered some Legendary Rank abilities; he is likely not far from advancing to a Legendary Assassin!”
“It has been nearly two to three hundred years since a Legendary Rank assassin has appeared. If he can swear loyalty to the Ocean Temple, our enemies will wake from their nightmares.”
Legendary assassins.
If used to assassinate members of opposing forces, this would undoubtedly be a complete nightmare.
The Naga Priestess seemed to envision Soren transforming into a sharp blade to eliminate her enemies, a smile unconsciously appearing on her lips as she slowly stated, “As for loyalty? There is no absolute loyalty in this world! As long as we can provide him with the benefits he desires, he will serve us! This person holds many secrets; he definitely has needs that require us. Moreover, he also seems to carry a sleeping little girl with him. Although I didn’t probe into his secrets, it is apparent that he cares deeply for her; their relationship is very close. He is under energy absorption magic, and that little girl likely fell victim to some strange spell as well.”
“In critical moments, that little girl can also become our tool; I doubt he would wish for her to encounter any accidents, would he?”
“As long as he has a weakness, we can control him.”
The Naga Priestess revealed a hint of cruel amusement, glanced at the male Naga Guard, and ordered, “Some matters needn’t concern you; go and send out the sharkmen scouts to fully search for the whereabouts of those traitors. We must find those rogues first; otherwise, these riches might attract more contenders!”
The male Naga Guard gently bowed and then submerged into the water.
The Naga Priestess returned to the back of the Ocean Temple. She swam to a pool, gently murmuring a spell, after which the surface of the water rippled like waves. Gradually, Soren’s image emerged, with Vivian still asleep beside him. A strange light flickered in the Naga Priestess’s eyes as she murmured, “Who are they? That little girl seems to be a natural sorceress? Recently, many powerful beings have surfaced. It seems a group of adventurers has returned from the Abyss? The Ocean Goddess has not responded to my prayers recently. Is something significant about to happen?”
“It seems I need to expedite preparations!…”
The Naga Priestess slowly closed her eyes, then her entire body sank into the water.
Although the Ocean Goddess’s priestess holds great power, she cannot directly mobilize the marine races, as the secular and divine powers maintain a relative boundary. The realm of oceanic beings resembles human kingdoms to some extent; few temples directly interfere in the kingdom’s internal affairs, as kingdoms are fleeting, whereas deities possess eternal life and do not wish to be burdened by kingdoms that rise and fall over a few hundred years. The Naga Priestess can mobilize the Naga sea tribes in nearby waters, suggesting that her secular standing is also quite high.
She might belong to the royal family within the Naga tribe. Members of the Naga royal family who do not have succession rights often become priestesses serving the Ocean Goddess.
A dense fog enveloped the sea surface.
Soren’s figure appeared three hundred meters beneath the sea. He stood on the deck of the Requiem, gazing at the underwater world before him.
The ocean engulfed his whole being, yet it had no impact on him, as he wore a badge that enabled him to breathe easily underwater. On the deck of the Requiem were undying sailors, while the Naga sirens wandered within the ship, and the sharkmen undead were assigned to patrol. This ghost ship was laden with numerous bound souls, those who died directly or indirectly near the ghost ship; they could not fight but were forcibly absorbed into the ship’s mast and sails, and the ghost ship’s power source came from these bound spirits.
Their numbers exceeded eight or nine hundred.
The true combat power comprised the undying sailors, Naga sirens, wraiths, and sharkmen undead.
Soren silently calculated the distance in the sea and their sailing distance; since the ghost ship was not suitable for exposure to ordinary people, the Requiem had departed the shallow waters from the seabed.
“Ascend.”
Soren furrowed his brow at the nearby school of fish. Due to the d*ath Aura emanating from the Requiem, those fish scattered in panic, hastily fleeing in all directions. Following Soren’s order, the undying sailors began controlling the ghost ship to ascend, and in a slow ascent, a glimmer of light emerged ahead, soon revealing the azure sea overhead. With a rumbling roar, the Requiem shot up from the seabed.
Soren glanced around and said solemnly, “Summon the fog. Don’t let others see us.”
A haze of gray mist enveloped the area.
Within a radius of several hundred meters centered around the Requiem, everything was shrouded in mist. This was a natural ability of ghost ships; the waters they emerged from were often cloaked in fog. Today’s fog on the sea was not insignificant; as the ghost ship’s mist spread, everything nearby became blurred, and the ship silently glided upon the surface. The ghostly souls disliked being directly exposed to sunlight. These undead sailors were indeed powerful, but unfortunately, their weaknesses were also very obvious.
“Captain.”
A half-real, half-illusion Naga siren approached Soren, her sharp voice declaring, “We have detected the presence of living beings nearby.”
She was the first Naga siren he had encountered, an independent undead being not bound to the ghost ship.
Living beings?
So soon encountering others?
Soren frowned and moved to the helm, quickly pulling out his spyglass to observe; vaguely, he could see a large ship in the nearby waters close to an island, and from afar, he could discern a symbol on the flagpole—a hollow skull with crossed swords beneath it. This was the most common pirate flag; if they had not joined a special force among pirates, ordinary pirates would use such symbols. Using a special pirate flag necessitated establishing one’s own name; otherwise, one could be attacked by other pirates for displaying the wrong flag.
This was an unspoken rule.
It may seem trivial, but it truly involves life and d*ath.
In the Central Plains, there is a custom of dragon boat racing, and dragon boats generally hang flags; these flags must also be hung correctly, as incorrect displays can provoke others to pull them down. In many places, the black flag is considered a taboo; previously, a dragon boat displayed a black flag, resulting in severe casualties, leading to a ban on dragon boat racing for many years. When dragon boats resumed, they all flew the same flag, and whoever dared to display a black flag would have armed forces dispatched to remove it, fearing it might end in deadly confrontations.
In this world, such things do not exist.
However, flag regulations hold considerable weight at sea. Whether among pirates, merchants, or gangs, flying a flag is a serious matter. The rules here are built upon lives lost, and in Soren’s memory, someone had once hung their flag incorrectly, leading to their entire guild being wiped out by pirates, including their land posts being kicked down overnight, leaving almost no survivors.
That guy was courting d*ath by hanging a flag similar to that of the Pirate King!
By this point, it seems the dangerous figures trying to make a living on land, at sea, and in rivers are indeed somewhat akin to bandits and rogues.
Some rules should not be tampered with.
Messing around with flags among pirates is akin to meddling with temple insignia; you might consider yourself fortunate, but if you’re discovered, being skinned alive is perfectly normal.
It appears merely an ordinary pirate?
Soren frowned in contemplation, then suddenly shouted, “Prepare for battle!”
The pirate ship before him should be a standard pirate attempting to make a living at sea. Those with established names would usually have their own flags, and it’s rare for anyone to disguise themselves under this. If they were indeed famous pirates, they would certainly display their flags to avoid many troubles; some special flags even function as extraordinary items, deterring marine monsters from attacking.
Soren once undertook a task to raise a flag.
However, the location was not the Southern Coast, as the target for the flag-raising was a legendary sea behemoth. [Spirit War Flag]
“Captain?”
The Naga siren approached Soren again. In a piercing tone, she asked, “The opponents don’t seem to be our target? Should we attack them?”
Soren frowned, glancing at her and then nodding, “Yes. We need to conduct a combat test.”
“Forget it.”
“You all get ready for battle; I will deal with them personally. You provide cover for me, and be prepared for boarding combat at any time.”
Soren intended to use them for practice since he hadn’t experienced naval combat in a long time.
Combat is not simply about wielding a kn*fe; different environments require different combat styles, and one must have a grasp of these nuances. Fighting on the surface of the sea, on a ship, differs significantly from land combat, and underwater combat is a whole different story. Merely fighting on the ship’s deck is also quite complex. The ship would sway, and the combat environment would be much narrower; with just a little carelessness, one might end up capsizing.
Many have died due to carelessness in this regard!
Soren is a very cautious person; he doesn’t wish to d*e for unclear reasons due to not being accustomed to shipboard combat.
Moreover, he needed to test and hone his combat skills.
When he fought at sea, he could run on the surface, wielding almost legendary battle power; now, he had neither the same specialties nor conditions to support it. His combat style had changed significantly.
Clang!
Soren observed the surroundings full of undead, his brow slightly furrowing before he solemnly ordered, “Bring the ship closer; no need to get too close, wait for my signal to advance.”
Splash!
Soren jumped straight into the water, leaving the Naga siren looking somewhat astonished behind.
—“Flight Spell!”
—“Greater Invisibility Spell!”
After creating sufficient distance, a glint appeared in Soren’s eyes as he began casting spells in succession to test his combat power above the sea.
He started counting the time.
Soren’s brain functioned like a precise instrument; under the cover of mist, his figure shot up from the water. The Greater Invisibility Spell enveloped him, causing Soren to vanish into thin air, leaving no trace behind. With a simple illusion, his soaked clothes dried, and he began moving toward the pirate ship’s position. Soren flew at approximately one hundred meters in the air, his flight speed not particularly fast; under the effect of Greater Invisibility, he did not leave any visible trace.
Because he was in an invisible flying state!
Due to not having enough specialties to support him, Soren was unable to cast spells or engage in combat while in flying state, as his primary focus was to maintain the Flight Spell.
Time was not particularly abundant.
Both the Flight Spell and Greater Invisibility Spell are measured in duration per minute.
Soren needed to achieve maximum results within the duration of his spells!
The distance gradually decreased.
Everything on the pirate ship came into Soren’s view; he could see about twenty or thirty pirate sailors on the deck, lookouts on the mast, and the helmsman in charge of sailing. The strength of these pirates was not weak; they were stronger than many city guards, belonging roughly to the second tier, but most were warriors. They leaned more toward the combat style of wandering swordsmen due to their pirate careers. Among all bandit-like enemies, pirates had the strongest combat power, completely surpassing mountain bandits and thieves, with only desert horse thieves coming close.
One minute passed.
Soren’s figure began to descend. He entered a stealth state, yet still maintained Greater Invisibility.
The distance continued to diminish.
Soren hovered about ten meters above the pirate ship. Light penetrated through his body; unless someone was closely observing his position, they could only slightly sense something unusual. The enemies before him became very clear; strong pirates lingered bored on the deck, and it seemed the anchor had been dropped, as these individuals appeared to be waiting for something. Soren continued to lower his height, then quietly landed in an unoccupied corner at the ship’s bow.
Five meters in front of him was a pirate who was drinking, completely unaware of his presence.
“First eliminate important targets!”
Soren surveyed the enemies before him and finally locked onto an individual who appeared to be the first mate, a Cyclops pirate. He stealthily approached, then suddenly lunged from behind, thrusting his curved blade.
Pshh!
A splash of bl**d sprayed as the Cyclops pirate, who had been loudly scolding his subordinates, stared in disbelief at his chest. His heart had been pierced, and the pirate of around third-tier strength died on the spot.
“Enemies!?”…
A slew of pirates fell into chaos, followed swiftly by the sound of drawn swords.
Before them, they could see nothing except the curved blade protruding from the Cyclops’s chest, then withdrawing; yet everything else remained empty, as they continued to be oblivious.
Soren shook the bl**d off the blade; while attacking, he slightly revealed his trace, then once more vanished into the air.
This was the Greater Invisibility Spell.
In the state of Greater Invisibility, attacking the enemies did not dispel the invisibility.
Pshh!
A human head was severed, and a bearded pirate heard the whistling sound of a kn*fe. Yet, he could see no trace of the incoming blade. Although he could hear the sound of wind, he felt the slight outline of an approaching enemy, unable to see the direction from which the curved blade came. He could only blindly block, and the next moment, his head was taken off.
Three flying daggers shot out.
The daggers only revealed their traces once they left Soren’s palm. Unfortunately, the enemies were already unable to dodge.
Thud, thud, thud.
A series of bl**d flashes appeared as Soren moved through the battlefield as if it were empty; in the blink of an eye, five had been slain by him, and the enemies couldn’t even gauge where he attacked from—only sensing a vague and blurry trajectory speeding around them. This terror caused their morale to plummet drastically; some even appeared to become paralyzed with fear, while others could only toss their weapons aside in despair.
Clang, clang, clang!
Soren parried the weapons thrown at him while also revealing his rough location.
With a sudden leap, he soared five or six meters high, the firm ropes connecting to the mast sinking considerably. The outline of a hand gripping the rope could be seen, yet no figure was visible. Soren swooped down from the air, each hand wielding a curved blade in crisscross slashes. In a shower of bl**d, five more were swiftly dispatched.
A torrent of bl**d erupted.
The ground revealed bloody footprints, but Soren’s figure remained elusive. The bl**d splattered on him was also covered by the Greater Invisibility Spell, yet he was now close enough for enemies to faintly perceive his moving outline.
Unfortunately, they realized this far too late.
Three minutes passed, and Soren stood amid the pool of bl**d, surrounded by over twenty corpses. A series of footprints marred the ground, yet he remained in invisibility.
The duration of the Greater Invisibility Spell was still about six minutes!
Soren shook the bl**d from his blade, then expressionlessly cast a glance at the ship’s cabin, suddenly grabbing a corpse to smash through the door. He then swiftly sliced with his dual blades, bisecting the two enemies guarding the cabin.
bl**d soaked his clothing.
The effect of the Greater Invisibility Spell appeared to have weakened considerably, as Soren’s figure gradually took on a semi-transparent haziness.
It seemed the spell’s effect had diminished somewhat.
However, this was becoming insignificant to Soren, as he discovered that he seemingly possessed the ability to eliminate all the pirates aboard this ship single-handedly.
… (To be continued ~^~)
