A dreamlike glow flickered, and Jormungandr’s figure materialized in the air. Her black dress swayed gently, and compared to the massive Scorching Flame Serpent towering at over a hundred meters, she seemed almost like a miniature figurine.
“Despicable humans…” she muttered under her breath, her eyes fixed on the churning magma and the giant python before her. But as she spoke, her form began to change.
In the blink of an eye, a much larger silver-white giant python appeared above the molten lava. Its silver scales shimmered with radiant light.
Jormungandr lowered her head and let out a thunderous roar that seemed to shatter the heavens, directed at the Scorching Flame Serpent, which stood frozen in surprise.
“Bow down!!”
A pressure from a Superclass creature crashed down with terrifying force!
The overwhelming weight of a King-level monster’s bloodline caused the giant python’s body to tremble uncontrollably. The serpent’s huge, lantern-like scarlet eyes reflected a glimmer of fear.
The suppression exerted by a King-level monster over lower-bloodline creatures came from both physical and spiritual dominance. Even though Jormungandr’s level was not as high as that of the Scorching Flame Serpent, her oppressive aura still held the ability to intimidate.
Luca didn’t miss this opportunity. Golden runes spread across his body, flames engulfing the spear in his hand. A flash of silver light erupted beneath his feet, and the black rocks beneath him shattered with a deafening explosion!
He shot into the sky like a golden sword, his spear aimed straight at the head of the serpent!
Sensing the impending danger, the Scorching Flame Serpent attempted to break free from the pressure of Jormungandr’s bloodline. But before it could fully recover from the oppression, Luca’s spear was already before it, radiating a deadly aura!
Golden lightning sliced through the sky!
Scalding blood sprayed everywhere!
“Raaawr!!”
The Scorching Flame Serpent’s eyeballs exploded, and its agonizing roar echoed throughout the Underground Volcano Mountain Range!
Endless flames erupted from the fiery sea, surging into the sky like a massive tidal wave of fire, crashing down toward Luca with immense fury!
Luca wasn’t foolish enough to directly clash with a Superclass monster. His figure vanished in an instant, only to reappear above the Scorching Flame Serpent’s head.
Looking down at the monstrous serpent below, Luca extended a hand, and black magic runes appeared on it. A massive black formation, stretching over a hundred meters, unfolded in mid-air.
Within the formation, a giant magic spear materialized, swirling with dark energy. It pulsed with power, exuding an aura of death. This was the very Superclass magic rune given to him by Winston—”Death Spear!”
The fear of death stirred the Scorching Flame Serpent, allowing it to break free from the King-level monster’s bloodline restraint.
“Raaawr!!”
It let out a brutal roar toward Luca, its immense body rising from the churning sea of fire below. The serpent’s jaws gaped wide, ready to bite Luca in mid-air with terrifying force!
“Be careful!!” Jormungandr’s face turned pale as she quickly warned him. After all, if Luca died, she would be buried with him. She wasn’t ready to die just yet!
However, despite the monstrous serpent charging toward him, Luca remained unfazed. He raised his palm, magic runes focusing on the giant snake’s gaping maw below. His gaze was as calm as a still lake, and with a faint breath, he uttered a single word:
“Die!”
The black formation erupted with an overwhelming flood of darkness! The magic spear shot through the air like a bolt of black lightning!
The Scorching Flame Serpent’s body froze in midair, its crimson eyes dulling, and for a moment, the world seemed to fall into a deadly silence!
In the next instant, endless darkness erupted! A torrent of dark elemental energy surged, coalescing into a black sun that instantly swallowed the Scorching Flame Serpent whole!
[Ding! Congratulations to player “Luca” for slaying “lv95 Flame Sea Guardian (Star-level)”!]
Not even pausing to read the game notification, Luca’s figure did not stop. He shot upward like a streak of golden light, soaring through the air.
He began searching for the next guardian in the volcanic mountain range.
Meanwhile, at Water Dragon Island, several warships from Seaway City were docked along the coast.
Tark, Nicholas, Dacey, and a number of the captain-level guards were gathered in the Sea Breaker conference room, discussing matters.
The seat at the head of the table remained empty. Tark sat beside it, his expression serious as he spoke:
“Gentlemen, the Black Raven Pirates have discovered our whereabouts.”
A tense silence filled the room as Tark continued, “These pirates are heading toward us. There are about ten thousand of them and dozens of pirate ships. What do you think we should do? Fight or retreat?”
The faces of the men in the room shifted at the news. One of them gritted his teeth and said, “These pirates are completely disregarding us. How dare they attack the Navy directly?”
“There’s nothing that pirates fear except the sea,” Dacey sighed. “Lord City Master is still undergoing his awakening trial. We don’t know when he’ll return.”
He paused before continuing, “With our current strength, we definitely won’t be able to stop their attack, especially with Furious Shark Evans and Bloody-Handed Jack among them.”
“So, I believe we should retreat for now.”
Tark hesitated for a moment before replying, “But if we retreat now, even if we manage to escape, we’ll be nothing but a laughingstock across the entire Western Sea.
“Imagine the scenario: Luca came here in full force, and not only did we not get to see the snake, but we were also chased out of Azure Waters like cowards.”
The thought of that made Tark grimace.
“If that happens, even if we manage to return, both Seaway City and Luca will become a joke, mocked for generations to come.”
This uncertainty was the cause of his hesitation.
“I agree with retreating.” Nicholas raised his hand and said helplessly, “We can’t just wait to die here. Let’s wait for Lord City Master to return, and then we can deal with it.”
The others in the conference room were silent, but they raised their hands as well, agreeing to retreat. Many of them had never wanted to fight from the beginning. Now that they had a chance to retreat, they naturally seized it.
As for the ridicule, it didn’t really matter to them. The soldiers of Seaway City had never been looked upon with respect by anyone. Moreover, the mockery would be directed at Seaway City and Lord Luca, not at them.
Once they returned to Seaway City, their lives would go on as usual. They would eat, drink, sleep with women, and continue enjoying their pleasures without any significant changes.
After all, they were now the last remaining core of Seaway City. Even if Luca wanted to hold them accountable, the most he could do was dock their wages. Could he really replace all of them?
Most of the people in the room raised their hands in agreement to retreat. Seeing this, Tark opened his mouth but then sighed deeply, deciding they should temporarily leave Azure Waters.
“I disagree,” said a cold voice just as he was about to give his order.
Everyone turned to see Sophia entering, her expression icy as she looked at them. “If the Navy turns tail and runs when faced with pirates, then what purpose does the Navy serve?”
Someone furrowed their brows and said, “Miss Sophia, war is not a child’s game. People die in battle. If we rashly engage, many of our soldiers could lose their lives.”
Nicholas nodded. “And we can’t deal with Evans and Bloody-Handed Jack. Without a high-level power to balance them, we have no chance of winning even if we engage.”
In war, the number of high-level combatants was always the most decisive factor in determining the outcome. Against world-shattering powers, ordinary soldiers and ants were often indistinguishable.
However, Sophia’s expression didn’t change at all. She spoke calmly, “Leave Evans and the first and second officers to me. You handle the rest of the pirates.”
She looked around the room at the varied expressions of the others before speaking again in a deep voice, “Lord Luca is not here. I speak in his place. I am ordering you now: prepare the army immediately!”
“Anyone who attempts to flee without permission will be executed without mercy!”
Her words echoed in the conference room, and the chilling killing intent made everyone there shudder.
Some wanted to argue that Sophia had no right to issue orders on the City Lord’s behalf, and certainly no right to demand that everyone join her in this risky battle. But when they looked into her cold eyes, they instinctively fell silent.
Tark and Dacey exchanged a glance, both seeing a flicker of surprise in each other’s eyes. Their City Lord had a heavy hand when it came to killing. He had wiped out over a thousand pirates from Seaway City without batting an eye. But this young woman before them seemed to be no different.
After a moment’s hesitation, Tark and the others finally decided to trust that Sophia had the ability to handle Evans and the others.
They had seen Sophia fight against Luca before. Although she had always been defeated, it was clear she wasn’t just any ordinary high-tier professional. She was powerful.
If she was confident she could deal with Evans, then the remaining navy forces and high-tier combatants would be freed up to deal with the ordinary pirates. Even if they couldn’t win outright, they would at least be able to stall until Luca returned.
With this thought in mind, Tark and the others immediately gave orders for the soldiers aboard the warships to assemble and prepare for battle, ready to face off against the Black Raven Pirates.
Meanwhile, about ten miles away, thirty Black Raven Pirates ships were rapidly approaching.
When the pirates saw that the Seaway City warships didn’t immediately turn to flee but instead began to form up, they were all surprised.
“When did the navy get so gutsy?” Even Evans felt a sense of surprise. In the past, whenever the Western Sea navy spotted them, they’d always run away as fast as they could.
It was normal for pirates to chase down and kill navy forces in the Western Sea. Evans had even been prepared to go out himself to intercept, but to his surprise, the navy didn’t run. Instead, they were standing firm and gathering their forces.
Bloodhand Jack clenched his fists and let out a cruel laugh. “They want to face us head-on, huh?”
“They’ll realize how stupid they are after we’ve killed enough of them,” One-Eyed Dragon Carmichael sneered. He knew full well what kind of men the navy was made up of.
“A bunch of sea dogs dressed up in navy uniforms, and they dare to look down on us?” Evans stood on the deck, gazing at the distant specks of the enemy ships.
He licked his lips and mocked, “Looks like these fools still haven’t figured out who calls the shots on the sea. Boys, make sure to teach them a lesson when we get there.”
“Don’t worry, boss.” The senior pirates standing nearby also wore cruel smiles.
Playing cat and mouse on the sea was their specialty!