The combat power of the Ghost Pirate Legion mainly comes from their ghost ships.
These cursed pirate ships, able to go anywhere as long as there is seawater, boast agile maneuverability and vicious destructive power.
Especially, the ramming tactic, where they use the bow protected by specters and black magic, known as the 'ramming horn', is almost miraculous in its destructive power.
If more than ten ghost ships charge at terrifying speeds and ram their heads in, any defensive line would be penetrated and crumbled.
Neither naval ships at sea nor fortresses on land can withstand it.
Legion Commander Bernardt Poker's special skill [Stormy Sea] can make it rain seawater from the sky.
Using this laid layer of seawater, the ghost ships charge, collapsing the enemy's defenses.
Then, through the breached gaps, ghost pirates and sea monsters are unleashed to slaughter the enemies.
This is the basic tactic of the Ghost Pirate Legion.
...So, how to counter this tactic?
The best strategy is, of course, to stop the ghost ships. To block them from even approaching our defenses, stopping them from afar.
But blocking these ghost ships is no easy feat.
Ghost ships themselves are classified as giant monsters, so our barricades and fences, mere shallow defenses, can be crushed by them.
And of course, it's impossible to stop them with just human bodies.
In the end, only walls can halt their advance.
So, the tactics I've used in the game against them were mainly two.
'First. Sacrificing forward bases.'
If we meet them at the forward bases, they use their ghost ships to crush the walls and attempt close-quarters combat.
Here, we gradually eliminate their close-quarters troops and burn the ghost ships one by one.
Although most of the walls of the forward base would be destroyed and practically turn into ruins, it was still a better option than letting the walls of Crossroad collapse.
However, the current forward bases, in my absence for half a year, are in a mess due to lack of proper repair. It's too risky to conduct a defensive battle here.
Additionally, the destructive power of the ghost pirates in close combat is not to be underestimated.
If we face them from all sides in a melee, our casualties would snowball.
So, I did not adopt the strategy of meeting them at the forward bases.
'Second. Boarding their ships mid-march and eliminating them.'
This involved selecting characters from our side with flying or assault characteristics and dropping them onto their ships.
If you board their ghost ships, a 'conquest' scenario occurs, and if you control the ship's helm for a certain time, you can take over control of the ghost ship.
Then, you can either drive the enemy ships to crash into each other or deliberately steer them into rough terrain to run aground... a guerrilla tactic.
But this method also has its problems, starting with the fact that the deck of the ship is virtually the belly of the enemy.
The deck is swarming with ghost pirates who enjoy close-quarters combat, and various sea monsters are waiting with open mouths.
Sending a small group to clear the deck and steal the helm... just talking about it is already difficult.
Moreover, escaping after causing the ships to run aground or collide is extremely difficult.
In the game, I often threw 3rd or 4th tier heroes with flying attributes but rarely used, or low-level rookie characters, with a feeling like scratching a lottery ticket.
And eight out of ten times, it would fail, or even if successful, they would die along with the ship.
This has been a lengthy explanation, but the tactic I ultimately chose this time is simple.
'Ghost ships can only advance if there is seawater.'
Conversely, this means.
'If we can remove the seawater, they can't advance.'
So, the tactic I've prepared over the past week is exactly this.
"It's a drainage formation!"
Not a 'backs-to-the-water' defensive stance, but literally a water-draining formation!
What the workers and soldiers had fervently set up in the southern plains wasn't a fence, barricade, trap, or any defensive tool... it was a drainage facility.
When was it? Perhaps when I first used the public bath in this city.
Lucas had said something proudly.
- Isn't it the pride of the Empire? Having faced many water disasters, we've become adept at utilizing water resources. We're the best in the world.
Lucas had every reason to be proud.
The Empire had established all the necessary technology for drawing in and draining water.
Of course, if they could manage bathhouses of that scale, their drainage technology would naturally be exceptional.
Thanks to that, we were able to install sufficient drainage facilities in the southern plains in about a week, albeit makeshift.
One of the drainage facilities even used a teleport gate to instantly transport the sucked-in water back to the Black Lake.
No matter how much the enemy commander uses a special skill like [Stormy Sea] to pour down showers from the sky - through the large-scale drainage facilities, the water barely pools on the ground before being treated as wastewater.
'But that's not all!'
I looked up at the sky.
While one side of the sky was pouring seawater due to [Stormy Sea], right in the mid-heavens, the sun was shining brightly.
It was the effect of [Gardis Blessing] that I activated for this stage.
Gardis Blessing - 'A Day of Good Sunlight'.
The effect is as literal as it gets. For today, during daylight hours, the weather is clear without a single cloud.
The hot sun of the southern region's early autumn beats down all day long.
Not only does this reduce the effect of [Stormy Sea], which requires overcast skies, but the sunlight is also hot enough to rapidly evaporate any pooled water.
And that's not all. Intense sunlight is practically a debuff for specters and ghosts.
For these ghost pirates who invaded during the day, sunny weather is an excellent counter.
'And yet! That's not all!'
It sounds like a continuous line from a food show introducing secret recipes, but anyway, I'm not done preparing yet!
"Huuh-!"
On top of the walls, Junior gathered her strength and pushed her staff forward, followed by young magicians gathering magical power and lifting their staffs.
Whoosh!
A fierce wind arose, blowing back the falling droplets of water.
In our camp, we have magicians who can control wind and water elements.
They create wind to evaporate the raindrops, and even if some manage to pool and try to advance, they are pushed back with water element control.
Magically blocking the 'seawater' advance.
Even the artifact for blasting gales from Stage 4 made a reappearance after a long time, assisting in this operation.
Drainage facilities, sunlight, elemental magic.
With a triple filter, we blocked the seawater from rushing in, and as a result, not a single drop of rainwater rose in the southern plains.
No seawater on the ground?
Thud...! Thud-thud!
Ghost ships cannot advance.
Our monsoon countermeasures were meticulous, and eventually, all twelve eerie turquoise pirate ships had to stop in the southern plains.
And the halted ghost ships,
"Fire! Sink them all right here on this land!"
Boom! Whoosh-boom!
They became easy targets for our crossfire!
Our side's bombardment rained down on the rotten and twisted hulls of the ghost ships.
I could clearly see the ghost pirates being swept away by the explosions, screaming as they died.
"Fire! Fire! Fire! Don't hold back, fire away! Until the cannons melt down! Until all the ghosts reach Oblivion's Beyond! Fire-!"
Though sudden, there's an interesting story in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty.
In the 17th year of Seongjong's reign (1486), there was a rumor that a ghost had appeared in the house of Jeong Chang-son, who had retired from being the Prime Minister.
The officials then suggested to King Seongjong,
- We respectfully request that you drive it away with artillery.
To capture a ghost, strong in yin energy, with yang energy, they proposed a bold idea to fire a cannon at the house of the former Prime Minister.
Though King Seongjong rejected the idea, making it a non-event, it suggests that in the Joseon Dynasty, one of the methods to exorcise ghosts involved using cannons.
Long story short,
"Cannons are the most effective remedy against ghosts! A method proven since the Joseon Dynasty-!"
What a spot-on method, spot-on!
Above the immobilized ghost ships, flowers of fire beautifully blossomed. Despite being bombarded by our firepower, the ghost ships, with their eerie wails, took it all.
Had they been ordinary ships, they would have been destroyed to dust long ago.
But these were cursed ghost ships.
Kyaaah!
Kaaah!
Surrounding specters rushed to block the cannonballs, oxidizing in the process, and sea monsters used their giant tentacles and sturdy shells to mitigate the impact of the explosions.
Despite being hammered several times by Crossroad's proud crossfire, the ghost ships were holding on. Annoyed, I clicked my tongue.
"They're surprisingly sturdy, these bastards...!"
"My Lord."
That's when Lucas cautiously spoke to me.
"The amount of water our drainage facilities are capable of handling is less than the amount pouring from the sky."
"...!"
"For now, we're managing, but if this continues, eventually the drainage facilities will be overwhelmed, and they'll be able to advance again."
I glanced at the gate opened in the sky by [Stormy Sea].
We're using a teleport gate on our side to drain the water, but it seems the amount pouring from their gate is more.
In any case, we must decide the battle before the drainage facilities reach their capacity.
"So it's a time attack again...!"
"My Lord."
Lucas gave me a faint smile as I was grinding my teeth.
"How about we execute the second phase of the plan a bit earlier?"
"Hmm..."
I gestured towards Lucas.
"You sure?"
"Of course. Just give the order."
Lucas lightly tapped the [Bestowed Sword] hanging at his waist.
"I've been itching for some action."
"Alright..."
I rubbed my hands together and grinned. Then said,
"Let's use the second phase of the operation, 'Operation Dropship', a beat earlier!"
***
"Fire back! How long are we going to just take hits?!"
On the flagship of the Ghost Fleet.
A subordinate pirate yelled at the captain.
"We should at least return fire! Are we going to keep getting beaten like fools?!"
"..."
Legion Commander Bernardt Poker was just silently drinking his booze.
Cannonballs were falling all around, and the ship was in chaos with fires, but he just kept drinking. A frustrated subordinate pirate was pulling his hair out.
"We're all going to die if we just sit here! Why are you doing nothing?!"
"Just shut up and wait."
Calmly swallowing his drink, Poker looked up at the seawater pouring from the sky.
"The sea is infinite. No matter what tricks they use, eventually they will open the path for us... Just wait for the right wave."
"Wait for what? The ship's about to burst, oh no!"
At that moment, another subordinate came rolling in, shouting.
"Captain! Report! Ship number 1 and ship number 12 have declared a mutiny! They say they can't follow your orders anymore!"
"Those damn fools are always causing trouble... What are they trying to do without listening to me?"
"They say they can't just keep taking hits like this, they're going to return fire with our cannons at the walls of the human city!"
"Good. Let's all watch together and see how well this counterattack works."
Creaking...
Simultaneously, ships number 1 and 12, positioned at either end of the fleet, slowly turned their hulls.
Eventually, having rotated 90 degrees, the two ghost ships aligned their cannons on the sides towards the walls of Crossroad and fired.
Bang! Boom-boom!
The cannonballs from the two ghost ships drew parabolas in the air, heading towards the walls of Crossroad.
Following the trajectory of the cannonballs, the two subordinate pirates shouted at the same time.
"Did they hit?!"