A fleet of ships of various sizes appeared on the horizon, their presence announced by the fluttering of a white flag adorned with a dragon's head. The flag waved arrogantly as the ships drew closer.
"Captain, there are only four of them," reported a female officer in a sharp tone. "Two players, two Faithwardens, all Tier-2 strength. Their ship is non-combat, equipped with 20 high-level cannons and about 100,000 points of defense."
The captain, a scruffy man with unruly curly hair, shot a cold glance at the distant ship. His eyes gleamed with malice. "Good... These little pests think they can expose our hideout with such a tiny force?" He grinned wickedly, twirling a small knife between his fingers.
Suddenly, the knife embedded itself in the wooden table in front of him with a loud thunk. "Load all the fire cannons, battle lasers, and thunder bombs!" he barked, his voice brimming with fury. "I want nothing left of them!"
The female officer jumped, startled. "Yes, Sir!" she stammered, hastily retreating to relay his orders.
On Essim's ship, the tension was mounting.
"Damn... Ten ships," Grey muttered under his breath as he surveyed the approaching fleet.
The smallest ship was over 100 meters long, and the flagship in the center was a staggering 500 meters. Essim, standing beside him, sighed deeply as he reviewed the situation. "Ten ships, and the smallest is that big? We're in for a tough fight." His eyes lingered on the fire cannons they'd set up earlier.
He checked the specs:
[Fire Cannon]
Type: Ship defense weapon
Power: 3,000
Firing speed: Once per minute
Range: 10 km
Defense: 15,000
Energy consumption: 300 energy crystals per shot
Essim's mind raced. He had something else in reserve, but it was risky. "I guess I'll have to use that weapon after all," he thought grimly.
Pulling out a peculiar altar, shaped like a sharp triangle, Essim placed it on the deck. At its apex sat a transparent orb, pulsing with dormant energy.
[Sky Punishment Mortar]
Type: Ship defense weapon
Power: 50,000
Firing speed: 5 shots, 1-minute cooldown
Range: 100 kmDefense: 100,000
Energy consumption: 10,000 energy crystals per shot
Elaine gasped when she saw it. "The Sky Mortar? You've got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed, wide-eyed. She'd only ever seen it once, when her father's ship had narrowly escaped destruction thanks to one of these fearsome weapons.
Essim chuckled at her reaction. "Yeah, it's quite the beast. And it lives up to its name."
The Sky Mortar was one of the rarest items from the Tou Pavilion, known for selling high-level ship equipment and devastating weapons.
Essim's ring glowed as he gave the command: [Sky Punishment Mortar: Duplicate 10,000 times? Confirm?]
"Yes," he answered without hesitation.
In an instant, five Sky Mortars materialized from his storage ring and stood towering on the deck.
"Brother Essim, you really know how to hide your cards!" Grey and Elaine said in unison, clearly impressed.
Essim grinned. "Come on, help me set these up before it's too late," he said, grabbing a mortar and securing it in position. The installation process was tedious, requiring nails and precise alignment. They didn't have time to remove the previous fire cannons, so the mortars were installed wherever there was space.
Within a minute, the five mortars stood ready, their transparent orbs glowing as they fed on energy crystals.
"Let's turn that Beast Master into dust," Essim said, handing Grey and Elaine each a bag of energy crystals. As the mortars consumed the crystals, their orbs lit up with an increasingly intense glow.
Meanwhile, aboard the enemy ship, tension was rising.
"Warit, are the weapons loaded yet?" the Captain demanded impatiently.
"Still in progress, Sir. One minute and twelve seconds left," Warit replied nervously.
"Why is it taking so long?" the Captain growled, clenching his fists. Their ships were now about 34 kilometers from Essim's, and the Captain was growing more agitated by the second.
"Sir, perhaps we should board their ship directly? They might be carrying valuable cargo," one of his subordinates suggested.
The Captain paused, considering. His original plan had been to obliterate Essim's ship out of sheer rage, but his subordinate's idea had merit. "Good point. Besides, if we launch an attack, our location could be traced."
"Full speed ahead!" he ordered. "Prepare to hijack that ship!"
But before they could act, a massive energy surge erupted from Essim's ship, freezing the crew in their tracks.
"No! It's a Destruction Mortar!" someone screamed in panic, but it was too late. Five blinding lights streaked through the void, each one finding its mark.
A deafening series of explosions followed.
BOOM! BAM! BOOM!
The sheer force of the blasts shook Essim's ship, its reinforced walls vibrating from the shockwaves. Mushroom clouds a hundred meters high rose from where the enemy fleet had been, and in their wake, devastation remained.
Essim's notifications flooded in:
[Killed (Lapur Tu - Beast Bonding) exp +2,700 points, +1 contribution] [Killed (Trull - Spirit Link) exp +12,500 points, +10 contribution] [Killed (Gazer - Alpha Command) exp +123,900, +1000 contribution]
Essim's eyes widened as he read through the kill logs. Many of the dead were Beast Masters, with their Tier-1 and Tier-2 bonded beasts wiped out. The highest reward had come from an Alpha Command Beast Master, a Tier-3.
[Congratulations, Ruler level increased. Level 21, Attribute points +250]
Essim estimated there had been at least 500 enemies aboard the 10 ships. For a Tier-2, facing that many would be overwhelming—but for Essim, they were all just experience points.
Then, Aisha's voice cut through the air. "Brother, look, some survived."
Grey and Elaine turned to see what she was pointing at. A massive white Griffin soared through the wreckage, 50 meters in length. Following it were a red bat, an eight-winged fish, and other fearsome beasts.
"Damn... I almost died back there," the Captain cursed under his breath. He had narrowly survived, his protective turtle star saving him from being incinerated. Now he could only think of revenge. "I'll tear them apart!"
He and his beasts closed in on Essim's ship with alarming speed, their eyes filled with fury. The Griffin's powerful wings sent shockwaves through the air as it flew ahead of the pack, its sharp beak gleaming in the starlight.
"Brother Essim, that's a Tier-3 creature," Grey warned, his voice trembling. He could feel the immense power radiating from the approaching beasts.
Essim remained calm, his eyes fixed on the Captain's Griffin.
"Brother Grey, thank you for the warning," Essim said quietly. "But it's time for you to leave."
"But—" Grey began, feeling torn between duty and fear.
Essim's expression hardened. "We all have our paths to walk. Besides, that Captain won't just let us leave easily."
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Grey and Elaine exchanged a glance. They knew what they had to do. Without another word, they activated a portal and stepped through, vanishing from the battlefield as flames erupted from the Griffin's mouth, scorching the space they had just vacated.
Now, it was Essim against the Tier-3 Beast Master.