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Gavin stood at the port, his heart filled with mixed emotions as he reflected on Black Shark "Erl's" actions.
He couldn't help but think to himself, "He was able to confidently leave most of his forces on Bloodstone Island while he returned to Shipbreaker Bay to overseas shipbuilding, not worrying in the slightest about those fickle pirates betraying him. His boldness and confidence are truly admirable."
Gavin understood all too well the difficulty of controlling people's hearts, especially when dealing with this group of pirates, who were driven solely by profit and were notoriously unpredictable.
Yet, Black Shark 'Erl' seemed to possess a unique ability to command loyalty, managing to keep his men faithful even in his absence. Gavin thought to himself that if he were in Erl's shoes, achieving the same result would likely be impossible.
The pirates inside the town reacted quickly. Soon, they gathered a force of no fewer than 2,000 men heading toward the port. Gavin was initially surprised by the numbers. He hadn't expected the pirates to abandon the town and pour out all at once.
But soon, he realized that by controlling the port and the ships, he had seized the pirates' Achilles' heel. This place was crucial to them, and they had no choice but to reclaim it.
Originally, he had expected the first battle to involve only about 1,000 pirates, planning to wear them down in this initial skirmish before laying siege. But with all the pirates having come out, Gavin decided to finish the battle in one fell swoop.
He quickly adjusted his strategy, ordering his soldiers to use the port's defensive structures and the ballista artillery on the ships to tighten their formation.
As the pirate forces drew closer, Gavin gripped the hilt of his sword. His eyes burned with intensity, and his heartbeat quickened. But he knew he must remain calm to secure victory.
The pirates halted just outside the ballista's range and hastily began to form their battle ranks. Gavin watched intently, his heart skipping a beat as he noticed that among them were over a hundred cavalrymen.
At that moment, a figure on horseback suddenly galloped toward Gavin's position, clearly a messenger sent by the enemy.
To the pirates, the sight of Black Shark 'Erl's' banner and the sudden appearance of Gavin's army, which had swiftly taken control of the port, left them confused and disoriented, as though trapped in a fog.
Gavin's eyes flickered. Before he could even make up his mind, a Blood Dragon Guard broke from the formation, charging toward the messenger.
Just as the messenger was about to speak, the Blood Dragon Guard raised his sword high and brought it down with terrifying speed.
In an instant, the sound of the sword slicing through the air echoed as both man and horse were torn apart by the brutal strike, leaving a horrific scene of shattered flesh and bone.
This act of violence ignited the pirates' fury. The roar of their anger rose like crashing waves, and even from such a distance, Gavin could hear it clearly
The pirates, like a raging tide, rushed toward the port with relentless force. The heavy thudding of their footsteps and the sound of their battle cries intertwined, making the air thick with tension.
As they drew nearer, closing in on the range of the ballistas, Gavin clenched his fists but held his command. His eyes remained fixed on the enemy's movements, veins bulging on his forehead, sweat trickling down his face.
Finally, when most of the pirates had entered the range of the ballistas, Gavin roared in a voice cracked with fury,
"FIRE!"
In that instant, the ballistas mounted on the ships fired simultaneously, their power immense. The enormous bolts whistled through the air as they shot toward the pirates.
One bolt pierced through several bodies at once, creating gaps in the pirate formation. Blood splattered everywhere, and severed limbs flew in all directions.
Some of the pirates, horrified by the gruesome sight, turned pale, their legs weakening. But others, their eyes bloodshot with rage, leapt out of formation and charged toward Gavin's side, heedless of everything in their path.
Despite the devastating damage caused by the ballistic bolts, the pirates continued to press forward. As they neared the archers' range, they unleashed a volley of arrows toward Gavin's forces.
Instantly, many soldiers and pirates fell to the ground, pierced by arrows, their agonized groans echoing through the air.
At the same time, the enemy cavalry charged forward, targeting the right flank of Gavin's formation. Gavin's eyes turned bloodshot with fury as he bellowed, "Form ranks! Hold the line! Anyone who retreats will be executed on the spot by the Blood Dragon Guards!"
At his command, twenty Blood Dragon Guards, prepared for this very moment, drew their swords in unison. Their cold blades gleamed menacingly under the sun.
Just before the enemy cavalry reached their formation, the ballistae on the ships unleashed a second volley. The powerful impact and razor-sharp tips of the bolts caused devastating casualties among the cavalry, forcing them to halt their charge. Seizing the moment, Gavin raised his longsword high and shouted, "Everyone, charge!"
The soldiers, like wild horses freed from their reins, roared as they surged forward into battle. In an instant, the two sides collided, plunging into a violent struggle.
Gavin, however, did not join the charge. Instead, he remained behind with the remaining Blood Dragon Guards, calmly observing the battlefield from a distance, his longbow in hand.
When he spotted a particularly fierce pirate breaking through their formation, Gavin swiftly nocked an arrow and pulled the string back. With a sharp twang, the arrow shot through the air and struck the pirate, killing him instantly.
At another moment, noticing a vulnerable section of the formation on the verge of being overwhelmed, Gavin fired a flame arrow. Upon impact, the arrow exploded, unleashing a wave of fiery destruction that tore through the surrounding enemies, leaving behind a scene of bloody carnage.
As the battle intensified, the mounting pressure caused some soldiers and pirates to falter and retreat. Without hesitation, the Blood Dragon Guards stepped in, slashing their swords mercilessly and spraying blood in all directions. The sight of the relentless violence instilled terror, forcing the soldiers to fight desperately for their lives.
The fighting grew even fiercer as both sides clashed with red-hot fury. With every passing moment, casualties mounted, and the ground became soaked in blood. Yet, despite the chaos, the enemy's overwhelming numbers allowed them to press on relentlessly, slowly encircling Gavin's forces.
Just then, a group of riders appeared behind the pirate formation.
Seeing the riders at the back of the enemy's formation, Gavin deduced that their commander must be among them. His eyes flashed with determination as he charged into the fray.
As he fought, his sword ignited with roaring flames. With his mastery of Flameblade, the sword could sustain its magical flames for an entire hour—enough to last the rest of the battle.
The Blood Dragon Guards swiftly overtook Gavin, crashing into the battlefield like emotionless killing machines. They tore through the enemy lines, leaving a trail of destruction.
Under the influence of Gavin's flaming blade, no matter whether the enemy wore armor, a single strike from his sword could sever them in two, as if they were paper.
With the Blood Dragon Guards' unstoppable assault, Gavin's forces quickly began to break through the pirate formation.
At that moment, Gavin spotted the enemy commander within range of his flame arrows. He swiftly took the longbow handed to him by a nearby Blood Dragon Guard, aimed, and fired a single flame arrow.
The arrow exploded with a thunderous crash, and the group of riders was instantly torn apart, their bodies reduced to fragments and a heavy silence fell over the battlefield.
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[Chapter End's]
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