Chapter 302: Collision

This stretch of sea was infested with pirates, but as captain of the Denis III, Bran did not fear them.

As the vessel bearing the Denis family’s emblem, Bran and his first mate were both professional knights, and every voyage was escorted by a knightly squad arranged by the family.

Just as this time—the number of professional knights aboard had swelled to over a dozen, including Bronze and Silver-ranked warriors.

As for the Fleming family, overlords of the Screaming Isle, they were indeed powerful, yet their targets were always merchant vessels; they would halt them only to demand escort fees—hardly a deadly threat.

Over the years, the Fleming family had intercepted Denis vessels fewer than five times. And now, not only did the ship fly the Denis family’s banner, but also the Golden Mountain flag of the Wushan family.

A kingdom’s earl would hardly dare to disrespect a kingdom’s marquis.

Thus, when Captain Bran spotted a vessel approaching, his first concern was whether a collision might occur—and only secondarily anything else.

Roning was jolted awake by a crewman’s shout and staggered onto the deck, squinting into the distance.

Even with his keen eyesight, he could not discern the details of the approaching ship.

“No telescopes here?”

Roning scanned the deck—Lis, Captain Bran, even the lookout perched high above—all held no telescopes.

Even the Denis family, who owned the port, lacked such a device. Clearly, telescopes had not yet been invented.

He silently committed this to memory; after all, anyone who had endured nine years of compulsory education knew the principle of lenses.

All he needed was to find a crystal craftsman, have him polish the proper concave and convex lenses—and the telescope would be ninety percent complete.

Compared to blast furnaces for iron, ceramics, or looms, constructing a telescope was remarkably simple.

“They’re not from Screaming Isle!”

Now the vessels drew within hundreds of meters; the lookout, with his exceptional vision, could make out their hulls.

No crest of the Fleming family adorned their sides, nor did they fly the Fleming’s azure banner—only a vast white flag.

Merchant vessel?

Or pirates?

Roning narrowed his eyes. His sight outstripped even the lookout’s—he clearly saw the white flag on the opposing sails: a skull.

“Pirates!” Roning shouted immediately.

Lis saw it too, drawing his longsword in one swift motion. “All hands—alert!”

At his cry, every knight aboard sprang into action, shields raised, swords drawn, postures tense.

Behind Roning, Tom and David, barely dragging themselves from their cabin, mirrored the same stance. But this was not their battlefield; even half their strength would be a miracle.

At that moment, the three vessels ahead shifted formation.

Roning turned his gaze forward. The three sails reconfigured:

The left and right ships veered outward, while the central vessel maintained its speed, charging straight ahead—forming a pincer.

Worse, aided by the wind, they were faster than the Denis III.

“Damn it! Hard to starboard! Adjust the sails!”

Captain Bran cried out in alarm.

He realized—the central ship showed no sign of slowing or turning. It was coming straight for them.

“Lord Lis! They’re going to ram us!”

Bran sprinted over, terrified. He’d sailed these waters for decades—never had he seen pirates deliberately ram another vessel.

Such a ship cost nearly ten thousand gold coins. Pirates lived by their ships; they cherished them too dearly to risk mutual destruction.

Lis sensed the danger.

Though the Denis III had turned early to evade, the enemy vessel adjusted course as well, exploiting the tailwind to close the gap with terrifying speed.

“Damn it!”

Lis roared, unleashing a mighty burst of aura from his knightly blade—but it fell short, failing to reach the enemy ship a hundred meters away.

Roning hadn’t expected this.

This wasn’t robbery.

This was annihilation.

They weren’t trying to seize cargo—they were trying to sink the ship. Kill everyone.

“Are they after me? Or Lis?”

Roning raised his hand and cast Flame Burst with blinding speed.

Instantly, the air around him surged with heat.

“Is that… Flame Burst?”

Lis stared, stunned. The sphere of fire now spanned…

And Roning wasn’t just a Silver Knight—he was also a high-level mage?

Just then, the Flame Burst fully formed.

But Roning frowned.

Water’s elemental magic was sparse here. The spell took seconds longer than usual—and still fell short of its maximum eight-meter diameter.

Thankfully, he’d chosen Flame Burst, not Flame Serpent or Dragon Swallows Heaven—or he’d have been too late.

BOOM!

A six-meter fireball tore through the air and slammed into the bow of the enemy vessel.

The wood shattered into splinters. The entire hull shuddered, slowed drastically, and veered off course.

“Unbelievable…”

Lis swallowed hard. He refused to admit defeat—but this display filled him with dread.

The two ships passed each other at a perilous distance of barely two or three meters, their crews trembling, then erupting in cheers.

Then—

A chilling wind swept over them.

CRASH!

The Denis III lurched violently. Many fell, tumbling across the deck.

Roning whirled to starboard.

A massive ice spike had pierced the hull, punching a gaping hole through the ship’s side.

On the second vessel—a magical cannon!

“It’s a Level Four Ice Spike Cannon!”

Lis bellowed. “All knights of Intermediate rank or higher—use your aura techniques! Block their next shot!”

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Before he finished speaking, arrows screamed from the left, piercing the deck with horrific shrieks.

The knights reacted quickly—barely.

But the common crewmen?

Arrows pierced throats. Blood sprayed. Men collapsed, dead before they hit the planks.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The whistling arrows were like death warrants.

After the initial panic, the crew scrambled behind the railings, seeking cover.

Being robbed at sea? Unpleasant—but manageable.

Pay the toll, and live.

But when the enemy meant to kill?

That was something else entirely.

“Tom. David. Watch for arrows.”

Roning issued instructions to his two attendants while summoning his battle-qi armor, simultaneously casting the newly mastered Wall of Sighs.

On the sea, fire elements were relatively scarce, but wind elements were not.

Just as he cast his magic, the magi-cannon on the enemy ship to the right unleashed a second colossal ice spike.

"Combat technique, defend!"

Knight Rhys shouted, taking the lead to strike.

An icy combat technique poured forth, meeting the incoming colossal ice spike, while several intermediate and advanced knights under his command also unleashed their own techniques; the various colors of battle-qi coalesced, unexpectedly shattering the hurtling ice spike mid-air.

A tier-four magi-cannon was something they could still withstand to some degree.

By this time, Roning's Wall of Sighs had fully coalesced.

Suddenly, a light wall of wind enveloped the entire bow; the arrows striking the magical protective shield sounded like rain pattering against a window, crackling softly, yet not a single one pierced through.

"What magic is this?" Rhys asked subconsciously.

"Tier-three magic, Wind Wall."

Roning offered a casual reply. "Knight Rhys, now is not the time for such questions; we had best think about how to escape with our lives!"

With the Wall of Sighs in place, the crisis seemed temporarily resolved.

However, the hull of the Dennis III had been damaged, meaning the ship was bound to sink; upon this vast, boundless ocean, losing their vessel would leave them in an extremely perilous situation.