Chapter 303: Old Acquaintance

Upon this boundless ocean, stripped of any vessel, not even a professional knight possessing a physique far surpassing that of an ordinary mortal could survive for long.

Particularly now, during the hour of the setting sun, as the mantle of night descended, the surface temperature of the sea would plunge lower and lower; few indeed were those who, having tumbled into the brine, could pass this night in safety.

To say nothing of the other perils that lurked within.

Roning, however, harbored little anxiety, for if the worst befell them, he could simply summon Carlos from his high altitude to descend.

Yet had he done so, the existence of the dragon would be laid bare.

Surely he could not, for the mere sake of preserving a secret, slaughter Rhys and all the rest?

Thus, the finest recourse remained the procurement of a sturdy vessel.

Seizing the fleeting moment while the Wall of Sighs deflected the arrows, Captain Maifu hastened to the prow, shouting across the waters toward the adversary of the Marquisate of Wushan, the Dennis family, and such matters, proclaiming his house while seeking the possibility of parley.

Simultaneously, the first mate actively took command of the rudder, adjusting their course.

Fortunately, the second ice spear had failed to strike the hull, and for now, the seawater had not breached the waterline; so long as no great waves arose, the Dennis III could yet struggle on.

Yet it was clear that Maifu’s shouting was in vain, as the enemy's third ice spear spell came bombarding through the air, accompanied by a booming, mocking voice from the hostile ship:

"Little cubs of the Dennis family, follow your ship and sink together into this great ocean!"

Countless bursts of laughter erupted from all directions.

"Rhys, negotiation is futile; if you wish to survive, prepare to seize a ship," Roning proposed.

Compared to the panicked crowd, Rhys remained relatively composed.

"Which ship shall we seize?"

He glanced toward the one on the right, upon which a magic cannon was mounted—it was likely the flagship, and seizing it would be rather difficult.

"Then we shall seize the ship on the left!" Rhys resolved, fixing his mind.

At that exact moment, the Wall of Sighs vanished.

Upon the vessel to the left, a towering figure, relying on a sudden explosion of battle aura, leapt forty or fifty meters across the void, crashing heavily onto the stern of the Dennis III.

"Welcome your deaths!"

A longsword thrust straight through the heart of the first mate who was steering, blood splattering across this knight's body; he could not resist extending his tongue to lick it, bearing an expression of immense relish.

Sword light flared abruptly, instantly claiming the lives of two nearby sailors; a knight of the Dennis family rushed forward, only to be kicked flying, smashing against the mast and spitting blood, dying on the spot.

"Pirates have boarded the ship!"

"Pirates have boarded the ship!"

Voices of panic erupted from the rear, and Roning spun around to look back, only to see that towering knight slaughtering his way forward from the stern; wherever he passed, to say nothing of the sailors, even several knights besieging him could not slow his stride.

"It is him!"

Roning’s gaze narrowed as he recognized the man's identity—it was the very Gold Knight who had assassinated Blanche in the Wushan City Coliseum.

Previously, all evidence had pointed to the Skeleton Society and the Black Gold Brotherhood; why would this assassin suddenly appear here?

"You are no match for him."

Roning held back Rhys, who was about to charge forward. "Keep watch on the ship to the right!"

Looking across the entirety of the Dennis III, there was no one save himself who could contend with this assassin who called himself "Mondo."

Roning first cast a haste spell upon himself, then gripped the Flame Stream Sword and rushed forward.

Seeing Roning actively throwing himself into the fray, a smile could not help but appear on Mondo’s face as his broad knightly sword slashed outward.

He had already learned of Roning’s strength from external rumors, but a Silver Knight was still not enough to behold before him.

With a resounding clang, the two knightly swords clashed together, their battle auras colliding and grinding against one another to form a fierce gale, causing the nearby sailors and the enemies boarding in succession to stagger.

"I remember you, Mondo of the Coliseum!"

Roning’s swift fist-wind, carrying flames, boomed toward the other's chest.

Mondo was quick of eye and deft of hand, immediately striking out with his own fist.

Thud!

The fists of the two collided, producing a dull impact, and the immense shockwave forced them to part.

Yet they immediately charged forward once more, locked in combat.

The battlefield of Gold Knights spanned a vast area, and though the Dennis III was a large vessel, the space was now insufficient. Moreover, the violent shockwaves smashed straight through the deck planks and shattered the bulwarks.

The magnificent Dennis III, in the blink of an eye, was reduced to a broken wreck.

"How can Roning be this strong?"

Rhys could not believe his eyes; was the man not a Silver Knight?

How could he also employ the tier-six wind-attribute battle technique, "Wind Pressure Wave"?

"Lord Rhys, another attack comes!"

Maifu cried out in terror; the muzzle of the magic cannon opposite them lit up with radiance once more.

Sensing the fluctuations of water elements, Rhys hurriedly snapped back to his senses: "Everyone, defend!"

Accompanied by this roared command, all intermediate and higher-tier knights crowded at the prow unleashed their battle techniques, neutralizing the ice spear in mid-air.

The men upon the enemy ship, perhaps seeing that exchanging waves achieved nothing, ceased using the magic cannon and instead had their captain control the speed and direction of their vessel, closing in on the Dennis III, which was already unable to alter its course.

Clearly, they too intended to board.

"Never did I imagine that you are actually of the Gold tier!"

Mondo, having exchanged over a hundred blows with Roning, felt the pressure; he had originally thought that with a Gold Knight like himself present, this operation would be a hundred percent successful, yet he had miscalculated his opponent's strength.

The failure of the assassination of Blanche at the Wushan Coliseum last time was due to Roning, though at that time the latter had relied upon a tier-six magic scroll;

This time, his purpose was to assassinate Roning, only to discover that the man's strength was already sufficient to duel him hand-to-hand!

Roning pressed forward, their two swords locking, his immense strength forcing the other backward.

"Who exactly stands behind you?"

Mondo gritted his teeth, the veins on his arms bulging; the strength of the young man before him was actually greater than his own.

To engineer an opportunity, he spoke each word deliberately: "It is your grandfather... Rulance!"

Hmm?

With his mind shaken by a single phrase, Roning experienced a momentary flash of astonishment, and the adversary seized the chance to pull back, breaking free from the disadvantage of the deadlock, the battle aura across his entire body surging like a torrential tide as it coalesced into a majestic wave upon his longsword.

"Tsunami Torrent!"

With a sweep of Mondo’s longsword, the battle technique surged forward like a raging tsunami, tearing through the deck with unstoppable might.

"Fuck, you lied to me!"

Roning cursed in fury, and even as the other unleashed his battle technique, he too made his move.

The boundless battle aura within his body was drawn forth, forming a massive red phantom blade several meters long under the enhancement of the Flame Stream Sword; the phantom blade bore blazing fires that pierced the heavens, radiating a heatwave that struck awe into the hearts of men.

Ruidar’s signature battle technique, the Blazing Exploding Slash, was inherently more potent than ordinary techniques, and when unleashed by a Gold Knight, its might was even greater, particularly with the amplification of the Flame Stream Sword.

Boom!

The signature battle arts of the two clashed above the battered Dennis III, unleashing a deafening roar that the towering mast could no longer endure; snapped by the sheer impact, it collapsed directly into the sea.

The might of the Blazing Flame Slash was far more concentrated, tearing through the opponent's Tsunami Fury with brutal precision.

"How can he be this strong?"

Mundo’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief as he watched the oncoming shockwave; he willed his body to move, but it was already too late.

Crash!

The colossal force slammed squarely into his chest, making Mundo feel as though his heart had stopped for that singular second, before he felt himself enveloped by a mass of fire and propelled high into the air, tracing a wide arc before plunging into the ocean.

The shockwave from the strike surged like a tempestuous gale, tearing at the hull and causing the Dennis III to sway violently.

The enemy knights who had just leaped onto the deck and failed to find their footing were all torn away by the immense power and cast into the churning waters.

The dense mist born from the violent collision of fire and water completely enveloped the area for a hundred meters around.

Cries of agony, desperate pleas for help, and feral roars tangled together in utter chaos.

Roning cast a Gale Spell, sweeping away the water vapor before his eyes; the stern of the Dennis III was ruined beyond recognition, leaving only the primary timbers holding it back from complete collapse.

Roning leaped toward the stern, casting a sharp eye over the surface of the sea.

Over a dozen figures now drifted upon the waves, the vast majority of them belonging to the enemy.

Under the force of the recent impact, some had been instantly knocked unconscious, others were impaled by sharp wooden shards, while the surviving few thrashed wildly in an attempt to climb back aboard.

Mundo floated there amidst the waves, a stark pool of crimson spreading beneath him, his state between life and death uncertain.

Roning wasted no time on sentiment; he rapidly unleashed a wind blade, slicing clean across the man's throat, sending a torrent of blood spraying four or five meters high.

Having finished the deed, he raised his gaze to the enemy vessel a dozen meters away, where the sailors trembled in sheer terror.

"Quickly, turn the helm! Turn the helm!"

The captain roared, for in his eyes, Roning was now the very incarnation of the Grim Reaper; though separated by two different ships, he felt no sense of security at all.

After all, if Mundo could leap across a gap of forty or fifty meters, this brief distance of a dozen meters would pose no challenge to the man who had slain him.

"Woo—"

Right at that moment, a low horn resounded across the sea.

The other vessel, outfitted with a magic cannon, had initially intended to board them, but upon seeing Mundo's demise, they hastily chose to retreat.

In truth, reducing the Dennis III to such a state already spelled the success of their assassination mission.

Stranded in a vast expanse of ocean devoid of islands, survival was practically an impossibility for those left behind.

"Trying to leave?"

Roning let out a cold sneer; to come and go as they pleased, how could things possibly be that simple?

"Knight Rhys, how fares your courage?"

"You need never doubt my bravery!"

Rhys puffed out his chest proudly, "Just say the word, what do you need me to do?"

Roning pointed toward the ship at the stern, "Go and seize that vessel! As for me..."

He crouched low, channeling his battle aura into the soles of his feet before thrusting violently against the deck, the erupting energy creating a massive propulsion that launched him forward like a cannonball.