~Boom! 

A loud sound came from one of the ships nearby, causing Kardinal Ratum and his men to frown grimly.

What the hell was that?

From Ratum's ship, he couldn't see what had happened to the ship a little further away, so he could only wait for the word to get yelled across ship by ship until it reached him.

Nonetheless, this didn't stop his brain from going to work.

The loud cracking sound of wood breaking, could only mean that one of his ships had taken a hit.

But from what?

Ratum's eyes darted around uncontrollably as he felt like he was slowly losing control over things.

Could it be underwater sea creatures planning to drag them down below?

Dammit! Who would've known that his downfall might be sea creatures?

But.. But... This didn't make any sense!

At this time of the year, there shouldn't be any massive sea creatures here that would resurface now.

So what was going on here?

Or could it be that the information they got was wrong?

Countless thoughts flooded through Ratum's mind, but he never knew that the attack had come from the ships he despised greatly.

Yes. No matter who it was, this sort of revelation would be too shocking!

It was like saying a rowing canoe could one day attack a small, normal-sized yacht.

The difference was clear, and no one would think a canoe would stand a chance against a mini-yacht.

Likewise, how could these ordinary ships stand against their massive battleships?

Thus, Ratum focused his attention on the waters as if trying to laser through them and find the case of the loud crackling sounds.

Several people did the same, too, with just a few still looking on straight ahead.

But while they were still distracted, the many patrolling ships were getting ready to launch several more attacks as well.

.

On the deck of one of the controlling shops, several people stood behind Lieutenant James with their feet apart and hands firmly placed behind their backs.

"Lieutenant. The effect is as we expected."

James nodded and grinned in satisfaction.

"Good. Let the men fire several more attacks. The other patrol ships have already begun their second wave. So we can't fall back, no?"

The men behind him nodded sternly before giving signals to a few others on deck.

And very quickly, those people, in turn, issued the order through several metal pipes that went straight down below deck.

"2nd wave commencing in 3...

Those below gripped the levers firmly.

"2..."

Their heart rates constantly rose, thumping loudly.

"1... "

They positioned their bodies for action.

"Fire!"

~Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!~~

The thunderous arrows left the ships and pinned mid-air while whistling nonstop, making their way towards the enemy ships, aiming straight for the corners closest to the sea waters.

~Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!~~

Several loud sounds went out, followed by even more cracking sounds of wood too.

~Crack!!!!!

Those aboard those ships felt a slight force push them as the arrows penetrated the lower parts of their ships.

~Gulp.

This move caused sweat to twinkle down their backs in horror.

A sea monster?

.

~Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!~~

Over 30 ships were hit by these sea creatures (patrolling ships), creating deep tension in the air.

And soon, the anxious cries of many made many know just how serious the situation was.

"Water! Water! Water!

Help! Free us! Free us!

The sounds of the chained-up slaves grew louder and louder as the water burst through the ship's bottoms, forcing its way in.

Sadly, unlike the other cases where the slaves would get saved, this time, they were bound to drown alive.

Why?

Because the Teriquen soldiers had no idea that slaves were rowing these ships.

Firstly, here in Pyno, ships as big as royal ships were never driven or rowed by slaves or even peasants.

No! There were skilled rowers who got paid three times more than what the average person made per month.

They were treated with respect and acted as part of the Royal voyage crews.

Additionally, just because they were rowers didn't mean they couldn't fight.

No... Contrary to that, they were excellent guards as well.

And more importantly, they were never chained up.

So when seeing big ships such as these, one would assume that those paddling were definitely guards belonging to the enemy.

That's why they shot at will.

But if they knew that there were slaves there, they would've gone with their plan B approach instead.

Many of them had at least trained in Baymard for a year or 3 before.

So their ethics classes touched them very deeply, making them value human life more.

Of course, this in a way was just a mistake or an error, if one will.

Because this was their first real battle defending their own empire.

Yes. Typically, they had done several missions alongside the Baymardians too.

And both sides would always team up to discuss battle plans, putting their own inputs here and there.

And in truth, even though they had learnt a lot from the Baymardians, they still had much more to learn on their own.

And this battle was a learning experience for them, fighting without the Baymardians having their backs.

During missions, the Baymardians would let them fight, and only when they were really in danger would they swarm in to their aid.

But now, they were all on their own, meaning if they died now, then that was it!

.

Anyway, this time in the heat of the surprise enemy attack, they had failed to ask themselves if there were any mistakes or slaves on the ships.

Thus, the slaves within the ships they shot were drowning down below the sea floors in agony and fear.

But sadly, no one was coming to their aid.

Ratum's pupils dilated once he heard the message screamed towards him.

Water?

Flooding?

Chaos quickly filled the place as many started jumping onto the nearby ships that weren't hit by whatever damaged their ships.

Dammit! What the hell was going on here?

~Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! 

The Teriquen patrol ships wasted no time in hitting as many ships as they could.

And when attacking a single enemy ship, they only attacked the same spot 2.

From their countless tests done over the winter, they realized that once the hole got opened to a certain degree, the water force (pressure) would then thrust itself even more into the ship, breaking even more wood and expanding the hole wider and wider as time went on.

And the more one tried to forcefully cover the hole; the more pressure would build up around that area, breaking more wood like crazy.

What was even more fearful was the force in which the wood got flung away.

Thankfully, if not for the precautions they took during testing, the wood flung away would've definitely stabbed them silly, penetrating deep into their bodies.

.

All in all, just a few hits on the same spot were bound to make the fierce water force its way into the ship, breaking even more wood and finally sinking it down below.

Additionally, they also placed massive cylindrical tubes of black powder on the arrows too.

So the results were indeed disastrous!

Hence, with that in mind, the patrol ships did their thing and shot through the thick wood of over 85 ships.

And at this time, the enemy had also noticed their actions, but it was already too late for the enemy to do anything about it all.

Why?

Because after causing the damage they did, the patrolling ships fled the scene, paddling and exciting the scene speedily to either the left or the right side of the formation.

That's right.

They intended to get out of the way and head behind these massive ships... As if running away.

Everyone who suddenly realized this all and saw the scene of these bastards fleeing away almost puked blood with rage.

Their stomachs churned, and their eyes turned red, almost popping out of their sockets in fury.

"Dammit! Dammit! Damn Beggars!"

"Kardinal! Are we just going to allow these bastards to get away like that?"

"Yeah! We are proud followers of Adonis. So I say we chase after these bastards and give them a piece of our minds!"

"Yeah!!!!!!"

(*^*)

Several people already drew their swords while jumping around like mice in hunt for food.

"Kardinal, just look at that smoke? They definitely used some evil means to shoot black powder at us."

"Yes! Yes! These Savage's dated to come at us with black powder, so we must also retaliate as well!"

Ratum listened to the clamouring of his men and turned grim: "Enough! Use your heads for once! We will head on straight. And that's that!!"

"Yes. Kardinal" Everyone answered a little unwillingly.

But the smarter ones understood Ratum's decision.

Of course, they all wanted to chase after those bastards.

But because they wanted to aim the city before them as fast as possible, they had to attack the land all at once.

Another reason was that Ratum didn't want any more ships to sink.

He had already lost a lot of ships (85 out of the 250 ships).

And even though his men had hopped into nearby ships before it was too late, he still felt a sharp pain in his heart when thinking of the expensive battleships he lost.

He'll! Do you know how much money he spent buying these bad boys from his salary and enriching the power under him?

Ratum clenched his fists, cracking his knuckles deeply.

Previously, he planned not to join the battle but to allow his men to do the job.

However, now, he would personally slice off many heads today.

Good good. Good. 

These beggars were really daring!

Ratum was indeed ready for battle, but how would he have known that this was just the beginning of his sorrows?

Up next, the First Teriquen Siege Battle, which would be written and passed through history, would commence.

Yes.

Playtime was over.

THE REAL ACTION BEGINS NOW!