Chapter 135: Tired of Being Envious

"That was their flagship, wasn’t it?"

"Kiku’s dead? Just like that?"

"Fellwater had its shield up. What kind of attack destroys a shielded Epic warship in an instant?"

"Ha! Their commander is dead! We have a chance!"

"Those looked like ship-mounted Energy cannons. Do we have submarines down there?"

Shock gave way to excitement, but the questions remained. What was helping them? Had Colonel Mercer prepared another force?

Darian thought of Cassian immediately.

"That was you, wasn’t it?"

Cassian had just finished giving Liora her next tactical instructions.

"Yes. It was."

Seraphine stared toward the water.

"So your ships can dive. They’ve been underneath us this whole time. Then the Sea Dragon King was your work too!"

Corin and the other Lords looked stunned. Then relief swept through them.

"Cassian, you’re incredible!"

"I wasn’t afraid to die, but I’d much rather stay alive!"

"I even had my farewell message written!"

"I’d heard the rumors about your fleet. I never imagined you had submarine warships!"

Lydia had been working through the numbers in her head.

"Even a Level-7 Epic battleship’s main gun shouldn’t hit that hard. The target was an Epic warship with all its defenses active."

"What if it fired at point-blank range?" Corin asked. "Unless I’m mistaken, his ships can conceal themselves too."

Envy showed in their eyes. A moment later, a much less pleasant thought followed it.

Guns that powerful, combined with deep diving and concealment, made the ships perfect killers at sea. If a few shots came up beneath their own hulls, who could survive?

They needed better detection skills when they got home.

They also needed to stay on Cassian’s good side.

Fortunately, he was their ally.

"I should have guessed when that Legendary Sea Dragon went under," Seraphine said.

"Who would?" Corin laughed, recovering his composure. "Submarines are rare enough, and most are small. Who expects a battleship to dive?"

They had worked out most of what lay beneath the sea. They had merely mistaken his Carriers for battleships.

Cassian let that stand.

"I have a naval Hero too."

Corin sighed.

"I’m getting tired of saying how envious I am."

No one felt more relieved than Mercer.

If these Crown elites had all died here, he would have carried the blame for a disaster. Cassian had saved far more than a few dozen Lords. He had saved their position in Tidecrown.

He had to report this to the generals immediately afterward.

Cassian was more than a promising talent. A Lord with strength like this was worth almost any price to win over.

Even a general’s commission.

Another thunderous explosion pulled Mercer from his thoughts. He looked toward the west.

Energy blazed through a Mirage Ship to the west. Its elegant upper decks came apart, and the Epic vessel, worth a nine-figure sum, broke into wreckage that sank into the sea.

The Black Banner fleet was already in chaos. Panicked shouts carried across kilometers of water.

"Where are the Mages? The Spiritbinders? The Starseers? Find the enemy!"

"My Lord, they’re underwater and concealed. We can’t detect them!"

"Useless! Ask Lady Kiku what to do!"

"Lady Kiku died in the first attack..."

"Damn it! This is Kuma Miyamoto. I’m taking command. Drop depth charges across the entire area!"

"Yes, my Lord!"

"And every Mirage Ship is to conceal itself!"

Countless depth charges splashed into the water and began to sink. The eight remaining Mirage Ships released fresh streams of mist.

They would not simply disappear from view. Each was withdrawing into a separate pocket of space. Once they finished, Cassian’s current means would not be enough to reach them.

Fortunately, he had expected this.

"Lost your nerve? Good. That saves me two volleys."

He smiled.

"Liora, lock those Mirage Ships in place."

The depth charges hardly concerned him. Most of the enemy ships were low Quality, and they were spreading their attacks over the whole sea. The few dozen charges reaching a Ghost Carrier could barely scratch its defenses.

"Yes, my Lord." Admiration entered Liora’s voice. "You anticipated this too."

"A little fine control," Cassian said. "Talk to the Dawnwing Marshals when you have time. They’re masters of tactics."

"I will, my Lord."

Eight grapnels shot upward and buried themselves in the Mirage Ships’ hulls before the concealment finished.

The ships vanished.

The chains stayed taut.

From a distance, it was an extraordinary sight. Thick rune-covered chains stretched up from the Ghost Carriers, their upper ends disappearing into empty space near the surface. Without the strain holding them straight, they might have looked like ropes floating in the water.

"Just as I thought," Cassian said with a smile. "An Epic Mirage Ship’s pocket space can’t sever a Legendary Carrier’s grapnel chain."

The Black Banner Lords were terrified. Those ships had been their last way out.

Kuma gritted his teeth.

"Forget whatever’s under the water! All ships, advance! Launch every flying troop!"

His voice rose.

"Kill those Crown Lords on the surface, and we’ll still return as heroes!"

Then he rose into the air, abandoned his Epic warship, and landed on an Elite vessel only a few dozen meters long.

He knew which ships the enemy would target next. Given the situation, it was the best choice he could make.

The Black Banner vessels reformed and closed in on the Crown fleet.

"Leave the Mirage Ships for later," Cassian ordered. "Clear the rest first."

Towing a Mirage Ship slowed a Carrier, but it did nothing to stop its weapons. Energy beams kept lancing up from beneath the surface, tearing enemy hulls apart. Even the shields of ordinary Epic warships could not stop a Ghost Carrier’s main gun.

There were still far too many enemies.

Flying troops filled the sky. A Silvermoon Priest among Corin’s Heroes used his Precision Talent and gave the exact number.

"Eight hundred and eighty-five thousand, two hundred and twenty-nine."

Nearly a million.

The Crown Lords had gained powerful help, however, and their confidence had returned. Thousands of Epic flying troops rose to meet the enemy.

"Wait," Cassian called across the battlefield. "Let mine draw their fire first."

He opened the growth controls.

"Upgrade."

Twelve great rings of light rose around the Crystal Dragons.

[Battle Essence consumed: 82,680,000.]

[Crystal Maiden ×12: Level 40 → Level 45.]

He had raised the original twelve to the troop cap of his Rank-VIII Domain. The new strength had eaten through the earnings he had just gathered from Sea Dragons and enemy warships.

Crystal Nine had never had a day like this.

"For our Lord! For the Crown!"

She gave an exultant roar and led the other eleven straight toward the vast aerial army.

"Black Hole!"

The skill could tear apart Elite and Rare Sea Dragons above Level 55 with a single attack. Most of the troops coming at them were far easier prey.

Black openings spread through the sky. Enemy Lords, Heroes, and soldiers screamed as flying troops were crushed and ripped apart within their pull.

Twelve zones of death, each hundreds of meters across, opened in the enemy formation.

"What a skill for clearing an army," Cassian murmured.

The Crystal Dragons were suffering too.

Even at Level 45, they could not ignore the sheer number of attacks pouring into their enormous bodies. Among the arrows and spells were strikes from Epic troops, including the stronger lines.

Crystal scales burst apart. Deep fractures spread across their bodies under the relentless impacts.

Darian could hardly bear to watch.

"Cassian! Bring Nine and the others back. Keep this up, and you’re going to lose them!"

Newcomer Lords could bring in nothing above Epic Quality under the Realm’s transfer restrictions. He had envied Cassian’s Legendary force for a long time.

The other Lords looked toward Cassian with open respect.

"He’s sending Legendary troops out to take the fire for us," Mercer said. "He has my deepest respect."

"And they went without hesitating. He knows how to lead his troops."

"Did you hear what she shouted? For the Crown!"

"If we win this, those Dragons deserve medals around their necks."

"Why stop at medals? We should make them citizens of the Crown!"