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Chapter 158: When the Lightning Triggers

Explosions, the cries of sea creatures, and the heat and the breathing of the black-haired boy lying next to her—all these sensations were dominating Charlotte’s senses.

Despite being in the midst of a fight, being in such close proximity to Roel still made her heart beat rapidly. However, she quickly shook the mood off and focused on the battle once more.

The huge explosion caused both sides to come to a momentary ceasefire as they tried to comprehend what had happened. Charlotte, who was lying in Roel’s embrace, opened her eyes and noticed that the mana pulsations in the area had amazingly vanished all at once.

Realizing that this was a perfect opportunity to do it, she decisively raised her gun once more, but this time around, it was aimed at no other than the black-haired boy embracing her.

“C-Charlotte?”

“Trust me!”

Roel was initially shocked, but after hearing her words, he hesitantly nodded in agreement. The trigger was pulled, and a resplendent white burst of light swiftly expanded before his eyes, eventually filling up his field of vision.

By the time the light died down, he realized that his surroundings had changed. He took a look around him and found that he was surrounded by a bunch of dumbfounded shipmates staring at him.

“W-wasn’t this lad over there earlier on? How in the world did he suddenly appear here?”

Before they could get to the root of this bizarre phenomenon, the sound of a trigger being pulled echoed from the distance once more, and a blurred silhouette suddenly appeared right above them—Charlotte.

She landed squarely on Roel, who was already struggling to his feet, smashing him back down onto the deck.

“Pu! Cough cough!”

It was fortunate Charlotte’s good figure had softened the fall. Despite the forceful impact, Roel managed to recover with just a couple of coughs.

Before the two of them could celebrate their little success, the shipmates suddenly dashed right up to them, scaring them.

“Wait a moment, we are...”

“You need not explain yourself, we understand!”

???

Huh? What do you understand?

Roel was confused. He had even prepared an elaborate explanation beforehand to ensure that he could convince the crew that they weren’t hostile, but it ended up going to waste.

Without any hesitation, the shipmates gathered around them turned their bodies around, pointing their weapons outward. They were ready to fend off any enemies who dared to approach them.

“Child, do you know how to operate a ship?”

“Ah?”

Captain Jeff approached Charlotte, who was being shielded behind Roel, with beaming eyes as he posed a question to her. However, Charlotte only looked visibly bewildered in response, which practically answered Jeff’s question by itself. He quickly turned to the ship’s doctor and howled.

“Do whatever you need, but you must keep Laure alive! At the very least, buy him enough time to impart to this child the method to control the electric net!”

Afterward, Jeff quickly filled the two children in on the current situation. Upon hearing that they were actually intending on blowing the ship up, Roel widened his eyes in astonishment. Meanwhile, Charlotte quickly rushed to the dying vice-captain’s side and began learning the method to control this massive vessel from him.

You are really trying to teach her how to control a ship on the spot? Are you joking with me?

Roel was still having difficulties trying to grasp the current situation. It was true that Charlotte was a prodigy, but she was a business prodigy! No matter how smart she was, there was no way she could grasp something as complicated as ship steering on the spot when she had no prior experience at all!

As speechless as he felt at the current situation, it was no time to be grumbling about it. The battle had resumed, and war cries filled the deck once more. Every single second, a crewmate or a sea creature would collapse to the ground, dead.

Roel clicked his tongue in annoyance before grabbing a sword from the ground and charging back to the frontline.

“Captain Jeff, is Charlotte activating the electric net the only way we can survive this tribulation? I mean, it’s not reliable to leave it all to her! Is there really nothing we can do here?”

“There’s another way out of this, but it’s no longer feasible anymore. Unless someone is able to drive all of these Scalemen off the ship so that we can reclaim the foredeck!”

Jeff raised his hand and deflected off a couple of high-pressure water arrows flying his way. He also knew that it was unlikely for Charlotte to succeed, but as compared to attempting to reclaim the foredeck, they were better off pinning their hopes on her.

In the first place, if they really had the strength to drive the enemies off the ship, SS Saint Paul wouldn’t have ended up in such a position at all. They had already fought a prolonged fight thus far, and they had neither the strength nor stamina to overpower or outlast the sea creatures anymore.

“No longer feasible? Well, you should think twice about that.”

Roel stroked the sword in his hand as he muttered to himself. A red glow was starting to shine from his golden irises as he gathered whatever remaining mana he had together. His crimson mana coiled around him like a python before abruptly bursting outward, morphing into bolts of crimson lightning that roared thunderously in the sky.

Boom!

The rumbling thunder sounded like the wrathful war cries of countless warriors, immediately attracting the attention of all aboard. Jeff widened his eyes in bewilderment as the second miracle unfolded before his eyes in this critical moment.

It was an army buff spell, a legendary ability coveted by all countries in the currently chaotic Sia! It was said that those who possessed them were chosen by heaven and would eventually become kings!

The black-haired boy cloaked in lightning felt fiery like heaven’s wrath, but his eyes remained sharp and cold. A crown of crimson lightning had manifested on his head.

For a brief moment there, Roel thought he caught a glimpse of the side profile of the ambitious prince in his memories. The latter tilted his head slightly over, revealing his characteristic unrestrained and haughty smile.

“Hmph. You still continue to linger after death, huh?”

Roel’s lips also curled up in response to the illusory image he saw.

The kingly disposition he emanated gripped the hearts of everyone present, be it Jeff, the shipmates, or the sea creatures. When he raised his sword, the tempestuous winds and lightning moved on his command and shattered into countless sparks that fell upon all of the humans, embracing their bodies in the form of crimson auras.

Feeling the surge of strength into their bodies, the shipmates couldn’t resist roaring in heightened morale.

【Spell ‘Howl of Crimson Lightning’ has been activated. 】

【Calculating the user’s remaining mana.】

【Countdown. 273, 272, 271...】

“Follow me! We shall slaughter these bastards!”

A sharp and authoritative voice boomed in everyone’s ears. From the moment the countdown started, Roel immediately took the lead and charged forward. The first one to follow him was Jeff, who looked no different from a demon shrouded in the crimson aura.

“Kill ‘em!”

“Our last stand!”

In just two short seconds, all surviving crew realized what their current circumstances were and charged ahead too.

Under the effects of the army buff spell, their offensive and defensive prowess had been enhanced explosively, To them, this wasn’t just a fight for survival; it was a fight for vengeance too. The memories of their slaughtered friends and kin filled their chests with wrath, driving them with unprecedented motivation.

The injuries inflicted all over Jeff’s body began healing at a visible rate under the effects of the crimson aura. His axe swung down furiously on every single enemy who stood in the way of his frenzied charge, and it didn’t take long for him to arrive at the backlines of the sea creatures. By the time he finally rose to his feet once more, all of the Scalemen’s bodies had already lost their heads somewhere along the way, tumbling down to the deck with a ‘tok tok tok’ sound.

He wasn’t the only one going on a rampage here.

The other warriors on the frontline were charging forth like rampaging bulls too, and the magicians and archers on the backline were bombarding the enemies relentlessly with their magic bullets and arrows.

However, the one who stood out the most was none other than Roel. Cloaked in crimson lightning, he looked as if a god had descended upon the mortal world to bring divine retribution upon all life. He had an elemental attribute advantage against the sea creatures, such that any Scaleman who came into contact with him would be immediately reduced to cinders.

His army buff spell had turned the tides of the battle in an instant. Under the support of the overwhelmingly powerful buff, the shipmates swiftly regained control of the foredeck. They managed to reclaim the upper ground here, which made it much easier for them to knock down any Scalemen who dared to lunge at them.

In just two short minutes, almost all of the enemies on the deck were either injured or dead. In a single swoop, Roel, along with the shipmates, managed to recover most of the conquered territories, leaving them with much more room to maneuver than before.

Meanwhile, the dying Vice-Captain Laure was staring at Charlotte with envy in his eyes.

To think that there would be such prodigies in the world. No, it’s only right for the prodigies of our house to wield such capabilities!

Laure had a relieved yet bitter smile on his face.

The ships of the Golden Fleet had a central magic medium that was often described as the ‘Blood of the Ship’ known as the Golden Soul. Similar to how powerful magic tools were capable of selecting their own masters, the Golden Soul also had its own will too, which was why only those who bore the bloodline of the Sofyas could control it.

Nevertheless, it was still unprecedented for the Golden Soul to fancy a person so much. With the extent of its fondness for Charlotte, the ship would even move on its own accord to protect her!

In truth, there was no need for Charlotte to learn anything at all, because she was a born ruler of the Golden Fleet. Her orders would be carried out by the ships without fail!

“I never thought that someone other than Her Majesty would be able to reach such a level... Child, all you need to do is to listen to your heart. May Sia bless you.”

Leaving behind those words, Laure breathed his last. However, the expression on his face showed not despair but a contented smile.

“Rest in peace, Mister Vice-Captain.”

Charlotte bowed slightly as she quietly murmured a farewell to her fellow family member. By the time she raised her head once more, her eyes were already filled with killing intent.

“SS Saint Paul, high-frequency electric net.”

Under her solemn command, SS Saint Paul immediately released layers of golden sparks that swiftly enveloped the exterior of the ship. All it took was an instant for almost a thousand Scalemen lingering aboard the ship to be burned to a crisp before plummeting into the depths of the sea. The cries of monsters echoed loudly from below.

“It’s a success! The Vice-Captain succeeded!”

“Bless Sia, bless Sia!”

The familiar vibrations on the ship informed all of the shipmates that the reconstruction of the electric net was a success, and cheers filled the air. At the same time, Roel also heaved a sigh of relief too.

He began to rein in the crimson lightning he had dispersed earlier with a minute left on the timer of ‘Howl of Crimson Lightning’.

To be safe, both Roel and Charlotte had committed themselves to their own undertaking in order to save the ship, and neither of them ended up disappointing. This event reignited the morale of the crew.

It was then that an announcement was broadcast to the entire Golden Fleet.

“Flagship, over. Target 112, bearing 20. Bombard in 60 seconds.”

Roel was a little surprised by the broadcast, but the other shipmates were getting pumped up.

“Target 112, it’s that sea monster!”

“It’s time to determine the outcome of the battle.”

Hearing the shouts of the shipmates, Roel turned to look at the center of the fleet, where a sea monster was floundering furiously about after having its tentacles sliced off. Before Roel could take a proper look, the ship he was on had already started adjusting its position in preparation for the bombardment.

Wait a moment, are we going to participate in the bombardment too? Did Charlotte manage to learn so much in the last few minutes?

The other shipmates were exclaiming in astonishment too.

The swiftly turning ship created a powerful momentum that forced everyone onboard to grab onto something or risk being flung off. Jeff pulled Roel over to his side and shouted with a hearty guffaw.

“Hold on tightly, lad! It’s going to be a firework show!”

“Firework show?”

Roel blinked his eyes at the unfamiliar term, seemingly still struggling to grasp what was going on. Jeff simply continued smiling without explaining anything. A countdown had started on the broadcast system.

“Countdown to bombardment. 3, 2, 1... Fire!”

At the end of the countdown, a surge of massively destructive energy began to channel in the massive cannon installed at the ship’s bow. Roel could feel unimaginably powerful mana pulsations rippling beneath his feet, as if the rapid surge of a river after the rain was flowing past below him. Following that, a terrifying beam of light blasted forth with an unbelievable radiance that dimmed even the skyline.

Boom!

It was as if the entire sea had turned golden in a heartbeat. The sea monster had looked undefeatable in Roel’s eyes, but as the concentrated firepower coming from dozens of ships engulfed it, the sea monster let out a piercing shriek before being vaporized with everything in its vicinity.

Just like that, the legendary sea monster that had terrorized countless sailors was eradicated from the face of the world. This astounding sight sent a shock right to Roel’s soul, leaving him shaken for a long while.

“So, this is the power... of the Golden Fleet.”

Roel muttered in wonderment under his breath before joining the overjoyed crowd in celebrating their triumph.

—

Ship’s Terms Part III:

Foredeck: Refers to the edge of the ship’s bow, at the top of the hull. In this case, it’s like recapturing the wall, but on a ship.

Hull: The physical outer portions of the ship that sit in the water.