Chapter 872: Battle At Sea [Part 1]

เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 มี.ค. 2569 08:00

Thirteen had always wondered why the High-Rank Aquatic-Type Jinns didn’t usually leave their respective territories and attack the nearby continents. While there were cases of low-ranking monsters attacking ships happening, they were easily handled by the Wanderers stationed inside the ship. This made the teenage boy ponder if The One had set some kind of rule that forbade the High-Ranking Monsters from going past a certain distance from the territory they had conquered. This rule also applied to Flying Jinns, who could easily travel over long distances. The man-made island of the Dvalinn Federation was a perfect example of this. It should have already been destroyed by the Jinns who could live in the sea and travel through the air. But that didn’t happen yet. ’Maybe I should ask this to Laplace Demon when I see him next time,’ Thirteen thought. ’If I know the condition why they can’t leave their respective territories, I might be able to emulate it.’ While there were still Jinns that could venture far out into the sea, they were typically Rank 1 and Rank 2 Monsters at most. Unless there were hundreds of them, they really didn’t pose much threat against the ships that venture out into the sea. All ships had a group of Mercenaries or hired Wanderers to protect them, ensuring a safe travel at sea. ’Well, with the current manpower and firepower at our disposal, we can easily deal with any attacks from those monsters,’ Thirteen thought. ’I hope we get to see some action. That will be good training for my soldiers.’ It would take them nearly two weeks to reach the Cygni Continent with their current speed, so he hoped that there would be a good opportunity for something to happen along the way. Three days later… ’Still nothing huh?’ Thirteen mused. ’I guess I can’t let the soldiers stay idle. Time for them to do some light exercises.’ "Cristopher, Colbert, take the soldiers on a scouting mission in the air," Thirteen ordered. "One group will stay on the ship to guard it, while the second one will do the scouting. Swap places with each other every two hours." ""Yes, Sir!"" "Hugo, you will go with Cristopher and join his team. You have already practiced flying with your Gyrfalcon, yes?" "Yes, Sir!" "How about mounted combat using Night Wolves?" "The Squad Captains regularly train all of us in both aerial and land combat." Thirteen nodded in satisfaction because the Squad Captains performed their roles well even in his absence. Half an hour later, Cristopher’s Roc, whom he named Grey, took off to the skies. Following behind him was Hugo and over ninety-soldiers, who were chosen to do the scouting missions in the air. Thirteen had given them permission to hunt any aquatic Jinns they come across during their mission. Since he didn’t want his soldiers to remain idle during their travel at sea, he wanted them to use this opportunity to practice riding on their mounts for the battles that they would face in the future. Aiden, who noticed the commotion, didn’t say anything or ask his soldiers to do the same. Unlike Zion, he liked to keep his soldiers at the ready in case of any emergencies. Two more days passed, and everyone had already gotten used to seeing nothing but water as far as their eyes could see. But today, it was going to be different. According to the satellite data, they would be passing through a storm at sea, which might make things a bit rough. Nevertheless, the ships of the military, as well as the supply ships, were designed to withstand extreme weather conditions, including storms and turbulent waves. Thirteen saw the route of the storm and pondered for a bit before using Athena to take a closer look at the scene from the sky. A moment later, a faint smile appeared on Thirteen’s face as he had seen something quite surprising. "Cristopher, Colbert, tell our men to get ready for a night battle," Thirteen ordered. "A storm will be hitting us by nightfall, and there is a chance that we are in the path of a monster stampede." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮 Cristopher and Colbert nodded, not questioning their Commander’s decision. Even if the teenage boy said that the sun would be rising from the west, the two young men wouldn’t bat an eye and believe his words as the truth. "Sir, should we inform the 60th Battalion of the Monster Stampede?" asked the Operator who was in charge of communication between the 60th and the 69th Battalion. "No," Thirteen replied. "Even if you tell them, they won’t believe it and even ask us for proof. Just let them be." The Operator nodded in understanding and simply waited for his next orders. What the teenage boy said was true. If he were to say that they might be in the path of a Monster Stampede without giving any proof, the 60th Battalion would just think he was just messing with them. Only the 69th Battalion had absolute faith in Thirteen’s orders, taking all of his words and orders seriously. A few hours later, just as the sun was about to set in the horizon, dark clouds gathered in the distance. Soon, these dark clouds spread over a wide area, and the skies were illuminated with flashes of lightning. The roar of thunder echoed in the heavens like a roaring lion, as if telling others that they were entering his territory. Aiden, who was seated on the command center of his destroyer, was telling everyone to prepare for the upcoming storm. However, the operator responsible for monitoring the radar suddenly saw a few blinking lights that were headed in their direction. At first, he didn’t panic, but seeing the numbers grow with every passing second, he immediately reported the situation to his Aiden. "Commander, you need to see this now!" the Operator almost shouted. Aiden didn’t hesitate and checked the radar to see what was happening. "What am I seeing now, Soldier?" Aiden asked as his gaze focused on the countless blinking dots that were still miles away from their location. Sir, we’ve got multiple unknowns—massive, moving fast. Too many to count," the Operator replied. "At first, I thought it was just sensor interference, but these signatures are real. And they’re closing in—straight for us." "Are they vessels?" Aiden inquired. "Aircraft, ships, a damned tsunami?" "No, Sir," the Operator replied. "They seem to be living creatures." A brief silence fell over the bridge as everyone listened to the Operator and Aiden’s discussion. "Battle Stations!" Aiden immediately ordered. The sound of sirens spread across the surroundings as everyone was informed about their impending collision with a monster stampede in the middle of the ocean. "Connect me with the 69th Battalion," Aiden ordered. "Yes, Sir!" the Operator replied. A moment later, Zion’s projection appeared at the command station. "We are about to face a monster stampede from the front," Aiden said. "Be prepared to protect the Supply Ships. My soldiers and I will focus on eliminating the enemies at the front." "Understood." Thirteen nodded. "Take note they are being led by a Rank 5 Sovereign. The monster is called the Bladed Bull Shark. Be careful out there." After saying what he needed to say, Thirteen ended the conversation, leaving Aiden and his crew looking at each other. ’How did he know that the leader of that monster Stampede is a Bladed Bull Shark?’ Aiden thought. ’And what is a Rank 5 Sovereign doing this far out at sea? I never heard of something like this happening in the past.’ However, he had no time to dwell on these things because he still needed to command his soldiers, who were now scrambling to their designated battle stations to prepare for a confrontation with the monster army.

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