Nidhogg, clad in his Carian Knight armor, stood on the battleship Liurnia of the Lakes. It was perfectly fitting.
However, the battleship that had appeared like a hero now also faced a dangerous situation, surrounded by numerous galleass warships within the thick sea fog.
The Kushans shouted loudly—Nidhogg didn't understand their language, but he understood their actions.
The cannons of the galleass warships were aimed at the uninvited guest.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!
The roar of artillery thundered. Cannonballs smashed into the Liurnia of the Lakes!
Nidhogg stood at the bow, unfazed. He swung his raised right hand down. A group of mages from the Magic Academy who had followed him immediately cast magic, combining their spells into a magical shield!
This dark blue magical shield enveloped the entire Liurnia of the Lakes. All the cannonballs exploded upon hitting the shield, but they could not penetrate or damage the interior.
The Kushans had never seen this situation before. They stared at each other in a daze for a while.
The galleass warships' artillery salvo ended. While the Kushans were reloading, Nidhogg ordered a counterattack!
The Liurnia of the Lakes opened fire. Cannonballs were launched one after another!
At the same time, the Ys naval warships under Nordic's command also opened fire together, cooperating with the Liurnia of the Lakes. They immediately sank three galleass warships.
One galleass warship bravely rammed into the Liurnia of the Lakes, trying to destroy the magical shield and collide with the ship.
CRASH—!
It hit the magical shield and shattered its own bow, but for a time, it couldn't break through the shield.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!
Several other galleass warships fired simultaneously, unleashing a salvo at the magical shield. Cannonballs rained down intensely. Explosions erupted. The magical shield finally showed cracks. It clearly couldn't hold much longer.
Although the Liurnia of the Lakes and the Sea Horse returned fire, they couldn't stop the shield's destruction.
The mages still needed to adapt at this moment. They couldn't repair the magical shield in time.
At that moment, Nidhogg made his move.
He raised his jagged, ugly Grafted Blade Greatsword. He aimed directly at the galleass warship that had rammed the magical shield earlier. An immense blue light shot from the tip of his sword!
BOOM—!
A Star Shower, several times more powerful than ordinary cannonballs, was like a pillar of destructive light. It instantly pierced the keel of the galleass warship, causing it to snap in two!
Everyone watched as the galleass warship capsized. The Kushans on board fell into the sea!
Before the Kushans could fully react, a second Star Shower erupted from Nidhogg's Grafted Blade Greatsword. With another BOOM!, it sank a second galleass warship in the same manner!
This time, the Kushans reacted. Having two warships destroyed so quickly by demonic magic, without even a gap to reach their hulls, caused a wave of fear among them.
Unlike their usual invincibility, they realized that this time, they might have kicked a hornet's nest.
At the same time, the mages on the Liurnia of the Lakes finished their brief rest. Now they used their magic again.
They quickly repaired the magical shield enveloping the Liurnia of the Lakes, enough to withstand another wave of artillery fire from the galleass warships!
This made things even more difficult for the Kushans!
However, there was no good news for the defenders either. The crocodile soldiers had seized the opportunity to dive into the sea and swim towards the Liurnia of the Lakes.
Although many of them were dragged to the seabed by the troublesome mermaids, most crossed under the magical shield from the seabed and climbed aboard the Liurnia of the Lakes!
But on the Liurnia of the Lakes, there weren't just mages from the Magic Academy. There were also soldiers, a mix of knights and soldiers, such as those from Caria in the Junction, and surrendered soldiers from Godrick's and the Cuckoo forces.
This group of soldiers had a unified name—the Junction Army. This name was used by the many forces within the Roundtable Hold.
Facing the crocodile soldiers who had boarded the ship and were armed with spears, this became a comfort zone for this group of Junction soldiers. They swung their swords and hacked away, just like enemies climbing over the wall during a siege!
The soldiers at the Junction weren't even particularly afraid of this group of crocodile soldiers. After all, the enemies they fought every day at the Junction were flying dragons, land dragons, giants, and the like. Crocodile soldiers were considered child's play.
Suddenly, one after another, the crocodile soldiers were cut down by swords and fell into the sea. The mermaids found the opportunity to drag the heavily wounded crocodile soldiers to the seabed.
ROAR—!
At that moment, following some silent command, the sea monster Makara erupted in fury. First, it crushed a merchant ship. Then it headed straight for the Liurnia of the Lakes!
The soldiers and mages at the Junction panicked a little. Their swords, shields, and magical shields couldn't stop this fierce beast!
Nidhogg immediately stepped off the bow of the ship and leaped towards the approaching sea monster Makara!
The sea monster Makara opened its bloody maw, revealing its sharp fangs, and bit at Nidhogg, who, in comparison, looked like a bird!
Nidhogg used Lion's Claw, fiercely severing several thick, sharp fangs from the sea monster Makara. Then, mocking it, he stepped onto the monster's flesh and leaped onto its head!
The Grafted Blade Greatsword, with a sharp SCHLICK!, sank deep into the thick flesh of the sea monster Makara!
Moving swiftly forward, Nidhogg effortlessly and continuously tore into the sea monster Makara, leaving a deep, long bloody gash on its head!
The sea monster Makara roared in pain, thrashing its body energetically, trying to throw Nidhogg off!
Nidhogg gave it no chance. He quickly raised the Grafted Blade Greatsword. The bloody wound on the sea monster Makara suddenly burst open completely, exposing the fat and flesh inside!
FWOOSH—!
Nidhogg transformed into the grotesque dragon head before him. A huge cloud of Agheel's Flame erupted from it, continuously burning the fat and flesh. The flames shot into the sky!
In intense pain, the sea monster Makara went completely mad. It no longer heeded anyone's control. It rammed into the galleass warships, regardless of friend or foe.
FWOOSH—!
The pain made it plunge its head into the sea. The flames on its body were finally temporarily extinguished. It didn't dare return to the surface and swam towards the bottom with a roar. But at the same time, it was surrounded by the mermaids.
The mermaids' songs also rang out loudly in the sea, once again disturbing the sea monster Makara's mind. It made it curl up, stretch out, and struggle like a bug in the deep sea!
Nidhogg swam towards it. The Grafted Blade Greatsword traced a half-arc in the sea water. The blade stabbed into the thick flesh of the sea monster Makara. For a time, it was unimpeded!
He even plunged the sword straight into the monster's body!
After a while, the sea monster finally calmed down. It moved no more. Its eyes were vacant. Its heavy corpse sank to the seabed.
Nidhogg, covered in blood, emerged from the flesh and blood of the sea monster. He nodded to the mermaids and surfaced again.