Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 365 - 364: Naval Battle

Su Lun and his two companions rode the assault boat, cutting through the waves and heading straight towards their destination, while the people aboard those three pirate ships from the North Sea Fleet also took notice.

The pirates crowded the deck, ready for a good laugh.

"Yo... has Barrett finally decided not to be stubborn and is coming to surrender?"

"He only brought two people with him, probably here to negotiate."

"Something’s wrong. Look at their warship, and that three-masted sailing ship at the nine o’clock direction that’s not flying any flags. Why does it seem like they are approaching us?"

"If they dare enter firing range, sink them. Hmph, blind as a bat, they deserve death if they die. The high-caliber cannons supported by the Mafa Empire will come in handy..."

"Do you sense any other stealth units?"

"Boss, no. Our sensing feedback confirmed it too, aside from Barrett, the other swordsman is fifth order, and the guy steering at the back is just fourth order."

"..."

On the deck of the pirate ship.

The pirates, gathered in groups, stood there joking and laughing.

The sixth-order Vice Fleet Commander ’Demon Hand’ Dorosel, along with several fifth-order squadron captains and fourth-order team leaders, watched the swiftly approaching assault boat with an air of ease, not regarding it as a serious threat.

No matter how one looked at it, the other party should be here to negotiate.

After all, with just three people, and without a seventh-order professional, any nefarious intentions would simply lead to a pointless death.

But as the assault boat drew closer, Dorosel started to feel an ominous premonition rising within him, for some reason.

Reaching the sixth order, his crisis detection ability was extraordinary.

He picked up the long telescope in his hands once more, squinting at that approaching assault boat, his gaze growing ever more solemn.

But he couldn’t pinpoint the source of his unease.

...

Aboard the assault boat, even the battle-hardened Barrett’s breathing grew slightly heavy.

The three pirate ships ahead exerted a deathly pressure on him, and the closer they got, the more the deck’s dense hostility felt like a mountain pressing down, making his scalp tingle.

After so many years in the military, he had never attempted such a crazy "tactic."

The highest commander charging straight into the enemy’s stronghold, with the legion behind?

But he didn’t question any further.

When he agreed to this tactic, he had already put his life out of his mind.

Su Lun was also not careless, knowing full well that the North Sea Fleet was the pinnacle of pirate strength. There were many high-level fourth and fifth-order warriors on the three ships, and they were not to be underestimated with over a thousand enemies. The situation could change in an instant, and he was still analyzing every possibility based on the current circumstances.

Qian led the way without speaking, her hand resting on her sword sheath, continuously charging her Sword Qi.

At this point, Su Lun also noticed that those pirates seemed to be somewhat alert. He said, "Get a bit closer, within a hundred meters would be best."

Listening to this, Barrett frowned and responded, "Dorosel might not let us get that close. The guy is a sixth-order professional, after all. He must have sensed something."

"Then we’ll raise a flag to negotiate."

Su Lun had a look of being prepared all along on his face.

As he spoke, he took out two small flags, signaling with them.

At sea, there was a universal flag signaling system for long-distance communication between ships.

Nearly every ship is fitted with a "Signal Officer."

Su Lun, having previously acquired this skill, wielded the small flags with extreme dexterity, signaling: We want to negotiate.

This move would also make the opposing pirates believe he was just a "minor character."

Su Lun never cared about being seen as an icon—minor character or big shot, it was all the same to him.

With a battle imminent, the more inconspicuous he was, the safer he would be.

Barrett watched his action, and the expression that flickered across his face was quickly concealed, thinking: He really did come prepared.

...

As expected.

Because of the negotiation flag signal that Su Lun sent, the cannons aimed at them did not open fire, and they smoothly closed in on the group of pirates.

The three pirate ships formed a ’品’ shape, surrounding the assault boat within.

The pirate underlings, not sensing the imminent danger, each gathered at the ship’s railing to enjoy the spectacle.

’Demon Hand’ Dorosel, though feeling uneasy, couldn’t imagine by any stretch that these three before him stood any chance of success.

Where did this sense of crisis come from?

Out of caution, he didn’t let Barrett board right away but instead spoke from a higher position, "Captain Barrett, what’s this? You’ve seen the light and want to have a talk?"

"..."

Barrett looked at the pirates, each with a mocking expression, with utter disdain in his heart.

He would rather die than submit to these pirates.

However, Barrett also knew he needed to buy some time for Su Lun behind him.

So he didn’t rush to express his stance.

At the stern of the boat, Su Lun appeared to be operating the engine, staying quiet as his "nobody." The invisible threads in his hands, however, had sunk into the sea below.

Dorosel was no fool; looking at Barrett’s subtle facial expressions, his suspicion in his eyes deepened.

Seeing this, a squadron captain nearby immediately caught on. He threw a pair of shackles over and said, "Barrett, since you want to negotiate, put on these ’magic-restraining handcuffs’ and come aboard to talk."

Barrett didn’t even look at the handcuffs, his face flushed with the fury of feeling insulted and retorted, "This is how the North Sea Fleet treats its guests? Ha, I came here to negotiate, Barrett is not a prisoner of war!"

He was stalling for time, since a fight was inevitable anyway.

While saying this, he also didn’t forget to mock, "Dorosel, such a big fleet commander you are, and that’s all the courage you’ve got? Haha..."

With those words, the atmosphere instantly became awkward.

Dorosel, with furrowed brows on hearing this, wasn’t upset because of the mockery but rather, the sense of unease within him grew stronger and stronger.

Yet he didn’t know where this unease stemmed from.

A one-armed "Ferocious Beast" Barrett was not worth such treatment.

But after all, with three squadrons and over a thousand subordinates watching, Dorotheus could not possibly show weakness.

Everyone was talking about negotiations, after all, the mighty Northern Sea Fleet wouldn’t possibly lack the courage to negotiate, right?

Just as he was about to call Barrett aboard...

Suddenly,

An unexpected situation arose!

These pirates were not all fools, there were various skilled individuals on the ship, and those with perceptive professions also keenly detected something was off in the sea.

At that moment, someone shouted loudly.

"Captain, something’s not right! There’s something in the sea!"

"It looks like a lot of big octopuses, and they’re heading towards us!"

"Damn it, we’ve been tricked! Open fire, kill them!"

"..."

The pirates on the three pirate ships immediately reacted.

In this situation, it would indeed be foolish if they still didn’t understand what was happening.

Upon hearing the news, "Demon Hand" Dorotheus’s face turned pale, and seeing the group of transparent shadows rapidly approaching the ships through the sea, he finally understood the source of the unease in his heart!

Barrett was only pretending to negotiate, in reality, he was planning a battle to the death!

Yet even at this moment, he still couldn’t understand, with over a thousand brothers, on what basis did the opposition dare to make a move?

...

The mechanical octopuses had a special light-absorbing coating on their surfaces, especially in the water, which made them look like transparent jelly, hard to detect with the naked eye.

Even if a "transparent octopus" were to be considered a new species, it wouldn’t be surprising in the bountiful Endless Sea.

Even if someone did discover them, they would likely be mistaken for a new species and not immediately thought of as a means of attack.

But the cluster approaching the ships was too evident and was discovered.

Su Lun listened to the pirates discovering the mechanical octopuses approaching in the water, his gaze suddenly became sharp.

But he was not the least bit surprised.

Having dragged on for so long was already perfect.

Since they had been discovered, there was no need to hide any longer...

Su Lun’s mouth curved into a sinister smile, his ten fingers clawed at the void, and he pulled out dozens of strands of thread. As soon as the kinetic system activated, the mechanical tentacles of the octopuses retracted and propelled forward, like pressurized springs being released, their speed increasing several-fold.

In the span of a few breaths, dozens of octopuses neared the bottoms of the three ships!

If any of the mechanical octopuses got a tentacle attached to the underside of a ship, the other tentacles could effortlessly wrap around it.

In just a moment, fifty mechanical octopuses had all climbed onto the three pirate ships, beginning their ship-sabotage operations.

"Boss, something doesn’t seem right!"

"Damn it, those octopuses are made of steel, and our muskets can’t affect them! Harpoons are useless too!"

"No good, those monsters are destroying our warships!"

"..."

The pirates quickly realized a terrifying fact.

They thought they were being attacked by sea monsters, only to find out they were "mechanical creatures" they had never heard of before.

This completely overturned their understanding.

Although they had been quick to notice and respond, mechanical octopuses, most of whose functions were designed for ship sabotage, were "ship-breaking tools." Once they were activated, there was simply no chance for human response.

Each ship had more than a dozen octopuses attached to it, and in an instant, the "crack" and "snap" of breaking wood was incessant.

The exaggerated twisting force of the mechanical tentacles and the ship-sabotaging equipment crushed the wrapped hulls into pieces in an instant.

Vast amounts of seawater poured into the cabins, and all three pirate ships began sinking rapidly almost simultaneously.

Even though a few fifth-order Pirate Squadron Captains reacted quickly and used Spatial Ability to sever some tentacles, they still couldn’t prevent the three ships from breaking apart and sinking into the sea.

The pirates screamed and fell into the water, each one in a sorry state.

"How... how could this happen..."

"Demon Hand" Dorotheus’s eyes were filled with disbelief.

He could never have imagined that just in one encounter, his three warships would be sunk right before his eyes!

At the same time, several dozen lifeboats were being lowered from that distant warship and the three-masted sailboat, and hundreds of people were rushing towards them.

"Damn it!"

The fleet commander’s face darkened, and with a powerful stomp, he charged towards the assault boats, shouting: "Kill them first!"

Intuition told Dorotheus that he had to kill the three individuals in front of him first, otherwise big trouble would ensue.

Moreover, he just realized that the "Signal Officer" he initially thought was insignificant seemed to be the real ringleader controlling these mechanical octopuses!

...

The group of pirates was caught off guard and was utterly astonished.

Similarly, Barrett was just as deeply shocked by the scene before him as those pirates!

"Mechanical octopuses?!"

Though he had anticipated Su Lun would solve the problem with some surprising method, he had not expected it to be this kind of method.

But looking at the mechanical tentacles boiling on the sea surface, he still couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Having been a high-ranking officer in Ruying, he was naturally aware of some cutting-edge technology.

Looking at these mechanical octopuses, he immediately guessed something.

"So he has already mastered neural-mechanical technology..."

Barrett’s heart was filled with deep amazement for a long time.

He actually did it... he sank three main battleships of the North Sea Fleet with just one encounter.

Moreover, what shocked him even more was yet to come!

...

"Demon Hand" Dorosel, after all a sixth-tier professional, charged towards the assault boat carrying Su Lun and two others as soon as he realized something was amiss.

Barrett had been keeping an eye on this guy. Seeing that disappearing figure, he suppressed his shock and urgently shouted in his heart, "He’s coming!"

From the previous battle, he had already experienced this person’s fearsomeness firsthand, with his Spatial Teleportation and "True Damage Demon Hand," undoubtedly a nightmare for any professional of the same class.

Not a hint of fear showed on Barrett’s face; he resolved himself that, even at the cost of his life, he would not let this man harm Su Lun!

However, before he could even move, he suddenly felt a domineering and heaven-piercing Sword Intent rise beside him.

Suddenly, it was as if he heard the sharp clang of a sword being drawn from its sheath beside his ear.

In that moment, thunderclouds suddenly rolled in the sky, and the sky darkened instantly. All of a sudden, a purple-red lightning bolt flashed from the dark clouds, striking the sea with a "crack," casting a sinister red glow on the faces of hundreds of people.

"Thundering Hell!"

A thousand faces showed fierce battle intent, their robes fluttering loudly due to the overpowering aura.

The Sword Qi that had been accumulating for so long burst forth like a dam breaking at the moment the "Demon Blade Sect Master" was drawn from its sheath.

After she drew her sword, the six-armed Rakshasa shadow behind her instantly solidified.

Another look revealed three barrels of thunder drums, drawing countless lightning serpents from the sky, converging at the tip of the blade and sharply slashing down, "One Blade Style · Fleet Wind Battleship!"

A "whoosh" of sword Qi burst forth, tearing through the sky.

At such a close distance, Barrett felt the impact most deeply, instantly experiencing a hair-raising sense of impending death.

Even though the sword Qi wasn’t directed at him, he felt as if countless sharp blades were grazing over his body, a sensation of steel scraping against bone.

"Is this her Sword Dao... such a tyrannical thunderous Sword Intent."

Barrett could no longer describe the shock in his heart.

The Sword Intent previously emitted on the ship was not even one-thousandth of what it was now!

He had never seen a fifth-tier Sword Saint with such a dominant and terrifying Sword Intent before.

Moreover, it wasn’t just the exaggerated realm of her Sword Dao. Barrett looked at the second form of the Rakshasa Woman’s shadow behind her; that was the rarest part.

"Second form, [Rakshasa Woman], a demonically talented nature..."

A myriad of thoughts flashed through Barrett’s mind in an instant.

In his life, he had seen too many geniuses in Ruying; he himself had also grown up bearing the halo of a "prodigy." Yet, looking at the person before him, he felt like he was truly witnessing an "outstanding prodigy."

And that blade, filled with monstrous demonic energy... was clearly no ordinary item.

All of it...

Far exceeded Barrett’s earlier expectations.

He had already held the "Squadron Captain Thousand" in high regard, overestimating the "Dawn Squadron," but now he realized he had still underestimated them by far too much.

No wonder they dared to clash head-on, even though they clearly knew this was a vice captain of the Northern Seas Fleet.

It turns out they truly possessed the strength to clash!

...

With a single slash, Qian Tiao unleashed a thunderous Sword Qi, cutting through the air from dozens of meters away, and suddenly a figure hidden in the void was forced out in a sorry state.

Dorosel, the "Demon Hand," evaded the deadly Sword Qi, but no one dared to block it. It tore through the air, covering a hundred meters in the blink of an eye, and turned those squadron captains’ half-destroyed warship into splinters.

Now, everyone was soaked in the sea.

Not everyone knew how to "Stepping on Air" or had gear to move in the sea...

With the warship destroyed, the combat power of these over a thousand people was instantly reduced by eighty percent.

Dorosel, the "Demon Hand," looked on with a gloom so dense it seemed about to drip water. Only then did he realize that the "Fifth Order" he had not taken seriously was actually a "Sword Saint" with such domineering mastery over the Sword Dao. But the deed was done, and there was no room for regret as he charged again.

Qian Tiao was not to be outdone and leaped from the assault boat.

"Pop," "pop," "pop,"... After a series of explosions, she fearlessly faced the pirate boss who was a whole major rank above her.

Since she knew about the guy’s abilities in advance, Qian Tiao didn’t foolishly clash head-on but slashed from a distance with several cuts of Sword Qi. Although a Sixth Order professional was strong, they had not yet formed their own domain and were quite wary of the Sword Qi.

But Dorosel had mastered Spatial Ability, with flexible Teleportation, so the Sword Qi could not achieve success in such a short time.

Seeing this, Captain Barrett would not just stand by and watch.

He exchanged a glance with Su Lun, asking if they should offer help.

Su Lun shook his head.

Seeing that, Barrett didn’t hesitate any longer and charged fiercely into the fray.

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Although he admitted that the several dozen mechanical octopuses were astonishingly impressive, he didn’t believe that Su Lun could withstand those over a thousand pirates by himself. After all, many of those pirates were Fourth and Fifth Order professionals, and what was more critical, nearly everyone in the fleet had Spatial Ability. Mechanical gadgets could dominate momentarily but definitely could not completely suppress these people.

If it had been before, Barrett might have had doubts, thinking it impossible.

But now, he had absolute trust in Su Lun!

He had a hunch that this person would bring even greater surprises.

...

As planned, as long as they could hold off the Sixth Order "Demon Hand" Dorosel, Su Lun’s own survival ability was not to be underestimated.

The lives of the "Judgment Group" were at stake, so Barrett naturally went all out. Qian Tiao wouldn’t let Su Lun fall into danger, and even if she were in a perilous situation herself, she wouldn’t let that guy get close to Su Lun.

Dorosel was embroiled with two experts and couldn’t take care of himself.

Su Lun also breathed a sigh of relief watching this.

Looking at those over a thousand people in the water, his hands forming sorcerer’s seals were moving rapidly.

Those pirate squadron captains and team leaders naturally saw him too, and a group with wings were already flying towards him.

A cold light shone in Su Lun’s eyes as he murmured, "It’s my turn to perform now..."

A Fleet from the Void?

In Su Lun’s eyes, as long as they were the enemy, they were just experience points!

As Qian Tiao and the others were engaging the enemy commander, Su Lun felt that it was finally time to go all out. His sorcerer’s seals condensed, and the ferocious form of the eight-armed spider lance appeared behind him.

When the sorcerer’s seals changed once more, the Hexagram Alchemy Array lit up beneath his feet, and a huge cross, a hundred meters in diameter, slowly formed above his head.

"Mystic Art: Puppet Theater!"

He casually tossed out five scrolls, and "Bang" "Bang" "Bang"... a burst of white smoke exploded, suspending five hundred rune puppets out of thin air. The spider lance behind him pulled, and one by one, the puppets with painted blush and eerie smiles on their faces seemed to come to life, emitting "click" "click" sounds from their gnashing mouths as they charged toward the multitude.

A glance revealed that in his left hand, he held the "Human Skin Umbrella," and in his right hand was "Xiupunos’s Scythe of the Night."

It had to be said, Spatial Ability was a natural counter to mechanical equipment.

Even mechanical octopuses with high-order runic patterns couldn’t withstand several slashes from fourth and fifth-order professionals, leaving tentacles scattered everywhere.

The "Void Fleet" wasn’t just filled with spatial professionals; they also possessed cursed items imbued with Spatial Ability. The weapons capable of slicing through space were the real trouble. Even a small cut could be fatally damaging to mechanical products.

Su Lun was not willing to see his hard-earned fifty mechanical beasts destroyed by these people.

The battle losses had already pained him greatly,

Fortunately, the mission of the mechanical octopuses was complete, and Su Lun had sunk them into the water, waiting for the right moment to act.

Now was the time for the rune puppets to take the main stage.

Puppets weren’t afraid of being destroyed.

Let them be destroyed, painless and itchless, after all, there were plenty of reserves.

Su Lun, single-handedly controlling five hundred puppets, engaged in various combat on the sea.

Not all members of the pirate group were fourth or fifth-order leaders, and even within the North Sea Fleet, more than 80% were first and second-order professionals.

Although these fellows had awakened some Spatial Ability, which could be incredibly sharp against other professionals, when facing puppets...

Go ahead and destroy them if you wish.

Your blade might be sharp, but do I, a puppet of wood, fear being cut?

The suicidal charges of the puppets sent pirates scattering in all directions.

Of course, the most lethal was Su Lun himself.

At the moment, he held the black scythe, and the shadow of the reaper rose behind him.

The sea was littered with people like dumplings in water, on broken pieces of shipwrecks, barrels...

With a few swishes of Su Lun’s black scythe, he didn’t even need to aim to hit several enemies.

Although the black scythe had a lower chance of hitting higher-order professionals, it gave almost no time for lower-order professionals to react.

More often than not, a single slash would send limbs flying haphazardly, and blood spurting everywhere.

Once the corpses multiplied, the blood soon stained the entire sea red...

Meanwhile, Su Lun himself wasn’t just standing by; looking at the "gray fog" over the sea, he rushed over and began a harvesting spree.

"You have stripped ’Akhmum Red’ of his soul."

"You have gained some casting skills of ’Space Spell,’ experience +13."

"You have gained a slight understanding of Space Law."

"..."

"You have stripped ’Ogar Kingsley’ of his soul."

"You have stripped ’Siyam Bali’ of his soul."

"You have stripped ’Mick Tyson’ of his soul."

"..."

Experience +18, experience +9, experience +131, experience +12, experience +41...

These lower-order pirates, relying on the integration of spatial implants, had some understanding of Space Law, albeit slight, but in large numbers!

Even if there were overlaps later in the harvest, in a short time, Su Lun visibly saw his "Space Law" comprehension skyrocket.

As for those fourth and fifth-order pirates who wanted to gang up on him?

Within the "Puppet Theater," Su Lun’s combat capabilities were extraordinary.

Even if he couldn’t beat them, he could run.

Su Lun’s Spatial Ability was no less than that of any Pirate Squadron Captain here.

His ability to save himself was incredibly strong.

Moreover, not far away, people from the "Dawn Group" and the "Judgment Group" were fiercely approaching on speedboats.

....

The battle reached its climax the moment the mechanical octopuses destroyed three warships.

With the ships destroyed, there was no chance of escape; the battle for survival had both sides fighting with desperation and fierceness.

Not far away, Qian Tiao and Captain Barrett were fiercely locked in combat with "Demon Hand" Dulosel.

As both sides fought desperately, the battle was intense and indecisive.

Dulosel, a professional from the "Fighter" class, excelled in close combat. Whether it was his cursed glove or the "Void Ghost Hand" implant that he had fused with, both matched his profession perfectly. His punches could shatter the void, ignoring armor and elemental shields, and they absolutely made his opponents question their life choices. Find your next read on novelbuddy

Dulosel was confident, believing he had a chance to triumph even against two opponents. But frustratingly, they didn’t engage him directly, making his punches feel like they hit cotton, unable to exert his true strength.

Dulosel vaguely sensed that they were dragging out time, but he didn’t understand why they would do such a thing.

Was there reinforcement coming?

Despite the ship being destroyed, Dulosel wasn’t particularly panicky.

After all, he possessed Spatial Displacement ability; if he really wanted to escape, no one could prevent him!

If he found a chance to kill the two who were ensnaring him, he could turn the tables!

However, little did he realize that Su Lun was precisely waiting for the enemy to have this "I can turn the tables" mentality...

If "Demon Hand" Dulosel chose to flee at the first chance, Su Lun would indeed be helpless against him.

But he decided to stay, awaiting an opportunity for Su Lun to free up his hands.

Then, the outcome, most likely, would not be as "free to come and go" as he had anticipated.