Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 626 - 368: Crushing Overwhelming Force

As Kavier gave the order, the fleet leaned over and accelerated, barrels of petroleum rolled out of the hatch, and the sailors swiftly unsealed them, lit the fuses, and poured them out.

The hot oil slicked across the waves, and thick smoke rose from the sea, spreading towards the direction of the dock with a pungent smell.

The sails vibrated under the taut ropes, and the wooden hull emitted a low creaking sound within the tidal waves.

Every ship was advancing at maximum speed, with crew pulling ropes and adjusting sails with the wind.

This was the top speed of the old Northern Sea sailing ships, devoid of advanced technology but still fast like a strong gust in the hands of seasoned sailors.

Successive horn sounds rose from the deck, and the semaphore signals of the various ships simultaneously switched.

The two flank escort ships began to glide from behind the thick smoke, forming a pincer formation under the cover of the smoke and the current.

Kavier stood atop the foredeck, hands gripping the railing, his eyes never leaving the merchant ship Dawn.

Magic Explosion Bullets loaded; he bent down to confirm the angle, relying solely on experience to judge angle and wind direction, not instruments.

With a low rumble, the cannon muzzle spat white flame, the cannonball sliced through the smoke screen, hitting the bow of Dawn with precision.

The blast shook the sea’s surface into undulations, almost knocking one over.

But when the smoke cleared, Kavier saw those ships firmly anchored, with only a few shallow dents on the ship sides.

That was armor made of thick Northern Territory oak and Cold Iron, with a surface alchemy coating to scatter the impact.

"How is this possible..." he cursed softly.

The cannonballs were almost ineffective against the opponent’s hulls, while the fleet of Dawn didn’t even flutter a sail.

Their cannons and technology were provided by the Ashen Trade Company, considered the world’s forefront, though limited in range and relying solely on experience to estimate distance and calibrate wind direction.

It was enough against regular merchant ships or coastal defenses, but against these modified warships of Dawn, it was hopelessly inadequate.

Several artillery crew members exchanged bewildered glances, even delaying their reloading actions.

"Continue! Keep loading! Don’t stop!" Kavier suppressed his anger, waving his hand forcefully.

His heart pounded violently in his chest, gripping the railing tightly, staring at the hit areas, his gaze growing darker by the moment.

Yet the subsequent shots left only superficial marks on Dawn’s hull, not even tearing off chips.

One could see clearly that the outer layer of those hulls shimmered with a faint golden coating, seemingly absorbing all the shocks.

Kavier began to feel a chill that ran up his spine to the back of his neck.

This meant that even if this planned attack succeeded, his plan could not possibly succeed.

For the first time, he felt a strange sensation, as if he were not the Hunter, but the prey caught in a trap.

Dawn’s fleet lined solid as mountains, their sails taut, the hulls unmoved within the currents.

At this moment, on the other side, Louis stood at the command post, gripping a telescope tightly.

Beside him, the flags whipped in the wind; he watched his own fleet lined up steadily, a satisfied smile on his lips.

Dawn’s ships resembled fortress-like walls, the coatings reflecting a dim light; each cannonball that landed left only superficial marks on the hull.

He was exceedingly pleased with the ships’ defensive performance, a testament to the immense resources invested to create vessels surpassing this era.

"Excellent." Louis lowered the telescope and gave a quiet order to Eliot standing beside him, "Fire."

The officer immediately raised the command flag, shifting the fleet into a full salvo formation.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The roar erupted instantly, with Dawn fleet’s Magic Explosion Bullets firing in unison.

At this moment, the entire bay lit up with white light, the firelight tearing the sky like lightning.

Dawn’s Magic Explosion Bullets, though petite in size, could dive underwater a few moments after impact and then explode, sending shock waves straight through the hull’s bottom.

Kavier watched helplessly as two flank ships on the left wing were hit in succession, the hulls were lifted, masts broken, decks fractured, and sailors blown into the sea.

Immediately following, four black sail ships were hit by fire, flames surged from the holds, licking up the masts.

The explosion sounds were continuous, the entire night sea seemed to tremble. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Dawn’s fleet stood firm as mountain ridges, their firing rhythm unbroken, each salvo precisely hitting vital points, the impact points nearly overlapping.

This was naturally Hillcot-made sea-special Magic Explosion Bullets, their casing cast in rune iron, internally packed with Alchemy Explosion Accelerator and Magic Crystal catalysts, creating a cavitation effect underwater, enough to rip the keel. Struck ships couldn’t withstand ten breaths before capsizing.

"Damn it! What is this!" Kavier’s adjutant shouted, but the voice was almost swallowed by the thunderous noise.

The pirate fleet utterly fell into chaos. The left-wing fires rolled over the sea, flames bent by the tides, lifted by the wind.

Each salvo would see a few more ships hit, the explosion’s light reflecting on the sea like blossoming red flowers on the water.

Kavier gripped the railing tightly, fingers white. His ears buzzed, heart pounding violently in his chest.

The intensity of firepower and precision was something he had never seen nor imagined during his decades of sailing the seas.

"Bank right, break through from the outer wing!" he ordered in a trembling voice.

The escort ships immediately adjusted their course, but just then, another round of Magic Explosion Bullets landed.

In front of Kavier’s eyes, two ships were shattered into halves, debris flying, fire waves raising water mist.

Voices, explosions, and the cracking of wood blended together, as if the entire sea were moaning.

"Break through!" Kavier shouted hoarsely.

He knew this battle was irretrievable.