Chapter 176
Thud, thud, thud!
The ghost ship was approaching the boat.
The terrified knight stumbled backward. The fog had spread thickly beneath his feet.
Seeing the ghost ship, the knight flailed around in fear.
Just then, a hand holding a dagger emerged from the shadows.
Shhhk!
The dagger severed the knight's Achilles tendon and disappeared.
Blood spurted from the knight's ankle.
"Kyaaaak! Ghost! A ghost attack!"
The Imperial knight screamed as he crawled on the ground.
Alarmed by his cries, the other knights waiting below deck rushed out.
"This is insane, what a ghost ship on the river..."
The knights who climbed onto the deck, grumbling, were terrified at the sight of the ghost ship emerging from the fog.
"I-it's really a ghost ship!"
Suddenly, monsters leaped onto the deck. The bewildered knights, unable to even draw their swords properly, were helpless against the monsters' attacks.
"Uwaaaak!"
Overwhelmed by the attacks of ghosts and monsters, the knights fell into the river.
The confused Imperial knights died in an instant, bleeding profusely.
***
'What a sight.'
Zeke, concealed with his stealth skill, was watching everything happening on the boat.
The knight, caught in an illusion due to Bisco's bloodline ability, shouted about seeing a ghost ship, and the other knights who came up to the deck also fell under the illusion of seeing a non-existent ghost ship.
'Is this a group illusion?'
Amidst the panicked knights, Zeke summoned Dragon Tooth Soldiers.
The Imperial knights, under the illusion, perceived the Dragon Tooth Soldiers as monsters and ghosts from the ghost ship.
Terrified, the knights collapsed without putting up a proper fight, and Zeke was able to easily seize the boat.
'Bisco's bloodline ability. If used well, it can be utilized in many ways.'
As the Dragon Tooth Soldiers finished off all the knights on the boat, Bisco, who was hiding, revealed himself.
"Oh my..."
Bisco looked dumbfounded at the horrifying scene created by his own bloodline ability.
Zeke, releasing his stealth and revealing himself, approached Bisco.
"Why are you so surprised?"
Bisco, wiping cold sweat, said,
"This is the first time I've used my illusion ability like this... I never expected it to have such an effect."
Zeke had given Bisco magic scrolls that created fog and an amplifier, instructing him to spread his blood along with the fog.
Bisco's blood, spreading with the fog, caused a mass illusion, triggering a massive chain reaction.
"One of the scariest things in group combat is illusion magic. Moreover, your ability is a bloodline ability, so it can't be traced with magic. Bisco, have confidence in your rare talent."
After his ability changed from explosive power to illusion power, Bisco was treated like trash in the lab and almost disposed of.
He felt deep gratitude and awe towards Zeke, who acknowledged his power.
'This is my true master.'
Leaving behind Bisco, who was sending him an almost burdensome grateful gaze, Zeke moved to the deck and disposed of the corpses using the power of decay. Then he summoned Nahuel.
Roar!
He then had Nahuel pull the boat and proceeded upstream.
To ensure Boris and Dario could escape safely, he needed to create a significant distraction.
Zeke said to Bisco,
"Bisco, after seeing the power of your ability, I've changed my mind. Instead of just luring them, let's wipe them out."
"Pardon? Just the two of us?"
Bisco gulped at Zeke's words.
***
The Boltro River, which horizontally traverses the Central Continent, boasts the longest length in the region.
Flowing through the Rom Empire and reaching Midland, the Boltro River widens and its current strengthens as it goes upstream, making it difficult to cross with small boats.
Dozens of warships were deployed upstream of the Boltro River.
The Siemens flag, depicting two intertwined snakes, fluttered in the wind among the ships.
On the boats were Siemens' private soldiers and knights wearing armor with scorpion emblems – the Cheongal Palace Knights.
Just then, someone appeared on the deck.
A knight with a goatee, fully armed with rare items. It was Calito Luciano, the vice-commander of the Cheongal Palace Knights.
Calito's skills as a knight were average, and his clan background was insignificant.
The reason he was able to rise to the position of vice-commander of the Cheongal Palace Knights, one of the Empire's 13 Legions, was that he was the only one who could control the commander, Gillian.
Moreover, Gillian, the commander of the Cheongal Palace Knights, was a typical warrior with little interest in external affairs.
Instead of the commander, Calito handled most of the internal and external matters of the Knights, so he could be considered the de facto leader of the unit.
Calito took a puff of his cigar and exhaled a long plume of smoke.
Beside him stood a man with a chubby face and glasses, wearing a black suit.
The man with thick glasses was sweating profusely and fidgeting in front of Calito.
Calito, who had finished his thick cigar in a few puffs, said to the man in the suit,
"Six said he took care of Dario and the Red Eye remnants. Why did you call me all the way here?"
The man in the suit replied to Calito,
"W-well, I heard the Siemens clan contacted the elders directly. They ordered us not to let our guard down and maintain a tight defense, as another force besides Red Eye might be involved."
Calito's eyes sharpened at those words.
"Am I in a position to follow orders just because the clan says so?"
As Calito expressed his displeasure, the man in the suit shook his head with a troubled expression.
"Th-that's absurd. The elders will surely compensate you appropriately, Sir Calito."
Calito glared at the man with his bulging eyes and snorted.
"Of course they should."
Calito was an exceptionally eloquent and politically astute individual. He had cleverly used Gillian, a typical simple-minded warrior, as the figurehead commander, while subtly utilizing the Nostra clan's power to control the Cheongal Palace Knights from behind the scenes.
Calito and the Nostra clan were in a precarious codependent relationship, holding each other's weaknesses and engaging in subtle power struggles.
Therefore, despite his complaints, Calito found it difficult to refuse the clan's requests.
He took out a new cigar, put it in his mouth, and frowned.
'Annoying old geezers. One day, I'll sweep them all away and swallow the Nostra clan whole.'
Just then, the sky suddenly darkened, and a thick fog began to spread around them.
As the dense fog enveloped the ships, Calito felt an ominous premonition.
He asked the man in the suit,
"You said the Siemens clan mentioned something earlier. What did they mean by another force besides Red Eye being involved?"
The man in the suit, with a troubled expression, remained silent.
Calito grabbed the man by the collar.
"Tell me properly!"
At his shout, the man finally spoke.
"D-Draker. They said Draker might be involved."
Calito looked bewildered.
"Draker kidnapped Dario? Why?"
The man in the suit shook his head and replied,
"I-I don't know the details. The information from the Siemens clan was quite vague..."
Calito threw the man aside and broke into a cold sweat as he watched the thickening fog.
'This is bad. This is bad.'
Calito had an excellent instinct for grasping situations and sensing danger. His exceptional eloquence and political sense stemmed from this instinct.
The vampire gang, Red Eye, was no match for Draker.
Even if the information was inaccurate, if Draker was truly involved, getting caught up in this could jeopardize everything he had built.
Calito urgently looked for his adjutant.
That's when it happened.
"Ghost ship! A ghost ship is approaching!"
At the sudden voice, both Calito and the man in the suit were startled and looked beyond the fog.
A blurry shadow gradually became clearer, and indeed, an old ship began to approach.
Both Calito and the man in the suit gaped.
"A-a ghost ship?"
An ordinary person would have panicked, but Calito was quick-witted.
'A ghost ship going upstream? That's impossible!'
Calito regained his composure and shouted,
"Magic! Illusion magic! Damn it, call the Siemens mages! Dispel the illusion!"
But it was too late.
Rumble!
A loud noise erupted from the bottom of the flagship Calito was on, and the hull shook violently.
Calito was taken aback by the unexpectedly swift attack.
'What's this?'
The Cheongal Palace knights, Siemens knights, and soldiers on board were also confused and bewildered.
The man in the suit shouted at Calito,
"The ship, the ship seems to be sinking!"
Just then, the adjutant ran towards Calito.
"Vice-commander! Monsters are pouring out from the ghost ship!"
The approaching ghost ship was already attacking the other ships.
Calito shouted at the adjutant,
"You fool! What ghost ship on the river! That's an illusion created by magic!"
The adjutant looked dumbfounded at Calito's words.
Seeing the adjutant still out of sorts, Calito slapped him across the face.
"Gasp!"
"Get a hold of yourself! Give me the horn!"
Calito took the horn from the adjutant and blew the emergency signal.
Beeeeeep!
The signal to retreat echoed throughout the entire unit.
At the same time, Calito gestured.
"Get out of here for now! Once the magic is dispelled, attack them! We have superior numbers, so we have the advantage!"
Calito, with his excellent survival instincts, quickly grasped the situation and sought a way to escape.
He led the knights to the back of the ship, intending to escape to land on a boat before the ship sank.
Crash!
Simultaneously, he heard the sounds of Siemens mages bombarding the ghost ship with magic.
Calito gave a triumphant smile.
"Alright. The illusion will break soon. Seize the opportunity and signal for a full-scale attack!"
He planned to escape to land on a boat first and secure his own safety.
Crash!
Leaving behind the fierce battle, Calito boarded a boat, left the river, and landed on shore. He could see magic flashing in the distance.
Calito crossed his arms and nodded.
"Good. They'll soon destroy themselves struggling."
He clicked his tongue, looking at the dumbfounded man in the suit.
"Get a hold of yourself! I heard you're one of the Six, but you don't seem like it."
The man finally got up and said,
"W-well, I'm not a combatant. My main role is to convey the elders' messages."
That's when it happened.
Whoosh!
A dagger, thrown from somewhere, struck one of the knights guarding Calito and the man between the eyes.
Thud!
As the knight collapsed, Calito panicked, drew his sword, and shouted,
"What are you doing?! Protect me!"
The Cheongal Palace knights raised their shields to protect Calito and remained vigilant.
But it was no use.
Crackle!
A massive thunderbolt struck the Cheongal Palace knights.
"Kyaaaak!"
The knights, directly hit by the lightning, foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
Calito shouted at the man in the suit next to him with fear in his eyes,
"Damn it! There's a mage! Do something!"
The man in the suit just adjusted his glasses and continued to sweat profusely.
At the same time, a thick fog spread among the knights.
"Gah!"
Suddenly, the knights' eyes changed, and they started attacking each other with their swords.
"M-monster!"
"Kyaaaak!"
As the knights started fighting amongst themselves, perceiving each other as monsters, Calito panicked and backed away.
"Damn illusion!"
Perhaps thanks to the expensive rare artifact armor he had bought, Calito wasn't affected by the illusion.
Just then, the man in the suit behind him said to Calito,
"S-Sir Calito. I don't think this is magic. I-it seems like a bloodline ability..."
Calito shouted at the man in the suit,
"Why are you telling me this now?! You idiot!"
He turned and started running away, leaving the knights clashing swords behind.
Perhaps thanks to the magic armor, his running speed was incredibly fast.
Just then, something appeared in front of the fleeing Calito.
Thud!
A Death Knight clad in black armor.
The Death Knight emerged from the fog.
