Awakening: I Ascend As A Legendary Ranked Necromancer-Chapter 52: Sea battle

Maybe I shouldn’t have spoken too soon.

Not long after I said that, an arrow whistled through the air and slammed into our barrier with such force that the warship tilted sharply to the side. The shield fizzled. Litha winced but it held as she poured more mana into reinforcing it.

A ship, a cruise ship suddenly emerged from the distance like some great bird of prey, curving toward us at a terrifying speed, far faster than it had any right to be.

I swallowed as another arrow, almost too fast for me to properly see, tore through the air toward us, glowing with energy. Tim answered instantly, launching a stone projectile of his own. The two collided midair with a sharp burst of shockwave.

"They’ve got some kind of ability boosting their speed," I said to Temur as we watched the ship close the distance even more. "Elemental water or air, maybe..."

"It seems so," Temur nodded grimly. "Cele, join Tim at the front and burn that ship down!"

A fireball formed above us, glowing red and rolling heat across the deck. Cele’s cloak snapped violently behind her as she pointed, and the fireball shot forward in a blurred streak of crimson.

We held our breath as it tore across the distance, faster even than the charging ship but just before impact, a wall of water surged upward and blocked it completely.

My jaw tightened as the enemy ship kept coming. I could now clearly see figures standing at its bow, a flag snapping wildly in the wind.

My eyes widened.

"Is that the Blazing Guild’s flag?!"

The same Guild that had tried to kill my teammates earlier, because some psycho had decided to call himself King. My teeth ground together.

That’s it. I’ll pay that assassin-wannabe dwarf back for this.

"The Blazing Guild," Temur growled. "So that’s how it is. They want to be part of the ten, huh? Tim you’re up!"

Tim lifted stones the size of human heads. They gleamed black under the sun. With a sharp gesture, he launched them like massive bullets. They punched through the water wall as if it were paper.

The stones smashed into the side of the ship, tearing a long, jagged gash across its upper hull. In response, a crescent-shaped sword arc rose and screamed toward us.

"I’ve got this," Temur said.

He surged forward, raising his sword and bringing it down so fast it blurred. A concentrated arc of aura tore through the air.

Water and aura collided violently, ripping into one another and sending shockwaves crashing across the sea. Both ships swiveled under the impact.

Litha cursed, tasting salt on her lips as sweat slipped past her mouth. She was maintaining an advanced shield, one that allowed attacks to pass outward but blocked anything coming in.

"Can’t you just finish them already?!" she snapped....then froze. "Wait.....!!"

She stared at the enemy ship accelerating straight toward us.

"It’s going to collide with us!!!"

We all realized their intent at the same time.

The cruise ship didn’t slow. Instead, seawater surged upward and wrapped around its hull, warping and thickening into a layer of armor.

"Cele!" Temur shouted. "Tim!"

Fireballs bloomed, lighting the air, but we were on the open sea. Endless water smothered the flames before they could even reach the target. Even Tim’s stones were losing effectiveness.

Still, the ship barreled closer.

Temur raised his sword again. "Can you withstand a hit like that, Litha?"

She stared at the armored hull and shook her head. "If I switch to the other shield type maybe. But we won’t be able to stop them."

Temur’s eyes darkened. "Then hold on tight. Everyone else, prepare to unleash everything you’ve got. Close-range, high-power attacks. We’re ramming them."

"Can’t we just maneuver around them?!" Tim shouted over the roar of the sea.

"They’ll just keep chasing us," Temur replied coldly. "Better to finish this now. We’re a metal ship, we might not even take much damage."

My thoughts raced.

If we ram head-on, damage is unavoidable. Can we even reach the other side like that? I have to do something.

Then it hit me.

I grinned. "Captain Temur! Give me command for a moment. I’ve got a crazy idea that might let us come out of this unscathed."

Temur didn’t hesitate. "What do you need?"

I drew a deep breath. "Litha, keep the shield steady. Everyone else, get to the edge and prepare to unleash everything you’ve got."

Then I turned to the ghostly captain. "Can you prove you can ride a wave like a pro?"

☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆

Durgin, the dwarf assassin, grinned as he rolled his dagger across his palm. "We’re about to blow them to slitherings. Might even get to loot the...."

An aura flared behind him.

A smooth, cold voice spoke. "You serve the King. How dare you think of looting a peasant ship? Destroy them."

Durgin nodded quickly and gestured to the human woman beside him. "Arrows ready, Lyra, use the strongest ones. With Orion controlling the sea, nothing’s breaking through our defense."

The wind whipped his red beard into his face as he scowled. "They’re here! Orion push the water harder! Make us faster!"

His heart pounded as he spotted me on the opposing ship, the human he’d seen earlier in the village and the one he threatened.

He expected our ship to veer aside.

But it didn’t.

’Can’t they see the armor?’ Durgin thought in confusion.

"Die, you hum...!!"

BOOOM! Boom!

Green fire erupted beneath their ship like an otherworldly fireworks.

The explosion lifted the vessel violently. Durgin slammed into the railing as seawater crashed over the deck, nearly throwing him into the sea.

Then the ship stopped and a sharp cracking sound echoed.

Bitter cold flooded the deck as the water coating their hull froze solid, along with the sea around them.

Durgin stared, breath trembling, as their opponent ship sailed past theirs... then slowed.

They turned toward them, and they were smiling.

it wasn’t a nice smile.