Chapter Ninety: An Abrupt Halt

With a thunderous crash, the Odin Guard, now more than twice as massive as before, came smashing down onto the stern deck.

This Odin Guard was not an orc, but one of the Viking barbarians among the many foreign races of the Five Linked Islands, famed for their ferocious strength and savage temper. At first glance, these barbarians looked no different from the common folk of the western continent, but once anger flared in them, intricate bloodline battle sigils would appear across their bodies. The stronger the warrior, the more complex the sigils.

This Odin Guard who had leaped aboard was covered head to toe in battle markings. Black and crimson sigils entwined over his body, turning him into something like a gaudy venomous insect. Among the elaborate markings, on his chest, blood-red and black stripes formed an enormous bear’s head.

"Damn it, it’s one of those Bear Soul bloodline fighters famous for brute strength and defense among the barbarians!" Lin Qi’s voice was trembling. This rampaging Odin Guard was radiating a faint violet glow, and in this short span he had plainly gained the power to contend with a heavenly-rank knight.

Even with Dragon City stationed aboard the Great Windmill at Sea, if two heavenly-rank masters fought here, the entire ship would be ruined! Without a ship, Lin Qi and the others were dead for sure. Those crazed Odin Guards would not mind digging out their bones to make drumsticks for war drums.

The Odin Guard who had boarded raised both hands and let out a long howl to the sky. He roared sharply, "In the name of the gods, you evil and savage heathens, receive the wrath of the divine! You must pay for all that you have done, and your souls shall be sealed forever beneath the ice mountains, to suffer the burning flames of hell!"

Lin Qi was so furious he cursed at the top of his lungs. "What the hell did we do? Bastards, the matter at Viking Axe Gorge has nothing to do with us!"

Dragon City suddenly turned to look at Lin Qi. "Kid, you’re quite loyal!"

Lin Qi shot him a disdainful glare. "If you’re a real man, don’t drag innocents into it!"

Dragon City clicked his tongue, one brow like a sword tip lifting as he laughed coldly again and again. "If I’m not a real man, who in the world dares call himself one? I never drag outsiders into my troubles. Fine, I’ll cover the rear. I’ll hold off the pursuers on the ship, and you take the lifeboats and leave!"

He thumped his chest hard and shouted with unrestrained heroism, "You saved my life. How could I repay kindness with betrayal? Relax, with me covering the rear, they’ll never catch up to you! Hmm, it seems there are twenty lifeboats on this ship—more than enough for you to escape!"

Lin Qi was so angry he nearly vomited blood. At last he had met a bastard who could match him in sheer shamelessness, unreasonable stubbornness, and endless sophistry. Stay aboard the Great Windmill at Sea to cover the retreat, and let Lin Qi take his people away by lifeboat? Damn it, was that supposed to be escape, or suicide? The North Sea was clear and bright today, but within two days a terrible storm would surely sweep in. If they fled in lifeboats, the result would be everyone capsizing and dying to the last man.

Using the vilest, filthiest, most obscene and loathsome curses he knew, Lin Qi sent his regards to Dragon City’s mother, then tightened his grip on the cleaver and suddenly pointed it at the sky-roaring Odin Guard. "Brothers, mince him and feed him to the fish!"

The words had barely left his mouth when the temple magi on the three small dragon boats behind them finished their long incantations at the same time, and three spells descended upon the Odin Guard in unison. A flash of red, a wisp of gray, and a streak of crimson brilliance merged into the giant man’s body.

The red light was a Berserk Spell, sending the man’s mind into madness. He could no longer feel pain, no longer retain reason; he would kill only by instinct.

The gray mist was a Beast Soul Spell, a "soul art" refined by temple magi from the spirits of powerful magical beasts. Once a beast soul entered the body, it could vastly enhance an Odin Guard’s strength and speed, instantly raising his combat power by a huge margin.

As for the crimson beam, it was the all-or-nothing Blood Draining Spell. This dreadful spell could convert all of a warrior’s defenses into attack power, allowing him to unleash three hundred percent of his terrible destructive force for a brief period and slaughter every enemy nearby.

When a heavenly-rank knight erupted with three times his killing power, the result was a terrifying force capable of destroying a small city in a short time.

But the instant Lin Qi saw the crimson brilliance of the Blood Draining Spell, he cried out in delight, "Hunting crossbows, take him out!"

Six dull thuds rang out. The sailors standing on the ship’s deckhouse raised the six secret hunting crossbows concealed aboard. With a snap of the strings, six flashes of cold light shot forth. The rampaging Guard, whose defenses had all been turned into killing power, jerked violently, and his forehead, throat, chest, abdomen, and both thighs were pierced through by the hunting crossbows.

The temple magi aboard the three dragon boats cried out at once. Two of them flew into a rage and cursed furiously at the mage on the other dragon boat. The one being cursed flushed red and lowered his head in shame; he had actually chosen the most fatal spell to place upon that rampaging Guard.

The enormous rampaging Guard lost his life in an instant to the six hunting crossbow bolts. As the light around his body faded, he collapsed heavily onto the deck. Dragon City thrust with his spear, sending the Guard’s rapidly shrinking body soaring away, where it crashed heavily onto the dragon boat deck twenty meters off, toppling several Odin Guards clustered together and preparing to board.

"Oooh! Ah! Hey!"

The Odin Guards let out their strange war cries in unison. Raising their weapons, they each drew a deep blood mark across their own chests with the blades. Lin Qi’s expression changed abruptly. These Odin Guards were preparing to fight to the death; no matter the cost, they meant to leave the Great Windmill at Sea behind.

He stole a glance at Dragon City’s back and once again felt the urge to kick him off the ship and let him take the blame.

While he was still hesitating over whether to order all the sailors with bows and crossbows to attack Dragon City and force him overboard, a red fireball suddenly shot up into the sky from behind a distant iceberg and exploded with a deafening roar into a vast bloom of flame.

A shrill horn sounded from far away. From behind the iceberg slowly emerged a warship flying a white sail painted with thorn-flower patterns and sword-and-shield emblems, with an oar motif beneath. Its hull was painted in a sea-blue hue identical to the ocean itself. One ship, then two, then three—warships kept circling out from behind the iceberg, until twelve medium-sized battleships, each roughly fifty meters long, had unfurled their sails and caught the wind, racing toward them at full speed.

The twelve warships formed a ferocious, head-on charging formation. On their prows were already mounted small trebuchets and heavy repeating crossbows.

The speed of the four pursuing dragon boats abruptly slowed, and then, with low beating drums, the four dragon boats slowly arced in a wide circle and retreated unhurriedly toward the north.

Lin Qi clapped his hands hard. In a grave voice he said, "Hide everything that looks out of place in the secret hold. Hurry and get this whale king properly dealt with. Leave those hammerhead sharks on deck where people can see them. Hide all the whale-hunting harpoons, and tell them we just fought a bloody battle and have already used up every whale-hunting harpoon the ship was issued!"

Dragon City looked at Lin Qi once more, his gaze laden with meaning.

Night had fallen. The pig-head is going to sleep now. Good night, everyone, and may you have sweet dreams.

In dreams there is always a palace of gold, and in dreams there is always a beauty like jade.