Chapter 206: Blasphemous Words
A six-thousand-strong army was arrayed outside the range of the Dark Guardians, while a sky-obscuring swarm of Biochemical Fish gathered behind them.
The Base Coral, recently planted and rapidly produced, did not form incubation sacs. Instead, it plundered the organic matter in the area, feeding the Biochemical Fish transported from the distant rear.
The biggest issue with Base Coral, a bio-engineered creature with Zerg attributes, was its excessively high metabolism. If not in a dormant state, feeding them required one-tenth of their production’s organic matter every few days.
Otherwise, why would the produced Biochemical Fish hibernate, and why prefer their production on the front lines?
All to reduce consumption.
It was akin to a fighter jet’s combat radius. Its speed and firepower were formidable, but its fuel tank limited its operational range, necessitating aircraft carriers to extend it.
Reality was not a game where manufactured Zerg acted like perpetual motion machines, capable of devouring target after target like a tide.
They needed to eat!
Real Zerg combat resembled a plague of locusts, leaving nothing in their wake. This not only expanded their numbers but also consumed immense energy to sustain themselves.
This is why Zerg laid down creep, which could synthesize their preferred combat fast food, allowing for replenishment anywhere, anytime. This kept their metabolism at peak levels, naturally boosting their combat effectiveness compared to natural environments, while also solving energy supply issues.
The Base Coral currently possessed by the Sea Kingdom lacked such comprehensive functions. It was merely a nascent prototype, and the diversity of its troops urgently needed to gain experience from this real battle to achieve greater adaptability.
Now, the Biochemical Fish under Shaq’s command had swum from the second defense line to this point, their weight reduced by 30%.
This state of hunger not only decreased their combat effectiveness but also significantly reduced the power of their self-detonation.
With the same energy release method, power was directly proportional to mass.
After Roger provided feedback on these issues, Lydia had already expedited the process of modifying the Sea Kingdom’s giant whale genes to create carriers suitable for the Biochemical Fish.
This concept was akin to a biological aircraft carrier, capable of greatly enhancing the Biochemical Fish’s combat radius and mobility, allowing them to be deployed directly to the front lines for combat.
However, even bio-engineered creatures with rapid iteration required time. This battle would definitely not be in time for them.
As for whether a Leviathan from the Eternal Night World would appear in the future, it depended on whether the Azurevine Empire could find relevant creatures for Lydia to experiment with, and on her luck with daily random mutations.
Even though the Biochemical Fish could not yet be deployed, the pressure they inflicted on the Naga expeditionary force was real.
The expeditionary force’s last remaining troops were annihilated by a mysteriously exploding Overlord Eviscerator.
At this moment, in the Dark Tree camp, counting the personal guards of General Nicole and the few formations that had rendezvoused before nightfall, the total troop strength was less than five thousand.
The good news was the exceptionally high proportion of powerful individuals. Those who were legendary or near-legendary, having long been accustomed to life and death, did not require stress relief after a few battles. Thus, the combat effectiveness of these five thousand expeditionary troops was present.
However, facing an enemy force ten times their size, even defending with the Dark Tree as a stronghold, they could not hold out until the Naga Empire dispatched a second wave of troops.
The Naga had wagered their national destiny on this offensive. Capturing the landing point would strengthen the Naga Empress’s resolve, mobilizing more Soldiers and mortgaging more of themselves to sustain the state of war.
But all of this required time.
Nicole had initially believed she could use the Overlord Eviscerator’s destructive power and intimidation to stall until the rear completed troop replenishment.
But for reasons she completely failed to understand, her plans had gone to waste due to a sudden explosion.
She was so indignant and unable to accept being kicked out of the group after merely asking for an explanation, her mind brimming with anger.
If the Sea Kingdom hadn’t blocked the port and sealed off teleportation, she would have even gone to the desert to question Tasika about his intentions!
Now, she didn’t know how to explain to the military commanders.
In fact, Nicole also knew that such an attitude indicated Master Copperpot likely knew something. The sudden explosion of the Overlord Eviscerator on the Naga formations was definitely not an accident, but…
A conspiracy?
Unfortunately, now was not the time to ponder this question.
Nicole stood on the watchtower automatically generated in the canopy of the Dark Tree, gazing at the spirited Sea Kingdom army, suddenly unsure of what to think.
This was a dead end she could not break. Besides praying to the gods for a miracle, she could think of no other way to resolve it.
And on the other side.
Among the allied forces of the Sea Kingdom, Prince Shaq, clad in gleaming armor, held a bloodied sword and looked at the Dark Tree, over a hundred meters tall with a canopy radius of three kilometers, without a hint of fear.
This colossal underwater tree was practically a miracle of the Creator, a natural fortress.
The Dark Guardians generated around it, along with the Dark Tree’s own Magic Power, constituted a formidable offensive and defensive system.
With sufficient Soldiers to support it, the defense of the Dark Tree camp was absolutely no less than the Black Shark Fortress, built with the entire might of the Sea Kingdom. It could withstand an army ten times its size for months without falling.
Unfortunately, the Naga expeditionary force’s biggest problem now was that they no longer had enough Soldiers to support it.
The six-thousand-strong army, fueled by high morale and eager to vent their fury upon the Naga, the Biochemical Fish gradually returning to the battle sequence, and an increasing number of Sea Kingdom powerhouses gathering here, victory was only a matter of time.
Perhaps only one or two waves of attack would be needed for the landing point, painstakingly captured by the Naga, to return to Sea Kingdom hands.
Because the enemy lacked numbers, they dared not use the remaining Overlord Eviscerator, nor even transport it to the Dark Tree camp.
They feared another classic repetition, sending this camp into the sky as well, which would truly lead to a collapse without a fight.
Yet, holding onto a victory within reach, Shaq felt no joy.
He remembered the Black Shark Fortress, blasted into ruins, his fourth Brother swallowed by the Base Coral, and the Sea Kingdom people he had seen along the way, suffering and in disarray.
While dispersing and hunting down the Naga Soldiers who were massacring civilians, a disheveled mermaid young girl tugged at Shaq’s trouser leg, tearfully begging him to kill her.
Her family was dead, she had endured unspeakable humiliation, her fishtail cruelly severed, and her eyes held no desire to live.
Her wounds were treatable, her disability also curable, though she might not have the financial means for medical expenses. These pains would eventually fade with time, wouldn’t they?
Or perhaps not. Even if she survived, she would forever be tormented by the nightmare of today. What joy could life hold then?
Shaq didn’t know what thoughts flashed through his mind at that instant, but facing such innocent yet deathly eyes, he could neither refuse nor console her. He could only respect her wish.
As she wished, he thrust his sword down, receiving a faint whisper of “thank you.”
Perhaps they were all cowardly escaping. What Shaq could do was kill all the Naga who had invaded this village.
But looking at the village, devoid of any signs of life, he could only feel a profound sense of powerlessness.
When he met Roger, Shaq asked him, what was the meaning of all they had done.
“Revenge? But too much has already happened. The dead cannot be resurrected, and the living are in unbearable pain.”
“No, it is to become stronger, so that what happened today does not happen again.”
Roger gave him a definitive answer.
Galloping all the way to the Dark Tree, Shaq had been pondering the difference between “revenge” and “becoming stronger,” finally gaining some insight.
Revenge was killing those who had harmed him, a targeted, reciprocal action.
Becoming stronger was to keep everyone who could potentially harm him outside the gates.
It was a courage that declared war on the entire world without a specific target!
He suddenly understood what the Azurevine Empire was doing.
Even if it meant opposing the world, opposing the gods, they sought to establish an ideal nation with an unbowed spirit, protecting the peace and prosperity of its people within its borders.
If he were to follow such a nation, even as a vassal, it wouldn’t be so bad, would it?
Shaq instinctively tightened his grip on his sword.
He still felt fear towards battle, the color of blood gave him a disturbing feeling.
But from this day forward, he would no longer retreat due to this fear.
As he shouted, “Charge with me!” stirring the morale of the Sea Kingdom army and breaking through the blockade line Nicole had painstakingly maintained, he suddenly understood the responsibility and glory of being the Sea Kingdom’s Crown Prince.
He didn’t need exceptional talent or to excel in every aspect. He only needed the courage to bear responsibility and fight alongside these people who yearned for ordinary lives.
In that battle, he personally beheaded Nicole. The liquid, far hotter and more viscous than seawater, splattered all over Shaq’s face, but he no longer felt fear.
He could even grab the head by its hair, raise it high, and lead his subordinates all the way to the Black Shark Fortress.
Now, his mount still bore the head that represented his first meritorious service.
He spurred his hippocampus out of the battle array and entered the range of the Dark Guardians.
But no arrows were fired at him. The Naga knew Shaq must have some life-saving Equipment, and ranged attacks at this distance would be utterly ineffective.
The gazes of both opposing sides converged on him. In the past, such pressure might have made Shaq tremble with nervousness, even vomit. But now, he merely pursed his lips and raised the head in his hand.
“Kami·Blue Coral, where are you? Come and see your son? Look how scared he was before? He was calling for Daddy to save him!”
A waterspout surged towards Shaq but was easily blocked by the guards behind him.
Kami, the deputy commander of the Naga expeditionary force, stood on the camp’s parapet, his face contorted with rage as he roared, “Do not insult my son! You have already defeated him!”
“I am not insulting him, I am merely stating a fact. It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe me. You will soon return to the divine realm and personally ask young Nicole at the last moment of his life… whether he called for his mother or his father~”
Shaq whistled flippantly, and the Sea Kingdom soldiers behind him couldn’t help but laugh.
How ridiculous. What adult would call for parents for help? Only a child would do that.
He hadn’t expected a Naga general to be such a coward!
Kami, on the city wall, was spitting fire. If his colleagues hadn’t pulled him back desperately, he would have charged out to fight Shaq to the death.
But he was not an unparalleled powerhouse in individual combat. He was a commander known for his exceptional operational and coordination skills, and he might not even be able to defeat Shaq in a one-on-one fight.
At this moment, with the Sea Kingdom’s morale soaring and the Naga’s fighting spirit wavering, if the deputy commander were to be defeated again, the battle might as well be over.
Shaq suddenly shed all his smiles, straightened his body, and looked towards the Naga positions. “Mermaids want to live, and Naga want to live. We, the most ordinary individuals, are not so different. We all cherish the simple wish to survive. The sea is vast, so why must our two nations engage in war?”
“Because you are heretics,” Nicole answered Shaq’s question.
“Oh, heretics. Because you believe in a different god, you are heretics. Because you are heretics, you must fight to the death… Don’t you find it ridiculous and troublesome?” Shaq looked at Nicole, his voice suddenly rising to a questioning tone, “Why not just stop believing in gods?”
Nicole was taken aback. She couldn’t comprehend how anyone in the world could not believe in gods, and she instinctively responded with doctrine, “The gods give us light, the gods bestow their grace upon us. We must praise the name of the gods and lower our heads, born in sin…”
“Bullshit, bullshit, all of it is bullshit! The light is given by the sun, the grace is given by our parents. What does that have to do with gods?”
“You are speaking blasphemous words…”
“I am speaking them, what are you going to do about it? You and your gods should all die. It is enough for Mortals to live!”
Shaq roared hoarsely, “In my eyes, gods only bring us conflict, bring us death, plunder our faith and wealth, and pollute the land where we work and live… There should be no gods in this world!”
“You damned heretic, shut your mouth!” Nicole could no longer control her rage. With a raise of her hand, countless holy lights descended, accompanied by the Dark Guardian fortress, thorns raining down on Shaq.
But the Sea Kingdom’s powerhouses would not allow their commander to be attacked like this; they promptly provided magic shields.
Shaq trusted his subordinates, so he did not retreat. Utterly disdainful, he looked down at Nicole, “The gods are too distant. We’ll start with these god-peddlers…”
He drew the still bloody blade from his waist and roared, “Charge, all troops! Drive them back to their divine realm!”
“Return to the divine realm!”
The morale of the Sea Tribe warriors reached its peak. Battle-class professionals drew their weapons, mages chanted spells, and the self-detonating fish surged towards the lush Dark Tree ahead of the main army.
This was the final decisive battle. No tactics were needed; only absolute superiority was required to crush the enemy.
Regarding gods and their harms, everyone had seen the corpses along the way and understood clearly. Therefore, Shaq’s speech fully resonated with their emotions.
This was a battle without suspense. Nicole’s prayed-for miracle did not arrive.
The colossal Dark Tree fell, the Naga camp was trampled, and countless generals committed suicide.
Before Nicole could commit suicide, she was found by the Night Watch, severing her connection with the Sea God, rendering her Level 0 divine arts unusable.
Nicole’s expression was filled with confusion. Although she was enraged by Shaq’s words, it was precisely because she had listened and pondered them that she felt anger.
If there had been no divine oracle, would so many Naga have died?
A young man in an Imperial uniform appeared before her.
“Roger Charles?”
“You can also call me Jostar da!”
“!!!”
Nicole’s eyes widened in shock, her heart skipping a beat.
PS: Yesterday, I wanted to grab the top three spots in the word-count ranking. I prepared twenty thousand words in advance and released them at eleven o’clock, preparing to snatch the third place.
Unexpectedly, someone went all-in with forty thousand words, also aiming for third place.
When the event ended, I was fourth, and the original third place became fifth.
Not a single cent, boo hoo, I’m stunned.
National Day Holiday Event: Typo Bonus Chapter Event
The National Day seven-day celebration offers some entertainment. I’ll try the legendary typo bonus chapter event.
All past mistakes are forgiven, starting from Chapter 206. One bonus chapter for each typo found.
This applies from today until the seventh.
Please follow the format:
Typo — Correct Word
This standard is required for me to see and count them.
Hmm, let’s see how many I’ll owe by the seventh.
