Captain – Chapter 679 – The Unmasked Ghost

Without death bells, without warning signs, the ship of the dead appeared just like that, eerily manifesting itself.

If not for that Crown Prince’s unusual bloodline and extraordinary perception, it would have been impossible to detect it.

No, it should be said that even if it were the strange beasts or royalty who had lured it to appear in the past, they would have likely fallen into the abyss long ago, not knowing what had happened until they were absorbed into the chaos.

This was naturally a terrifying thing, but what was even more heart-stopping was the intention hidden within it.

This ship of the dead that had suddenly appeared in the present world was like a ghost—a ghost that had been watching that Crown Prince for a full twelve years, only now removing its mask to reveal its true face.

Looking at that giant eye reflecting his own figure, filled with greedy madness, the young man thought that the chance encounter years ago had apparently not been a coincidence after all.

When you “accidentally” let me see, revealing where the imperial seal was located…

You had also set your sights on me, hadn’t you.

“Raise the curtain, open fire!”

During the brief standoff between that giant eye and the young man, the officer’s roar was the first to ring out.

And with that distinctive command, an extremely pale light screen immediately dropped from the top of the mast, enveloping the entire large ship within moments.

A brief observation would reveal that this curtain was no different from the one constructed by the warship that had been destroyed over a month ago, only brighter and more expansive.

Its ability to resist attacks was naturally incomparable to before.

Immediately after, accompanied by the shouts of generals and signal officers on each level, the gunners who had long been prepared opened fire without hesitation. Dense cannon fire echoed throughout the ring island.

Countless black cannonballs whistled through the air, and the flames they produced upon striking that ghostly thing briefly drove away and illuminated the sinister and eerie white fog.

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It was precisely because of this that part of that thing’s appearance finally came into everyone’s view.

Even the most resolute soldiers couldn’t help but tremble.

What kind of giant ship was that? In terms of size, it was actually an entire circle larger than this treasure of the dynasty, the largest warship in specifications.

What was even more chilling was that everything on the giant ship—the hull, deck, masts, and even the heavy cannons embedded in the outer walls—was all composed of ghastly white bones.

In the gaps between bones, rotting flesh and dried blood could faintly be seen.

Some sharp-eyed soldiers even found twisted faces on it that had not yet been weathered by time—they should be comrades who had been swallowed a month ago.

The power of the first concentrated fire was enormous, because the number of heavy cannons loaded on the tower ship was simply too many, and in all aspects, they were even more advanced than Auran’s military equipment.

But even so, the results were meager.

The impact of the cannonballs and the fierce explosions they brought did indeed shatter those bones and flesh, creating countless holes of various sizes on that ghostly ship’s surface. But those holes of different sizes were quickly filled—it should be said they didn’t even need the blink of an eye to be filled.

Completed by the endless flesh and bone remains from the chaotic abyss.

But this wasn’t the most horrifying scene.

The top of the superstructure, where the Crown Prince was located, faced the true terror directly.

When the thick fog was driven away by strong winds and explosions, the people here discovered that not only could they not reach the same height as that ship of the dead, they couldn’t even reach its deck.

What they were directly facing should be the second or third deck.

If that undead giant ship also had similar divisions like human civilization.

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At this height, positioned at the side-center of the ghostly ship, what they had to face was naturally not that skeletal giant statue, but the horror was no less.

Because that thing, the owner of that giant eye…

Was a giant dragon!

Of course, there were no such creatures in the East. In the eyes of the people on the ship, it was just a giant earth dragon with enormous wings, magnified countless times.

But at this moment, this comparison brought no laughter, only added to the horror.

That giant dragon, whose mind was occupied by madness and brutality, was not like many creatures on the ghostly ship—flesh completely rotted, leaving only ghastly skeletal bodies.

Instead, it retained nearly complete scales, covered with countless barb-like black keratin.

Its lower half and most of one wing were firmly embedded in the interior of the giant ship, the situation invisible, like an unfortunate soul with most of its body trapped in a swamp.

And after previously extending its head close to find where the young man was located, the dragon’s head—covered with countless scars and bloodstains, with white bone faintly visible—slowly retreated.

What followed was a shrill, violent shriek.

Coming with it was a pale green airflow more dense and horrifying than the ghostly mist, striking directly at the curtain in front of the top level, then flowing down like a waterfall.

“Hiss hiss…”

In a harsh, teeth-grinding corrosive sound, that pale curtain rapidly dimmed, completely losing its previous stability and beginning to teeter on the verge of collapse.

The next moment, a giant claw that was nearly half skeletal struck heavily on the light screen. After the curtain shook violently, everyone seemed to hear a crisp sound.

“Crack.”

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Several substantial cracks appeared on the curtain, like shattered crystal.

But this was not the end, only the beginning.

After the pale green airflow dissipated, that giant “earth dragon” used its sharp claws to continuously strike the curtain, and the cracks climbing on it also spread rapidly.

It would completely shatter at any moment.

And those repeated “thud thud” muffled sounds seemed to appear in the hearts of the generals, replacing their heartbeats and nearly causing their thinking to stagnate.

As if they had all lost their souls.

But this couldn’t be blamed on them, because the ghostly ship had appeared far too suddenly—so suddenly that no matter how meticulous their preparations, they now seemed pale and powerless.

Cannon fire rang out continuously, but couldn’t harm the ghostly ship in the slightest, couldn’t even push it back slightly. What else could they do? Look, even His Highness had no reaction.

At this time, among the crowd on the top level, aside from the young man who seemed stunned, only the officer remained calm, methodically issuing commands.

So the cannon fire continued, but the large ship began to turn, trying to distance itself from the giant ship.

Even if they couldn’t manage it, making that “earth dragon’s” claws miss once or twice would be enough. As long as the “curtain” broke more slowly, there would be a greater chance for reinforcements to arrive.

After all, they were originally just “bait,” not the main force for decisive battle with the opponent.

The real blade to pin down this thing should be the young woman who should have already set out and was coming here.

But… could they really wait that long?

Looking at the Crown Prince who had remained silent like a sculpture since being stared at by that giant eye, then at the skeletal giant ship that couldn’t be shaken off no matter how they turned, and the bone claw that steadily hammered at the same spot, deep worry surged in the officer’s eyes.

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As mentioned before, this thing had come too quickly, overturning nearly all their preparations, and the speed at which the “curtain” was being weakened exceeded his imagination.

Continuing like this, could the people outside really react and arrive for rescue?

Perhaps even His Highness had no confidence?

Thinking of the possible scenario of the young man being swallowed, the officer’s face became much paler, but he still forcibly suppressed the trembling this caused and looked toward the generals.

The meaning contained in his eyes, which looked death in the face, couldn’t be clearer.

Stop thinking about persuasion or death remonstrations—immediately do as arranged!

The generals awakened by the officer’s gaze thought of that cold plan. Though their expressions were unnatural, they showed no intention of refusing and turned to give orders. But just as they began to move, they were stopped by a calm voice.

“Wait.”

Hearing the voice that sounded beside him, the officer was slightly stunned. After coming to his senses, he turned around with an ugly expression, looking at the young man who was gazing at him with an inviolable look. Only then did he realize that no arrangement could be hidden from this Crown Prince.

But thinking of the possible consequences of the command being stopped, he opened his mouth with trembling lips—not with long speeches, but only with a call so firm it was moving.

“Your Highness!”

Feeling the desolate gazes of the officer and generals, the Crown Prince naturally understood the meaning hidden in that call and these looks. So he shook his head lightly in explanation.

“Don’t waste lives needlessly. It’s useless. For twelve years, we have from beginning to end…”

“Been deceived by it.”