Volume 9 Chapter 1 Part 10

It seems to have been the idea of one of Alexis’s contracted magicians, but it was Alexis who implemented that idea and modified every last detail of the battle in accordance with the imagery from the numerous illustrations and pieces of art depicting war that he saw.

Iron pegs are attached to the bow and stern of each ship, and are secured by fitting them into the holes provided at both ends of the gangplanks. The gangplanks were divided into three sections and each was tied together with a rope, giving it room to expand, contract, and sway. Alexis also designed them himself.

Rumor has it that Alexis is the one who designs ships only based on the images in his head, and that because of that he’s always able to create the blueprints for them instantly. The ships he devised were both beautiful to look at and excellent in performance. Halusia has always had a thriving shipbuilding industry, and if Alexis was so inclined, she would be able to build the world’s strongest fleet.

Since he is an artist and has a gentle personality, everyone around him thought that he was unreliable in the matters relating to war and anything that had nothing to do with culture. However, after he stood up to subjugate the Marquis Dawson, all that the people in his surroundings could feel for him were respect and awe.

He had been thought of as the leader of the Fantasia Union in name only, but now all the Lords of the Union were proud of the fact that he was the one whom they were following.

This naval battle will definitely go down in history, and Miguel’s name will be passed down to future generations.

「Defeat him! 」

Miguel shouted orders to the sailors. The people on board of the ship are sailors who have been trained together on many adventure voyages. Their ship handling skills are solid, and they’re also good at combat. While circumnavigating the continent and conquering the four seas, they encountered various difficulties and were attacked many times by pirates, including the ones using Norse ships. They are brave people who have overcome all these challenges, and every single time, they managed to pull it off by working together.

(It was your own bad luck that made you board this ship.)

Miguel thought to himself.

However…

The giant berserker screamed as he gripped the handle of his greataxe tighter with both his hands and made his body spin around.

The sailors tried to thrust out their spears towards him, but they were too afraid of the spinning blade and were slow to press forward. They way Eric was spinning now, he could easily penetrate even the scale armor that the warriors around him were wearing. In his berserk rage, he spun and glided across the deck of the ship. The sailors tried to retreat away from him, but because there was so many of them gathered on the deck right now, they were only getting in each other’s way, making it unnecessarily difficult to move around.

The berserker’s blade was then promptly swept towards them, and the soldiers’ torsos were cut in half as if he was cutting down blades of grass.

Blood spurted from their wounds, and a sickening smell rose up all the way to Miguel on the mast.

「Wha… just who is this guy?! 」

Miguel stepped out from the lookout tower and stared at the giant berserker who has climbed onto the deck of the ship all by himself, and only then did he realize his identity.

「Eric the Ocean King… 」

Of course, Miquel has never met Eric in person. However, his appearance and physique were just as heard in the rumors. Above all, the brilliance of the Crest shining on his right hand was unusual. He is far stronger than Miguel, who holds the title of Earl. If he manages to defeat him here, he’ll be hailed as the greatest of all heroes.

(But… will I be able to face him?)

Miquel thought about joining the fight for a moment, but his instincts held him back.

「Ring the bell for relief!「Ring the sugnal bell, now! 」
Miguel gave the order, and one of the soldiers started hitting the bell repeatedly. This was the signal that the enemy was allowed onboard of the ship.

「While in a berserk state, he’ll never become tired and will never stop moving no matter how injured he is! 」

Miguel scolded the sailors below.

「However, there is a limit to that. Eventually, he’ll die from exhaustion! You hear me? Even if you don’t defeat him, he’ll eventually fall down on his own, but to make it happen faster, inflict even the slightest of injuries onto him and give him no time to rest! Don’t be afraid to die! The person who defeats him will be given the title of Baron! 」

The sailors became inspired by his voices of encouragement. However, Eric was still spinning with his greataxe without stopping, so the sailors drew out their spears and fired their shortbows at him from close range.

The tips of their spears pierced Eric, and many arrows were now sticking out of his entire body. However, Eric’s movements did not slow down at all.

In his wake, corpses piled up after meeting with the blade of his greataxe, and the number of dead bodies around him was increasing rapidly.

「Is he a monster or what? 」

Miguel groaned.

His throat became dry and he took a sip from the water bottle hanging from his waist. But his hands were shaking and he couldn’t swallow properly, so some of his water spills onto the deck.

Erik had just moved closer to the mast. Perhaps it was because he noticed the water falling from above, but his gaze turned to Miguel.

Eric stopped spinning for a moment and slammed his axe against the mast where the lookout post was located.

A strong impact shook the entire structure, and in the next moment, the mast began to fall sideways. The thick main mast was severed with just one blow. As the sails were strung up in layers, the mast slowly began to fall down.

(Is he trying to bring me down to the deck? Should I just go there myself?)

Miguel thought about engaging Eric once again, but again his instincts stopped him.

The other berserkers who were on Eric’s ship were already on the deck, and they were rampaging around while making strange noises.

More than strength and skill, fighting is a battle of the heart. If you feel afraid of the other person who’s your opponent, that’s the end of the line for you. And right now, Estrella’s sailors, who were supposed to be daredevils themselves, were now terrified of the berserkers in front of them.

(We won’t be able to win like this.)

Miguel made a decision.

He decided to just fall into the sea. He will have to abandon the ship, his subordinate Lords, and the sailors with whom he has shared many joys and hardships for many years, but he has no choice but to do so if he wants to get out of this situation alive.

(There are many women in this world that I haven’t embraced yet, after all.)

Miguel muttered to himself as he tried to make excuses for himself.

The crew of the sailing ship Miguel Suavi was on was wiped out in a short amount of time. Once the Fantasia Union’s soldiers were gone, Eric jumped an incredible distance towards one of the ironclad ships that had approached for support, and boarded it.

However, other berserkers couldn’t do the same thing. They instead used the gangplanks on the bow side of the shop and moved to the next boat. It was a sailing ship belonging to the Ismaean fleet.

Then, hearing Miguel’s ship ringing the bell of relief, King Jiulio Bellini of Ismeia had just rushed in from his own ship.

Seeing about a dozen berserkers boarding the ship, Julio immediately invoked the power of his own Banner, 「Fanatic」. It was given to him by the current Pope Leones of the Order of the Crest, and those who are bestowed with its power are said to be able to fight their enemies without fear as the holy warriors who fight in the service of the Only God.

It is said that the Pope received this battle flag from the Only God himself in preparation for the upcoming Holy War, and that he only bestows the to the priests of the Order of the Crest from the papal faction and the Lords who are the members of the Order of the Crest.

In Ismeia, the number of believers of the Order of the Crest is steadily increasing, and its authority exceeds even that of the Earl Bellini’s, the King of Ismeia’s family. Giulio’s position was now equivalent to that of a subordinate Lord to the Pope.