Chapter 417 (1/2)

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Translator: Nat

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–Aegir POV–

The head of the Dolta literally plunged into the side of the enemy battles.h.i.+p.

Naturally, this meant both s.h.i.+ps could not be maneuvered and their speeds dropped to nothing, left simply to drift slowly on the river.

「Board them! Take over the enemy s.h.i.+p!」

「You better not have forgotten how to use your swords!」

Ally soldiers flock to the bow buried into the opposing vessel's hull and jump on the deck of the battles.h.i.+p.

「I won't let you! Hand-to-hand combat is exactly what we want!」

「This is a battles.h.i.+p! Our numbers are superior!」

Gunners from the side and soldiers from the bilge rush out onto the deck.

They begin to clash with the ally soldiers who boarded the s.h.i.+p.

Rhythmic clinks of metal from swords. .h.i.tting against each other can be heard, as well as the distinct tapping from hurried steps on the wooden floor.

A Federation combat s.h.i.+p is made with artillery warfare in mind.

Thus, it doesn't keep spears, a stockpile of arrows or bulky armor on board.

The same should apply for the enemy.

As a result, soldiers on both sides are fighting only with one-handed swords and no armor.

For someone like me who is used to land battles, it's quite a refres.h.i.+ng sight.

「Mu, they're pus.h.i.+ng back.」

The allies who thought they could quickly gain control of the enemy s.h.i.+p are being defeated one after the other.

It feels like the enemy might try to climb on our s.h.i.+p if this continues.

「Hooh, I thought the enemy sailors were smallfry―― it looks like they're not bad at close combat.」

In a tight s.p.a.ce like the deck of a s.h.i.+p and in a battle against fellow lightly-equipped soldiers, individual ability is important.

If there isn't much of a difference in that area, then the side with purely greater numbers will win.

On top of the Dolta having fewer crew members, the side which attempts to board the opponent's s.h.i.+p will inevitably be at a disadvantage to begin with.

「Let's go.」

Sekrit lightly drags the claws attached to her arm along the deck cannon as she steps forward.

The grating sound of metal sc.r.a.ping against metal ring in my ear and small sparks dance from the friction.

「Is the interim captain going to board too?」

I draw my Dual Crater and entrust the scabbard to the female officer before following Sekrit.

「Kuku, with the bow stuck in this state, a captain isn't needed. I'll take a break from war and from here on out――」

Being overpowered, ally soldiers run back to the Dolta.

That prompted the enemy soldiers to cry out energetically and head towards our side.

「――it's time to enjoy my favorite pastime.」

「Uoooooh!! Get on their s.h.i.+p and steal it away――!!」

A soldier shouts boisterously and attacks Sekrit.

The two cross paths and then there was a sound of tearing flesh.

The enemy soldier's nose, underside of the jaw and throat were ripped apart as he falls head-first to the ground without uttering a word.

「This sensation…… it's been so long.」

Sekrit gazes spellbound at the blood trickling down her claws.

「I'll knock you into the river!」

Without delay, a new challenger appears before Sekrit.

She lets her claws hang loosely by her side and stands in place, seemingly unaware of the enemy.

However, I don't bother running to her aid or even warning her.

I know it's not necessary.

An excited yet innocent smile forms on Sekrit's face as she remains in her vulnerable position.

Just as the enemy soldier was about to slash her neck, Sekrit's upper body bends backward.

It's a way of dodging that only a person with a flexible body like her can do.

「Wha-!? T-that arm……」

The enemy soldier stumbled after swinging at air.

「Does it need an introduction?」

Sekrit lifts her upper body up.

She's close enough that her head can touch the other person's nose.

Then a dull sound――

「Gabh……」

Her claws stab deeply into the soldier's abdomen.

「Aah…… this is it.」

Sekrit erotically licks and sucks on the tip of the convulsing soldier's nose…… then twists her claws while they're still lodged in the enemy's body.

He lets out a disgusting cry and faints in agony.

At the same time, Sekrit pulls her claws downward, spilling the man's internal organs onto the deck.

「Not bad. Not bad at all!」

As the enemy falls to the ground and twitches, Sekrit spits something out of her mouth.

「Hiih.」

The female officer shrieks.

I can't blame her. What Sekrit spat out was the nose of the soldier which she tore off.

Everybody, allies included, took a step back from her.

「Y-you fiend!!」

An enemy soldier let anger get the best of him and charges at Sekrit.

She answers with an ear-to-ear grin.

「One.」

Sekrit spins away from the slash and claws the man's thigh.

He staggers and drops to his knee.

「Agah!」

「Two.」

Continuing to spin, she whips her claw around and gouges the enemy's face.

Instinctively, he covers his face with his hands.

「Three. It's over.」

On the third rotation, she unleashes a powerful roundhouse kick to the man's temple.

The enemy soldier was sent flying into a fence on the deck and died after his neck broke.

Sekrit gives her crimson-dyed claws a satisfied lick and turns around.

「Are you going to let me fight by myself?」

At the same time, an enemy soldier roars ferociously and charges.

「If I'm not in the way, then I'll come with you.」

I stand at the ready with my sword beside Sekrit.

「Deryaaaah!」

「So noisy.」

I cut the enemy who runs at me without thinking from the top of his head down until my sword exits out through the bottom of his crotch.

「Uooooh!」

「Don't shout.」

Closing the distance, I lock swords with the second guy and then kick him into the river.

「「Then both of us will attack at once!」」

「Don't bother.」

This two-p.r.o.nged attack is almost the exact same as when the Dolta was about to be sandwiched by two s.h.i.+ps.

「I'll use the same maneuver.」

Instead of staying still and blocking, I crouch and accelerate forward.

「「S-so fast!」」

Their swords barely brush my back.

I lop the head off of one, then grab the other by the collar with my left hand and slam him once into the fence before tossing him in the river.

「Hiiiih!」

I turn my head to where the scream originated from and see Sekrit's claws stab into the enemy's face, then those three terrifying pieces of metal piercing through the back of his head.

That soldier's arms and legs flail uncontrollably like some strange dance, which amuses Sekrit.

「Dammit, you brute!!」

An enemy jumps at me while I was looking away.

However, his attack was ordinary and slow, needing no effort from me to block it.

「Sorry. This is her come-back battle. I hope you can overlook that she's a little too violent.」

I said as my leg snaps out for a front kick in his stomach.

「Gya.」

The enemy soldier flies back and crashes into the mast of the s.h.i.+p, leaving a huge bloodstain on the pole before falling down.

「There, you can proceed. Board them again.」

「What good are soldiers who hide in the back? You guys are supposed to go in and die first.」

Ally soldiers push forward again, led by me and Sekrit.

「They didn't learn anything the first time!?」

「Drive them back again…… no, push them in the river!」

Similar to the first time, enemy soldiers congregate from all parts of the s.h.i.+p to intercept the allies who climb over the buried bow.

「Now, will it go the same as before?」

I swing my Dual Crater horizontally for a quick slash at the incoming enemy on my right.

「H-huh?」

The soldier feels cluelessly for the top part of his head above his forehead, which was sliced off by me, and dies.

I already foresee where the sword on my left is going, allowing me to dodge that enemy's strike and cave his face in with my fist.

「This guy!」

A familiar noise prompts me to turn my body just in time for a crossbow bolt to skim past my ear.

「I guess they have crossbows on the s.h.i.+p.」

Three soldiers aimed at me at a distance not even 10 meters away.

At such a range, I can't dodge after the bolts are shot.

And since I'm not wearing armor, a single hit could be fatal depending on where it is.

My eyes narrow and fixate on the soldiers.

If I can't dodge by looking at the bolts, I'll look at where the crossbows are being aimed and the fingers of the soldiers……

「Shoot!」

「Eat this!」

「Oraah!」

Their three voices were not in unison.

The timing is slightly off.

I raise my Dual Crater to deflect the first shot aimed at my face.

The bolt bounces off with a bright clink and a soft impact on my blade.

My body doesn't react until the moment the soldier applied pressure to the trigger, launching the second bolt toward my side, which I was able to avoid by twisting away.

It tears through the pocket in my clothes rather than sc.r.a.ping my flesh.

The third bolt is aimed in the middle of my chest.

I doubt I can evade this one, so I measure the timing based on the soaring speed of the previous two bolts.

「1, 2 and…… 3!」

When I extend my hand out in front of me, the bolt flies perfectly inside.

I make sure to hold it tight right as my brain registers the sensation of it in my grasp.

Although the barbs of the arrowhead cut my palm in the process, I can't really complain about something so small.

「Ooooh!」

「Eeeh!?」

Gasps and groans of contrasting tones come from allies and enemies.

「Now then.」

I throw away the bolt and point the tip of my Dual Crater at the three shooters.

As I did so, the trio look each other in the eyes and willingly agree to jump into the river.

Most of our allies are starting to cross over to the enemy s.h.i.+p too.

A clear path has opened up for them.

And so, the melee on board the s.h.i.+p begins.

I cut down enemies in front of me alongside the other allies, who ride the momentum and push forward.

Unfortunately, we're unable to get into the s.h.i.+p due to the sheer number of enemies.

「If we had an ally who can set them on fire, it'll all be over.」

If a fire starts, the Dolta will also burn.

Then we'd have no other choice than to jump into the river and drift with the current.

I don't want to be in White City without realizing it.

「Woah.」

I feel something flying above me and swing my Dual Crater at it, encountering a light resistance in the process, and then discover a broken short sword falling to the ground.

「On top……」

There are enemies high on the mast too.

They throw daggers and iron orbs that resemble cannonb.a.l.l.s.

With how often I have to deflect the short swords and evade the iron b.a.l.l.s, my gaze tends to focus upward.

「There!」

「Where?」

I sweep the leg of the person hiding behind a barrel and then kick him with all my strength after he falls down.

The enemy soldier coughs out blood and rolls on the ground in agony.

Having to switch from looking up and down inevitably created a blindspot.

A short sword aimed from above and behind me grazes my shoulder.

The moment I turned around instinctively, this time pain shoots up from my other shoulder.

Although it wasn't a deep cut, some of my flesh was definitely torn.

「I landed a slas.h.!.+」

That enemy soldier grabs onto a rope and swings from the mast like a pendulum.

I try to counterattack, but he's faster than I thought and I can't catch him.

He uses the momentum to reach a different mast, climbs up and waits for another opening to attack.

「That's annoying.」

I'm used to enemies being on all sides around me, but it's impossible to eliminate blindspots if I also have to account for enemies above me.

I'll be too worried about protecting myself to think about getting into the enemy s.h.i.+p.

「That guy isn't accustomed to fighting on a s.h.i.+p!」

「Don't rush your attacks. Aim carefully from his blindspots!」

I take slow steps and keep my movements minimal as I change where I face, keeping wary of my surroundings.

I hear a rope creaking behind me.

Immediately, I turn around and parry the slash with my Dual Crater.

And then I hear the sound of another rope approaching from behind.

I turn around and stick my Dual Crater out, however the enemy extends a leg out to kick off of the mast to change direction, then throws a short sword at me.

Such a straightforward attack won't hit, but I'm just annoyed that I'm constantly on the defense.

「Uooooh――」

There's the sound of another rope.

His shout reached my ears a split second earlier so I was able to react that much sooner.

「Ooooooh! Eh!?」

I turned around quicker than he antic.i.p.ated and the swinging enemy was still in the middle of his attack.

He panics and tries to twist his body out of the way, but unfortunately, the pendulum motion can't be stopped by his will.

「Take care not to chatter in the afterlife.」

I bisect the soldier's body with a horizontal slash.

His upper body cried out as it slams into a different mast, while his lower half squirts blood like a fancy water show and falls into the river with a small splash.

「Finally got one……」

As I sigh, I hear metal sounds ring out.

「Don't relax after killing a single smallfry.」

Sekrit stuck out her claws over my back.

Then, two short swords fell to the floor.

「Thanks. I'm not used to this.」

「Then get used to it right now. I'll show you an example.」

Sekrit says as she grabs a nearby rope, does a short running start and then dashes up the sub-mast.

「They're climbing up!」

「Kill that woman first!」

The enemy changes targets to Sekrit.

Similar to how they attacked me, they throw short swords at her, which can't seem to find their mark as Sekrit runs around the pillar.

It doesn't even seem like she's taking any evasive action.

「Knock her off directly!!」

Impatient, the enemy soldiers draw their swords and swing from ropes to attack her one after the other like I was attacked.

「Fufu, this is good. Wonderful.」

Sekrit remains hanging on her rope and intercepts the incoming enemies.

She pa.s.ses by one of them and her claws clash with his sword, creating small sparks on impact.

「You can't kill me if you come one at a time―― sorah.」

Sekrit blocks the swords of three enemies and pounces on the fourth.

He wasn't given any time to feel the voluptuous body wrapping around him as his throat was slit and then his corpse was tossed onto the deck like garbage.

Sekrit, after stealing the rope of the person she just killed, uses the remaining momentum to jump onto the main mast.

「T-this b.i.t.c.h knows how to――!」

Before he could finish his sentence, he eats a powerful elbow to the nose, and then gets stabbed in the eye with Sekrit's claws as he staggered.

「Rookie. Who do you think you're talking to?」

I hear a scream, the sound of something falling and the nasty sound of flesh being squished.

Following that is an angry roar and then a battle cry.

A fierce battle broke out on top of the main mast.

Sekrit fights with the claws on her left arm and a sword she stole from an enemy in her right hand.

The enemy wants to trap Sekrit, except she is located on the top of the mast.

Footing around her is at most 10 cm wide and falling from that height would certainly mean instant death.

Not to mention she is jumping from place to place by using the ropes and sailcloths so n.o.body can catch up to her, let alone corner her.

「What's wrong? Can't keep up?」

「W-what was that!? This is noth―― uwaaaaah!」

Frustrated by Sekrit's taunting, the enemy recklessly chases, but is tripped by her and falls.

There's no chance of surviving a drop easily over 30 m.

「Aw, another one died. You're going to get me, right?」

「Y-you little-!!」

「Unforgivable!」

Two enemy soldiers attack Sekrit from opposite sides.

She wields her weapons and engages them simultaneously in a heated battle.

Well, it's not really a close contest at all.

Sekrit has too many moves and dominates her opponents.

「I like how the arm itself is a lethal weapon. Being able to directly feel the sensation of tearing flesh is nice.」

Her claws knocks away the enemy's sword and digs into the man's shoulder.

「I still like cutting with a sword the way I've done all this time.」

Her sword cuts off the sword hand of the other enemy.

「Either way…… I have no complaints as long as I can kill them.」

Sekrit kicks away the enemy who lost his arm and lifts up the other enemy with her claws.

「H-…… hii…… don't kill……」

Sharp pain involuntarily prompts tears and snot to run down the man's face as he desperately clings to the claws, which is the one thing supporting him.

He doesn't even have the luxury to look at his comrade-in-arms who fell to his death with a splat.

「I wouldn't mind giving you a kiss as a parting gift to the other world……except my man is watching me right now. He's a jealous guy and I don't want to upset him. Sorry, you'll have to die lonely.」