Chapter 686 - Bloody Sea 3 (1/2)

The Ironclad ships wandering around, the Symphonia battleships constant shelling, and the arrival of Yemaek and Song Empire fleets.

Because of that, the Grenada ships were sunk and half of them were destroyed beyond use.

“Admiral, this shouldn’t be like this!”

“That is right. All our battleships will get smashed if this continues.”

“This is horrible, but we need to retreat…”

At the words of the staff, Duke Nathan frowned while staying silent.

The situation was so serious that even their king—Fernando—didn’t intervene in the decision.

“Hold on like this.”

“Duke Nathan!”

Fernando raised his voice on behalf of the staff who turned pale.

He too seemed to think that retreating was the right option when it came to the current stage of his fleet.

But Nathan wasn’t the kind to be stubborn without thought.

“Your Majesty, the line of our fleet is too scattered right now, but we still have the numbers advantage. The shells and gunpowder on the enemy ships aren’t going to be infinite.”

There was an amount of damage they would be able to do.

However, Nathan believed that if he was able to endure the crisis, then they would get the chance to counterattack.

Three large battleships, such as Edward, Jolly Roger, and Barbarossa were still in good shape, and there were dozens of other battleships that had thick hull.

In addition, the amount of shells and gunpowder loaded in them were huge.

“If we curl our tails here, the enemy’s nose will rise higher. And the transport fleet thrown in as bait will be in real danger, and does Your Majesty want that situation?”

“Never.”

Fernando shook his head.

It was because the 100,000 troops and supplies on the transport fleet were too enormous to lose.

Giving up on that ship meant a huge loss even if the war was won.

Duke Nathan turned his gaze toward the staff, and no one seemed to have anything to say back.

“Then I’ll take is as everyone has agreed to it…”

“Sire! Something is floating in the sky!’

The moment Nathan was about to give out orders, shouts were entering from men above board.

Nathan looked to the sky in haste.

Long objects among thick clouds were flying.

‘Is that… a hot air balloon?’

It was a little bit different in shape and size, but it was definitely a hot air balloon.

The problem was that there weren’t just one or two of these balloons.

When looked through the telephoto in Nathan’s hand, they seemed to be dozens in number.

“Look there, isn’t that a kite!”

A rope from the Symphonia fleet extended to the sky.

Nathan thought that it was for a kite.

But instead of a kite, the rope was tied to the hot air balloons!

“Spread the fleet! Hurry up and scatter!”

“Huh? Scatter?”

The eyes of the staff were widened when they heard Nathan’s orders of letting the fleet spread.

Nathan explained to them in a hurry, “They need to scatter! They are using the hot air balloon to shoot us down!”

Several years ago, during the civil war of the Baroque Empire, the imperial force used a hot air balloon to annihilate the western rebels.

It was a unique case of using a hot air balloon as a weapon, so it ended up turning into a huge topic among the commanders of the continent, even Nathan admitted the strategy used by Emperor Rudolf was genius.

“The artillery! Can they shoot into the sky?”

The sailor shook his head.

“I’m afraid that can’t happen, sir. There is no angle for the gun to be mounted.”

At the sailor’s words, Nathan seemed upset because he never expected the attack from the sky.

What was more, they didn’t even think that the hot air balloons would be used so far from land.

This was why they didn’t prepare for air battle.

“Ugh! Call the archers! It will turn into a mess if the enemy’s balloons reach us and set us ablaze!”

The ships were all made of wood.

Even the battleships made of iron had their boards and decks made of wood.

There was no way they wouldn’t be scared of fire.

Nathan was concerned about that, but the enemy’s hot air balloon didn’t rush for the fleet.

They dropped something.

It was as if flowers were blooming in the sky.

“What is that?”

“I don’t know what it is, but it sure is fast!”

The Grenada Navy was confused in the beginning.

It seemed like squirrels the same size as humans were flying in as a unit on the sea where any naval battle took place.

“Yah-oh!”

“I am the sword that cuts down the sky!”

The Blood Hawk knights, composed of warriors from the Southern Continent, including Gyochon, were flying toward the Grenada Fleet.

They were trembling during the training, but now, they seemed extremely excited.

Jumping down from the hot air balloon was easier and refreshing than jumping from a stationary height.