Ships didn't sink so easily, shocking as it might be.
There was a space under the floor of a ship. So even if there was a hole in the floor and it tilted and twisted, it usually took a considerable amount of time for the entire ship to sink.
That was common sense for normal people.
But.
Rumble!
That common sense was now being shattered before their eyes.
Where on earth did they attack, and how did they attack? That huge ship was being sucked into the river in an instant.
The sight of the water dragging the ship as if gulping it was enough to instill fear in the onlookers.
"The s-ship is…"
If someone had attacked them, they wouldn't have been so shocked. However, to them, who were not used to water battles, it was an absurd shock that the ship was attacked before the person was.
The moment someone came to their senses, the second ship tilted to the side with a loud noise.
"S-Stop it! Damn it! Stop that quickly!"
A voice, more like a scream than a shout, rang out. Those who barely came to their senses at the sound looked at the ship.
Right. They had to stop it. If they left it as such, all the ships would sink.
But how to do that?
How could they stop an attack that came unseen and sank the ship?
"Jump in! The pirates are attacking from inside the water!"
There were always those who were quick to judge. They often showed the way to those who were slow to think. Those who heard the clear answer rushed into the water as if there was nothing to think about.
Those who flew in with footwork crashed into the water like shells, and huge sprays of water rose continuously.
If there had been someone who could leisurely watch the spectacle, they might have applauded, saying it was a great sight. But unfortunately, not a single person had the luxury of doing so.
Rumble!
At that moment, another ship tilted with a loud noise and was sucked down, creating large bubbles.
"Those bastardddsss!"
Yeop Sang of the Blue Sky Swordsmen shouted and threw himself into the water.
Splash!
Yeop Sang's body, having leaped into the water, felt a tremendous shock. The faster he jumped, the greater the impact of passing through.
There was something else that truly shocked him.
The fact that he couldn't see anything in front of his eyes.
Darkness in Heaven and Earth.
The river on this dark night was darker than he had imagined.
The darkness was so thick that even his eyes, trained in martial arts, couldn't see an inch ahead. The moment he encountered it, a shiver ran down his spine. It was a fear that was not easy to overcome.
But, fortunately, or unfortunately, Yeop Sang wasn't given time to deeply indulge in the fear.
Puak!
In the face of the eerie sensation of something piercing his chest and lower abdomen, fear was nothing more than a luxury.
Yeop Sang's mouth opened. Dark water poured in ceaselessly through the open mouth, filling his stomach and lungs.
"Groupp."
Air bubbles emerged from his gaping mouth. His eyes, barely accustomed to the darkness, confirmed that the long object piercing his chest and stomach was the harpoon of the pirates.
"Gulp."
But that was all.
The vision that had barely been able to distinguish the outline was suddenly filled with darkness again.
A darkness so deep and profound that it was death.
Yeop Sang's body, which had stopped moving, slowly rose to the surface as if floating. Not only Yeop Sang but also those who had hastily jumped into the water, rose up simultaneously as several bodies.
If it wasn't for the water… no, even if it were water, if it weren't for this time of the night, the result would never have come about.
But the river, shrouded in darkness, was harsher than they could have imagined.
In a place where you could neither see, feel, nor breathe, everything they had learned became meaningless. Those who failed to choose a battlefield advantageous to them in their urgency paid a heavy price.
"Soooo! Namgung Sooo!"
"AKKKK!"
The Namgung family swordsmen screamed at the top of their lungs as they were witnessing corpses rising from under the water.
And then.
Rumble!
As if to snatch away all hope, another ship began to sink. The blood drained from the faces of the Namgung family swordsmen.
'Again…'
Now, only one ship remained floating properly on the surging waters.
If they lost that one, they would have no way off the island.
They felt the urgency to act, but their feet wouldn't move. Those who had jumped into the water quickly rose as corpses, so who would dare to jump in?
"Get out of my way! I am coming!"
At that moment, an angry voice was heard from behind, and one man leaped towards the water without a moment's hesitation.
"Euk!"
"Y-young lord!"
"It is dangerous!"
The Namgung family swordsmen shouted in shock as they saw Namgung Do-Wei jumping into the river. But he had already plunged in like a hawk targeting fish in the river.
Namgung Do-Wei disappeared in an instant with a rising splash of water.
As the young lord, the heir to the family risked his life by jumping into the water, the eyes of the swordsmen who witnessed him burned with determination.
"Protect the young lord!"
"We must protect the young lord, both the ship and the lord!"
"There is no fear in Namgung's name! Let us go!"
The swordsmen guarding the riverbank and the swordsmen of Blue Sky, who arrived late, all followed Namgung Do-Wei with newfound courage, ashamed of their earlier hesitation.
Until they heard a desperate scream behind them.
"NOT THEREEEE!"
Those who had rushed into the water looked back in surprise.
Namgung Myung, who came running, was screaming loudly, his face clearly pale.
"N-Not the ship! Port! Protect the port point! We have to protect the port!"
"Uh?"
"Port? Isn't it called a port for a reason? Before the ship, the port is…"
Kwaaang!
At that moment, a huge plume of water shot up with a massive explosion, engulfing the long port built along the river. Unable to withstand the force, the wood shattered into pieces and bounced onto the river like firecrackers.
Kwaang!
"Ahh…"
Namgung Myung's face turned even paler as if he had seen a ghost.
He could clearly see the towering water column swallowing the White Thunder Cannons that had been placed on the port.
"No… No…"
He collapsed on the spot, his legs giving out at the sight.
Kwang!
At the same time, the last ship they had tried to protect began to sink under the water with a loud noise.
Namgung Myung stared blankly at the scene. His face looked as if he had lost his mind.
The bizarrely long dock and the White Thunder Cannons installed there.
These two were the keys to defending Plum Blossom Island. The dock was their lifeline, providing them with a place to stand and swing their swords, allowing them to narrow the distance to the land and survive.
The White Thunder Cannons were the only line of defense that completely blocked the ships approaching the port, their lifeline.
But now, they had lost both the land they could fight on and the weapons that could block the approach of ships. Even the ships that would become their feet were gone.
'W-wait, the weapons?'
Namgung Myung hurriedly turned his head.
As expected, he saw the Namgung Family warriors rushing in at once after hearing the commotion.
"D-Don't come!"
Namgung Myung screamed until his throat turned hoarse.
"Hold your ground, you morons! You must guard the White Thunder Cannons deployed around the island! Go back! Go back right now!"
The shout was desperate.
But it was too late. When the warriors heard the voice and hurriedly turned back, they encountered a completely destroyed cannon and a white lightning cannon that had vanished as if it had never existed.
"T-this is…"
The same scene was found everywhere else.
The pirates waited for the commotion, and once the warriors ran towards it, they leaped into the river, destroyed the cannons with ease, and escaped.
Darkness and water.
Those who could manipulate these two elements at will were the opponents of the Namgung family, renowned for their swordsmanship. What could they do with swords when they couldn't even face their adversaries?
Those who returned to Namgung Myung with heavy hearts prostrated themselves on the spot.
"L-leader. The port is destroyed."
"We failed to protect it."
"…."
Splash. Splash.
Namgung Do-Wei, emerging from the water, clenched his teeth in frustration as he surveyed the island's dire situation.
"… we lost them."
Namgung Myung looked around the island with bewildered eyes, overwhelmed by the series of bad news.
He had lost everything he should never have lost: the port, the ship, and the White Thunder Cannons.
This place could no longer be called Plum Blossom Island.
Plum Blossom Island, stripped of its weapon against the enemy and the port that had restricted enemy movements, was now nothing more than a large dock floating in the middle of the river. The Namgung family had become like rats caught in a trap.
They were beaten. They were smashed without hope.
Did they let their guard down? No.
Did they underestimate the pirates? That wasn't the case either.
The reason they were beaten so thoroughly was that they failed to understand that this was an island in the middle of the river. No matter how ferocious the lions were, they never realized they would become food for crocodiles under the cover of darkness.
"We were badly beaten."
Namgung Myung clenched his teeth at the loud voice coming from behind him.
"L-Lord!"
His eyes trembled as he turned around.
Namgung Hwang, who had been walking briskly toward them, threw something he was holding in his hand.
Three heads.
The heads, clearly those of the pirates, rolled on the ground.
"Fucking flies."
Namgung Myung knelt down and lowered his head close to touching the ground.
"Lord! I have disobeyed orders and made a mistake. Please punish me!"
"Moron!"
Namgung Hwang shouted at the sight.
"Raise your head! The Namgung family never bows down their heads carelessly!"
"L-Lord…"
"What is the problem? The ship? A cannon? A port? What is the problem with losing something like that?"
"…."
"Even if we lose our feet, they will not be able to enter this island! We won't allow even a single pirate to step foot on this land as long as the Emperor's Sword, Namgung Hwang, protects it!"
Namgung Hwang violently drew his sword and shouted.
"It doesn't matter if it is a pirate or the Black Dragon King himself! We just have to make it clear that those who wish to show off their tricks can never stand a chance against the sword of the Namgung family! Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
Namgung family swordsmen responded with newfound courage at those words.
Namgung Hwang, who had made sure to regain the lost morale, glanced at the dark river with a firm face.
'… this isn't looking good.'
He was the one who caught the morale which was falling, but he didn't know that the problem would be this serious.
'Damn it.'
The situation began to sway in a direction he wasn't pleased with.
Like a ship being sucked into the vortex that had formed in the middle of the river.