Chapter 66: The Second Battle of Cutthroat Isle (Part 1)
The Stepstones, Cutthroat Isle
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
Accompanied by the arrival of the terrifying sound of wind, the sky above Cutthroat Isle gradually darkened.
Under the manipulation of some strange power, grayish-black clouds appeared bit by bit on the horizon, like a heavy black scroll unfolding.
"Rumble... Rumble..."
As these gray clouds approached, bursts of low thunder echoed from afar, sounding like the angry roars of gods.
Bolstered by this violent power, the already increasing sea breeze began to roar like a runaway horse. The trees on Cutthroat Isle crackled under the force of the terrifying wind, their branches twisting and colliding desperately under the pull of that fearsome power.
"Screech..."
Just then, the falcon that had been perched on the rack in Jon's bedroom suddenly became restless, struggling desperately as if something terrifying was about to arrive.
"Growl..."
Direwolf Ghost, who had been lying at Jon's feet, also let out a low, muffled growl, his snow-white fur standing on end like needles.
"Hmm!?"
"Rumble... Crackle... Boom..."
At that moment, a bolt of lightning instantly tore through the sky, streaking toward the building where Jon was located. Immediately after, deafening thunder erupted directly over the pirate fortress, as if to rip the entire world asunder.
Under this terrifying pressure, the glass in Jon's bedroom shattered instantly. Countless glass shards, controlled by some strange power, shot toward Jon like arrows.
"Roar..."
Just as the glass shards were about to harm Jon, a terrifying dragon's roar resonated behind him.
Within an unknown dimension, a magic dragon resembling a titan beast unleashed a torrent of dragonfire toward the space in front of Jon.
That fearsome dragonfire pierced through the boundaries of time and space, forming a scorching current of air before Jon.
"Boom... Sizzle... Hiss..."
The glass shards flying toward Jon were incinerated about fifty centimeters in front of him by the invisible dragonfire that appeared behind him.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle..."
As the glass shards vanished, the gale brought by the lightning sent the torrential rain pouring into Jon's bedroom.
When the bean-sized raindrops smashed in front of Jon, they hit as if striking a high-temperature wave of air. Under the roasting of that extreme heat, bursts of water vapor appeared before Jon.
Jon was currently wearing a black leather outfit, his long silver-gray cloak flapping loudly in the sea breeze, and the golden three-headed dragon totem belt at his waist looked exceptionally beautiful.
Feeling that unusual trace in the air, Jon looked toward the northwest of Cutthroat Isle. With the help of the magic dragon's power, Jon quickly used the vision of a seagull to see the pirate fleet hidden behind the storm.
"Eh..."
Sensing that the seagull had been instantly struck into ash by lightning, Jon's brow furrowed immediately.
Clearly, this opponent was not simple. Looking at the flickering, terrifying figure within the thunderclouds, Jon subconsciously crumpled the letter in his hand.
"My dear uncle, I hope you can hold on a bit longer. I still have some issues to deal with here!"
After talking to himself for a moment, Jon completely crushed the letter in his hand.
"Knock, knock, knock... Lord Jon!"
"Come in!"
The commotion in Jon's room soon attracted the attention of those outside, and the voices of several guards drifted in.
Upon receiving Jon's command, the door to his bedroom was opened. The several people who entered were momentarily stunned by the mess inside.
This was the second time they had seen Jon's bedroom damaged, though fortunately, the destruction this time wasn't severe—only the large glass window in front of Jon's desk had been destroyed.
"Pass down my orders: tell everyone to get ready. The enemy has arrived!"
"Yes, Lord Jon!"
Though they were very surprised, the guards didn't ask any questions. After bowing to Jon, they quickly rushed out.
"Clang..."
"Clang, clang, clang..."
Atop the newly built bell tower in the Dock Market, a bell-ringer from Jon's forces was vigorously ringing the massive bronze bell overhead.
"Move it, you little brats! The enemy is at our doorstep!"
Raindrops carried by the storm smashed violently against the ground like falling shells. The splashing water made it impossible for pedestrians on the street to avoid, leaving them helplessly soaked.
The wind grew fiercer, ravaging every corner of this newborn city. Windows of buildings teetered in the wind and rain, while tree branches, debris, and street trash were swept up, dancing chaotically in the air.
Rainwater flowed down the walls of the buildings, forming curtains of water. As the rain intensified, streams began to form on the streets.
In this violent storm, those without combat capability could only hide in their homes in fear and helplessness. Especially after hearing the warning bells outside, they could only pray silently for the disaster to pass quickly.
As the dark clouds continued to approach, the entire city was plunged into chaos and darkness, as if the small town were about to be swallowed whole by the storm.
"Move fast! Your hard daily training was for a day like this. You used to complain that I was too harsh on you, but now you see—this is what a real storm looks like!"
Garo's voice echoed through the air like a thunderclap. He knew very well that such terrifying storms came and went quickly.
However, if a fleet were truly following behind this storm, the enemy might break through the outer defenses as soon as the storm surge passed.
Under the cover of this storm, the previous method of using sunken ships to block the way could not be executed at all. Furthermore, the sentries at the main island entrance could not stop the enemy's advance or transmit information.
Therefore, Garo knew clearly that all they could do now was use their advantages to defend at the Dock Market; there was no longer any chance for a naval battle.
"This is the first city belonging to us, and we will have more cities in the future. So for the freedom and hope of more suffering people, my dear brothers, the battle has begun. Go!"
"Hu-ha!"
After letting out a series of shouts in response, the soldiers before Garo began running toward their usual defensive positions.
By now, at several major intersections and building areas in the dock district, the soldiers had already established simple defensive fortifications.
Most defensive fortifications of this era consisted of archer towers and chevaux-de-frise. The soldiers formed defensive lines and archer squares behind these fortifications to counterattack.
"Rumble..."
While the defenders were hurriedly making defensive arrangements, the distant joint fleet was drawing closer.
The weather around the outskirts of Cutthroat Isle was a tale of two extremes. The sky on the island's side looked like the end of the world, while the sea surface outside the archipelago was calm and sunny.
Located at the rear of the fleet, Salladhor Saan even leisurely took out a bottle of golden wine to taste.
If someone unaware saw Salladhor Saan's appearance, they might even think he was here for an outing.
"Is this the power of the gods? I've heard the Red Priests say that followers of R'hllor, the Lord of Light, can be resurrected time and again. I didn't think an evil god like the Black Goat of Qohor could also produce such power."
The gladiator guard at Salladhor Saan's side let out a heartfelt sigh of admiration after seeing this eerie scene.
"I've never liked these things. The Summer Isles have many gods too, but when the people there suffer, those gods are of no use at all."
The well-traveled Salladhor Saan only ever believed in the power of gold. In his view, the only powers in this world that could truly pose a threat were sea monsters and dragons.
Salladhor Saan knew that the power of gods did indeed affect this world, but he also knew very well that these powers could only change the development of certain events.
"You must always remember that the power of life and magic is actually a hiltless sword. It either hurts yourself or hurts others. If you don't want to get involved with those eerie things, you'd better trust the weapon in your hand."
In Salladhor Saan's memory, neither gods nor magic were things that ordinary mortals like them could master. Thus, his best choice was to watch quietly from here, rather than actively meddling in things he had no ability to control.
"Wait and see the show. I don't think the enemy will just sit and wait for us to attack. We..."
"Roar..."
Before Salladhor Saan could finish his sentence, a series of incredibly resonant dragon roars erupted directly in front of them.
Following that, the terrifying storm that had been raging ahead was suddenly torn open down the middle by some unknown, powerful force.
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