Chapter 132: The Aquatic Dragon's First Battle
Narrow Sea, Stormlands, Estermont
In the outer waters of Estermont, two powerful fleets were fiercely battling on the turbulent sea.
The midday sun pierced through the clouds, scattering golden, dust-like light upon the sea, reflecting countless battling figures.
One of these fleets was a combined army fleet with massive catapults and scorpion ships. Most of these vessels came from Tyrosh and Lys, with huge and sturdy hulls, like floating fortresses on the sea.
The shipbuilding materials for Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh mostly came from the , a place with abundant resources and timber very suitable for shipbuilding.
Especially the Swan Ships, which had achieved mass production, made the large sailing ships on Westeros and Essos seem like children's building blocks, rendering them incomparable.
Since most of the ships remaining here were catapult ships and scorpion ships, this reduced the overall combat power of the fleet. Although the combined army fleet's ships were taller, they were slightly inferior in number to the Stormlands fleet.
The Stormlands fleet had a very mixed type of ships, with large sailing ships and small sampans. If not for their numerical superiority, their commander, Ser Sedek Storm, would not have dared to attack Jon's fleet.
However, when Ser Sedek Storm learned of the general composition of this fleet, his mind became active. Ser Sedek Storm knew very well that if he seized this opportunity to launch an attack, the enemy fleet would likely scatter and flee.
Ser Sedek Storm knew very well that the opponent had too many heavy ships. If he got a chance for close combat, many of these ships would likely become his.
Therefore, after entering the waters near Estermont, Ser Sedek Storm finally understood that this was his chance—an opportunity to make a name for himself.
As the distance between the two sides gradually closed, Jon's combined army fleet launched the first attack. Huge crossbow bolts from ballistas and oil barrels launched from catapults arced through the air.
"Bang..."
"Crack..."
"Boom..."
After flying for a while, the huge crossbow bolts and flaming oil barrels violently struck the hulls of the ships in the middle of the Stormlands fleet. Since the Stormlands fleet's speed was not very fast, these attacks hit them very accurately.
As these attacks landed, countless ships of the Stormlands fleet were either damaged or incinerated, and some small sampans even capsized directly due to the aftershocks of the attacks.
However, the crew members of the Stormlands fleet did not retreat because of this. They knew very well that the attack interval of these siege engine ships was very long. As long as they endured this wave of attacks, the enemy would be forced into close combat with them.
Although the recent attack was terrifying, some captains still used the flexibility of their ships to evade the combined army fleet's attacks.
Although the Stormlands fleet's ships were quite mixed, they had a very large number of crew members.
"Rumble... Crack..."
Accompanied by crashing and grinding sounds, the vanguards of both sides collided fiercely. Although some small boats had been trying to use their maneuverability to avoid collisions, in the face of absolute strength, they were still battered and bruised.
Even so, some ships from the Stormlands fleet still approached Jon's vessels. As grappling hooks were thrown, the Stormlands soldiers leaped onto Jon's ships, ready to engage in fierce hand-to-hand combat with the soldiers of the Chainbreakers. For a time, swords clashed and blood splattered across the battlefield.
As the battle continued, Ser Sedek Storm even directly used his numerical advantage to form a pincer movement against Jon's side.
In any war, the side that forms an encirclement first always creates immense psychological pressure on the enemy.
In the from another timeline, , known as the Bastard of Bolton, used the "surround three, leave one open" pincer tactic, putting Jon in that timeline under unprecedented pressure. If it were not for plot armor, Jon in that timeline would likely have been flayed and fed to dogs.
Ser Sedek Storm's plan was clear: he wanted to establish this psychological dominance over the combined army in advance, giving himself hope of victory.
Meanwhile, on the flagship Sea Fox, had just put down his telescope. In his opinion, the Stormlands fleet commander's ability was commendable, but it was a pity he had met Jon.
"Give my order—let our experimental subjects deploy!"
"Yes! Lord Aegon!"
As the order was given, one transport ship after another emerged from behind the catapult ships and scorpion ships. These transport ships were never designed for combat, so their hulls were large and tall, meant to carry more cargo.
On one of these ships, , dressed in black leather armor, led Sarene and onto the deck. Behind them were pirates, many of whom were bare-chested.
These pirates held two short axes, wore dark blue headscarves, and had bulging muscles.
"Open the hatches!"
As Jeyne Arryn waved her delicate hand, the two huge iron grates on this transport ship were pulled open by the pirates. With the pirates' actions, strange sounds emerged from the ship's hold.
"Hiss... hiss..."
"Tap... tap..."
Amidst strange hissing sounds, lizard-like dragon creatures appeared on the deck. These lizards had bodies similar to Valyrian dragons, but their limbs resembled those of striped monitor lizards.
Upon closer inspection, one could see that these dragon-lizards had fin-like membranes on their feet and tails. Specialized dragon saddles were placed on their backs, indicating they were meant to be ridden.
Aquatic Dragons are a type within Jon's dragon plan, specifically created for naval warfare. The structures on their feet and tails are designed for underwater stealth, and the sharp claws and barbed scales on their feet allow them to easily climb onto enemy ships.
This battle, besides allowing Jon to capture the Stormlands, would also let the Lysene and Myrish nobles witness the power of these dragons, making them more aligned with the Chainbreakers.
"According to Lord Aegon's command, the Aquatic Dragon Knights must immediately raid the enemy's south to create chaos!"
"Yes! Lord Kapo!"
After Kapo gave the attack order among the crowd, countless pirates who had successfully changed professions immediately mounted the Aquatic Dragons and began to maneuver them to jump into the sea.
"Splash..."
Amidst the impact of the surrounding seawater, Kapo was the first to jump into the sea. Because he had a special mission to perform today, he had abandoned the cloak he usually loved to wear.
Ever since he mastered magical abilities, Kapo had gradually started to abandon his twin axes, but had already assigned him to be a pirate early on, and using magic was just a simple experiment.
So, after the Aquatic Dragons appeared, this former Ironborn-style pirate, who was already preparing to learn magic, was directly appointed by Jon as the commander of the Aquatic Dragon Knights.
If it were before, Kapo would have been excited, but having already experienced the mysteries of magic, he had no desire to be a knight. However, this was Jon's command, so Kapo could only obey.
Pirates possess a special talent for combat in the sea. This talent allows them to stealthily move underwater for extended periods, and it was precisely this trait that Jon valued when developing the unique Aquatic Dragon species.
"Whoosh... Splash..."
As the Aquatic Dragon entered the sea, Kapo felt the immensely powerful water around him, but as the Aquatic Dragon continued to advance, the surrounding water pressure gradually decreased.
As the Aquatic Dragon continued to advance, Kapo also felt companions approaching him. Since both sides were in combat and not very far apart, after the Aquatic Dragons had been stealthily moving for about five minutes—
Kapo and his group seemed to have reached the vicinity of their destination.
After giving an attack order to a companion, all the Aquatic Dragons turned their heads and began to swim toward the surface of the sea.
However, the Stormlands soldiers on the surface were completely unaware.
On the deck of a large sailing ship named Blood Moon, a soldier named Lightning was moving weapons with his comrades.
They belonged to the reserve force, and besides guarding against possible enemies appearing from the southern sea, they also had to prepare armaments in time in case they were deployed.
"Crack... Hiss..."
As he passed by the ship's rail, Lightning seemed to hear some friction and breaking sounds. Since he was usually a very curious person, upon hearing this sound, he ignored his companions' calls and quietly poked his head outside the railing.
"Hey! Lightning, what are you looking at?"
"I think I heard something! Let me go and see... Ah—!"
The moment he leaned out—
everything went black.
Immediately after—
he felt nothing at all.
"Monsters!"
"Help!"
Amidst the terrified wails of the soldiers, one Aquatic Dragon after another climbed up from the side of the ship.
"Hiss... hiss..."
At that moment—
a single thought surged into the minds of every soldier aboard the ship:
Today—
none of them—
would leave this vessel alive.
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