Chapter 500: The Three Transformations of the Radiant Holy Kingdom

Having amassed over two hundred ghost ships, Charlot Mecklenburg could occasionally take a breather, sacrificing a dozen or so ships to buy himself some respite. He had long suspected that something beneath the sea was aiding him, but amidst the intensity of battle, he had no time to investigate.

With his strength recovered to seventy or eighty percent, Charlot once again wielded the Flaming Lance. Letting out a roar, he dove back into combat.

Charlot’s ability to grow increasingly valiant amidst the ghost fleet stemmed primarily from the previous battle, where his Saint-ranked subordinates had seized numerous ancient magical ghost warships and subdued their Saint-ranked spirits. As a result, there were no opponents beyond the Saint rank this time around.

Second to this was his extraordinary ability. Surrounding him were eighteen ever-burning Flame Dragon’s Hands, each gripping a transcendent weapon, effectively forming a small squadron—one that need not fear casualties, as the Flame Dragon’s Hands had almost no vulnerable points. Their combat was one-sided, and they proved even more formidable than a typical ten-member battle team.

The transcendent weapons themselves were, of course, another critical factor.

Charlot labyrinth-transformed five more ghost ships before withdrawing to rest. After catching his breath, having a quick bite to eat, and restoring a bit of stamina, he plunged back into the fray.

This time, Agmirlas once again deployed the Yishemierlen Palace, refusing to retreat under any circumstance. This suggested only one thing: the foreign god of chaos was in dire straits and unable to muster his primary forces to deal with Charlot, a challenger to the evil god.

Charlot recalled hearing about a chaotic battle among the evil gods of the New Continent, and now he was more convinced than ever that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The Radiant Holy Kingdom transformed into a giant whale, its speed doubling in an instant. It circled the Yishemierlen Palace, ramming it repeatedly. The sluggish palace could only fire volleys of wraith cannonballs in response, but the whale’s thick hide was impervious to such feeble attacks.

As it circled the palace, the giant whale devoured any ghost ships it encountered along the way. Its eyes sparkled with gleeful light, clearly showing that it was famished.

With every collision, the whale managed to knock loose fragments of the palace. Unfussy in its appetite, the whale swallowed everything in sight. Over several hours of combat, Charlot estimated that it had devoured at least three times its own size in "food." Yet, it showed no signs of fullness or even the faintest burp. Instead, it appeared even hungrier, like a reincarnated gluttonous spirit.

...

As dawn broke, the stars faded, and the sun rose, Charlot calculated that he now commanded over 350 ghost ships. Yet, to his surprise, the Yishemierlen Palace still controlled nearly a thousand ghost ships, with their numbers seemingly undiminished. He wondered to himself, "Could this ghost fleet be inexhaustible?"

Still, he noticed a drop in the quality of the Yishemierlen Palace’s fleet after he had taken 350 ships. The remaining fleet now included small rowboats.

“Can those even count as ghost ships?” he mused, finding it absurd that such vessels had made their way into a grand-scale naval battle.

By now, Charlot had become adept at fleet command, having learned much from the Golden Ram Herolf. With enough ships under his control, he began employing some simple tactics, such as encircling groups of ghost ships and using others to intercept enemy reinforcements. While this didn’t significantly improve the rate at which he subdued ships, it drastically reduced his own fleet’s losses.

Growing more comfortable with these tactics, Charlot divided his ghost fleet into dozens of groups, each with a few ships. Some groups intercepted the Yishemierlen Palace’s fleet, while others used intricate maneuvers to isolate and ambush lone ships, preparing them for Charlot’s labyrinth transformations.

Previously, Charlot had to jump between ships, which wasted time, but with the fleet working together, his efficiency increased significantly.

...

By the second night of the sea battle, Charlot had seized over 600 ghost ships. While still outnumbered by the Yishemierlen Palace’s fleet, Charlot’s fleet was far superior in strength. The enemy ships, despite being replenished repeatedly, grew progressively weaker.

Withdrawing once again to rest and recover his strength, Charlot watched as the giant whale let out a resonant song before diving into the sea.

Minutes later, a massive sea serpent, rivaling the whale in size, emerged from the waters.

Although Charlot had known the Radiant Holy Kingdom to be mysterious, he hadn’t expected it to be this extraordinary. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he thought, "If the ship turns into a whale or sea serpent while I’m aboard, would I end up on their backs... or in their stomachs?"

In its sea serpent form, the Radiant Holy Kingdom was far more ferocious than the Whale King. With a slight shift of its enormous body, it stirred up towering waves, riding them to crash into the Yishemierlen Palace. The serpent slithered through the palace, which was formed from the remains of an evil god, leaving utter destruction in its wake. The palace let out eerie, anguished wails as countless wraiths rose into the air, transforming into an endless barrage of wraith cannonballs, lances, and ballistae, which bombarded the serpent relentlessly.

After just over two hours, the serpent’s skin was tattered and mangled. Though it was ferocious and caused immense damage, its defenses were no match for the Radiant Holy Kingdom’s whale form.

Before Charlot could grow concerned, the serpent lashed its tail, collapsing part of the palace, before retreating into the sea.

...

Half an hour later, the Radiant Holy Kingdom resurfaced. The ship’s sides opened into massive maws, from which countless tendrils emerged, greedily devouring the palace fragments scattered across the ocean.

The Yishemierlen Palace appeared heavily damaged, remaining motionless for a long time. When it finally stirred and attempted to retrieve the fragments, most had already been consumed by the Radiant Holy Kingdom.

Over these few hours, Charlot had captured another hundred ghost ships. The tide of the battle had completely turned, with Charlot now relentlessly pursuing the Yishemierlen Palace’s fleet.

...

Suddenly, the Yishemierlen Palace emitted a strange wail. Its fleet froze momentarily, as if struggling against an unseen force. One by one, the ghost ships began sailing toward the palace. The structure, formed from the remains of an evil god, split open, revealing countless jagged maws. As the ghost ships sailed into the palace, grotesque chewing and swallowing sounds echoed from within.

In the blink of an eye, over a hundred ghost ships had been devoured. The Yishemierlen Palace visibly began to recover at an astonishing rate.

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