CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 44: A SUPPORT

"What are you going to do?" The giant wolf immediately intended to cooperate with Li Ang.

"No need to help, just avoid the lightning, and make sure Zoe doesn’t get hurt."

"Li Ang!" Zoe hurriedly said, "Didn’t you say not to think about sacrificing? Why are you—"

Li Ang smiled gently at her, "Just like you said before, this isn’t a sacrifice. Suppressing the Star Soul is something you can do, and fighting with people, especially these local armies that win by numbers, is something I’m good at.

"Besides, I’m your team leader, protecting team members is a leader’s responsibility."

In this high altitude, the strong wind blew, and the most abundant was the wind element.

Li Ang equipped the Spirit Core Ball and cast a shaman’s wind element shield on himself.

The airflow of the Tier Four Wind Shield was so strong it was almost tangible, enveloping his whole body, allowing him to easily ride the wind. Normally, this method couldn’t take him far, but here it was enough.

The wind carried his body off the giant wolf’s back, and under the concerned gaze of the young girl, Li Ang rose into the air, adjusted the airflow around him, and sent himself onto the deck of one of the large ships.

As soon as he landed, the soldiers who saw him fly solo onto the ship were startled for two seconds before they aimed their magic-guided guns at him.

In the distance, on the command platform on the deck, the commander of this ship stood briefly stunned beside the magic amplifier, then shouted into the loudspeaker, "Who are you? Are you surrendering? Where’s the child beside you? Bring them up! Otherwise, don’t blame me—"

"I’m curious, how did you get such a big ship?"

Li Ang observed the magical warship. This was the first time he was aboard such a large magical flying ship. Although the Celestial Group’s ships were even bigger, their equipment was completely different. The latter was more like a sailing ship, while this one even had many sci-fi elements, with magic guide pipes flowing with magic power drawn by molten soulstones, emitting a purplish-red glow.

Calling this force a "Holy Empire" doesn’t necessarily mean it’s very strong. On many isolated islands in the aerial realm, countries with exaggerated names are plentiful.

"Of course, it’s because of the Empire’s glory!" The commander put his hands on his hips.

He was a member of the Haven Race, colloquially known as the "Douding Tribe," standing only three to four heads tall compared to humans. At the moment, he stood on a raised crate, puffing out his chest in a somewhat comical manner.

"The Empire is bound to rise again, and the Emperor’s brilliance will illuminate every part of the aerial realm!"

Can you speak like a normal person?

"Where is the Speriel Empire’s capital located?"

"Remember to add ’Holy’ to its name!" the commander shouted, "The empire’s capital is Chalk Fortress! The greatest fortress of the Nebis people! You ignorant fool!"

Chalk Fortress, so that’s it, Li Ang had some impression of this island.

It’s a typical island that doesn’t cooperate with the Sky Knight Guild, and it’s situated among a large cluster of thriving islands, including the Makena Island Country, Giant Garden, Artisan Island Vitum, and others. They all belong to the Ignis Sky Realm.

As a Sky Knight, he often travels around those places, but he never actually visited the middle Chalk Fortress. It’s really embarrassing to say it’s such a forsaken place.

From high above, it’s a series of white towering walls and towers built on the precarious terrain of the island. A few hundred years ago, perhaps the ship cannons of the flying ships couldn’t shake those walls, and with the average strength of the Nebis people at that time, it was also difficult to conquer those walls.

Long ago, the Ignis Sky Realm was engulfed in war. This fortress island might have been built back then, but after peace arrived, especially after the guild was established three hundred years ago, there was almost no war in the aerial realm, not to mention major wars, so islands like Chalk Fortress naturally lost their significance.

Sometimes, flying nearby, there were discussions with fellow travelers like "Are there still people living there" or "Is it an ancient ruin."

"I see, but what does your need to ’rise’ have to do with capturing people?"

"The Emperor says all enemies obstructing the Empire’s rise must be eliminated! We don’t question; we only execute his will."

"What’s the Emperor’s name? Did he acquire some ancient technology, and that’s why you’re rising?"

Commander Dou Ding became more excited, "A madman like you has no right to know the Emperor’s honorable name! The Emperor is like a mountain, and those who do not bow to his holy light are like waves; even if they come crashing in, they are doomed to smash against the cliffs!"

"Enough, I don’t want to hear more, and I’m not here to submit."

It seems communication with these empire people is fruitless. Besides investigating that previous meter, Li Ang decided to look into where this Emperor came from.

Perhaps thinking that he boarded the ship to surrender, after the bow cannon charging was complete, the commander did not order it to fire directly.

But they still blocked Eden’s flying path. The giant wolf, carrying Zoe, formed a floating ice shield around them, temporarily creating multi-angle protection like a cocoon, so even if they fired, it wouldn’t hurt them.

Li Ang flipped the switches on the Spirit Core one by one, "I’m here to arrest you, if you have anything to say, talk to the Order Sky Knights of the guild."

"Just by yourself? Ha—"

Commander Dou Ding’s laughter had just begun when it abruptly stopped—not because he was hit, but because the amplifier in front of him had failed, and his shouts were no longer amplified.

Similarly failed were the soldiers’ magic-guided guns. They saw Li Ang wave his hand, knew he cast a spell, but when they pulled the trigger, the gun barrels overheated sharply without firing any energy bullets.

They quickly discarded their weapons, only to find their armor jumping uncontrollably, themselves dancing like puppets on strings on the deck, resulting in their joints almost entirely dislocated and crying out in pain.

The turrets on the deck rotated automatically, and even the cannon within the ship couldn’t be controlled. The helmsman was flung away by the rapidly spinning wheel, the flames spewed by the power furnace adjusted their direction, and the entire flying ship spun horizontally in the air, aiming its maximum firepower on one side at the nearby reinforcement ship.

With the support of the temporary energy source, Li Ang unleashed the Secret Technique—Tumult of Ten Thousand Spirits, while expanding the reach of the magic power.

"Finally, it’s my area of expertise."

All the cannons on the ship fired together, the adjacent ship had no response, and its deck was entirely covered by the rain of energy bullets, with soldiers enveloped in the purplish-red glow of the explosions.

The attacked flying ship instantly lost most of its combat capability. The cannon controllers inside the ship were initially stunned by the sudden friendly fire but then tried to aim back at the ship Li Ang controlled. However, before they could, the cannon’s energy bullet from Li Ang’s ship had already blown in through the muzzle, taking them all out.

The two smaller ships behind tried to adjust their angle for a full broadside on the large ship Li Ang controlled.

After Li Ang finished the broadside attack, the angle was directly facing them. He maximized the stern power furnace, and the warship rapidly approached. The ramming horn on the bow slammed onto the deck of one of the small ships, causing numerous casualties amid the collision’s loud bang and tearing metal.

Li Ang walked to the junction of the two ships. The control range of the Tumult of Ten Thousand Spirits extended to that boat, and as the soldiers attempted to rush up, they started dancing too, while part of the small ship’s weapons and the big ship’s weapons aimed at the fourth ship.

Now, though, the fourth ship began firing, and as the big and small ships exchanged fire, the energy bullets fired towards Li Ang’s ship entered the zone of erupting spirituality and triggered a premature explosion.

Li Ang chose to fire in response as well, and the size of the energy bullet met the attacking energy bullets head-on in the air.

When Li Ang maneuvered to strike sideways, countless were killed or injured amidst the tear of metal and the crash of collision.

The flying ship ignited by the temporary energy source rapidly accelerated, its bow rammed directly onto the deck of the small ship, causing numerous casualties amid a cacophony of tearing metal and crashing sounds.

As the ships exchanged blows, the energy bullets shone with a purplish-red glow, exploding as soon as they entered the zone of erupting spirituality.

"You! Just who are you! Is this, is this something a human can do!"

Commander Dou Ding was crawling out from a heap of soldiers with dislocated limbs. Nearing collapse, he forgot even the Emperor’s glorious name.

Due Ding collapsed onto the deck.