Chapter 90: An Abrupt End

With a loud crash, the Odin Holy Guard, now twice as bulky as before, landed heavily on the stern deck.

This Odin Holy Guard was not one of the Beastfolk but a Viking Barbarian from the Five Great Archipelagos, known for their fierce combat prowess and wild customs. At first glance, these barbarians seemed no different from ordinary people of the Western Continent, but once enraged, intricate Battle Runes would appear on their bodies. The stronger the warrior, the more complex the Battle Runes would be.

The Odin Holy Guard who had leaped onto the deck was covered in dense Battle Runes. Black and red patterns intertwined, making his body resemble a venomous insect. Among the complex designs, on his chest, red and black stripes formed a massive bear head pattern.

“Damn it, it’s a Bear Soul Bloodline Warrior, famous for strength and defense among those barbarians!” Lin Qi’s voice trembled. The frenzied Odin Holy Guard emitted a faint purple glow, and he had astonishingly gained strength comparable to a Celestial Knight in a short time.

Even with Long Cheng aboard the Sea Windmill, if two Celestial Knight-level experts fought here, the entire ship would be destroyed! Without the ship, Lin Qi and the others would be doomed. The frenzied Odin Holy Guards would not hesitate to dig out their bones and make them into drumsticks for war drums.

The Odin Holy Guard who had charged onto the ship raised his hands and let out a long roar to the sky. He shouted fiercely, “In the name of the gods, you evil and brutal Heretics, face the wrath of the gods! You must pay for what you have done! Your Souls will be trapped beneath the ice mountains forever, burning in the fires of Hell!”

Lin Qi cursed angrily, “What did we even do? Bastard, what happened at Viking Great Axe Gorge has nothing to do with us!”

Long Cheng suddenly turned his head to look at Lin Qi. “Kid, you’re quite loyal!”

Lin Qi gave Long Cheng a disdainful glare. “A real man doesn’t drag outsiders into his troubles!”

Long Cheng smacked his lips, his sword-like eyebrows rising sharply as he sneered, “If I’m not a real man, who in the world would dare call themselves one? I never drag outsiders into my mess. Fine, I’ll cover the rear. I’ll hold off the pursuers on the ship while you escape on the boats!”

Patting his chest firmly, Long Cheng declared with heroic fervor, “You saved my life—how could I repay you with betrayal? Don’t worry, with me covering the rear, they’ll never catch up to you! Hmm, it seems there are twenty boats on this ship, enough for all of you to escape.”

Lin Qi was so furious he felt like vomiting blood. He had finally met a scoundrel as unreasonable and stubborn as himself. Long Cheng wanted to stay on the Sea Windmill to cover their retreat while Lin Qi and the others escaped on boats? Damn it, was this a chance to survive or a death sentence? The North Sea was clear and sunny today, meaning a terrible storm would surely hit in the next two days. Escaping on boats would mean everyone capsizing and drowning.

Using the most vicious, vulgar, filthy, and despicable words he knew to insult Long Cheng’s mother, Lin Qi tightened his grip on his cleaver and abruptly pointed it at the roaring Odin Holy Guard. “Brothers, chop him up and feed him to the fish!”

Before Lin Qi finished speaking, the Temple Warlocks on the three small Dragon Boats behind them simultaneously concluded their lengthy chants. Three spells landed on the Odin Holy Guard at once: a red light, a gray mist, and a bloody gleam, all sinking into the giant’s body.

The red light was a Berserk Spell, driving the giant into a state of madness where he would no longer feel pain or reason, killing enemies purely on instinct.

The gray mist was a Beast Soul Spell, a “soul technique” refined by the Temple Warlocks from the souls of powerful magical beasts. The beast soul entering his body greatly enhanced the Odin Holy Guard’s strength and speed, boosting his combat power significantly.

As for the bloody gleam, it was the desperate “Blood Sacrifice Spell.” This spell was incredibly terrifying, converting all of a Warrior’s defensive capabilities into offensive power, allowing the Warrior to unleash three times the destructive force in a short time, killing all nearby enemies.

A Celestial Knight suddenly unleashing three times the destructive power was a horrifying force capable of destroying a small city in a short time.

But as soon as Lin Qi saw the bloody gleam of the Blood Sacrifice Spell, he joyfully shouted, “Hunting Crossbows, take him down!”

Six dull thuds sounded as the sailors on the deck raised six secretly carried Hunting Crossbows. With the twang of strings, six cold beams shot out. The frenzied Holy Guard, whose defenses had all been converted to killing power, shuddered as his forehead, throat, chest, abdomen, and both thighs were pierced simultaneously by the Hunting Crossbows.

The Temple Warlocks on the three Dragon Boats behind them gasped in shock. Two of the Warlocks angrily cursed at the Warlock on another Dragon Boat. The cursed Warlock lowered his head, red-faced—he had chosen the most fatal spell to cast on the frenzied Holy Guard.

The giant frenzied Holy Guard, his life instantly taken by the six Hunting Crossbow bolts, saw his glowing aura vanish as he heavily collapsed onto the deck. Long Cheng flicked his Spear, sending the rapidly shrinking body flying. It crashed onto the deck of a Dragon Boat twenty meters away, knocking down several Odin Holy Guards gathered for boarding combat.

“Ooh~ Ah~ Hey!”

The Odin Holy Guards simultaneously let out strange war cries. They raised their weapons and slashed deep bloody marks on their chests. Lin Qi’s face suddenly changed—these Odin Holy Guards were preparing to fight to the death, determined to stop the Sea Windmill at any cost.

Sneaking a glance at Long Cheng’s back, Lin Qi once again felt the urge to kick him off the ship and make him the scapegoat.

Just as he hesitated about ordering all archers and crossbowmen to attack Long Cheng and force him off the ship, a red fireball suddenly shot into the sky from behind a distant iceberg. It exploded with a bang, bursting into a giant shower of sparks.

A piercing horn sound echoed from afar. A warship with pristine white sails, painted with thorn patterns and sword-and-shield designs, and a faint oar motif below, its hull colored the same sea-blue as the ocean, slowly emerged from behind the iceberg.

One, two, three—more and more warships continued to emerge from behind the iceberg. Twelve medium-sized battleships, each about fifty meters long, caught the wind and sailed swiftly toward them. The twelve ships formed an aggressive frontal assault formation, with small Catapults and heavy crossbows already positioned on their prows.

The four pursuing Dragon Boats suddenly slowed down. Then, to the sound of deep drumbeats, they slowly turned in a wide circle and retreated northward.

Lin Qi clapped his hands firmly. He said in a low voice, “Hide anything suspicious in the secret compartments. Quickly finish dealing with that whale king. Leave the Hammerhead Sharks on the deck for everyone to see. Hmm, hide all the Whaling Harpoons. Just say we used up all the harpoons issued for the ship in the fierce battle just now!”

Long Cheng glanced meaningfully at Lin Qi once more.