Chapter 247

Chapter 247: Before the General

"Please hand over what your two brothers want. Though I don’t know what it is, nothing’s more precious than life itself." Idak stepped forward, his voice smooth and coaxing.

"No! I’ll never surrender the Spice Route!" Victoria’s delicate face hardened like ice, her teeth clenched in defiance.

At her unwavering declaration, the loyal old steward Lund moved swiftly between them.

"Betrayal carries only one penalty," Lund rasped, his voice colder than winter steel. "Death."

Aboard Victoria’s flagship Narwhal, Idak’s faction numbered barely ten against the majority crew. The gunner’s aerial combat skills mattered little here – on this cramped deck, Lund’s judo expertise reigned supreme. Though their plans lay exposed, the game wasn’t lost yet.

The Narwhal still had two Arrow Fish Skyships guarding her flanks. Victoria would risk everything for breakthrough… after making this traitor pay. She’d carve Idak’s smirk from his face and cast the pieces into the Sea of Clouds.

Before she could act, thunder split the sky.

Their portside escort ship ruptured like overripe fruit, flames erupting to birth a miniature sun. The fifty-meter Arrow Fish Skyship disintegrated into burning confetti, crew screaming as they fell. From the roiling clouds beneath, eight Skyships rose like sharks scenting blood, encircling the Narwhal.

"Your brothers are here," Idak crooned, hunger bleeding through his usual honeyed tones. "Come quietly."

"Full speed ahead!" Victoria shoved her gold-rimmed glasses up, voice cutting through panic. "Ram through their formation!"

The crew scrambled. Though surrounded, forward remained clear. Retreat meant death, but a headlong charge… The enemy wouldn’t fire – not while she held the Spice Route secrets. Break free, dive into the Sea of Clouds, and no pursuer could match the Narwhal’s speed.

Victoria’s plan crystallized – suppress the traitors, escape, then deal with Idak later.

Fate laughed.

Another Arrow Fish Skyship materialized dead ahead – the one that abandoned chasing Midi. Now it anchored their cage door. The Narwhal’s engines roared impotently against this new barrier.

Victoria’s gloved hands twisted together. Bloodless lips pressed tight, she willed speed into the trembling deckplates.

Across the frozen battle lines, Lund kept icy vigil while Idak smirked. The traitor raised a remote.

The explosion came soft as a sigh.

Black smoke coiled serpent-like from the portside engine room.

Clearly, Idak had tampered with the ship beforehand.

This left Victoria with no choice but to surrender completely, robbed of any chance for a final struggle.

“You’ve thought of everything, Idak,” Victoria said, her voice shaking with barely contained anger.

“Apologies, but I couldn’t resist the chance to claim you,” the Level 58 Awakened Gunner answered.

The eight pursuing Skyships finally caught up to the Narwhal.

Six were Arrow Fish class vessels, while the other two were heavy Tiger Shark Skyships – sixty-five-meter behemoths powered by multiple engines. These served as cargo carriers in peacetime, but when armed with cannons, they became fearsome steel monsters dominating the Sea of Clouds.

The Tiger Sharks closed in with surprising speed for their size. Their side cannons roared to life, blasting the Narwhal’s sleek hull into swiss cheese within seconds. Massive harpoons punched through the ship’s frame, trailing steel cables that locked the vessel in place.

Victoria’s last opportunity for counterattack vanished. Old steward Lund’s eyes burned with killing intent, while Idak quietly planned his retreat to the Tiger Shark – though desperate to claim his prize, the cunning traitor knew better than to face a dying man’s wrath.

All he needed now was Victoria’s Spice Route map before claiming victory.

As Idak fantasized and Lund prepared for a final stand, Victoria stood frozen like an ice sculpture. On the Tiger Sharks, Rothschild Guild guards loyal to her brothers readied to board.

The outcome seemed inevitable – one final move from the General would end it all.

Engine roars and clanging armor faded into background noise, leaving only the eternal winds of the Sea of Clouds to echo Victoria’s despair.

Then cannonfire shattered the stillness.

An approaching Arrow Fish Skyship erupted like celebratory fireworks against the blue sky. Through the smoke emerged Victoria’s forgotten bait ship – the vessel commanded by Midi with Domon as captain, supposedly outwitted by her brothers days earlier.

This uninvited guest descended like a vengeful angel, its explosive arrival serving as both announcement and warning.

“Him?” Color returned to Victoria’s ashen face as hope reignited in her eyes.

She’d anticipated countless scenarios, yet never Idak’s betrayal.

Even less expected was this human gladiator’s return – a man she’d met once, who’d seemed interested only in material rewards.

Why now?

Heroic impulse?

Anger at being used as bait?

Or was Mr. Blade another pawn of her brothers? Impossible – he’d just destroyed their Skyship.

The questions swirled without answers.

Yet one truth remained:

As she teetered over the abyss, this unstoppable warrior had torn through her captors’ net. Whether real rescue or girlish fantasy, his arrival brought pure, undiluted joy.