Chapter 203: Awakening!
Below the creature, Angel strengthened her hold. The Sea Dragon tried to pull away, but the water resisted it from every direction, keeping its injured side above the surface and clearly visible to every ship in the fleet.
Martin drew back his arm and hurled the baby trident into the wound. The weapon vanished between the damaged scales, and he immediately switched to his sword.
Dominion of Arms responded to both weapons at once. One effect spread from the trident buried inside the monster, while the second flowed through the sword in Martin’s hand. Hold the Line strengthened them both and carried their influence throughout the golden curtain.
New targeting markers appeared across the allied players’ interfaces. The wound remained highlighted even when waves crashed over it, while attack paths and safe firing angles shifted in real time around the monster’s movements.
That’s everything I can do for now.
Storm’s projectiles would fly faster and hit harder. Their ranged players no longer had to guess where the opening would appear between the waves, and Angel would keep the Sea Dragon trapped for as long as she could maintain control.
Hold the Line also dragged its attention toward Martin. The creature’s glowing eye left the Tanks and locked onto him instead.
Now their Tanks can stop worrying about aggro and focus on buffing the damage dealers.
Martin raised his sword while the golden curtain shone behind him, a grin spreading across his face.
And I get to steal the whole damn moment.
On one of the ships below, Plume stared at his minimap. New markers covered it, routes adjusted with every movement of the Sea Dragon, and the exposed wound remained clearly visible to the entire guild.
His surprise lasted less than a second before he burst out laughing.
"This is one damn useful skill! How come we don’t have any Wardens, huh?!" Plume shouted. "You stubborn bastards cling to one weapon and a shield your whole lives, so show me why!"
He swung his arm toward the Sea Dragon Monster. "Everyone else, go all out! Use this chance to tear that sea bastard apart!"
Every cannon answered his order at once.
Storm’s ships fired in near-perfect unison, sending a wall of iron through Martin’s curtain. Mages followed with bolts of lightning and compressed wind, archers filled the sky with glowing arrows, and melee players launched themselves from the decks with movement skills.
For several seconds, the entire guild attacked as one.
The Sea Dragon roared and tried to dive, but Angel refused to release it. Water surged around the creature and pressed against its scales, forcing its wounded side back into view just as the first barrage reached it.
Cannonballs smashed into the exposed flesh, widening the gaps between broken scales. Lightning poured into the wound a heartbeat later, making the monster’s body jerk against Angel’s hold. Blades of compressed wind sliced deeper, while enchanted weapons vanished into the torn flesh before erupting with their own effects.
The force of the assault sent a shockwave across the water. Nearby ships rocked under the impact, but Storm’s formation held.
If the guild managed to defeat the monster with two overwhelming moves, first Plume’s Guild Skill and then Martin’s Hold the Line rotation, no one would complain.
It would be damn awesome.
Rias had no intention of being left behind.
While the others attacked from the ships, she raced across the monster’s body through the middle of the chaos. Its scales became footholds beneath her boots as projectiles screamed past, and each step carried her closer to the wound.
Another melee player landed ahead of her, but Rias shot past him without sparing him a glance. Dark clouds curled around her legs as she accelerated, and the slight narrowing of her golden eyes made her opinion clear.
No one was reaching that wound before her.
She did not look toward Martin, either. She already knew he was hanging above the battlefield with his sword raised, enjoying every second of the attention. The golden curtain made him impossible to ignore, and the thought of him grinning down at everyone irritated her more than the player she had just overtaken.
That only made her move faster. She pushed off one scale hard enough to crack its damaged edge, using the recoil to launch herself through the smoke before anyone else could steal her opening.
Rias reached the wound just as another cannonball exploded nearby. She slipped through the smoke, raised her dagger, and drove it deep between the damaged scales before any of the other attackers could catch up.
The Sea Dragon convulsed, and its roar shook the ships as a violent wave rolled across the sea.
Martin remained above the monster with his sword raised and golden light surrounding him. For several glorious seconds, he had complete control of the battlefield.
Then gravity caught up with him.
The golden curtain remained suspended in the air, but Martin had nothing beneath his feet. He began falling toward the raging sea, with wind rushing around his armor and bringing his moment of triumph to an annoyingly quick end.
Before he could prepare for the impact, his armor suddenly became heavier. Instead of dragging him downward, the weight settled into the space around him, slowing his fall until he stopped completely.
Martin remained suspended in the middle of his own golden curtain.
The Worldshell Carapace tightened around his body as a deep vibration passed through its plates. The pressure reached deeper than the armor, settling against his chest and bones in a slow, steady pulse. For an instant, he felt the same deep pressure he always sensed while standing on Angel’s crystal shell.
Faint light appeared between the plates, beating in rhythm with Ao Tenshin far below. The armor locked more firmly around his shoulders and waist before a notification appeared.
[Worldshell Carapace has resonated with your skill.]
Martin stared at the message, and for a moment, even the Sea Dragon Monster became less important.
It can’t be that easy, right?
He looked down at the armor holding him in the air.
If using Hold the Line was enough to awaken it, the previous owner would never have sold this thing.
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