Chapter 134. Maggots
Soon enough, the wooden ship had caught up with the Narwhale. The two vessels raced side by side on the vast inky expanse. At such a close distance, Charles thought he could faintly hear the anguished roars of “King.”
Suddenly, a series of thuds echoed in the air as the panels to the side of the wooden vessel flung open and dark, ominous cannons extended from within.
A grave look appeared on Charles' visage, and he sharply turned the wheel to shift the Narwhale to a ninety-degree angle where her bow now faced the approaching enemy.
His tactical maneuver decreased the chances of them being struck to the minimum. On top of that, his gunners were positioned to launch a counterattack as well.
The next moment, pandemonium sank in. The deafening roars of cannon fire filled the battleground. Apart from the explosions, Charles could hardly hear anything else.
Suddenly, the Narwhale jerked violently. Charles' face turned a shade darker. They had been hit!
The billowing smoke on the deck obscured Charles' vision from within the bridge. Pushing open the door of the bridge, he ran out of the cockpit.
Upon arriving at the deck, he saw that the Narwhale's bow had distorted and now resembled a cracked open mouth from which the smoke was pouring out.
Fortunately, it seemed like the turbine chambers had remained intact, and the ship could still move.
However, compared to the immediate threat of the wooden vessel right opposite them, a functioning turbine chamber provided little comfort.
Eight cannon muzzles were pointed at the Narwhale. 134 was also perched at the bow of the wooden vessel.
She grinned malevolently as she said, "Interesting... When my men reported a giant bat on the island, I knew it was you. I didn't pursue you, but here you are, daring to provoke me. You escaped once, but your luck has run out. You are not getting away this time."
Faced with 134's threats, Charles remained unexpectedly calm. In fact, a slight smirk appeared on his face. "I know you are strong, but do you think one ship can match the might of several exploration vessels?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Cannon fire continued to echo in the air. Under the barrage of cannon projectiles, the wooden vessel began to catch fire. With a sorrowful cry, 134 was engulfed in flames and pluming smoke.
Their reinforcements had arrived. The dozens of ships that had departed earlier had returned to provide assistance.
Seeing that the pirate ships were closing in on them, Charles didn't dare to waste another moment. He immediately sounded the horn to instruct everyone to retreat at full speed.
A few swift pirates managed to catch up and climb on board, but their insignificant numbers couldn’t hinder Charles and his fleet from escaping.
Just as the battle raged on, an abrupt, hauntingly beautiful song drifted over the battlefield.
Hearing the tune, Charles felt his weariness rapidly dissipating. At the same time, an itchy sensation spread over his skin.
Charles had experienced the effects of 134's singing and was well prepared for it. He grabbed a nearby screwdriver and tightened his grip on it. If the transformation ever got too overwhelming, he would pierce his eardrums.
But this time around, nothing abnormal happened to Charles. Rather, the abnormalities manifested on the burning wooden ship.
As the singing intensified, branches sprouted relentlessly from the flames and intertwined as they grew in height. Before long, a lush forest had appeared on the inky, dark waters. The pirates behind halted their chase. Their attention turned to the growing forest as they erupted into ecstatic cheers.
Witnessing the scene, a trace of anxiety emerged in Charles' heart.
Kord was standing next to him, and he muttered, "It's alright. Without a ship, they can't catch up." No one knew if he was trying to reassure himself or Charles.
Suddenly, the haunting melody ended. Following it, the entire forest split asunder like a cocoon, and a bloated creature with pallid flesh crawled out from within.
If “King” was likened to an obese human previously, the monstrosity he had turned into now resembled a disgusting white maggot, magnified tens of thousands of times.
Various insectoid limbs wriggled and burrowed in and out of “King's” bloated form. Beneath him, rows of contorted insectile feet were prominently displayed.
Taking in his current appearance, Charles finally knew why that "man" had been crowned the King of Sottom. He had no idea if “King's” current form was the result of 134's song or if his original form had always been nested within the ship, but he was certain of one thing: the entity was not to be trifled with.
Roarrrrrrr!
The monstrous head of King let out a growl of fury. Its multiple insectile feet rapidly writhed and thrashed in a forward movement. Brimming with lethal murderous intent, the mutated King charged toward Charles and the Narwhale.
Lily's mice scampered across the deck and fired cannons at the abomination.
Cannon fire rained down on “King,” and explosions tore through the monster's flesh. However, “King’s” speed remained unchanging despite the injuries.
From within the gashes, the beige fatty tissues squirmed like maggots and swiftly healed the wounds.
“King” was extremely fast, and in less than a few minutes, he had closed the distance with the Narwhale once more. A heavy realization weighed down on Charles; if the fleet got entangled with him, everything would be over for them.
"Kord! Command them to continue ahead! I'll hold it back!" Charles shouted and bit into his gums. Smearing the blood onto the Bat Mirror, he soared into the sky.
He quickly positioned himself right above King and opened his monstrous maws to let out an ear-piercing screech.
However, 134 had a response to his attack. A mellifluous song sounded from beneath him to neutralize his high-frequency sonar attack. On top of that, Charles' muscles and bones started swelling as well.
Seeing that his body was morphing uncontrollably, Charles gritted his teeth, tucked his wings in, and hurled himself toward King.
As he shrunk rapidly back into his human form, he swiftly drew out the Lightning Rod just before he collided with King.
Brilliant electric arcs danced atop King's body. Its insectile legs convulse erratically, while its pallid flesh charred to blackness whenever an electric jolt landed. A nauseating scent of burning flesh filled the air.
“King” halted in his tracks. But at the same time, Charles was in a dire situation. Several insect legs from below King's body shot up and trapped Charles in a deadly embrace.
Clad in a pristine purple princess gown, 134 drifted toward Charles.
In the face of an approaching enemy, Charles was paralyzed and rendered motionless, but he displayed not even a hint of panic on his countenance. It was as if he had a trump card up his sleeve.
Just when the distance between the two had narrowed to about five meters, an abrupt voice broke the silence. "Oh dear, what are you doing? Stop it. What's with the fighting?"
It was Tobba.
Panting between breaths, he crawled up using one of “King's” insect legs.
"I'm so tired. Lend me a hand," Tobba complained grudgingly. The moment his words fell, a charred part of King's flesh split open and an insect leg extended from within.
Without hesitation, Tobba yanked the leg out and used it as a makeshift cane. With a silly smile on his face, he walked toward 134.
"Isn't this little Mithila? Long time no see! Where have you been?"
Tobba reached out a hand, wanting to pat 134 on the head. However, 134 slapped his hand away and using some unknown power, she pinned Tobba to the ground.
Staring at the grimy old man, the little girl's face contorted into extreme disgust.
"177! Someone came to invade our island! And you actually chose to aid them?!"
A pained innocence appeared on Tobba's face. "They wanted to go home. I just wanted to help... And I saw that even without my help, they—"
"You useless piece of trash! Ever since you went crazy four hundred years ago, your mind hasn't had a single lucid moment!!" 134 shouted.
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