Chapter 200

Chapter 200

"ROOOAR—" The skeletons surging from the black mist let out hoarse howls, their hollow eye sockets flickering with faint green light. Dozens of white bone bodies floated on the sea surface, like drifting clumps of snow, rapidly converging on the sailboat.

Though their movement speed wasn't fast, they were densely packed. At a glance, the sea was covered with swaying bones, giving off a creepy, unsettling vibe.

"Protect Miss Lillian!" Laura snapped, instantly drawing her longsword. The silver blade traced a cold arc in the sunlight. She instinctively shielded Lillian behind her, her steps steady on the deck, the sword held horizontally in front of her, her sharp gaze locking onto the few skeletons closest to the hull—those wielding rusted bone swords, clearly the greatest threat.

Evan also snapped into combat mode. His left hand quickly pulled an exquisitely crafted pistol from a hidden pocket in his cloak—a supernatural weapon he'd picked up after hitting Sequence 8, the barrel etched with simple spirit patterns to boost bullet punch. His right hand gripped a short blade hidden in his sleeve, its edge gleaming with a dull, cold light.

He didn't just start blasting—he quickly scanned the encircling skeleton horde, prioritizing those armed with weapons while keeping an eye on the deck's surroundings to ensure no skeleton could sneak aboard.

"Blam!" The first skeleton wielding a bone sword had just neared the ship's side when Evan pulled the trigger. The bullet, carrying a faint spiritual aura, struck the skeleton's skull with precision.

A sharp crack—the skull shattered, the faint green light dissipated, and the entire bone structure collapsed with a splash into the sea, swept away by the waves.

Almost simultaneously with Evan's shot, Laura made her move.

She launched off the deck, lunging like a leopard, her longsword slicing precisely at another skeleton swinging a bone club. "Clang!" The club was severed in one strike. Laura twisted her wrist, sweeping the blade horizontally to cut through the skeleton's ribs.

The skeleton faltered, its hollow eye sockets flickering with green light, but it still struggled to climb onto the deck. Laura's eyes went cold as she booted it back into the sea. The bone body rolled several times on the surface before being engulfed by the surging skeletons.

"Gunners, fire! Aim at the skeleton clusters at the edge of the black mist!" Captain Hock's voice rang out across the deck, steady but tense.

The four cannons near the helm were already primed. At the command, the gunners lit the fuses. "Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!" Four deafening blasts roared out, and gunpowder smoke filled the air in an instant. White-hot cannonballs screamed toward the sea by the black mist.

Huge waves erupted where they hit. Dozens of skeletons got blown to bits on the spot, white bones flying in all directions, patches of faint green light vanishing in clusters.

But that didn't stop the skeletons' assault. More skeletons kept pouring out of the black mist, like an endless tide closing in on the sailboat.

"Full sails! Top speed! Now!" Captain Hock urged again, sweat dripping down his forehead. The first mate snapped to it, directing the crew to haul the sail ropes with all their might. The sails caught the wind, bulging like they'd burst. The sailboat's speed surged, waves crashing more violently against the hull, leaving a long white wake on the sea.

Yet, many skeletons still managed to approach the ship. Some grabbed the railing, while others had already climbed onto the deck's edge.

Most of these skeletons were unarmed, relying only on sharp bone claws to scratch. Their attacks were weak, but their tireless, painless nature made them troublesome once they latched on.

"Everyone, grab your weapons! Knock these monsters off!" the first mate shouted while pulling the ropes. The sailors had already prepared clubs, axes, and even wooden barrels from the deck, smashing them against the skeletons that had boarded. The deck exploded with a racket of crashes, bone snaps, and sailors' yells.

A young, dark-skinned sailor had just hacked off a skeleton's arm with his axe when another skeleton lunged from behind, its bone claws aiming for his back.

"Watch out!" Evan's voice rang out in time as his right-hand short blade flew like a meteor, piercing the skeleton's skull with precision. The skeleton froze instantly and collapsed onto the deck with a clatter. The young sailor broke out in a cold sweat, turning to shout gratefully, "Thanks, man!"

Evan didn't answer—he just grabbed his short blade while firing his left-hand pistol again, blowing the head off another armed skeleton trying to climb aboard.

His moves were smooth and seamless, the pistol and blade working in perfect harmony—shooting distant threats with precision while slashing at skeletons near the deck. His eyes constantly scanned between the deck and the sea, ready to assist any sailor in danger.

Laura's fight was just as fierce.

Her swordsmanship was exquisite; the silver longsword seemed alive in her hands, each strike landing precisely on a skeleton's weak points, the sound of breaking bones unceasing.

Two skeletons wielding bone swords attacked her simultaneously. Laura stepped forward instead of retreating, pivoting on her left foot to dodge the first skeleton's slash. Her right-hand sword thrust forward, piercing the second skeleton's chest. She then twisted her wrist, churning the blade to shatter its core bones.

The first skeleton pressed its attack, its bone sword whistling down. Laura leaped backward, evading the strike while sweeping her sword horizontally, severing the skeleton's legs. It collapsed onto the deck, and she stepped forward to pierce its skull with a single thrust.

Lillian hid near the cabin door behind Laura, clutching her skirt tightly, her face pale and eyes filled with terror. She had never witnessed such a bloody, grotesque scene. The skeletons' howls, the cannons' roars, the crunch of bones—every sound made her tremble. But she held back her screams, staring intently at Laura's back, silently praying for this terrifying battle to end soon.

"Boom! Boom!" Two more cannon volleys thundered, clearing another patch of skeletons from the sea, but new ones kept emerging from the black mist.

Captain Hock's face got grimmer by the second. He knew they had to escape this sea area quickly. If the skeleton numbers grew too large, even with the supernaturals and cannons, they wouldn't hold out forever.

"Put more effort in! Hurry! Tighten the sail ropes to the max!" he shouted to the crew, joining them to pull the ropes himself.

The battle on the deck reached a fever pitch.

Evan had just dealt with a skeleton that climbed aboard when he noticed an old sailor nearby being cornered by two skeletons. The sailor's arm was bleeding from bone claw wounds, his club had fallen, and he was stumbling backward in panic. Evan rushed over, firing two shots from his pistol to shatter both skeletons' skulls. "Are you alright?" Evan asked, helping the old sailor up.