When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist

Chapter 1166 - 1099: Sailing Toward Freedom

The setting sun dyed the black stone wall of the governor's private port with hues of gold and crimson, like blood.And above this golden-red backdrop, arrows and javelins flew thick and fast.

Under the morning sunlight, the vampires' combat efficacy markedly decreased.

Their foes were gladiators well-acquainted with the dangers of the arena.

These gladiators might be unsuitable for formal battle formations, but they excelled at special operations.

"For freedom! Break them!"

Leading the charge over the ladders atop the walls, Sux's hoarse shout tore through the morning mist.

As soon as he finished shouting, he raised his longsword and cleaved it onto a guard's shield.

Behind him, a torrent of over a thousand gladiators along with more than eight hundred slaves surged toward the private port's walls.

Holding battle axes were centaur slaves, vampire deserters wielded giant hammers, and human pirates gripped spears and scimitars.

Though their armor was tattered and weapons rusty, their supernatural killing prowess could not be hindered.

The battle line pushed from one end of the wall to the other; as the guards retreated, the iron gate finally fell.

"Creak—"

Unexpectedly, beyond the gate lay not a bright future but a wave of putrid stench.

"Just as I thought," Sux gritted his teeth.

Although most guards went to protect Governor Monica at the Governor's House, the private port, being the Governor's last escape route, surely held ample soldiers for protection.

No vampire soldiers, yet wouldn't there be zombie soldiers?

Contrary to everyone's expectations of emptiness, a dense swarm of zombies poured forth from behind the gate.

Their skin was grayish-green, their decaying flesh hanging from bones.

Some had lost arms, some legs, yet an unknown vigor spurred them to swing long knives and spears.

Even more unsettling, the zombie soldiers rapidly organized into tight formations.

The front row lifted shields while the rear aimed spears skyward, forming a moving wall of corpses that sealed the entrance.

"That's Warwick, the Captain of the Guard!" With sharp eyes, someone spotted the young vampire standing beneath a black umbrella behind the zombies.

He wore armor of black and silver, and with a slight movement of his fingers, the zombie soldiers rearranged like marionettes.

Manipulating zombie soldiers was also an art, not mastered by all high-level vampires.

"What do we do?" Sux asked helplessly to those around him.

A gladiator stared with wide eyes: "What else can we do? Charge ahead!"

"Charge!"

"Thud—"

Several gladiators at the forefront were impaled by spears through their chests, their round shields clattering to the ground.

Yet the zombies, too, lost their heads and had their bodies pierced by axes and spears, only to pause briefly then continue fighting.

The gladiators behind immediately filled the gaps, the dull thud of axes chopping, the crisp crack of breaking bones, mingled with the zombies' growls.

The cacophony and stench assaulted everyone's senses simultaneously.

"Don't stop! The dock is just ahead!"

While the bloody skirmish raged outside, deep within the private port, the largest vessel "Shadow" lay moored by the main pier.

Inside the main cabin, Commissioner Hafali clutched a silk handkerchief, his knuckles whitened from tension.

He watched the chaotic battle outside and nervously asked the governor's confidant beside him, "Sir, can they truly be stopped?"

The confidant was polishing a ruby dagger with a deer hide: "Just a bunch of lowly slaves. It won't be long before they become new zombie material."

"That's good, that's good."

Hafali slumped into the velvet chair, which screeched against the floor noisily.

Unbeknownst to Hafali, just off the rear shallows not far from the Shadow, a group of dark figures bobbed amid the icy seawater.

In water battles and seizing ships, Danio had ample experience from the Thousand River Valley War.

Frogman tactics were a subject thoroughly trained among the Thousand River Valley's river soldier forces.

Early on, Danio had deduced that the governor's private port was bound to have such zombie soldiers and high-level vampires.

According to border knight instructors captured and whom Danio had heard from in military lectures, the best counter to a horde of skeletons was a beheading strategy.

Why did knights train so hard in mobility?

A major reason was that so long as a knight could reach a vampire, one lance thrust was enough to kill them.

Subsequent tactics were unnecessary; the skeleton horde would collapse on its own.

So the crucial point was not in defeating the zombie army, but how to lure out the high-level vampire.

Slowly, slowly, holding onto the barnacle-covered pillars of the pier, Danio led a dozen Holy Alliance sailors nearby.

One had to commend the gladiators' resilience—remarkably, they endured until Danio neared.

Closer, closer, just thirty meters left.

The vampire named Warwick stirred slightly, his head tilting towards the pier.

No more waiting!

"Now is the time!"

Danio murmured, grabbing a wooden pile from the dock first, advancing like an ape.

The wooden boards of the pier creaked from disrepair; his footing lightened, nearly causing him to slip, but he quickly steadied himself.

The gunners behind followed closely, flipping upwards, raising the clockwork guns in hand one after another.

"Fire!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The dense sound of gunfire exploded in the morning mist, as a dozen lead bullets whizzed through Warwick's armor.

Sparks flew from the armor, with flesh and blood scattering.

Yet Warwick seemed unbothered, even instinctively spreading his wings trying to fly.

Fortunately, among the dozens of lead bullets, one finally pierced through his back, penetrating his heart.

Warwick's body jolted violently, and his crimson glowing eyes suddenly extinguished.

He didn't even manage to let out a scream before he fell stiffly into the crowd of corpses.

With the commander dead, the zombie soldiers instantly fell into chaos.

They were like puppets with cut strings, some spinning in place, others swinging swords at their allies, with rotting flesh and shattered bones flying in the formation.

Sux seized this fleeting opportunity, fiercely pointing his longsword to the sky: "They're confused! Charge!"

The gladiators like a flood roaring its banks, instantly shattered the zombie soldiers' defenses.

Despite the pain from the wounds on their bodies clouding their vision, they bit down hard as freedom was within reach.

The scene at the dock gradually became clear.

Over fifty ships of varying sizes were moored by the pier; some were merchant ships, others were patrol ships, and one was a luxuriously decorated three-masted ship, presumably the governor's flagship "Shadow".

The gladiators swarmed aboard, and the guards were cut down like melons and vegetables, either stabbed or shot down by the clockwork guns.

Many more sensed the unfavorable situation and scattered entirely.

Among them, quite a few had never touched a ship's wheel but relied on instinct to turn the dial, causing the ship to clumsily sway, eagerly wanting to depart.

Thankfully, under Danio's command, experienced sailors were quickly chosen, beginning to clumsily handle the ropes.

Laughing, Danio jumped onto the deck of a cargo ship, oblivious to the wooden splinters digging into his palm.

He shouted gleefully at Esuan: "Ship materials! Don't forget the ship materials from the Royal Court! They're at the innermost pier!"

Raising his helmet, Esuan wiped the blood and dirt from his face: "Don't worry, I've sent someone to open the ship carrying the materials!"

Danio turned back and shouted to the gladiators behind him: "Take everything we can, food, fresh water, weapons... this is our spoils of war!"

The gladiators responded mightily, hauling bundles of silk and boxes of spices onto the ships.

Amid the chaos, there was an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

They were no longer slaves at others' mercy, but masters of their own fate.

Danio strode towards the "Shadow", the gangplank swaying slightly beneath his feet.

Just stepping into the main cabin, he encountered Hafari curled up in the corner.

Beside him lay the governor's confidant, sprawled on the ground, with a shiny ruby dagger inserted in his back.

The official's silk robe was torn by the gladiators, his hair clinging messily to his sweat-dampened forehead.

At the sight of Danio, his teeth began to tremble uncontrollably.

He never expected a Holy Alliance merchant could be so valorous.

Not only did he break out of the gladiator arena prison but he also persuaded them to break through the private port.

Now, it was all over.

Seeing Halay, Sux immediately whispered urgently into Danio's ear.

Danio was initially stunned, then his face twisted with a sinister expression: "So you're called Hafari, huh?"

"Don't... don't come any closer..."

Danio didn't halt his steps, the saber scraping the floor, leaving a harsh scar.

Hafari shrank back abruptly, his back colliding with an ornate wooden chest.

As the chest toppled, countless gold and silver treasures, porcelain, and artworks spilled out.

"You've really hoarded, haven't you?" Danio's eyes filled with even more disgust, raising the saber in his hand.

"No, it's not me." Hafari waved his hands, seeing the jewels seemed to remind him of something, "I have important information that could buy my life!"

Danio's saber pressed against Hafari's throat, "No information can buy your life..."

Hafari's lips trembled, fingers pointing to a nearby chest: "In that chest is the governor. I know how to subdue her..."

"Governor?" Sux pressed Danio's arm, "Governor Monica? Wasn't she dead?"

"No, she's only severely injured..."

......

By the dock, several gladiators joined forces to swing an enormous axe, hacking at the thick iron chains of the moored ships.

"Clang—"

The resounding crash of chains falling into the sea echoed inside the port, as if cutting away the invisible shackles from everyone.

The first to set sail was the three-masted ship, its sails billowing into full arcs under the morning sun, like a giant bird escaping a cage, heading toward the sea.

The sunrise completely emerged from the sea surface, its light spilling across the waters, dyeing the white sails into dazzling gold.

The gladiators stood on deck, raising their weapons and cheering.

Looking at the increasingly distant Black Tower Port, many crouched down to cover their faces.

Though they said gladiators don't shed tears, tears still poured out uncontrollably through their fingers.

From today onwards, they were finally free.