Inside a luxurious cabin on the Typhon, sealed by soundproofing magic stones.
Bishop Miles and Viscount Finn exchanged a look of surprise after hearing Leon’s plan.
“Strike Endless Bay directly?”
“Annihilate the 17th Prince of the Merman Court?”
Viscount Finn was the first to speak. “But Master Leon, the matter of wiping out the 17th Prince’s forces wasn't part of the original plan, was it?”
Miles nodded in agreement. “Indeed, Priest Leon. Isn't this sudden plan a bit too dangerous?”
Leon understood their concerns and said, “This is indeed a spontaneous addition. However, I am very confident in it.”
Previously, there had been no plan to wipe out the 17th Prince’s forces because they needed to focus all their efforts on dealing with the Mad Shark King.
Even with tactical deployment and the information advantage of Viscount Finn’s recovery, it would still be incredibly difficult to catch the Mad Shark King off guard and kill him before he could escape into the sea.
However, Alicia’s presence made up for that shortcoming.
Leon wasn't sure if the current Alicia, armed with the 【Blades of Hunger】, could stand against someone of Epic rank.
But against anyone below that rank, as long as Alicia had the chance to get close and land a single blow with those blades, it would be over.
The power within them could affect the soul, instantly devouring the target's sanity and plunging them into an endless desire to feed and consume flesh.
Even the Mad Shark King, at the peak of the Gold rank, would be finished if he was struck by the 【Blades of Hunger】.
In this way, Leon and the others could kill the Mad Shark King with minimal effort and then quickly withdraw to strike at other merman forces in the Dusk Sea.
The reason he chose the 17th Prince was twofold: first, his territory was relatively close to the Sardine’s location.
Second, this 17th Prince was the most arrogant of the mermen, responsible for the most raids on coastal villages and towns.
Leon had kept a record of every merman force that had raided the shore. Since this 17th Prince was so eager to cause trouble, Leon decided he would be the first one to be gutted and put in his place.
After hearing Leon’s explanation, Viscount Finn and Miles pondered for a long while before nodding to each other.
“Since Priest Leon has made a well-considered decision, we will naturally cooperate fully.”
“Very good.” Leon nodded slightly, thinking to himself:
‘Whether we can ultimately kill the Mad Shark King depends on you, Alicia.’
‘Mm-hmm! I... very devious!’
...
The Dusk Sea, aboard the Sardine.
“Boss, those people are coming for us on the Typhon!”
Inside the top-level cabin, a merman reported to Gareth O'Connell, the Mad Shark King, who was seated on a golden throne.
“I know,” Gareth said calmly, without even lifting an eyelid.
The merman who had reported went back down to continue monitoring the Typhon’s movements. A trusted aide standing behind Gareth stepped forward and asked:
“Boss, since they’ve already set out to sea, should we send some of the boys to dive over and give them a greeting? We could create some obstacles to scare them.”
Gareth glanced sideways at his aide, his voice calm but tinged with coldness.
“Eli, use your head. There’s a Gold rank priest stationed on that Typhon.”
“You want to cause trouble for a Gold rank priest?”
“If the brothers we send aren't Gold rank, they’ll just be throwing their lives away for nothing!”
“The gap between the Gold rank and the Silver rank has always been like the difference between heaven and earth.”
The aide, a sunfish merman named Eli, scratched his long head and realized upon reflection that he had been short-sighted. Sending the brothers to provoke a Gold rank priest was indeed no different from seeking death.
Gareth stood up from his golden throne and said, “Besides, that kind of harassment is pointless. It would only alert the enemy.”
For Gareth, it wouldn't be a good thing if his subordinates' harassment made Leon’s group realize how strong they were.
If they got scared and ran away halfway through the expedition, he would lose out on a massive opportunity!
After all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
It was only because that young master named Leon was so headstrong and arrogant, wanting to use the Mad Shark King’s defeat to stabilize the situation in the Dusk Sea and prove himself to the current King, that those humans had dared to leave their walls.
Those people, usually hidden behind the safety of the shore, the city, and walls covered in magic runes, had finally dared to step out onto the sea to fight him.
As long as he could wipe out these forces in the Dusk Sea, then the entire southern coast of the Heron Empire would be his for the taking!
By destroying this punitive force, he would be the first merman to take the plunge and reap the ultimate rewards.
He would lead his merman brothers to storm the coast, raid the coastal villages of the Heron Empire, and even sack Stormveil City while its defenses were completely empty, plundering every treasure within!
When that time came, the name of Mad Shark King Gareth would spread throughout the entire Dusk Sea!
Among the five kings of the Dusk Sea, Gareth would be the first!
Furthermore, the Heron Empire was currently at war with the Nightmare. During this period, all of the empire's top experts were being watched by the experts of the Nightmare Empire; they wouldn't have the leisure to hunt him down.
As long as he finished the pillaging and hid in the depths of the Dusk Sea with his brothers, he could safely retreat with millions in treasure and gold.
Later, he could use those riches to arm his forces and increase his own strength.
Once he crossed the threshold of the Diamond rank, he would resurface to find the other four kings and incorporate them into his ranks, becoming the sole ruler of the Dusk Sea!
Gareth had even thought of a name for his organization: the “Sea Kings,” signifying the lords of the ocean!
“Notify the brothers to prepare for battle. Wait on the ship and don't alert the enemy,” the Mad Shark King said, pulling himself back from his fantasies of the future.
“Yes, Boss.” The sunfish merman aide took the order and quickly left the cabin to inform the others.
In the cabin, the Mad Shark King gripped his magic wand, a bloodthirsty excitement and longing flashing in his eyes.
“Hurry... come to me even faster...”
...
The sun reached its zenith at noon.
On the Dusk Sea, a giant vessel with its alchemical engines roaring sped toward its destination like a deep-sea behemoth, resembling a demonic whale capable of swallowing an entire island.
A group of people dressed in noble attire stood on the deck of this giant ship.
They looked at the equally massive Sardine in the distance, and the excitement that had settled earlier returned, now mixed with tension.
“It’s the Sardine!”
“Damn it! They haven't fled even after seeing so many of us?”
“Don't worry! With so many of us, and the news we leaked about Viscount Finn’s recovery and the support of a Diamond rank expert, the Mad Shark King might not even dare to fight us!”
“Exactly! With so many Heron nobles here, the Mad Shark King surely won't dare to move against us. Otherwise, he could never bear the consequences of slaughtering so many distinguished nobles of the empire!”
Among the crowd of nobles, Zachary, the Mayor of Jellyfish Town, looked displeased as he listened to their discussions.
The Sardine hadn't fled by now, which meant they were definitely prepared for battle. Yet these people were still naive enough to think the Mad Shark King was afraid to fight?
How did he end up in the company of such fools!
Anxiety filled Zachary’s heart. He could only hope that Master Leon had a contingency plan for this.
Regardless, Bishop Miles, a Gold rank, was on board, along with Viscount Finn.
Although Viscount Finn’s injuries weren't fully healed, he likely had some means to briefly suppress them and exert his strength.
If those two could stall the Mad Shark King while the others dealt with his subordinates before surrounding the king himself, they still had a chance of winning.
Moreover, Zachary’s intuition told him that Master Leon was not as simple as he appeared on the surface...
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