Above the ocean, a fierce wind swept across the waves. In the blink of an eye, lightning flashed and thunder roared through the clouds, as though a torrential downpour was brewing.
"King Ying Zheng of Qin! You've finally arrived!"
Sengoku wore a grave expression, his aura surging violently.
The massive Qin's Nation fleet sailed steadily over the churning waves. When they were still two thousand meters from the Marines, their forward momentum faltered, then came to a halt.
The following ships quickly moved to fill positions on the flanks, and the Qin's Nation fleet began shifting into formation.
At a distance of two thousand meters, Marine cannons could not reach them at all. From the Marines' perspective, the Qin's Nation fleet rapidly completed its formation, stretching out into a long, straight-line dragon formation.
At this moment, the two sides faced each other, eyes locked.
"Admiral, what should we do now?" A staff officer behind Sengoku asked in a low voice.
"Wait for them to make the first move. With Ying Zheng's ambitious nature, he will surely strike first," Sengoku replied.
"When they enter cannon range, order all warships to fire!"
The staff officer nodded and withdrew.
Two thousand meters, a distance beyond the reach of nearly all Marine artillery. Yet in the next moment, the Marines' eyes widened in shock.
"What… is this a joke?"
What they saw made them freeze. Even from two thousand meters away, sparks were flying from the Qin's Nation warships.
"Shh-shh-shh-shh!"
Then, white smoke rose, and long streaks of fire shot out from the enemy formation, heading straight for the Marine fleet.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
In an instant, the sounds of high-speed projectiles tearing through the air filled the sky.
"Have they gone mad? Attacking from two thousand meters… cannon fire can't even reach that far!"
A Marine shouted.
But before he could finish, his mouth gaped, eyes widening in disbelief.
A crimson-red light lit up the sky, and under his gaze, it smashed into one of the Marine warships.
Instantly,
"BOOM!"
Flames shot up into the sky, and screams from the Marines tore through the still air.
"Report! We've been hit, we've been hit!"
"The hull's breached! The hull's breached!"
"Ah! The ship is sinking!"
Before the frantic cries could end, another fireball shot into the sky, followed by a dozen more. The Marine ranks erupted into panic and chaos in an instant.
"This is impossible!!"
"How can they have such range?!"
"What is that… two thousand meters, that's two thousand meters!"
The Marines were dumbfounded. To be hit from two thousand meters away meant one thing: they could not strike the enemy, while the enemy could freely unleash their attacks on them.
"Is this beyond our level of technology?"
Sengoku clenched his fists, his expression grave.
He knew well that Qin's Nation possessed black technologies unknown to the Marines. Yet in this battle, he could not deploy Admiral-level power from the start. Those were his trump cards, to be reserved for the final decisive moment.
"Now… it's still too early!"
But what could he do?
On the flagship of the Qin's Nation fleet, Qin Yi sat upon his dragon throne, a smile at the corner of his mouth.
"Civilization suppresses you, technology suppresses you, even the strongest forces suppress you."
"Sengoku, how will you fight this battle?"
He was confident. Knowing both himself and his enemy, he believed victory was assured. He knew the Marines and Sengoku intimately, but they knew nothing about him.
A new civilization, blending Ninjutsu with advanced technology, had undoubtedly spawned many novel and highly developed innovations. Though these were only just emerging within Qin's Nation, they already held considerable potential, and some were already practical on the battlefield.
"Continue the attack! Suppress them from a distance."
With a casual wave of his hand, Qin Yi issued the order.
"Yes, sir!"
The generals in front of him immediately responded, turning to make the arrangements.
Soon, accompanied by deafening blasts, streaks of fire shot into the sky, tracing parabolic arcs toward the Marine fleet.
Compared to the previous assault, this barrage was denser and far more numerous, blotting out the sky and forming a massive, dark shadow.
Seeing this, Sengoku widened his eyes and shouted:
"Stop them!!"
The massive salvo, with its extreme range, could not be ignored. If these ordinary soldiers, though weaker in strength, were lost, the effect on the battle could be catastrophic. Every single one mattered.
Sengoku's roar echoed across the battlefield.
At that moment, on every Marine warship, the strongest officers stood up.
"We'll block the Qin's Nation artillery!"
The Marines shouted fiercely, drawing their weapons.
Enormous blades swung in wide arcs, colliding with the incoming shells in a flash.
"BOOM!"
Explosions erupted as shells ignited in flames.
Unlike the previous wave, when the Marines were unprepared, this time the shells were largely intercepted, though some damage was unavoidable.
"Advance! Close the distance and begin the artillery barrage!"
Sengoku exhaled heavily and shouted, his eyes sharp with intensity.
Immediately, the massive Marine fleet pushed forward.
He knew the enemy's range far exceeded theirs, and the Qin's Nation forces would not approach lightly. But at the start of a war, these artillery exchanges would help wear down their enemy's manpower.
"Can't resist it, huh? Heh heh!"
A smile appeared at the corner of Qin Yi's mouth.
"Tell the soldiers to prepare for close combat. They're coming."
"Don't stop the missile attacks! Hit them hard for me!"
Within the Qin's Nation fleet, the artillery assault barely paused. During this long-range attrition, the Marines suffered heavy losses, while the Qin's Nation troops remained largely intact.
This made Sengoku's expression dark.
He knew this battle would be tough. Falling behind from the start meant catching up would not be easy.
Finally, when the Qin's Nation fleet entered effective Marine artillery range, Sengoku swung his hand sharply.
"Fire!"
He practically shouted the command.
In an instant, the entire sea was filled with the acrid smell of gunpowder.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
Black-hooded cannons trembled as they spat flames, venting the tension that had built up. Marine shells rained down in overwhelming force.
"Heh heh, take a single misstep, and you'll be constrained at every turn, Sengoku!"
"I am not a man of this world, and I don't need to follow your rules!"
Seated on his dragon throne, Qin Yi tapped the armrest, smiling faintly.
Then, he abruptly rose and strode to the bow of his ship.
Watching the massive cloud of incoming shells, he slowly raised his right hand.
Then, suddenly, he clenched his fist and swung it!
"Shatter, sky!"
(End of chapter)
You can read ahead up to 15 chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395