Drift Of The Multiverse: [Marvel] [Resident Evil] [DC] [Bleach] [DB]

The distance between them gradually narrowed.

Diana and Logan stood on either side of Ethan. Only Laura wasn't on deck. She had been asked to return to the cabin once they realized a battle might break out.

Although Laura wasn't afraid of fighting, and her combat ability far exceeded that of ordinary people—both Logan and Ethan still treated her as an ordinary child. They hoped she could grow up like one, instead of constantly being involved in battles from such a young age.

Since Ethan had to steer the ship and couldn't use the binoculars at the same time, he asked Diana to observe for him.

Diana's eyesight was far superior to that of ordinary people. Even without any equipment, she could clearly see things at a distance. With her at his side, Ethan could easily keep track of the enemy's movements.

"How's it looking?"

"They still haven't changed course. I can already see what's happening on their deck."

Diana could clearly make out several people standing at the front of the enemy ship's deck. One of them was looking at her through a telescope, occasionally turning around to give commands to the crew. That person was likely the captain of the opposing ship.

"What's their intent?"

"Looks like… they're preparing to attack us."

Diana understood that this world wasn't exactly peaceful. Not every adventurer was as friendly as Cleo. It wasn't uncommon for fights to break out without a word, or even for attacks to begin without any warning at all.

Though she had heard this from Ethan, she had never personally witnessed it. This was her first time seeing such behavior, and she still couldn't understand why someone would attack a stranger out of nowhere.

Before she could make sense of it, two flashes of bright red light burst from the enemy ship's forward guns, and two energy cannonballs flew directly toward the Goddess of Dawn.

"They opened fire!"

Although the two sides were still far apart, the magic stone cannons, despite looking like old-fashioned smoothbore guns had a much longer range.

By now, both sides were within visual range. Even without binoculars, Ethan could see the enemy firing. The Book of Inheritance on his belt had already activated, projecting a translucent white magic shield that enveloped the entire ship.

The energy shells fired by the magic stone cannons were incredibly fast. Just as Ethan deployed the energy shield, one of the cannonballs came flying in from afar. The second nearly grazed the shield as it flew past.

"Even with the magic stone cannon, which is far more accurate than traditional artillery, it's still not very precise at sea."

There was no guarantee of accuracy in naval battles. Too many factors affected the aim. The constant rolling of the waves alone was enough to give any gunner a headache.

It wasn't just the firing ship that was in motion, the target ship was also rising and falling on the waves. From a distance, it might seem like the ship's position was steady, but by the time the shell reached its target, even a small error could become a wide miss.

The shot that narrowly missed the shield was actually an impressive performance from the gunner. In most naval battles, a large number of cannons were used to fire in salvos to create a saturation effect, increasing the chances of a hit through sheer volume.

Even in the era of radar and advanced fire control systems, this principle hadn't fundamentally changed. It wasn't until the invention of missiles that naval combat saw truly precise strikes.

But right now, Ethan had no missiles, and neither did the enemy. With this level of accuracy, there was little reason for concern. They could barely hit his shield, let alone inflict any real damage.

Of course, the other side wasn't stupid. They weren't going to keep firing from that far away. After the test shots, they began closing in on the Goddess of Dawn, adjusting their heading to try and gain a superior firing angle.

"They've taken the dominant position and are preparing to fire a full broadside."

Logan, who had military experience and had seen combat, recognized the signs immediately. Even though he hadn't served in the navy, he was familiar with the basics and calmly informed Ethan.

"You're not worried?"

"Why would I be?"

Logan gave him a look like, 'Do you think I'm an idiot?' He had a very clear understanding of Ethan and Diana's strength. The fools on that ship had no idea what they were up against. Whatever happened next, it wouldn't end well for their captain.

As the enemy ship completed its maneuver and brought all the cannons on one side to bear on the Goddess of Dawn, it finally revealed its full firepower. The sight of a triple-deck broadside being unleashed in succession was impressive. The energy cannonballs it fired looked even more spectacular coming directly at them.

Although the accuracy of the barrage was still lacking, Ethan's shield was no mere decoration. A few shells hit the shield, causing deafening explosions and sending ripples across its surface. The intense impact also affected the Goddess of Dawn to some extent.

"These energy cannonballs are much stronger than those I encountered in the Sea of Calm."

Back in the Sea of Calm, Ethan had used the magic shield to withstand attacks from similar cannons. Back then, it had been easy, he hadn't even felt the slightest jolt.

This time, however, the power of the shells was clearly a level higher.

"It seems their artillery isn't just more powerful, but the magic stones used are also of better quality."

Ethan couldn't be sure how the cannon structure itself improved performance, but he was certain that the other side was using higher-grade magic stones as ammunition. That much was obvious.

After all, no matter how sophisticated the cannon's design, the power of the shell ultimately came from the magic stone it was made of. You couldn't get ten points of output from a magic stone that only contained one point of energy.

"They seem a bit flustered."

As the distance continued to close, Diana could already see the expressions on the faces of the enemy crew. The man who appeared to be the captain was still looking at her through the telescope, but now his face showed surprise and frustration. He hadn't expected the Goddess of Dawn to be protected by a shield that strong, one his cannons couldn't break.

Whether that was truly the reason or not, they'd need to capture him to find out. Ethan began maneuvering the Goddess of Dawn to retaliate.

Compared to the enemy's triple-deck artillery and dozens of cannons firing in salvos, Ethan had only a few cannons of his own. They might not be as powerful, and the difference in number was obvious.

"Ethan, the captain of the enemy ship just sneered when he saw you firing back."

"..."

"Ethan, the Eternal is here."

Hearing Logan's reminder, Ethan turned his head.

During the naval exchange, the Goddess of Dawn had adjusted its heading slightly. At this point, the Eternal was positioned behind them. When Ethan turned around, he saw the Eternal charging at the enemy ship from the opposite side, launching a flanking attack with its forward guns.

"Looks like Cleo's firmly on our side again."

Ethan nodded with a smile. He had noticed earlier that the Eternal hadn't fully left the area. He had wondered if Cleo would intervene. The Eternal's actions now confirmed Ethan's instincts—Cleo was indeed someone worth befriending.

"He made the right choice."

Just for Cleo's help, Ethan wouldn't let his 'friend' lend support in vain.

Under his control, the Goddess of Dawn weaved skillfully across the sea, constantly adjusting its position to prevent the enemy from locking on. Despite their dozens of cannons, the salvos ended up being more of a spectacle than a threat. After all this time, very few shells had even touched the shield.

Aside from giving Ethan a better understanding of the firepower in this sea region, the enemy had failed to inflict any real damage.

On the contrary, the enemy ship seemed panicked after the Eternal joined the battle, and soon began taking hits from both sides. Magic stone shells landed on it one after another.

The reinforced metal hull couldn't withstand the continued bombardment. In just a short time, the ship was covered in damage. Half of its deck cannons had been destroyed by the combined assault from the Goddess of Dawn and the Eternal.

"This guy... doesn't hold up well."

Although the metal-plated hull offered better protection than wooden ships that would shatter in a single hit, it still wasn't nearly strong enough to meet Ethan's standards.

"Going for an all-metal hull was the right choice. This kind of thin metal plating adds only a little defense but sacrifices speed and maneuverability."

It was because of that lack of speed and agility that the enemy had been flanked by the Goddess of Dawn and the Eternal despite its superior firepower. And no matter how many shells they fired, they still couldn't penetrate Ethan's shield. Faced with such a one-sided fight, the enemy ship began to retreat and attempted to flee the battlefield.

"You want to fight when you feel like it and run when you've had enough? Things don't work that way."

Just as Ethan was steering the Goddess of Dawn to give chase, he noticed that the ship was slowing down, until it finally came to a stop.

Looking over at the Eternal, he saw it had also slowed to a halt on the water. Glancing up at the sails, Ethan understood why his ship could no longer move.

"The wind stopped?"

(To be continued.)

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