Super Mothership
Looking at the Karon Beast, which lay there like a dead fish, the battlefield fell silent for a moment...
"What happened to the boss?"
"This... he couldn't possibly be dead, could he?"
"Impossible. The boss is so powerful. How could he just die like this?"
"Hmph! Good riddance if he's dead!"
"Shh! Do you have a death wish?"
"I've wanted to die for a long time anyway! What's the point of living like some inhuman monster?"
"..."
The Karon Pirates had always been the product of Karon's iron-fisted, high-pressure rule.
Many of them had been forced to join and subjected to inhumane beastification surgeries. The loyalty of such a group of pirates was naturally questionable.
Now that Karon's life or death was uncertain, the pirates who had normally been forced to endure their anger in silence out of fear of Karon immediately erupted into chaos.
"BOOM!" Just then, a huge hole suddenly exploded open in the Karon Beast's back, sending flesh and blood flying everywhere.
Under everyone's astonished gazes, a very familiar-looking six-legged terrain vehicle crawled out, drenched in blood.
After climbing out of the Karon Beast's body, its mechanical legs pushed hard against the surface. Its rear engines roared to life, and it leapt into space like a nimble insect.
Only after it retracted its six mechanical legs did everyone realize that this wasn't a terrain vehicle at all.
It was none other than the Ghost Captain's flagship!
Only, the ship was now covered in the Karon Beast's highly corrosive acidic blood, making it look horribly battered and pockmarked.
There were burn marks and collision scratches across the hull. Several sections had even been dented inward, leaving only the general outline of the ship intact.
Everyone was baffled.
How could this ship possibly still be operational after suffering such severe damage?
Not only was it still operational, it was even bouncing around energetically, apparently intending to drag away its spoils of war!
Indeed, a silver chain was attached to the rear of the ship, giving the impression that it intended to haul the Karon Beast away in one piece...
The scene was practically like a tiny sampan trying to tow a gigantic blue whale, filled with the spirit of The Old Man and the Sea!
"BOOM!" The Karon Pirates instantly erupted into an uproar.
If the previous development had merely been speculation, then the Ghost Captain now appeared before everyone in the unmistakable posture of a victor.
That was enough to fully reveal the outcome of the battle.
The Karon Beast...
Had lost!
It was as if the swarm had suddenly lost its queen. The entire Karon Pirates immediately descended into massive chaos.
"Thank goodness! That devil is finally dead!"
"I'm free! I'm free! Hahahaha..."
"I'm finally free! Waaaah..."
"And you lackeys! Give me back my pure and innocent body!"
"That's right! Kill them! Avenge the magnificent physique I lost!"
A large number of pirates not only had no intention of avenging their captain, but instead attacked the factions loyal to Karon with bloodshot eyes and the ferocity of madmen.
Karon's synthetic beast legion immediately descended into civil war after losing its leader.
The two sides tore into each other like wild beasts, creating an extremely bloody scene, with brains splattered all over the battlefield.
Even the fleet responsible for providing fire support from the rear instantly fractured into pieces, with most of them beginning to flee the battlefield amid the chaos.
The seemingly invincible Karon Pirates had actually completely disintegrated the moment they lost their leader.
As for the ship slowly dragging the Karon Beast toward the Ghost Pirates' fleet, no one dared to approach it for the time being.
Although its hull was battered, this warship, drenched in blood and carrying such an astonishing record, was destined to become a new legend of the Shattered Star Region!
...
On the other side of the battlefield, the Ghost Pirates VS the Debt Collection Alliance!
"Charge! For all that treasure!"
The Debt Collection Alliance surged forward with overwhelming momentum and launched its attack almost as soon as it entered firing range.
However, without unified coordination, their attacks were chaotic and scattered, barely causing any meaningful damage to the Ghost Fleet.
The Ghost Fleet, by contrast, waited until the two sides had drawn even closer before launching its counterattack.
"Entire fleet, coordinates XXX, XXX. Three volleys! Fire!"
The moment they made contact, the Ghost Pirates' fleet displayed extraordinary organizational coordination.
With just the first synchronized volley, they blasted a hole through the chaotic formation of the charging Debt Collection Alliance, concentrating fire on more than a dozen warships and blowing them into fireworks on the spot.
"Adjust firing angle. Coordinates XXX, XXX. Three volleys! Fire!"
Three more volleys followed.
Once again, the exact same position and the exact same pirate group were targeted.
"Damn it! Why me again?!" the unlucky pirate who had been singled out cried out in fury and disbelief.
He wasn't the only one who was shocked and furious.
Only now did everyone in the Debt Collection Alliance suddenly realize that the situation was completely different from what they had expected.
The enemy's combat-capable fleet didn't consist of one hundred ships.
It consisted of a full 350 or so warships!
Moreover, judging from the Ghost Fleet's unified and coordinated command, these ships didn't look anything like recently incorporated vessels lacking morale and cooperation.
They were clearly a group of battle-hardened soldiers whose combat discipline was no worse than that of a regular military fleet!
But how could the Ghost Pirates possibly have completed the takeover and integration of the Gold Coin Pirates' surrendered ships in such a short period of time?
That made no sense!
"Unless... they had anticipated all of this long ago and prepared three times the necessary number of reserve crew members in advance!" someone vaguely guessed the truth.
"What? How is that possible?"
People had heard of fleets being fully staffed, but never of one being staffed at three times its required capacity!
Even a rich person drinking soy milk would only dare pour one cup at a time!
How could you possibly be this extravagant?!
"Don't panic! We have nearly twice their numbers. What the hell are we afraid of?"
"That's right! We have our own strengths too. As long as we close the distance and enter close-quarters combat, they're finished!"
"Exactly! At this point, there's only one word: grab!"
The morale of the Debt Collection Alliance finally stabilized somewhat after several temporary leaders rallied their forces.
One side held the numerical advantage, while the other possessed seamless coordination.
As the distance between the two sides narrowed, the casualty figures continued to climb.
The difference was that one side suffered evenly distributed casualties, while the other suffered casualties that were heavily concentrated...
"What the hell is wrong with you people? Why am I always the one getting hurt?!"
The unlucky pirate who had been targeted from beginning to end finally couldn't take the enormous casualties anymore and cried out in grief and indignation.
No one answered his question.
The Ghost Fleet silently kept firing at him, while the Debt Collection Alliance was more than happy to have someone else absorb the firepower for them.
They were merely strangers who had happened to meet. Just because they were all here to collect debts didn't mean they had to live and die together, right?
At most, they could mourn for him.
"Boss! If we keep fighting like this, our brothers are all going to be wiped out!" the second-in-command cried with tears streaming down his face.
"Bastards!" The unlucky pirate's veins bulged with rage. In the end, he gritted his teeth and said, "We're retreating!"
If this continued, even if they ultimately defeated the Ghost Fleet, their own fleet would be completely wiped out.
Then they wouldn't have any share of the spoils anyway.
Why go to all that trouble just to make clothes for someone else?
Following his order, the more than thirty remaining warships under his command began turning away from the formation.
At first, the members of the Debt Collection Alliance watched this unlucky pirate flee in the middle of the battle with schadenfreude.
But soon, when unlucky pirate number two, who had also been targeted, couldn't withstand the enormous casualties and began fleeing the battlefield as well, they gradually realized that something was seriously wrong...
For a ragtag group of people, courage was something granted by the collective.
Once deserters began appearing one after another, the impact on morale was obvious.
Most of the pirate groups instinctively began avoiding direct confrontation with the Ghost Fleet as soon as they saw what was happening.
Eventually, wherever the Ghost Fleet's guns pointed, chaos immediately erupted.
Those who were slow to flee practically wished they could install several more engines on their ships.
Even when the temporary leaders shouted and cursed in desperation, everyone continued running anyway.
No one paid them any attention.
If someone had to die, it might as well be someone else!
Why the hell did I have to be the one standing in front of the bullets?
...
"What do we do now?" a hesitant voice sounded through a secret communications channel within the Debt Collection Alliance.
"Things don't look too good on our side... Should we do what they suggested and switch sides?"
One side had a disciplined formation, while the other was in complete disarray.
It was like a cavalry formation facing a scattered infantry formation. Anyone with eyes could already see how the battle was going to end.
"Yeah. That's 500 million Shattered Star Points. It's more than enough to rebuild our base. Why don't we..."
"Wait! Let's keep watching. Once the two sides close in and enter a melee, there might still be a chance to turn things around!"
"Think about it. They can use 500 million to bribe us, which means they obviously aren't short on money. So just how much wealth could be inside that fleet? We can't throw away the watermelon just because we're picking up sesame seeds!"
"Uh... You have a point."
"Hey! Look over there!" Just as they were discussing how to maximize their profits, one of them suddenly cried out in alarm.
The other two immediately activated the remote monitoring feed.
Their eyes widened in shock.
A battered and dilapidated warship was slowly making its way toward them, towing the legendary Karon Beast, which was said to eat people without even spitting out the bones.
It was clearly a warship that looked as though it might fall apart at any moment, yet combined with the dead-fish-like Karon Beast trailing behind it, the sight somehow radiated an overwhelming majesty reminiscent of the legendary Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin.
"Uh... You two take your time deciding. I'll go first and show my sincerity!"
TL Note- Battle ......
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