"Boom!"
"Boom!"
All cannons on the ironclad fired simultaneously, their thunderous roar reverberating throughout Blue Mountain Island's port.
The coastal defense batteries built on both sides of the embankment were immediately blanketed by concentrated fire.
At such close range, with their weakly protected flanks taking the bombardment, these expensive, high-powered cannons were utterly destroyed.
"Keep firing! Keep firing!"
Anderson shouted at the top of his lungs, witnessing firsthand as those coastal batteries turned to rubble in an instant.
Flames burned fiercely, the crimson light of destruction illuminating his eyes.
He felt his Beyonder characteristic becoming extremely active!
The "Pyromaniac's" instinct reacted, cheering wildly within Anderson's body!
The harbor dock had already descended into chaos.
The warship they'd assumed was friendly had suddenly launched an attack.
Caught completely off guard, they couldn't organize any effective resistance.
Soon, the last coastal battery was swallowed by cannon fire.
"Raise the flag and have the rest of the fleet come over!"
Anderson ordered his subordinates, clutching a stack of black cloth as he leapt down from the bow.
"Boom! Boom!"
The cannon fire rumbled on, continuing to destroy the dock's defensive forces.
Only now did an officer finally lead a squad charging forward. Anderson launched a fireball at the ground before the squad.
The high temperature and impact instantly routed them, and many soldiers rose in a daze, fleeing in panic under overwhelming terror.
"Get out of here!"
Anderson didn't want to abuse his Beyonder abilities slaughtering ordinary people.
He merely kept launching flames, crushing these soldiers' will to resist, and the dock's remaining defensive forces finally began a complete retreat.
Though he'd already repelled the enemy, his footsteps didn't stop, continuing toward his designated target.
A flagpole stood in the square before the dock, the Rorsted Archipelago colonial flag flying atop it.
In the upper left corner was the Loen royal emblem, a "Sword of Judgment" pointing straight down with a ruby crown as its pommel.
The main body featured eight stars surrounding a deep blue background, representing the eight islands of the Rorsted Archipelago.
Anderson looked at that flag symbolizing royalty and colonialism, raised his hand, and fired a flame.
"Whoosh!"
The flag was instantly engulfed in searing white flames, quickly burning to nothing.
Then Anderson grabbed the flagpole and nimbly climbed upward, ascending to its top.
"Whoosh!"
He unfurled the black cloth he'd been holding and tied it to the top of the pole.
Looking closely, it wasn't black cloth at all, but a black flag—against a pitch-black background, a blood-stained skull!
The Scarlet Pirate Crew's black flag now flew above Blue Mountain Island!
The harbor was an important area of Bayam, and the successive cannon blasts especially drew the island residents' attention.
Thus at this moment, large numbers of people personally witnessed the fall of the colonial flag and the rise of the pirate black flag!
Seeing such a scene, residents of Loen origin naturally felt fear, while the locals were incredibly excited.
"This is the Sea God's will!"
In the crowded, chaotic slums, Edmonton, a resistance fighter with a blue-green sea serpent tattooed on his arm, was extremely agitated.
He said to Kalat, who sat in a wheelchair, "First He displayed His power over the sea, and now He's summoned a pirate crew to attack Bayam's harbor!"
"Kalat, we should mobilize too!
Join forces with those pirates from inside and out, and drive those damned Loenese into the sea to feed the fish!"
Many other local men were also in the room, all darker-skinned with slightly curly hair.
They wore deep blue Talabasi shirts, their exposed skin painted with varying amounts of red pigment.
Some had revolvers tucked in their waists, others simply carried high-pressure steam rifles and wore cylinder backpacks.
All were excitedly clamoring to fight their way out together.
"I don't think this is the right time."
But Kalat in the wheelchair wore a grave expression.
He had just reported the intelligence on "Elaine" to the Sea God.
As for the situation in Bayam, he had a broader understanding.
"These pirates are only here to plunder, they'll leave soon. The Sea God's attention is focused elsewhere.
This island is still under Jahn Kottman's command. If we act recklessly, we'll only fail."
"Coward!"
Edmonton erupted in anger, and others began shouting as well, "This is such a golden opportunity, we absolutely can't let it slip away!"
With that, ignoring Kalat's attempts to stop them, he led those men out of the building with their weapons.
He planned to gather other personnel, unite together, and launch a resistance struggle!
However, as soon as they went downstairs, they were blocked at the entrance by people from the Storm Church.
These personnel wore clerical robes decorated with wave patterns, standing in the center of the slums, firmly blocking everyone's way forward.
"Go back. Don't cause trouble."
Alger led this squad, saying with a stern expression.
Seeing themselves blocked on the spot, Edmonton's expression turned extremely ugly, and the resistance fighters began to hesitate.
Although most of them carried weapons while the Storm Church people opposite were all bare-handed, everyone in that group radiated an aura of violent power that was difficult to defy.
That aura was like the tempestuous sea itself, making them sense instinctive danger.
If they fought here, there was no doubt they would suffer a crushing defeat!
The atmosphere suddenly grew tense. Countless local women, children, and elderly peered out from decaying building openings, watching everything with concern.
"...Go back."
Edmonton's expression changed repeatedly.
In the end, he still said through gritted teeth to the other resistance fighters.
The men bristled as they stepped back into the building, their eyes fixed on Alger.
"Bastard!"
Someone in the crowd spat on the ground, muttering a curse at Alger because of his mixed-blood features.
Alger's expression remained calm, though his eyes flickered briefly.
"Keep an eye on them. Under no circumstances can we let this get out of hand."
He instructed his subordinates seriously.
"Yes!"
His subordinates shouted.
One of them couldn't help but speak quietly, "Boss, you've really scored a major achievement this time.
To actually predict in advance that there'd be trouble here..."
Alger ignored him.
He'd merely reasonably deduced the resistance forces' actions, then used [Temperance] and [The World's] operation to gain benefits for himself.
First, by cleverly controlling the riot in its early stages, he could gain internal rewards from the Storm Church.
Second, the resistance forces' actions were indeed futile and would only waste lives, consuming the "Sea God's" believers, doing this would also win Mr. [The Fool's] favor.
Third, by assigning himself here, he avoided direct confrontation with [Blood Reverend], which was much safer...
In short, a triple win!
As for how many benefits Mr. [The Hanged Man] gained from this chaos aside, one person was certainly extremely dissatisfied with the current situation.
"Damn it..."
Looking at that raised black flag, Admiral Amyrius's fury erupted, his anger practically tangible.