Chapter 44

At the call of the half-elf beauty, the pirates no longer held back due to Luo Zhengdao's personal feelings. If their boss died today, who would pay their wages tomorrow? In most pirate groups, if there was no work, they would have to disband. It was not easy to find a generous benefactor like Luo Zhengdao, who was willing to pay out of his own pocket to support his subordinates. Therefore, the pirates seized the excuse and immediately took action.

Pirates were usually very good at internal strife, but that depended on the situation. It was understandable to fall out over an uneven distribution of loot, but it was not right to sit on the sidelines during a battle, especially when it concerned their livelihood. Even if Luo Zhengdao had set up a one-on-one duel with the bear goblin commander, the pretext provided by the half-elf Vina was not entirely unassailable. Seeing that the outcome of Luo Zhengdao's duel with Zheti Baisan was uncertain, they decided to act early for their own survival.

"Everyone, get out of the way, I'm about to fire!"

Before the pirates, who were putting on a show of bravado, could rush forward to help, the short heavy cannon on the forecastle had already been redirected by Vina Dubov and a dozen pirates. The black, thick barrel of the cannon pointed at the mid-deck. Seeing this, the pirates were all frightened, breaking out in a cold sweat. The female gunner's move was too ruthless. Was she going to wipe out friend and foe alike?

The boatswain Zola Hegel, judging by his own standards, did not dare underestimate the half-elf beauty's deviousness. He stepped back and shouted loudly:

"Everyone, fall back!"

Sure enough, after a simple reminder from Vina, she used a magic trick to ignite the feather tube fuse on the short heavy cannon.

"Boom—"

In an instant, golden light flickered, and a flame storm rose in front of the cannon. Under the golden glow of the stone pine spore powder explosion, the low roar of the short heavy cannon became even more unstoppable. In a flash, countless finger-sized stone bullets swept across the mid-deck of the Yangwei, and the goblin soldiers at the forefront were plunged into a nightmare of blood and flesh.

The overly large skeleton war elephant, unfortunately hit by friendly fire, let out a high and loud wail, as if protesting this reckless attack.

In the blink of an eye, Zheti Baisan, who had become the target, crouched on the deck, holding up a full-steel kite shield to protect himself. The shield, hastily picked up, was too small compared to the bear goblin's massive, wall-like body, barely covering it. The exposed parts could only be left to fate. On its unprotected limbs, several rapidly flying stone bullets left deep or shallow black and bloody marks.

Such minor injuries were no big deal for the bear goblin, who was as strong as an ox. Having dodged the attack, Zheti Baisan coldly smiled and discarded the now dented shield. He gripped his battle axe with both hands and roared at his subordinates:

"Follow me, for the Empire!"

At the sound, the goblins, as if injected with a powerful stimulant, howled and charged forward to engage the pirates in close combat. Of course, most of the goblin soldiers had to first deal with the daunting task of toppling the skeleton war elephant, which was much more difficult than fighting human pirates.

"Clang—"

How could a light one-handed sword possibly match a double-bladed battle axe weighing over thirty kilograms? Luo Zhengdao understood this the moment their weapons made contact. If he continued to resist, it would be a dead end. The instinctive reaction of his body, honed through years of training, kicked in. His shoulder tilted slightly to卸力. Feeling the pressure on his arm suddenly decrease, Luo Zhengdao immediately realized what was happening. He turned his arm inward, moving the sword blade along the direction of the opponent's force, using the sword to guide the heavy axe. Zheti Baisan's powerful slash was unconsciously deflected. This move combined Will Needham's years of sword practice with Luo Zhengdao's novel consciousness, achieving a perfect effect.

Before his穿越, Luo Zhengdao had learned many sword techniques from the elderly practicing Tai Chi sword in his neighborhood, just for fun. Today, using them to fight for his life was incredibly thrilling!

Focusing on the technique of applying force, Luo Zhengdao did not notice that the single-handed sword in his hand glowed with a faint blue-white light. Although the light was weak and hard to discern, especially against the backdrop of the giant sail-and-oar warship struggling in flames nearby, it was still significant.

In the old world, where there were no supernatural powers, humans with far from formidable physical attributes had to rely on combat techniques and tools to defeat much stronger bloodthirsty beasts. Therefore, the level of evolution in hand-to-hand combat techniques in the old world was not much inferior to that in the new world. Luo Zhengdao's move of using a light force to counter a heavy force greatly surprised Zheti Baisan. The powerful double-bladed axe, swung with full force, was deflected by Luo Zhengdao's sword, and the axe head fell heavily onto the deck, the sharp blade deeply embedded in the hard wood, unable to move for a moment.

"Good opportunity!"

Seeing this, a thought flashed through Luo Zhengdao's mind. Strike while the iron is hot; this was the key to winning in a melee. Luo Zhengdao knew that in a fight, there were no good moves, and he did not care whether his tactics were fair. Seeing his opponent's mistake, he immediately prepared to deliver a finishing blow. The moment Zheti Baisan's axe was stuck in the deck, Luo Zhengdao's face lit up, and his body leaned forward. The sharp blade of his sword lightly touched the axe handle, ready to deliver a swift upward thrust.

Was it more important to keep his weapon or to protect his hands? For the foolish characters in martial arts novels who shouted "sword and man are one," this might be a serious question, but Zheti Baisan, a seasoned warrior, did not hesitate to release his weapon to protect his hands.

"Damn hairless monkey! Dirty trick!"

Cursing, Zheti Baisan drew a backup weapon from his waist, ready to continue the fight with Luo Zhengdao. As a qualified warrior, one could go out without a wallet or use the bathroom without toilet paper, but one must always carry a backup weapon for self-defense. The backup weapon, which also served as a daily tool, was often used more frequently than the main weapon. After dodging Luo Zhengdao's attack and releasing the battle axe, Zheti Baisan's right hand swept across his waist, and a large dagger appeared in his hand.

In full view of everyone, Zheti Baisan took a large step forward, and the dagger, glowing with a strange blue light, viciously attacked Luo Zhengdao's neck.

Chain mail armor, which provided better flexibility, offered less protection against piercing attacks compared to slashing attacks. The armor Luo Zhengdao wore, though summoned by a magic card, could not transcend physical laws. Sensing the cold threat of Zheti Baisan's skilled and ruthless throat cut, Luo Zhengdao did not have time to think. Instead of wasting time on tactics, he took immediate action. With his left hand, he placed his thumb and index and middle fingers on the brass weight at the end of the sword hilt, enhancing his grip. He swung a powerful slash with all his might, a typical offensive move to trade injuries. Let's see who was more willing to take risks!

"Pu!"

"Rip!"

Almost simultaneously, two sounds of impact rang out, and the results of their actions became clear. Zheti Baisan's dagger cleanly pierced Luo Zhengdao's left upper arm, the blood-dripping tip emerging from the other side of his arm. At the same time, Luo Zhengdao's single-handed sword cut a bloody, open wound on the bear goblin commander's body. The mutual injuries clearly did not satisfy Luo Zhengdao. Knowing his left arm was completely useless, he gritted his teeth and swung his sword with his right hand, aiming for Zheti Baisan's abdomen. It was not that he did not want to attack vital areas; it was just that this position was not easy to reach, so he aimed wherever he could.

There was no need to think hard about where the enemy's attack was directed. Luo Zhengdao could feel the hot breath from Zheti Baisan's mouth. The enraged bear goblin commander roared:

"Looking for death! Strangle!"

If goblins resembled monkeys, then great goblins resembled chimpanzees, and bear goblins could only be described as gorillas. Humans could probably match monkeys in physical strength, but compared to chimpanzees, they were inferior. A gorilla could crush a human skull as easily as cracking a nut, a direct manifestation of the difference in physical strength.

Although a blade embedded in the human body was instinctively clamped by the surrounding muscles, making it difficult to pull out, human-made swords and knives often had blood grooves to facilitate this. However, the bear goblin's immense strength made certain things not as straightforward as they seemed. As Zheti Baisan's fierce roar echoed in Luo Zhengdao's ears, the arm holding the dagger suddenly exerted force, and the extremely sharp blade twisted several times.

"Ah!"

What was originally a simple through-and-through wound in the forearm became, under the bear goblin's brute force, a gruesome, flesh-flayed, blood-soaked hole. Bystanders could even see the white bone through the open wound on Luo Zhengdao's arm. The sudden pain made Luo Zhengdao's vision go black, and he let out a惨叫, nearly fainting on the spot.

The harsh reality was undeniable. As a human, it was unwise for Luo Zhengdao to engage in close combat with a bear goblin of extraordinary strength. Despite suffering significant injuries, Luo Zhengdao was determined that he could only win by fighting this way, perhaps because the complex environment on the Yangwei's deck did not allow him to use hit-and-run tactics to avoid a direct confrontation. The deck was littered with charred sail fragments, countless ropes, and other debris, with dead bodies and severed limbs scattered everywhere, covering the entire deck like a carpet.

The thick layer of blood on the deck, not yet congealed, emitted a heavy, iron-like odor. Even moving carefully, one had to worry about slipping and dying a miserable death. Moving quickly in such a place was as dangerous as walking on a thin, oiled steel wire over a ten-thousand-foot cliff, where a single misstep could mean eternal regret.

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