Chapter 388: Rescue them all to shore!
Vladimir had not anticipated his own failure.
In his expectation, he would lose to Janna, lose to Nagakabouros, and lose to the god behind the Leader who might descend at any time.
But what he didn't expect was that the trump card that the leader used to turn the tide of the battle would be... a group of mortals? !
"Damn it!" Vladimir looked at the sea unwillingly.
With the help of the extraordinary person's sharp pupils, he could even see clearly the faces of the sailors on the ships, which were filled with panic and fear.
These leading sailors were just ordinary sailors, fishermen and fishermen not long ago.
They had never seen such a hellish scene of zombies everywhere and sea of blood in their entire lives. Now that they came to this horrifying war scene, they would of course be panicked and even afraid.
But fear does not mean retreating.
On the contrary, in order to prevent this horrific scene from happening again in Zaun, in Bilgewater, and in their hometown that they had finally liberated, the Windleader's sailors were fighting desperately.
Then, countless cannons roared at the same time, sending a storm of fire and steel to the undead army on the coast.
Countless more Bluebird drones were moved out of the cargo hold, assembled on the deck, and flew vertically into the sky in the strong wind. Finally, like a dense swarm of bees gathering for an attack, they flew towards the surging sea of blood.
For a moment, the sky seemed to be split in two.
Half of it is an endless scarlet purgatory, a raging sea of blood that seems to be able to swallow everything.
The other half is endless artillery shells and aircraft groups, a steel sky that seems to be able to destroy everything.
Soon, the blood sea and the iron dome collided violently in the air.
A storm of light and heat suddenly rose in the sky, and countless gorgeous blood-red fireworks bloomed. Blazing flames, steaming blood mist, broken steel, and bursts of bloody wind and rain set off by the explosion...
Plane after plane fell in the rain of blood, and shell after shell exploded into fireworks in the sea of blood.
But the firepower of the Leaders seemed to be endless. Their planes were as numerous as a swarm of bees, and their shells were as numerous as raindrops, endless and continuous.
Finally, in this unreserved mutual consumption...
The terrifying sea of blood that originally covered the sky and the sun was shattered into pieces by the explosions, and even shrunk and deformed, making it impossible to repair it.
Soon, the sun shone through the torn blood-red sky, illuminating the land shrouded in blood mist again.
These mortal mechanical creations actually suppressed Vladimir's almost divine magical power head-on.
"This...is impossible!" Vladimir couldn't accept it.
But the fact is, he lost to the mortals he regarded as food.
The vast sea of blood that he had summoned by absorbing the flesh and blood of countless people was now gradually collapsing in the endless explosions.
The undead army he transformed with the blood plague was rendered powerless in the face of the devastating firepower coverage of the Leader Fleet.
After all, no matter how powerful Sion's "mud truck" was, it couldn't hit the leader fleet at sea. It could only stand on the land stupidly, like a wooden dummy in a training ground, and be bombed in vain.
"Oh no." Vladimir sensed the danger.
That blood-red pool that condensed the blood of tens of thousands of people was, in a sense, his blood bar.
In other words... every time the Leader fires a shell that is so cheap that it is almost free, every explosion it causes will destroy his precious "life value"!
Using your own health points to "exchange blood" with the leader's ammunition depot, isn't it a loss?
So, Vladimir instinctively turned into a ball of blood mist, trying to blend into the blood-colored clouds rolling in the sky and quietly escape from the battlefield where the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable to him.
but……
"Hmph, want to escape?!" Levi had been waiting for a long time.
The intensive artillery fire from the Leader's fleet had greatly consumed Vladimir's strength and the nutrients he had absorbed from those Noxian soldiers.
Vladimir is now severely injured and no longer able to confront Goddess Janna head-on.
So, Levi seized the opportunity, rode the storm, and flew towards the surging sea of blood.
"The hurricane is howling!" Janna stood on Levi's shoulder and flapped her wings gently.
Immediately afterwards, the air pressure on the entire battlefield changed.
Everyone present could feel a storm slowly brewing everywhere.
At first there were only wisps of gentle breeze blowing on the face, and then the breeze gathered from all directions. Before long, a tornado at least several thousand meters wide and over a thousand meters high condensed over the battlefield.
The sea of blood that Vladimir mixed into was completely bound in the center of the eye of the storm by the high-speed swirling and howling tornado.
The storm seemed to have become a prison in the sea of blood.
Afterwards, the wind speed became faster and faster, and the tornado's high-speed cyclone began to slowly shrink towards the center of the eye.
The sea of blood was gradually compressed into a huge "blood ball" along with the wind, and the space left for Vladimir to hide in it also became smaller and smaller.
"Iron Storm!" Janna used another fatal move.
And this move, to put it bluntly...
It is to use the strong wind to control the drones and artillery shells, let them rush into the center of the storm, and bombard the pool of blood that has been trapped by the hurricane.
"Ah——" Vladimir finally hurt his real body.
He was forced to reappear from the sea of blood, and then tried his best to stir up waves of blood, trying to break through the tornado that bound him.
But it was all in vain.
From the moment the Leader Fleet appeared on the sea, his failure was doomed.
Janna used the strong wind to firmly suppress Vladimir, making it impossible for him to escape no matter how hard he struggled. No matter how the surging blood waves hit the wind wall, they would eventually be pushed back by a stronger airflow, trapping them firmly in the center of the storm.
The artillery shells and drones fired by the Windleader fleet, still under Janna's control, continuously rushed into the storm.
"No! No!" Vladimir's shrill and desperate screams were heard from the sea of blood.
The explosion of a shell might be like a mosquito bite to him.
But what if there are hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of "mosquitoes"? If there are too many mosquitoes, they can bite people to death.
With every explosion, the light and heat generated would cause part of the blood in the blood pool to evaporate , splatter, and dissipate, weakening some of Vladimir's power.
Finally, amidst the endless explosions and flames...
The sea of blood collapsed.
Vladimir, whose strength was exhausted to the extreme, could no longer resist Janna's deadly storm.
Tens of thousands of acres of blood turned into blood mist in an instant and drifted away in the endless storm.
As Vladimir's broken body fell powerlessly, the blood-red sky covering everyone's heads finally collapsed completely.
The sky brightened again.
The undead zombies that were roaring and struggling on the ground also instantly lost the strong vitality maintained by blood magic at this moment with Vladimir's defeat.
They fell on the battlefield one by one like wheat that fell after a strong wind.
"This..." Seeing this scene, Iris's face turned green.
She had come here to assist Vladimir. Now that Vladimir was defeated and the scarlet monsters had fallen, she and her spider army were the only ones left on the battlefield.
Irelia, Riven, Yi, Zed, Shen, Kennen, Akali, Jarvan, Garen, Lux, Sylas, Sona, Xae, Seraphine, Katarina, Xayah and Rakan... the warriors of the Leader have all turned their eyes to her.
Those eyes that shared a common hatred swept over, and even scared Iris's "Spider-Sense".
"Run!" This was Iris's first reaction.
However, she only felt that the sky darkened.
When she looked up, she saw the swarm of drones that covered the sky and the sun were already flying towards her.
"boom!!!"
…
With Iris's fall, the battlefield quickly returned to calm.
Those surviving Noxian soldiers were so frightened by the hellish scene of zombies and spiders running rampant that they ran for several kilometers in one breath.
Leicester and his regiment moved as fast as the wind, running away so fast that not even their shadows could be seen.
So on this huge battlefield, out of the hundreds of thousands of Noxian troops, there was only one living person left.
And he was saved by the Leader, so he was able to save his life from the previous crazy and rampaging zombie army and the subsequent overwhelming artillery bombardment.
"General Du Kecao." As soon as the battle was over, Galen was the first to find the surviving general.
"Father." Katarina always followed Garen.
“……” Du Kecao looked at them with a complicated expression and remained silent.
"Uncle." Galen changed his address unconsciously: "Surrender to our leader."
"Okay." Du Kecao nodded.
"You have revealed important information to us before, and you have made a contribution by surrendering in time. Now as long as you are willing to surrender... uh, wait..." Garen was slightly stunned.
"Uncle, what did you say?" He could hardly believe his ears.
"I said, I am willing to surrender to the Leader." Du Kecao confirmed.
Galen: “This…”
Is it that easy? He thought that an imperial general like Du Kecao would be more stubborn.
"At this point, what else do I have to hold on to?" Du Kecao just sighed.
He looked at the devastated battlefield:
The troops he led personally, those soldiers who once trusted him, had now turned into irrational monsters, and eventually died in this twisted and ugly posture, without any dignity.
Even he himself almost died under the blood rain and spider swarm.
If Garen hadn't remembered his father-in-law... ahem, old uncle, and hadn't come to his rescue, he might have become a torn corpse by now.
"The Empire... No, the Black Rose has abandoned us. I have no reason to fight for it anymore." Du Kecao sighed.
Finally, he offered his general's sword: "I am willing to surrender."
…
"We won! We won!"
The young fisherman excitedly put his arm around Pike's shoulders and pulled him along to the side of the boat, gazing at the still-smoky battlefield.
The sailors around were cheering, and their shouts of joy almost echoed throughout the ocean.
"..." Pike was not used to this kind of enthusiasm.
Although, as temporary enlisted sailors, they had been comrades for more than a month.
"Pike." At this time, the young fisherman sighed to him: "We have won, and the war is over."
The war may not be over, but it is unlikely that there will be a second large-scale maritime support operation like this.
The fishery production in Bilgewater and the shipping operations in Zaun and Piltover also rely on the efforts of these fishermen and sailors.
So, sooner or later they have to go home.
"Pike." The young fisherman turned around and asked him curiously, "Where are you going next?"
"Do you want to come back to Bilgewater with us and find a job to settle down? Or do you want to apply for a permanent position and stay in the Navy of Windleader?"
"I..." Pike was confused again.
Neither of these two paths seemed to suit him.
His mind had long been twisted in the abyss. Ever since his resurrection from the dead many years ago, the only meaning of his existence seemed to be to kill sinners one by one with the endless list of names on it.
His mission is to kill and to seek revenge.
The stable life in Bilgewater is definitely not suitable for him.
Although the Navy of the Leader sounds like a suitable profession, based on Pike's actual experience these days, this kind of life is still too comfortable for him.
He always instinctively craves killing, craves the blood of sinners, and hopes to kill the "enemies" on the list with his own hands.
But for the leader's naval fleet, punishing criminals does not involve any bloodshed.
The sailors only need to move the boxes, assemble the drones on the deck, and then wait for the leader to summon the divine wind of the goddess Gana to send the aircraft into the sky...
Finally, wait patiently for a moment, waiting for the drone to fly dozens of kilometers away and destroy the target from a distance.
The Imperial Navy fleet of Noxus was previously destroyed in this way.
Pike didn't even see the faces of these criminals before they were blown to death for no apparent reason.
The only thing he did was to help carry the boxes onto the deck like other human sailors.
Why would a Blood Harbor Ghost be needed to do this kind of work?
The most important thing is:
Leaders always like to preach to others. If you want to formally join the leaders, you must understand those principles.
This was difficult for Pike. His mind couldn't stay clear most of the time, and it was difficult for him to communicate normally with others, let alone understand those complicated theories.
Therefore, even if Parker is willing to become the regular leader, the leader may not want him.
"I...what should I do?" Pike covered his head and sighed in a daze.
"You can be a lifeguard." The young fisherman said, "You are the best swimmer I have ever seen, Pike."
"Many unlucky people drown every year on the beach of Bilgewater. If there is an excellent lifeguard like you, many lives can be saved, right?"
"This..." Pike thought his suggestion was outrageous.
He was born to drag sinners into the water, how could he change his career to become a lifeguard at the dock?
"I know you want revenge and want to kill those sinners."
After more than a month of getting along, the young fisherman has roughly figured out Pike's temper.
Although he had no idea what Pike had experienced in the past, he could vaguely guess that Pike must have experienced a lot of darkness and pain in the old society.
This experience shaped Pike's twisted and extreme personality, making him an avenger and punisher who constantly pursues killing.
This is the young fisherman's understanding.
Although the story was not restored to its original form, he could indeed understand Pike's obsession.
"But," the young fisherman advised, "as long as our struggle continues smoothly, the criminals will be completely eliminated sooner or later. When that happens, what will you do?"
Will sinners be wiped out one day? Will the whole world be transformed into a new place without oppression or slavery?
This sounded like a joke, but thinking back to the drastically changed Bilgewater, Pike couldn't help but believe it.
Yes. If the whole world could become like Bilgewater in the future, with no pirates, robbers, gangsters, profiteers... and no vampires, what would he do?
Does he need to change his career to become a policeman, lower the threshold of "revenge", and catch some insignificant petty thieves?
Before he knew it, the unemployment crisis once again troubled this Blood Harbor ghost.
"Pike." At this time, his fisherman friend asked him again: "Do you know why you can't become a leader?"
"Because I can't read those books," said Pike.
"No, it's not just that." The fisherman said, "You think the leader is a fellow traveler, but in fact, you are not the same."
"You only want to punish the evildoers, as if everything will be fine as long as you kill all the sinners. But the leader knows that things are not that simple."
“Winning the war is only the beginning of the struggle. What we need to do is not only to kill and punish, but also to develop and build.”
"So we should not only punish sinners, but also help good people and strive to make everyone live a better life - and this is exactly what you never do."
Pike was silent for a while.
He certainly wouldn't do these things to help others.
Because what sustains his existence is obsession, resentment, and the pure desire for revenge.
As the Blood Harbor Ghost, the embodiment of the resentment of countless victims, all he needs to do is kill.
But who could have imagined that one day, the world would gradually become as peaceful as a dream, and no longer need his killing?
This makes it almost impossible to maintain the meaning of Pike's existence.
"The new era needs leaders, not just vengeful ghosts." His fisherman friend said, "Pike, I don't know what you've been through."
"But now, maybe you can try to move on from the past."
Pike: “…”
He looked up at the sky in silence.
The blood mist has dissipated and the smoke has gradually ceased.
The bright sunshine shines brightly, making the sea appear blue.
"I..." Pike was relieved.
His confused mind gradually became clear, and his twisted and painful heart finally calmed down.
The sea was rippling with waves, as if silently calling to him.
He seems...
Finally, I can rest in peace.
Finally, no more pain.
Pike closed his eyes and enjoyed the long-lost peace.
And just then:
"Boom!" A raging fire suddenly broke out on a friendly ship not far away .
This was an old wooden sailing ship. Once the fire started, it could not be stopped and burned more and more fiercely.
Although the leaders on several nearby ships flew over urgently and manipulated the airflow and pumped seawater to suppress the fire...
But many sailors still jumped out of the burning wooden boat in panic and fell into the sea in a mess.
"What's wrong?" Pike and others looked in the direction of the voice.
"Those idiots!" Someone learned the situation through the Bluebird radio: "They leaked oil while assembling a few drones, and burned their own deck."
"That's great - they may become our only damaged surface ships in this battle."
"Haha." Everyone couldn't help laughing.
Pike looked at the sailors struggling in the water with a deep and complicated look.
At this moment, he found another meaning of his existence besides revenge and killing.
"I want..." Pike jumped into the sea and swam towards those who fell into the water: "Save them all to shore!"
