The communication with the forces guarding the island, including the outpost and barracks, had abruptly ceased, as if it were a lie.
In essence, the entire defensive capability of Blue Harbor had collapsed.
As time passed, the situation would only worsen.
"We have also lost contact with Sir Pinch," the butler sighed deeply.
"It seems he is either engaged in battle with the pirates or has encountered some trouble himself."
At those words, the maids murmured in fear.
The situation was even more desperate since they could not reach the necromancer of the Old One family, who was their strongest force.
"It seems something has indeed happened at the base, as Student Kijen said," the commander finally declared, putting the communication device into his pocket.
"However, the troops still on-site must be fighting. I will gather whatever remaining forces I can to establish a defensive line."
With a swift motion, the commander drew his sword from his waist.
The other soldiers followed suit, drawing their weapons.
This time, the butler spoke up.
"Then we should find an escape route..."
"It would be even more dangerous to board a ship and leave the island now. The pirates have likely blocked the waterways," Simon interjected.
"The outpost and the entire naval force have been completely neutralized. This has been a thoroughly prepared plan for a long time."
A heavy atmosphere settled around them.
The commander spoke again.
"I agree with Student Kijen. If all the coastal outposts have fallen, then there will be no escape route. We have no choice but to hold out on this island."
He looked at Simon as he spoke.
"Student Kijen, can you please help us? Your assistance would be invaluable..."
"I don't mind," Simon replied with a wry smile, glancing down at Shun, who was clinging to his leg.
Simon was on a protective mission, and Shun's safety was his top priority.
"Simon, brother."
"Yes, my lord."
"I... I'm fine."
Shun stepped away from Simon and slapped his own cheeks.
He then steeled his gaze, determination etched on his face.
"As the manager of Blue Harbor and as a client, I ask you. Please save the people without worrying about my safety."
Murmurs of concern rippled through the crowd.
Simon knelt to meet Shun's eyes.
"Shun, I have a bad feeling. There may be people targeting you."
"Right now, saving the residents in danger is more urgent. I will pay any additional fees for the request, so please."
Shun trembled but bowed his head.
"Please save Blue Harbor and its citizens."
It seemed he had made up his mind.
Though still small and young, he truly resembled a boy who had inherited the title of count.
Simon also bowed his head in response.
"I will follow your orders, my lord."
The forces were divided into three groups.
Shun, the butler, and the guests of the family would move to the mansion to take refuge.
That place had its own defensive facilities and butlers who could fight.
The naval commander decided to head toward the barracks with the soldiers.
It was urgent to gather the scattered personnel and reorganize their strength.
And Simon was...
Step by step, he walked alone toward the beach where the pirate ships had first arrived.
Among the three pirate ships, the largest and most ornate was likely where the captain was located.
If he could capture the captain, the remaining small fry would fall apart, and with the remaining naval forces of Blue Harbor, they could somehow manage the situation.
"Pier! Can you hear me?"
Since the pirates had begun their attack, Pier's clone had not responded.
It seemed they had been caught up in the situation before Simon.
"First, I should do what I can."
As he passed the mansion and entered the city of Blue Harbor, a horrific scene unfolded before him.
The beautiful city had turned into a sea of flames from bombardment, and cries of pain and despair echoed from every corner.
Pushing through the thick smoke and searing flames, Simon finally spotted a group of residents gathered near a fountain.
A few naval soldiers were fighting against the pirates, but they were quickly overwhelmed due to being outnumbered.
"Please! Not that! That belongs to my father...!"
"How annoying."
A man clinging to his father's keepsake was kicked down by a rough boot.
It was a blatant scene of pillaging.
The pirates rummaged through the buildings, grabbing valuables, and when the residents dared to resist, they swung their weapons without hesitation.
"Hey, hey! Aren't you going to put down your sword?"
"You coward...!"
One lone naval soldier was seen confronting the pirates.
The pirates were threatening the citizens with swords at their throats.
"Are you really not going to put it down?"
Slash!
A pirate swung his sword from behind, and a captive fell, blood spraying everywhere.
"Ahhh!"
"My love!!"
"Not going to put it down?"
Next, an old man fell, followed by a young man, both collapsing in pools of blood.
The captives were terrified, screaming in fear.
This was not just a hostage situation; the pirates were having their fun.
"These guys are completely out of their minds."
The naval soldier trembled.
If he got any closer, more lives could be lost.
He lowered his stance and pretended to put down his sword.
"Wait! I’ll put it down! Just calm down for a moment...!"
Crack!
In that moment, a pirate snuck up behind him and struck him on the back of the head.
The naval soldier collapsed on the spot.
"Hahaha!"
"Easy, easy!"
The pirates approached and began to trample the fallen naval soldier.
"Can’t even tell the difference between war and skirmish? Damn it, a few captives can die, and we still need to get in!"
"Peaceful little brats!"
Simon, who had been watching from behind a building, bit his lip.
Taking down a few pirates was easy, but if he rushed in carelessly, the lives of the captives would be at risk.
In fact, among the captives kneeling in one alley, there were barrels of explosives.
The pirates had ordered the captives to hug the barrels, and the people were trembling, huddled close to the explosives.
[Boy! Can you hear me?]
At that moment, Pier's clone spoke in Simon's mind.
"Pier! Why are you so late?"
[One of the pirate ships has come this way! I’m fighting right now!]
"Are you okay alone?"
[Hehe! This is a piece of cake! By the way, you successfully summoned the skeletal armor for the first time yesterday, right?]
"Yes! I did! Why?"
Pier's clone grinned.
[Then I grant you permission! Use the legionized undead as armor.
To your heart's content!]
Pier's message ended there.
It seemed he had returned to the fight, and his voice cut off.
"Alright."
Simon didn’t know what Pier’s intention was, but he had no choice but to carry it out.
He summoned a number of legionized skeletons from the spatial realm.
Then he focused his mind to enhance his concentration.
"I can’t concentrate."
He could see sparks flying in the wind.
"It’s still too fast."
Simon gritted his teeth.
His spirits lifted.
As if his consciousness transcended his body, his senses began to sharpen.
"Slow down. Slow down. Slow down."
Gradually, but surely, the speed of the sparks falling slowed down.
Now it looked like slow motion.
Nodding, Simon slowly revealed himself from behind the building.
Crack!
Thud!
The man who had lost his parents' keepsake was being kicked repeatedly by a pirate.
Enraged, Simon extended his right arm toward him.
"True Armor!"
The bodies of two skeletons rattled and flew toward the man.
"W-What?!"
The pirate stepped back in surprise.
The flying bones began to attach themselves to the man's body one by one.
Bones aligned perfectly on his arms, legs, and chest.
Simon finally understood why Pier had been stopping him from practicing the legion-type skeleton's true armor.
"This is so much easier!"
There was no need to practice from the start.
Each legion-type skeleton, possessing a clear consciousness, knew exactly where to fit into the true armor.
What Simon needed to do was coordinate the overall assembly.
It felt as if once Simon completed the blueprint, the skeletons would automatically adjust to it.
Once he mastered the true armor of the summoning-type skeleton, he would naturally master the legion-type as well.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The man clad in true armor staggered.
The bones that had flown in from the air fit together with a precise sound, filling the gaps in the armor riddled with holes.
The man looked down at himself with astonished eyes.
His entire body was now covered in a bone armor.
"W-What have I done?!"
The startled pirate kicked the man's chest, but due to the bone armor, he felt no pain at all.
At that moment, the man's body moved of its own accord and punched the pirate in the face.
Boom!
With an unbelievable sound, the pirate spun in the air, blood gushing from his nose, and crashed to the ground.
Teeth sparkled in the sunlight as they flew away.
"Hey! What’s going on?!"
A fellow pirate rushed over, witnessing the scene.
Crack!
This time, the fishmonger struck the pirate on the back of the head.
The pirate's head crashed into a nearby wooden crate.
"I-I didn’t do that! Why is my body moving on its own...?!"
Whoosh!
The true armor that had covered the fishmonger peeled away and moved to the next location.
"Ahhh!"
"Stay still!"
"Please, don’t do this!"
A fearsome-looking pirate was harassing a female tourist.
The pirate, driven mad by primal desires, was licking his lips and trying to undress her when the skeleton's bones began to attach themselves to her body.
"Stop it!!"
She cried out, slapping the pirate's cheek.
Then, boom!
The pirate's body flew several meters into the air before crashing to the ground.
The shocked woman covered her mouth, staring at her palm in disbelief.
"Kill this bastard!"
"Step on him!"
Simon's arms moved frantically.
After being struck on the back of the head, he sent bones flying to the naval soldier who was being trampled by the pirates, covering him in true armor.
"W-What? This bastard is getting up!"
"Still got some strength left?"
Even with five men trampling him, the naval soldier began to push himself off the ground.
The pirates found that no matter how hard they kicked, only their own feet hurt.
"Ugh!"
Finally, the naval soldier let out a roar, shaking off the pirates.
They flew away like bowling pins, crashing to the ground.
"This bastard!"
One pirate approached and swung his sword.
But clang!
With a sound, the naval soldier's true armor easily blocked the attack, as if the armor were alive.
"No! What the hell is that?!"
As the pirates' attacks failed, the naval soldier felt a surge of courage.
He grabbed the pirate by the head and slammed him into the ground.
Boom!
The tiles shattered as the pirate's head was driven into the ground.
"Haha, hahaha!"
Incredible strength.
The naval soldier looked down at himself in disbelief.
"Get out of the way!"
A young lady leaped three meters into the air, kicking the pirate.
The pirate's body crashed into a wooden house behind him.
"You filthy perverted bastards! You're all dead!"
Crack!
The florist began swinging a cart he usually used with his bare hands against the pirates.
"Finally, the strength of my youth has awakened! Back in the day!"
Suddenly, the residents launched a counterattack.
Ordinary citizens, who had been on the receiving end, displayed tremendous strength as they were clad in skeletal armor, overwhelming the pirates.
"These guys!"
One pirate rushed toward the barrels of gunpowder where the captives were tied up, raising the torch in his hand.
"Everyone kneel, you crazy bastards! Or I’ll blow them all up...!"
Thud!
The pirate's eyes glazed over, and he collapsed to the ground.
The one who had struck him on the back of the head was an elderly captive.
The old man turned his palm and smiled at the true armor covering his emaciated body.
"Old man!"
At that moment, Simon appeared in the street, shouting.
"Get rid of that!"
The old man quickly grasped the situation upon seeing Simon.
"So you’re the one who put this armor on me! Got it!"
The old man hurled the barrel of gunpowder into a pile of trash in the empty square.
Boom!
With a loud explosion, the barrel detonated.
"Ugh!"
Simon, reaching the peak of his concentration, extended his arm sideways.
The old man's true armor dissolved and was placed onto the body of the man fighting the pirates.
"I was waiting for this!"
The man delivered an uppercut, sending a pirate flying.
'To the right.'
The man's true armor peeled away and flew into the air.
A woman holding a child was falling from a four-story building to escape the flames.
The true armor enveloped her body, absorbing the impact of the fall.
She stood up unharmed.
'Now to the left.'
'Retrieve the two sets and bring them to the square.'
'I need to lend strength to the fountain.'
Simon's control over the true armor was reaching an almost artistic level as he became completely immersed.
His arms moved frantically.
He repeatedly clad the residents, who were being attacked by pirates, in true armor and then removed it.
"No more sacrifices. Not a single one shall be left behind!"
Simon's eyes widened.
Ten sets of true armor were racing around the city, helping people.
Now the people began to notice the identity of the one controlling the mysterious suits.
"That guy is Kijen, right?"
"Yeah! That’s the guy we interviewed at the exhibition!"
"Kijen is helping us!"
"Wowww!"
The citizens, who had been on the losing end against the pirates, were now filled with excitement.
Some even volunteered to be clad in armor themselves.
Simon actively utilized them.
"Sir! Put this on and take care of the group of pirates in the alley!"
"Okay!"
"Ma'am! Two pirates ahead!"
"Leave it to me! I got this, kid!"
The tide of battle turned in an instant.
The pirates were being overwhelmed by the untrained residents.
"Look! That kid is the one!"
"Get him first!"
A few pirates spotted Simon and rushed toward him.
"Student, watch out!"
"Be careful!"
The people around him shouted in alarm.
Just as the pirates were about to swing their swords at Simon with grins on their faces,
Crack!
Thud!
Boom!
Suddenly, from three directions, the florist, a naval soldier, and a female tourist clad in true armor flew in, kicking the pirates and landing on the ground.
The pirates' bodies flew dozens of meters, crashing into walls or houses.
"Whoa!"
"Nice!"
Wiping the sweat dripping from his forehead with his sleeve, Simon smiled.
"Now, let’s keep counterattacking."
Just one person could change the tide of battle.
This was the moment the residents of Blue Harbor realized the greatness of the necromancer.