Prince Grove appeared in the palace for only an instant before his figure flickered, and under everyone's astonished gaze, he headed outside.
"Your Majesty, what's happening?"
Someone below couldn't help but ask.
"I'm not yet certain."
George III replied in a heavy voice.
In truth, he really didn't know what was happening.
But what he did know was that the palace, a symbol of royal status, was being attacked so brazenly.
The enemy clearly didn't take the Augustus family seriously at all!
Invisible fury boiled in George III's heart.
When he saw the representatives of the three major churches, after their initial surprise, gradually break into amused smiles, that fury burned even stronger.
"Grove, what are you waiting for!"
George III roared.
"Your Majesty,"
Grove's voice came from above, "The attacker is The Pritz."
The ironclad I just developed?
The "Pritz" I was using to suppress pirates at sea?
My soldiers have mutinied?
No, that's not right!
George III was stunned for a moment but quickly rejected this notion.
The soldiers aboard the warship had no reason to stage a mutiny. There must be some other cause...
"Boom!"
At that moment, the second round of bombardment occurred.
Above the palace, Prince Grove floated in the air in defiance of physical laws.
With his old-fashioned eyes, he watched the four incoming shells, estimated their trajectory, and raised his hand.
"Swish!"
Invisible rules took shape above the palace.
Two shells flying toward this location immediately became incredibly slow. He steadily caught them in his hand, crushed them into scrap metal, and tossed them down.
As for the other two shells, which were farther from George III, intercepting them was a lower priority for him. These two successfully hit their targets.
"Your Majesty, please make your decision."
Prince Grove's voice reached the ground.
His meaning was clear.
If he went all out, he would inevitably damage that extremely expensive ironclad warship.
But if he responded cautiously, that warship would likely have more opportunities to launch more bombardments.
"Grove, do what you must!"
George III said without the slightest hesitation, "Even if it means destroying The Pritz, don't leave it to the enemy!"
"I obey your command, Your Majesty!"
Grove replied, his heart immediately filled with resolve.
His figure paused, then he flew at high speed toward the distant iron warship!
***
"Rapid-fire cannons ready, six-pounders ready, machine gunners ready!"
Aboard The Pritz, more soldiers had the chance to participate in this "glorious battle."
With wild joy on their faces, they operated their weapons with lightning speed.
Silas stood at the ship's rail, watching that figure rapidly enlarge before his eyes at an alarming rate.
As expected, the royal family wouldn't sit idle.
Just the second round of bombardment, and they had deployed a Sequence 3 demigod.
But so what? They'd keep firing anyway!
While Silas was thinking, that figure had already reached a few hundred meters from the warship.
He could clearly see the other's outdated attire and the stiff mustache on that square face. Indeed, it was an Augustus family demigod. That face said it all.
"Main guns ready, continue bombardment of Sodrak Palace!"
Silas ordered without hesitation, "All other units, aim at the target in the sky and open fire!"
"Bang! Bang!"
These were the six rapid-fire cannons on The Pritz.
Although the grenades they fired lacked power and had limited range, they excelled in firing speed.
In just a few seconds, three or four grenades had been launched.
"Boom! Boom!"
These were the twelve six-pounders on The Pritz.
Their damage and range were even worse, but fortunately, there were enough of them. When their numbers were massed together, the effect was quite impressive.
"Rat-a-tat-tat!"
These were the eighteen machine guns on The Pritz. They were the warship's final line of defense.
Bullets poured out like flowing water. Combined with various shells, they immediately wove a dense network of firepower above the warship.
This terrible net enveloped Prince Grove overhead.
"Hmph!"
The Prince noticed the abnormality of the people on the warship and also spotted the suspicious Silas.
His gaze swept over Silas's crazed expression and blood-red robe, and he immediately made a judgment. "A Shepherd, from the Aurora Order?"
He raised one hand, creating an invisible barrier before him.
"Swish!"
All shells and bullets fired at him immediately became sluggish, completely ineffective against him.
And at this moment, he also became extremely imposing, making it difficult for anyone facing him to harbor thoughts of resistance!
This was the demigod pressure of a Sequence 3, enough to make people submit.
"Fire!"
However, the soldiers only showed brief fear before quickly becoming brave and fearless again.
Their spirits resonated with Silas's. Their expressions were extremely excited, their eyes taking on a rust-like color.
The radiance of the God of War bathed them. Their [Courage] was unstoppable!
"Damn it!"
Seeing that the soldiers hadn't stopped their actions, especially that the main gun aimed at the palace was still loading shells, Grove couldn't help but feel slightly angry.
He realized that Silas's ability could resist his pressure.
"Artillery fire is forbidden in this area!"
He turned instead to speak directly, issuing a "prohibition" into the void.
The soldiers' movements suddenly stopped.
They instinctively realized that some invisible rule had taken effect. If they continued to use artillery, they would face severe punishment!
"Heh."
Only then did Grove sneer coldly.
He didn't continue pursuing these soldiers but instead directed his attack straight at Silas himself.
"Confinement!"
His left hand made a grasping motion toward Silas, immediately fixing the Shepherd firmly in place, unable to move.
"Execution!"
Prince Grove shouted again.
While his left hand held Silas, his right hand rose high and swung down sharply!
"Smack!"
An invisible judgment crossed nearly a hundred meters of distance, acting directly on Silas's body, smashing his form directly into a puddle of flesh that flowed like liquid across the deck.
However, this mass of bloody pulp continued to move. It completely dissolved, seeping into the ship and merging with it as one!
"What..."
Prince Grove watched in disbelief as the originally new warship suddenly developed a rust-colored surface.
But this rust color didn't make the ship seem decrepit. Instead, it gave him an extremely dangerous, extremely violent feeling!
The shadow of war manifested on this iron giant!
The entire giant ship had become a [Weapon]!
"For supreme glory!"
The soldiers' bodies likewise showed rust-colored tints. They shouted fanatically, fearless of death, and began operating the naval guns again.
"Smack!"
Because they violated the prohibition, invisible punishment suddenly formed, lashing at them and leaving deep wounds. But these wounds healed in a very short time!
One of the Hunter's abilities: members within the [Team] could share damage equally. These soldiers' injuries were borne by Silas himself!
"Boom!"
That annoying bombardment rang out once more!