Nearly a thousand people gathered. Among them, three hundred cavalry were Death Knights from Lord Mevia, while the other six hundred were 'common folk' from Jiliu City.

"Knight John," Sea God Hawke looked up and began to speak. "There are hundreds of thousands of shark-people here. Ordinary ones are comparable to knight attendants, and some mutated ones are no weaker than Great Knights and possess considerable intelligence. According to my observations, there are at least a hundred of these mutated individuals! Plus, there are various other creatures, many of which are Legendary Creatures. We stand no chance against them."

"Where is the City Lord's residence?" John's voice was cold and stern. "Point it out!"

Hawke's hands tightened. The other party clearly did not hold him in any regard, merely treating him like a servant to be commanded, indifferent to whatever he said. In fact, the attitude of the Death Knights along the way had been quite clear: haughty, cold, and merciless.

"Yes." Taking a deep breath and suppressing the displeasure in his heart, Hawke stretched out his hand and pointed in the direction of the City Lord's residence. "Over there. The building surrounded by several Legendary Creatures is the City Lord's residence."

"Captain," one of the Death Knights approached on horseback and whispered, "his presence is still there. It must be the oppressive power from the Duke's bloodline that keeps these Evil God's followers at bay."

"Oh?" John's eyes lit up beneath the demon mask. "Not dead? Excellent!" His voice carried an invigorating tone, or perhaps… greed?

"Knight John," Hawke's face changed dramatically. "The City Lord's residence is in the center of the ruins, surrounded by so many shark-people and Legendary Creatures. Getting close means death. It's sufficient to scout the situation here; there's no need to approach the City Lord's residence."

"Hmm?" No sooner had he finished his sentence than John's gaze turned icy, and a whip radiating black smoke fiercely lashed out.

SNAP!

The crisp crack made Hawke kneel on the ground, a deep wound whipped onto his back. There was no blood from the gash, only a dark, sunken mark like a distorted centipede. Hawke, a peak Great Knight, trembled violently from this whip strike, letting out a pained wail.

"President!"

"Hawke!"

"How can you hit someone like that?"

The members of the Sea God Society shouted upon seeing this. Hawke held a revered status within the Sea God Society, and many people's faces changed upon seeing him humiliated.

BOOM!

The ground suddenly shook. Dozens of Death Knights instantly rushed out, wielding long whips, charging into the crowd and lashing at those who were shouting.

SNAP! SNAP! SNAP!

With heavy whip strikes and an unstoppable cavalry charge, painful screams ensued as dozens of people were forced to their knees one after another.

The scene fell silent. The members of the Sea God Society turned pale, wanting to rage but not daring to, while the eyes of others flickered.

"Just follow orders and do your job. No need for so much idle talk." John, head bowed on horseback, commanded, "Go, take fifty men and scout ahead."

What? Hawke looked up, his expression drastically changing.

"What?" John's eyes narrowed, his right hand resting on the hilt of his sword as he looked at him. "Not willing to go?"

An intangible murderous intent filled the air. A single 'no' could usher in a massacre.

"Willing." Hawke's forehead beaded with sweat as he forced himself to stand. He singled out fifty people from the crowd to proceed toward Freedom Port.

Compared to the hundreds of thousands of shark-people, fifty men were like drops of rain merging into the sea—inconspicuous.

"Guardian," Desecration Knight Yana leaned over to Carl, whispering, "I'm no match for that man named John, and there are three others in their team just like me."

"Oh?" Carl raised his eyebrows. "Is that so?"

Yana's meaning was clear: she was warning Carl not to confront John, or the consequences would be troublesome.

And others like her… Divine Blood warriors! It seems that even without Divine Blessing or the Duke's bloodline, the people of this world have still found their way to the path of legends. However, both Desecration Knights and Divine Blood warriors have significant flaws. Desecration Knights have short lives and are prone to mutations, while Divine Blood warriors must rely on the Duke's bloodline to advance, limiting their numbers.

SHRIEK!

A group of bat ghouls was the first to spot Hawke and his party, letting out piercing screams as they flew out from the ruined rooftops. These creatures, with human bodies and bat-like heads and wings, emitted sonic waves that assaulted the group from afar.

The experienced Hawke led his men in an arc, drawing closer to Freedom Port while shooting down the bat ghouls. However, their commotion still drew the attention of the shark-people, and thousands of them swarmed from all directions to surround them.

At the same time, a strange mist emerged from the bodies of the shark-people, spreading in all directions. This eerie fog contained the 'virus' of the water thralls; prolonged exposure would inevitably lead to mutation.

"Retreat!" Hawke's eyes bulged as he bellowed, commanding everyone to pull back before the shark-people could complete their encirclement.

「Atop the hill.」

John's gaze flickered.

According to the records from the end of the Gods' Divine Opera, the followers of the Evil Water God are divided into ordinary shark-people, blue-eyed shark-people, and red-eyed shark-people. No Legendary red-eyed shark-person has been born yet. Additionally, this Evil God possesses the power to command monsters and control souls, but it's merely a fragment of the Evil God's will, so it shouldn't be too strong…

His thoughts shifted, and he turned his gaze to the Dragon King Chamber of Commerce members. "You! Send another fifty. Approach from a different direction and lure the nearby shark-people elsewhere."

"Yes." Conni stepped forward, bowing his head in acknowledgment, and gave Quincy, who was behind him, a look.

"Let me handle this." Carl gently shook his head, stopping the two. "I'll go take a look first."

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