Chapter 66： Sneak Attack

Windsor made her move—she fired a Light Arrow. Stoneplate raised his massive shield once again and blocked the attack.

Standing beside him was a woman in a green dress—her name was Ruili, and she was an archer.

She drew her bow, firing a jade-green arrow straight at Gu Ning.

Immediately after, she unleashed a Tier-3 Triple Shot—three more arrows flew out in succession.

A total of four arrows aimed at Gu Ning and his team.

The first was intercepted by Xia Rui's Piercing Arrow. The second collided with Windsor's Light Arrow. The third was neutralized by Gu Ning's Water Arrow.

The last arrow hit Gu Ning directly, but couldn't even break a single shield. It only stirred a faint ripple.

Seeing this, Kaiginel and Ruili both looked visibly grim.

They hadn't expected to be unable to even break through the enemy's most basic defenses!

Kaiginel, in particular, was beginning to worry—if Moka couldn't break through Gu Ning's shield, they were in trouble.

Regret crept into Kaiginel's heart, but it was already too late to turn back. Even if he wanted to retreat now, Gu Ning wouldn't let him go.

At this point, all he could do was fight with everything he had. If he won, the rewards would be great.

"Attack them!" Kaiginel commanded.

The civilians behind him raised their bows and began shooting at Gu Ning.

Kaiginel himself didn't attack—his class was Priest, limited to healing skills and lacking offensive capabilities.

He had been quite frustrated when he received that class. He had dreamed of dominating the seas and becoming invincible—but reality had turned him into a glorified healer.

Gu Ning's group began counterattacking—Water Arrows, Fireballs, Light Arrows rained down in response.

Suddenly, Kaiginel's wooden ship jolted violently, rocking side to side.

The impact caught everyone off guard—many staggered and lost their footing.

Gu Ning and his team seized the opportunity. Windsor acted first, casting Binding Light, using ropes of light to restrain Stoneplate.

Huohuo followed up with a Fireball and took down Ruili.

The most spectacular move came from Xia Rui—she chanted in strange syllables, and golden dots appeared in the air.

With a wave of her staff, the golden dots fell like rain, forming a shower of golden light that poured into Kaiginel's civilian troops.

In an instant, everyone hit by the golden rain was either dead or seriously injured!

Even Gu Ning was shocked—he hadn't expected Xia Rui's Golden Rain spell to be that devastating!

He used the opportunity to cast Freeze, immobilizing Kaiginel.

Meanwhile, Xiao Lan was still slamming into the enemy ship, preventing Kaiginel's crew from regaining stability.

Just then, Gu Ning noticed Kaiginel smiling. At first, Gu Ning was confused—was the guy insane?

But then an ominous feeling crept in.

At that moment, he heard a shout:

"Gu Ning, watch out!"

From the corner of his eye, he saw Bai Xue's tense expression. Before he could react, a sharp blade suddenly appeared in front of him.

It sliced through his shields like a knife through butter—not even a single layer held up.

As the third layer shattered, the attacker finally revealed himself: Moka.

The blade in Moka's hand was a blue-grade weapon, engraved with a skill called Shieldbreaker, which dealt extra damage to defensive shields.

The skill could only be used once a day—and Moka had just used it on Gu Ning.

Though all this seemed long, it happened in the blink of an eye.

Gu Ning could even see the cruelty and madness in Moka's eyes.

But Gu Ning remained calm. Although startled, he didn't panic.

Moka, seeing Gu Ning standing still, assumed he had been frozen in fear.

Just then, another blade appeared—this one plunged into Moka's neck. Blood sprayed everywhere, splattering all over Gu Ning's clothes.

Moka felt a chill in his throat and his strength vanished. As he slipped into unconsciousness, the last thing he saw was a red-haired catgirl staring coldly down at him.

Gu Ning looked at Moka's fallen body, picked up his blade, and tossed the corpse into the sea.

Then he examined the weapon:

Windbreaker Blade (Blue Grade)+20% StrengthSkill: Shieldbreaker – Deals +200% damage to shields. Usable once per day.

"That Shieldbreaker skill is insane," Gu Ning thought. "No wonder my shields were like paper."

He handed the blade directly to Darkmoon—it was perfect for her.

[Notification: Darkmoon's Affinity +5]

Five points of affinity! Not bad at all.

Darkmoon was quietly delighted, though she didn't show it. She simply slipped back into Gu Ning's shadow once more.

With everything resolved, Gu Ning's gaze turned icy as he looked at Kaiginel.

He hadn't died this time—but only because he had Darkmoon as a hidden ace. Even so, it had felt like a brush with death.

Gu Ning had never been this close to dying. Now that the danger had passed, the fear caught up with him—a cold sweat dampened his back.

"Kill Kaiginel," Gu Ning ordered.

Windsor attacked without hesitation, and Huohuo and Xia Rui followed, filled with rage.

They, too, had been terrified during the ambush—and now they wanted Kaiginel dead more than anything.

Kaiginel had thought Moka's attack would be unstoppable and was sure Gu Ning would die. But he hadn't expected a catgirl to appear out of nowhere and end it all in one strike.

When he saw the murderous glint in Windsor's eyes, a shiver ran down his spine.

The next moment, all three women's attacks struck him at once. Not even his green-grade armor could save him—he died instantly.

Gu Ning immediately selected the option to destroy the enemy ship. A flash of white light enveloped it as the wooden ship disintegrated.

Everyone aboard fell into the sea.

Gu Ning pulled the survivors aboard—these would become his subordinates.

He walked up to Stoneplate and asked bluntly, "Do you choose death, or will you follow me?"

When a lord dies, their hero is released and no longer bound by loyalty.

Revenge depended on affinity—if it was high enough, a hero might refuse to submit and seek vengeance instead.

Clearly, Kaiginel hadn't built much rapport with his hero. Stoneplate didn't hesitate—he knelt on one knee.

In a deep voice, he said, "Stoneplate is willing to follow Lord Gu Ning."

Gu Ning nodded and turned to the remaining civilians.

"And what about you?"

Everyone lowered their heads and pledged loyalty.