Chapter 174: Expanding the Fleet

Duke felt strangely indifferent after killing Landor Blancdale. Had he just arrived in this world, he might have been shocked or felt a sense of satisfaction. But now, it felt as if he had erased a symbol of his past, making peace with a chapter of his life.

After his magical hands had slain the four demons, transformed from nobles in the lower cabin, the air grew quiet. The icy aura that swirled around Duke was a common mage's frost shield, but its chilling presence seemed to freeze the very souls of the survivors. It was clear to them who was in charge now.

In that moment, Duke was their god. He ruled over the nearly one hundred survivors on both ships. While the attacking Bloodsail pirates were understandably terrified, the nobles didn't fare much better. They all knew of Duke's grudge against the Blancdale family, and it had been the talk of the town, from the nobility to the servants.

Now, Duke seemed relentless. If he claimed everyone else was tainted by demonic energy and proceeded to slaughter them all, they'd have nowhere left to cry.

The people trembled, awaiting the words of their new ruler.

"Surrender, all of you Bloodsails, or prepare to die!"

Were they joking? Facing the recent demons, the Bloodsail pirates already felt a sense of despair and helplessness. And now they were up against a mage who easily dispatched the demon?

As Duke's icy voice rang out, the Bloodsail pirates dropped their weapons as if they'd been pardoned.

Duke scanned the crowd with cold eyes. "Who's in charge here?"

Following the pirates' gaze, Duke easily found a burly pirate leader.

The pirate with a red headscarf and white shirt reluctantly stood up. "What do you command, sir?"

"Raise a white flag. Once I've dealt with the other pirates, you'll sail your ship for me. If you want to escape, it doesn't matter. My naga will arrive shortly, and..." Duke casually raised his right hand.

Following the old rules, he effortlessly used a fireball spell, blowing a nearby fleeing ship to smithereens.

"Boom!"

The explosion was more dramatic than any cannon fire, sending a massive pillar of water skyward. The raging fireball not only obliterated the ship and its pirates, but the scalding heat generated vast clouds of steam, burning several pirates standing over a dozen meters away.

Silence. Deathly silence.

The exaggerated display of instant magic made the mortals forget to breathe.

No, it wasn't that they forgot, but rather they lost the courage to breathe until Duke gave the signal.

Duke smirked, "Trust me, escaping would be worse."

To the pirates, Duke seemed more demonic than the demon itself.

The pirates nodded their heads, trembling.

Duke no longer concerned himself with them. With a whistle, the griffin that had been circling overhead landed on the deck.

As Duke prepared to mount the griffin, a guard from the noble side tentatively asked, "Do you really have no intention of taking revenge on the Blancdale family?"

Duke paused, "No one should be born noble. If you are born into wealth, you should act in a manner that befits your status. I am saddened by how many of your family members have been corrupted and turned into demons. But punishing you is King Llane's responsibility. My duty is to save every citizen of Stormwind."

Without paying any further attention to the remnants of the Blancdale family, Duke took to the sky on his griffin.

Nearby, on another ship not far from the Blancdale vessel, Lothar pulled the Sword of Kings from the neck of a demon. The splattering demon blood stained the cabin door. He tilted his head, watching Duke take off on his gryphon from the Blancdale family's warship, deep in thought.

That's right.

Lothar didn't stop Duke from heading towards the ship flying the Blancdale family's flag. To some extent, Lothar had tacitly allowed Duke's revenge.

Understanding doesn't equate to forgiveness.

Lothar was an upright man; if Duke went on a killing spree for personal vendetta, Lothar might not say anything, but it would undoubtedly lower Duke's standing in his heart.

Seeing that there were still many living humans on the two ships, Lothar secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least Duke hadn't started a massacre, and everything was within an acceptable range. As for what Duke did on the ship, they would find out everything when they returned.

Duke immediately headed towards the second group of warships.

Ever since leaving Karazhan, Duke had a question—just how powerful was he?

This was a profound question.

In terms of magical power, he still belonged to the category of Sky Mages. He could mobilize elemental forces within a considerable range.

Based on his scan of old man Norton, he knew very well that his power had long surpassed ordinary Sky Mages. If talking about total magic power, Duke, with the arcane circuits inherited from the High Elf Sun King and a part of Medivh's inheritance, had more than ten times the magical power of a Sky Mage of the same level.

This didn't mean his power was ten times greater.

With the help of the system spirit, Duke effortlessly performed multiple simultaneous spells, like a person with cheats. He alone could equal the entire Stormwind Royal Mage Corps.

And during the process of mobilizing the elements in the surrounding atmosphere, he could use even more powerful magic beyond his abilities.

Thus, when facing Count Crispin Farrens, who was also supposed to be a boss, Duke felt absolutely no pressure.

Soloing!

A dream Duke had before crossing over.

Now, it was effortlessly realized by Duke.

Facing the omnidirectional magical barrage from above and below, Count Farrens, transformed into a gigantic Doomguard with blood-red wings, was utterly one-sidedly beaten.

An arcane blast in the form of a giant fist sent the Count into the air, followed by a relentless precision magic bombardment. The demonized Count was only a meter above the deck, yet the terrifying magic attack didn't hit the deck at all.

In just three seconds, the demonized Crispin Farrens was defeated.

Duke quickly and horrifically dealt with the demons on the aristocratic warships, subduing the Bloodsail pirates on board. When the Naga priestess Vala arrived with her forces half a day later, everything was settled.

Not only were the Bloodsail pirates caught in the melee, but even the fleeing warships couldn't escape Duke's pursuit.

In half a day, the entire Bloodsail pirate fleet that had ambushed the nobles was wiped out. Bloodsail pirate fleet commander, Brigadier General Lester Zank, was killed by Duke.

All the ships were seized by the Kingdom of Stormwind. (To be continued.)