Chapter 644: Volume Seventeen: Dark Descends on Earth - Fifteen: Big Moves
The colossal cannon barrel, tugged by the force of the springs and ropes, began to tremble violently as though ignited by something, slowly lighting up. A few seconds later, the whole barrel was shrouded by an odd orange-red light mist, leaving the sailors operating it dumbfounded. Until now, not a single pirate had any idea what the contraption was. They only knew that this mortal, flanked by several Half-Beastmen, must be an important figure, and what he brought was even more treasured. This could be understood from the significance the helmsman had placed on it. Aside from a few operators, no one was allowed to approach the object; perhaps its true nature would only be understood once it demonstrated its power.
Gote, too, watched the Magic-armed gun about to ascend intently, the grand light mist already expanding more than a meter from the gun. The scorching power made the operators subconsciously take shelter two meters away. Except for two sailors in special sealed outfits who clenched their teeth, steadfastly stabilizing the gun’s support, everyone else focused entirely on the bizarre behemoth.
When the light mist swelled to over a meter, a huge luminous flame burst forth from the muzzle without any sound, but all present were instinctively forced to step back by the dazzling flame’s sudden eruption. After a brief blinding moment, they saw that the flame, which shot out of the muzzle, quickly expanded in the air, becoming a light ball over a meter wide in just a few seconds, bearing intense heat as it streaked towards the target three hundred meters away.
Gote could not help but stand up. The massive light ball’s burst made him squint, the ball whizzing across the sky like a giant fireball, except that the brilliant flame had no tail, reminding one that it was a magic flame and not a tangible fireball. Unfortunately, the operators seemed not yet familiar with this intricate instrument, and to Gote’s disappointment, the massive light ball fell into the sea ten meters from the target––a wooden mid-sized vessel––raising huge waves that instantly turned into vast water vapor under the ball’s thermal force, engulfing everything within ten yards in a blanket of mist.
"Idiots! A bunch of idiots! Magus, what the hell are you doing?!" Unable to contain his fury, the usually composed Gote rarely lost his temper like this, roaring and scolding the commanding operator, "Calm yourself and take aim, do you think this is a catapult?"
Seeing the helmsman so enraged, all the operators frantically started to readjust the position and angle. The thin-faced man called Magus even lashed his subordinates with a whip, barking orders. He was the only one clear about this being a recently acquired secret weapon by the organization. The off-target shot just now had also proven its immense power; if it hit the ship or the people, what would have become of them?
"Mr. Magus, please hold on, after firing, there must be a cooling period; otherwise, the cannon barrel won’t withstand such a strong magic impact. I wouldn’t want to see my product fall apart after just a couple of uses," Komer said, still leisurely seated, swirling his wine glass with an annoyingly lazy smile on his face.
Magus, did you hear that? Don’t mess up again, or I’ll have your head!" Gote’s teeth were clucking. He was aware of the basic principles of the Magic-armed gun; Komer had told him that no matter how superior the magic metal, it couldn’t withstand such a high-intensity magic impact for long. Continuous use would significantly reduce the cannon barrel and the magic spring’s service life. After maybe just a dozen or more uses, it would be utterly destroyed. One had to wait for some time until the magic metal was completely devoid of power before firing again.