Along with the explosion of the ships, the hearts of the elven sailors shattered as well. They watched helplessly as a single cannonball struck a friendly warship, which then exploded like a powder keg.
The majority of the shells carried by the Brunas 1 were simple impact-fused models without any armor-piercing capabilities.
However, such shells were strangely effective against wooden warships, which essentially lacked any armor protection.
If armor-piercing rounds were used, the shell would have to delay its explosion after impact, or it might not explode at all, thus inflicting very limited damage to wooden sailing ships.
Now, with impact fuse shells smashing into wooden hulls and detonating immediately, the ships' structures could be directly destroyed, or even worse, the explosives stored on board could be ignited!
The explosion easily set off the gunpowder on the warship, which then immediately detonated the powder being used for firing the cannons, igniting the gunpowder at all the surrounding gun positions...
In this era, warships had no concepts of compartmentalization or explosion protection; decks were piled with cannons and their firing charges, especially during battle-ready conditions, making them truly flammable and explosive powder kegs.
But because the era's cannonballs were solid, it was not easy to ignite the gunpowder, so sympathetic detonations did not receive much attention from the navies of various nations.
Therefore, when faced with the shrapnel from Brunas 1's cannons, these primitive warships paid a heavy price for their obsolescence in an instant.
"Boom!" The brutal explosion sent the still-sailing warship of the Poplar Kingdom flying, its masts breaking and sails falling, the Poplar Kingdom's Dragon Banner that hung from the mast also fell into the sea.
The hull began to fracture along with the explosion, leaving the sailors on deck stunned as they watched their warship fall apart without even a chance to save it.
What's worse, after a brief respite, the explosions were not limited to a single warship—two other warships began to explode, sending flames skyrocketing and elven sailors being tossed into the sea everywhere.
The naval commander of the Poplar Kingdom overseeing this sea battle was named Muke. He stood on his flagship, staring dumbfounded at the exploding friendly warships in the distance, momentarily forgetting to issue new combat orders.
The distance between the two sides was nearly two kilometers, and his warships had no weapons capable of firing at that range.
His plan had been to close the distance to about 500 meters using numerical superiority, and then open fire with all cannons to completely destroy the target.
So he deployed his ships in a line formation, hoping to surround and overwhelm the target upon gaining the advantage.
Since departing from Osa Military Harbor, he hadn't received any intelligence about the enemy warships, only knowing that the enemy had a single warship, so he was consumed with visions of how the opponent lucked out in sinking two of his ships and blockading Southwater Port.
Thus, he rushed here, aiming to lift the blockade on Southwater Port as quickly as possible and restore maritime trade.
In his eyes, with the enemy possessing only one warship and him leading 12 warships south, victory seemed certain, without any room for accidents.
Also, because he was hastily sailing south, he hadn't received further intelligence about this warship and still had no accurate understanding of its capabilities.
He couldn't help it; after all, even if he had precise intelligence, there would be no way to defeat this warship. This was the impact brought about by the disparity in weaponry; this was the influence of weapons on the mode of warfare.
"What kind of monster is that?" Finally, unable to hold back, the naval commander of the Poplar Kingdom voiced the doubt in his mind. It couldn't be helped; to him, the enemy indeed seemed like a terrifying monster.
Just as he called out the word "monster," the Brunas 1 fired again. The 120-caliber cannons roared in anger, and this time, due to adjusted parameters, all three shots scored direct hits.
Three already-panicking elven warships were stricken. As they slowed down, they were hit by the cannons and caught fire, belching smoke.
Their white sails burned, and cries and despairing orders were everywhere. Because the distance was now very close, the sailors on the Brunas 1 could even see people running around in terror on the decks of the opposite ships.
Twelve sails, full of bluster as they had approached from afar, had lost half their fighting force before even firing a shot.
Of the remaining warships, three that were lagging at the rear immediately turned tail and fled without even signaling the flagship ahead.
With six warships already overturned and smoking in the sea, they couldn't signal in any way that the flagship could see.
Of course, even if they had seen it, probably the most rational commander at that time would only have ordered the following warships to make a quick getaway.
Calamity was upon them; everyone should run for their lives! Why would anyone stay? To join in a funeral? Brother, there's no need to be so loyal. Really!
Besides, the remaining three warships that could still fight near the flagship were now completely preoccupied with their own survival.
They discovered that the distance between them had closed to nearly 1000 meters, and the enemy had already gained the lead!
What a joke! Their ships were warships, the fastest of their era! And they were with the wind! This was already their maximum speed.
But evidently, the enemy's speed was still faster, and not just by a little! With such speed, the enemy had already cut to the T-head formation, which meant that as soon as they turned, the leading warship would have to face all of the enemy's firepower alone.
This was the moment that would test a commander's mettle, where decisions had to be made single-handedly on what to sacrifice and how to respond.
In fact, as a naval power, the commanders of the Poplar Kingdom's Navy did possess some ability. Even in a moment of despair, he still made the most correct decision.
"Adjust course, heading due east!" he gritted his teeth and ordered his fleet to begin turning toward the direction indicated by the rear of the enemy ships that were cutting into their course.
This had two advantages: on one hand, their warships, after turning, would head in the opposite direction to that of the enemy ships, thus quickly shaking off pursuit.
On the other hand, if the enemy continued their pursuit, the other three warships that had broken away from the line of battle could escape from the battlefield—at least they would survive, avoiding loss here.
Unfortunately, his decision could not change anything in the face of absolute power. Just as his warships were rapidly turning, another volley engulfed his fleet.
This time, the cannonballs struck directly at the bow of the flagship that was turning and completely sheared it off!
The massive explosion shattered the bow of this warship instantly, and the central part of the ship was completely destroyed.
Due to inertia, the warship plunged bow-first into the sea, with its stern rising high—a spectacular sight indeed.
"Signal the warships to keep turning! Quick! Forget everything else!" The frazzled commander, witnessing another friendly warship doomed, yelled in despair.
Soon he saw a thrilling scene: the enemy warship was not turning to hunt down his decimated forces; instead, it pursued the three elf warships that had fled ahead.
It seemed he could escape with his life. Due to the distance, if he immediately rushed into Southwater Port, he could be protected by the shore batteries—at least he wouldn't be sunk here.
However, he celebrated too soon. Just as he was about to adjust his course again to return to Southwater Port, he was shocked to discover that out of nowhere, a terrifying cloud of black smoke had appeared on his route!
Now he knew that the terrifying enemy warship, scarier than any monster, was not alone—there were two of them!
Moreover, somehow they were able to communicate—the two terrifying warships had managed to divide their prey, even at a distance where they could not see each other's masts!
His eyes widened in astonishment, and then he saw at the end of that billowing black smoke, another warship barreling towards them.
Identical to the one that had sunk seven of their warships, this new warship flying the Dragon Banner also had a sharp bow and the same frightening dual-mounted gun turrets!
"Damn it..." The officer cursed in despair as a cannonball from the opposing ship hit his own.
The explosion engulfed the bridge where he stood, and his warship began to sink rapidly with the blast.
Obviously, the enemy had no patience to wait for the wreckage of the warship to settle at the sea's bottom, for it was obstructing the silhouette of another elf warship.
In the desperate gaze of the remaining sailors lucky enough to be alive, the warship did not slow down at all as it charged forward, breaking the elf warship, which was still one-third above water, into two pieces!
Only at this moment did the elf sailors confirm that the monstrous warship was made of steel!
Because, when his head was struck, he felt that despairingly cold touch.
That day, twelve warships of the Elf Race, coming from afar, were completely annihilated by two Brunas-class ironclad warships—all sinking near Southwater Port.
And the few sailors who miraculously survived were washed onto the coast of Southwater Port, where the officials of the Poplar Kingdom inside learned that their reinforcements would never come.
"Now... what do we do?" asked a City Defense Forces officer, his arm still slung across his chest, to the group of officials in despair.
"What else can we do? Wait for Lord Leibart to return... The matter is now beyond our ability to handle..." the governor sighed in despair.