Chapter 432: War Weapons
Erza (Knightwalker) and the others took several deep breaths, trying hard to calm themselves down.
They knew that emotional instability would affect their recovery, but the things Noah and his group were saying kept making them unable to suppress their anger.
So all they could do was try their best to calm their own emotions.
Meanwhile, Noah and the others kept chatting away, getting more and more cheerful with each passing moment.
It felt like this wasn't a battlefield at all, and they weren't people who had just taken down a large number of soldiers, but rather a group of people strolling down the street. The only difference was that their topic of conversation was vastly different from that of ordinary strollers.
Erza (Knightwalker) and the Royal Army soldiers beside them listened to their chatter, their expressions growing angrier by the minute.
"The Kingdom's Treasury? That's a great idea, Natsu!"
Sorano's eyes lit up upon hearing Natsu's suggestion.
"I've never visited the Kingdom's Treasury before. If I get the chance this time, I'd like to go and see what a kingdom's treasury looks like."
"Ooh ooh!"
Hearing Sorano agree with his suggestion, Natsu seemed even more excited.
"Why do you want to visit the Kingdom's Treasury?"
Mirajane asked Sorano.
"Well, think about it—we don't usually get a chance to visit a kingdom's treasury, do we?
Now, isn't this our opportunity?
Don't you want to check out a kingdom's treasury? This is a rare chance!
Besides, there are bound to be plenty of good things inside. We could take a few items as compensation for our losses."
Sorano explained to Mirajane, then winked at her and subtly glanced at Erza (Knightwalker). Mirajane immediately understood her meaning and spoke up with a smile:
"That's right, hearing you say that makes me interested in the Kingdom's Treasury too.
If we happen to find something we like, all the better."
"Exactly. We can take this opportunity to tour the Kingdom's Treasury and grab some of its treasures on the side, as our compensation for mental distress.
After all, our lives were threatened, and we suffered a great shock. We need something valuable to soothe our wounded spirits. Those treasures in the Kingdom's Treasury would be the perfect compensation."
Noah caught their words and noticed their actions, so he spoke with a smile.
"Yeah, we really did get a fright. Taking a few things from the treasury isn't too much. Grabbing three or four pieces each should be enough.
And we should bring some back for everyone in the Guild too—about two hundred pieces or so. The folks still at the Guild also need compensation."
Laxus chimed in seriously from the side.
Upon hearing that, Noah couldn't help but glance at him. The moment Laxus opened his mouth, he was asking for quite a lot.
Laxus felt Noah's gaze but gave no reaction; the way he spoke now had been influenced by Noah's usual style. Besides, in their current situation, the more they said, the better.
"The Kingdom's Treasury? It must be huge. I've never seen it either. My family also has a treasury that holds a lot of precious things, so the Kingdom's Treasury must be even bigger than ours. I'm pretty interested in it. The collection inside should be larger and better than my family's. If that's our compensation, it really wouldn't be bad at all."
Lucy, catching on to their conversation, chimed in.
"The Kingdom's Treasury should have plenty of armor, right? That ought to let me get some really good pieces."
Erza said very seriously.
"I wonder how much money the stuff in the Kingdom's Treasury could be turned into? But even if we can't convert it to cash, the items themselves should already be pretty impressive."
Gray added from the side.
Meredy and the others, hearing everyone's words, had faces full of questions. The Kingdom's Treasury wasn't supposed to be their target, so why was everyone chatting so excitedly about it—even Laxus, Erza, and the others joining in? And they were already thinking about how much to take; this didn't seem like the kind of people they were. They were about to ask when they noticed Ultear beside them extending her hand to block their way. They looked up at Ultear, who gave a slight shake of her head. They immediately understood that this was part of some plan Noah and the others were carrying out, so they stopped questioning and began observing their surroundings instead. Sure enough, they soon spotted Noah and the others' target.
Erza (Knightwalker) and the soldiers of the Royal Army beside them grew increasingly angry with each word Noah and his group spoke about the Kingdom's Treasury. Only then did they realize this was the same tactic as before—asking about the plan's details and the king's location—all meant to unsettle the opponent's emotions. This time, though, it was more specific and more direct. Noah and the others had already started discussing how to find out where the Kingdom's Treasury was located. As they chatted, they kept glancing at Erza (Knightwalker) and her companions, clearly aiming to get the treasury's location from them.
"You bastards!"
Erza (Knightwalker) gripped the spear in her hands tightly, barely containing her rage. Listening to the enemies constantly discussing the Kingdom's Treasury and eagerly talking about how to break in, how could she not feel ashamed and furious? She glanced at Hughes and Sugarboy beside her; they wore the same expression. The soldiers behind them were also filled with anger, since the enemy was openly discussing how to plunder their kingdom's treasury. As members of the Royal Army, they naturally felt enraged.
"Almost there, almost there!"
Erza (Knightwalker) suppressed her anger. She pretended to casually glance behind her and saw that a large number of soldiers had already gathered again. She also noticed many large, covered devices further back. She knew what those devices were—War Weapons used only during large-scale war battles.
Although these weapons were being brought up now just to deal with a little over a dozen people, she didn't find it inappropriate at all. The enemies across from them had proven through their recent actions that they deserved to be treated this way. However, using these weapons here would inevitably cause quite a bit of destruction.
But thinking that if they let the enemies continue like this, the Royal Army might face total annihilation, she felt that even deploying these weapons inside the castle was acceptable.
Besides, since the King had already approved the transport of these weapons, it was clear he had prepared for the corresponding losses.
Hughes and Sugarboy also saw those large, covered devices behind them, and the expressions on their faces relaxed considerably.
Using War Weapons designed for large-scale battles against the mere dozen or so people before them—treating the enemy with such seriousness—they believed they would surely succeed in defeating them.
No matter how impressive the enemies' earlier performance had been, this was the strength and confidence befitting a powerful magical kingdom.
But they weren't ready yet; they still had to wait, enduring the enemies across the way as they kept discussing how to "visit" the Kingdom's Treasury. They listened, their brows twitching uncontrollably. No matter how much they told themselves they'd make the enemies pay soon, having their foes brazenly discuss things right in front of them still made their anger surge uncontrollably.
In this state of mind, the effect of resting and recovering naturally became very poor.
Meanwhile, Noah and the others' physical strength and magical power were recovering quickly.
Noah and his companions grew more excited as they talked, nearly finishing their discussions on how to find the Kingdom's Treasury, how to enter it, how to pick items inside, and how to leave.
"Alright, we've rested enough. Time to continue."
Noah had been keeping an eye on the enemies' movements. He saw that they had gathered a large number of soldiers and had moved covered large items to the rear.
Even though he didn't know what those things were, no matter how he thought about it, they were definitely meant to deal with them.
And judging by their size, they were clearly no small objects—they had to be powerful weapons.
After noticing that everyone had more or less recovered, Noah spoke to the group.
He couldn't let the enemy make more preparations; if they could fight with ease, they should try to do so.
Hearing Noah's words, everyone set aside their excited discussion, started cracking their knuckles, and looked seriously at the Royal Army across from them.
Erza (Knightwalker) also heard Noah's words. Seeing the Fairy Tail members begin to prepare for another round of battle, she sighed inwardly. She naturally knew they wouldn't be given enough time to prepare thoroughly; it was because their previous preparations had been insufficient that the enemy had been able to achieve such a strong result.
Once the Kingdom got serious — particularly when a powerful magical nation began to take things seriously — it would become very hard for the enemy to have it as easy as before. But clearly the enemy had already recovered and didn't intend to let them make more preparations.
That said, while they weren't fully ready now, they were far better prepared than before. The War Weapons had already been brought out. These weapons should be enough to handle the dozen or so enemies they were facing.
What's more, more weapons were continuously being transported in the rear. Unless they were crushed in a single blow, the pressure the enemy faced would only grow. That was the difficulty of confronting an entire nation.
Erza (Knightwalker) and her comrades were full of confidence.
"All troops, fall back!"
Erza (Knightwalker) loudly commanded the Royal Army soldiers. The soldiers were momentarily taken aback but obeyed the Magic War Division captain's order and stepped back.
Hughes and Sugarboy followed Erza (Knightwalker) as they all retreated a certain distance.
Behind them, the large devices were pushed up beside the Royal Army. The cloth covering them was pulled off, revealing a row of massive cannons, their muzzles aimed at the Fairy Tail members.
"Raiken: Raigeki no Yari!"
Seeing the enemy's cannons revealed, Laxus wasted no time. He raised his hand and unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning, which transformed into a spear of electricity in midair, shooting straight toward one of the cannons.
The lightning spear moved with incredible speed, arriving before the cannon in the blink of an eye.
But Erza (Knightwalker) and her group didn't try to intercept. Instead, they watched calmly from the side.
"Boom!!!"
Suddenly, a barrier shimmered into existence around the cannon, blocking the lightning spear perfectly.
The lightning spear held against the barrier for a moment but ultimately couldn't break through, dissipating into the air.
Seeing this, the Fairy Tail members all grew serious.
Laxus's attack was far from weak, yet it couldn't even breach that barrier — a clear indication of just how strong the barrier's defense was.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
Seeing Laxus's attack fail, Natsu took a deep breath and spat out a powerful pillar of flame toward the enemy cannons. Erza (Knightwalker) and her group still didn't intercept, letting Natsu's pillar of fire strike the cannon head-on.
Again, just as the flames were about to reach the cannon, a barrier appeared before it and blocked the attack.
"Boom!"
The two forces collided in a violent explosion, sending smoke and dust billowing into the air.
But after the smoke was blown away by the wind, the cannon remained completely unscathed.
The barrier in front of the cannon lingered for a moment before slowly fading away.
"Hmph! These cannons of ours possess powerful defensive capabilities, and their offensive power is even greater. One shot can destroy land dozens of meters in diameter.
If you take a hit, you'll be reduced to nothing.
Plus, they have auto-tracking, so there's no escape!"
Hughes declared smugly to the members of Fairy Tail.
"These are the kind of weapons used in times of war, aren't they? Is it really okay to use them against us?"
Lucy couldn't help but say as she stared at the cannons.
"Of course. Wicked scoundrels with strength like yours deserve no less."
Erza (Knightwalker) replied without hesitation.
"These weapons played a major role in wars against other countries before. You should feel honored—we're using the kind of arsenal meant for a whole nation against you."
Sugarboy said, looking at the members of Fairy Tail.
"I don't have that kind of power, so there's no need to treat me like this…"
Lucy's voice trembled as she spoke.
When she saw the cannon barrels aimed at her, she felt her heart pounding wildly. It was absolutely terrifying. Meredy and the others couldn't help but shiver a little too. After all, they were still young; being aimed at by cannons made them tremble with fear. Sorano immediately moved to stand in front of her sister, shielding her.
Then she turned and glared at Noah:
"Hurry up and get rid of these things."
"I need a little time to prepare, you know?"
Noah replied with a smile.
"Hmph! We know you have the ability to manipulate space, so we've made special preparations. You won't succeed. Just accept your death!"
Erza (Knightwalker) sneered at Noah.
If he could move people away, he could naturally move objects as well.
But since they knew his ability, a powerful magical kingdom that had managed to disband every Mage Guild within its borders and plunder magic from neighboring countries could naturally devise countermeasures.
She had just confirmed with the soldiers that the Royal Army had specifically arranged measures against Noah's ability to relocate people, precisely to prevent him from moving these War Weapons.
That way, there was no need to worry about him teleporting these cannons away.
~~~
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