Chapter 584 - All-Out War (2)
The expendable artifact [Square Distortion], prepared by the Society, destroyed two spatial teleportation circles—suspected to be the work of Balrog—and also cut off their source.
The coordinates were exactly near the northern border and the upper West Continent, these two places.
The usable count of [Square Distortion] decreased by two at once, but because of this, for a certain period of time, spatial teleportation became entirely impossible from the mid-upper and upper parts of the West Continent down to the lower northern continent.
As though a wall were blocking the way.
To cross in or out of this boundary, one must either enter directly, or receive permission for teleportation from the owner of [Square Distortion].
Thus, the teleportation circle that was presumed to be connected to Sandir Paen's location—unmarked on the three-dimensional map in Balrog's private laboratory—was severed.
And so, the fleet of the Bohemirn Magic Tower was able to cross.
'It won't be long before Black Hour and the Array of Spectrum clash. In the magical battle fought in the skies, the superiority of the latter is self-evident.'
Purely a difference in the scale of airships.
But it was no more than a meaningless gap.
For in any case, the form of the battlefield would not be aerial combat.
Verden organized the current situation in his mind.
'The overall flow is favorable.'
By maximizing the advantage of the surprise attack, they had slaughtered Lauen Seedger and Pielle, and two unsuspecting members of Itium.
Almost without suffering damage.
Such an achievement was so great that one could say nothing could be better. From the beginning, they had clearly seized the upper hand.
But it was too early to feel relief.
The real stage began now.
'The problem is this variable on our side.'
Sandir Paen.
The coordinates of that man's location were relatively close to the Black Hour fleet—at least, if one compared across the entirety of the West Continent.
'For a 5th-Rank Mage to mix-cast
He must be stopped at all costs.
Even a slight misstep would cause the damage to increase exponentially. The victory or defeat of the all-out war would be decided by the isolation of the transcendent.
Verden spoke.
"Reinforcements will arrive soon from the Great Hall. But it will take time for the rest of the personnel including the frontlines to get here. So rearrange the route. Abandon annihilation of the Array of Spectrum, shift into a long-term battle, and the fleet officers…"
───My lord.
From beyond the communication device came the voice of Adrian Chambers.
Stronger in tone than ever before.
───Entrust it to me.
…Among the pre-considered plans was one for the current situation. Accordingly, two countermeasures had been prepared.
First, disperse the fleet's forces to confront Sandir, while fighting a more disadvantageous battle against the Array of Spectrum.
Second, isolate Sandir with only the 'strongest forces' of their faction, hold out until further support arrived, and thereby secure their winning chances in the battle against the Array of Spectrum.
Adrian was hoping for the second option.
'From the perspective of the faction, it is the best.'
The casualties of the fleet would decrease significantly, and the possibility of annihilating the remaining elder of Itium leading the Array of Spectrum would increase.
'But the burden on the strongest forces would become severe.'
Especially on Adrian.
They stood at a crossroads.
At that moment, he added.
───I will cut him down. Without fail.
There was no fear felt. No hesitation. More than that, it was not a matter of sacrificing himself for others.
It was filled only with pure resolve and a strong conviction of victory… that was Adrian's choice.
And likewise, Verden, as the one with the decision-making power, also made his choice.
"I'll leave it to you."
───Yes, I wish you fortune in battle.
Adrian disconnected the communication. The dice had begun to roll. Whether it would land on one or six depended on individual ability.
Not on luck.
Next, Verden connected the communication device to the Ostea Tower Master at the Western Continent Magic Tower Alliance's frontline cliff stronghold—the Sage of Protection.
Before long, a voice came through the bracelet.
───Is it time?
"Yes."
Verden began walking.
"We'll meet soon. With Rovellin."
***
Adrian boarded a small airship alone, detaching from the fleet.
Cain, watching his back as it receded to the left, stroked the hilt of his demon sword and tried to calm his inner tension.
"To face a transcendent with only a few… even now, wouldn't it increase the odds if we asked senior to let us join him?"
"It would. Though a meaningless number."
Grave, sitting on a crate, tending to a dagger and short sword, replied.
"For other officers to be of direct or indirect help in Sandir Paen's subjugation, at least five top-class experts would have to block him at the front. Otherwise, their necks could be taken in a single move. If not that, they would only be a hindrance."
"…If not for the Saturation of Jinche, we might have managed somehow."
Following the Dynamics of Intellect and the Array of Spectrum, there was the magician corps, the Saturation of Jinche.
Taking into account the highest elders of the magic tower and Crodon as well, concentrating all forces in one place was not the right course of action.
"All we have to do is fulfill the role assigned to us. So that there will be no need to worry about us from other battlefields… whether it will turn out well, I don't know."
The hidden, all-out war between the new Black Hour and the Bohemirn Magic Tower would be brought to conclusion by only a few.
Adrian and the sages, the strongest powers, against Sandir Paen.
Verden against Balrog Bessias.
'It is not enough to seize victory in only one of the two battlefields. Both must be won. That is the result everyone wishes for.'
An objective view would call it a hopeful optimism.
Even so, they truly wished for it.
Grave had wasted too much time as a defeated remnant of Black Hour. He had lived only as a mercenary living day by day.
So now, he wished to dream of tomorrow. Even if it was presumptuous desire.
"It will go well, uncle."
Opea Rogentena, who had come close before anyone noticed, smiled. Not only she, but also the comrades who had been together since the early days of Black Hour.
The Society resolved to protect the safety of the next generation, Cain.
Revana and Aldeban, who had once served as upper and lower officers under Dark Moon, checked strategies while casting sidelong glances around.
Each had different thoughts and resolutions.
But their will to trample down and surpass the enemy, to survive, was the same.
"…They've arrived. Let's prepare."
Revana jerked her chin.
Everyone's gaze focused on one place.
In the distant sky, high enough to touch the clouds, a mass of airships revealed their might as they deactivated their magical concealment field.
The Array of Spectrum.
The main magician corps of the Bohemirn Magic Tower, composed of mages who had mastered multi-element magic, had come leading the fleet.
At the very front, on the flagship leading the formation, a sharp-eyed woman stood proudly with arms crossed.
Aldeban narrowed his brows.
"Luminaria…"
One of the top three Magi within Itium.
Commander of the Array of Spectrum.
A possessor of a rare talent, born with innate affinity for all elemental attributes.
Opea gripped her staff tightly.
"The other elders are nowhere to be seen. Since they haven't stepped forward, we can assume they're not here?"
"That would be so. With brains enough, they wouldn't make the foolish decision of pouring all their forces here."
The Bohemirn Magic Tower had been assaulted across the entire continent and suffered losses that could not be ignored. Their complicated thoughts were a natural reaction.
What their next move would be, what exactly they were aiming for, they could not help but agonize over.
That was why Balrog himself could not act outside the tower.
Because they had to remain wary of Dark Moon───disguised as Verden, who was showing suspicious movements at the current front.
"But seeing them directly, there are more than expected. Since this matter was related to an unofficial laboratory, only internal personnel should have been dispatched."
"If the Saturation of Jinche joins them, then in the entire continent only a handful of forces could withstand them. It's no wonder they're ranked second in magical military power among the towers."
Even the Array of Spectrum alone, if fleets were to wage war, Black Hour would, without dispute, be driven back.
The presence or absence of large-scale airships, condensed with the technology of the magic tower, was an immense factor.
Yet no one shrank back. Some even raised the corners of their lips, not bothering to hide their laughter.
Fwoooosh─────────!
A wave of mana swept by. At the same time, from the airships of the Array of Spectrum, lights of many colors began flickering.
"So that's the multi-element bombardment of the Bohemirn Magic Tower I'd only heard of… seeing they're attacking right away, they must be quite enraged."
"Or perhaps they're simply flustered by the situation. The bombardment range looks rather wide… how long can our shields withstand the impact, Beta?"
At Revana's polite inquiry, Beta finished his calculations.
[Estimated maximum of one minute. And we predict it will take about 59 seconds for the entire Array of Spectrum fleet to enter the 'operational area'.]
It was just as expected.
Barely.
The Black Hour fleet formed a defensive formation.
Three medium-class airships and seven small-class… ten in total. The mages on board activated the protective barriers of the airships themselves, layered elemental veils atop them, then reinforced them with enchantments.
They did not spare magic items either.
Would the enemy grow suspicious seeing this?
Just as that thought came, with a tremor a chilling wave swept in.
Kwooooooong!
The translucent mana barrier rippled, huge waves spreading. The shock that couldn't be fully blocked shook the hull violently.
As if only the beginning, a multitude of elemental spells decorated the skies, forming a rainbow, and then poured down like a torrential rain.
"So their tactic is to press down from high altitude with sheer force. Rational. Small airships, lower your altitude further!"
"Yes!"
The medium-class could endure at least somewhat, but the small-class were at risk.
Once their protection system collapsed, it was the end.
[The Array of Spectrum is accelerating. Remaining time of arrival shortened to 30 seconds.]
They restored the battered shields with all their might, enduring and enduring. It was only a matter of tens of seconds, but it felt like a long eternity.
Thud───Crackle!
Suddenly, a rotating stone fragment was fired, piercing through a weakened section. It penetrated the barrier and even pierced through to the deck.
Grave narrowly dodged, but his cheek was grazed, a bead of blood forming.
A sharp gaze stabbed his senses.
When he lifted his head, Luminaria had her refined double-headed staff aimed this way.
Her voice carried on the air.
"Black Hour. What schemes are you hiding?"
"What else."
Grave bared his teeth.
"A trap."
[The Array of Spectrum fleet is now entirely within the range. It is time.]
Cain quickly bent his wrist.
The small mirror in his hand reflected the world.
"Reflect, and project."
Two words of incantation.
It was the ancient artifact [Mirror of Reflection], owned by the Sage of Protection, Medrant Keden.
A magical relic passed down from the Ostea Magic Tower, which reproduces the characteristics of a previously reflected environment into any chosen space.
The very same landscape had once been recreated when the three sages fought against Verden.
Yes.
Now this was the Desert of Silence.
A frontier zone where the success rate of teleportation plummeted, and all
──!
Balance faltered, and the airships began to tilt. One, then three, then seven, then all.
"Hold on tight! Brace for impact!"
Grave clutched a handle he had installed on the wall beforehand. Others secured themselves firmly in their designated spots.
As planned.
"We're going down!"
The sense of weightlessness wrapped their bodies.
Over twenty airships in total simultaneously lost balance. The center of gravity shifted. Altitude dropped precipitously.
Caught off guard by the sudden development, the mages of the Bohemirn Magic Tower were thrown into the air.
They hastily tried to use
"What the…"
It was the moment Luminaria's eyes widened.
Kwooooooooooooooong!
On the rugged mountain range, where the chill of the north faintly reached, a thunderous roar erupted and the earth quaked. The fleets of the two forces crashed into the ground.
From some airships explosions burst, engulfed in flames. Especially those of the Array of Spectrum, which had fallen from higher altitude.
Mages thrown from ships died ridiculous deaths from the fall.
Some managed to soften their impact by casting spells mid-fall, but still many were badly injured.
"My… my fleet…?"
Grasping the railing of the large airship buried askew in the mountainside, Luminaria rose with a look of utter shock.
What the hell is this.
A roar came.
The mages of Black Hour and the Society, who had long prepared for impact and minimized damage from the fall, formed formations and advanced.
Revana shouted.
"Erase them all!"
Spells curved downward, soon striking the area where the Bohemirn fleet had crashed, erupting with thunderous explosions.
Shiiiing.
Cain and Grave drew their swords and charged straight ahead.
Ground combat began against the mages, who could no longer fly.
***
"…We've lost contact with the Array of Spectrum."
Two possible scenarios.
Either something happened to the large airship carrying Luminaria, or—just like how teleportation had been blocked—some interference was at work.
Whatever it was, it was the worst case.
"I…"
His voice trembled faintly. His presence responded to the intense emotion.
"I've overlooked… something."
Balrog, who had suffered repeated defeats in the command of his faction, began to suppress his arrogance and instead to question.