Whoosh.
The world is vast; eliminating all the Phage Beast at once is no easy task.
No matter how powerful Goku was, he couldn't possibly scour the entire planet to hunt down every single beast.
Therefore, to eliminate them in the fastest and most efficient way, the Lighthouse would have to serve as bait.
These beasts had a frenzied craving for human "life essence."
If the Lighthouse descended to the surface, the nearby beasts would catch the scent and swarm toward it.
Most of the beasts lived within those abandoned cities.
Thus, landing the Lighthouse in the center of a city was the quickest way to gather them all in one place.
Of course, doing so certainly carried risks.
But he had faith in Goku's strength.
If things went south and they couldn't hold their ground, it wouldn't be too late for the Lighthouse to lift off and escape—after all, the beasts couldn't fly. Plus, Goku could use Instant Transmission.
If they couldn't finish the job in one go, they could just keep at it.
He knew it was impossible to wipe out all the Phage Beasts in a single day, but by repeating the process, they could eventually wear them all down.
Moreover, clearing out a city meant securing all its resources—enough to sustain the Lighthouse for a long time.
Ultimately, the most critical factor was whether Goku could take down the Monarch-class Phage Beasts. But even if he couldn't, the Lighthouse's central electromagnetic cannon could be used to pin them down or force them to flee.
Even in a worst-case scenario—where they failed and were forced back to their old life of hiding in the sky—
Goku's presence ensured the Lighthouse would no longer lack resources. There would be no need to segregate the population into "Upper" and "Lower" citizens, nor to enforce the inhumane "Three Laws."
The next morning, Goku—who had slept soundly until dawn—walked into the mess hall and saw Mark, Zai Bing, and the others, all sporting dark circles under their eyes.
"Didn't you guys sleep well last night?"
"It was... alright. Here's the plan..."
Mark drank a cup of coffee to perk himself up and began explaining the battle strategy to Goku.
Sleep?
It wasn't just a matter of not sleeping well; they hadn't slept at all.
The meeting to convince the heads of the various departments had dragged on for hours.
On top of that, there was the coordination and planning for today's operation, plus the need to explain the situation to—and reassure— the ordinary Upper and Lower citizens.
Only now were they finally fully prepared.
"...what do you think?"
"Goku, that's the plan. What do you think?"
"Sounds good. Let's do it just like you said."
Goku nodded. He didn't feel he needed the Lighthouse's firepower support, but if it could draw out all the Phage Beasts, it would certainly save him a lot of time.
After the meal, Mark took Goku to the Lighthouse's armory and maintenance bay.
This was the facility where all the Lighthouse's weapons were manufactured and repaired.
In the center of the bay, hundreds of "Heavy-Duty Exoskeletons"— belonging to both the City Guard and the Light and Shadow Society— lay in a battered, mountain-like heap.
"Repairing so many Heavy Mechs all at once? It's practically a joke."
Standing beside the mountain-like pile of Heavy Mechs, a group of people watched as Mark approached with Goku; their chatter died down for the moment.
They were the heads of the Lighthouse's various departments.
When they learned at yesterday's meeting that the newly appointed Commander Mark intended to lead a counter- attack on the surface, they had nearly thought Mark's brain had been eaten by a Phage Beast .
Even after Mark showed them the video of Goku dispatching the Light and Shadow Society enforcers and the City Defense Force with a mere wave of his hand, they remained skeptical.
The idea of launching a counter-attack first thing this morning seemed utterly absurd to them.
Unfortunately, their objections were futile.
Mark had fully taken control of the Lighthouse and commanded all its military might.
However, coercion naturally breeds outward compliance while harboring inward resentment.
When they heard that Goku planned to repair every single Heavy Mech in one go that morning, they had come to watch the spectacle—and the inevitable failure—with amusement.
They knew from the video that Goku possessed terrifying power, but power didn't equate to technical skill.
After all, you wouldn't expect a Monarch-class Phage Beast to repair Heavy Mechs—let alone hundreds of them.
"I can't believe it!"
The mockery that had been forming on their faces vanished, replaced by sheer disbelief; their jaws dropped open.
For Goku had already begun chanting a spell over the heap of damaged Heavy Mechs:
"Reparo!"
As if time were rewinding, all the damaged Heavy Mechs floated into the air, instantly reverting to their pristine, undamaged state.
Finally, they settled neatly onto the ground, lined up in perfect order.
"All fixed."
Goku withdrew his hand nonchalantly.
During his time with the Fairy Tail Guild, his proficiency with repair magic had improved immensely.
Let alone these hundreds of Heavy Mechs—he could even restore an entire city, given enough time.
"Magic... it's truly amazing!"
Amazing. Mark, Ran Bing, and the others once again witnessed something magical.
An hour later.
"The Lighthouse is beginning its descent!"
"Central electromagnetic railgun charging sequence initiated!"
"All Hunter squads, stand by!"
"City Defense Force, assembly complete!"
"Deploy the protective metal mesh!"
Under Mark's command, the Lighthouse—which had been hovering in mid-air—began a slow descent, eventually settling steadily above an abandoned city.
The lower section of the Lighthouse was encased in a thick metal mesh, effectively creating a defensive barrier around it.
From within the mesh, an array of heavy weaponry protruded, aimed downward and ready to fire at a moment's notice.
At the top of the Lighthouse, heavy mechs landed at the edge of the mesh, manning the final line of defense.
"Roar!"
The massive commotion caused by the Lighthouse roused the Phage Beasts in the city; they all woke up and turned their gaze toward the structure.
To these monsters, the Lighthouse appeared as a massive, succulent feast, teeming with dense concentrations of "Life Source" energy.
Driven into a frenzy, they immediately charged toward the Lighthouse.
Since the Lighthouse was still hovering hundreds of meters above the ground, the monsters could not jump high enough to reach it.
Consequently, they began to pile upon one another—forming a living tower—and soon, a colossal mountain of monsters loomed beneath the Lighthouse.
The mountain of beasts grew ever higher; if the Lighthouse maintained its current altitude, the pile would soon reach it.
Once that happened, countless monsters would swarm up the structure and slaughter every human inside.
The sight made the guards break out in a cold sweat.
Yet, the order to attack had still not been given.
"Goku, Lighthouse scans indicate that all the monsters in this city have gathered here."
Mark's heart raced as he watched the mountain of beasts on the screen.
Goku nodded upon seeing this and vanished instantly from where he stood; he reappeared right beside the towering mass of monsters.
"Hey, I'm over here!"
Goku cast an amplification spell on himself, then shouted at the top of his lungs toward the mountain of piled-up Phage Beast.
The sheer volume of his voice caused the entire mountain of beasts to pause for a moment.
Then, all the Phage Beast turned their heads to look at Goku; they beheld his life-source energy—surging and terrifying in its intensity.
Countless excited roars erupted; the Phage Beast immediately abandoned the Lighthouse in the sky and charged toward Goku like a raging torrent.
"First, let's weed out the ones that are too weak."
Facing the tidal wave of Phage Beast surging toward him, Goku began to gather his energy:
"Kamehameha!"
A terrifying beam of energy blasted straight into the surging horde.
Honing one's martial arts requires opponents, but if the opponents are too weak, it's just a waste of time.
So, take this Kamehameha!
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