Chapter 1225: Adamant Thunder Annihilation Campaign (16)
In the skies of Vulcan’s Outer District, where the Adamant Thunder Annihilation Campaign was actively underway.
Missiles and spellcraft crisscrossed, gunpowder and magic mingled, exploding ceaselessly.
Every flash that burst like fireworks carried enough power to vaporize a superhuman’s body.
KWOOAAANG!!!
A golden magic tower wreathed in nine wings, and a winged serpent swimming in the sky, painted a scene of hell.
Dark blue lightning and a Nebula spread thickly like paint, and Baragan’s totems rained down.
Baragan’s incanted sorcery, centered around thousands of totems, unfolded. It enveloped the entire expanse of the sky, extending his will-thought.
A magnificent sight: a Transcendent with Strategic-grade Spellcraft in the Legion unleashing their full power.
But in the airspace of the Outer District, violently shaking and exploding, there was one uniquely serene place.
A silver airship, floating majestically unaffected by any impact, as if existing somewhere other than this battlefield.
A streamlined hull fixed in the sky without any propellant or engine, as if gravity did not exist.
The ritual armament permitted for use only by the Ten Seats of the Ability Awakening Warband: the special airship, Ability Bloom.
In the center of the vast cockpit, a silver-haired noble sat, contemplating the ground.
“Lord Esteban.”
The burly man standing next to the noble spoke.
“Pandemonium has made its move.”
“Yes, I see it.”
The floor of the airship was transparent like glass, allowing a clear view of the ground below without cameras or equipment.
Esteban Aisen, the 5th Seat of the Ability Awakening Warband, sat cross-legged, his head bowed as he looked down at the ground.
“I knew they weren’t the kind to meekly cooperate with the Legion, but their every action deviates so far from common sense.”
“……”
“To lead a single flagship from the 7th Legion and wreak such havoc on this battlefield… their ingenuity and ability remain extremely dangerous.”
The sight of a mobile fortress hurtling to avoid the concentrated fire pouring from the collapsing front line.
Esteban’s gaze, watching it, sank to a profound depth.
“The abilities they use are uniquely incomprehensible. How can such individuals gather in one organization and operate… I think I understand why the Zero Seat is so wary of the One Who Walks Backward.”
“The Ability Awakening Warband’s Annihilation Squad is moving to intercept the Demonic Conflux. What are your orders?”
“Pandemonium is too troublesome an opponent to deal with in such a chaotic battle. Even a slight misstep in our response will lead to immense losses.”
Esteban said.
“This Adamant Thunder Annihilation Campaign is a war conducted in cooperation with the Legion, but the primary actor is not the Ability Awakening Warband… Therefore, we must carefully choose where to exert our strength.”
“The Legion Commanders are moving. If we observe the situation for too long, the Legion will also respond.”
“The Collective Mind Net currently established around Ability Bloom is entirely being used to suppress Adamant Thunder’s will-thought.”
Saying that, Esteban raised his gaze and looked up at the sky, flashing with dark blue lightning.
“In an environment where even most Transcendent are severely restricted from using spellcraft, where should we go when there’s a monster even the Legion Commanders cannot stop?”
“……I overstepped.”
“But it has truly been a long time since the Zero Seat’s advice proved to be incorrect.”
The majestic golden wings rotated elegantly, completely disregarding the totems pouring from the winged serpent.
Watching Adamant Thunder, which had taken the form of a giant cocoon by reassembling hundreds of thousands of components, Esteban calmly said.
“That thing is not some wizard who transcends the ranks, as the world calls them. It is a being harboring a much more complex and bizarre transcendence.”
“You mean…”
“It possesses a consciousness so vast it cannot be called human, and wields a spiritual presence so close to chaos it cannot be called mortal.”
Esteban said.
“Perhaps if the gods of that sea were to acquire bodies and manifest on land, they might look like that.”
“……”
“But for that very reason, it seems we, too, must make our move now.”
Leaving the silent burly man, Esteban slowly rose from his seat.
“Cast a ‘Whisper’ into Ability Bloom. Having observed the situation, I think I understand what Pandemonium is aiming for.”
“Pandemonium’s objective, you say? If those ruffians had any intention—”
“No. They are not abandoning this war and running wild.”
The noble said quietly.
“At this point, with Adamant Thunder annihilating the Legion’s main forces and the war collapsing, they are trying to put this Adamant Thunder Annihilation Campaign back on track in their own way.”
“……That’s.”
“I think I know how they intend to change the tide of this war.”
KUGUGUGUGUGU!!!!!
Suddenly, the golden wings, which had been rotating far off, ignoring the winged serpent, flashed and spun.
It was as if they had perceived the presence of Pandemonium, rapidly accelerating below.
KWAHAAANG!!!!
Adamant Thunder, wreathed in nine wings, rapidly traversed the skies of the Outer District, picking up speed.
“Th-that’s…!!”
“Adamant Thunder’s Magic Tower is leaving the battlefield center!!”
“It’s re-entering the Outer District at subsonic speed!!”
As the Ability Awakening Warband psychics, flustered, expanded their consciousness, Esteban watched and turned away.
“We are facing a being that seeks to become a god, not a human.”
Esteban muttered, lightly raising his unique ability.
“For that, we may have no choice but to temporarily align with the incompetent.”
At the same time. Inside the control room of Pandemonium’s flagship, which Esteban had been observing.
A silence fell among the members as they heard The Doctor’s words about ignoring Adamant Thunder and entering District 49.
An eerie roar echoed above The Doctor’s head, as he calmly awaited a response.
KWAANG!!
“Wait a minute. I don’t know what that means.”
Ermont, regaining his composure amidst the impacts that threatened to bring down the ceiling, spoke with a flustered expression.
“You’re saying we should ignore Adamant Thunder and enter District 49? Are you out of your mind?”
“What makes you think I’m out of my mind?”
“Well, in this Adamant Thunder Annihilation Campaign, there’s no need to target anywhere other than Adamant Thunder himself, is there?”
Ermont replied to The Doctor’s counter-question.
“Adamant Thunder himself is on the battlefield with his Magic Tower, so why enter District 49, where there’s nothing? What could possibly be left there anyway—”
“Then what do you think that dark blue Nebula, overflowing in District 49 at this very moment, is?”
“Well, just a mass of mana…”
Ermont lost his words and hesitated for a moment.
“……It wouldn’t be. Now that I think about it, what is that?”
Because he understood that the dark blue Nebula, entwined around the golden Magic Tower, still remained beyond District 49.
To dismiss it as a mere mass of mana was difficult, as everyone had witnessed the 8th Legion Commander die instantly upon contact with that Nebula.
They knew it was an unusual power, but it was hard to attribute a proper reason to that Nebula.
“There are roughly three reasons why those currently participating in the Adamant Thunder Annihilation Campaign are excluding the existence of District 49.”
The Doctor looked away from Ermont.
“First. Adamant Thunder himself is already directly on the battlefield. As Ermont said, he’s already joined the fight with his Magic Tower, so there’s no reason to search for another location.”
The Doctor raised his hand and continued.
“Second. Adamant Thunder’s power is too strong, and all efforts are focused on dealing with him. He’s not only obliterated the 3rd Command but is also single-handedly enduring the concentrated fire of the Legion Commanders and main forces. This is nothing short of an irreversible miracle, beyond the laws of spellcraft.”
“Uh, excuse me, but there’s no need to rehash explanations you’ve already given, is there?”
Ermont said, pointing at the ceiling as if poking it.
“We’re short on time, so finish your explanation quickly. What’s the third reason?”
“The third reason is that Deadrise’s 8th Legion Commander died instantly upon entering District 49.”
“……That’s.”
At The Doctor’s unexpected words, the others momentarily froze.
The Doctor looked around at the members and said.
“After Townsend’s death, Adamant Thunder appeared, drawing attention away, but the memory that entering District 49 was extremely dangerous remained. That’s why many are unconsciously excluding District 49 during this urgent battle.”
“……”
“I believe this isn’t a coincidence, but something Adamant Thunder intentionally orchestrated by timing it. More precisely, it might have been a measure to divert our forces’ attention from District 49 by instantly killing one of the Legion’s leaders who entered it.”
“Adamant Thunder’s movement at that timing was itself a deliberate measure to hide District 49…?”
“Have you never thought something was strange?”
The Doctor asked leisurely.
“Why doesn’t Adamant Thunder’s mana deplete while operating such a colossal strategic weapon? No, how is he even generating the ‘power’ to move such a weapon by himself in the first place?”
“……”
“No matter how great a Grand Mage Adamant Thunder may be, this massacre and tyranny are strangely transcendent… as if an incomprehensible law, one typically felt from an Ascendant or an Outer God, is with him.”
“That is…”
“Such powerful war-waging capability, impossible even for a genius with Adamant Thunder’s talent, without specific restrictions or costs…”
Staring at the dark blue Nebula covering all of District 49, The Doctor said.
“I suspect that secret lies not on this battlefield, but far away in that place, separated from Adamant Thunder.”
“If the source of Adamant Thunder’s power is hidden in District 49, then this situation isn’t entirely incomprehensible.”
Hylaea immediately organized her thoughts and said.
“Ancient magical beasts or Transcendent, or high-level Liches, sometimes create and hide their ‘core’ or ‘heart’ in the form of a Life Vessel. If Adamant Thunder has become such a being, it’s not impossible.”
“Hmm…”
“However, this plan is only valid under the premise that Adamant Thunder has indeed become ‘such’ a being, as The Doctor speculates. Otherwise, it might just be a matter of smashing our heads into the Nebula that killed Townsend, without any gain.”
Hylaea looked at The Doctor and said.
“Doctor. Are you really that confident in this plan?”
“Hylaea.”
The Doctor smiled and raised his gaze.
“Look at the sky. Does that still look like an ordinary human?”
“……”
OHOHOHOHOHOH!!!!
Golden wings, enveloped in dark blue lightning, intertwined and embraced each other, forming a bizarre shape.
Adamant Thunder, in the form of a giant cocoon wrapped in nine wings, gleamed with dark blue lightning contained within.
Even at this moment, the concentrated fire from the surviving main forces of the Legion, and the suppression of will-thought through the Ability Awakening Warband’s Collective Mind Net.
From the hellish battlefield, continuously multiplying fire giants and the blessings of cult priests.
The golden figure endured all these offensives alone, yet continuously poured dark blue lightning everywhere.
How could one possibly think of that as a mere magical device or a weapon of war manipulated by a single wizard?
“Isn’t it wondrous?”
The Doctor asked.
“To challenge the great endeavor of an Ascension Ritual right before a war initiated to kill him… and to actually come to the brink of achieving it.”
“……Doctor.”
“That man is currently undertaking a challenge no one in continental history has ever attempted. In effect, he is now closer to an Ascendant than a mortal.”
The Doctor said, looking up as if dazzled by the sight.
“Do you think a Transcendent who reached Level 9 by making such infinite struggle and war his ‘process’ would leave alive the mortals who witnessed his consciousness?”
“……”
At that moment, a frozen silence fell inside the flagship.
The pursuit of a Transcendent was a great journey that used their lived life as an answer.
So, what would be the answer of Adamant Thunder, who had become an Ascendant through this Adamant Thunder Annihilation Campaign, after killing tens of thousands of Legion forces?
Soaked in blood from killing countless Transcendent, the destination of a Transcendent maddened by battle and struggle.
Even without explanation, everyone knew what kind of hell would unfold upon the human world.
“Let me state this clearly here and now. Adamant Thunder will annihilate all life participating in the Adamant Thunder Annihilation Campaign the moment he completes the Ascension Ritual.”
The Doctor said, reassuring the pale-faced members.
“Probably a significant portion of the mega-city, including the Outer District, will be included in that act of destruction. Deadrise and the Ability Awakening Warband. Perhaps even the City Government…”
“……”
“But at this very moment, as the Ascension Ritual proceeds, there is one place uniquely safe from Adamant Thunder’s lightning.”
“……District 49.”
“Exactly.”
The Doctor nodded.
“Adamant Thunder’s Domain, covered in a dark blue Nebula. The cradle where incomprehensible lightning is born. The only place Adamant Thunder himself will absolutely not destroy.”
“……”
“At the same time, it is also the place Adamant Thunder must ultimately ‘return’ to in order to complete the Ascension Ritual.”
“That is…”
The only safe place on this battlefield while Adamant Thunder was attempting the Ascension Ritual.
And at the climax of the Ascension Ritual, the cradle of the Transcendent where Adamant Thunder would inevitably return.
The Doctor was saying they had to go to District 49 to pursue both survival and victory in this war.
“As the Ascension Ritual began, the lightning started to subside. If not now, we won’t even have a chance to attempt to confront Adamant Thunder.”
“……So stealing the 7th Legion’s flagship and running wild was all aimed at this.”
The ‘death’ required for a wizard rooted in blood and death to challenge the Ascension Ritual.
The Doctor had surmised that Adamant Thunder needed the Legion’s forces to die quickly to begin the Ascension Ritual, and thus had seized the mobile fortress to induce chaos.
At the point where nearly 70% of the Legion’s forces had been decimated, he was now reassuring the members that a method had emerged.
A course of action so brutal it felt inhuman, yet in a way, characteristic of The Doctor.
But The Doctor, looking at the members who stared at him with disgusted expressions, countered with a benevolent smile.
“I think now is the time to take a gamble. What do you all think?”
“Doctor. The body you’re currently using isn’t even your true body, is it?”
Ermont said with an incredulous expression.
“Why are you trying to deceive us with such plausible words?”
“Hmm, caught me?”
The Doctor, brazenly admitting it, glanced up.
“But having come this far, testing my hypothesis isn’t a difficult problem. Look.”
“Excuse me?”
“If, as we discussed, Adamant Thunder is approaching a mad Ascendant, and as a price, he has left a ‘part’ of himself in District 49—”
FLASH!!!
The Doctor’s face was brightly illuminated by a bolt of lightning outside the window.
“Wouldn’t he naturally perceive and react to our presence heading towards District 49?”
KWAHAGWAHAGWAHAGWA!!!!!
The members, following The Doctor’s gaze, simultaneously looked up at the sky and gaped.
The enormous golden cocoon, floating in the sky, wreathed in nine wings.
The worst weapon of war, which had been silent since beginning the Ascension Ritual and had massacred tens of thousands, was now turning towards them.
“……Wait a minute.”
“No way…?”
At the moment the other members realized it and murmured inadvertently.
Hundreds of thousands of components forming the golden sphere exploded outwards, instantly unfolding towards them.
One of the nine wings spread, covering half the sky, and instantly cast its shadow over them.
CRACKLE, SNAP-CRACKLE…!!!!
As dark blue lightning condensed beneath the golden wing, exploding like a booster, at that very moment.
The accelerating Magic Tower, like a golden flash, began to cross the battlefield’s airspace and approach.
KWAHHHAAANG!!!
The members screamed as they saw the Magic Tower, precisely pursuing the mobile fortress.
“KYAAAHHH!!! AAAAHHH!!!”
“It’s following…!!!”
“Doctor, stop it now!! Do you want to die?!!”
“Alright!! I get it, your hypothesis was correct, so turn the flagship around now—”
WOOOOSH—!!!!!
The golden shadow fell upon the deck of the mobile fortress.
“……Huh?”
Song-ha’s expression turned blank as he faced the flashing dark blue lightning, and Sarin’s and Iron Chain’s faces hardened.
Ezekiel glanced up, and at the moment he raised his hand and pulled back the cloth covering his face for the first time.
“My explanation was a little late, wasn’t it?”
The Doctor, grabbed by the collar by Ermont, laughed.
“Well, everyone, from now on, let’s all gather in District 49 on our own.”
KWAHAAANG!!!!!
The dark blue lightning, concentrated beneath the golden wing, struck the mobile fortress vertically, tearing everything apart.
Scattering lightning. Flying shockwaves. The remains of the fortress exploding and disintegrating like shredded paper.
“Kuk…!!”
“WOAAHH!! AAAAHHH!!!”
KIIIIING!!!
Ignoring Ermont’s squawks, Lennok used Flicker and surveyed his surroundings in slowed time.
‘There was a slight delay right after the hit. Was that Ezekiel’s ability?’
He was a royal, possessing an ability strong enough to block Song-ha’s full-power slash head-on.
Even if it wasn’t enough to block the Incarnation Body’s lightning head-on, it should have been enough to buy a moment.
That much time was enough for everyone on the mobile fortress to escape.
SWOOOSH!!!!
The members, flung among the fortress debris, scattered and descended onto the battlefield instantly.
At the moment Lennok remembered the positions of the members scattered everywhere and was about to gather mana, clicking his tongue.
A strong gust of wind swept down from above, and an assault ship appeared, crossing the sky at tremendous speed.
WHOOSH!!!!
The assault ship’s hatch opened, and its hull maneuvered vertically.
It opened its entrance in front of Lennok, who was standing on the fortress debris, and momentarily hovered in mid-air.
Lennok, who was about to move past it, stopped when he recognized the man standing in front of the boarding ramp.
“Target secured. Fortunately, we made it on time.”
“……Deimus.”
The pale-faced, black-haired man in a military uniform.
Deimus stood in front of the boarding ramp, directing the flight squadron through a system.
“The other members of Pandemonium are being collected and transported by the assault ships and flagship I’m commanding.”
Deimus said in a subdued voice, looking back at Lennok who had climbed onto the assault ship.
“The Doctor’s explanation is correct. Ultimately, there’s no solution on this battlefield without entering District 49. Command has made the same judgment and is acting.”
“……”
“Since other factions would have heard The Doctor’s briefing via the communication network, they will also attempt to descend into District 49 simultaneously.”
Though not faster than The Doctor, had the Legion command also grasped the situation by observing Pandemonium’s movements and Adamant Thunder’s reactions?
The Doctor’s explanation had seemed unnecessarily verbose; it appeared he had already connected the communication network to other ships.
Through a series of explanations, if other forces, led by the Ability Awakening Warband, cooperated with the plan, it wouldn’t be incomprehensible.
“Nearly 20% more of the Legion’s forces were sacrificed due to your impulsive actions in this war.”
Deimus averted his gaze.
In his haggard eyes, looking at Lennok, a complex mix of hostility and self-mockery was intertwined.
“However, I will not deny that, as a result, this war has reached a meaningful conclusion. At this point, with Adamant Thunder entering the Ascension Ritual… if we could confirm that District 49 holds the key through the sacrifice of our forces.”
“……”
“The current task of the main Legion is to gather your Demonic Conflux and the elites of each faction, enter District 49, and guide this war into a different phase. Any questions?”
“No. Very soldier-like.”
The Legion’s forces had been incredibly decimated and scattered due to Pandemonium’s rampage.
Yet, he was suppressing his personal feelings for the success of the Adamant Thunder Annihilation Campaign, and was willing to join hands with the Demonic Conflux again.
Whether he was a competent commander or not, it was certainly a decision so cold it was like the incarnation of reason.
Lennok stood up and walked into the boarding ramp, replying.
“If The Doctor agreed, then it doesn’t matter. Move.”
“You’re saying you’ll cooperate if it’s a necessary process to enter District 49?”
“Don’t be curious about useless things, just do what you’re supposed to do properly.”
Lennok sneered.
“You’re hardly in a position to worry about us, are you?”
WHOOSHING!!!!
The assault ships roared with heavy engine sounds, and hot winds swirled.
As Lennok took a seat amidst the swirling heat, the airship ascended vertically.
It rapidly gained altitude, instantly pulling far away from the ground.
[System channel open. Communication network connected.]
Deimus’s voice began to come through not as speech, but as a mechanical sound.
[From now on, we will transport the elite units selected from each faction to the assault ships and commence the operation.]
[The objective is to pierce through Adamant Thunder’s lightning pouring from the sky and reach the center of District 49.]
KWOOAAANG!!!!
The golden Magic Tower, wreathed in dark blue lightning, continuously changed its shape in the sky.
Disassembling and reassembling hundreds of thousands of components and connection points, it wrapped itself in golden wings.
“……”
Lennok felt the special forces soldiers on the assault ship with him gulp.
Countless airships and fighter jets, shattered like toys, broke and crashed amidst the swirling lightning storm.
Even the final moments of pilots and soldiers, incinerated and scattered without leaving behind bodies through broken cockpits.
They knew that the fate of this assault ship might not be much different.
KWA-KWA-KWAANG!!
Lennok, leaning against the constantly shaking boarding ramp, glanced around.
“How many personnel are on each flagship?”
“Around six, including the pilot. We need to split our forces as much as possible so at least one more squad can survive and enter District 49.”
“Meaning most are destined to die from the lightning, then.”
“Can’t you tell by looking at the air force being obliterated in the sky right now?”
Deimus replied, manipulating the system.
“It’s a landing operation using almost all of the 3rd Legion’s flight squadrons and assault ships. That even is an operation we can only attempt because Commander Baragan is here.”
[Hey, Deimus.]
SZZZTT!!
At that moment, Baragan’s bored voice cut into the system channel.
Amidst the ceaseless Thunderclap Stars and roars echoing over the channel, Baragan asked.
[Dozens of paper airplanes are passing beneath my Quetzalcoatl. Is that your handiwork?]
“Commander Baragan. We will now move our allied forces to enter District 49.”
Deimus responded with a calm voice.
“Now is the only opportunity, as Adamant Thunder’s massacre has somewhat subsided. We request your cooperation.”
[No can do. That thing is already not human.]
Baragan sharply cut off Deimus’s words.
[I didn’t realize it when I crashed into it earlier, but looking at it now, it’s wielding an extremely dangerous power. It uses strange lightning that forces Property Transformation, overturning the elemental compatibility of spellcraft.]
“……”
[It’s firing off transformations it can’t even control itself, altering reality. Why is that psychopath’s epithet Adamant Thunder (堅雷, lit. ‘Solid Thunder’)?]
Baragan was an 8th-level sorcerer and a Transcendent who held one of only three Commander positions in the Legion.
As such, he immediately grasped the peculiar nature of the lightning Adamant Thunder wielded after encountering it a few times.
He had already understood that the gigantic golden sphere dominating the battlefield was not the main body, but rather the ‘being’ contained within was the core.
And that it was a bizarre and anomalous entity, incomprehensible even with Baragan’s knowledge and intuition.
[It seems to have modified itself into a form suited for war, and like an 8th-level wizard, it’s utterly grotesque. The more you clash spellcraft head-on, the more disadvantageous it becomes.]
Baragan said with a fed-up tone amidst the rain of death showering everywhere.
[Despite its massive size, its senses are incredibly broad, and its reactions are fast, making it difficult for even me to approach. You guys will all burn to death the moment you get close.]
“Adamant Thunder is attempting to reach transcendence by making this war his Ascension Ritual.”
Deimus replied calmly.
“No one will survive after he becomes an Ascendant. Either way, there is no choice.”
[…….]
“If we enter District 49 and stop his ‘challenge,’ there might be a way. I will personally open the ‘pathway’.”
[What, so that’s why Song-ha was crawling around so diligently down there?]
Baragan clicked his tongue and gathered his primary mana.
[Well, if it’s for Ethan, there’s no helping it. Deal with anyone else who gets caught up. Got it?]
“I’ll leave it to you.”
WOOOOOOSH!!!
At that moment, the winged serpent in the sky opened its mouth wide, roared, and unleashed a green light from its eyes.
The serpent twisted its body in mid-air, spinning in place and flapping its wings, accelerating at tremendous speed and colliding with the Magic Tower.
At that spot, it emitted a mighty shockwave spanning hundreds of meters.
CRUUUUUMBLEEEE!!!!
Vast ripples spread across the golden wings, their surface undulating greatly like waves.
Dozen of sorcery formations appeared on the serpent’s widely spread wooden wings and rotated fiercely.
They completely absorbed the dark blue lightning generated immediately after the collision with the Magic Tower, then exploded and vanished.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!!!
[Damn it, this much output even in a half-asleep state. It’s a complete monster!!! Is it performing some kind of human sacrifice in there?!!]
Baragan spat out a harsh curse and drew even more primary mana.
[My Quetzalcoatl was also fed the blood of an Ascendant. It can still hold out…!!]
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!!!
Lightning bursting from inside the Magic Tower was absorbed using high-level sorcery as a disposable shield, as the serpent rammed into it.
Each time the wooden serpent smashed its head into the golden sphere, unleashing impacts, the tangled colossal structure changed its trajectory and flew.
The assault ships, which had been accelerating behind Quetzalcoatl’s wings, simultaneously descended past the Magic Tower.
SWOOOSH!!
The golden Magic Tower, wreathed in nine wings, continuously changed its form and emitted lightning.
Beyond it, dozens of assault ships attempted to approach the Outer District from various trajectories and directions.
[Entry into the vicinity of the Outer District complete!!]
[Preparing for descent!! Open the boarding ramps!]
The superhumans’ voices clamored loudly over the communication network.
Superhumans everywhere, casting spellcraft and raising their unique abilities, attempting to descend into District 49.
“System authority transfer complete. From here on, I’ve entrusted the consultation to The Doctor.”
Deimus, seeing this, finished manipulating the system and grabbed his equipment.
CLICK!!
“Victor. We’ll descend immediately as well. Once we reach near District 49, immediately—”
“No. That won’t work.”
Lennok cut Deimus off.
Lennok, who had been standing at the boarding ramp looking at the battlefield, turned his gaze.
“It’s already too late. Get off.”
“What are you—”
As Lennok extended his Mana Thread and pulled his hand, Deimus, yanked as if by the collar, was flung out of the assault ship.
SWISH!!
“……!!”
“G-General!!!”
The squad members who were with them stared in shock at Deimus, who had been thrown into the air, then aimed their firearms at Lennok.
“What in the world are you doing?!”
“Damn it, as expected, a criminal from Pandemonium…!! Hm?”
The squad members, who had been glaring at Lennok with murderous intent, realized he was gone and looked blank.
“Wait, this is…”
FLASH!!!
As dark blue lightning flashed by, the assault ship exploded in place.
Tearing apart the bodies of the squad members and pilot inside, vaporizing them alive.
KWAHHHAAANG!!!
“Kuk…!!!”
Deimus, flung into the air, saw the assault ship he had just been on explode and let out a choked sound.
Adamant Thunder’s lightning strike, which he hadn’t felt any premonition of. If not for Victor, he would have died a violent death with them.
Deimus gritted his teeth, gathered mana, regained his balance, and was about to deploy the parachute built into his suit.
Above his head, Lennok’s altered voice echoed.
“Not that way.”
SWOOOSH!
A violent rotation that made his insides twist. The moment his vision flipped and his body abruptly lurched to one side.
Deimus found himself tumbling on the ceiling of another intact assault ship.
THUMP!!
“Ugh, no way…?”
Deimus, precariously balanced, belatedly grasped the situation and made a stunned expression.
He realized that as his assault ship exploded, Lennok had spotted another passing assault ship and, still holding Deimus, had thrown him onto it.
Lennok, landing next to Deimus a step late, looked down at him and smirked.
“For the operation to proceed properly, you’ll have to stay alive for now.”
“……”
“Don’t die. I’ll protect you until The Doctor’s plan is complete, at least.”
“……Alright.”
Deimus, his face hardened, fumbled with his military uniform where the Mana Thread had been tied.
‘I didn’t even react…’
Deimus hadn’t even perceived a premonition until the moment Lennok pulled out a Mana Thread and flung him out of the assault ship.
A sharpness so terrifying it overwhelmed Deimus, a high-ranking Legion Commander, by openly exploiting his momentary lapse.
He knew Lennok was a special sorcerer even among the myriad eccentrics in Pandemonium, but his skill was monstrous beyond expectation.
He was so overwhelmed by what had just happened that he couldn’t even respond to the words openly mocking him.
[Wh-what?! Something climbed on top?!]
[Don’t panic. It’s General Deimus!]
The hull of the assault ship shook, flustered by the sudden impact.
But Lennok ignored the shaking assault ship beneath his feet and looked around.
“They’ve started reading our movements and reacting. The assault ships are being intercepted.”
“……Adamant Thunder is currently dormant for the Ascension Ritual. But he’s still reading our movements?”
FLASH!!
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!!!
In the airspace of the Outer District, where Baragan’s Quetzalcoatl and Adamant Thunder’s golden Magic Tower clashed.
Dark blue lightning and complex sorcery formations exploded, distorting space and scattering fragments in a chaotic mess.
But amidst it, bolts of lightning that hadn’t lost their power were striking and obliterating the assault ships flying everywhere.
Even a mere brush with the lightning caused assault ships to explode like paper, tearing apart and scattering blood and flesh.
[AAAAHHH!!]
[F-flee!! Change course!!]
[It’s too late! We have to escape now…!!]
[Open the hatch—]
KWAHAAANG!!!
BEEEEEP—
Screams echoed over the communication network. Explosions and channel static were heard simultaneously.
Dozens of assault ships, which had been scattered and approaching from above the Magic Tower, were exploding and crashing.
Lennok also saw this and immediately drew and gripped his Mana Thread.
“We’ll move too.”
“Wait, no way!!”
FLASH!!
Before he finished speaking, dark blue lightning horizontally pierced the assault ship Lennok and Deimus were on.
The dark blue lightning tore through from the pilot’s cockpit to the rear passenger seats and vanished.
Immediately after, the assault ship’s hull compressed to the size of a fingernail, crumpled, and then exploded entirely.
CRUNCH— KWAHAGWAHAGWAHANG!!!!
“Insane—!!”
Deimus realized that this was the power of the lightning that forced Property Transformation, which Baragan had mentioned: instantly ‘compressing’ the entire material of the assault ship after impact, forcing it into a form akin to a micro black hole.
Immediately after, Lennok, gripping Deimus by the collar with a Mana Thread, used Flicker and leapt into the sky.
ZAP-ZAP-ZAP!!!
He strung Mana Threads between the exploding debris of fighter jets and pulled, rapidly gaining speed.
Stepping off intact assault ships, he leaped consecutively, rapidly closing the distance to the Magic Tower.
SWOOOSH!!
THUD-THUD-THUD!!
Lennok’s body, avoiding the pouring dark blue lightning by a hair’s breadth, leaped from one assault ship to another.
Behind him, Deimus, still tied by the Mana Thread and dragged along by Lennok, showed undisguised astonishment on his face.
“I can’t believe it. Such Manipulation Spellcraft…!!”
Lennok’s body, rapidly accelerating by repeatedly expanding and contracting the Mana Threads at tremendous speed.
But what was truly astonishing was that he was accomplishing all this Mana Thread manipulation by using the falling debris as footholds.
Instead of being fixed in one place, he was moving by hooking Mana Threads onto assault ships and fighter jet fragments that were continuously falling and breaking in real-time.
This maneuver was literally impossible without calculating the movements of every object in the sky.
“At this rate, most of the flagships will be destroyed and annihilated before they even enter District 49.”
SWISH!!
Lennok, having climbed onto an assault ship and secured his Mana Thread, turned his gaze.
“That Baragan fellow also seems to be reaching his limit.”
[Kuk…!!]
KWOOAAANG!!!!
The winged serpent’s massive body was shattered and crushed by merely brushing against Adamant Thunder’s golden wings.
Even though it was tasked with holding Adamant Thunder back for a moment while others entered District 49, it couldn’t endure for long.
Even that was only a miracle made possible because Adamant Thunder had significantly reduced his use of Lightning Magic after beginning the Ascension Ritual.
“At this point, without the sorcerer acting as a shield, everyone trying to approach District 49 will die. What’s the next method?”
“……Transferring system control to The Doctor wasn’t just to replace my role.”
Deimus, regaining his balance and standing up on the shaking assault ship, replied with a pale face.
“By now, he too… must be ready.”
“Ready?”
Lennok knew The Doctor remained in the rear as a technical advisor, but could he play a greater role at this stage?
The answer came not from Deimus, but from the distant sky far above.
KUGUGUGUGU!!!!
The aerial fortress, Primo Alert, which had been severely damaged and crashed after colliding with Adamant Thunder’s Magic Tower.
The remains of the 3rd Command, now only a black pyramid shape, ascended at super-high speed from its position.
Then, accelerating, it slammed directly into Adamant Thunder, wreathed in nine wings.
CRUUUUMBLEEEE!!!!!
The colossal remains of the aerial fortress crushed the back of the Magic Tower, which had been colliding at close range with the wooden serpent.
Carried by that shockwave, fighter jets, transport ships, and assault ships in the sky swayed violently and were pushed back.
[AAAAHHH!!]
[Don’t get pushed back!! If you fall, it’s over!]
[I’ll use psychokinesis to balance us. Please assist!]
[This is The Doctor. I’ve acquired control over the 3rd Command.]
Amidst the chaotic shouts over the communication network, a familiar voice was heard.
[It took some time to hack, as authority only transferred after all the command’s pilots died.]
“Unbelievable, Primo Alert again…!!!”
“Did he instantly repair and revive the completely wrecked 3rd Command?!!”
While the Legion Commanders, belatedly grasping the situation, gaped in shock.
The Doctor’s leisurely voice echoed through the colossal aerial fortress’s speakers.
[From now on, I will personally help you successfully enter District 49.]