Chapter 317: Fortress Assault Operation (4)
The most important goal of the mobile fortress capture operation was to single-handedly reach the strategic weapon and seize control of the fortress.
To do that, someone had to break through the chaotic front lines and infiltrate the fortress.
While many might possess better physical capabilities and stamina for infiltration than Lennok, he was likely the only one who had acquired the most suitable ability for this particular task.
That’s why Lennok had convinced his colleagues by saying he had a way, then, after a brief delay, began his solo infiltration.
Shhhrrrr!!
He wrapped the extracted magical threads directly around the wall of the fortress’s leg.
After confirming the threads were firmly secured, Lennok slowly began to shorten their length.
Simultaneously, Lennok’s body started to ascend the fortress wall.
He occasionally stepped on the wall with both feet, reattached the magical threads further up the leg, and repeated the process.
As he increased his speed without straining his body, his altitude rapidly grew.
“Hoo…”
As soon as he ascended dozens of meters, his ears grew numb, and his breathing became slightly shallower.
All he felt was the constant vibration from the relentless shelling unleashed by the fortress.
Using common magic to finely control the surrounding pressure and temperature, he continued to ascend without stopping.
Davi, peeking out from beneath his trailing coat, spoke.
“Something feels off.”
“What do you mean?”
“The fortress’s maintenance status is quite different from what we expected.”
Upon hearing that, Lennok looked at the leg of the fortress where he was standing.
Steel supports, wide enough for ten people to stand abreast with room to spare.
The faint magical light flickering endlessly between the conduits made the colossal fortress feel like a living, breathing entity.
But Davi wasn’t referring to such facts.
Lennok’s gaze settled calmly.
“…The fortress’s exterior is far more dilapidated than I thought. Is that what you mean?”
“Master is right.”
One might assume a fortress that had been on the front lines for 20 years would show signs of wear and tear, with facilities and exterior becoming dilapidated, but the reality was different.
The Defense Force’s mobile fortress was the most meticulously managed strategic weapon on the outer front, a moving fortress in itself.
Naturally, the Defense Force would spend most of its maintenance time on the fortress’s facilities and crucial points.
Yet, even considering that, the fortress’s current state was excessively dilapidated.
As if it had been abandoned for a very long time.
“…”
Ominous assumptions flickered through Lennok’s mind.
But before he could dwell on them, a series of frantic shouts erupted through his earpiece.
The desperate screams were almost unbearable, even with the volume lowered.
At the same time, reports from the leaders of each team began to pour in.
“This is Ilya. Near the reactor coolant facility. Encountering a Level 7 physical ability user…! Believed to be Major General Elvan.”
“Major General Zellych is waiting by the rear gate of the fortress. A battle… seems unavoidable.”
“Six colonels have appeared near the main thoroughfare. We’ll hold out as long as we can, but we might not be able to prevent the formation from collapsing!”
“Strange-looking machine-humans are spotted in all three directions. High probability they are Gearsight forces.”
As if by prearrangement, the main forces of the Defense Force appeared simultaneously at all three entry routes.
This was proof that they had read the allied forces’ strength and were responding with an all-out defense.
What did it mean that they had come out like this instead of hunkering down inside the fortress and stalling for time?
“We don’t have much time.”
“Right.”
Lennok let the burnt-out cigarette fall from his fingers and reached into his pocket.
Watching the cigarette’s glow plummet hundreds of meters to the ground below, Lennok lit a new one.
“We should start before it’s too late.”
The magical threads, which had seemed to cling endlessly to the fortress’s leg, finally reached their very end.
Without hesitation, he pulled the threads taut.
Shhra-ratt!!
Lennok’s body shot upwards instantly, passing over the leg and heading towards the top of the fortress.
It was a precise position, just avoiding the rain of shells falling towards the ground.
Thud!!
His dust-covered coat rolled over onto the fortress’s surface.
“Ugh…!”
He could have used magic, but he didn’t.
He had forgone using a bike to climb the fortress, all to suppress his presence and sound as much as possible.
If he had managed to sneak this far using only magical threads and common magic, which consumed the least mana and were difficult to trace, he had to give his best until the very end.
He suppressed the cough escaping through the dust he’d inhaled and stood up.
The objects he had braced himself against were nameless piles of supplies wrapped in wet cloth.
There were easily thousands of such supply boxes, each the size of a car, piled up all around.
“Haa…”
Only then did Lennok slowly look around and let out a silent sigh.
A vast deck, as if dozens of warships had been connected together.
Its sheer width was vast enough to entirely cover the urban area near the satellite city.
Hundreds of meters below, high in the distant sky, the intense battle still raging faintly came into view.
The countless barrages of shells that he had to look up at just moments ago, he now looked down upon from below.
The task was clear.
“Davi, are you done scanning?”
“It’s not easy because of the magnetic storms sweeping nearby. I can grasp the approximate structure, but it will take some time to get a full grasp of the internal structure.”
“There’s not much time. We need to move first.”
It was clear that his current position was at the very edge of the fortress deck.
Finding the way to the center by observing the path he had taken shouldn’t be too difficult.
Lennok quietly suppressed his mana and began to walk.
With items like the Nyx Badge, a shadow coat, and a druid’s amulet, it wouldn’t be too difficult to deceive the eyes of the commanding officers guarding the Defense Force’s fortress control room.
Lieutenant General Treffen’s presence was a concern, but for now, he just needed to reach the server room where he could interfere with the central system.
Whoosh…!!
A cold wind blowing from the impossibly high altitude mercilessly buffeted Lennok’s body.
Lennok firmly pressed down on his coat collar, quickly surveyed his surroundings, and nodded.
“Indeed, the supplies in this vicinity show almost no signs of use. They’re incredibly old, but practically brand new.”
“It seems to share the characteristics of the fortress’s exterior.”
“It’s clear that the supplies on the deck came through the same place as the fortress. But, if the fortress’s equipment itself is so significantly aged in this manner…”
“Master, it would be quicker to find a way into the fortress’s interior first.”
Davi quickly interrupted Lennok’s thoughts.
“If we search the internal circuit control room, we’ll quickly find the cause of this phenomenon.”
“Right. But something…”
Even as Lennok pondered, he quickly moved across the deck to find a path leading into the fortress.
Among the massive cannons, countless tanks, and military aircraft like fighters on the deck, not a single person could be seen.
Like the desolate landscape of an empty satellite city, there was an eerie absence of people near the fortress deck.
Only the roar of the shelling descending towards the ground filled the air above the deck.
Lennok’s feet moved faster than the questions swirling in his mind.
“Found it. One of the passages leading down from the fortress deck.”
Click!
A gate with a number painted in bright yellow, clearly visible.
But it was discolored and peeling, making the number itself barely legible.
It was locked, but opening it would allow him to infiltrate the fortress’s interior.
However, instead of immediately forcing the gate open, Lennok gazed silently at the discolored paint.
“…”
“Master?”
“Other facilities aside, even the most visible gate, which people pass through frequently on the deck, is poorly maintained.”
“…”
“The gate number being illegible isn’t just a matter of poor maintenance; it’s a level of inadequacy that could disrupt command and control. This… it’s clear that something has already happened within the Defense Force.”
The entire view of the fortress he had encountered so far flashed quickly through Lennok’s mind.
The scattered, unknown fragments of his memories began to piece together like a puzzle, heading towards a single answer—just at that moment—
“That’s enough.”
Someone pointed a chilling blade at Lennok’s back.
“Beyond that point is a restricted area, unauthorized personnel are not allowed.”
“…”
“I’d appreciate it if outsiders would leave.”
A voice that sounded somewhat leisurely even in this urgent situation.
But the mana imbued in its tone was truly formidable.
Without revealing a hint of aggression, the intent conveyed its owner’s readiness for combat more clearly than anything else.
The identity of his opponent was certain.
“…That sounds a bit out of place given the situation.”
Lennok slowly turned around.
“Do you really want me to leave?”
“Just a figure of speech. Let’s not get too serious, shall we?”
Gray hair, with one eye scarred shut. A man in his mid-thirties with a fierce, beast-like appearance.
A single star gleamed faintly on the epaulet of his military uniform, draped over his shoulder.
With other major generals appearing on different battlefields, the identity of the man before him was clear.
One of the three major generals who stood at the pinnacle of the Defense Force Headquarters.
Among them, Major General Barclay, known for his most resolute disposition and activity, stood before Lennok.
“Shouldn’t we at least crack some jokes in this tough military life?”
“Military life, you say… Does that include those waiting down there?”
Lennok said, glancing subtly.
On the deck, shrouded in thick mist. Countless laser pointers, which he hadn’t seen at all when he passed through, now precisely stained Lennok’s coat red.
The faint glint of visors. The elite commanding officer unit guarding the fortress deck, their full force, had somehow appeared on the deck, surrounding him from all sides.
What did it mean that hundreds of presences, undetectable by mana perception, had appeared in the blink of an eye?
Lennok soon realized the answer.
“It seems there are several hidden passages beneath the fortress deck.”
Lennok rummaged in his pocket, looking at Barclay’s face.
“You noticed my infiltration, but waited until you could form a proper formation?”
“That’s right. I’d heard some things about your actions.”
The major general nodded.
“Adamant Thunder of District 49. A wizard, with formidable backing, yet fond of acting alone, you said? I thought it might be a possibility, but I never expected you to move so boldly.”
Barclay let out a low laugh and said,
“To think you’d try to climb the fortress’s outer wall and attack the deck. Did you know that military equipment exteriors are meticulously coated with anti-mana interference?”
“…”
“It’s hard for me to believe you’d set foot here without knowing that… But duty is duty.”
Click!
As he spoke, he slightly twisted the blade he held in his hand.
“Let’s both do our best.”
A single broadsword with an impressive blade, as massive as Barclay’s physique.
A bright red tassel hanging from the end of the hilt was striking.
Lennok gazed silently at the glinting silver blade of the broadsword, then pulled out another cigarette, lit it, and asked,
“No intention of surrendering?”
“What?”
“Defense Force Major General Barclay Yagerth. I heard you’re the most rational of the three major generals who follow Lieutenant General Treffen.”
“…”
“The City Councilman and the Deputy Director of Agents are watching this operation with interest. It will be impossible for Lieutenant General Treffen to escape responsibility for this, but one general under him might be covered.”
These were not empty words.
His opponent was a Major General of the Defense Force Headquarters. What’s more, a swordmaster of Archmage level who had already reached considerable heights.
He had to conserve as much mana as possible by avoiding a full-scale battle with Barclay here, so he could fight Lieutenant General Treffen with full power.
Even if not, if Treffen was listening to this conversation, Lennok’s attitude could create a possibility for internal strife depending on Barclay’s response.
Neither option would be bad for Lennok.
“If you cooperate and open the way to the fortress’s central control room, your status can be kept confidential until the operation ends.”
Through the spreading smoke, the laser pointers’ lights flickered erratically.
“It wouldn’t be difficult to escape with your life.”
“…This is a bit different from what I heard.”
Barclay looked at Lennok, who had a cigarette in his mouth, with an amused expression.
“I heard you were a battle-crazed wizard, but you’re far more composed than I thought.”
“Your answer?”
“It’s an interesting offer, but I refuse.”
Barclay shook his head with a bitter smile.
“I’m not exactly thrilled with what I’m doing now… but it was something that was bound to happen eventually.”
“…”
“The commander just needed someone to give him a push. I knew that for a long time, but I didn’t stop it. Now I’m paying the price.”
His words were utterly calm, but what they revealed was not an acceptance of death.
It was merely a judgment to calmly accept the situation and then find a way forward.
“Even if it means dying caught up in that hollow ambition?”
“That’s why I’m working like this now, so I don’t die.”
Barclay grinned and rested the broadsword on his shoulder.
“If we can eliminate you all in this abandoned city and succeed in our grand undertaking, things will work out somehow. All the soldiers remaining here accept the Major General’s decision that way.”
“…”
“So, stop with the useless talk, and just offer your neck.”
As the smile on the major general’s lips turned cold, intense mana began to surge from beneath the broadsword’s blade.
“You know well that nothing will change now, don’t you?”
“Indeed.”
Lennok nodded.
At the moment the smoke flowing from his cigarette-clenched mouth mixed with the surrounding thick mist and turned infinitely cold.
“Hearing that, I’m ready as well.”
Craaack!!!
A massive shard of ice instantly shot up onto the fortress deck.
A type of shaping ice magic that instantly gathered and condensed the surrounding mist.
A colossal cone, large enough to cover one side of the deck’s gate, instantaneously engulfed the piles of supplies on the deck.
“Pull!”
At Barclay’s command, dozens of commanding officers who had been waiting simultaneously pulled their triggers.
Dududududududu!!
These were not mere assault rifles, but heavy machine guns wielded by dozens of commanding officers, befitting those guarding the fortress deck.
The firepower of the barrage they unleashed was almost too much to block with mana alone.
Thick ice fragments scattered wildly, scattering chunks of ice everywhere, and the thick wall was instantly eaten away, fully exposing the wizard beyond.
In the fleeting moment their distance could be gauged.
Barclay, slowly sliding the broadsword from his shoulder, moved.
Swoosh!
Despite wielding such a heavy weapon, his movements were barely visible.
The moment he lowered his stance and re-gripped the hilt, the sharp blade had already cleanly sliced through the massive ice shard.
A dense flash flew diagonally, momentarily cutting deep into the wizard’s form that must have been beyond.
Kugugugugung!!!
The massive ice shard, split in half, collapsed onto the deck, unleashing a chilling frost.
“Oh, no.”
Only then did Barclay realize his mistake and grimace.
Beyond the ice shard, there was no sign of the wizard’s body parts.
Instead, the swirling frost storm instantly began to cling to the limbs of the commanding officers all around.
“Ma-Major General!!”
“My body won’t move!”
“Does anyone have something that can light a fire!”
“Damn it, at this rate…!!”
Kwaaang!!
Suddenly, a massive shockwave exploded among the struggling commanding officers, cleanly sweeping away everything on the deck.
“Aaaargh!!”
Desperate screams. The Defense Force soldiers, their frozen limbs shattered, losing combat capability to a futile extent and falling into a critical state.
Even the tough bodies of the commanding officers guarding the fortress deck were defenseless against the mana-infused chill.
But Barclay, rather than the dying commanding officers, twitched his lips as he looked at the direction from which the shockwave had come.
The tanks that had been left abandoned. One of them had suddenly opened its muzzle and fired a heavy shell.
A sudden friendly fire, there was no way it was a coincidence. Only one conclusion could be drawn.
“…This is the worst. Could he have calculated even this?”
Screeeech…!!
The tanks, haphazardly strewn across the deck, slowly turned their muzzles.
A dusty fighter jet began to roll its wheels and started to race erratically across the fortress deck.
Dududududu!!
Kugugugung!!
Tank shells, racing everywhere, incessantly pounded various parts of the deck, and small missiles, hanging between the fighter’s wings, dropped and exploded.
Kwaaaaaang!!
A red flame blossom blooming on the deck swept by a frost storm.
Cold and hot winds alternated, coloring the sky above the fortress red and blue.
It didn’t take long for everyone present to realize something was wrong.
“Damn it, everyone fall back!!”
“Under no circumstances give up the center of the deck!!”
“Th-there’s nowhere to run!!!”
Barclay, with a slight grimace, took the lead, swinging his broadsword and shouting.
“Those who can move, assist the wounded nearby!”
Whoosh!!
As he swung his broadsword horizontally, a heavy sword-wind erupted, suppressing nearby explosions and impacts, and clearing a path.
“Sharpshooters with scopes, change your angles of sight and find Adamant Thunder!”
The endless barrage of shelling slowly stiffened Barclay’s face.
Even though they had caught the opponent off guard first, as soon as the battle began, they were merely being toyed with, as if it had been expected.
It was almost as if Adamant Thunder had set the stage and was waiting.
What worried Barclay most was Lennok’s intention, as he still hadn’t revealed himself even after scattering their formation like this.
If there was something Adamant Thunder cared about more than killing him and the commanding officers and breaking through the gate—
Screeeech…!!
That ominous feeling turned into certainty the moment he saw one corner of the fortress deck.
The ground interception gun emplacements installed on the fortress deck.
Some of the thousands of cannons that had been firing at the ground began to turn their muzzles in a different direction.
The muzzles were pointing towards the 8-lane main thoroughfare where fierce battles had just been taking place. The rear flank of the main Defense Force units occupying the thoroughfare.
As Barclay’s face hardened, looking at the cannons that had begun to aim at friendly forces instead of enemies.
Lennok’s calm telepathic message resounded.
“Mobile Fortress’s all-directional 240 cannons secured. 338 more being analyzed.”
“…F**k.”
“Target change. Full barrage towards main Defense Force units.”