Chapter 291

Navarordze let out a breath. The fireball that lingered in her throat shot toward Nebula Clazier’s headquarters. In an instant, all Allied forces ceased to move.

“Shoot, shoot!”

Someone shouted, and eventually this moment came. A fireball, bright and hot enough to be the sun’s little brother, was gliding across the wind.

“Everyone close your eyes and bow your heads! Send a request for assistance to the Matap!”

“Stay calm!”

Here’s where it mattered. The commanders leading each unit quickly began barking out orders. The soldiers did what they had rehearsed: they sought cover or ducked their heads deep and turned away from the fireball.

[Aun Pilar. Now].

[Okay, this is awesome].

Adeshan has sent a message to the Matriarchs. Dawn Archmage Aun Pila’s admiration returned. In charge of long-range fire support, he and his mages have been watching the battle closely.

Woosh! Simultaneously, a massive force field enveloped the nine Allied-held forts. It wasn’t just Dawn’s work, but the work of all the towers. It was a shield against the recoil of Navarordze’s fire.

“Please—!”

It took less than five seconds. Adeshan closed his eyes and clenched his fists. The peace of the continent was before him. The shrinking ball of fire was about to hit the protective arc of stars covering the General Headquarters.

BOOM! A deafening sound echoed. An indescribable flash and heat engulfed the white earth. Everything in sight was swallowed up by crimson flames.

“Ugh—!”

“Burr, hang in there!”

The soldiers gritted their teeth. Even with five layers of shields between them, they could still feel the terrible heat. Soon, the shields reached critical mass, shaking frantically.

“Heeeeeeeeee!”

[Wait—]

Not a single creature outside the shields survived, not even an ant colony. Those who managed to escape were reduced to ash and oxidized before they could utter a terminal scream.

Grass, trees, and randomly strewn corpses all perished in the flames. The screams of the atmosphere shook the heavens and earth. The primordial fire soared into the sky in a vast whirlwind of flame, thousands of meters in diameter.

It seemed that even a god could not survive there. Soon, the vortex dispersed and the flames died down. Asel’s eyes widened.

“Toh, it worked—!”

Instead of entering the shield, he had taken refuge in the distant sky. When he emerged from the smoke, he was no longer covered in the stars. Orse, who was carrying Asel, laughed in disbelief.

You’re a monster with no answers.

It was ridiculous at this point. The shame of being punched in the chest and knocked out seemed to ease a little. The soldiers who opened their eyes later let out an exclamation of horror.

“Look, look, look, their shields are falling!”

“Oh my God, really!”

A cheer erupted from the Nine Fortresses, the star shields finally crumbling in the heat. The interior of the castle was being revealed.

“Bird, there aren’t as many as I thought, did you put them all inside?”

“I’ve turned nine forts, no wonder, I must be running out of cloth.”

The soldiers murmured, perhaps because they had dispersed, and the number of worshippers on the ramparts seemed no different than the troops resisting at each fortress.

If there was one thing that was troubling him, it was the mana rising from the depths of the castle. Massive amounts of mana were rising into the sky in invisible columns.

“What’s that?”

“I don’t know, I think I’m doing something, but—.”

I don’t know the details. Almost everyone looked up at the same time. She had spat out a mouthful of fire and was flapping in place, catching her breath. Adeshan shook his head.

“Mr. Navardose—?”

Despite her impressive track record, she didn’t look too happy, her eyes still glaring at the pale castle with a killing intensity.

Unaware of this, the soldiers, convinced of victory, were waiting for the order to charge. A minute or so passed. The growling Navarordze spoke up.

I’ll take another shot.

“What?”

Eyes widened as the panicked commanders tried to say something. Her mouth snapped open and fire erupted once more.

“Wait, Navardoze!”

Schlieffen shouted urgently. With the shield gone, if Iril was in there, he was likely to be caught.

But the die was already cast. The torrent of flames had already reached the Pale Castle. The panicked soldiers closed their eyes once more and tried to turn away. The flames that were about to crash into the castle split to the left and right.

“What the fuck is that!?”

“Boo, fire cracked!”

The soldiers’ eyes widened to the point of bulging. They couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Instead of reaching the castle, the split flames were passing by on either side.

Something was blocking her fire. Sensing the danger, Adeshan called out to her.

“It’s dangerous!”

[Mm?

Navarordze narrowed his eyes. At the same time, a crescent moon shot out from where the flames had split. A crescent of grotesque colors, it was as large as the fortress the Alliance was garrisoning.

“Sword—!”

Adeshan’s eyes widened. It was an unmistakable sword in form and function. But its size and power seemed unreal.

Navarrozze increased his firepower impatiently, but the blade did not stop. A crescent of flame was about to strike her.

Shit.

Navarordze twisted first, and at the same time, a sword qi grazed her wing feathers. Blood spurted out from the spot where the sword qi grazed.

“I, Navarordje!”

Adeshan clamped both hands over his mouth. The artificial giant’s spear had cut cleanly through its red scales. Silence descended over the shocked Alliance camp. Suddenly, a voice rang out from the castle.

“Not twice. Lady.”

【You are—.】

Navarordze’s eyes widened. On the white walls of the city, where the flames had completely died down, a man stood. His hair was as white as the longsword in his right hand and the clothes he wore. Adeshan’s eyes widened at the sight of his face.

“—Ronan?”

The man’s face bore a striking resemblance to Ronan’s. Except for a bit of age and a different hair color, they could have been the same person.

Suddenly, Ronan’s description of the man flashed through her mind. It wasn’t too difficult to deduce the man’s identity, she squeaked.

“Lord Abel—!”

“What, what?”

Marja raised an eyebrow at her side. The realization that the man was the headmaster quickly spread throughout the army, and they froze for a moment. Kaaaahhhh! Navarordze’s wings exploded open.

【Don’t get involved. I’ll take care of him.

He didn’t know much about Abel. But his dragon senses, his scales, were warning him that he was a dangerous foe.

The shrunken body was swelling and returning to its original size. New scales grew, covering the scars on his shoulder blades.

Folding her wings, she shot forward. Almost simultaneously, Abel’s form disappeared from view. The crash echoed exactly halfway through. Abel smirked.

“You’ve got a temper.”

[Shut up, you evil thing].

Navarordze said, his tone tinged with contempt. Instead of replying, Abel twirled her sword once, the hand that held it against hers trembling as if it might break at any moment.

“Strength is strength in vain.”

They didn’t call her the Mother of Fire for nothing, he thought, wondering how he was going to catch this thing. Suddenly, the Navardoze’s horns flashed, and a huge, translucent orb enveloped them both. Abel waggled his eyebrows.

“What is this?”

[So much for your ambition].

Navarordze growled. It was a shield to keep the aftermath of the battle from radiating outward. Abel was about to say something when their figures vanished along with the shield.

“Gone, gone.”

“That was a pontoon? What’s going on here?”

This was another unexpected development. The soldiers were shouting in confusion. Suddenly, Navarro’s shout rang out from the sky.

[All hail the hordes of evil that seek to fulfill their ugly fantasies!

“Mr. Navardose—!”

I couldn’t see it, but I could hear it clearly. It seemed to be battling the Archon within this space. Suddenly, the space where Navardoze had been flipped upside down, and Lorhon stepped out.

“Well, let’s get going, then.”

“Archmage?”

The soldiers’ eyes widened. Back in his old man form, his hands were already laced with the magic he had been casting. He muttered a few words of incantation and clapped his hands. A small magic circle was drawn at the feet of every Allied soldier.

“Is this—?”

“You can’t walk that far, so be a storm.”

Lorhon laughed at the soldiers’ bewilderment. Then all the magic circles glowed in unison, and the space in which each of the Allied soldiers sat was turned upside down.

“Huh!”

WHOOSH! Those who had opened their eyes again gasped in disbelief. The allied forces scattered across the nine forts were gathered in one place, in perfect formation, surrounding the pale castle.

“Oh my God.”

“Shi, did you move a hundred thousand people at the same time?”

The towering walls of the city stretched out before him. The pillars of mana that had been visible in the distance were almost within reach. The worshippers stationed on the ramparts were stunned.

“Damn, what the hell!?”

“O, Archbishop!”

It was magic worthy of the title Archmage. It didn’t take long to adapt. The commanders, who had shared their strategy on the radio, were about to give the order to charge. A booming voice echoed from the ramparts of the castle.

“Welcome. Everyone.”

“Huh?”

Adeshan looked up. A woman in a colorful robe stared down at the Alliance, a young, beautiful maiden at first glance, but the aura that rose above her shoulders was disturbing.

“You guys worked your asses off to get here, and I’m in awe of your prowess. I know it’s fake, but I never thought you could take down all those giants.”

The woman spoke. The bewildered men listened, unable to think of a response. Adeshan was the first to recover, aiming his crossbow. Archbishop Letancier smiled.

“Well, goodbye.”

It was a thin laugh. And then the mana pillar that had been an eyesore earlier, rising above the castle, was amplified dozens of times.

At the same time, the clouds covering the sky parted at once. The Alliance’s eyes widened to the point of bulging. Dozens of gigantic magic circles dotted the sky.

“—No.”

Someone chanted. It was a sight that could be seen once and never forgotten. I had seen the magic circles before, with their strange symbols.

As if to prove his point, white giants tore through the magic circle, slowly descending. With at least four and as many as six wings, they were not artificially created fakes.

It was clear that they had been preparing for a very long time. Only then did the people realize that the nine forts had been built not just for defense, but to stall for time. A despairing sigh escaped Adeshan’s lips.

“Have you been hiding behind a cloud—!”

I didn’t notice at all. The flapping of wings echoed over the scorched earth. The winds that would uproot the trees were getting closer and closer.

No one moved. No one raised a voice. Not Schlieffen, not the two swordsmen, not even Lorhon, who stood frozen, staring at the sky as the giants descended.

Overwhelmed with despair, they forgot they were even breathing. Then the first giant to descend reached out his hand. It had four wings, but it was much larger than either Duar or Vasagia.

The gathered particles formed a spear of light in his hand. Aimed at the ground, the giant opened his mouth.

“Ahayute, I execute the sentence.”