774. [STAGE 48] Breaking ground (10)
We retreated and joined up with the soldiers who retreated earlier at the Crossroads headquarters.
Of the three mobile walls deployed as advance bases, only two returned, but for now, at least two were placed in front of the crossroads. A new defensive line was formed.
“The Apocalypse Knights are comprised of four units, which advance separately and each collect ‘materials.’”
I explained calmly.
“They extract the essence of pestilence, war, famine, and death from the people who have suffered from them. And based on the essence collected in this way, those who joined again….”
During the explanation, I couldn’t help but sigh.
“We’re combining again.”
It was the final phase combination gimmick that was now getting tiresome. Do it in moderation, you monsters!
“If you have four knights, they combine into one knight of destruction. “An entity that succeeds in combining like this becomes a complete entity that can deal with pestilence, war, famine, and death all on its own, which makes it truly incredibly strong.”
So theoretically, it is possible for the 444 Apocalypse Knights to merge into the 111 units as long as they do not lose a single unit during the advance.
In this case, the combined abilities and numbers create synergy and become truly insanely strong, so the Apocalypse Knights with all 111 units are comparable to the Black Dragon in terms of specifications.
Well, this is only in theory.
“But the brunt of it has already been cut. “Their numbers have decreased significantly.”
The leader of each unit survived, but his subordinates were almost wiped out.
The men who were not defeated at the forward base are still being taken down by Damian with mid-air sniping.
“There is a high probability that the leaders of each unit who survived to the end will march tenaciously in some way and eventually come to the crossroads walls.”
In fact, what happens to the battle during the advance process is not their main concern.
No matter how you circumvent it, the goal is for all four units to join in front of the real war. So, I fought for a while and ended up falling.
This is also the reason why he did not care much whether his subordinates died or not.
Their main goal is to create one Doom Knight by combining the four captain-level knights who collected the essence on the battlefield.
“I should tell you that this judgment itself is wrong.”
Just as planned, we defeated the brunt of them.
In particular, thanks to Lucas’s actions, the fourth unit, the Blue Knights unit, was wiped out except for the captain.
Now, if we just stop that leader-level union, the game is practically over, and we had several means to stop it.
I gave a command to the heroes and soldiers who were preparing for a defensive position.
“Now, this defensive battle is coming to an end! Everyone, cheer up and let’s go!”
***
Doo doo doo doo!
Centaurs are running.
Four units of Apocalypse Knights split into four divisions, each taking the essence they needed on the battlefield.
They were now heading to the southern plains in front of the Crossroads.
《….》
《….》
The captains of each unit nodded as they saw each other from afar.
Although the number has decreased significantly, the captains of each unit are safe.
If so, that’s enough. Since the essence of dead subordinates belongs to each captain, a siege is fully possible if only the captains survive and can be merged into doom knights.
Because it is entirely possible to end this world…!
Taaat!
Four units broke through the valley and forest by different routes and entered the southern plains at the same time.
Then, they slowly turned their course toward the center of the plain and established a confluence point. The point was exactly in front of the crossroads walls.
“Assemble!”
The Blue Knight leader roared and raised his huge ice scythe.
As soon as everyone joined in front of the castle wall, they would absorb the other three unit leaders and become one entity.
《Destroy this world! A repentant withdrawal!》
The speed of the cavalry and centaur units on the plain was truly incredible. In no time, the Crossroads walls approached.
Saaaaa!
As they approached a certain distance from each other, white, red, black, and blue auras surged from the bodies of the four knights and connected.
The Blue Knight leader shouted loudly.
《Come!》
The bodies of the White Knight, Red Knight, and Black Knight captains began to melt and disperse into poison, fire, and water in an instant.
As he tried to absorb it through the connected magic passage, the Blue Knight Captain gave a command.
《With the sword, with famine, with death, with the beasts of the earth, to kill the whole world-》
And the next moment.
click-!
An unknown operating sound rang out from the crossroads walls,
Phew…!
A strange sensation, as if time and space were being compressed, swept over the Blue Knight Captain’s entire body.
《…?!》
With a dizzying flash of light, he felt as if his entire body was thrown to the other side of the world, and the next moment.
The Blue Knight leader was teleported alone to the end of the southern plain.
“what…?”
The captain of the flagship Blue Knight quickly looked around him.
He must have been right in front of Inse’s walls just a moment ago, but he was suddenly forced to move a long way away… to the edge of a field far south of Inse’s walls.
This was the effect of Royalty’s highest-grade water-based artifact, [Start Again!].
There was no way the Blue Knight leader knew its identity.
And the effects of this simple, if simple, artifact came back with huge aftereffects.
In front of the Crossroads wall where the Blue Knight leader temporarily deserted and disappeared.
The captains of the White Knight, Red Knight, and Black Knight, who were in a combined standby state, lost their partner to transfer their power to and were momentarily defenseless…
“aiming.”
Inse’s commander was not one to miss such loopholes.
“launch-!”
pop! Burbububbung-!
The crossfire that came down tore the three knight captains to pieces.
If we had our original strength, we would have been able to overcome this level of bombardment and launch a counterattack.
They were all trying to gather their strength and transmit it to their colleagues. Of course, I was in no condition to fight properly.
《Aaaah…!》
《Kaaah!》
《How can this be…》
The three knights fell miserably, spraying poison, fire, and water.
Those subordinates were no exception. Although many did not survive in the first place, all of those who remained collapsed and died under Crossroads’ bombardment.
***
“also.”
I grinned as I looked down at the destroyed enemy lines.
“It’s national rule to attack enemies that are merging…!”
It seems like I’m on the villain’s side, but whatever!
The best way to deal with those who are merging is to defeat them while they are merging.
“Good job, Lily! And the alchemist team!”
As I gave a thumbs up and congratulated Lily and the alchemists, who had created [Again from the beginning!] amazingly, they smiled shyly.
“Well, that’s it! Lily, you should prepare for next time, right?”
“Yeah yeah. Please eat as much as you want….”
Lily sighed and came forward, dragging the wheelchair.
And then I joined Diarmudin, who was preparing a joint aerial magic circle over there.
“Hmm…!”
Diarmudin is sweating hard as he prepares his magic.
Lily also took a deep breath and began casting her magic.
After checking the wizards’ preparations, I looked south again.
Doo doo doo doo!
In the distance, the leader of the Blue Knight, who had been forcibly teleported to the end of the southern plain, was seen running alone.
Even though his subordinates and comrades had already been wiped out, he still seemed to be overflowing with the will to fight.
It still looks like a giant ice knight. In fact, in that state alone, it is incredibly strong.
but.
“If you reveal what your attribute is like that, it would be the rule of the country to stab you with your weak attribute again.”
After all, if it is an ice attribute.
This is the counter – why not just beat it with the fire attribute and that’s it!
“I go first!”
Junior applied [Elemental Disintegration], which he had previously memorized in [Lord of Crimson], to the Blue Knight Captain.
Yep-!
[Elemental Dissolution] was applied accurately, and the Blue Knight Captain’s magic defense was cut to pieces.
“Casting complete!”
Then Lily, who had been gathering her magic, opened her eyes.
Various magic assistance artifacts were connected to Lily, and Junior and Body Bag assisted Lily’s magic.
“going-!”
Lily is basically not a combatant.
Some time has passed since he retired from field work. Her main job is artifact management.
But one way or another, she consistently helped in battle, and while managing the artifact, she was tempered on the battlefield.
And after much combat experience, she finally succeeded in her awakening.
She learned the ultimate skill.
And today is the debut day of that ultimate skill!
Grumble!
A wall of flames appeared in front of the rushing Blue Knight leader.
Going to school-!
The Blue Knight leader easily broke through the wall.
and.
《…!》
I discovered a new wall stretching behind me.
Return to school! Return to school! Going to school-!
I broke through three walls in a row, but
《…?!》
Even after that, the wall of flames continues endlessly.
Because Lily is creating it in real time right now!
The name of this ultimate skill, which reduces the power and size of Lily’s [Fire Wall] and fires dozens of them in succession, is [Fire Wave].
It’s just a simple magic that deploys a wall of flames one after another.
What are the virtues of a fire mage in the first place?
Simple structure, but powerful effect. That’s it.
Cheeeeeek…!
The ice armor that seemed to never melt on the Blue Knight Captain’s body began to slowly melt from the end.
Whether it’s ice formed from spiritual cold or something else, there’s nothing you can do in front of the walls of fire that come crashing down on you one after another.
The Blue Knight leader looked around as if he was trying to find a detour, but the procession of flame walls controlled by Lily was already narrowing in, as if surrounding the Blue Knight leader.
In the end, she had no choice but to rush forward.
Return to school! Return to school! Going to school…!
After breaking through dozens of layers of flame walls in succession.
The Blue Knight leader was still alive and well, but his ice armor was gradually melting and his massive size had shrunk even further.
“That’s great, Lily!”
It was Diarmudin who praised Lily’s ultimate skill.
Diarmudin, who had received the magic power of dozens of people through the joint aerial magic circle, had a huge spear of flame at his fingertips.
“Let this old man add a little to your major!”
And Diarmudin soared into the sky splendidly using his robe [Old Phoenix], and used the power of his soar to cast a powerful javelin.
Whoa!
A huge ray of flame shot out like a beam of light, and the next moment it hit the center of the Blue Knight Captain’s body.
Sigh….
The sound of something breaking open rang out.
Blah, blah, blah!
It was the sound of the ice armor worn by the Blue Knight Captain breaking apart.
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
The properly inserted flame spear exploded.
The next moment, the entire ice armor cracked wide open, shattered and melted at the same time.
“Ah ah ah ah ah…!”
Even though he was suffering, the Blue Knight Captain did not swing the scythe in his hand until the end and saved it.
The failure of Apocalypse Knights is already a foregone conclusion.
In that case, the intention would be to strike the final blow to this defense line with that scythe imbued with ice and death.
The leader of the Blue Knight, who had barely reached the crossroads wall, pulled back his ice scythe with all his might.
“The fire wizards made all the boards.”
As I was watching that, I raised my hand and drew a circle.
“Let’s finish!”
Then Damian, who was still waiting for my instructions aboard La Mancha, fired a sniper from the sky.
Thump-!
The magic bullet that fell hit the Blue Knight Captain’s scythe precisely.
《…?!》
This alone distorted the trajectory of the final blow that the Blue Knight Captain was preparing, and its power plummeted.
And in front of such an enemy-
“Hmph!”
Evangeline deployed her armor [Snow White] and jumped down from the top of the castle wall, raising her shield to block.
Evangeline’s shield [Shield of the Cross Family] has been repaired and strengthened and houses three ice spirits.
The spirits swirled around and covered the shield with ice,
Ugh!
The Blue Knight Captain’s ice scythe attack was easily absorbed with the same attribute.
Ice flakes and snow powder were swirling fiercely everywhere. However, Evangeline was not pushed away and succeeded in taking her enemy’s blow intact.
“Lucas, this is the guy you were dealing with… Don’t leave it to me to finish him off.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Lucas, who had been waiting for my command, lightly kicked his leg on the edge of the castle wall, then flew in at an invisible speed and landed in front of the enemy commander.
He pulled out two swords and spun them around as if dancing.
Tsk! Tsk! Tsukaaaaak!
After passing dozens of sword strikes past the Blue Knight leader, he stopped spinning and put two swords back into his scabbard.
Crash.
And as soon as the two swords were sheathed,
“…ah.”
Toukwaak-!
The Blue Knight’s entire body exploded in all directions with a flash of light as if it were exploding from within.
This was the end of the 48th defensive battle.
