Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 1224

Kyunroe Subjugation (16)

Above the outskirts of the Balkan region, where the subjugation battle is raging in real-time.

Missiles and spells collide, gunpowder and magical power mixing and exploding in a relentless barrage.

Each flash, like a burst of fireworks, carries enough power to vaporize even a superhuman’s body.

Kugwagwagwagwa!!!!

A hellish scene unfolds in the sky: a golden magic tower wrapped in nine wings, and a winged serpent weaving through the air.

Dark blue lightning and nebulae spread like spilled paint, and Baragan’s totems fall like rain.

Baragan unleashes a spell centered around thousands of totems, expanding his consciousness to encompass the entire sky.

It’s an overwhelming display of a transcendent being wielding strategic-level spells at full force within the legion.

However, amidst the violently shaking and exploding airspace of the outer region, there is one unusually calm place.

As if existing in a separate dimension from the battlefield, a silver airship floats serenely, untouched by the chaos.

A streamlined hull, fixed in the sky without any visible propellant or engine, as if gravity itself has no hold on it.

A ritual weapon, permitted only for use by the top 10 commanders. The special airship of the Ability Awakening Division, Neunghwa.

In the center of the vast control room, a silver-haired nobleman sits, gazing down at the ground.

“Estephan-nim.”

A giant standing next to the nobleman speaks.

“Pandemonium has moved.”

“Yes. I’m watching.”

The floor of the airship is as transparent as glass, offering a clear view of the ground without the need for cameras or equipment.

Estephan Eisen, the 5th seat of the division, sits with his legs crossed, his head bowed as he observes the ground below.

“I knew they weren’t ones to simply join the legion, but everything they do is far beyond common sense.”

“……”

“To lead a single flagship of the 7th Legion and stir up this battlefield to such an extent… both their ideas and abilities are incredibly dangerous.”

His gaze deepens to an unfathomable degree as he watches the mobile fortress skillfully dodge the barrage of fire pouring from the collapsing front line.

“The abilities they use are also so unique that I can’t understand them. How are such individuals gathered in one organization and moving together… I think I understand why the Lord is so wary of those who walk backward [a reference to those who defy established norms].”

“The division’s extermination squad is moving to stop Pandemonium. What shall we do?”

“Pandemonium is too tricky to deal with in this kind of chaotic battle. Even a slight misstep could lead to enormous losses.”

Estephan says.

“This subjugation battle is a war being conducted in cooperation with the legion, but the main body is not the division… therefore, we must carefully choose where to use our power.”

“The commanders are moving. If we observe the situation for too long in this state, the legion will also take action.”

“The collective mental network we’ve built around Neunghwa is entirely being used to suppress Kyunroe’s consciousness.”

Having said that, Estephan raises his gaze, looking up at the sky flashing with dark blue lightning.

“In an environment where even a decent transcendent is extremely restricted in using spells, where are we supposed to go with a monster that even the legion’s commanders can’t stop?”

“…I was presumptuous.”

“But it’s been a long time since the Lord’s advice has been off the mark.”

Estephan calmly says, looking at Kyunroe, who is taking the form of a giant cocoon by reassembling hundreds of thousands of parts, gracefully rotating his majestic golden wings, ignoring the totems poured out by the winged serpent.

“That is not some mage who has transcended the common hierarchy. It is a being with a far more complex and bizarre transcendence.”

“Does that mean…”

“It possesses a consciousness so vast that it cannot be called human, and wields a spiritual power so close to chaos that it cannot be called mortal.”

Estephan says.

“If the gods of the sea were to gain a body and incarnate on earth, they might look like that.”

“……”

“But that’s why I think we should move as well.”

Leaving the silent giant behind, Estephan slowly rises from his seat.

“Put ‘Whisper’ into Neunghwa. After watching the situation, I think I know what Pandemonium is aiming for.”

“Pandemonium’s goal, you say? If those ruffians had any intention-”

“No. They are not giving up on this war and running wild.”

The nobleman says quietly.

“At this point, where Kyunroe has annihilated the legion’s main forces and the war situation has collapsed, they are trying to put this subjugation battle back on track in their own way.”

“…That’s.”

“I think I know how they are trying to change this war situation.”

Kugugugugugu!!!!!

In an instant, the golden wings that had been rotating, ignoring the winged serpent, flash and rotate in the distance.

It’s as if it has recognized the presence of Pandemonium, which is rapidly gaining speed below.

Kwaaang!!!!

Kyunroe, wrapped in nine wings, accelerates through the outer region’s sky at an incredible speed.

“Th, that’s…!!”

“Kyunroe’s magic tower is leaving the center of the battlefield!!”

“It’s re-entering the outer region at subsonic speed!!”

While the division’s psychics are expanding their consciousness in panic, Estephan watches it and turns his steps.

“We are facing a being who is trying to become a god, not a human.”

Estephan mutters, lightly raising his ability.

“For that, we have no choice but to join forces with the incompetent for a while.”

* * *

At the same time. Inside the control room of Pandemonium’s flagship that Estephan was looking down on.

Silence falls among the members who had heard the doctor’s words about ignoring Kyunroe and entering Area 49.

A chilling roar echoes above the doctor’s head as he waits for an answer with a calm expression.

Thud!!

“Wait a minute. I don’t know what that sound is.”

Ermong, who has come to his senses from the impact that seemed to make the ceiling fall, says with a bewildered expression.

“Are you saying we’re going to ignore Kyunroe and enter Area 49 now? Are you out of your mind?”

“What do you mean by out of my mind?”

“Well, there’s no need to target anywhere other than Kyunroe himself in this subjugation battle.”

Ermong replies to the doctor’s question.

“Kyunroe himself has brought his magic tower and is directly on the battlefield, so why would we go to Area 49, where there’s nothing? What’s even left there in the first place-”

“Then what do you think that dark blue nebula flooding Area 49 at this very moment is?”

“Well, just a simple mass of magical power…”

Ermong loses his words and hesitates for a moment.

“…That’s not it. Come to think of it, what is that?”

Because he understands that the dark blue nebula that wraps around the golden magic tower is still in the distance of Area 49.

Everyone had watched the 8th Legion Commander die instantly upon contact with that nebula, so it was not just a simple mass of magical power.

They knew it was an unusual power, but it was difficult to give a proper reason for that nebula.

“There are roughly three reasons why those participating in the current subjugation battle are excluding the existence of Area 49.”

The doctor turns his gaze to Ermong.

“First. Kyunroe himself is already directly on the battlefield. Like Ermong said, he’s already participating with his magic tower, so there’s no reason to look elsewhere.”

The doctor says, raising his hand.

“Second. Kyunroe’s power is so overwhelming that they are focusing all their efforts on dealing with him. He’s not only destroying the 3rd Command, but also withstanding the barrage of fire from the legion’s commanders and main forces alone. This is nothing short of an irreversible miracle that transcends the laws of spells.”

“Um, excuse me. There’s no need to go over the explanations we’ve already had, you know?”

Ermong says, pointing at the ceiling as if poking it.

“We don’t have time, so let’s finish the explanation quickly. What’s the third reason?”

“The third is that Dead Rise 8th Legion Commander died instantly upon entering Area 49.”

“…That’s.”

At the doctor’s unexpected words, the others stop moving.

The doctor looks around at the members and says.

“After Townsend’s death, attention was focused on Kyunroe’s appearance, but the memory of how extremely dangerous it was to enter Area 49 remained. That’s why many people are unconsciously excluding Area 49 during the intense battle.”

“……”

“I believe this is not a coincidence, but something that Kyunroe deliberately timed. To be precise, it might have been a measure to divert the enemy’s attention from that place by instantly killing one of the legion’s leaders who entered Area 49.”

“Kyunroe’s movement at that timing was a measure to deliberately hide Area 49…?”

“Haven’t you ever thought something was strange?”

The doctor asks leisurely.

“Why doesn’t Kyunroe’s magical power run out even though he’s operating such a large-scale super-war machine? No, in the first place, how is he generating the ‘power’ to move such a machine alone?”

“……”

“No matter how great a mage Kyunroe is, this massacre and violence are so transcendentally unusual… it’s as if an incomprehensible law, like that of an ascendant [a being who has transcended mortal limitations] or outer god, is with him.”

“That’s…”

“No matter how talented a genius Kyunroe is, such a powerful war-performing ability is impossible without certain restrictions or costs…”

The doctor says, gazing at the dark blue nebula covering the entire Area 49.

“I have a feeling that the secret is not on this battlefield, but in that place far away from Kyunroe.”

“If the source of the power Kyunroe wields is hidden in Area 49, then this situation is not entirely incomprehensible.”

Hairea immediately organizes her thoughts and says.

“In the case of ancient magical beasts or transcendents, or high liches [powerful undead mages], they sometimes hide their ‘core’ or ‘heart’ in the form of a life vessel. If Kyunroe has become such a being, it’s not impossible.”

“Hmm…”

“However, this plan is only valid under the premise that Kyunroe has become ‘such’ a being, as the doctor speculates. If we’re wrong, we’ll just end up hitting our heads against the nebula that killed Townsend without any gain.”

Hairea says, turning to the doctor.

“Doctor. Are you really that confident in this plan?”

“Hairea.”

The doctor smiles and raises his gaze.

“Look at the sky. Does that still look like an ordinary human to you?”

“……”

Oooooooo!!!!

The golden wings, wrapped in dark blue lightning, intertwine and embrace each other, forming a strange shape.

Kyunroe, having taken the form of a giant cocoon with nine wings, is flashing with black-blue lightning.

Even at this moment, he is enduring the barrage of fire from the remaining main forces of the legion, the suppression of consciousness through the division’s collective mental network.

Even the blessings of the fire giants and the clergy, who are constantly increasing their numbers in the hellish battlefield.

How could one think that this golden figure, which continues to pour out dark blue lightning in all directions, is a device or war machine operated by a single mage?

“Isn’t it amazing?”

The doctor asks.

“To challenge the great task of ascension [a process of achieving godhood or a higher state of being] in the face of a war started to kill him… and to actually come so close to achieving it.”

“…Doctor.”

“That man is now on a challenge that no one in the history of the continent has ever attempted. In fact, he is now closer to an ascendant than a mortal.”

The doctor says, looking up at the figure as if it were dazzling.

“Do you think that a transcendent who has reached level 9 by making endless struggles and wars a ‘process’ would leave the mortals who have watched his consciousness alive?”

“……”

At that moment, a frozen silence flows inside the flagship.

The path of a transcendent is a great journey that takes the life they have lived as an answer.

Then, what would be the answer of Kyunroe, who has killed tens of thousands of legion forces and become an ascendant through this subjugation battle?

The destination of a transcendent who has gone mad with fighting and struggle, with a heart stained with blood from killing countless transcendents.

Everyone knows what kind of hell would unfold in the world without needing an explanation.

“I’ll make it clear here. Kyunroe will annihilate all living beings participating in the subjugation battle at the same time as completing the ascension ritual.”

The doctor says, as if to assure the members whose faces have turned pale.

“Perhaps a significant portion of the outer region and the mega-city will be included in that destruction. Dead Rise and the Ability Awakening Division. Maybe even the city government…”

“……”

“But at this moment when the ascension ritual is underway, there is one place that is safe from Kyunroe’s lightning.”

“…Area 49.”

“Yes.”

The doctor nods.

“Kyunroe’s domain covered in dark blue nebula. The cradle where incomprehensible lightning is born. The only place that Kyunroe himself would never destroy.”

“……”

“At the same time, it is also the place where Kyunroe must ‘return’ to complete the ascension ritual.”

“That’s…”

The only safe place in this battlefield where Kyunroe is attempting the ascension ritual.

At the same time, the cradle of the transcendent where Kyunroe will surely return at the end of the ascension ritual.

The doctor is saying that they have to go to Area 49 to pursue both survival and victory in this war.

“The lightning has begun to subside as the ascension ritual begins. If it’s not now, we won’t even be able to try to face Kyunroe.”

“…Stealing the 7th Legion’s flagship and running wild was all for this.”

The ‘death’ needed for a mage who has taken blood and death as his source to challenge the ascension ritual.

The doctor had guessed that the legion’s forces needed to die quickly for Kyunroe to start the ascension ritual, so he stole the mobile fortress and induced chaos.

He had assured the members at this point that a method would appear when nearly 70% of the legion’s forces had been wiped out.

A measure that was so cruel and inhuman, it could be said to be like the doctor.

However, the doctor looks at the members who are looking at him with a disgusted expression and asks back with a kind smile.

“I think it’s worth taking a gamble now. What do you all think?”

“Doctor. The body you’re using right now isn’t even your real body, is it?”

Ermong says with a dumbfounded expression.

“What are you trying to do, constantly deceiving us with such plausible words?”

“Hmm, was I caught?”

The doctor, who admits it shamelessly, glances up.

“But having come this far, it’s not difficult to verify my hypothesis. Look.”

“Yes?”

“If Kyunroe has become closer to a mad ascendant as we discussed, and as a price, has left a ‘part’ of himself in Area 49-”

Flash!!!

The doctor’s face is brightly lit by the lightning that falls outside the window.

“Wouldn’t he naturally recognize and react to our presence heading towards Area 49?”

Kwagwagwagwagwa!!!!!

The members who follow the doctor’s gaze simultaneously look up at the sky and open their mouths.

The giant golden cocoon that had been floating in the sky, wrapped in nine wings.

The worst war machine that had massacred tens of thousands, which had been silent since the start of the ascension ritual, is turning towards them.

“…Wait a minute.”

“Could it be…?”

The other members mutter unconsciously as they realize it.

The hundreds of thousands of parts that make up the golden sphere expand like an explosion, instantly spreading towards them.

One of the nine wings unfolds, covering half of the sky, and instantly casts a shadow towards them.

Crack, crackle…!!!!

As the dark blue lightning condenses under the golden wings and explodes like a booster.

The magic tower, which had accelerated into the dark sky, begins to approach like a golden flash across the sky of the battlefield.

Kwaaaaang!!!

The members scream as they see the shape of the magic tower accurately following behind the mobile fortress.

“Kyaaaaak!!! Waaaaaak!!!”

“It’s following us…!!!”

“Doctor, stop right now!! Do you want to die?!!”

“Okay!! I know your hypothesis is correct, so turn the flagship right now-”

Shuuuuuuuu-!!!!!

The golden shadow casts over the deck of the mobile fortress.

“…Ah?”

Songha’s expression turns blank as he faces the flashing dark blue lightning, and Sarin and Cheolsoe’s faces harden.

Ezekiel, who had glanced up, raises his hand and removes the cloth covering his face for the first time.

“The explanation was a little late.”

The doctor, who is grabbed by the collar by Ermong, smiles.

“Then, everyone, let’s all gather in Area 49 from now on.”

Kwaaaaaaaang!!!!!

The dark blue lightning concentrated under the golden wings falls vertically on the mobile fortress, tearing everything apart.

Scattered lightning. Flying shockwaves. The remains of the fortress, torn apart like paper and exploding into nothingness.

“Kuh…!!”

“Waaaaaaat!! Waaaaaaat!!!”

Kiiiiiing!!!

Ignoring Ermong’s squawking screams, Lenok, who had used Blink [a teleportation ability], checks his surroundings in the slowed time.

‘There was a brief delay immediately after the impact. Is it Ezekiel’s ability?’

He was a royal with the ability to block Songha’s full-power slash head-on.

Even if he couldn’t block the lightning of the Avatar head-on, it would have been enough to buy some time.

That amount of time would have been enough for everyone on the mobile fortress to escape.

Swaaaaak!!!!

The members bounce out of the fortress debris and scatter, landing on the battlefield in an instant.

Lenok, who had memorized the locations of the members who had landed in all directions, clicks his tongue and is about to draw up his magical power.

At that moment, a strong wind blows from above, and an assault ship appears, crossing the sky at an incredible speed.

Buaaaaang!!!!

The assault ship’s hatch opens, and the hull moves vertically.

It opens the entrance in front of Lenok, who had climbed onto the fortress debris, and stops momentarily in mid-air.

Lenok, who was about to move without paying attention, stops moving when he sees the man standing in front of the boarding entrance.

“Target acquired. Fortunately, we made it in time.”

“…Daimus.”

A pale-faced black-haired man in military uniform.

Daimus is standing in front of the boarding entrance, directing the flight squadron with the system.

“Currently, the other members of Pandemonium are being retrieved and transported by the assault ship and flagship under my command,” Daimus said in a subdued voice, looking back at Lenok, who had boarded the assault ship.

“The doctor’s explanation is correct. Ultimately, there’s no solution on this battlefield without entering Sector 49. Command has reached the same conclusion and is moving accordingly.”

“……”

“The other factions must have heard the briefing the doctor mentioned through the communication network, so they will also attempt to descend into Sector 49 simultaneously.”

It seemed the corps command, though not as fast as the doctor, had also grasped the situation, seeing Pandemonium’s movements and the fortress’s reaction.

The doctor’s explanation seemed unnecessarily long-winded, but it seemed he had already connected the communication network to other ships.

If other forces, led by the Ability Awakening Special Forces, cooperate with the plan through a series of explanations, it wouldn’t be unbelievable.

“In this war, nearly 20% of the corps’ forces have been sacrificed due to your reckless actions.”

Daimus turned his gaze.

His eyes, looking at Lenok with a haggard expression, were a complex mix of hostility and self-reproach.

“However, I won’t deny that, as a result, this war has reached a meaningful conclusion. If we could be certain that Sector 49 could be the key at this point when the fortress has entered the ascension ritual… thanks to the sacrifice of our forces.”

“……”

“Currently, what this corps must do is gather the elites of your Pandemonium and each faction, enter Sector 49, and guide this war into a different phase. Any questions?”

“No. You’re a soldier, alright.”

The corps’ forces must have been devastated by Pandemonium’s rampage, scattering and tearing apart the front lines.

Yet, to ensure the success of the subjugation, he was suppressing his personal feelings and trying to join hands with Pandemonium again.

Whether he was a capable commander or not, it was certainly a decision that was not only cold but also like the embodiment of reason.

Lenok, who had stood up, moved towards the inside of the boarding entrance and retorted.

“If the doctor agreed, I don’t care. Move out.”

“Does that mean you’ll cooperate if it’s a necessary step to enter Sector 49?”

“Don’t ask unnecessary questions, just do what you’re supposed to do.”

Lenok sneered.

“You shouldn’t be in a position to worry about us right now, should you?”

Whirrrrrrr!!!!

The assault ships emitted a heavy engine sound, and a hot wind swirled.

The moment he boarded the seat, feeling the swirling hot wind, the airship ascended vertically.

It gained altitude at an incredible speed and quickly moved far away from the ground.

[System channel open. Communication network connected.]

Daimus’s voice, which was not a human voice but a mechanical sound, began to be heard.

[From now on, we will transport the elite units selected from each faction to the assault ships and begin the operation.]

[The goal is to break through the fortress’s lightning pouring from the sky and reach the center of Sector 49.]

Kugwagwagwagwagwa!!!!

The golden magic tower, wrapped in dark blue lightning, constantly changed its shape in the sky.

It disassembled and reassembled tens of thousands of parts and connections, wrapping itself in golden wings.

“……”

Lenok and the special forces members who had boarded the assault ship with him could be felt swallowing nervously.

Numerous airships and fighters were being smashed and destroyed like toys, falling in the midst of the raging lightning storm.

Even the final moments of the pilots and soldiers, who were burned and scattered without even leaving corpses between the broken cockpits.

They must have known that the fate of this assault ship might not be much different.

Clang!!

Lenok, who was leaning against the constantly shaking boarding entrance, glanced sideways.

“How many people are on each flagship?”

“About six, including the pilots. We need to distribute our forces as much as possible so that at least one squad can enter Sector 49 alive.”

“That means most of them will die from being struck by lightning.”

“Can’t you see the air force being smashed in the sky right now?”

Daimus replied, operating the system.

“It’s an amphibious operation that uses almost all of the 3rd Corps’ flight squadrons and assault ships. Even that is only possible because Commander Baragan is here.”

[Hey, Daimus.]

Chik!!

At that moment, Baragan’s indifferent voice cut into the system channel.

Amidst the constant thunder and roar echoing through the channel, Baragan asked.

[I see dozens of paper airplanes passing under my Quetzalcoatl’s [a mythical feathered serpent] belly, is that your work?]

“Commander Baragan. From now on, we will move our forces to enter Sector 49.”

Daimus responded in a calm voice.

“Now is the only chance, as the fortress’s massacre has subsided slightly. We ask for your cooperation.”

[It won’t work. That thing is no longer human.]

Baragan cut off Daimus’s words sharply.

[I didn’t realize it when I crashed into it earlier, but now I see it’s wielding a very dangerous power. It uses strange lightning that forces a change in properties, reversing the compatibility of the spells.]

“……”

[It’s altering reality by emitting changes that it can’t even control itself. Why is that psychopath’s alias ‘Fortress Lightning’?]

Baragan was an 8th-level sorcerer and a transcendent who held the position of commander, one of only three in the corps.

As such, he had realized the peculiarity of the lightning wielded by the fortress after facing it a few times.

He knew that the huge golden sphere that dominated the battlefield was not the main body, but the ‘being’ within it was the key.

He had already understood that it was a bizarre and unconventional being that could not be understood even with Baragan’s knowledge and intuition.

[It seems to have modified itself into a form suitable for war, and it’s bizarre, as expected of an 8th-level mage. The more you face its spells head-on, the more you lose.]

Baragan said, sounding disgusted amidst the rain of death that was being scattered everywhere.

[Even though it’s so big, its sensory perception is incredibly wide and its reaction is fast, making it difficult for even me to approach. You guys will burn to death the moment you get close.]

“The fortress is trying to reach transcendence by making this war its ascension ritual.”

Daimus replied calmly.

“No one will survive after it becomes a transcendent. Either way, there is no choice.”

“……”

“If we enter Sector 49 and stop its ‘challenge,’ there might be a way. I will open the ‘path’ myself.”

[What, so that’s why Songha was crawling around down there so diligently?]

Baragan clicked his tongue and raised his main force.

[Well, if it’s for Ethan’s sake, I can’t help it. You guys deal with the others getting caught up in it. Got it?]

“Thank you.”

Woo woo woo woong!!!

At that moment, a winged snake that had risen into the sky opened its mouth wide and roared, emitting green light from its eyes.

The snake twisted its body in the air and rotated in place, flapping its wings, and then accelerated at an incredible speed, colliding with the magic tower.

It unleashed a powerful shockwave with a radius of hundreds of meters.

Jjeoooooooong!!!!

A vast ripple spread over the golden wings, and the surface rippled greatly like water.

At the same time as dozens of types of spell formations appeared on the snake’s wide-open wooden wings, it rotated fiercely.

It absorbed all the dark blue lightning that occurred immediately after colliding with the magic tower and exploded, disappearing.

Fubububububung!!!

[Damn it, is that much power even when it’s half asleep? It’s a complete monster!!! Are they doing some kind of human sacrifice in there?!!]

Baragan cursed harshly and raised his main force even further.

[My Quetzalcoatl is also something that has been fed the blood of a transcendent. I can still hold on…!!]

Bang! Bang! Bang!!!

He received the lightning bolts exploding from inside the magic tower, using high-level spells as disposable shields, and rammed into it.

Each time the wooden snake slammed its head into the golden sphere and unleashed an impact, the tangled, oversized structure changed its trajectory and flew.

The assault ships, which had been gaining speed behind Quetzalcoatl’s wings, began to descend past the magic tower all at once.

Shuuuuuung!!

The golden magic tower with nine wings, which changed its form in real-time and emitted lightning.

Beyond it, dozens of assault ships attempted to approach the outer area from different trajectories and directions.

[Entry into the vicinity of the outer area complete!!]

[Prepare to descend!! Open the boarding entrances!]

The voices of the superhumans echoed loudly through the communication network.

The sight of superhumans chanting spells and raising their abilities everywhere to attempt a descent into Sector 49.

“System authority transfer complete. From now on, I’ve entrusted the consultation to the doctor.”

Daimus, watching the scene, finished operating the system and picked up his equipment.

Clank!!

“Victor. We’re descending immediately as well. As soon as we arrive near Sector 49-”

“No. It won’t work.”

Lenok interrupted Daimus’s words.

Lenok, who had been standing at the boarding entrance and looking at the battlefield, turned his gaze.

“It’s already too late. Get down.”

“What do you-”

As Lenok extended his magic thread and pulled, Daimus, who was dragged out as if by the scruff of his neck, was thrown out of the assault ship.

Paang!!

“…!!”

“C, Commander!”

The members who had been on board with him looked at Daimus, who had been thrown into the air, with shocked expressions, and then aimed their guns at Lenok.

“What the hell are you doing!!”

“Damn it, as expected, criminals from Pandemonium are…!! Huh?”

The members, who were about to glare at Lenok with murderous intent, realized that no one was there and changed to a blank expression.

“Wait, this is…”

Flash!!!

At the same time as dark blue lightning flashed past, the assault ship exploded in place.

It tore apart the bodies of the members and pilots who were on board, vaporizing them alive.

Kwaaaang!!!

“Kuh…!!!”

Daimus, who had been thrown into the air, groaned as he watched the assault ship he had just been on explode.

The fortress’s lightning strike, which he hadn’t even felt a hint of. If it hadn’t been for Victor, he would have died a miserable death with them.

Daimus, gritting his teeth, raised his magic power and tried to regain his balance, and then tried to deploy the parachute built into his suit.

At that moment, Lenok’s distorted voice echoed from above his head.

“Not that way.”

Swaaeeek!

A violent rotation that made his insides twist. The moment his vision flipped and his body was suddenly thrown to one side.

Daimus was suddenly tumbling on the ceiling of a perfectly fine assault ship.

Tueoong!!

“Ugh, could it be…?”

Daimus, who barely managed to regain his balance, belatedly grasped the situation and made an astonished expression.

He realized that at the same time as the assault ship exploded, he had spotted another passing assault ship. He had been hung on it and thrown up.

Lenok, who had landed next to Daimus a moment later, looked down at him and sneered.

“If the operation is to proceed properly, you need to be alive for now.”

“……”

“Don’t die. I’ll protect you until the doctor’s plan is over.”

“…Alright.”

Daimus touched the military uniform where the magic thread had been tied, with a stiff face.

‘I couldn’t even react…’

Until the moment he pulled out the magic thread and threw him out of the assault ship, Daimus hadn’t even perceived a sign.

A hand that was so sharp and eerie that it openly pierced and overwhelmed the gap of Daimus, a high-ranking corps commander.

He knew that he was a special sorcerer even among the monsters of Pandemonium, but his skills were more monstrous than he had thought.

He was so overwhelmed by the instantaneous event that he couldn’t even respond to the words that openly mocked him.

[W, what? Something got on top?!]

[Don’t panic. It’s Commander Daimus!]

The hull of the assault ship shook, flustered by the sudden shock.

However, Lenok ignored the shaking assault ship beneath his feet and looked around.

“It’s starting to read and react to our movements. The assault ships are being intercepted.”

“…The fortress is currently asleep for the ascension ritual. But it’s reading our movements even so?”

Flash!!

Fububububung!!!

In the sky above the outer area, where Baragan’s Quetzalcoatl and the fortress’s golden magic tower were clashing.

A chaotic scene where dark blue lightning and complex spell formations exploded, distorting and scattering fragments.

However, amidst that, lightning bolts that had not lost their power were striking and exploding the assault ships flying everywhere.

Even a graze from the lightning caused the assault ships to explode like paper, scattering blood and flesh.

[Kkyaaaak!!]

[D, dodge!! Change course!!]

[It’s too late! We have to escape now…!!]

[Open the boarding entrance-]

Kwaaang!!!

Beeeep-

Screams echoed through the communication network. The roar and the noise of the channel being cut off were heard at the same time.

Dozens of assault ships that had been approaching from the sky above the magic tower were exploding and falling.

Lenok, seeing that, immediately pulled out his magic thread and gripped it.

“Let’s move too.”

“Wait, no way!!”

Pat!!

Before he could even finish speaking, dark blue lightning pierced the assault ship that Lenok and Daimus were on horizontally.

The black-blue lightning that pierced through the cockpit where the pilot was and the boarding seat in the rear and disappeared.

Immediately after, the hull of the assault ship was compressed to the size of a fingernail, crumpled, and then exploded entirely.

Eujik- Kwagwagwagwang!!!!

“Crazy-!!”

Immediately after being hit, the entire material of the assault ship was forcibly ‘compressed,’ creating a miniature black hole.

It was the power of the lightning that forced a change in properties that Baragan had mentioned, which Daimus realized right after.

Lenok, who had grabbed Daimus’s collar with his magic thread, used blink [a teleportation-like ability] to jump into the sky.

Fabababat!!!

He increased his speed by hooking and pulling the magic thread between the debris of the fighters exploding everywhere.

He stepped on and leaped off the still intact assault ships, quickly closing the distance to the magic tower.

Swaaeeek!!

Tuteoteong!!

Lenok’s figure, dodging the pouring dark blue lightning by a hair’s breadth, stepping on the assault ships and jumping one after another.

Behind him, Daimus’s face, who was being dragged along by the magic thread, was filled with unconcealable awe.

“This can’t be. What kind of manipulation technique is this…!!”

Lenok’s figure, increasing speed by repeating the expansion and contraction of the magic thread at an incredible speed.

But what was truly amazing was that he was performing all of that magic thread manipulation by using the debris falling from all directions as supports.

Instead of being fixed in one place, he was moving by hooking the magic thread onto the assault ship and fighter fragments that were falling and breaking in real-time.

Even while dodging all the pouring lightning, he was increasing his speed faster than any assault ship.

It was a maneuver that was impossible without calculating the movements of all the objects in the sky.

“At this rate, most of the flagships will be destroyed and annihilated before we even enter Sector 49.”

Chwaak!!

Lenok, who had boarded an assault ship and tied the magic thread, turned his gaze.

“That guy named Baragan seems to be reaching his limit as well.”

[Kuh…!!]

Kugwagwagwagwagwa!!!!

The winged snake’s massive body was being smashed and crushed just by brushing against the fortress’s golden wings.

Even though it was tasked with holding the fortress in place for a while during the entry into Sector 49, it couldn’t hold out for long.

Even that was only a miracle that was barely possible because the fortress had greatly reduced the use of electric magic as it began the ascension ritual.

“At the point where the sorcerer can’t act as a shield, everyone who tries to approach Sector 49 will die. What’s the next method?”

“…Transferring the system operation authority to the doctor wasn’t just to replace my role.”

Daimus, who had regained his balance on the shaking assault ship, replied with a pale face.

“By now, he… must have finished preparing.”

“Preparing?”

He knew that the doctor was staying in the rear as a technical advisor, but could he play a role beyond that at this point?

The answer came not from Daimus, but from the far reaches of the sky.

Kugugugugu!!!!

The aerial fortress, Primo Alert, which had been destroyed and completely wrecked after crashing into the fortress’s magic tower.

The remains of the 3rd Command, with only the black pyramid shape remaining, rose at an ultra-high speed in place.

It then increased its speed and rammed into the fortress, which was wrapped in nine wings.

Jjeoooooooong!!!!!

The huge remains of the aerial fortress, pressing down on the back of the magic tower that had been colliding with the wooden snake at close range.

Driven by the shockwave, the fighters, transport ships, and assault ships in the sky swayed and were pushed back like crazy.

[Uwaaaak!!]

[Don’t get pushed back!! If you fall, it’s over!]

[I’ll use telekinesis to maintain balance. Please assist me!]

[This is the doctor. I’ve acquired control of the 3rd Command.]

Beyond the communication network, where chaotic screams were echoing from all directions, a familiar voice was heard.

[It took some time to hack because the authority was transferred only after all the pilots of the command died.]

“This can’t be, Primo Alert is back…!!!”

“Did he repair and revive the completely broken 3rd Command on the spot?!!”

While the corps commanders, who were late in grasping the situation, were in shock.

The doctor’s voice echoed leisurely through the speakers of the huge aerial fortress.

[From now on, I will personally help you successfully enter Sector 49.]