novelraw Chapter 144 : Chapter 144
Chapter 144 : Chapter 144
Chapter 144. The Moment of the Decisive Battle (3)
After a voyage that took several days.
We were finally able to get very close to the coastline of Reubungwo.
But the sight that unfolded before my eyes was by no means reassuring.
“…This can't be.”
I looked at the wreckage of the towers lined up along the coastline through my telescope with a grim expression.
The hundreds of ancient towers that Aman had spoken of, which the Sage of the East had built to protect the world.
Most of them were already destroyed so catastrophically that their forms were unrecognizable.
It was a terrible sight, as if a giant monster had clawed its way through.
And far to the north.
At the faintly visible end of the land, I could see two towers that had barely maintained their shape.
But even those two towers did not look safe.
A storm of blood-red dark magic was raging, attacking the towers.
“Hero (Yongsa)!”
Aman, who was next to me, shouted urgently.
His face was deathly pale.
“If those towers fall, no one will be able to stop Primus! We have to go there right now!”
He was right.
There was no time to dock at the planned landing site and reorganize our troops.
I immediately gave an order to the fleet.
“Turn the bows to the north! Approach that tower at full speed!”
The fleet, in accordance with my command, turned in an orderly fashion and began to advance north along the island's coastline.
As the giant tower grew closer, the reality of the battle taking place there also became clearer.
Hundreds of liches.
High-ranking liches, emitting magic power incomparably more powerful than before, surrounded the tower and were relentlessly pouring destruction magic on it.
And in the center of them stood a familiar figure.
‘Nox!’
There was no doubt.
The fellow who was emitting a much more powerful and evil energy than before.
He was personally directing the destruction of these last remaining towers.
‘It seems he has grown stronger in the process of destroying the towers.’
The concentration of dark magic surrounding him was incomparably denser and more powerful than before.
I immediately signaled to Anonymous with a hand gesture.
She understood my meaning and, without hesitation, kicked off the deck and soared into the sky.
Kwaaaaa!
Anonymous, who had instantly transformed into a giant black dragon, unleashed a powerful breath towards the lich army.
The queen's breath that seemed to burn everything!
But what was this?
Fwooong!
Her breath, which had never failed before, was futilely blocked by a translucent black barrier deployed around the tower.
“Grrr?”
Even Anonymous seemed surprised and let out a bewildered cry.
Everyone in the fleet, including me, was horrified by the sight.
I quickly examined the barrier with my telescope.
A huge hemispherical defensive magic that the liches were maintaining by simultaneously extending their hands.
‘Is that Scutum?!’
An 8th-tier top-level defensive magic.
The magic that the demons, disguised as Lombard Kingdom soldiers, had shown when they attacked us in the past.
However, at that time, they had used a one-time magic device, but this time, the liches were clearly casting it with their own power.
And in the center, Nox stood, directing them.
‘How much stronger has he gotten?’
While I was thinking that.
Nox spotted Anonymous in the sky, smirked, and slowly raised his finger.
An ominous black ray of light condensed at the tip of his finger and was instantly shot towards Anonymous.
Pyew-!
“Kraaak!”
Fortunately, Anonymous quickly twisted her body to dodge it, but the passing ray of light tore the tip of her huge wing.
Dragon's blood splattered in the air.
‘No way! He wounded Anonymous?’
It was a shock.
In the original version, she was set as a being more powerful than the Demon King.
To think that Nox could land an effective hit on her.
I immediately assessed the situation.
Nox and his lich army were stronger than we had expected.
A clumsy aerial support would only put Anonymous in more danger.
I shouted towards the sky.
“Anonymous! Come down for now!”
And at the same time, I commanded the fleet.
“All hands, prepare for landing! No time to delay! Mages, immediately deploy defensive magic, and warriors, charge towards the coast under the cover of the mages! Break through the enemy's attack and secure a bridgehead!”
“Waaaaaaaaah!”
At my command, the soldiers roared and began to move in an orderly fashion.
The ships docked as if crashing into the sandy shore, and countless soldiers poured out and ran towards the coast.
What greeted them was a storm of magic from Nox's lich army.
Kwakwakwang! Fwoofwoofwoom!
In the sky, darkness and light.
On the ground, shouts and screams mixed, creating a scene of pandemonium.
The earth shook from the aftermath of the powerful magic collisions.
Finally, the final battle had begun.
***
I helped Anonymous, who had hastily returned to the ship.
As she returned to her human form, the huge wing that had been injured when she was a dragon disappeared, but a deep wound from Nox's attack still remained on her back, bleeding blood-red.
To think he could wound the powerful Anonymous.
His strengthened power was just surprising.
“I'm fine.”
Anonymous deliberately showed a smile, but the cold sweat spoke of her pain.
I quickly took out a water bottle filled with hot spring water, which I had brought for emergencies, from my pocket and poured it over the wound on her back.
Chiiik-!
Hot steam rose with a sound like flesh burning, but at the same time, the wound began to heal at a surprising speed.
Before long, the deep wound disappeared without a trace.
“Are you better now? Can you stand?”
At my question, Anonymous smirked as if she had never been in pain and stood up from her seat.
“This is nothing, Master. Don't worry.”
She looked at me with worried eyes and said.
“But the sun is still high in the sky. We have to wait a few more hours for night to come. Please, Master, stay hidden safely inside this ship. It's dangerous to step out rashly.”
She was right.
It was late afternoon now.
I still needed a few more hours for my power to return.
It was a shame, but now was not the time for me to step out.
I slowly nodded.
Anonymous smiled as if to reassure me and approached Aman, who was waiting on the deck.
The two exchanged a brief glance, then jumped off the ship together in their human forms, without transforming into dragons.
They landed on the coast and quickly hid in a dense forest, in a different direction from where the soldiers were charging.
Because I had entrusted them with a different mission.
‘I hope they succeed.’
I watched their retreating figures for a moment, then turned my gaze back to the fierce battle taking place on the coast.
Adel, who had already landed, was leading the soldiers as the vanguard.
By her side, Alvarez and Douglas Junior, who now had the air of a proper hero, stood firm, blocking the magic attacks of the liches.
In the rear, Noemi and Rude, along with other mages, were pouring powerful support magic.
The multiple defensive barriers they deployed were effectively blocking the liches' attacks and minimizing the casualties of our soldiers.
Everyone was doing their best in their positions.
Seeing that sight made my heart warm.
‘Just hold on a little longer. When night comes, I will be with you then!’
I clenched my fists and waited for night to come as soon as possible.
In the meantime, the battle grew more and more fierce.
***
How long had they run?
Aman, along with Anonymous, was finally able to arrive at the hidden sanctuary of the sage, their destination.
His heart was beating fast with anticipation.
Because here, the research records of his ancestor, which contained the only solution to completely annihilate Primus, were sleeping.
To find it and show it to the Hero Frank.
That was the reason Aman had crossed the sea, risking his life.
But the sight that unfolded before his eyes was tragic.
The entrance to the cave where the sanctuary was had completely collapsed, and the surroundings were nothing but a pile of black, burnt ashes.
Someone had deliberately and very thoroughly destroyed everything.
“N-no.”
Aman collapsed on the spot with a dumbfounded face.
It was the moment when his last hope, all his efforts, disappeared into thin air.
The thousands of magic books and research records that contained the last wishes of his ancestor.
To think that they had all turned into a handful of ashes.
Anonymous, who was watching his desperate state, asked cautiously with a troubled expression.
Although she was not familiar with human emotions, she could fully guess the depth of the sense of loss Aman was feeling now.
“Was this that important?”
Aman nodded blankly.
His voice trembled so much that it was barely audible.
“They were the magic books that recorded the only secret plan to completely annihilate Primus. If only we had this, the Hero (Yongsa) could have……”
He couldn't finish his sentence and hung his head.
“What should I do? It's all over now.”
“…….”
Anonymous was silent for a moment, then asked again with a pitiful face.
“Do you not know anything about that secret plan?”
At her question, Aman raised his head.
“No, I do. Because I read and memorized all of the ancestor's records.”
“No, if you knew, why did you come here?”
Anonymous tilted her head as if she couldn't understand.
Aman smiled bitterly and explained.
“Because the method is so complex and difficult to understand. Even I can't guarantee that I have understood it perfectly. There are many parts that are impossible to explain in words. But since the books had detailed records with pictures and diagrams, I thought it would be most certain to show them directly to the Hero (Yongsa) and explain.”
He added dejectedly.
“Even if you ask me what it is, as I said, it's difficult to explain in words. There's nothing we can do now. We should go back.”
Anonymous quietly nodded at his words.
Aman got up from his seat and looked back at the sanctuary that had turned to ashes for the last time.
But then, a chilling possibility flashed through his mind.
‘To have burned this place so thoroughly, they must have known what was recorded inside.’
Then, could it be.
‘Did Primus already see all of the ancestor's records I was looking for? And did he destroy the evidence after grasping the contents?’
If so, it was a truly desperate situation.
If even their last secret plan had been seen through by the enemy…….
But at that very moment.
A very faint, but clear smile appeared on Aman's lips.
Because Anonymous had said something as if throwing it out.
“But even if Primus saw those records, do you think he really understood their meaning?”
“What?”
“I'm saying it's doubtful that arrogant being could have fathomed the deep meaning of your ancestor.”
At those words, Aman's expression changed.
‘That's right. Primus is arrogant. And the ancestor's secret plan is not something that can be understood with just knowledge.’
Aman quietly clenched his fists.
In his eyes, instead of the previous despair, something cold and intense had taken its place.
‘Couldn't I use this to my advantage instead?’
There was still hope.
No, the real beginning was from now on.
He was no longer frustrated.
Looking up at the sky, he saw that night had come.
It was the moment for his power to return.