Side Story – Strategy [1]
For a brief moment.
Those on the battlefield saw the blue sky. The red hue of the sky, which had been stained merely by the backlash of activating the Circle, began to fade.
The presence of something that froze their entire bodies stiff caused those on the battlefield to hold their breaths. The scene of the battlefield, frozen like a painting, was observed from above the sky by someone.
Everyone except the Demon King dared not properly look up at the sky. They couldn’t overcome the instinct to avert their gaze.
Indeed, a Lord-tier being was such an existence. Regardless of the differing forms of power, the continent referred to as “Lord-tier” were beings capable of causing the downfall of a nation alone.
Especially, the blue-haired girl who appeared in the sky was one of the two pillars that had overthrown the Empire. Evaluated as having reached Lord-tier status at the youngest age and known as the absolute ruler who had caused the most casualties in the history of the continent.
Tszzztsk-!
Above Luna, surrounded by four Circles, a faint fifth Circle took form and resonated. The oppressive force emanating from the five Circles weighed down on the battlefield, plunging the army into a sense of helplessness.
…
The Demon King’s crimson eyes turned toward Luna.
The champion of the evil gods and the calamity regarded as the worst Apostle in the history of the continent gazed upon the butcher who had seized the Empire.
Both Luna and the Demon King clearly surpassed the average strength of beings categorized as Lord-tier until now.
Nevertheless…
The followers of the Evil Deity began charging toward Luna, who had appeared on the battlefield.
“Kraaaaaa!!!”
It wasn’t out of volition but rather due to the coercion of the beings they revered that this charge occurred.
Luna observed the futile and insignificant entities rushing forward while rotating her Circles.
Normally, it was impossible to easily kill the corrupted entities cloaked in the Demon King’s darkness using conventional means.
However, this didn’t apply to Luna.
Toward the impure entities that clung stubbornly despite the Empire’s forces desperately cutting them down and burning them…
Rain fell.
Tududuk!!
A torrential downpour commenced.
Plasma-formed rain poured down upon the heads of the impure entities. Until their physical forms melted completely and flowed away with the rainwater, the downpour did not cease.
Even the regenerating bodies of the demons, which had continuously renewed themselves, dissolved and mingled with other melted substances, pooling on the ground.
In the deep, wide puddle that formed, molten liquid churned like lava.
Amidst the churning lake, only the Demon King remained unscathed.
The Demon King, enveloped in darkness, inclined his body toward Luna.
*
Centia.
She was an exceptionally rare entity among elves, naturally gifted with Circles.
After Luna’s appearance, Centia no longer spoke. She silently collaborated with Hayden to complete the magic planned by the Empire.
The Empire’s plan was not merely to create a Warp Gate connecting the White Tower and the Obelisk.
The Empire aimed to temporarily overlap three different points within the same dimension.
The central component enabling this unprecedented attempt was the Obelisk.
Kuuuuung—!!!
Over the past few years, the Empire had constructed facilities to transfer mana from the Mana Vein flowing beneath the Imperial Capital to the Obelisk.
At this very moment, the Obelisk greedily consumed the mana from the vein beneath the Imperial Capital, vibrating intensely. As the facility designed for mana transmission began to malfunction due to overload, the Obelisk continued to absorb the mana from the vein.
Eventually, due to the rapid depletion of mana, damage occurred to the Mana Vein flowing beneath the Imperial Capital. With the veins tangled, many facilities in the Imperial Capital powered by the Mana Vein lost functionality.
First, the protective barrier meant to guard the Imperial Capital began to crumble due to the loss of power.
Truduk!
“…!”
Johanna, arriving at the Imperial Palace, gasped as she witnessed the crumbling barrier with her own eyes. Although she had received word from Luna, watching the defense systems that had always provided psychological stability shutting down one by one made her chest tighten.
Not all facilities in the Imperial Palace and the Imperial Capital had ceased operations, but with the Mana Veins damaged, it was impossible to restore defenses to the level they once were.
Whether or not the Mana Veins could be restored, and if so, how long it would take, remained uncertain.
The key figures leading this plan, including Luna and Hayden, had predicted that executing this plan would inevitably damage the Mana Veins beneath the Imperial Capital.
Yet, they proceeded anyway because there was no other viable option.
“…”
Centia, stationed at the White Tower, sensed the strengthening energy of ‘Mother.’
Centia could definitively answer why the Empire was pursuing such a reckless plan at this point.
Excluding Luna, who had revealed her full power, there was only one strong enough to face Anthonyus on the continent.
That was Ramenta, the Guardian of the World Tree.
Ramenta was a powerful Lord-tier figure who had participated in the Demonic Realm Expedition.
However, even though Ramenta was a Lord-tier powerhouse, stepping outside the domain of the World Tree meant she could not withstand Anthonyus.
The current Anthonyus was far beyond what an average Lord-tier could handle.
But within the World Tree’s domain, Ramenta could perform feats comparable to the Demon King himself, Anthonyus.
The problem was how to bring irregularly powerful entities like Speira or Anthonyus into the World Tree’s domain.
Speira was not foolish enough to step into the World Tree’s territory without preparation. Only after sufficiently weakening the blessings of the World Tree through thorough preparation would she dare enter its domain.
Anthonyus, on the other hand, relentlessly pushed forward toward the heart of the Empire.
All attempts to redirect Anthonyus’ path of advance failed.
Ultimately, at this point, it was impossible to guide either Speira or Anthonyus into the World Tree’s domain.
Then.
Forcefully transform the battlefield where the fallen entity currently stands into the World Tree’s domain.
This seemingly delusional plan was being realized.
Tszztsk!!
Initially, Centia misjudged that the Empire intended to use the World Tree’s divine artifact as a one-time purification device.
However, the purpose of restoring the World Tree’s divine artifact was not for purification but for something else.
To implement a large-scale magic that would overlap the battlefield centered around the White Tower with the Elves’ domain where the World Tree existed, the Obelisk absorbed the mana from the Mana Vein beneath the Imperial Capital.
However, that alone was insufficient.
To fold and overlap spaces located at different coordinates, at least some kind of medium was necessary for each space.
That was the World Tree’s divine artifact, reduced to its roots.
Tszzzztsk!!!
The initial resonance was faint.
However, as the spatial overlap progressed, the World Tree’s divine artifact, reduced to its roots, began to resonate more intensely.
The entity resonating with the World Tree’s divine artifact was none other than the actual World Tree existing within the Elves’ domain.
“…”
The ‘Mother’s energy’ grew stronger and stronger.
Centia intuitively realized that her homeland was drawing near.
Despite accumulating countless truths and experiences over the long ages, the phenomenon occurring now felt exceedingly strange to Centia.
What might have ended as mere fantasy, the Empire was turning into reality.
Though purely admirable as a magician, unfortunately, the situation was grim.
Zheeeeng!!!!!
The sky convulsed.
The Demon King, harboring unfathomable malevolence, moved toward Luna.
Hovering in the void, Luna emitted a dazzling flash bright enough to dim the sun above, illuminating the heavens.
Heat waves pushing clouds aside heated the atmosphere and clashed with the darkness.
Sensing the spreading heat, Luna clenched her fists, and simultaneously, space distorted as scattered firepower converged into a single point.
!!!!
A streak of light that shook off the darkness in an instant reached the center of the darkness.
The vast majority of beings on the battlefield, unable to bear the blinding spectacle that threatened to blind them, buried their heads in the ground and trembled.
Skilled knights and mages struggled to block the heat radiating from the sky but, like the soldiers, could not bring themselves to look up.
Only a select few managed to barely perceive the exchange taking place in the sky.
The grand magic unleashed by the Empire’s Grand Mage transcended ordinary principles.
Above, condensed firepower exploded, unleashing a storm. Amid this extreme environment, various complex magical formations continuously manifested, maintaining stability.
However, even then…
Anthonyus did not retreat.
The magics unleashed by Luna failed to make Anthonyus step back.
Even as piercing flashes of light and freezing lightning barely pierced through the darkness, Anthonyus did not waver.
Luna merely managed to momentarily stagger Anthonyus.
Even that was an incredible achievement, but it was just that—only that much.
Ahhkkk!!!
Anthonyus’ armed weapons shot upward toward Luna.
Each weapon carried the fatal curse of the evil deity.
Luna erected a boundary warping space to buy herself some time before retreating with the aid of spirits.
Luna, who freely commanded high-ranking wind spirits, was not easy to track, even for the Demon King, thanks to her mobility.
However, Luna was now in a position where she had to defend.
She had to protect the White Tower until the spatial overlap, which accepted the damage to the Mana Vein beneath the Imperial Capital, was completed.
Nevertheless, Luna ultimately failed to stop the Demon King head-on.
Kikigik!!
The darkness rippling outward from the Demon King reached the White Tower.
Though still faint, the results were not minor.
High-level large-scale magic that overlaps spaces is prone to collapse even with slight interference.
From the moment the magic prepared by the Empire began to be disrupted by even the slightest amount of the Demon King’s malice, the overlapping spaces started to separate again.
Centia watched the situation unfolding as she had feared and calmly asked:
“…Is there any method left?”
Centia secretly hoped that there was still a method remaining.
Hayden, responding to Centia’s inquiry, revealed a regretful expression.
“…Unfortunately.”
Yes, it has become unfortunate.
Ideally, it would have been better if everything succeeded here.
However, even against Luna, who had vaguely revealed the fifth Circle, the Demon King did not step back.
Thus, there was no choice but to reveal a bit more…
…the power Luna possessed.
Ddrrek-
“…?”
Centia, observing the magic collapsing due to the Demon King’s influence, revealed a look of bewilderment.
The magical axis, already damaged by the Demon King’s malice and deemed irreparable, began returning to its original form without warning.
‘Returning…?’
Reinforcement? Restoration?
…No, that wasn’t it.
Literally, it was returning. Returning to its past form.
“…”
This isn’t magic.
Centia, being a highly skilled mage, understood. This was a power that touched upon authority.
The owner of this power that touched upon authority stood in the sky.
As the damaged magical axis returned to its past form…
The spatial overlap was completed.
Zheeeeng!!!!
Instantly.
The vision of everyone on the battlefield blurred faintly.
Along with that, Centia recognized that Mother’s blessing truly began to overflow onto the battlefield.
Immediately afterward.
Beyond the seams of the overlapped spaces, Ramenta, the Guardian of the World Tree, appeared.
