Chapter 410: I’m Glad. Light Kiyoung has descended (1) |
A cleverly crafted trap. I didn’t know how much of Castle Rock they were trying to conquer, but I couldn’t help but curse. Of course, I knew this wasn’t the best situation for the enemy either, and I was sure they were in a hurry as well. I was sure he had wanted to cast the spell after sending as many troops as possible, but the plan was unfortunately ruined by unexpected variables. If I were Jin Cheong, I would have cast the spell after the stamina of the enemy forces was close to rock bottom.
This wasn’t the right time to cast that spell because the main unit was currently being surrounded by enemy forces, and the spell would cause a lot of damage to the allied forces as well. Once the spell was cast, the war could basically be considered over.
Of course, I wasn’t the only one who knew that.
I heard a commotion beneath me, and not long after, I felt a large wave of magic. I was sure the allies were creating a shield magic circle to block the enemy’s spell, but it was doubtful if a spell cast at the last minute could even block such a huge meteor.
At the same time, I finally realized why the enemy stayed in Castle Rock.
‘Is it because they were preparing all this?’
I wasn’t certain, but it was likely. They weren’t simply using Castle Rock as bait. Time and manpower were necessary to cast that kind of spell, so they had to have been prepared to cast the spell from the beginning—no, the moment I sent that message. I was sure the command center had a device that could cast and maintain that spell.
They limited the range so that their allied forces wouldn’t suffer that much damage, and the spell was pretty accurate as well, as long as there were coordinates to guide it. If we considered the possibility of errors coming up, then the spell was probably more complicated than the spell that fell on Laios.
I already knew the Republic had a lot of competent mages, but the ones who helped them with this spell were probably…
It was painfully obvious that it was the case. I also became sure that the spell was the reason behind Jin Cheong’s incessant messages about paying us back in our coin for what happened in Laois. I looked up at the meteor and used Mind’s Eye.
[Semi-Mythic Spell]
[Meteor]
‘Can we block it?’
I did have my Light Bomb Potion, but I didn’t think that a single Light Bomb Potion could stop that meteor in its tracks.
We could probably stop it if we were to chip away at the mana surrounding the meteor, then send in a Light Bomb Potion to intercept it. However, there wasn’t really any guarantee that it would succeed, but…
- That’s…
“As close as possible.”
But I had no choice but to do my best because I would lose everything I had achieved so far if that meteor crashed. While Dialugia was hesitating, a large shield magic circle started forming above the heads of the allied forces.
Booooooooooooooooooom!
A loud explosion reverberated. The shield magic that the main unit created was blocking the meteor, and although I had some expectations for a moment, all it did was delay the spell. The way it continued falling while pushing away the clouds was surreal. Not long after, I heard a loud crack, and the large shield shattered completely.
“Breath! Breath!” I yelled.
- I don’t know if it’ll be effective.
“It’s better than doing nothing,” I said.
Naturally, I thought it would be best to hit it with something. A large light shot out from Dialugia’s mouth. She had taken a deep breath after hearing my request. I leaned back as Dialugia shot her Breath toward the meteor. It was a scene out of the myths, but I wasn’t really happy when I saw it.
“Shit. It’s not enough…” I commented.
- I think it’s best if we dodge it. I’m sure we’ll be pulled in if we get any closer.
“No, let’s go up. We can stop it.”
- Are you being serious?
“I’m not certain, but I do have a way.”
- …
“Just fly up. Please…! You don’t trust me at all.”
- That’s because you’re not exactly a trustworthy person. I never had any trust in you, and I don’t think I’ll ever trust you.
Contrary to her words, Dialugia flew closer to the meteor, and during all this, the allied forces cast another shield magic, and the meteor struck another semi-transparent shield. I had some expectations, but the second one broke faster than the first one.
What the allied forces were doing was basically chipping away at the mana surrounding the spell, so the shields they had cast so far weren’t really useless. Unfortunately, shield magic would never be able to stop that meteor.
I looked at my right arm and saw the small shield Kim Hyun-Sung gave me.
[Incomplete Aegis’ Shield - Legendary Rank]
[The shield the god of the sky gave to the goddess of war. The shield is incomplete and fragmented. Perhaps it is because of the mana contained in the shield, but the shield is still functioning despite being just a fragment of a complete shield. Greatly increases basic magic resistance. Consume mana to summon the Incomplete Aegis’ Shield for a short time. The Incomplete Aegis’ Shield will always block critical attacks.]
‘Will this work?’
Apparently, the shield would always block critical attacks, but it was highly likely that it would only be able to block critical attacks below Legendary. Semi-Mythic spells were probably too much for it to handle.
When I thought about what happened in the Rift Museum, I couldn’t help but doubt if a small shield like this could actually stop a Semi-Mythic meteor.
‘It’s worth trying...’
“Use Breath one more time.”
- This is the last time.
“It doesn’t matter. We need to stop that thing first, and because this will be the last time, I want you to use all of your mana.”
- I was going to do that anyway.
Dialugia used Dragon’s Breath once more, and while her Breath was stalling the meteor, another shield magic circle manifested in the air. I wasn’t sure what was happening on the ground, but I was sure the allied mages were screaming, and some of them might even be coughing up blood like Jung Ha-Yan in Laios. I was sure it was the same for the mages who contributed to casting the meteor. It didn’t matter what would happen after all this because those mages would definitely be unable to cast spells for a while.
‘They’re probably at their limits...’
I didn’t have the luxury to look around, but I was curious about their condition.
- Is this really okay? Really? Do you have a plan?
The moment the third shield magic cast by the allied forces shattered, I ignored Dialugia and immediately shouted, “Aegis!”
A dazzling light was unleashed from the tiny shield, and it created a large shield in front of me. The effect was surprisingly grand, but I wasn’t sure if it could even last long against the meteor.
I raised the shield up, but it quickly cracked and shattered.
“Aegis! Aegis! Aegis!”
‘Always block critical attacks, my ass!’
The shield had consumed a tremendous amount of mana, and if I bought this item from someone else, then I would definitely return it to them.
- Any more and I’ll…!
“I got it, so move back! Back! Back away! Now!”
Craaaack! Craaaaaaack!
The large shield finally broke, and the heat that the meteor was generating made me feel like I was burning. Among the entire human race, I was sure that I was the only person who bravely tried to stop a meteor. Obviously, I was worried that I was going to die. Meanwhile, another shield from the allied forces covered the sky. It managed to stop the meteor for a moment before it continued falling to the ground.
‘I should probably continue chipping away at the mana powering it up.’
I thought it was a good idea, but there was no way I could do that. In the end, I retrieved two potions from my pockets and hurled them at the meteor.
“You tenacious bastard! Have a taste of the power of light! You scum!”
It would be nice if I could stop the meteor with just two potions, but I wasn’t sure if it would be enough.
Fwooooooooosh!
However, when a dazzling light engulfed my surroundings, I noticed that the light was gnawing the meteor away.
‘That’s right! Shit! That’s it! Keep going! You can do it!’
Whooooooooosh!
The potion was definitely effective because it enveloped a large part of the meteor before turning the entire meteor into a meteor of light. I wanted to stand up and dance, but I was having a difficult time moving while riding Dialugia, so all I could do was cheer at the fact that my assumption was correct.
However, a sudden astonishing change occurred in the meteor.
“Huh?”
The meteor split in half.
Boooooooooom!
The light completely enveloped one side, but it didn’t do that for the other side; it was ridiculous how that side continued falling toward the allied forces.
The other half of the meteor was completely covered in light, while the other half remained untouched as it kept on falling toward the allied forces.
“Dialugia! Breath! Breath! Breath!”
- I-I can’t… And my balance…! I’m falling! I’m falling!
“Shit! Shit!” I started cursing with a frown.
Fortunately, the untouched half of the meteor was split in half, and I could easily deduce the person who did that because he was the only one capable of such a feat.
‘Hyun-Sung! Shit! I knew you’d come through!’
However, I didn’t have the luxury to watch what was going to happen afterward because the Light Bomb Potion’s explosion sent a shockwave that broke Dialugia’s balance, sending her plummeting to the ground.
I grabbed onto her horns as strongly as I could, but I felt like I would lose my grip at any moment.
“Shit!”
- Hold on…!
Booooom!
“Cough! Cough! Cough! Diaugia! Dialugia! Are you alright?”
- I can bear it. Are you…
“I’m okay.”
‘What happened to the meteor?’
Strangely enough, the surroundings were quiet—no, the battlefield itself was quiet. Dialugia and I had fallen to the ground, and I could see soldiers staring at us in disbelief. I was sure that the shock rendered them speechless. I could totally understand their reaction because even I couldn’t believe that we managed to stop that meteor.
About half of what happened in Laois was fabricated, but a similar incident happened here on the battlefield, and we would also emerge victorious here. The specks of dust falling from the sky were glimmering, and they covered the entire army.
If I were a devout believer, then the sight would have been enough for me to kneel right there and then while shouting hallelujah.
“Benigoa’s comeback… It’s Benigoa’s comeback…!”
“It’s the comeback of the Goddess of Benigoa!”
‘The atmosphere isn’t so bad.’
I wasn’t expecting their reactions at all, but they reacted better than I thought.
‘It’s effective.’
The specks of dust falling from the sky created the perfect veil of light. The specks of dust created a curtain made out of light, and I was riding a dragon in the middle of all this. Even I couldn’t help but think that it was such a perfect scene. My legs were trembling after using mana beyond my limits, but my instincts were telling me to say something, so I cast voice amplification magic and spoke.
- Stop fighting! My dear Republicans!
Adrenaline coursed through my veins.
- Lower your weapons!
I knew it—I really enjoyed talking more than fighting on the battlefield.