Chapter 245: 42nd Floor: The Redwin Kingdom
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 245: 42nd Floor: The Redwin Kingdom
Crack... crackle...
I awoke to the sound of something burning.
The first thing I saw were castle walls that looked as if they’d been bombed, crumbling alongside dilapidated buildings.
Nearby, I could see soldiers who looked like they were from a medieval fantasy, their faces blackened with soot.
There was no hope in their eyes.
As I stood there blankly, unsure of what to do, a group approached me.
It was a man in robes who looked to be a high-ranking mage, along with his subordinates.
"Are you the mercenary we were expecting...? No, I must be mistaken. You should evacuate immediately. It's dangerous here."
"Huh?"
The man, who looked like a high-ranking battlemage with red hair, gestured for me to leave, his tone laced with concern. He looked like he was about to press some money into my hand if I just stood there.
'Looks like they've got the wrong idea...'
I was dressed in plain, comfortable, modern clothes.
Seeing my soft, curvy figure, he must have mistaken me for a non-combatant. He was now looking around, muttering, "I was sure this was the place..."
The mercenary who was supposed to come here.
No matter how I looked at it, that had to be me.
Just as I was wondering how to explain the situation, which was similar to the 41st Floor,
[Ding~]
[Defend the kingdom against the Empire's invasion.]
The objective for this Trial arrived.
The theme of the 42nd Floor was 'Large-Scale War.'
It was a floor where I had to be summoned to the losing side, turn the tide of battle, and achieve victory.
'My favorite kind of Trial.'
Not exactly mindless... but all I had to do was fight well.
That meant there was no need to hide my power.
"No. I am that mercenary."
"Hmm... Are you all right, child? Did you hit your head?"
He looked at me with concern.
"Eh...?"
That was not the response I was expecting.
I guess I'd have to show them for them to believe me. Right now.
'Equip item.'
Whirrrr— Clank!
I donned the Arcane Power Suit.
The suit of over-technology wrapped around my body with a series of clicks and whirs.
Its molecular structure linked together piece by piece, and the suit began to glow with the wild flow of mana from its auxiliary power source. Of course, I left off the stuffy helmet.
And over it all, I released my divine power.
Wooooong... Fwaaah!!
A pink divine power spread out far and wide.
Then, I cast the Wave of Healing skill, stacking it multiple times.
The nearby wounded soldiers all recovered from their injuries, and those who had reached a certain level of mastery realized what kind of being I was.
“My wounds are healed!”
“I was on the verge of death… and it was this easy?”
"Gasp... Th-this power!!!"
"It's a miracle!!!"
A miracle.
For a being with as much divine power as me, even casually casting a skill looked like a miracle.
"Is this proof enough?"
"...I have been rude, judging you by your appearance. Welcome."
I had only changed into my combat suit and shown a fraction of my power, yet they believed me without question.
In fact, now they were watching me cautiously.
"What should we call you, esteemed one...?"
The red-haired mage who had first misunderstood me asked, an awkward expression on his face.
"You can call me Lee Do-hee."
I held out my hand, and he took it.
"We're counting on you, Lady Do-hee."
*
I followed them into a large tent.
“You've returned, Your Majesty!!”
'Eh... Your Majesty? The king himself came to greet me?'
He was dressed like he'd just come from battle, so I thought he was just one of the high-ranking mages, but he's the king?
“Ah, I haven't introduced myself to you, Lady Do-hee. I am Draka Ignis, King of the Redwin Kingdom and a 7th-Circle Mage.”
'Oh... so the king is also the top mage?'
A king using honorifics for a mere mercenary? That's not easy, no matter how virtuous a person he is. This Trial seems like it'll be worth fighting in.
“First, allow me to explain the current situation.”
But the state of the war was worse than I'd thought.
“In the month since the Voltia Empire declared war, most of our castles have fallen.”
'The Voltia Empire... you again.'
This empire was notorious for being a particularly vile nation that often appeared in the Trials. The detention center I was trapped in on the 11th Floor was also a Voltia Empire facility.
The king brought out a large map and drew an X over half of the Redwin Kingdom.
“The Empire's new weapons are a perfect counter to us. You could call them the pinnacle of magical engineering. To be frank, our mages are struggling greatly against them.”
The Empire was said to have developed its magical engineering to the extreme.
Against their magical engineering guns that fired bullets made of mana stones and their magical engineering cannons, not only the regular soldiers but even the mages were powerless.
But this wasn't the biggest reason the kingdom was being pushed back so helplessly on the front lines.
Mana Suppression.
They developed a substance that suppresses mana when inhaled, much like Dispersing Qi Poison, and they scatter it like dust.
They lay it out like traps or load it into cannons and fire it to neutralize nearby mages.
Mages below the 5th Circle can't move their mana at all, and even 7th-Circle mages can't use half of their usual magical power.
On top of that, the Empire has mobilized a million soldiers for the invasion.
They neutralize the mages, then overwhelm the battlefield with superior weapons and numbers.
They couldn't even dream of a pitched battle, and in sieges, they would just get pummeled by long-range artillery until they surrendered.
And that wasn't all.
The advancement of magical engineering had succeeded in the mass production of artificial Swordmasters.
Of course, they were far inferior to true Swordmasters who had reached their level through normal means, but their defense and Aura were nearly identical.
'Damn... Mass-produced Swordmasters.'
There weren't many due to cost issues, but they were still a formidable force.
The Redwin Kingdom was known as a holy land for mages, possessing an overwhelming magical corps specializing in flame magic, but it had crumbled before the Empire's technology.
But it was fine.
Because now, I was here.
“We are the last remaining kingdom on this continent. The situation was desperate, but thanks to you, we now see a glimmer of hope.”
“That's right. When this guy said he was going to hand over all the royal treasures to the Eastern Continent, I wanted to smack him on the back of the head.”
“We were even considering surrender… This is a relief.”
“Hahaha!! Let's give those Empire bastards a taste of their own medicine!”
“Now it's our turn to counterattack!!”
Everyone's faces lit up.
Hope had finally come to this place of despair.
But just then, I felt something flying toward us.
“Huh? Everyone, prepare your defensive barriers!”
"Ah, it's all right. We also have thorough preparations with our defensive magic circle—"
BOOM!!!
With a deafening explosion, the entire tent vaporized.
'You said you had a defensive magic circle!!!'
I couldn't even argue. The one who'd said it was already blown to pieces.
The power of the artillery was stronger than I'd expected.
It was on par with a modern tank; a single shot scorched a 10-meter radius.
And it wasn't just one shot.
Dozens of shells rained down from the sky.
The castle walls crumbled under the bombardment, and the inside of the castle was instantly devastated.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!!!
Most of those who had just been speaking of hope were killed instantly, and the soldiers I had healed outside were turned to ash.
"......"
“Kuh… Shtetal was supposed to be maintaining the defensive magic circle, so why…”
All the civilian officials were dead. The king and a few high-ranking mages barely managed to block the artillery and regain their senses.
“Lady Do-hee… I'm counting on you.”
“Yes, the magic circle was breached, right? You go check on that. I'll take care of the enemy.”
It was only natural. There was no way a failing kingdom wouldn't have a traitor.
'You picked the wrong side.'
I didn't know who it was, but now that I was here, I would turn this war into a victory.
THUD!!
I kicked off the ground and leaped high into the sky.
I could see the magical artillery shells flying from a distance.
'The destructive power is so immense, it's a wonder the mages held out this long.'
It wouldn't be surprising to say the Empire's technology was already at the level of the mid-1900s.
“But you picked the wrong opponent.”
Finding the origin point of shells breaking the sound barrier high in the sky was a piece of cake.
[Meteor Spear]
A pink streak was drawn across the sky.
In an instant, I flew dozens of kilometers with my spear and fell right onto the enemy's artillery position.
A fall like a meteor.
KWAAAAAANG!!!
The magical engineering cannons were smashed to bits, and the surrounding area was decimated.
“Wh-what was that that just flew in?!”
“Is it a mage? Throw the mana suppression grenades!”
The soldiers tried firing mana suppression grenades, but my power was divine, not mana. And even if it were mana, it wouldn't have mattered.
[Holy Arrow]
I summoned hundreds of arrows imbued with pink divine power in the air and rained them down on those who had survived the blast.
Fwoosh-fwoosh-fwoosh-fwoosh!!
“Wh-what is th— Gyaaaah!”
“R-run!”
The Imperial soldiers fell one after another. The magical artillery unit the Empire had been so proud of was wiped out in an instant.
“Next.”
I didn't stop there.
When I'd looked at the map earlier, the battlefield stretched for hundreds of kilometers.
'I'll do the work of sixteen people all by myself.'
I spread my divine power wide to sense the enemy.
I detected all sorts of Imperial forces: support units, infantry divisions, and more.
'There's a crazy number of them.'
I sensed a massive encampment nearby, where tens of thousands of combat troops were gathered.
Pang!
I shot high into the sky.
[Meteor Spear Fall]
My spear plummeted toward it.
As of today, the tide of this war had turned.
*
A short time later.
In a conference room for high-ranking Imperial officials.
The room was located some distance from the front lines.
“Reports are flooding in from all sides. What in the world is that thing?”
They were watching video footage of Lee Do-hee.
Lee Do-hee, wearing the Arcane Power Suit.
She was practically flying, literally pulverizing the Empire's main forces and strongholds in the blink of an eye.
“Does… this even make sense?”
"......"
A single spear she threw caused a massive explosion, killing thousands in one go.
And it wasn't even an ultimate move. As if she had mana to spare, she was using it wantonly all over the place.
Watching the scene, someone spoke their honest thoughts.
“It looks like a messenger of God delivering punishment.”
Thump!
“Don't be ridiculous! There are no gods anymore. Hasn't that been scientifically proven?”
“Well… upon measuring the power output, it was determined that she is not a mana user. The readings indicate she uses divine power.”
“Damn it!! The pseudo-religions will start acting up again. Keep this information secure!"
Until recently, the Empire had brutally suppressed religion.
They had branded the leaders of famous religions as heretics, executed them, and forcibly administered aphrodisiacs to saintesses and priestesses, turning them into pornographic actresses.
But now, for a divine power user to appear again—doesn't that completely contradict the Empire's claim that the gods have abandoned this continent?
And the sight of Lee Do-hee plunging her spear toward them felt like divine punishment being delivered.
'This must never be made public. The very foundation of the Empire could be shaken.'
Vermouth Oriant.
As the supreme commander of this war, he decided to strictly ensure this information never leaked out.
They then held a meeting to discuss how to deal with Lee Do-hee, but no answer came to them.
The most realistic method they could come up with was,
“Gather the Swordmasters in one place, set an ambush, and launch a surprise attack. If we use mana-shielding technology, she won't be able to detect them either.”
“Damn it, those Redwin Kingdom bastards, who the hell did they bring in...? Prepare the detailed operation.”
And so, the Empire's bloody efforts to capture Lee Do-hee began.
"We must capture her. There can be no obstacles in our Empire's path!"
THUD!!
The supreme commander slammed his fist on the desk, his eyes burning with fierce determination.