Chapter 197
Chapter 197
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 197
Chapter Title: Operation: Ant-Man (3)
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Shiiiiiik.
It wasn't completely silent, but with a sound that wasn't too jarring, Kai and Rokan, now reduced to a mere dot, dropped down toward Hushkan.
The troll hunters had grown tense from the shadow earlier, but none of them spotted the pair.
They just figured the sun had been briefly obscured by a cloud and returned to their tasks, oblivious to the storm their momentary lapse would unleash.
'Good.'
The initial infiltration had succeeded, but even Rokan wasn't entirely at ease. Kai boasted impressive speed even in his shrunken state, but the effect would last only until the "Legend Rider" buff expired.
Riding Kai, Rokan had used skills like Storm Incarnation and Red Meteor. While not all effects transferred, Kai had been influenced by them. Thinking in reverse, Rokan had absorbed Kai's skill through "Empathy."
Kai, not yet level 250, couldn't easily affect a master-level Rokan on his own. But with the Legend Rider effect, things changed. During its duration, as the legendary Great Peng, Kai could freely expand and contract in size alongside Rokan.
As a result, no one in Hushkan detected their presence.
"Strengthen all defenses! Those damned humans are heading this way!"
Moments later, a troll burst out and shouted.
Not because he'd spotted Rokan. He'd detected human forces marching toward them.
It could have been elite squads moving in small units, but more likely, it was class expert-level forces following at timed intervals.
Anticipating this, Rokan could fly even more freely. The trolls were reinforcing defenses outward, toward the walls, not inward.
'Lower. Use cover and concealment.'
But priority one was the shortest route, with cover and concealment.
Fortunately, the inner keep was focused on monitoring human movements via the magic screen and watching the battle at the Goblin Citadel Hirita.
Plenty of powerful beings lurked inside, stronger than outside, but the distractions made their vigilance lax, allowing Rokan's infiltration with ridiculous ease.
No surprise—he'd gone straight for his target at full speed.
The lord's chamber.
The room where all authority over the fortress converged.
[You have entered the Hushkan Lord's Chamber.]
[Destroy the 'Hall of Dominion' located in the Lord's Chamber to seize administrative rights over Hushkan Fortress.]
The way to capture a stronghold: destroy the Hall of Dominion in the lord's chamber.
The problem? The Hall had its own health bar, and depending on reinforcements, smashing it took considerable time. Plus, the fortress's strongest foe—the lord himself—guarded it. The moment combat started, the lord's minions would rush in one after another.
For an "intruder," choices were needed: maximize attack power to smash the Hall, or methodically eliminate the lord and knights to achieve the goal.
Rokan's choice was obvious.
"Kai!"
Boosting Kai's speed further, Rokan sent a command via [Empathy].
He leaped off Kai's back toward the Hall of Dominion.
"Argh!"
Whoosh.
The instant contact with Kai ended, Rokan's size reverted to normal.
Hushkan's lord reacted immediately to his appearance. The creature, who had been monitoring the human advance and Hirita's war progress on a magic screen in one corner like the other executives, hurriedly moved toward the Hall.
His signature weapon, the "Bow of Neural Command," was already in hand.
"Ugh!"
Screech!
But he couldn't draw the bowstring at Rokan. A massive bird form filled the room and overflowed before his eyes.
Body Manipulation.
With the Legend Rider effect nearly expired, Kai reverted to his original Great Peng size. At full charging speed.
KABOOM!
Crashing through the room and still growing, Kai slammed into the lord, pinned him, and hurled them both outside the fortress.
"Arrrrgh!"
The lord couldn't cope with the sudden impact, vomiting blood, but instinctively grabbed Kai's feathers to survive. If Kai took flight again, he'd cling on.
Screech! Scree!
Sizzle.
"......!"
Unfortunately, Kai's transformation timed out right then.
From Great Peng to Vitality Big Bird, then using Body Manipulation to shrink to hawk size. The Hushkan lord, clutching only a few feathers, plummeted to the ground.
"Light Slash."
Meanwhile, Rokan's cleaving strike hit the Hall of Dominion.
Normally, it'd take a pounding, but who was Rokan? When it came to power and destructive force, he was confident even against high masters.
No Berserk or Storm Incarnation, but infiltrating the lord's chamber had put the entire fortress's trolls on 'combat alert,' triggering the overlapping effects of Tyrant and Man-Slayer titles. Terrifying energy gathered in his battle axe.
"Heh, done."
CRACK!
He barely needed time to destroy the Hall.
Rokan hammered it relentlessly, no mercy, and soon the result appeared.
Destruction of the Hall of Dominion. Hushkan territory—the trolls' frontline stronghold, famed as impregnable—fell to a single stealthy infiltration.
[You have destroyed the Hall of Dominion in Hushkan territory.]
[You have acquired ownership of Hushkan territory.]
[You can now use the Territory Window to manage Hushkan territory.]
[A new Hall of Dominion will be generated.]
[All other races inside Hushkan Fortress are expelled.]
[Other races cannot seize ownership of Hushkan Fortress for the next 1 hour.]
"Perfect."
Everything went as planned.
Even in his past life, wars had ended absurdly like this more than a few times.
Usually via ambushes from stealth and mobility specialists, or betrayal from spies hidden in the inner keep before war even started.
Eventually patched by the system or users tightening defenses, but early on, when war concepts were weak, it worked often.
"Territory Window. Hushkan Fortress."
Rokan reaped huge gains. All other races inside were booted out. Not all to one spot—scattered randomly, distances varied, maximum chaos.
'Timed it well.'
And one more thing: sticky traps ready to glue their ankles in place.
[High Master Talaran has initiated combat.]
The high masters and masters, scattered like buckshot.
Lower tiers, unless support, would just hinder, so attached to the main force follow-up.
They pounced on the trolls, clueless and flung outside the fortress.
"Self-destruct would be nice."
Meanwhile, Rokan manipulated the territory management window.
Self-destruct would wipe them clean, but sadly, only rare territories had it.
"Withdraw territory funds."
Instead, he chose another way. Sweeping all accumulated funds was just the start.
"Sell, sell, sell, sell......"
He sold off all major defensive facilities.
Defense would weaken, but no matter. Kanzantia's forces alone couldn't fully devour Hushkan anyway. Better to set up the next assault for ease.
Rokan didn't overestimate human strength; he knew the best he could do within limits.
"No, keep this for now, sell that one."
Couldn't sell the walls themselves or downgrade reinforced ones, but as lord, he could dismantle internal facilities or sell some defenses at 1/5 price.
That alone would gut troll defenses if they retook it.
"Now, fireworks to finish."
Having sold most sellable facilities and gear, Rokan made a final investment. Hired a few special-role soldiers and placed them at remaining defenses.
Catapults and ballistae.
Inferior to dwarven ones, but plenty of ammo stockpiled inside. Rokan used it lavishly.
Not at trolls rushing from outside the walls. Aimed low at the 'walls' themselves.
Whooosh. BOOM!
Catapults and ballistae pounded Hushkan's walls from inside.
Heavily reinforced, they withstood a few hits, but relentless barrage cracked them, punched holes, caused collapses.
"Don't stop! Faster, more!"
This was a time race.
Talaran and Delas's guerrilla units hunted elites and tied ankles, but trolls charging madly would scale walls soon enough.
No ownership seizure for 1 hour, but that was ownership only. Occupy fully, wait out the hour, seize anytime.
Knowing this, Rokan pounded the walls nonstop.
"Bombardment!"
BOOM!
Even pitching in personally to smash walls.
Amusingly, it yielded unexpected bonuses.
"Krraaak!"
"G-grab me!"
THUD!
While some forces obsessed over the gates, climbing trolls lost grip from vibrations, plummeting.
Some lost minor health, others snapped necks to near-death, worst cases died.
'No fall damage reduction? Makes sense.'
THUD! THUD! THUD! BOOM!
After pounding inside and out, the gates finally breached. Trolls, orc-strong, melee types hammering unhindered—even reinforced gates couldn't hold long.
"Wh-what the—"
"You dog human bastard! What the hell did you do?!"
Horrified by the devastation before them. The once glorious, sturdy fortress interior now pathetic and barren. Rage, despair.
"Sell, sell, sell."
Confirming their inner keep entry, Rokan sold the catapults and ballistae too, hammering the final nail in their mentality.
"Heh! Thanks for the meal, bastards. Storm Incarnation!"
Cooldown up, summoned his red horse with Legend Rider, then charged their dazed center for a slaughter festival.