Chapter 242
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 242
Chapter Title: The Fall of the Sky Fortress
The gradual descent of the Sky Fortress's altitude was observed more accurately from outside the fortress itself than from within.
Dordol of Nuribarak could also witness the sight from the bridge.
"...Did they plan for this?"
Dordol quickly spoke to Kajuu at the Rasdasil Coastal Fortress.
-Kajuu...?
Kajuu, who had climbed atop the coastal fortress's battery to visually survey the shoreline, responded.
-Dordol? The coastal batteries are fully prepared for firing. I can see the Empire's naval fleet heading north as well.
-That's not it.
-Then?
Kajuu and Dordol had faced each other on the same battlefield in the same era even before becoming apostles, so there was no formality between them.
Dordol said,
-You need to evacuate and abandon the coastal fortress right now.
-What do you mean?
Kajuu asked back.
-I don't know what exactly will happen, but if we empty this fortress, we won't be able to stop the enemy landings. Absolutely.
-You're right about that.
Dordol said,
-But it's as good as already happened. So we need to minimize the damage.
-As good as already happened? The fortress is solid.
-Not anymore. ...Look to the eastern sky, Kajuu.
With those words, Kajuu raised his head.
And he immediately shed his skeptical attitude toward Dordol's words, issuing an evacuation order to the entire fortress.
He even commanded them to abandon all supplies in the coastal fortress and depart with only minimal personal firearms.
Over the eastern sky of the Rasdasil coast, the Sky Fortress was slowly plummeting.
Alma Alloi stood before the fading power source of the Sky Fortress.
This power source was embedded deep in the fortress's foundation in a doughnut shape, emitting a faint glow, composed of tens of thousands of intricately varied parts.
It was a sophisticated machine, but without mystical knowledge, one could not logically comprehend its connection to keeping the Sky Fortress afloat in the sky.
In fact, the Union Kingdom's mystics knew only how to partially utilize this Sky Fortress power source; they lacked the ability to apply its technologies elsewhere.
Around the Fifth Apostle of the Wrathful One, Alma Alloi, Union Kingdom mystics in white uniforms bustled about.
The Union Kingdom viewed the use of magic as employing the peculiar powers of demons and prohibited it except for specially permitted individuals.
However, they had not neglected exploration and research into magic and ancient ruins.
The Union Kingdom's mystics were mages who did not use magic.
After much time and effort unraveling ancient technologies and deciphering the principles of magic, the mystics had devised a way to halt the Sky Fortress.
Alma said,
"Are we really crashing?"
The chief mystic replied,
"Yes. Everything is proceeding as expected. In a few minutes, the Sky Fortress will come down right over the Rasdasil Coastal Fortress."
It was not free fall.
The Sky Fortress's power source had not completely shut down even at the end.
Thanks to that, the descent speed was being maintained at an appropriate level.
Even at this speed, it would produce the results the Union Kingdom anticipated.
The chief mystic said,
"It's time to move now. The Sky Fortress won't shatter completely, but..."
When the Wrathful One first commanded Alma to crash the Sky Fortress, Alma had clumsily opposed the order.
Of course, Alma thought the Wrathful One's plan was beautiful.
Everything fit together perfectly, as if premeditated.
No matter how the Empire tried to block the Sky Fortress, its sheer mass would allow it to slide effortlessly to the seas off Rasdasil.
And then, drop the Sky Fortress brazenly to destroy the Empire's coastal fortress.
Once the coastal fortress was destroyed, the Union Kingdom's warships would push back the Empire's fleet, buying time for the transport fleet to dock at the coast.
The Empire poured much time into fortifying the coastal fortress, and beyond the coast to the Rasdasil ruins, there are only hastily dug trench positions.
The Empire had ample time to let the fortress soldiers escape unscathed, but the Union Kingdom had countermeasures for that as well.
On the Sky Fortress's surface and underground passages existed buffer zones using Duduba rubber, meticulously calculated to withstand the crash from within.
Non-combat personnel would evacuate via escape airships before the crash, but two full legions of large-scale forces were already inside the Sky Fortress.
Alma was confident the Empire—and the Empire's pantheon—had not properly grasped their presence.
They would disembark the Sky Fortress and advance straight toward the Rasdasil ruins.
The controlled descent speed of the Sky Fortress was for that reason.
But the Union Kingdom's capital... will collapse.
Though some shock-buffered areas existed, most of the Sky Fortress's buildings and facilities would absorb the impact fully.
The mystics assessed the probability of the Sky Fortress rising back into the sky after such an impact at around 20% with current technology.
Even if they won this war, the Union Kingdom would suffer the great loss of its capital.
...As long as we win this war.
Alma said,
"I'll move. There's not much time left until the crash, and there seem to be many still remaining. This area isn't equipped with buffers, is it?"
"We haven't fully understood the Sky Fortress's power source yet. According to our theory, ancient artifacts often reactivate just before complete destruction, and this Sky Fortress may recover power right before impact. We must leave a minimal crew."
The implication was clear.
Without buffers, they would take the full brunt of the crash. Unless extraordinarily lucky, many mystics would die.
But Alma felt no sentimentality.
If he did, he wouldn't be standing here now.
Alma passed the chief mystic on his way to the prepared airship passage.
"Good luck."
"Victory to the Wrathful One."
Airships rose from the plummeting Sky Fortress.
One side consisted of the Union Kingdom's transport ships hidden at the rear of the Sky Fortress, while the other featured the Empire's airships led by the Thunderclap. As Ramin and his group operated the thrusters, the unit that had belatedly breached was departing again.
Ramin, aboard the Thunderclap, looked down below.
"The wind is blowing fiercely."
As he said, a relentless gale whipped at Ramin's hood and hair from the airship's railing, which merely rose without propulsion.
"Well, with a massive rock like that falling..."
Owen, beside him, shook his head.
"That's not it."
"Pardon?"
Gorgota, listening alongside Ramin, didn't immediately grasp the meaning.
But a noticeable change soon appeared.
Fierce winds began swirling over the Sky Fortress's surface, sweeping up debris into visible whirlwinds observable with the naked eye.
The whirlwinds gradually expanded from narrow areas.
Anyone could tell this was no ordinary wind.
"But that alone can't do much to such a huge landmass..."
Owen clicked his tongue and said,
"Have patience and wait. You'll see what Lord Yacheon is about to do."
Ramin, about to chide him, understood Owen's intent.
The initial massive wind was merely one of many whirlwinds to come.
Long, pillar-like whirlwinds rose into the sky, ferociously rotating and eroding the Sky Fortress's surface.
It wasn't just the upper areas.
Whirlwinds laden with seawater began rising from the Rasdasil coast, pounding the sandy shores with waves.
Like pillars propping it up, they gnawed at the underside of the Sky Fortress, and the friction alone caused the edges of its foundational ground to crumble into the sea.
One massive thruster attached to the edge plunged into the ocean, sending up enormous sprays of water.
The whirlwinds scraped the Sky Fortress's surface with clear malice, ensnaring belatedly fleeing airships and crumpling them like paper.
Lightning began flashing, igniting everything flammable on the surface. The winds fanned the flames, which eagerly consumed the ground.
Yet it still seemed insufficient.
The Sky Fortress resembled a colossal landmass hurled by the Wrathful One. Having floated in the void for thousands of years, it now plummeted as if created solely to smash into the ground.
"Brace for impact!"
At the shout of the Thunderclap's captain, Floy Tansen, those on deck gripped the nearby railings.
The Sky Fortress struck the Empire's coastal fortress.
To Ramin, the surreal scene made it seem as if the Sky Fortress sank frictionlessly into the earth, about to vanish.
But denying Ramin's illusion, soil and debris erupted from the contact point between the Sky Fortress and the coastal fortress.
The surging dust cloud temporarily obscured the Sky Fortress.
A high priest rushed over and spoke to Floy.
Floy nodded and shouted,
"Lord Yacheon commands it—we head straight for the Rasdasil ruins!"
Ramin watched the whirlwinds swaying from atop the Thunderclap.
A narrow, dark place.
A fully sealed corridor made of cold metal that let in not even a sliver of light—an Imperial Navy soldier walked through and opened the door.
The burly troll corporal saluted immediately upon opening the door.
"Lord Tulbo, our fleet will soon arrive off Rasdasil!"
The Eighth Apostle of the Pantheon, Tulbo, looked up from his focused work and turned.
Removing his goggles, Tulbo said to the corporal,
"Is that so? What about the coastal fortress?"
"...Regrettably, the coastal fortress was completely destroyed by the falling Sky Fortress."
"Ah, that's too bad."
"Fortunately, most of the personnel inside managed to evacuate."
"...The gods must be deeply troubled."
"So they must be expecting our performance, I think."
Tulbo smiled at those words.
"Yes! Exactly. They can't do without our heroics."
With that, Tulbo nodded and spoke into the electroscope leading directly to the ship's bridge.
"Captain!"
It wasn't the standard way to use an electroscope, but no one would tell an apostle otherwise.
The captain soon replied.
"Yes, Lord Tulbo."
"How far until we strike the enemy?"
"Almost there. In about 10 minutes, we'll be 'directly beneath' the enemy fleet."
Tulbo nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Then we'll surface 'above the water' at that moment. I need to show the enemy what I've prepared."
"Understood."
Tulbo ended the communication contentedly.
The ship Tulbo was on was no ordinary warship.
This warship had been built in a secret shipyard long hidden in the Empire's undersea caves, known to only a few in the Empire.
Tulbo called this vessel that could submerge below the surface, remaining hidden while sailing, a submarine.