Free Web NovelChapter 450: Chapter 447: Stop, Down There It’s All...
Five great pillars held the heavens, the sky a vast and empty jade.
From the airship’s viewport, the scene below was starkly clear. The shattered ruins of the fortress, its ramparts scaled by giant trees and tentacles—the monsters—were all laid bare. As the black, viscous fluid receded, it revealed people, barely breathing, and remains that had merged with the mud, a tangled, piecemeal mess of flesh and bone.
The Empire had deployed all its frontline devices, and the bomber craft escorting the five airships that carried them formed an imposing fleet. If Valois had possessed an air force, the Empire would have suffered catastrophic losses. Conversely, if the Empire had been willing to bomb, Moncado Fortress, already twice-devastated, could have been wiped from the face of the earth.
Yet, neither side made a move.
Judging from the situation below, the Technician Chief guessed his mission was complete. He still didn’t know the identity or purpose of the Great Mage threatening him, only that the large hand on his shoulder remained, as firm as ever.
’Should I try a sneak attack?’ The Technician Chief had been through the ordeal of a Forbidden Magic Domain more than once. Combined with his own mediocre abilities, he found it easy to adapt to the absence of Magic Power.
His small eyes behind his spectacles began to dart restlessly toward his right rear, his right hand simultaneously reaching for his gun holster.
"Without my command, don’t move," came the deep, steady voice. At the same time, Humboldt’s large hand pressed down, and the chief felt as if he were about to be driven through the floor. His peripheral vision registered a broad, muscular body. ’Ah, a Natural Mage ought to have the muscles and strength of a bear. Now *that’s* what I call robust!’
The technocrat compared this to his own paltry strength—not even enough to truss a chicken—and immediately gave up. ’Never mind, then. Whatever the Master says, goes.’
Seeing the man’s compliance, Humboldt asked, "Will anyone be bursting into the command room shortly?"
"Usually not. After the Forbidden Magic pulse, all facilities on the airship that require Magic Power have to be switched to their non-Magic backup systems. We also have to be on guard for enemy attacks, so this is the busiest time for the crew."
He paused. "However, it would be best if you let me issue some routine orders. That way, they’ll know the command room is still operational, and it’ll ensure everyone has something to do so my assistant doesn’t return here."
Humboldt agreed with his reasoning. After finding out what orders were available, he had the chief select some and broadcast them one by one to the airship fleet. The Technician Chief got busy again. As a temporary commander, he wasn’t yet familiar with the controls and fumbled about. Levers were pulled and buttons were pressed. The mechanical structures ground against each other, a mix of pneumatic and electric systems that produced a series of shrill noises.
Once he was ready, the chief pulled the brass-cased microphone in front of him. His voice traveled through copper pipes and across a diaphragm: "Flagship 201 to all units, report status." The sound was then converted into radio waves by an electrified diaphragm and broadcast to the other airships.
This was radio technology the Empire had reverse-engineered from captured equipment, though they had gone down a strange path in developing it. They still didn’t have a clear grasp of the relationship between band, frequency, and transmission distance, and their anti-jamming technology was poor. However, it was perfectly adequate for internal communications within the airship formation, where the ships were close and separated only by open air.
"202 all clear..." "All clear..."
At first, the Technician Chief’s broadcast made Humboldt a little tense, but he quickly calmed down. The chief was indeed just making routine calls and hadn’t alerted anyone to the anomaly in the command room.
When the basic operational procedures were complete, the chief wiped the sweat from his forehead. A quarter of an hour had passed since the last pulse. Based on experience, the ambient Magic Power would "flow back in" within a few more minutes, reaching a level that would allow Casters to perform.
He was suddenly struck by a bold idea. "Sir, I implore you... allow me to issue one final order—to bomb the fortress."
Humboldt was silent for a moment. "Let’s hear it."
"You see, the Empire has mobilized its entire frontline airship force. This is a matter of grave importance, and a lowly Technician Chief like me can’t bear the responsibility..." His face gradually twisted into an ugly grimace, perhaps in the hope that his miserable expression would arouse the man’s sympathy.
"You really picked a hell of a time to hijack this airship, right when I’m in charge of testing its new technology. The others don’t even know what’s happened! If you could let me lead the formation to some kind of military achievement, I’ll have an easier time explaining myself when I get back. Sir, you see, I’ve completed your mission..."
The airship had just completed its refit. The main updates included replacing the lifting gas with the "safe lightweight gas" provided by Rorschach, installing Basic Level electrical systems as a backup for Forbidden Magic conditions, and upgrading the energy storage equipment to increase the charge-discharge efficiency of the Forbidden Magic Device. This was why the Technician Chief was temporarily serving as commander.
It was the usual sob story about having a family to feed. If he returned empty-handed, he would surely face a court-martial...
Despite being watched with an earnest, hopeful gaze by the Technician Chief, Humboldt’s main attention remained fixed on the fortress itself. Suddenly, a clear and vibrant "wave" of energy erupted from the edge of the shattered stronghold. It spread with a speed rivaling Mother Earth’s earlier incursion, but this radiance brought with it the hope of life.
At the same time, the Master felt that he could once again manipulate the ambient Magic Power, which meant the Mages below could now begin Casting.
Since that was the case, Humboldt agreed to the Technician Chief’s request, but with additional conditions: "You must drop one bomb as a test first, only then can you begin the bombardment. Second, you are absolutely forbidden from telling anyone I was here."
"Thank you, Sir! Your conditions are perfectly reasonable..."
...
「A short time earlier.」
Deryats looked up at the shadows cast by the airships. At this moment, She was merely an avatar. In the face of the pulse, all Her divine form could do was gather Her power as best She could, sacrificing the majority to preserve a tiny core.
Her beautiful form was now covered in woody cracks, like the bark of an ancient tree. With stiff, difficult effort, She wrenched Her head from its upward gaze back to level. Mother Earth’s infiltration had stopped, and the evil, filthy aura had vanished completely.
Deryats murmured, "He was right. The age of Divine Spirits truly ends now."
She saw the still-unconscious people, their faces contorted in pain, and made a final decision. "Since my current power comes from you, I shall now return a portion of it."
A brilliant light burst from the gaps between the woody cracks. The last of this avatar’s essential Divine Power was fully released, bestowing the Divine Spirit’s healing upon all in the fortress and city who still drew breath. The price was the dissolution of this avatar.
"Ugh..." Rorschach climbed out from the ruins. Having been bathed for a moment in the last of Deryats’s avatar’s essence, he had recovered significantly. The initial sensation was one of comfort, but it was quickly followed by an aching fatigue that spread through his entire body.
"The Empire’s attack is what saved everyone." Kano pulled Rorschach up, a wry smile on his face.
"I don’t think it’s that simple... They certainly didn’t come here to do charity work." Poincare eyed the fleet of airships that blotted out the sun with suspicion.
A heavy aerial bomb fell, exploding in the center of the fortress.
"Damn it, just as I thought! That was a probing attack! A large-scale bombing will be next!" The recovering Casters cursed as they began preparing magical defenses and counterattacks.
Immediately after, a cluster of bombs detonated above the fortress, completely engulfing its main structure in a sea of fire.
"I advise you to stop. This is far enough." Humboldt confirmed that the subsequent bombs had all been blocked and offered a well-intentioned reminder: "There are at least three Great Mages down there, along with a number of other Casters. Once they’ve recovered, you won’t be able to escape." ’That mysterious lady... she’s even stronger than a typical Great Mage! But the Technician Chief doesn’t need to know details like that.’
"Huh?" While the chief was still stunned, an airship on the fleet’s perimeter was struck down by a mysterious force.
"Return to base! All units, full power maneuvers! Go—RUN—!" The Communication System filled with a heart-rending scream. The Technician Chief’s cracking voice, layered with staticky electronic noise, echoed among the panicking, scattered airship formation.
