Raid and Counterattack (4)
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“……”
Blake, the leader of the Clark faction, felt doubt creeping in about the battle outcome he was once so confident about.
Something was off.
The tide of war was flowing strangely.
He had certainly awakened all the warriors through [Pearl Moonlight], and had disrupted the enemy camp using the special magic of the Ludenark sect.
It should have been normal for the battle to end quickly and for successive victory reports to come in.
“Tol! The side area 3 is not breached! The shield-bearing humans and those Baratens are firmly holding their ground!”
“Tol! The front area 1, our initial entry point, has been annihilated! The total of 8 Lycan warriors who attempted the first ground entry have died! The enemy is said to be just 2 humans!”“Tol! A human riding a wolf has appeared! What is this…?!”
But strangely, instead of victory reports, news of allied forces struggling and even intermittent reports of defeat kept coming in.
It was strange.
Somehow, the tide of the war was turning the other way.
In terms of numbers, awakening, preemptive strike, strategy…
It shouldn’t have been possible for them to be creaking like this when they were ahead in every aspect.
“Dave!”
So Blake called out to the mastermind behind this plan.
Dave.
The vice-captain of the Ludenark sect, the one who empowered the Clark tribe and led them to victory in the great war.
He was still quietly watching the battlefield without showing his face.
“Don’t shout when I’m listening.”
“Dammit! How can I not shout when the plans are all crumbling?”
“……”
The plan of his, which seemed certain to lead this war to victory as well, was starting to crack.
The first plan was a dawn raid utilizing spies.
And an irregular attack through Ludenark’s [Land In] magic.
Even if Clark’s forces were discovered at the front, they wouldn’t be able to stop the sudden ambush from the ground.
That was the thinking behind the plan.
‘Do Jae-hyun….’
But the one who kept tackling Dave’s plans was Do Jae-hyun again.
The [Land In] magic requires a lot of magic and takes a heavy toll on the stamina of the Lycans deployed to the ground, so a special vanguard unit is dispatched.
A special force to deal with sentries and key enemy warriors.
That was the 8 Lycans from earlier.
But Do Jae-hyun arrived at the front as if he had expected the dawn battle, and instantly swept away 7 of the Lycans in the special force.
The remaining 1 had already been hunted down by a lone human mage who was on sentry duty.
Even after receiving the report and confirming the records, the result was unbelievable.
‘Angela’s not responding either.’
His subordinate who infiltrated the attack squad as a spy, informing them of how to enter <The City of the Estranged Wolves>, and was supposed to continuously report the situation after entering.
The defector, Angela, was also not responding.
Looking back at the overall situation, the probability was high that she had been exposed as a spy.
“Tol! The enemy’s defensive line is not easily breached!! The bastards are wearing armor like humans!”
“Damn it! Dave!!”
And here was the reason why the second plan crumbled as well.
[Pearl Moonlight] is a magic that forcibly raises the full moon, inducing the awakening of Lycans.
The reasoning behind using this magic, which would also awaken the Baraten side’s Lycans, was this,
When transformed into wolves, their form becomes focused on offense.
In any case, Baraten was currently being raided, and they were outnumbered compared to Clark, so they had no choice but to maintain a defensive line.
And the human form is more efficient for defense than the wolf form.
Clark intended to suppress and subdue the Baratens, who had no choice but to maintain their human forms, by leveraging the ability difference from the [Pearl Moonlight] awakening.
‘Lycan armor…’
But the armor worn by the Baraten Lycans was the problem.
The armors made specifically for Lycans showed an efficiency beyond imagination, solidifying their defenses.
As a result, even the fronts with only Lycans were not easily breached, and in areas where humans fought alongside them, Clark was actually being pushed back.
Dave had received reports related to this as well, but he never imagined those armors would have such capabilities and synergy.
“Aquilen.”
Dave called out to his subordinate, gritting his teeth.
As much as he disliked Blake and the incompetent Clark frantically chasing after him like babies, there was no choice but to find an alternative to win this war, since they had gone into this dungeon for that very purpose.
“Yes, Dave.”
“Where did Hwang Seong-yeon go?”
“He said he would fight the human Do Jae-hyun and left first. He should have arrived at the front area 1 by now.”
“…As selfish as ever.”
Dave clicked his tongue and moved his hands.
He took out some items from his magic bag.
A thick magic book and no less than 10 rings.
He put all 10 rings on his ten fingers.
Immediately, a vast amount of magic began pouring into his hands and body.
He lightly ground his teeth and told Aquilen, “Follow me. We’re joining the battle too.”
“Yes!”
If the magic and strategies utilizing Lycans were not working, the only remaining plan was for Ludenark to directly intervene in the war.
***
Ippotranslation
***
Kang Juyeon bit her lip and looked around.
Like all the allied forces that were ambushed, the situation in the left side area where she was located was especially bad.
‘There are no warriors…’
For starters, there weren’t many humans in this area.
As the ambush unfolded chaotically, the warriors were unable to gather together and remained in their respective areas… The only ones left in this area were Kang Juyeon, one from the assassin class, and Lee Soo-mi from the sacred class.
When there is a lack of personnel for rear support, they naturally fall behind in firepower.
There were some among the Lycan who could use magic, but unfortunately they were not present here.
‘…The enemy is too many.’
And quite coincidentally, the Lycan from the Clark side that ambushed this area were far more numerous compared to other areas.
It seems the leadership that masterminded the ambush had targeted the side areas.
Due to this, this area was at a disadvantage with the overwhelmingly large number of wolves.
To make matters worse, with the werewolves on the allied side also losing their sanity and transforming into wolves, there was almost no force left to protect the only mage, Kang Juyeon.
“Hm~ It’s a total mess. Miss, shall we retreat?”
Lee Soo-mi, who was in the same clan and friendly with Kang Juyeon, posed the question.
With the battlefield situation deteriorating to almost the worst state…
Perhaps as she said…
The answer here could be to give up fighting back and retreat.
But Kang Juyeon shook her head.
“No, we can’t.”
“Um, why not?”
“Because those of Baraten value trust and force. If we retreat without putting up a proper fight, we may instantly topple the tower of trust we’ve built up until now.”
The Lycan of the Baraten side are simple but solid.
They easily open their hearts to those they trust, but never turn their hearts back to those who have betrayed their trust.
Especially in a crisis situation like this…
If they abandoned their allied comrades and ran away,
Whether today’s battle ends in victory or defeat, the attack squad may fail this dungeon raid.
“But it looks like we’re all going to die?”
“…I won’t let that happen.”
Kang Juyeon declared with a confident tone.
She had…
The power and belief to overturn the unfavorable battle situation.
-Child, your flames are too rough and aggressive. Try to make a gentler flame, one that can protect someone.
The Red Dragon of Protection, Canales,
Had said those words to Kang Juyeon while teaching her about ‘fire’.
Whether it was the name of the rune or the Transcendent,
Everyone had demanded a ‘defensive flame’ from Kang Juyeon.
At the time, Kang Juyeon seemed to accept it with her head but not understand it in her heart.
-…Isn’t fire supposed to be aggressive by nature?
“That’s just the form known to humans. But flames can take on different natures depending on the name and power each one possesses. They have infinite possibilities. And the flame of protection shows its greatest power when trying to protect someone.”
“When trying to protect someone…”
“Yes. Think carefully about what state of mind you used the fire with when you overcame my trial.”
Back then, Kang Juyeon had wanted to protect Do Jae-hyun.
She didn’t want to harm the man cradled in her arms.
Wanting to be of some help to the tired man…
She had unfolded flames with all her might to protect him.
It was the same now.
The targets she wanted to protect had changed, but her ultimate goal was still for that man.
So that the attack squad he was leading for the first time could successfully conclude, she intended to protect her allies with all her ability.
‘Flare.’
The area-wide fire magic skill akin to the basics of the fire attribute is unfolded on the battlefield.
Due to its wide-ranging spread, it couldn’t inflict meaningful damage on the enemies, but it filled the surroundings with a blazing heat.
Creating an ‘environment’ where other flames could rise further based on [Flare].
‘Light Meteor.’
And then adding an attack magic on top of that.
[Light Meteor].
Unlike [Meteor] which drops a massive flaming meteorite, this magic drops dozens of small fiery rocks.
While a very powerful offensive skill, it has the drawback of randomly dropping in the designated area, making it difficult to use in chaotic battles.
If mishandled, it could also harm allies.
However, Kang Juyeon’s magic did not hesitate.
[Eternal Flame of Protection].
This rune specialized in protection and defense allowed her to designate targets for this offensive skill.
Qua, quaang–!!
Quagagaga–!!
Auuuuu–?!
Countless pits of fire scorched the enemy forces.
The dozens of fiery rocks dropping, Kang Juyeon calculated and controlled their landing points without missing a single one.
An ordinary mage Holder’s head would explode from such control.
But she was performing the spell casting akin to an artistic feat effortlessly.
“Th, this is…”
Both allies and enemies seemed bewildered by the sudden fiery spectacle.
Even Lee Soo-mi in the same spot gaped and watched the scene.
Too widespread and an immense amount of flames to ignore and keep fighting.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
“Burn endlessly…!!”
The ultimate skill cast for the finale, [Petum Inferno].
The ultimate skill newly evolved through the last <Transcendent’s Chamber> raid.
Now at a stage that could be considered fully mastered, the ultimate skill unfolded from her fingertips.
Piii-
Hwahreureuk–!!
Hwaaaa–!!
The intense flames that appeared after a long wait…
Those long flames from her fingertips to the ground.
Soon from the ground outwards in all directions.
Before long, becoming endless hellfire engulfing the entire battlefield.
The intelligent flames that protected allies while seeking out and striking only the enemy forces began to change the tide.
At that unbelievable sight…
The allied werewolves who had been blankly watching also fell into the crucible of ecstasy and cried out.
“I, it’s our side!! It’s our fire!”
“Flames that only reach the enemies! Let’s fight!”
“Goddess of fire! The goddess of fire is on our side!”
“Warriors of Baraten! Let us defeat Clark–!!”
[Eternal Flame of Protection].
The flames Kang Juyeon had unleashed…
Were simultaneously protecting the imperiled Baraten forces while instantly reversing the disadvantageous battle situation.
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