Chapter 261: The Battle of the White Bunker (1)

“Shields up!!”

A sharp voice rang out in the golems’ cockpits, jolting the pilots from their shock at the commander’s death.

“What are you all doing?! Get it together!!”

The pilots flinched at the thunderous shout, quickly pulling the levers of their golems.

Rrrr―!!

The shields attached to the golems’ arms were raised in unison, as though a new wall was erected.

“Load the magical artillery!”

The pilots, now following orders as if nothing had happened, moved diligently. The voice commanding them through the communication device in the cockpit belonged to none other than Wingel Hart, the leader of the Meister Unit and an expert in golem engineering.

Voooooom......!!

As mana condensed in the cannons mounted on the golems’ shoulders, the barrels glowed red.

“Fire!!”

At Wingel Hart's command, the pilots simultaneously pulled their levers.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM...!!

BOOM, BOOM...!!

The golems unleashed their barrage, and a cloud of dust and debris erupted across the battlefield.

“Aaah!!”

“Gaaah!!”

Screams rang out as explosions tore through the soldiers, halting their charge.

“There aren’t that many of them! Not even a Sword Master can easily take down a golem shield. Crush the enemy!!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Understood!”

The pilots shouted in unison, their spirits rekindled after the death of their commander.

“Form a wedge formation!!”

As soon as the order was given, the golems pulled up their shields from the ground, positioned them in front of their chests, and charged forward while bending low.

Thud! Thud-thud! Thud!!

The golems thundered across the battlefield, causing the ground to quake with each step. If these smaller golems were this loud, it was hard to imagine the devastation that Revol would unleash if it was released from the White Bunker.

“Left foot, left foot! Keep in step! Maintain formation!”

The lieutenant, standing at the forefront in place of the commander, led the golems. The triangular formation of the golems clashed with Miliana’s soldiers.

BOOM―!!

The golems swung their weapons, and the soldiers were flung in all directions with a deafening roar.

“Crush them all!!”

With flames erupting from their cores—the power stone—the Meister Unit charged forward.

“You worthless scum!!”

The golems, driven by the frenzied shouts of the pilots, proceeded to demolish Fran’s forces.

“Aaah!!”

“Retreat!!”

Explosions and screams echoed from all directions as the ground was littered with the crushed remains of horses and soldiers.

BOOM, BOOM!! BOOM!!!

One of the golems unleashed a Mana Blade, sending electricity in all directions. Then, the machine slammed down its sword vertically, causing the ground to explode as though a meteor had struck.

“Cough, cough...”

Amidst the suffocating heat and smoke, the surviving soldiers crawled out from under the halved corpse of a horse, unable to open their eyes.

Rumble, rumble, rumble......

Suddenly, their surroundings darkened. As they looked up, the soldiers were met with the gaze of a golem. At the same time, the golem slowly lifted its arm, and then the massive sword came crashing down akin to a guillotine.

“...!!”

“Gh—!!”

The remaining soldiers were petrified, too scared to even think of fleeing.

“Aaah—!!”

As they screamed, they instinctively covered their heads and closed their eyes, even though they knew it was futile.

But just then...

Thunk—! Thunk—!!

A sturdy chain pierced through the golem’s wrist and embedded itself into the ground.

“...!?”

With a clink, the hook at the end of the chain expanded, gripping the golem’s arm and pulling it back.

Crack, crack...!

However, a single arrow wasn’t enough to fully halt the golem’s arm.

Creak, creak......

As the golem exerted more force, the chain tightened to the breaking point. However, more arrows followed in rapid succession, binding the golem’s arm from shoulder to hand like a snare.

“Ugh?!”

The golem’s pilot, flustered, pulled the lever, but the golem only staggered under the force of the embedded arrows.

Shrrk—!

The arm holding the weapon was severed diagonally and fell to the ground with a loud thud, landing beside the cowering soldiers.

Boom―!!

With that, the golem lost its balance and toppled over.

“Move.”

Kinu Mukari pulled the arrow from the fallen golem’s wrist.

“Th-Thank you!!”

The soldiers, who had been huddled on the ground, quickly stood up and ran away.

“...”

Only weapons made from Clear Distilled Water, known for its mana-absorbing properties, could pierce the golem’s defensive magic and have any effect. The golem’s armor bore several scratches, but there was no significant damage.

“Seems like we ought to withdraw our forces. Fran’s soldiers lack weapons made from Clear Distilled Water, so they’ll struggle to do anything to these golems,” Kinu remarked as he stared at the fallen machine.

The arrows he used, the only ones capable of inflicting damage, seemed to be running out.

“You...!!” a voice came from within the fallen golem. Then, the golem rose, raising its other arm—the one with the shield—as though ready to crush Kinu.

But before it could act, Kinu quickly thrust another arrow into the golem’s chest. The six arrows lodged in that spot disrupted the protective magic on the chest plate, causing that part to turn a dull gray.

Crackle... Crackle...!

The golem shuddered a few times before electricity sparkled from its joints and other parts.

Krk... krkkrk...!

The fallen golem tried to raise its arm toward Kinu, but it only managed to stagger awkwardly as though it were rusted.

“It’s remarkable, really. For something considered the marvel of magitech, golems are surprisingly vulnerable to Clear Distilled Water,” Kinu Mukari muttered in a low voice as he watched the creaking golem.

“Hup.”

Miliana, as if waiting for this moment, pierced the golem with her two swords.

“Ghaah—!”

The swords slid effortlessly through the steel, as if slicing through tofu. As Miliana twisted them, a muffled scream echoed from within.

Shlurp—

And when she withdrew her swords, they were stained crimson. The power stone in the golem’s heart area ceased to glow, indicating that the pilot had taken his last breath.

“Normally, Clear Distilled Water is an ancient relic, found in only a few weapons across the continent. The arrows you’re using would be considered treasures if brought to the empire."

“Then one could say the Free Army is practically equipped with relic-grade weaponry.”

“The one who made that possible is truly remarkable. Even though they knew about the Spring of Vision of the Abyssal Rock, the empire didn’t dare seize the Clear Distilled Water.” Miliana chuckled wryly.

The empire had too much on its plate—the emperor’s dwindling lifespan, the power struggle among the three princes, and the chaos following their defeat in the Southern War—to consider acquiring such a valuable resource like Clear Distilled Water.

“Indeed.” Once more, Kinu Mukari couldn’t help being impressed by her insight.

Although the civil war in the principality had involved pre-arranged negotiations among the dukes, it was Karyl’s meeting with Fran that had sparked the flames. Karyl had sown chaos between the empire and the principality and used the opportunity to arm the Free Army with Clear Distilled Water weapons.

Whoosh—!

With a few swift swings, Miliana shook the blood from her sword, crimson droplets splattering against the golem’s armor.

“But you’re right. If it were the Free Army, things would be different... Empress, you have used Fran’s forces as bait to divert the golems’ attention, but the casualties are too high."

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

“And we will keep fighting this way.”

“...What?”

“Kinu, you’re the first of the barbarians to follow Karyl, aren’t you? How long have you served him without understanding him at all?”

Kinu Mukari was visibly taken aback by her words.

“If the tribes equipped with Clear Distilled Water weapons were to join the fight, the tide of battle would quickly turn in our favor. But that would also mean that even after the civil war ends, unnecessary rumors would spread among people of the principality, and the surviving dukes might start harboring different thoughts.”

“...”

“Have you grown attached to them? You’re worrying about people across the sea, but that’s just showing your own incompetence.”

Kinu fell silent at her sharp rebuke.

“Do you think your master, a man like Karyl, would wage war with such soft thoughts? Look closely. Even though we’re advancing, the main camp hasn’t made any moves yet.”

“That’s... true.”

Kinu looked back at the camp. Indeed, despite the battle raging for quite some time, there was no sign of the soldiers preparing to march.

“He won’t use the barbarians in this battle. He plans to fight solely with Fran’s forces.”

“But that will lead to heavy losses.”

Miliana smiled coldly at Kinu’s concern.

“They’re the soldiers of the principality, not ours. In exchange for their lives, we’ll secure victory. As long as the soldiers act as shields and we continue to take down the golems one by one, it’s enough. Of course, Fran’s five thousand troops from the Brown Ant will perish in the process.”

“...”

Kinu was stunned for a moment, unable to believe how nonchalantly Miliana spoke of sacrificing five thousand people.

“You’re better suited as a hunter than a warrior. There are now eight golems left. Despite only having five thousand soldiers, we’ve taken down ten golems, even with my intervention. The benefits outweigh the losses. The anger they feel over their fallen comrades and the pride in defeating the golems will ignite their heroism.”

She pointed toward the main camp behind them.

“We’re here to show them what can be achieved, to demonstrate that even the principality’s gatekeepers at the White Bunker can be defeated. That’s what Karyl wants right now.”

With Arc and Gale at her waist, Miliana scanned the battlefield for her next target. The two swords, weapons of a Blader, quivered lightly as if responding to her words.

“The path he’s taking isn’t something grand like the Great Hunt revered by the barbarians or the title of Great Warrior among the tribes.”

She took her stance.

“The seat of power is built atop a pool of blood.”

Then, as if making Kinu swear an oath, Miliana coldly said, “No matter how dull an arrow may be, we can’t take down the golems without you in this situation. Fine. Move the troops deeper into the forest.”

Miliana pointed to the coniferous forest on the left side of the White Bunker.

“This is the only time I’ll indulge you.”

“What do you mean by that...?”

Kinu Mukari frowned slightly at her words.

“If you want to save even a few more of those troops, you’ll have to run as if you’re going to die. Because from now on, this isn’t a war—it’s a hunt.”

She then asked in a low voice, “You know the stories about Digon being half-dragon half-human, right?”

Kinu nodded with a grim expression.

“Then how do you think a union between a human and a dragon could result in our existence? Love that transcends species? That’s ridiculous.”

With that, Miliana slowly drew upon her mana. The draconic power emanating from her mana core was enough to make one’s hair stand on end just by being near it.

“In ancient times, the ancestors of Digon drank the blood of dragons. Long before the dragon hunters of the Magical Era, we Digon were the true dragon slayers.”

Gulp—

Kinu swallowed as he glimpsed at Miliana’s vicious smirk.

“In other words, we are the descendants of those who hunted the greatest species in the world. Let me show you what a real hunt looks like.”

***

“My lord, as per your commands, Miliana has begun moving her forces into the forest,” Kinu reported.

“Then we’ll begin as well,” Karyl said with a nod, then slowly stood up.

Everyone inside the tent was staring at him.

“If Miliana has started hunting the golems, we can’t fall behind. We’ll take down something even bigger.”

With a faint smile, he looked out toward the massive Revol in the distance at the White Bunker and declared, “The hunt for the giant begins now.”